Hello all!
I know I had promised you a bunch of updates, and I am still hoping to write them. Don't worry, I want to share my stories of walking 74 miles to Canterbury, seeing royals, and finishing (!) my dissertation with you (probably more than you actually want to read them, as a matter of fact). But today, it is time for a post reflecting on this amazing year so those other ones will have to wait.
In less than 24 hours my parents will be arriving at Heathrow airport. It will be the first time that I have seen them in nearly a year (okay, 11 months, but who's counting) so of course, I am incredibly excited! We are going to tour around the UK for 2 weeks together and I will get to show them all the places that have been so special to me! But their imminent arrival is also bringing up some rather mixed feelings that I was completely unprepared for. You see, when I meet them at Heathrow tomorrow, I am essentially leaving London. Sure we will be back for a few days at the end of the two weeks together before they head home and I head home via a two week tour of Central and Eastern Europe (that will be another blog post or two). But when we are back for those three days, I'm going to be exactly what I have been trying to avoid all year...I'm going to be...[cue ominous music] a tourist. Eek! I'm getting around it by saying that I will really be their tour guide, but I know that those three days will have a very different feel to them than the last year. So even though I'm not leaving the country for another two weeks and even though it will be nearly a month until I get home, I feel like I'm leaving tomorrow. And I have a lot of feelings about that.
A few months ago, I was feeling rather homesick and I wrote a post called "Home is...not London." I meant it at the time, I really did. But since then, I've realized I was wrong. Or maybe it would be better to say I was not wrong at the time, but the sentiment is no longer applicable.
You all know that I've been going to St. Martin in the Fields for church on Sundays and I think I have told you about the group of young adults (20s, 30s, +) called Open Circle (formerly Twirties) that I have been a part of and loved. About a month ago, one of the priests at St. Martin's, Katherine (who also helps with Open Circle), sent me an email asking when I was leaving. Bless her heart, she wanted to make sure I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye (as if I could have actually left St. Martin's without the long, drawn out goodbyes that took place last Sunday). And this email got me thinking. Thinking about leaving. And I realized how quickly the year had gone and how near the end of my time here was.
It was around that time that I realized something else. Something that I wasn't prepared for at all. I realized that I didn't really want to leave. I realized that even though I do want to go home and see my family and friends, I didn't want to leave my friends here and my St. Martin's family. And most startling of all, I realized that somewhere along the way, in between the classes and papers and exams and site seeing and friends and walking all over the English countryside, London had actually become home. So on September 21st, I'm not just going home...I'm leaving home too.
Perhaps you can imagine all the mixed feelings that realization brought (and those feelings haven't gone away). I'm excited and disappointed, happy and sad, nervous and more confident, and a bunch of other things I can't even identify, all at the same time. But perhaps, more than anything, I am reflective. So I want to share that with you.
I wasn't expecting this. It snuck up on me. I have been (literally) dreaming of home for so long, I didn't notice that this had become a home too. I didn't realize how hard it would be to leave. In fact, one night a few weeks ago, after a lovely evening celebrating a friend's birthday with some of the Open Circle gang, I came home and cried. I cried that I had to leave this place and these people. Even as I am excited to see my parents tomorrow and my friends back home in a few weeks, I'm sad.
I knew that some day, I would look back on this year and my experiences in London and all the problems would melt away. Either I would forget the roommate and computer and kitchen stuff, or it would fade into the background and what I would really remember would be the good times. I knew those issues would seem insignificant someday. That if I thought about them at all, I would be able to smile and see them as a time of growth. What I didn't realize is that that day would come even before I left London.
It has been a truly incredible year. Right up there with the best times of my life. St. Martins, New Years Eve in Parliament Square, Scotland and the Lake District, Royal sitings, the pilgrimage to Canterbury. These are things I will never forget. Experiences that have shaped who I am now. Because I'm not the same as that scared, relient-on-parents, kid that I was a year ago. I'm more self-sufficient. I'm more confident. I have a better understanding of different cultures and perspectives and world-views. And that is just some of the stuff that I got outside of the classroom. I won't bore you will all the things I learned in the classroom. I know myself better now, and I think I'm better for these changes.
I've been thinking a lot about what I'm looking forward to and what I'll miss. Most of all, I'm looking forward to seeing my parents and family and friends. I'm looking forward to full-size refrigerators, Skippy peanut butter, and gallons of milk. I'm looking forward to seeing my St. Barnabas family. I'm looking forward to mountains and water and boats. But I will miss a lot too. I think most of all I'll miss St. Martin's and Open Circle. As a matter of fact, I have told the Open Circle group that I blame them for the fact that leaving is so hard. It would have been a lot easier to leave if it weren't for them. I'll miss easy (if not always comfortable) public transportation. I'll miss being able to pop down to the store that is an approximately 30 second walk away to pick up milk. I'll miss the English accents and phrases (some of which I will bring back with me). I'll miss Parliament. I'll miss the freedom and confidence that comes with surviving and living and thriving in a foreign country. But I think that is the best thing about this entire year. Those things about London that are most important to me--the friends and the memories and the confidence that I gained--I won't lose them. And for that, I am very grateful.
Honestly, I'm feeling a lot of other things right now that I don't think I can even put into words. Maybe someday I will find the words to express how it feels to be both going home and leaving home at the same time. But for now, I want to say thank you. Thank you to all of you who have come on this adventure with me. Who have supported me and followed me here and on Facebook. Knowing that you care has meant the world to me. Thank you to my professors at F&M who gave me the knowledge and skills to make it through a year at LSE. Thank you to my parents who made my dreams come true. In so many ways I wouldn't be here without them. And thank you, London. Thank you for letting me in and teaching me. Thank you for making me a better, more complete, person. Thank you for surprising me everyday. And thank you for becoming home.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Adventures with Sam
Well, in an effort to catch you all up on what I've been doing over the past few months, I thought I would tell you about some of the most fun I've had this year--the adventures I have had with one of my best friends (yes, you can have more than one), Sam. Sam was one of my lovely roommates at F&M and luckily for me, she spent part of the last year in France teaching English. I say luckily for me because that meant that I got to see her and when we couldn't be together, we were at least in similar time zones making internet-based communications that much better and more satisfying. We had two really cool adventures together that I want to share with you.
The first was the day we met in Bath for more laughs than I had had in months! This was the first time I had returned to Bath since I studied there three years ago. It was really special for me to return to this place that had changed my life in so many ways! It was in Bath that I first learned about British Politics. I can say with some confidence that if it weren't for that study trip during the summer of 2010, I wouldn't be in London now! What made this return even more special was that I got to share it with my friend who hadn't been there before (well, she had been there on her own the day before, but let's just put that aside for now).
We packed so much sight-seeing, laughing, talking, and good times into that one day in March! As we are both big Jane Austen fans, the first priority was getting to the Jane Austen Centre on Queen Square (which is coincidently very near the place I stayed on my first-ever night in Bath). The staff there were great, but I don't even know if their wonderful explanations of the life of Jane were really necessary with Sam there--she was answering all their (usually rhetorical?) questions! We had a blast looking around and even trying on some dresses (I know, me in a dress! Doesn't happen very often, but I will do it for Sam and Jane). But my favorite was sitting at the old writing desk they had and practicing with the quill and ink they supplied!
Next, we continued our Jane Austen-themed tour of Bath with a walk up past the Circus to the Royal Crescent. Now I like the Crescent, but apparently Sam is not a fan. Regardless, the real reason we went up there was to travel the path that leads down behind the Circus and back into town. This path was a favorite of Austen's and was featured at the end of Persuasion (one of her best novels in my opinion). Sam and I ambled along "the comparatively quiet and retired gravel walk" twice that day! In fact, I do believe that path is one of my favorite places in England and perhaps the world.
Of course, any trip to Bath is incomplete without tea in the Pump Room! For those of you who don't know the Pump Room is so-called because it houses the pump/fountain from which one can drink the healing waters (although a classic activity, I can't go so far as to recommend this warm and salty water). Sam and I loved the tea, scones, and little deserts they give you! We were further amazed at all the people who didn't finish their food or drinks (don't worry, we resisted the urge to offer our services (read: stomachs) to help them).
After a lovely tea we explored a few other Jane Austen-related sights before heading to the train station for a much more difficult than anticipated goodbye. It was so hard to go back to London that night! But I am so glad that I got to spend that amazing day with my best friend, in one of my favorite places, following in the footsteps of one of our favorite authors! I was reminded that day of the importance of good friends who really know and understand you! Just being able to talk and not have to explain myself or worry if she was misinterpreting what I was saying was wonderful! And laughing so much my face hurt was pretty great too!
