So um...I'm a graduate student now!!

Hello all,

I am very sorry for not posting in so long! Life got in the way. :) But that is no excuse so I will attempt to make this a nice, informative, long (but not too long and boring) post for you all.

Well, tomorrow will be the end of two full weeks of graduate classes! Which, in case you were wondering, officially means that I am a graduate student (not the two weeks part, just going to classes in general)! I'm not sure that has really sunk in with me yet, but I'm working on it. It also means that I am closing in on three full weeks since I arrived in London! It has been quite an emotional roller-coaster of a few weeks! On the one hand, I love it here and I love my classes (for the most part, but more on this in a minute). On the other hand, I am still having trouble with my internet in my room (latest news is that is may be my computer not their network, but frankly, I doubt it), I have already gotten a cold (darn British germs!), and I have definitely suffered from some homesickness. Just to reassure you all, I have never considered giving up, but I do miss you all! Really, I don't want to go home exactly, but I want you all to come here and be with me!

So I know you all want to hear (okay, read) about my classes! So, I will try to give you some highlights. Lectures happen once a week for 1-2 hours and most lectures are accompanied by a seminar class that is a much smaller group that may or may not be taught by the same person who does the lectures. Also, each course has a course convener, who may not lecture every week, but is in charge of the general format of the course. I have three main, assessed courses this term, plus two compulsory, but non-assessed courses that don't meet every week and don't have seminars attached to them. Just so you know, reading assignments are divided into core and further readings and one should do all of the core by class time and most of the further readings at least by the time of the exam which are all in the summer.

The first graduate class I had was EU435 which is the core class for our program and is on the History and Theory of European Integration. This was rather a rough class for me! I hadn't found the spot online where the readings were posted so (just this once!) I wasn't prepared for the lecture and it was on theories of European integration which I have never studied/learned before. The result was I felt so confused and overwhelmed at the end of the class! As it turned out, the teacher (not everyone here is a professor even if they have their doctorates) may have been able to make things a little clearer than she did, but until I started hearing about others' perceptions, I felt like I was the only one who didn't get it. It was a stressful day (which of course, made me feel more homesick).

The next day, Tuesday, was sooo much better! I had my first class with Dr. Herzog who is great (P.s. I know I have heard his name, but I don't know where-if you know will you let me know?!) The class is European Politics: Comparative Analysis, which just helps me cement the idea that the area I am excited about is comparative politics! Dr. Herzog is a great teacher, and I love the topics of the class. For example, this week the topic is electoral systems! Yay!! Actually, I am so crazy that I volunteered to do the first seminar class presentation this week on electoral systems. So, please permit me a short tangent. Since I am presenting in the first seminar (some seminars such as this one start on week two), Dr. Herzog meet with me individually to go over his expectations. This was a great meeting! I somehow managed to convince him that I am an expert on electoral systems (which I do know a fair amount about, but I have never thought of myself as an expert)! :-) So I prepared a presentation (Powerpoint with an outline for me to refer to) and sent it to him to see if he approved. He told me it was exactly what he wanted and it was great! Further, he asked if he could use my presentation in the other seminar! I was so proud! Okay, end tangent. Back to classes.

The other main course I have is Introduction to Quantitative Analysis. This class takes place in the Peacock Theater and it is just the teacher, me, and roughly 400 of my closest friends! It shatters all previous records for largest class I have ever had and made me miss F&M so much!! BUT, while I was expecting this to be a terribly boring two hours, I was happily surprised that the teacher was amazingly engaging despite the class size and quite funny! One of my friends commented that she connected better with all of us than some teachers connect with much smaller groups! So that is actually quite an enjoyable two hours each week.

So, that is a short(ish) update on classes. Let me try to give you a few more highlights of the past two weeks:
1.) In the second lecture of my History and Theory class (i.e. this past Monday), the teacher called me by my name in class AND complimented me on my answer to a question! This was a big deal for me because I believe I was the first person she called by name and it was great to feel like they were starting to get to know me.
2.) I already told you about the meeting with Dr. Herzog and the feedback he gave me on my presentation (we'll see if he actually likes my delivery tomorrow), but they were such highlights they are worth mentioning again.

3.) I have changed rooms which meant that after two weeks, I finally unpacked completely!! I forgot I brought some of that stuff! Unfortunately, my internet was not miraculously fixed with the change and the shower presents me with the previously unknown problem of not enough water and yet what does come out is in painful streams (hopefully that will get fixed soon)! 

4.) I have made friends! Two in particular are great. Pooja from India and Anna from D.C. are very kind and I am enjoying getting to know them! 

5.) I applied for a Parliamentary Internship!! Given that the job is supposed to start soon, the fact that I haven't heard anything makes me nervous, but I can apply for more in future and the career service person was impressed with my CV and cover letter so I tried my best!

6.) Oh, I also submitted a paper for publication! It was the paper I wrote about Duverger's Law and Britain for Professor Medvic's seminar. I have no idea if it will be published, but I tried. Thank you to Jan for telling me about the call for submissions! 

