Happy faces at the Royal Observatory Greenwich
Window-side view on the River Thames
Tour Leader Mehrdad Borna explaining that the importance of boats and ships in the past.
FELDA Global Generation students were given a grand tour of London through the River Thames. This is the third part of our multi-part report on the FELDA Global Generation students’ activities in Limkokwing University’s Global Classroom initiative.
Read the first and second part here.
Today’s activities commenced with a talk in front of the popular London Eye in Westminster, where the students listened to how London was shaped and why most cities in Europe are built close to rivers. While gazing at the Thames River only metres away, students were led to imagine what life was like when London was known as Londinium, when the city was built by the Romans two thousand years ago.
Following the talk at Westminster, students embarked on a boat ride from Embankment pier, where they experienced firsthand what it feels like to travel down the Thames like millions of people before them. It took nearly an hour to reach their destination at Greenwich, the famous Cutty Sark, a ship that was in operation delivering tea, wool and other cargo around the world from 1869 to 1952. This was a prime location for the next subject, the history of trading in the UK, where Limkokwing University’s Academic Coordinator Mehrdad Borna, who led the tour, explained that the importance of boats and ships in the past was largely due to the absence of adequate roads and communication. This tied in with what they had learned earlier at Westminster about the layout of the city.
After lunch, it was time for a research tour of Greenwich Market. The highlight of this visit was that students gained knowledge of how one individual can offer their products to members of the public. The market makes it easy for vendors to rent a space in order to sell their goods, which can range from organic produce to clothing. It is impossible to find big brands at Greenwich Market as it is designed to support small, local business, and therefore the market is a great place to look for truly British merchandise, and customers can be assured of the products’ high quality.
Finally, students walked to the place where time began, the Royal Observatory Greenwich which was built in the 18th century. Here on the Prime Meridian, the longitude begins at the 0 mark, and a few steps forward or backward will take you seconds into the past or future. This was an apt conclusion to the day’s activities, which left the students wondering about the past while also thinking about their own futures.
To know more about Limkokwing University Global Classroom initiative, visit www.limkokwing.net/malaysia/academic/global_classroom.