Luckily our parting would not last long. A few weeks later, I went to France on the Eurostar (train) to stay with Sam for the long weekend around Easter. Actually, this trip turned into more of an adventure than I bargained for. It is a long story, but suffice it to say, I missed my connecting train in Paris (not my fault) and got a bit stuck there. It was only after several panicked calls to my parents (isn't that what every parent wants--a call from their daughter in tears in another country?) in the States that I was able to get my credit card to work to get another ticket and finally get to Grenoble, where Sam was living. I'm not going to lie, there were a few minutes when I was wondering if going to France was worth it.
But don't worry, I made it to Grenoble and everything was better when I was with Sam (it didn't hurt that she actually speaks more than the two words of French I know). And things got even better when we began sampling the first of many yummy, fresh, French pastries (I mean, really, who needs other types of food?)! The next day we went on these tiny gondolas up on one of the hills around Grenoble to visit the Bastille. It was a rather overcast day, but it was wonderful to see the city from above! You can tell that Grenoble really is a city in the valley.
Perhaps the highlight of the weekend was Easter itself. We decided to sleep in and when I woke up, the Easter bunny had even managed to find me in France (with some serious help from Sam who gave me a chocolate bunny)! Not only that, but Sam shared her very special Easter basket/box from her grandmother with me! We then proceeded to MacGyver one of the best Easter dinners I have ever had (okay, part of what made it great was that we made it by ourselves with limited money and supplies in France). We had ham, green beans, roasted carrots with a sauce Sam made, French bread, and the hero of the meal: the special mustard sauce! Now, you have to understand, this mustard sauce is very important to me. My Mom makes it on holidays and it is so wonderful! It is an easy recipe, but we couldn't find all the correct ingredients/didn't want to buy a lot of an ingredient that Sam wouldn't use later. So we made substitutions and we made additions. When I told my Mom what we did, she was skeptical, but let me tell you, it turned out spectacularly! As good I as remembered! And Sam liked it too! We topped off the day with an Easter egg hunt via Skype with Sam's family!
Finally, on my last day in France, Sam took me to a beautiful Chateau a few towns over. It looked like something out of Beauty and the Beast! Even better, it had the most lovely park and nature preserve. We took a picnic lunch and just enjoyed the scenery!
In the end, the trip was definitely worth the money, time, and panic attack in Paris! Once again, I had a blast with my Best! We got to spend an entire weekend talking, laughing, watching movies, and eating! Just the memory is making me hungry! Thanks for the adventures Sam! Can't wait to have more of them with you back in the States!
The first was the day we met in Bath for more laughs than I had had in months! This was the first time I had returned to Bath since I studied there three years ago. It was really special for me to return to this place that had changed my life in so many ways! It was in Bath that I first learned about British Politics. I can say with some confidence that if it weren't for that study trip during the summer of 2010, I wouldn't be in London now! What made this return even more special was that I got to share it with my friend who hadn't been there before (well, she had been there on her own the day before, but let's just put that aside for now).
We packed so much sight-seeing, laughing, talking, and good times into that one day in March! As we are both big Jane Austen fans, the first priority was getting to the Jane Austen Centre on Queen Square (which is coincidently very near the place I stayed on my first-ever night in Bath). The staff there were great, but I don't even know if their wonderful explanations of the life of Jane were really necessary with Sam there--she was answering all their (usually rhetorical?) questions! We had a blast looking around and even trying on some dresses (I know, me in a dress! Doesn't happen very often, but I will do it for Sam and Jane). But my favorite was sitting at the old writing desk they had and practicing with the quill and ink they supplied!
Next, we continued our Jane Austen-themed tour of Bath with a walk up past the Circus to the Royal Crescent. Now I like the Crescent, but apparently Sam is not a fan. Regardless, the real reason we went up there was to travel the path that leads down behind the Circus and back into town. This path was a favorite of Austen's and was featured at the end of Persuasion (one of her best novels in my opinion). Sam and I ambled along "the comparatively quiet and retired gravel walk" twice that day! In fact, I do believe that path is one of my favorite places in England and perhaps the world.
Of course, any trip to Bath is incomplete without tea in the Pump Room! For those of you who don't know the Pump Room is so-called because it houses the pump/fountain from which one can drink the healing waters (although a classic activity, I can't go so far as to recommend this warm and salty water). Sam and I loved the tea, scones, and little deserts they give you! We were further amazed at all the people who didn't finish their food or drinks (don't worry, we resisted the urge to offer our services (read: stomachs) to help them).
After a lovely tea we explored a few other Jane Austen-related sights before heading to the train station for a much more difficult than anticipated goodbye. It was so hard to go back to London that night! But I am so glad that I got to spend that amazing day with my best friend, in one of my favorite places, following in the footsteps of one of our favorite authors! I was reminded that day of the importance of good friends who really know and understand you! Just being able to talk and not have to explain myself or worry if she was misinterpreting what I was saying was wonderful! And laughing so much my face hurt was pretty great too!
Luckily our parting would not last long. A few weeks later, I went to France on the Eurostar (train) to stay with Sam for the long weekend around Easter. Actually, this trip turned into more of an adventure than I bargained for. It is a long story, but suffice it to say, I missed my connecting train in Paris (not my fault) and got a bit stuck there. It was only after several panicked calls to my parents (isn't that what every parent wants--a call from their daughter in tears in another country?) in the States that I was able to get my credit card to work to get another ticket and finally get to Grenoble, where Sam was living. I'm not going to lie, there were a few minutes when I was wondering if going to France was worth it.
But don't worry, I made it to Grenoble and everything was better when I was with Sam (it didn't hurt that she actually speaks more than the two words of French I know). And things got even better when we began sampling the first of many yummy, fresh, French pastries (I mean, really, who needs other types of food?)! The next day we went on these tiny gondolas up on one of the hills around Grenoble to visit the Bastille. It was a rather overcast day, but it was wonderful to see the city from above! You can tell that Grenoble really is a city in the valley.
Perhaps the highlight of the weekend was Easter itself. We decided to sleep in and when I woke up, the Easter bunny had even managed to find me in France (with some serious help from Sam who gave me a chocolate bunny)! Not only that, but Sam shared her very special Easter basket/box from her grandmother with me! We then proceeded to MacGyver one of the best Easter dinners I have ever had (okay, part of what made it great was that we made it by ourselves with limited money and supplies in France). We had ham, green beans, roasted carrots with a sauce Sam made, French bread, and the hero of the meal: the special mustard sauce! Now, you have to understand, this mustard sauce is very important to me. My Mom makes it on holidays and it is so wonderful! It is an easy recipe, but we couldn't find all the correct ingredients/didn't want to buy a lot of an ingredient that Sam wouldn't use later. So we made substitutions and we made additions. When I told my Mom what we did, she was skeptical, but let me tell you, it turned out spectacularly! As good I as remembered! And Sam liked it too! We topped off the day with an Easter egg hunt via Skype with Sam's family!
The Mustard Sauce is working!
Seriously, look at the awesome meal we made! I want to eat it again! Now!
Finally, on my last day in France, Sam took me to a beautiful Chateau a few towns over. It looked like something out of Beauty and the Beast! Even better, it had the most lovely park and nature preserve. We took a picnic lunch and just enjoyed the scenery!
In the end, the trip was definitely worth the money, time, and panic attack in Paris! Once again, I had a blast with my Best! We got to spend an entire weekend talking, laughing, watching movies, and eating! Just the memory is making me hungry! Thanks for the adventures Sam! Can't wait to have more of them with you back in the States!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Exam nonsense
Hi again!
I know. You all were wondering if I was still alive. Well, wonder no more, I am indeed still alive! Even better...I'm still alive after my exams! I am very sorry for my negligence in updating you about my life here in London. I suppose I would feel less guilty if I could honestly say I haven't done anything interesting or I have been simply too busy to write. I have been busy, but I should have made time to blog. But never fear because my time away from blogging has made me miss it, which is great news for anyone who actually cares to read my blog. In all the time that I spent day-dreaming about not studying for exams (instead of actually, you know, studying) I have planned a number of posts that I want to share with you. So stay tuned over the next few weeks and hopefully I will make up for my horrid blogging practices of the past!
