Churchill’s War Rooms: A History Student’s Perspective

This week I managed to get my boyfriend to agree to accompany me to Churchill’s War Rooms (created by the Imperial War Museum), in London. As a history student, I was so excited to get access to the actual rooms where the most important British decisions of the Second World War were made. The War Rooms have been made into a museum but is still actually where they were at the time, and much of it is untouched except for the addition of glass windows so sticky-handed tourists cannot touch. It’s located in the heart of British politics, next door to the Treasury and a stones throw from Westminster itself. The importance of the exhibit can therefore be felt before entry.

Queue hypocrisy: as important as the War museum is, I refused to pay the optional donation. This was for two reasons: 1) I am a poor student and did not want to go against my stance in my previous blog ‘A Student’s Guide to Experiencing London on the Cheap‘. 2) The price lists were rather misleading. In large print behind the cashier desk stated a students ticket cost £15.20, however in smaller print at the bottom, it said this price included an optional 10% donation. This sort of miscommunication is something I dislike; I would rather them have a donation jar at the end of the tour where I can contribute whatever I like without feeling pressured. Student rant over.

What I was pleased to find were the free audio sets we could take round with us. Yes, it meant we had to walk around the whole tour holding the headset to our ear like a telephone, but we gained so much extra information we wouldn’t have heard without it. Usually in places like this, these sort of things cost, so well done IWM, good job.

Here I must apologise for the awful photos I took on my iPhone 5s; the lighting in there was awful and most photos are taken through a glass screen!

As I said, the entire museum was virtually untouched from when it was left for the last time in 1945. Cleverly, clocks had been set to five minutes to five, as if waiting for the last meeting of the War Cabinet to take place on 28th March 1945. Papers on the tables are browning and curling, and fans on the walls rust. It was truly an abandoned treasure.

In this photo you can see Churchill’s wooden chair, far superior to the chairs of the rest of the war cabinet

 

The audio tour also provided witty information of the sort that one day I hope I need in a pub quiz. For example, a door marked as a toilet was actually the room which held Churchill’s private phone which connected him directly to Franklin Roosevelt. Seeing the room where Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the USA developed was somewhat of a history student’s dream.

Another fun fact was found at the weather forecast sign. As workers would often not venture outside for the entirety of their 12 hour shifts, this wooden box (shown below) would be changed depending on the weather. During a bombing, the forecast was changed to say ‘Windy’, which was a joke between workers.

Churchill’s domineering persona could be seen throughout the exhibition. Everywhere you looked there was a ‘Quiet Please’ sign, or signs banning any unnecessary noise. We also got to see Churchill’s alternative to hole punchers, which he banned for being too noisy. Staples and paperclips were not allowed. 

The most significant part of the War Rooms for me was the humanity on show. Every worker had a bed, because they often could not go home. Churchill and his wife had what they called a ‘Number 10 Annex’, where they could escape the underground rooms, but most other employees slept where they worked. On one man’s desk were three sugar cubes, which apparently had been found during Archiving in his desk drawer inside an envelope his wife sent him to work with everyday. Sugar was, of course, rationed, so they would have been very precious, but obviously not precious enough for him to remember to take them with him on his last exit from the building! 

Another fantastic part of the Churchill Museum was that I saw a colour photograph of Churchill for the first time! 

 Propaganda played a huge role in recruiting people for the war, and the collection at the War Rooms was fantastic! Churchill’s quotes have guided generations in paying their respects to those who fought in both world wars.

Key question: was the museum interesting for all? Of course it was for me, a history student and general WWII-nerd. It was very child-friendly, as Jamie and I have demonstrated below – a whole dressing up area! Yes, you too can look like Churchill. There was plenty of interactive parts too, as well as videos to watch.

V for Victory

Clemmy and Churchill?

Overall, Jamie and I both loved the War Rooms. It’s rare that we can decide on something we both enjoy, but this entertained us both! Keeping the memory of WWII (and WWI of course) alive is hugely important and Churchill’s War Rooms is a way we can take pride in the British stance against dictatorship. Keep Calm and Carry On!