7.) In my comparative class, I have noticed that there are several readings on the list that I have already done for either class or my own research and papers! I still reread them, but this makes me really proud of F&M! My professors who are reading this should be very proud that they prepare us well! Professor Medvic, we are doing some readings on cartel parties that look remarkably familiar, so thank you! And there are other familiar readings as well so thank you to Matt and Linda! And while I'm at it, having a basic knowledge of European 20th century history is great so thank you Professor Mitchell! Basically, thank you to anyone who had anything to do with my education at F&M (and I mean that sincerely)!


Okay. I know I have gone on for way too long and this is why I need to update you all more frequently! I'm working on it! But before I go, I want to leave you with some things I have learned either in the last two weeks or just generally in the course of my life...

Abbey's rules for life in London (and elsewhere):
1.) Facial tissue is not an area in which to attempt to skimp and save money! Go ahead, splurge on the name brand (for me that means Kleenex). Trust me, your nose will thank you (especially if you get a cold)!
2.) This is critical: make friends with people at reception desks (my new friend Caitlin is awesome), custodians, and food-handlers. These people are really great and can really help you out if you are kind to them. (Plus, you should just always try to be kind to others-it's a good rule on its own.)
3.) Always take your camera. I went towards Buckingham Palace to read and forgot about the Changing of the Guard. I ended up in a great place to watch one of the bands go by and I had my camera!
4.) Be patient, with others and with yourself. The transition to living here has been harder than I expected and my Dad gave me great advice to be patient with myself.

And one last Britishism before I go:
Quid: basically means Pound (as in the money). So instead of saying "10 Pounds" one might say "10 quid"

Well, that about covers it for me! I hope you enjoyed the update. And thanks for reading to the end! Love to all!

Cheers!

Oops...

I forgot the pictures! Here are some of my favorites, but I can't post them all!

The LSE (well, one of the places where there is a sign saying LSE)

What I think of as the main way into the campus

My accommodations: LSE Northumberland House, Edward VII Rooms

Trafalgar Square. About a 1-2 minute walk from my place.

The LSE library. So you can see where I've been spending some time and where I will be spending a ton more!

So perfect-the flag in front of the London Eye

Me and my London "happy place." Unfortunately, the wind and my hair conspired to make it a less than perfect photo-op. 

Getting settled

Hello again,

I wanted to post with a few updates about my life as I am settling in a bit more. First, and very importantly, I finally have some leads about fixing my internet connection problems in my room! Someone is going to be around Northumberland House (my house) tomorrow to help so I hope to get it worked out so I can do things like skype in my own room rather than sitting outside the library to get wifi! On the other hand, I am trying not to get my hopes up too much because I have no idea what will be involved in fixing this; it could take a while.

Yesterday, I took a "Local Area Tour" around LSE to see what is nearby. It was a cool tour and I think my favorite was going by the Royal Courts of Justice which are very near to LSE. After that I was assigned my academic advisor. As it turns out, I have two--one for this term (Michaelmas Term or MT) and one for the Lent and Summer Terms. The first is in the International Relations department and the second is in the Government Department. Which reminds me, I should take a minute to explain how my program works. All of my orientation events have been with the European Institute which is a department that only takes postgraduates (by the way, what American's call graduate studies are called postgraduate studies here so I am a postgrad). The European Institute or EI offers something like 6 master's programs of which mine, the Politics and Government in the European Union, is one. However, my program, unlike the other 5, is also under the IR and Gov departments so some of our classes are in those departments and in some cases (like mine) our advisors are in those departments. Anyway, back to the advisors. I looked them up. They don't seem to be interested in exactly what I am, but that is okay. Today I actually introduced myself to my advisor for the LT and ST and I look forward to meeting my MT advisor tomorrow.

Oh, before I forget, the other thing I did yesterday was take some pictures! I will try to post some of them here, but I would invite you to visit my Facebook page to see them all. There, I take you on a walking tour from my lodgings to LSE and then from my house to Parliament and back. It was my first trip down to Parliament since I've been here and it was as awe-inspiring as ever. I found myself wondering if I will ever lose that sense of awe when I look at the building...maybe if/when I have been working there for six months...but I kind of hope not. Which leads me to...

The Parliamentary Internship scheme! Today, I went to a talk about it, hopeful despite the fact that yesterday at a career services talk, they really scared me about the big time commitment this is (they said if you are struggling just to keep up with course work this isn't for you, but how will I know if I'm struggling until the term starts?!), but I still think I want to apply. So that you know, LSE had this scheme where they list a number of internships with MPs (Members of Parliament) and some Lords and then LSE students can apply. If LSE likes your application, they forward it to the MP who will conduct interviews and hire someone. It is a volunteer position and you have to commit "up to 15 hours per week" which is where the nerves about timing and time management come in! I still think it is a once in a lifetime kind of chance so I feel like I should go for it!