Today* I reached a very important milestone in the life of any student. I FINISHED MY EXAMS!!!!! Now, before we are all carried away with excitement, I should clarify that this does not (sadly) mean that I'm actually done with my degree. In fact, I still have to write my dissertation which is kind of important. But that is a concern for tomorrow. Today, I'm celebrating because I FINISHED MY EXAMS! Other graduate students may celebrate by going out and doing all sorts of things that one shouldn't post on a blog for the world (of parents and future employers) to see. But me, my celebration techniques are entirely G-rated, so I can share. My celebration consisted of lunch with a few friends before coming back to my (mercifully empty this week) room, watching some movies (note to everyone: don't watch Eat Pray Love unless you are prepared to crave Italian food for the rest of the night), having a low key dinner of frozen pizza and writing to you! And boy, was that an awesome way to spend a day!
To continue the celebration, I have decided to share with you my musings about exams at LSE. In other words, I have decided to share with you the things about LSE exams that I find amusing...the light side of graduate exams, if you will. See amid all the stress of exams that count for MY ENTIRE GRADE for those classes (but don't get me started on that and why that is a horrible idea), LSE apparently decided that they would cheer me up with all sorts of regulations that I find really amusing (if not outright funny). Now I should say, that I found these tidbits amusing when I was in the grips of exam stress-induced delirium (in other words, my sense of funny might have been rather skewed). So I can't actually promise you will find the rest of this post amusing, but I wanted to share it anyway.
Before I continue, I should say that LSE (and, I understand, UK schools in general) makes a huge effort to ensure fairness and as much objectivity as possible with exams and other graded work. And I applaud their efforts. To give you an EXAMple (haha), our names are not on any of our exam papers (in other words, our papers can not be associated with us by the graders) and each paper is graded by a minimum of two professors. They must agree on the grade and if they fail to agree, or the grade is particularly high (they don't like giving high grades it seems), or the grade is particularly low, etc. a third reader must be involved. No wonder I won't get my preliminary (that's right, not even final) grades for months! But I digress.
I should also make it very clear that these regulations are designed to limit/prevent cheating. While I will be pointing out some flaws with these plans, it is very important to me that you know I would NEVER consider cheating. NEVER! (Just ask my parents who never had to worry about me doing something bad and then hiding it because I would feel so guilty I would confess my doings to them anyway.) Without further ado, I give you my commentary on LSE exam practices...
1) What allows the objectivity of the graders is something called a candidate number. Each student is assigned a candidate number (which is different from their student identification number) and it is this number that goes on our exam papers. I tell you this as preface to the first amusing exam regulation. See, we are required to bring with us, to every exam, our student ID (with our picture and student number but not our candidate number) and a print out (with no markings whatsoever) of a page with our candidate number and exam timetable (i.e. schedule) on it. These two things are checked during every exam (interestingly, not before one begins) to ensure that everyone is supposed to be there and taking that particular exam. That would all make a lot of sense to me--the need for identification is, by itself, unsurprising and not particularly amusing. No, what I find amusing is that there is nothing (as far as I can tell, and believe me, I have looked) that tie those two forms of identification together. Yes, my student ID proves that I am Abigail and that I am an LSE student. And the printout proves that someone with candidate number XXXXX is scheduled to take exam Y. But my question is, what proves that this LSE student with this valid id is the person with that candidate number?? I mean, the two documents prove that I am me and that said candidate is supposed to take said exam, but they don't prove that I am the candidate that is supposed to take said exam!
2) In every classroom in which exams take place, the usual desks are removed and replaced with folding, individual-sized tables (that remind me a lot of the dinner trays we have at my house only bigger) and different chairs than are usually in the room. Now, I get it. I understand the reasoning. The idea is to separate us so that we can be monitored easily and effectively and to ensure that we don't cheat. But here's the problem with this method: a good half (okay, I'm totally guessing here, but it seems like at least half) of the folding exam tables wobble like crazy! So they have to fold up extra exam booklets to put under one or more of the legs so that we have something resembling a steady table to write our essays on. And the tables still wobble! Because when we are taking two-hour exams, trying to remember all the stuff we crammed in our heads, scribbling in an effort to get everything on paper in time, and all the while remembering that these things count for 100% of our grade, clearly, everyone also wants to be worrying about/dealing with desks that don't stand still!
3) While we're on the subject of seating arrangements...in any given examination room, there may be multiple exams going on at one time (I have seen up to six different exams taking place in one room). Now, perhaps to those of you not suffering from exam-induced craziness (as am I) this makes perfect sense. After all, it is reasonable to use all available space. BUT, there are two aspects that make this worthy of blog space. First, not everyone who is taking exam X will be together in room Y. Meaning that, in my experience, in a class of 30 people, we will be spread over at least 2 different rooms (more if the class is larger). Again, you might say, well this is to limit the possibilities for cheating. To which I say, sure, but those of us taking exam X in room A are all seated together in a group (and further, we know which room and seat we will be in weeks ahead of time). Second, and more amusing/confusing, I have in fact seen exams that are different lengths take place in the same room! This means that there are still people writing when others are leaving the room with all the chair-scraping, jacket-flapping, and other noise-making that entails. Those poor people who still had time to write!
4) This one is one of my favorites. Phones must be off and under your desk. That means, not in your bag which must be left at the front of your room, but actually within reach, under your desk. The reason for this became clear when someone's phone started ringing, but it was in the bag (breaking two rules at once) and therefore no one could stop it. But still. The fact that you actually have to keep your phone with you strikes me as backwards and inviting trouble.
5) Apparently, you are not allowed to even enter the building in which your exam takes place until 45 minutes prior to the start of the exam. When I arrived early for my 10 AM exams, I was told I had to wait outside until 9:15. I ask you, what sort of shenanigans could I get into with that extra time before 9:15 AM that I couldn't get into in 45 minutes? I should also say that being allowed in the building does not mean you will be allowed into the examination room. Despite the fact that the examination regulations specifically state you should arrive half an hour early, you aren't allowed into the room until about 10 minutes before the start of the exam.
6) You can leave to go to the restroom, but you must be escorted and you can NOT leave during the first half an hour or last half an hour of the exam. I get the escort thing. That makes sense to me. But what is with these half hour rules on either end? It's like not being allowed in the building: what am I going to do in those periods of time that I can't do in the other hour or more of the exam period? This also means that theoretically, if I finished my exam 35 minutes early, I suppose I could hand it in and leave (ha-as if I would actually finish early) but if I finished it 29 minutes early, I would just have to sit there for another 29 minutes.
7) And finally, I share with you my favorite regulation of all. We are allowed to have water, but it must be in clear water bottles with no labels on them. If you show up with a bottle with a label on it, you will be asked to tear the label off. I don't even want to know what would happen if you show up with a reusable water bottle such as a Nalgene that is colored and has the brand-name on it. Again, this would seem logical as a cheating deterrent. BUT (apparently) you can have a packet of tissues. What could you write on a water bottle that you couldn't write on a packet of tissues that is not clear and in fact, does have text (brand name etc.) on it?
These musings are what got me through my nearly month-long exam period (but don't get me started on why the scheduling itself is crazy). I'm sorry if you didn't find them as amusing as I did. My only defense...you could have stopped reading (but I'm glad you didn't).
*I started this post on Tuesday 25 June on the day that I took my last exam. But then I realized I was too tired to finish it and went to bed. Sorry for the 24 hour delay. :)
I know. You all were wondering if I was still alive. Well, wonder no more, I am indeed still alive! Even better...I'm still alive after my exams! I am very sorry for my negligence in updating you about my life here in London. I suppose I would feel less guilty if I could honestly say I haven't done anything interesting or I have been simply too busy to write. I have been busy, but I should have made time to blog. But never fear because my time away from blogging has made me miss it, which is great news for anyone who actually cares to read my blog. In all the time that I spent day-dreaming about not studying for exams (instead of actually, you know, studying) I have planned a number of posts that I want to share with you. So stay tuned over the next few weeks and hopefully I will make up for my horrid blogging practices of the past!
Today* I reached a very important milestone in the life of any student. I FINISHED MY EXAMS!!!!! Now, before we are all carried away with excitement, I should clarify that this does not (sadly) mean that I'm actually done with my degree. In fact, I still have to write my dissertation which is kind of important. But that is a concern for tomorrow. Today, I'm celebrating because I FINISHED MY EXAMS! Other graduate students may celebrate by going out and doing all sorts of things that one shouldn't post on a blog for the world (of parents and future employers) to see. But me, my celebration techniques are entirely G-rated, so I can share. My celebration consisted of lunch with a few friends before coming back to my (mercifully empty this week) room, watching some movies (note to everyone: don't watch Eat Pray Love unless you are prepared to crave Italian food for the rest of the night), having a low key dinner of frozen pizza and writing to you! And boy, was that an awesome way to spend a day!