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Got any thoughts on the War Rooms? Please comment (but please do not hate on me for not donating I AM POOR!)

My Top 10 University Essentials

1. A good notebook 
By this I don’t mean one of those 99p refill pads from Wilkos. I mean a pretty Paperchase notebook to write important things. I think everyone needs one of them… or five!

2. A mug
And tea bags, of course. Tea is an incredibly powerful bonding tool at university. I actually know people that brought tea and coffee with them to university, even though they didn’t drink it, just as a way to make friends! Geniuses.

My favourite mug is this one from Paperchase – their new Gothic Garden range. At £8 it’s a little pricey, but can you put a price on a pretty cup of tea? Especially when you can have a matching notepad!

3. A printer 
I went through first year without a printer, simply because there were plenty at uni and I needed to save money. This year, however, I am living further away from uni so I decided to treat myself.

Today I purchased my HP Envy printer from Currys PC World for £44.99, plus three years guarantee for £12.00! What’s put me off buying a printer before is the price of ink, which everyone knows is completely unaffordable for a student. Not anymore! For just £1.99 a month I can print 50 pages of colour with HP. The printer tells HP when you need a replacement cartridge and you get it delivered to you well before you run out, amazing! An added extra, 5 months free ink from Currys!

4. A blanket 
Everyone needs a cozy blanket for the duvet days we’re bound to have. For the homesick days and the hungover days.

5. Garlic bread 
Perfect again for duvet days! Me and the girls always make sure we have a stash of it in the freezer and we put it in while we’re cooking as a communal starter, or have it with wine and a movie.

6. My laptop 
Obviously! Apple offer 14% student discount when you show them your university card/acceptance letter, making Macbooks so much more affordable!

7. A dressing gown 
A partner for the duvet days! Also essential for going out into the kitchen during those first few weeks when you don’t want to reveal your rabbit-patterned pyjamas to your new flatmates…

Selections of fluffy dressing gowns are a little scarce right now as it’s summer, but mine is a little like this one from M&S, because who doesn’t want to look and feel like a fluffy teddy bear in their dressing gown?

8. A food planner
You can buy these very cheaply from Wilkos, or if you’re feeling like a big spender you can get lovely ones in Paperchase. I swear by a good food planner as a way to save money. *Queue me revealing my sad life* Every Sunday I plan my meals for the following week, then I write a shopping list of the things I’ll need, and go to Morrisons in the morning. That way, I only buy the things I need, plus a few treats of course!

9. Photos
It’s so important to make your uni room feel like home, so photos are essential! I literally covered my pin board and some of my walls with photos of family and friends, and as the year went on, pictures of uni friends.

10. A communal biscuit tin
My flat and I came up with an idea to have a communal biscuit tin in the kitchen as a way to make sure there was always something nice to eat in the flat. Each week it’s a different person’s turn to buy them, and it’s a great way to have a catch up after a week of uni.

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Any vital items you feel I’ve missed? Comment your thoughts on the items you simply cannot live without at uni! X

A Student’s Guide to Experiencing London on the Cheap

My boyfriend and I have certainly been lucky with the places we have visited, particularly our frequent visits to London. However, this isn’t due to us having vast bank accounts – though we both work, we are students*. We’ve picked up lots of techniques for saving money whilst making the most of the big city, so I thought I’d share them.

*aka POOR.

1. Tube? What Tube?

Don’t get me wrong, I love the tube. It’s fast, easy to navigate and goes everywhere you need. However, one thing it is not is cheap. There are options to get a student Oyster card, but this requires a large joining fee, and a lot of extra hassle for students just visiting for the day. The cards themselves cost £10, and journeys are about £2.80 upwards! My solution to this is simple: use your feet! A few weeks ago I was in London alone for the day, and went everywhere, but only got one tube. Admittedly this was a little extreme as I later found out I’d walked 13 miles, but my point still stands. Check the distances between where you are and want to go to see if it’s walkable, and if so you’ll get such a better feel for the city! You truly miss out on a lot being trapped underground.

