My date with the Queen and cups of tea with the ‘beast’ in a lovely month of March
It is not often that you get the good, the better and the best times of your life happening all in one month. March was so eventful, I could not catch my breath until the last three days of the months.
From my first encounter with the British Queen to the worst winter the UK had experienced in the last 50 years, I couldn’t have asked for more. For a Chevening Scholar that was just a tip of the iceberg of the many great things to come. I was also the Social Media Ambassador (SMA) for the month of March so it was a double thrill for me.
It started with an invitation for a ‘British dinner’ with a British family. My excitement knew no bounds as I honestly did not know what to expect, especially as the invitation said, ‘the dinner will not be fish and chips’.
The night started with a cup of tea (a national emblem of welcome in the UK); then we proceeded to the dining table which was well laid out in typical British style. There was vegetable soup with bread which was the starter, then came mashed potatoes with chicken, sausage, fruit salad with mayonnaise, vegetable salad and a tasty chocolate cake to complete the evening. In between the courses, we had wine and fruit drinks to help wash everything down. After that night I resolved that there was more to British cuisine than ‘chicken and chips’.
A few days after that I had a date with Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and the entire royal family. This was a rare privilege and one not to be missed. It was the 150th anniversary of the Commonwealth and as an invited guest, I joined the royal family and a host of others at Westminster Abbey for a service to commemorate the day. The well-organised service had all the elements of splendour ticking in harmony. Seeing gentlemen bow and ladies curtsey depicted age old traditions of the British.
Another iconic symbol of British tradition was Westminster Abbey. The design, both interior and exterior, is simply breathtaking, and I would encourage everyone to visit and appreciate the intricate architectural works of yesteryear preserved today. This culture of preservation resonates throughout the United Kingdom as castles, forts, bridges, schools, and monuments built hundreds of years ago are still in very good condition. It is a beauty to see how new architectural designs are fused with the old ones. Simply great.
[Read more from Martin about Commonwealth Day celebrations here.]
Talking about British architecture, I was on the world-famous Tower Bridge in London and that masterpiece is one that all men must see. Honestly that should be called the London Bridge because that is what many people think is the London Bridge. While on the bridge, I asked a few other tourists taking pictures there what it was called and most of them said ‘London Bridge’… It is not. It stretches across the meandering Thames River on which I had a cruise.
The cruise took me to another iconic structure: the London Eye. If you want a spectacular view of the city of London, take a ride in the London Eye. The House of Parliament and Big Ben are in sight when you are on the Eye.
Countries the world over are known for different things that make them stand out. For the United Kingdom, one such thing is football. The sport is so massive that thousands come to the UK just because of it. It is so well packaged that it is on the bucket-list of many tourists to at least visit the various stadia or, better still, watch a game just for the experience.
I decided to fulfil my heart’s desire by touring the stadia of the top six teams in the English Premier League, starting from the home of my favourite team: Old Trafford (Manchester United). I have so far toured the Emirates (Arsenal), Stanford Bridge (Chelsea), Etihad (Manchester City), with Anfield (Liverpool) and Wembley yet to host me.
It is a must for every football fan in the world to at least visit one of these stadia in their lifetime. While on my tours, I took the opportunity to see other cities and all of them have great stories about their history and what makes them different. I have also made friends and built good contacts around the country mainly for networking purposes.
When you have such opportunities as being a Chevening Scholar, you take full advantage and make sure you keep the connection for a lifetime. The month of March also came along with the coldest temperatures the UK had experienced in the last 50 years. It was called the ‘Beast from the East’ which literally covered the entire country with a white carpet of snow. It was so serious that transportation was affected across the UK, some schools shut down, and many activities came to a halt because of it.
For a foreigner like me from a tropical country like Ghana in West Africa, this was quite an experience, but cups of warm tea saw me through. I was glad to have witnessed the historic cold and look forward to enjoying the rest of the four seasons before I leave.