To continue the celebration, I have decided to share with you my musings about exams at LSE. In other words, I have decided to share with you the things about LSE exams that I find amusing...the light side of graduate exams, if you will. See amid all the stress of exams that count for MY ENTIRE GRADE for those classes (but don't get me started on that and why that is a horrible idea), LSE apparently decided that they would cheer me up with all sorts of regulations that I find really amusing (if not outright funny). Now I should say, that I found these tidbits amusing when I was in the grips of exam stress-induced delirium (in other words, my sense of funny might have been rather skewed). So I can't actually promise you will find the rest of this post amusing, but I wanted to share it anyway.
Before I continue, I should say that LSE (and, I understand, UK schools in general) makes a huge effort to ensure fairness and as much objectivity as possible with exams and other graded work. And I applaud their efforts. To give you an EXAMple (haha), our names are not on any of our exam papers (in other words, our papers can not be associated with us by the graders) and each paper is graded by a minimum of two professors. They must agree on the grade and if they fail to agree, or the grade is particularly high (they don't like giving high grades it seems), or the grade is particularly low, etc. a third reader must be involved. No wonder I won't get my preliminary (that's right, not even final) grades for months! But I digress.
I should also make it very clear that these regulations are designed to limit/prevent cheating. While I will be pointing out some flaws with these plans, it is very important to me that you know I would NEVER consider cheating. NEVER! (Just ask my parents who never had to worry about me doing something bad and then hiding it because I would feel so guilty I would confess my doings to them anyway.) Without further ado, I give you my commentary on LSE exam practices...
1) What allows the objectivity of the graders is something called a candidate number. Each student is assigned a candidate number (which is different from their student identification number) and it is this number that goes on our exam papers. I tell you this as preface to the first amusing exam regulation. See, we are required to bring with us, to every exam, our student ID (with our picture and student number but not our candidate number) and a print out (with no markings whatsoever) of a page with our candidate number and exam timetable (i.e. schedule) on it. These two things are checked during every exam (interestingly, not before one begins) to ensure that everyone is supposed to be there and taking that particular exam. That would all make a lot of sense to me--the need for identification is, by itself, unsurprising and not particularly amusing. No, what I find amusing is that there is nothing (as far as I can tell, and believe me, I have looked) that tie those two forms of identification together. Yes, my student ID proves that I am Abigail and that I am an LSE student. And the printout proves that someone with candidate number XXXXX is scheduled to take exam Y. But my question is, what proves that this LSE student with this valid id is the person with that candidate number?? I mean, the two documents prove that I am me and that said candidate is supposed to take said exam, but they don't prove that I am the candidate that is supposed to take said exam!
2) In every classroom in which exams take place, the usual desks are removed and replaced with folding, individual-sized tables (that remind me a lot of the dinner trays we have at my house only bigger) and different chairs than are usually in the room. Now, I get it. I understand the reasoning. The idea is to separate us so that we can be monitored easily and effectively and to ensure that we don't cheat. But here's the problem with this method: a good half (okay, I'm totally guessing here, but it seems like at least half) of the folding exam tables wobble like crazy! So they have to fold up extra exam booklets to put under one or more of the legs so that we have something resembling a steady table to write our essays on. And the tables still wobble! Because when we are taking two-hour exams, trying to remember all the stuff we crammed in our heads, scribbling in an effort to get everything on paper in time, and all the while remembering that these things count for 100% of our grade, clearly, everyone also wants to be worrying about/dealing with desks that don't stand still!
3) While we're on the subject of seating arrangements...in any given examination room, there may be multiple exams going on at one time (I have seen up to six different exams taking place in one room). Now, perhaps to those of you not suffering from exam-induced craziness (as am I) this makes perfect sense. After all, it is reasonable to use all available space. BUT, there are two aspects that make this worthy of blog space. First, not everyone who is taking exam X will be together in room Y. Meaning that, in my experience, in a class of 30 people, we will be spread over at least 2 different rooms (more if the class is larger). Again, you might say, well this is to limit the possibilities for cheating. To which I say, sure, but those of us taking exam X in room A are all seated together in a group (and further, we know which room and seat we will be in weeks ahead of time). Second, and more amusing/confusing, I have in fact seen exams that are different lengths take place in the same room! This means that there are still people writing when others are leaving the room with all the chair-scraping, jacket-flapping, and other noise-making that entails. Those poor people who still had time to write!
4) This one is one of my favorites. Phones must be off and under your desk. That means, not in your bag which must be left at the front of your room, but actually within reach, under your desk. The reason for this became clear when someone's phone started ringing, but it was in the bag (breaking two rules at once) and therefore no one could stop it. But still. The fact that you actually have to keep your phone with you strikes me as backwards and inviting trouble.
5) Apparently, you are not allowed to even enter the building in which your exam takes place until 45 minutes prior to the start of the exam. When I arrived early for my 10 AM exams, I was told I had to wait outside until 9:15. I ask you, what sort of shenanigans could I get into with that extra time before 9:15 AM that I couldn't get into in 45 minutes? I should also say that being allowed in the building does not mean you will be allowed into the examination room. Despite the fact that the examination regulations specifically state you should arrive half an hour early, you aren't allowed into the room until about 10 minutes before the start of the exam.
6) You can leave to go to the restroom, but you must be escorted and you can NOT leave during the first half an hour or last half an hour of the exam. I get the escort thing. That makes sense to me. But what is with these half hour rules on either end? It's like not being allowed in the building: what am I going to do in those periods of time that I can't do in the other hour or more of the exam period? This also means that theoretically, if I finished my exam 35 minutes early, I suppose I could hand it in and leave (ha-as if I would actually finish early) but if I finished it 29 minutes early, I would just have to sit there for another 29 minutes.
7) And finally, I share with you my favorite regulation of all. We are allowed to have water, but it must be in clear water bottles with no labels on them. If you show up with a bottle with a label on it, you will be asked to tear the label off. I don't even want to know what would happen if you show up with a reusable water bottle such as a Nalgene that is colored and has the brand-name on it. Again, this would seem logical as a cheating deterrent. BUT (apparently) you can have a packet of tissues. What could you write on a water bottle that you couldn't write on a packet of tissues that is not clear and in fact, does have text (brand name etc.) on it?
These musings are what got me through my nearly month-long exam period (but don't get me started on why the scheduling itself is crazy). I'm sorry if you didn't find them as amusing as I did. My only defense...you could have stopped reading (but I'm glad you didn't).
*I started this post on Tuesday 25 June on the day that I took my last exam. But then I realized I was too tired to finish it and went to bed. Sorry for the 24 hour delay. :)
Monday, April 22, 2013
Home is...not London
A fair number of you know I’m thinking this
so I’m just going to go ahead and say it…I want to go home. That’s right, I
want to go home. Don’t get me wrong or anything, London is great and I’m still
glad that I came here. And, yes, I’ve had some wonderful opportunities, etc.,
etc. But London isn’t home. Even after I have been here for (very nearly) seven months and I am NOT a tourist, thank you very much, it’s still not home.
I miss my parents. I miss having a
conversation with them without scheduling a time to skype and without being
interrupted every 10 minutes (on a good day, more like 30 seconds on a bad day)
by my decidedly sub-par internet connection. I miss talking to them every day
even when I don’t have anything to say. I miss going out on our boat as a
family and playing cards together (and trying to avoid being the "biggest loser"). I miss my dog, Liesl. She is a stinker, but
she is my little stinker. I miss her wet nose and floppy ears and short little
tail. I miss how her whole body shakes when she wags her tail and how she manages to hog the (full-size) bed at night (despite her small size).
I miss my friends. People who I can just
talk to and who completely understand me. People who I understand. People who can finish my sentences and
I theirs. (Granted, not all of said people are in Poulsbo, but I miss them all
the same.) Yeah, I miss you Allison and Sam and Kariann. And I miss “my kids.”
Okay, they’re not really my kids, but I miss Karlina and Calvin. When I left,
they had just turned 5 and 1 respectively. Do you know how much kids change in
7 months?!!? I do! Karlina is learning to read (and doing really well) and
Calvin has learned to walk and talk since I’ve been away (and yes, he has
learned to say Abbey and makes my year every time I hear him say it on Skype).
I miss hugs.* I miss my family and friends
and my church (even though I found a great church here too). I
miss familiarity. I miss good internet! Everything is just a little bit harder
in another country, even an English-speaking one. And it all adds up to the
point where every day it feels like I’m fighting something (mostly my internet
or dirty kitchen). And I’m tired of fighting. Don’t worry, I’m not giving up. I
still have 5 more months and I will continue to fight (and Mr. internet, I WILL
win!). But I am finally more than half way through my time here!