2. Hotels

I am a big believer in Groupon – Jamie and I once went to Amsterdam for three days for £169 each, flights and hotel incl.! So I’d definitely give that a check before booking a hotel. We’ve also done a one night stay with Omega Holidays which included a trip to Winter Wonderland, transport to and from the hotel and the bus journey there and back for £100! It’s all about shopping around.

3. And while you’re at it, buffets are good for shopping around too! 

Most hotels do breakfast buffets, so make the most of them! Stuff your pockets with bread rolls, pots of jam, fruit, whatever you can get your hands on, grab a seat on the steps of St. Pauls, and hey presto! you’ve got a free picnic! 

Me choosing a step for lunch at St. Pauls…

4. Museums

Tate, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and many more are all FREE! Each one takes up at least half the day, and doubles up as something to do on a rainy day, which there are plenty of in London!
 

Trendy cars at the Science Museum

5. Follow the Happy Hour

Happy hours often differ between bars, so follow it and switch when the hour ends! Share 2 for 1 deals, split bills, etc… Of course, the cheapest way would be to only order soft drinks, but as the title says, this is a student’s guide.

Belushi’s bar in Covent Garden – a bottle of Prosecco is £15 in Happy Hour!!

6. Don’t pay for what you can already see! 

On my last trip to London, Jamie and I were horrified to have walked four miles to St. Pauls, to find admission was £16 (yes that’s s-i-x-t-e-e-n!!!!)!! Obviously, we did NOT pay. However, we were perfectly happy to walk around the outside of the building, which is truly beautiful! We also nearly paid £7 for a boat trip up the Thames (it was actually a good offer to be honest!), but then thought, what’s the point? We were just going to walk the same way, looking at the same river, but also experience the Thames-side atmosphere by walking. If you don’t need to, don’t pay! 

St. Pauls looked gorgeous enough on the outside, we didn’t mind giving the inside a miss!

7. Graffiti walks

One of my favourite ways to see London is by following the graffiti. I love Banksy, and you can download tours of his graffiti which take you around Brick Lane, for example. It can take up to a whole day to cover an area, and is a great way to see a part of London you wouldn’t usually see. 

8. Use the bus instead of the tube
Since moving to London, my boyfriend has discovered that just £1 gets you on to any bus, for any number of stops! Yes, that means if you want to get the bus from Embankment to Trafalgar, it’s £1, and if you want to get the bus from SW Kensington to Southbank, it’s also £1. Who needs the tube?!

*photo and edit by me*

Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment with anymore tips you have and let’s change the opinion that ‘London is too expensive for students to visit’!!! 

Directions to Escaping your Anxious Mind Maze

Please note: tips are not guaranteed to provide an easy escape route from the maze: you may reach dead ends and have to start over, but if you’re lucky you’ll find secret passages out

1. Write a list of 5 things you’re grateful for today
2. Go for a walk (I know everyone tells you do to this and if you’re feeling particularly down you won’t want to, but try!!)
3. Tell someone how you feel, even if that someone is your diary
4. Write a list of the negative things in your head and next to each one write a way you could fix it
5. Give someone a good old hug – they never fail
6. Don’t be so hard on yourself, you’ll get there
7. If you run around the maze you’ll get out quicker, so go for a run!
8. Go and sit outside, vitamin D is an invisible miracle worker
9. Write a to-do list – it will help you feel more motivated
10. SMILE, even if you don’t feel like it

Good luck! 

Mental Health in the Workplace: Shhh!

Today I realized first hand that telling your boss you need to go home because you are feeling mentally unstable is not done and not even considerable. Today I was close to having a panic attack, a mental shut down. Instead of explaining my mental situation, I considered physical illnesses that could require me to leave quickly. Instead of telling my boss I was lost in my own mind, I lied and said my mum was picking me up and taking me for lunch, when really she took me home so I could calm down for an hour.

