Professor Linda Pettijohn spends the Fall 2005 semester teaching in the Missouri/London Exchange program. Husband Charlie Pettijohn is with her on sabbatical. While much of the January 2006 newsletter will be devoted to the trip, Pettijohn gives a brief rundown of their adventures and impressions thus far….

London is a remarkably beautiful and active city. We are very fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful cultural experience. The weeks are typically busy, with Monday night being my International Marketing class. The class is very small, with only eight students. With a small class, it can be far more informal, having more discussions and field trips. In addition to the class, I have also organized several field trips.

The first field trip was to Christie’s Auction House. Christie’s is the firm that played “rock, paper, scissors” against Sotheby’s for an account with a Japanese business. One of Christies’ directors conducted the tour, which included discussions of Christie’s pricing and marketing strategies. Also included were some items of Rock memorabilia that are going to be auctioned in the near future.

Another field trip was a class favorite, Young’s Ram Brewery. In fact, it was so popular, a number of faculty participated. At the Ram brewery, all participants had to wear pants, sensible closed toe shoes, and white jackets. The highlight for me was when one of the brewery horses tried to bite Charlie.

We have also toured the BBC/TV. I did not realize that everyone having a TV in the UK pays a TV license fee of around 126 pounds which would be about double in US dollars. These dollars are used to support unbiased BBC reporting. There are not commercials on the BBC channels (as used in the US to cover production costs, etc). The students actually got to participate in a film studio recording. Several other field trips and guest lecturers are planned for the semester.

On Tuesday’s we have a faculty meeting and then our British Life and Culture (BLC) lecture. So far, we’ve had lectures about the theatre, the history of London, English Art, Medieval England, European Union, etc. Then on Wednesdays all the students and faculty attend a field trip designed to reflect the BLC lecture. For example, we’ve been to Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, Blenheim Palace, Canterbury, Dover, Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of London, and Tate-Britain art museum.

Dr. Linda Pettijohn is all smiles while posing with a stone-faced British soldier at Buckingham Palace in London.

On weekends, we are free to explore. One Saturday, we went to the Westminster pier to take the boat down to Kew Gardens. KG is acres of flowers, plants, trees, greenhouses full of palms, water lilies, etc. When we left, we went to the local pub and started talking to two locals--one was a salesperson and the other was an electrical engineer. It was so funny to hear them talk about their US impressions---super sizing everything, everyone being so friendly only to realize they wanted a tip. They also talked about the UK. We ate dinner at the pub and I will say the hamburgers don't taste the same in the UK.

Sunday, we took a day trip to Brighton on the English Channel by coach. We toured the Grand Palace and I have to tell you I've seen many churches, palaces, and castles, but this one--wow--it had the most magnificent chandeliers I've ever seen. We then ate lunch overlooking the Channel, the Brighton Pier and the rock beach. We sat, in a pub, upstairs, with the owner's dog. Every time Charlie left his chair the dog sat on it! 

One Sunday, we visited the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms in London. This was the underground area Churchill used during WWII. I've noticed regardless of whether you're in a cathedral, palace, castle, or museum, you WILL exit through a gift shop.

This adventure is not only wonderful for a faculty member, but for students. If a student has the desire to study in the Missouri-London program they will study on an international campus, live in a very culturally diverse city, and possibly participate in an internship that will create memories that will last a lifetime. Cheers!

As a final note, we leave (October 20) for Rome!