Speaking of opportunities at LSE, there is so much I want to do, but I am trying really hard not to get over committed!! One of the things I am thinking about right now is that they have an extracurricular language program so I could (for a fee) sign up to take a language for a two (I think) hours per week (plus homework time). I really feel like I want to take German,  mostly because it is a language I want to learn, but also because I feel like my lack of a solid second language (my spanish is pretty shaky) will shortly hold me back. Anyway, I can't decide if it is something I can afford (time-wise or money-wise) to commit to...

One other orientation event today...my program inductions. One thing I have learned, apparently the term "inductions" mean something very different here than they do in the States. Here, they are basically orientation presentations where you get info about the school, department, program, etc. In the States, at least in my experience, it is a ceremony of welcome. Similar, but definitely different.

So now I am in the library waiting until 5:30 when my program is meeting at the pub for a social event (don't worry, I plan to get a soft drink). :)

Britishisms (as promised):
Postgraduate= graduate student
Inductions= orientation presentations
GP= General Practitioner (i.e. a doctor)
I'm sure I'm forgetting some...

Hope you are all well! As Tigger would say (yep, I'm quoting Tigger), ttfn, ta-ta for now.

LONDON!

Hello from London!

Well, I think it is high time I update you on my new life in London and how things have been going so far! I hope it won't be too boring for you!

I arrived at Heathrow on Sunday at noon (almost exactly) and customs honestly could not have been easier. I had tons of documents prepared, just in case--specifically the documents I used to get my visa--but they never asked to see any of it. I gave them my passport with my visa inside and in a matter of a few enjoyable minutes (turned out the young man at the next station was also going to LSE and we all got a kick out of that) I was officially in Britain! I got my bags and this young man, Thomas, and I shared a cab to my house (we decided that the tube would be too much work with all of our bags).

Moving into my room was a bit of a confusing adventure. Unlike at F&M where you are bombarded with people who want to help you in any way they can, here they were more than willing to help if you ask, but you have to ask. For example, they gave me my room key and I had to ask how to get to my room. I'm sure these little details are second nature to people who are usually here and so they don't even think to mention them. When I got up there, I found that my roommate had already been in, but was out at the time so I tried to settle in. My room is more than adequate, but not amazing and has the smallest en suite bathroom I have ever seen in my entire life (the toilet and shower overlap a bit). Basically, think of an airplane restroom and put in a shower and that's my bathroom! BUT, I do have an en suite bathroom so I count my blessings. After a while, my roommate came in which sent me into a bit of a panic because after some introductions, she explained that her relative also lives in Northumberland House (my house) and they want to room together. In other words, they wanted me to move and they thought we should do it then before we all got settled. Given my sleep deprived state, this information and impending decision almost sent me over the edge. Turns out that we can't switch for two weeks so I will be in my current room for just a bit and then I will switch. My current--and actually my future roommate as well--are from China and they are both very nice.

Monday, I made my way to the LSE for the first time. I have to say, London is a bit overwhelming, but I'm getting used to it. I went to what they called inductions for the European Institute (my department) which was really sort of an info session. It was rather helpful and nice to see the teachers (technically I don't think they are all professors) and other students in my department. After that I took a marginally useful campus tour led by a young man who was clearly less than qualified to lead such a tour. Finally, I had to go to the Postgraduate School Orientation Presentation which was again, marginally helpful.

Today, the real fun began...I became an officially registered LSE student!! And it took all of about five minutes! Before I registered with my department a bit later, I went to a sort of club fair. They all bombard you with info and then, if you agree to join, they give you a sticker to take to another area and then pay for everything you have just joined. I was trying to be careful not to sign up for much because 1) I didn't want to pay for it and 2) I don't want to get over committed. However, I did join the music society (they have an orchestra, but it doesn't sound like they have an instrument for me to borrow). I also think I may have cheated a bit, but I joined the student groups of all three major political parties in Britain! They all have fun events and speakers and I want to learn more about all of them so I joined! :) I doubt they see too many people do that.

So those are the major things that have happened in my life the past few days. I'm still trying to adjust to the time change--I have been waking up at 4:30 am on the dot and have been wide awake for about two hours. I hope that ends shortly! The other major ongoing drama in my life is internet trouble. In our rooms we have to connect to the internet with an ethernet cord because there is no wifi there, but my ethernet occasionally and suddenly decides that it just doesn't feel like allowing me to access my email or skype with my parents or do anything whatsoever involving the internet. This bad-tempered behavior will last anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours and is really starting to annoy! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anyone who can help me. The house is supposed to have some one from IT in the building at least part of the time, but he hasn't shown up. The best advice I have gotten is to keep bugging IT about it until someone helps me. The most amusing advice I received, on the other hand, was to email someone about my internet connectivity issues--the person giving the advice evidently did not see the irony.

Well, I think I have bored you all quite enough. I hope this post wasn't too disjointed or hard to follow. I wanted to get all the important points in without dragging on forever (which I'm afraid I did anyway). I'll try to update again in a few days. If there is anything you particularly want to know more about, just let me know. I'm hoping to continue my list of "Britishisms" that I began in Bath.

Cheers,
Abbey