It was when I got home that I realized just how many times I had been in this situation whilst working at the restaurant I also work in. On many occasions, I have told my boss I felt sick, or was about to have an asthma attack, when I really wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear.

These realisations have made me re-question what I already knew: why isn’t mental illness considered as serious as physical illness? Why, if someone suddenly has, for example, projectile vomit at work, can they get sent home, when someone who has an anxiety attack is forced by society to hide in the toilets until the red of their eyes disappears and they stop shaking? If someone has an accident and has to quit their job for a while, they can make a full recovery and get a new job afterwards. Or, even better, their current employment will make alterations to the workplace to fit their new needs. However, if someone falls into depression, not only does society encourage them to cover it up, but when they go to get a new job, they will most likely have to lie on their application and say they have never suffered from mental illness. Who wants to employ someone who may call in sick because they’re feeling down? They don’t know what down means.

Mental illness can be caused by almost anything. A death, your upbringing, your health, your finance, your job. There needs to be more understanding in the workplace about mental health. People suffering are still people and still deserve the right to work – it can often help you get better. If they are unable to get a job, they stay at home, they get lonely and more depressed. In what world is this okay? This one, apparently.

Counselling???

When I first got put on to Citalopram in summer 2014, I was advised to seek counselling also, but I never did. I think it was a fear of admitting I had a problem I needed to get past. Going to the doctors in the first place was hard enough – I booked and cancelled the appointment about four times! At university, I had filled in the self-referral form for the student counselling centre in about September, but it wasn’t until February 2016 that I actually brought myself to book an appointment.

The first appointment was traumatic, as was the second. The first was an assessment by a man that might not necessarily be my counsellor for the rest of the sessions – and he wasn’t. So to two different people I had to recount my issues. I realise now that facing the issues and thinking about the past was what I struggled with. My counsellor for my sessions was a woman, named Joanna. By our second proper session the tears had stopped, and we were able to discuss issues, instead of me simply telling her the way I felt. It was something I had never done before. My doctor at home was not a counsellor; I had never been able to make progress in dealing with the problems and moving forward, and that’s what Joanna helped me to do.

Joanna would not only listen to what I said, she listened to how I said it; what my facial expressions were as I said and what my body language was like. She considered my precise word choice – things I didn’t think about but my subconscious did. She noticed the way I tensed up as soon as I said certain names, and recognised happiness when talking about others.

Each week I felt myself progressing. I realised that I was a different person than I was at sixth form, and that it was okay that things have changed since secondary school. I have started to recognise when I am feeling down and can take actions to prevent a crash. I don’t worry what people will think if I’m sat on my own anymore, and I am confident to ask friends to meet for a coffee. I’m not saying I’m ready to go to the doctors and be taken off citalopram, but it’s a start.

I admit, the thing that has pushed me over the edge into becoming a more positive person was booking a flight to New Zealand. My best friend moved there at the end of year 11 and I’ve struggled ever since. I’m not saying that every one suffering with this sort of problem should magic up some money and book a once in a lifetime trip. What I’m saying is that if you know that something is going to make you happier than anything else could, do it. Whatever it is. My counsellor could only help me so far, the rest has been up to me.

If you don’t try to change your life, it will stay the same. Don’t keep putting counselling off if you’re scared. Life is about new experiences, so don’t shut yourself off – you don’t know what you’re missing. I wouldn’t miss this trip to New Zealand for the world.

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As always, if you have any thoughts to share, please do! I never know if people really read this or not…

"#Pray, but only for Europe"

This morning I woke up to BBC News announcing that there had been another terror attack, this time in the departure lounge of Brussels’ airport and a metro station close by. I was shocked, upset and worried, but I was also angry. Here I was, watching this emergency broadcast on what was undoubtedly a tragedy, wondering where the same sense of panic was at the recent terror attacks in Ankara and Istanbul.