This is
the longest I have ever gone without going home or seeing my parents
in person. So I’m probably more homesick than I have ever been (although it is
a different kind of homesick than when I was six and couldn’t go away
from home for one night). Since I wanted to use this blog to tell you what my time in London
is like, I felt like it wouldn’t be honest if I never shared these thoughts.
Because even though things are great here and I still have wonderful
opportunities, I do think a lot about home. So, I’ve decided to lay all my
cards on the table and tell you honestly, I want to go home.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Thoughts on the Iron Lady
Hello all!
I am sorry it has been so long since I last posted. These posts take me a while to write so sometimes I put off writing them, but then I just have more to say so they take even longer--vicious procrastination cycle (you'd think I would learn). I know I owe you some posts (I think at least two) about my latest adventures. And I promise I will write them soon. In fact, I was going to write one today, but current events made me change my mind. Instead, I want to share some of my thoughts from today.
If you haven't heard, Baroness Margaret Thatcher died today. She was leader of the Conservative Party in Britain and the first female Prime Minister (PM) here. (She was also played by Meryl Streep--who is great--in The Iron Lady, which is a movie I recommend.) She was an extremely polarizing figure, even today, in Britain. People either loved her or hated her for her politics and policies (we'll come back to this in a minute). It is truly amazing to me how long her shadow is, if you will. People who weren't even born yet when she was PM feel so strongly about her.
Her death hit me in a way I wouldn't have expected. After all, I'm not British. I'm not affected by the aftermath of her policies (unless you count her influence on/professional relationship with Reagan). I didn't know her personally (although that would have been cool). Maybe it is simply because I'm interested in British politics and she was an influential British PM, although I think it is more than that. For whatever reason, I'm feeling her death more than I thought I would (not that I previously contemplated how I would feel when she died, because I didn't). You may, understandably, ask what I'm feeling that was so unexpected. The truth is, I'm not sure how to describe it. I've just been thinking about her all afternoon. So I want to share some of those thoughts.
Let me back up a bit. I was getting ready to go for a training hike (I'm going on a four day hiking trip in May-I'll tell you more later) this afternoon. Just before I left, I checked email and Facebook and something on Facebook caught my eye. The European Parliament (yes, I'm a geek and follow the EP on Facebook) posed something about a tribute to Thatcher and mentioned she had died. I was shocked and checked the BBC website. Sure enough, news had just broken of her death following a stroke. I almost immediately left for my hike, but in a very different state of mind. My hike was to take me along the Mall, past Buckingham Palace and around Hyde Park, but I didn't get that far.
See my thoughts were on Thatcher so as I walked past St. James Park, I instinctively looked back towards Parliament, which can be seen from the Mall at certain points. As I walked, I noticed that the flag flying over Parliament was still all the way up and I sort of wondered when they would lower it to half mast, as I thought they surely would after Thatcher's death. And then, in the five minutes or so that I walked along the Mall, I kept looking back and suddenly I realized that since I had last looked, they had lowered they flag to half mast. That really struck me. The fact that I had essentially (although not quite) seen the flag lowered over Parliament. So I took a minute to look, but continued on, intending to finish my barely started hike. I only made it to Buckingham Palace before I stopped again. The flag over the Palace had also been lowered. I can't quite describe why, but seeing these flags really meant a lot to me. So I turned around to go back and get my camera to take some pictures of these landmarks with their flags lowered. I wanted to be able to share these images that meant so much to me with you (and I will, but right now my internet is really slow so it will have to wait). I ended up circling around to Parliament Square and just sitting and taking things in.
So what have I been thinking about all afternoon? I've been thinking about this woman who was so influential that within hours of her death, flags were at half mast and memories and condolences were flooding in from literally all around the world. I was thinking about how even though I don't agree with her policies, I respect and admire Mrs. Thatcher. And I would like to tell you why (with the caveat that I don't know that many details about her time as PM and some of what I know, I've gotten from a movie).
First of all, I admire her for being the first female PM. She was a woman in the most powerful position in a field (still) dominated by men. I just think about the dedication and courage that took and I'm grateful to Mrs. Thatcher for showing girls like me it is possible (no I don't want to be a politician, but I look up to women like her). Second, I respect her for doing what she believed to be right for the country. I believe that rational people can disagree about the right course so I don't have to agree with her to respect her for doing what she thought was right. Sometimes it feels like politics is about telling people what they want to hear rather than what one actually thinks. I don't think we can accuse Thatcher of this.
So that is what I was thinking about today (or at least what I remember thinking). But there is one more thing I want to say on the subject. I already said that she was, and remains, a very divisive figure. What has really surprised me today have been some of the reactions I have seen to her death. Some people on Facebook (mostly friends of friends and people commenting on some posts) have said things to the effect that they are celebrating. This really disappoints me. It seems to me that even if we disagree with someone's policies, they are still human; still loved and missed by family and friends. I could understand celebrating when that person with whom you disagree is voted out of office, but celebrating their death seems, to me, to cross a line. I guess I just wanted to share that, for what it is worth.
I suppose I just wanted to share all of this to get it out of my head. I haven't had anyone to talk to today so you guys get to read my thoughts. Sorry. :) I also wanted to write it down so I would remember. I want to remember the way seeing those flags moved me and how I feel influenced by this woman who I will never even meet. And I guess that is the other thing I was thinking about today. Today, I was reminded that, on a much smaller (and hopefully less polarizing) scale, I want to influence and make a difference to the lives of others.
I am sorry it has been so long since I last posted. These posts take me a while to write so sometimes I put off writing them, but then I just have more to say so they take even longer--vicious procrastination cycle (you'd think I would learn). I know I owe you some posts (I think at least two) about my latest adventures. And I promise I will write them soon. In fact, I was going to write one today, but current events made me change my mind. Instead, I want to share some of my thoughts from today.
If you haven't heard, Baroness Margaret Thatcher died today. She was leader of the Conservative Party in Britain and the first female Prime Minister (PM) here. (She was also played by Meryl Streep--who is great--in The Iron Lady, which is a movie I recommend.) She was an extremely polarizing figure, even today, in Britain. People either loved her or hated her for her politics and policies (we'll come back to this in a minute). It is truly amazing to me how long her shadow is, if you will. People who weren't even born yet when she was PM feel so strongly about her.
Her death hit me in a way I wouldn't have expected. After all, I'm not British. I'm not affected by the aftermath of her policies (unless you count her influence on/professional relationship with Reagan). I didn't know her personally (although that would have been cool). Maybe it is simply because I'm interested in British politics and she was an influential British PM, although I think it is more than that. For whatever reason, I'm feeling her death more than I thought I would (not that I previously contemplated how I would feel when she died, because I didn't). You may, understandably, ask what I'm feeling that was so unexpected. The truth is, I'm not sure how to describe it. I've just been thinking about her all afternoon. So I want to share some of those thoughts.
Let me back up a bit. I was getting ready to go for a training hike (I'm going on a four day hiking trip in May-I'll tell you more later) this afternoon. Just before I left, I checked email and Facebook and something on Facebook caught my eye. The European Parliament (yes, I'm a geek and follow the EP on Facebook) posed something about a tribute to Thatcher and mentioned she had died. I was shocked and checked the BBC website. Sure enough, news had just broken of her death following a stroke. I almost immediately left for my hike, but in a very different state of mind. My hike was to take me along the Mall, past Buckingham Palace and around Hyde Park, but I didn't get that far.
See my thoughts were on Thatcher so as I walked past St. James Park, I instinctively looked back towards Parliament, which can be seen from the Mall at certain points. As I walked, I noticed that the flag flying over Parliament was still all the way up and I sort of wondered when they would lower it to half mast, as I thought they surely would after Thatcher's death. And then, in the five minutes or so that I walked along the Mall, I kept looking back and suddenly I realized that since I had last looked, they had lowered they flag to half mast. That really struck me. The fact that I had essentially (although not quite) seen the flag lowered over Parliament. So I took a minute to look, but continued on, intending to finish my barely started hike. I only made it to Buckingham Palace before I stopped again. The flag over the Palace had also been lowered. I can't quite describe why, but seeing these flags really meant a lot to me. So I turned around to go back and get my camera to take some pictures of these landmarks with their flags lowered. I wanted to be able to share these images that meant so much to me with you (and I will, but right now my internet is really slow so it will have to wait). I ended up circling around to Parliament Square and just sitting and taking things in.
