A Very Public Private Man: Stranger in Durham

“Slight not what’s near through aiming at what’s far”- Euripides, Greek Tragedian.

Beyonce - exemplar of a woman

What Are We Talking About Then?

If we never aimed at what's far, we would be thought of as being timid and having no ambition. The problem arises if by aiming at what's far, we actually start to ignore and despise what's within our grasp. I won't use Beyonce as an example in this article, because then people will know more about me than I want them to know (including why I, yes, hate Jay - Z!). Let me, for want of a better example, use shelter instead to clarify my point: you can't be homeless because you are aiming to own a marble palace one day. Live in that shack until the time comes when you can afford the palace. That's as clear as I can make it in generic terms. Coming to the specifics; what's at issue is the tourist's malaise of travelling to attractions that are 4 000 miles away while completely ignoring the local ones. This is what a moment of sober reflection yielded to me as I drove on the A1 Motorway from London to take up my place in Durham.

Thus, Euripides' above remark, has helped me to think in the same terms, and so point an accusing finger towards myself on the "tourist malaise" charge. Guilty is the verdict I returned!

Why this trip had to be made

The long road

I have been to Real Madrid's Stadium, 2 hours away by powered flight in excess of 870 Kilometres per hour (540 Miles per hour or Mach 0.82 to the technically minded). Yet, I have never seen Chelsea's Stadium, even though I have lived in London for over 5 years. Those who concern themselves with facts will argue that there is no comparison between an empire like Real Madrid and a club that had not won the league since 1955 (i.e. Chelsea). I will concede that to be a valid point, but it does not invalidate the wisdom of Euripides. I only truly realised this on my drive to Durham. Nothing like the solitude of an open road at 4am to exercise clear thought.

Arriving in County Durham after a 4 - 5 hour early morning drive

Why Does This Happen?

To be fair to the other tourists, familiarity does breed contempt (will Beyonce get tired of Jay Z? we can only hope!). So indeed, it's hard to become excited by a monument you see everyday during rush hour to work. Travel is usually about getting away from the mundane, the grinding boredom of your day to day life. So it is logical to choose somewhere exotic, which will refresh and re-invigorate you. Counter-intuitively, another reason is that it is cheaper to fly to continental Europe than to take a train to the North Pennines. Did I tell you? My famed trip to Madrid in January 2012 cost me £34.00 return! While one way from London to Durham set me back £80.00 in fuel! So unless a very compelling reason be found, it's not very inviting to visit local attractions. Luckily for me, I had the most compelling reason to be in Durham. Luckily again, Durham just happens to be part of the world reknowned North Pennines, an area of outstanding beauty.

Durham University

I have always been (up to now) very careful not to pronounce any political ambitions, partly because I have none, despite my keeping close contact with world affairs and getting animated and annoyed by politics in equal measure. The fact of the matter is that unless the choice is made for me by circumstances, I will never go into politics. However, should circumstances see it fit to call me into politics, what can it hurt to be ready? Right? It was with this in mind that I accepted an offer to study at Durham University in the School of Government and International Affairs. For this reason, I had to drop all the things I had become familiar with in the South to start again over here. But, what a blessing it has turned out to be with regards the fact that this area I am now in is very much like the area I will retire to in my homeland. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's return to my subject: that it is not a good idea to ignore local attractions in preference of those on the other side of the world.

DU 1832.

Granted, not everyone's University is in a World Heritage Site but the logic still holds. Consider this then, even when I had been offered a place here, in March of this year, I was still plotting how I was going to "conquer" The Great Wall of China. I was still deciding which part of the wall to visit and what other surrounding attractions I shouldn't miss since China is so far. But do you know, a wall of great antiquity and superior value to the Great Wall of China lies not 20 miles from Durham University.

Durham University, 1832.

Where I will do all my studying for the next 4 years!

I would like to also talk about my excellent experiences so far, the welcoming atmosphere and the promise of the best academic training possible at my new institute, but I will reserve that for my next article: The Durham Papers. For now I just want to impress upon you that world class tourist attractions are everywhere, even in your hometown.

Formal Dinner and Welcome to Hatfield College MCR.

Hadrian's Wall Saves Me!

Hadrian's Wall has been standing since A.D. God knows when, the purpose of Hadrian's Wall is not dissimilar to that of the Great Wall of China, if we eschew pedantry from our discussion. The question I want to answer when I visit ancient monuments relates to strategy, which is what I am studying. I want to know what purpose did a monument serve, what was the logic behind it and; did it succeed in that? If not, what lessons were learned and remedies instituted? These questions, I can ask and get equitable answers at the Great Wall of China as well as at Hadrian's Wall. The only difference would be it was going to cost me in the region of £1 500.00 to visit the Great Wall of China, whereas it cost me £5.00 (Five!) to visit Hadrian's Wall. This was thanks to my college here in Durham, Hatfield College. Motto: 'Vel Primus Vel Cum Primis' translated: 'Be the best you can be!'