Judging from my blog, you may say I’m biased. I have visited Turkey numerous times and have fallen in love with it. But who can be prejudice when it comes to world terror? I felt compelled to write this post after reading a brilliant article on The Independent by Yasmin Ahmed who asks where our prayers were for Ankara and Istanbul.

As I look on Twitter now, at 6:52pm, almost 12 hours after the attacks, there have been 69.3K tweets with the hashtag #BrusselsAttacks. Horrifyingly, 252K tweets have been sent with the hashtag #StopIslam – as if stopping one of the biggest religions in the world would stop the terror. As #PrayForAnkara is no longer trending, if it ever was, I can’t tell you how many tweets it had! But come on, I think we all know it won’t have been 69.3K!

Since the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks, Muslims have been associated with terror by western media, and seeing this lack of compassion for attacks in Turkey just shows how this has filtered down to the general public in 2016. The attacks in Ankara and Istanbul meant Muslims were killed, but the key thing our media concentrated on was the tourists that were killed – the westerners. Maybe it’s fair to say that there isn’t as much compassion for eastern attacks because the media talk less about it?

A human life lost is the same no matter what their religion. Fair enough if David Cameron is more concerned about attacks in Paris and Brussels – this cities are closer to Britain, meaning we are more at threat. But if we aren’t allowed to know that people in Turkey are being killed by the same evil, what’s to stop us thinking it is people in Turkey committing terrorism? This is where stereotypes start.

We’re all in this together.

Terrorism has no religion.

My Heart in Istanbul

I have written before about the beauty of Istanbul, however the recent attacks in the Sultanahmet Square gave me an impulse to write once more.

When I was in the city last summer, I made sure to take note of any mention of terror (as a normal person would), but paid particular interest to how the locals reacted when it was mentioned in front of them. My boyfriend’s Turkish father, for example, did not know what the term ‘ISIS’ meant – because they call it something different over there.

Sultanahmet Square

My experience of the Sultanahmet Square was one of amazement. Knowing I was in the tourist and cultural centre of the city, a place with such history. Of course, we went to visit the Blue Mosque, which I had been apprehensive of due to the clothing requirements. Naturally, the place was full of tourists – women in short shorts and men in vests. The workers at the mosque required females to cover our heads, and some women were asked to wear a full cover up. This was all done in a very polite way – no annoyance was shown to the tourists disrespecting their culture.

Me being a typical tourist

Photo’s inside the mosque weren’t allowed but we got plenty outside!

The square was so full of life. Stalls selling simit and water as the heat was incredible.

My boyfriend’s dad’s BBQ’s are the best

People in Istanbul get on with their lives despite the threat that is all around them. I suppose me writing this is me expressing my own conflict: I am desperate, yet scared, to go back. Of course, the fear of terrorism is not something we in the West have conjured up. It is real and it is happening. But in Istanbul, life doesn’t stop for terrorism. People don’t not go on trips to the coast because of terror fears. I’m not saying we should not be vigilant, but should we let terror stop us from living out lives?

5 Steps to coping with Anxiety at University (written by a very anxious person!)

Most of these are pretty obvious, but as the end of my first semester approaches I’m trying to figure out these steps in my own head as well, so I personally found it pretty useful to write!

1. Forget your past

Personally, I hated sixth form. After 5 years of secondary school being surrounded by friends, and knowing the name of every person in my year, moving to a sixth form with over 1,300 in my year alone was pretty daunting. I come from a very small village and my sixth form was in the middle of a city, which meant most people had already formed their friendships. The girls I did make friends with eventually got bored of me and decided we weren’t friends anymore… I didn’t get the memo, apparently.
So after two years of eating lunch alone, walking to classes alone, and getting the train alone, I doubted very much that anyone would want to be friends with me at uni. I thought there must be something wrong with me – I didn’t say cool enough things or laugh at the right moments, I don’t know!
I know some people will have had it far worse than me. Sometimes I even liked the solitude… Sometimes. Anyway, you have to put bad experiences behind you, and don’t let them get in the way of what’s going on now. The people you meet at university have no idea what your past is like; it is literally the epitome of a fresh start. Be confident because no one knows that you aren’t. Smile because no one knows you’ve been unhappy. 