So what have I been thinking about all afternoon? I've been thinking about this woman who was so influential that within hours of her death, flags were at half mast and memories and condolences were flooding in from literally all around the world. I was thinking about how even though I don't agree with her policies, I respect and admire Mrs. Thatcher. And I would like to tell you why (with the caveat that I don't know that many details about her time as PM and some of what I know, I've gotten from a movie).
First of all, I admire her for being the first female PM. She was a woman in the most powerful position in a field (still) dominated by men. I just think about the dedication and courage that took and I'm grateful to Mrs. Thatcher for showing girls like me it is possible (no I don't want to be a politician, but I look up to women like her). Second, I respect her for doing what she believed to be right for the country. I believe that rational people can disagree about the right course so I don't have to agree with her to respect her for doing what she thought was right. Sometimes it feels like politics is about telling people what they want to hear rather than what one actually thinks. I don't think we can accuse Thatcher of this.
So that is what I was thinking about today (or at least what I remember thinking). But there is one more thing I want to say on the subject. I already said that she was, and remains, a very divisive figure. What has really surprised me today have been some of the reactions I have seen to her death. Some people on Facebook (mostly friends of friends and people commenting on some posts) have said things to the effect that they are celebrating. This really disappoints me. It seems to me that even if we disagree with someone's policies, they are still human; still loved and missed by family and friends. I could understand celebrating when that person with whom you disagree is voted out of office, but celebrating their death seems, to me, to cross a line. I guess I just wanted to share that, for what it is worth.
I suppose I just wanted to share all of this to get it out of my head. I haven't had anyone to talk to today so you guys get to read my thoughts. Sorry. :) I also wanted to write it down so I would remember. I want to remember the way seeing those flags moved me and how I feel influenced by this woman who I will never even meet. And I guess that is the other thing I was thinking about today. Today, I was reminded that, on a much smaller (and hopefully less polarizing) scale, I want to influence and make a difference to the lives of others.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Things I've Learned Part 2
Hello again!
I really had a lot of fun writing the last post where I made it a list of things I have learned (mostly since coming to London, but also just generally over the course of the last few years). I also got some good feedback about it, so at the risk of turning a good thing into a bad one by boring you all, I have decided to do a follow-up with other things that I have learned that I wanted to share with you. I hope you enjoy it and please forgive for being repetitive in terms of the format of the blog. I hope I'm not repeating things I have already told you in previous posts. Again, these things are in no particular order.
1. Peanut butter is really important to me. I have discovered that one never knows what it is about home that one will miss will one ventures abroad. Naturally, you expect to miss your family and friends (and I DO), but I've come to realize there will also be something else (or several somethings)--somthing small that you never thought mattered that much--and you will miss it! For me, it's Skippy creamy peanut butter! Yum! (And a huge thank you to those who have worked to keep me supplied!)
2. On the topic of food, the Brits really need to work on their salad dressing (in my opinion). It is another thing that I have come to (unexpectedly) miss about home.
3. I like editing with a red pen! It started when I was editing my honor's thesis at F&M so that I would be sure not to miss any changes (there were a lot of pages to edit!). But now I always use a red pen to edit and I love it!
4. Politeness is really important to me! One, I think it is important for us all (and I include myself here) to remember to be polite and thank people for the little things they do that make our lives better. But this has been reinforced since I've been here and it seems that a lot of people don't do this (which bugs me). So London, here is a quick lesson: when someone holds a door open for you, say thank you; when you bump into someone, say excuse me; if you need someone to move, say excuse me; etc. Today I held the door open for four people in a row and not one of them said anything. It was a sad commentary on politeness (and even more sad--it's not unusual here). (I should perhaps add that the Brits are known for their politeness and I don't mean to imply that they aren't polite. All I am saying is that in a city [and a university], a lot of these things get lost and it's sad.)
5. I am not going to be a political theorist. I like the political theory classes I took as an undergrad, but it's just not my calling. So, yeah...at least the job market for comparative politics is slightly better than the one for political theory.
6. Apparently, 'classificatory' is a word! Who knew? Obviously not me!
7. In a similar vein to my last point on part 1 of this post (i.e. the last post), I am continually reminded how much I have grown in a short period of time. I went back and reread my posts from my time in Bath and my time a year and a half ago when I was conducting interview with MPs and I am just amazed at the difference between my posts then and now. I think I have improved, but of course, that is for you to say. :)
8. I really care about the EU, to the point that I am the kind of person who will get worked up about it. This is news to me. I never thought I would be like this, but tonight I went to a really interesting panel discussion about the referendum on EU membership that David Cameron has called (don't get me started). One of the audience members, in a 'question', accused the EU of being a dictatorship because of the so-called 'democratic deficit.' I have spent the hour or so since angrily formulating counter arguments. In a nutshell, the EU is democratic (it's called delegation), although it could surely be more so; closed list electoral systems are also democratic; and the European Parliament is far from irrelevant. If you would like the long version, just let me know. :) But seriously, I would love to talk to anyone who is at all interested in the EU and Britain and would like to chat (and as long as you promise not to call the EU a dictatorship, I promise I won't start ranting)!
9. Apparently, I am kind of obsessed with Les Miserables. I never really thought of it this way until someone basically pointed it out and I realized...they were right. I love that show! I have something like three or four different versions of the soundtrack on my iPod right now. To show you exactly how much I love this show, I give you my own rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream":
10. "I dreamed a dream in time gone by. When hopes were high and kitchens clean. I dreamed that coming to college/grad school would mean people are mature and responsible...Now life has killed the dream I dreamed"
-What do you think? If I had more time I would have added verses about clean bathrooms and other things that I thought I would have in my life by now (maybe, I'll keep working on it in my spare time...). If you are at all interested, here is a site with several comics of Les Mis song parodies, relating the songs to graduate school. (Thank you to Allison for showing this to me!) They are great (better than mine) so be sure to click next to see all of them!
-While I'm partly joking about my love for Les Mis with this post, I am also making a serious point about life that I have learned in the past 5 years. I had this vision (dream) that when I went into higher education, the people would be mature adults who acted responsibly. I thought this would be even more true of graduate school. But what I have learned, what life has taught me, is that being legally an adult in no way signifies that one is mature or responsible. And it is a lesson that is driving me crazy!! I have basically accepted that at (almost) all times except for immediately after the cleaning staff stop by, the kitchen that I share with about 12 others will be dirty because people don't clean up after themselves properly. That is one reason I rarely make much effort with my cooking. (On a related note, custodians who clean up after college students are angels!!! Seriously!!) But the most recent revelation is that people won't take responsibility for closing the refrigerator and freezer doors! I mean, really! The temperature fluctuates wildly (like 15-20 degrees celsius in the worst cases I have seen) because people aren't careful enough to shut the door properly despite repeated notes on the door. I find this annoying as all get out! I no longer trust that my food will be good when I go to eat it (in fact I avoid the freezer as a general rule now). And this, in a nutshell, is why I CAN NOT WAIT for my own place with a kitchen (and bathroom) that I don't have to share and can keep to my level of cleanliness and hygiene without spending my entire life cleaning up after others (which is what my life would be if I even tried to keep the kitchen here up to my standards).
I really had a lot of fun writing the last post where I made it a list of things I have learned (mostly since coming to London, but also just generally over the course of the last few years). I also got some good feedback about it, so at the risk of turning a good thing into a bad one by boring you all, I have decided to do a follow-up with other things that I have learned that I wanted to share with you. I hope you enjoy it and please forgive for being repetitive in terms of the format of the blog. I hope I'm not repeating things I have already told you in previous posts. Again, these things are in no particular order.
1. Peanut butter is really important to me. I have discovered that one never knows what it is about home that one will miss will one ventures abroad. Naturally, you expect to miss your family and friends (and I DO), but I've come to realize there will also be something else (or several somethings)--somthing small that you never thought mattered that much--and you will miss it! For me, it's Skippy creamy peanut butter! Yum! (And a huge thank you to those who have worked to keep me supplied!)
2. On the topic of food, the Brits really need to work on their salad dressing (in my opinion). It is another thing that I have come to (unexpectedly) miss about home.
3. I like editing with a red pen! It started when I was editing my honor's thesis at F&M so that I would be sure not to miss any changes (there were a lot of pages to edit!). But now I always use a red pen to edit and I love it!
4. Politeness is really important to me! One, I think it is important for us all (and I include myself here) to remember to be polite and thank people for the little things they do that make our lives better. But this has been reinforced since I've been here and it seems that a lot of people don't do this (which bugs me). So London, here is a quick lesson: when someone holds a door open for you, say thank you; when you bump into someone, say excuse me; if you need someone to move, say excuse me; etc. Today I held the door open for four people in a row and not one of them said anything. It was a sad commentary on politeness (and even more sad--it's not unusual here). (I should perhaps add that the Brits are known for their politeness and I don't mean to imply that they aren't polite. All I am saying is that in a city [and a university], a lot of these things get lost and it's sad.)