2. Remember everyone is in the same boat, even when you’re sinking! 

By that, I mean that when you’re having a down day and missing home, other people are too!
Shockingly, one of my most special moments of Freshers week is when my mum and dad left. My bedroom door was wedged open while they hugged me goodbye. I told mum, ‘just get this over with quickly’, like ripping off a plaster – I’d been fearing the moment all day and had been in constant tears.
They walked out of the flat and one of my new flatmates walked in and gave me a hug. We had only met a few hours earlier, and I barely knew how to pronounce her first name! She gave me a hug and said ‘Do you need a cup of tea?’ (You will find tea becomes a social necessity). We walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on, and were soon joined by other snivelling flatmates, fresh from tearing their parent plasters off too.  So we all sat together, all telling our sad little stories of our farewells, and these stories soon turned into other stories, which turned us into fab friends.

3. If you don’t want to go out, don’t! 

You’ll probably work yourself up into an anxious mess by going, so why put yourself through it!

4. Open up to those you trust

A night out where I left early in tears led to me explaining my anxiety and depression to a flatmate I had known a matter of weeks, and I am so thankful for that. It started a bond between us and I know I can trust her when I am low. It helps you feel less alone, and you never know how similar you are to people once you open up.

5. Remember how hard you worked for this 

Joined the many Freshers taking photos..

Why should you feel sad at university? You worked your ass off through two years of A Levels for this! Every night out should feel like a results day party – this is it! Make the most of every opportunity, university is the time! Be proud of yourself for waking up with a hangover, not guilty! Mix in with university life and open up your eyes to this, crazy, crazy ride! 

I always wonder what people think of things I write on here, so PLEASE PLEASE, leave a comment!

A Turkish Contradiction

In my opinion, being safe means to be with the ones you love. That’s why I went ahead with my trip to Istanbul last July, despite the recent Tunisia terrorist attacks.

While I was there, I visited the Blue Mosque, cruised down the Bosporus, and partied in Taksim – a town where, only two years ago, riots took place as part of the Gezi Park protests. Of course, being a sufferer of anxiety, I did have my worries. I felt the most important thing to remember was that this is our world. We can not lock ourselves away from experiences due to fear. If we allow that we will become consumed, locked in our houses and untrusting of our neighbours.

Orientalism, an essay by Edward Said, tells of the way the West looks at the East as culturally inferior, less civilised. The West ‘others’ the East. It is my belief that whoever judges the Orient as culturally inferior has had no real experience of the East. Sure, watching British news channels you can get a view of the poor Middle Easterns, but only by visiting the Middle East can you see that the Orient is rich in ways the British are poor. 

I couldn’t take enough photos of the Blue Mosque

Turkish culture is giving. Tell a Turkish woman you like her ring, she gives you the ring. Tell an English woman you like her ring, she begins a speech about how her amazing boyfriend bought her the [insert expensive designer brand] ring for their anniversary. Another important difference is the work-life balance. In Britain, people in Britain live to work. In Turkey, they work to live. This means that they care less about material objects. Friends and family are more important than saving up for a new car.

The best photo I have ever taken

I don’t pretend to be an expert on Turkish culture, but my experience in Istanbul taught me a lot. I don’t pretend that, either, that I have experienced the hardships of the lower-class Turks. My boyfriend’s dad is an estate agent who lives on a brand new estate with a pool, and drives a shiny white car.

Took this near Ortaköy

The conflict I now face with myself is my safety vs my dream. I want to spend a year in Istanbul teaching English and getting to know the Turkish language and culture that I have fallen in love with. But, as I begin to contradict myself (welcome to my mind) I must put my safety first. This isn’t just for me: I am of the believe that the dead are the lucky ones: they have escaped. The victims are the living who suffer the loss. And that is something I could not risk putting my family through.

Teşekkür ederim.