5. I am not going to be a political theorist. I like the political theory classes I took as an undergrad, but it's just not my calling. So, yeah...at least the job market for comparative politics is slightly better than the one for political theory.
6. Apparently, 'classificatory' is a word! Who knew? Obviously not me!
7. In a similar vein to my last point on part 1 of this post (i.e. the last post), I am continually reminded how much I have grown in a short period of time. I went back and reread my posts from my time in Bath and my time a year and a half ago when I was conducting interview with MPs and I am just amazed at the difference between my posts then and now. I think I have improved, but of course, that is for you to say. :)
8. I really care about the EU, to the point that I am the kind of person who will get worked up about it. This is news to me. I never thought I would be like this, but tonight I went to a really interesting panel discussion about the referendum on EU membership that David Cameron has called (don't get me started). One of the audience members, in a 'question', accused the EU of being a dictatorship because of the so-called 'democratic deficit.' I have spent the hour or so since angrily formulating counter arguments. In a nutshell, the EU is democratic (it's called delegation), although it could surely be more so; closed list electoral systems are also democratic; and the European Parliament is far from irrelevant. If you would like the long version, just let me know. :) But seriously, I would love to talk to anyone who is at all interested in the EU and Britain and would like to chat (and as long as you promise not to call the EU a dictatorship, I promise I won't start ranting)!
9. Apparently, I am kind of obsessed with Les Miserables. I never really thought of it this way until someone basically pointed it out and I realized...they were right. I love that show! I have something like three or four different versions of the soundtrack on my iPod right now. To show you exactly how much I love this show, I give you my own rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream":
10. "I dreamed a dream in time gone by. When hopes were high and kitchens clean. I dreamed that coming to college/grad school would mean people are mature and responsible...Now life has killed the dream I dreamed"
-What do you think? If I had more time I would have added verses about clean bathrooms and other things that I thought I would have in my life by now (maybe, I'll keep working on it in my spare time...). If you are at all interested, here is a site with several comics of Les Mis song parodies, relating the songs to graduate school. (Thank you to Allison for showing this to me!) They are great (better than mine) so be sure to click next to see all of them!
-While I'm partly joking about my love for Les Mis with this post, I am also making a serious point about life that I have learned in the past 5 years. I had this vision (dream) that when I went into higher education, the people would be mature adults who acted responsibly. I thought this would be even more true of graduate school. But what I have learned, what life has taught me, is that being legally an adult in no way signifies that one is mature or responsible. And it is a lesson that is driving me crazy!! I have basically accepted that at (almost) all times except for immediately after the cleaning staff stop by, the kitchen that I share with about 12 others will be dirty because people don't clean up after themselves properly. That is one reason I rarely make much effort with my cooking. (On a related note, custodians who clean up after college students are angels!!! Seriously!!) But the most recent revelation is that people won't take responsibility for closing the refrigerator and freezer doors! I mean, really! The temperature fluctuates wildly (like 15-20 degrees celsius in the worst cases I have seen) because people aren't careful enough to shut the door properly despite repeated notes on the door. I find this annoying as all get out! I no longer trust that my food will be good when I go to eat it (in fact I avoid the freezer as a general rule now). And this, in a nutshell, is why I CAN NOT WAIT for my own place with a kitchen (and bathroom) that I don't have to share and can keep to my level of cleanliness and hygiene without spending my entire life cleaning up after others (which is what my life would be if I even tried to keep the kitchen here up to my standards).
11. On a brighter note, I'm really liking this book:
It is not always an easy read (I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to understand two chapters on Sunday), but it has quickly become a classic in the political science literature (it was only published in 2002). Honestly, I have seen this book on the shelves of most, if not all, of my poly sci professors and I am so pleased to now have a copy on my shelf too! I feel like a real political scientist now! And I really like it because, unlike some other things I have read for classes, as I read it, I have this palpable sense that this is going to come in handy and apply to a lot of things I will do in the future.
12. I am also loving feeling more professional with my new briefcase! I was sick of walking around looking like a kid/tourist so I bought a briefcase and I love it! (I would put a picture, but I haven't had a chance to take one in good lighting yet.)
Well I hope you enjoyed part 2! I tried to end with a happy note (it involved some rearranging of the bullet points). I also hope everyone in the Northeast is safe and recovering after the crazy weather!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Things I've learned
Hello all. I woke up this morning at 4:30
am with a migraine. Suffice it to say, it was a less than enjoyable way to wake
up. Luckily I’m feeling better now, but as always, I still feel a bit weak and
tender. Anyway, for obvious reasons, I wasn’t able to make it to class today
(which was sad because I was looking forward to discussing why partisanship is
good in my Partisanship in Europe class—Professor Medvic, you’ll know what I
mean, although your class was better, for the record). I also, for obvious reasons,
have not done all the work I was planning to do today. On the upside, I am
taking a day of rest and decided it was time to write this post. I’ve been
planning to update you all on things that have happened since break, but
somehow the idea for this post just popped into my head. In and of itself, that
is not that unusual—I often think about what to write on my blog. The unusual
part is that I am getting around to writing the post before I forgot the great
idea! So this update (which will fill you in on the important things that have
been going on so far this term) will take the form of a list of things I have
learned. In general, it is stuff I have learned this term or this year in
London, with some exceptions. This is in no particular order. Enjoy!
1. I seriously dislike (I’m trying
not to use the word hate too much, but this might be an appropriate moment)
migraines. This is one of those exceptions—I’ve known this for years.
Regardless, it is still true.
2. I will NOT be basing my career
on the study of/theorizing on European integration as such. I like the EU and I
like studying it, but I have no desire to spend my life studying theories of
integration. I’m glad I studied it last term, but I’m good now.
3. On the other hand, I can very
easily envision spending my life studying electoral reform, party competition,
and coalitions. Again, this is something I started to figure out last year or
even the year before, but as time goes on, it just gets clearer.
4. I can’t wait to have my own
place! It doesn’t have to be big or fancy, but I’m picturing a bed, a small
kitchen (which I won’t have to share with a dozen other people), a desk, and plenty
of shelves for all my books.
5. Related to the previous entry,
I can’t wait until I have an office to put all my political science books in, a
great desk to spread out papers, and a nice big white board for brainstorming!
By the way, this could be a home or work office.
6. I’m a geek. Yeah, I know we’ve
all known this for years! But I like it! I’ve been a band geek since 5th
grade, but now I’m also a poli sci geek (or is it poly?). This is one reason I
think I should get a doctorate/be a professor—professors are the only people
who think this stuff is as fun as I do!
7. On a related note, the spatial
model and NOMINATE are fun! Most of you won’t understand this, but some might
(and those that do will probably think I’m crazy for thinking they are fun).
The spatial model is a really important model in political science that allows
us to represent the preferences of political actors (such as parties or
legislators) as points in a policy space. NOMINATE on the other hand is a
computer program that lets us put in the voting records of legislators and then
we can estimate their locations in a policy space (you can see how it’s related
to the spatial model).
7.b.
I’ve learned about NOMINATE in
my class on legislative politics in the European Parliament, which I really
like.
8. I’ve made my peace with snow
and I really like it again! I used to love snow as a kid and then it ruined my
plans several times in college so I wasn’t as excited about it anymore. But then,
it snowed here in London!!! On several occasions, no less! It was so incredibly
beautiful! I had a wonderful time just walking around the city and taking
pictures. I’ve never had so much fun just walking through the snow. I’ll put
some of my favorite pictures here.
9. I still enjoy meeting MPs and
MEPs (the first being Members of Parliament, the second, Members of the
European Parliament)! So far this term, I have met or at least listened to a
talk by, Dr. Liam Fox (Conservative MP and former Secretary of State for
Defense), Baroness Sarah Ludford (Liberal Democrat MEP for London and Member of
the House of Lords—although she can’t sit in the Lords while she is an MEP),
and Chris Greyling (Conservative MP and Justice Minister).
9.b.
For the record, I had the most
fun with Sarah Ludford and have chosen to follow her for my Legislative
politics class (we were assigned to “adopt” an MEP and follow their voting
record).
10. F&M prepared me really well
for grad school! Granted, I haven’t had any assignments that actually counted
towards my final grade, but all in all, I feel well prepared in terms of
handling the amount of work, my writing skills, and my
communication/presentation skills. So thank you to all my F&M professors!!
11. On a related note, I miss
F&M! The Professors I had were uniformly good teachers as well as
researchers; I learned so much from them! I also felt like they and the
administrative staff were there to help us! It was a great feeling. Don’t get
me wrong, LSE is great, but I just had such a wonderful experience at F&M that,
let’s face it, anywhere else will suffer in comparison. I met so many people
there, students, professors, and administrators that I hope to keep in touch
with for years to come!
12. I don’t like crowds (in that
respect, London was not the best choice, but oh well). So in general, I prefer
to be on my own, but then again, I have learned that can be rather lonely
(which usually results in me talking my parents’ ears off when we chat on skype—thanks
for listening Mom and Dad!).
13. I almost forgot, I have learned that I do not like duvets! I have spent 4 months of being too hot with it and too cold without it! I want my blankets back!
13. I almost forgot, I have learned that I do not like duvets! I have spent 4 months of being too hot with it and too cold without it! I want my blankets back!
14. Finally, I’m braver than I
thought I was. I never thought I would be here, but I’m so glad I am.
Considering, I was the kid who had trouble spending the night at a friend’s
house without getting homesick, I’m fairly proud of how far I’ve come.
So, I hope you enjoyed the update. I’m sure
I’ve learned a lot of other things as well! But if I started telling you even
more about what I’ve learned about the EU, a lot of you would probably stop
reading… and I love that you guys read my blog so I don’t want to bore you too
much!
St. Martin in the Fields with Trafalgar Square in the foreground.
One of the lions in Trafalagar Square.
Icy fountain in Trafalagar.
Trafalgar Square.
Snowy mailbox.
Snowy phone booth! Right after we took this, someone tried to hand us a tour bus brochure. Apparently, we looked like tourists...
My walk in the snow along the Mall to...
Buckingham Palace.
Westminster Abbey (side entrance) in the snow.
Big Ben!
My favorite place!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Holiday Reflections (aka An Ode to Skype)
Hello all!
I am afraid this post is long overdue (and will therefore be a long one). I am sorry and I hope you will stick with me and not get too bored. I wanted to take a bit and tell you about my winter break. I already told you about my trip to Scotland and about the day I saw Les Mis (the movie). Those were sort of the bookends to my break so I would like to fill in the middle. I went to a lot of museums over break. Break was my time to start checking things off the long list of places in London that I want to see. I've decided that the best way to arrange the post will be bullet points and some pictures interspersed. Some will be significantly longer than others, but this will give you the highlights of what I did. I have tried to put things in essentially chronological order. So here goes...
-Christmas: (We'll start with the longest section.) In case you hadn't figured it out already, I stayed in London for my winter break. This meant that I spent my first Christmas away from my parents. We all knew that this was going to be hard. But to be honest, it was better than I expected (Mom and Dad, let me explain!). While I wished I could have been with my parents, this was still a very special Christmas for me and I am glad I decided to stay here.
See, my Mom knew this Christmas was going to be hard so she tried to make it special. And let me tell you, she succeeded! (Thanks Mom!) She sent me a lovely advent package at the beginning of December that had a little Christmas tree and small gifts (mostly ornaments from home) to open each day until Christmas. It was so thoughtful and really made me happy! She even sent some of my favorite ornaments that we usually put on the tree together back home. She and Dad also sent a wonderful Christmas package with my gifts!! It was great! But, the Royal Mail failed royally (see what I did there?) and my Christmas presents didn't arrive until New Year's Eve. This would sound like a recipe for a sad Christmas, but on the contrary! I'll admit, I was sad that I didn't have my gifts on Christmas (rather too upset for a 23 year old actually), but the great thing was it made me focus on what is really important about Christmas (and hint: it's not the gifts).
Christmas (for me and I understand this is not true for everyone and that is fine) is about Jesus and family. This year, religion played a particularly important role in my holiday. I went to more Christmas services than I ever have before. I was going to go to a variety of churches for these services including Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's, but I ended up going to St. Martin in the Fields for all the services and that was really special for me. In fact, I went to two different services on Christmas Eve (a Carol Service and the Midnight service) and one on Christmas morning (which I have never done before that I can recall). Since St. Martin's has started to feel like home, it was very nice to go there.
And for me, Christmas is about family. This year, I couldn't be with them, but that is where Skype comes in! Mom, Dad, Liesl (my dog), and I Skyped for over three hours on Christmas Day! I got to watch them open their presents (and I had a few of my advent packages saved up to open and some gifts from my wonderful Godmother), which was great! I got to experience the joy of giving gifts without then immediately focusing on what I got in return. It was such a joy to see how happy they were with the gifts I had sent (LSE themed for the most part) and to just "be" with them through the wonder of the internet and Skype. It was a truly wonderful and memorable holiday even though I was far from home.
-National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery: In the week after Christmas I went to these galleries. They are right on Trafalgar Square so I had passed them everyday, but now I finally made time to go in. I had a lot of fun. And discovered a new passion/talent (although neither word is quite right as the talent is minimal and the passion is really more a passing interest sometimes)--drawing/sketching. I started doing my own sketches of paintings I liked. I went out and got some sketching materials and a book on drawing and had fun with that for the rest of break!
-Tate Britain: Following up with my art theme, I went on another day to the Tate Britain. This is not to be confused with the Tate Modern which is probably the more famous of the two. The Tate Britain holds British works of art, including a fair amount of Turner (who, by the way, it turns out I really like).
-Imperial War Museum: On another day, I went here. This Museum is great, but was also a bit of a disappointment. See they have what I understand to be wonderful exhibits on WWI and WWII that are quite interactive (I think they have a simulation of the trenches in WWI and the Blitz in WWII). Unfortunately, both the World War exhibits were closed for renovation. In fact, a few days after I was there, they closed the entire museum (until the summer) to renovate in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI (wow, has it been that long?). So I didn't get to see everything I wanted to--I'll just have to go back. What I did see was the Secret War exhibit which is about spies (not as fun as it sounds) and the Holocaust exhibit. The Holocaust exhibit was very moving. It made me think about my history class last year and what we read about the Holocaust. It was just a very moving exhibit.
-New Year's Eve: Wow. Well this is something I never thought I would do, but I'm so glad I did! On New Year's Eve there is a huge fireworks display on the South Bank at the London Eye. In the past, I think there have also been some fireworks set off of Big Ben (but alas, not this year). Anyway, a lot of people stake out a spot along the river, but I decided to take a different approach (which was certainly not unique as I had tons of company!). I stood by Westminster Abbey so that I had a view of the top of the London Eye and Parliament in front. While I couldn't see the lowest fireworks, I maintain that mine was the best spot in the city! The show was spectacular! The only downsides of my position--St. Margaret's Church, which is right by Westminster Abbey, rang their bells for hours on end in the lead up to midnight which got rather annoying and I spent four hours staring at a really big clock, which does NOT make time move any faster, let me tell you! But it was worth it. I made friends with some young women around me and the fireworks were amazing!! I'll let you see for yourself.
-The New Year's Day Parade: Again this is something I never thought I would do (and let me tell you, ONCE is enough!), but I'm glad I did it. I had a spot right at the intersection of Whitehall and Trafalgar Square. The Parade was cool (although there were an awful lot of American groups--they were good, but I was left wondering why I came to London to see American marching bands and cheerleaders, but oh well). Actually, by the end I was in a rather bad mood because I was freezing! Way colder than I had been the night before and the parade wasn't as great as I hoped. But again, glad I did it once--can check it off the bucket list and move on with my life. :)
-Natural History Museum: Turns out that my tolerance for crowds is not that great. By midday or early afternoon I start feeling really overwhelmed with the crowds and this was one of the days that I learned that lesson (I was reminded in coming days as well). Highlights of the Natural History Museum include the dinosaur exhibit (but there were too many people for my tastes), a "vault" with a lot of really cool precious stones, and a rock from Mars (it was a meteorite that came from Mars)!
-Victoria and Albert Museum: Also cool and definitely worth seeing. They have so much there! My favorites were some paintings and a cast of Michelangelo's David which was HUGE (and in an area where they were renovating so I wasn't expecting to see it, but saw it from above. It reminded me of the time I saw the real thing in Italy-you turn a corner, and BAM there is this really big, really famous statue!)!
-The Science Museum: On this day, I wasn't feeling well so I really only went in here to see the space exhibit and then left pretty quickly afterward. Frankly, it would be great for kids, but was a slight disappointment (again my headache and aversion of crowds played a role in this opinion). To be honest the Museum of Flight in Seattle has such as good exhibit on space that this was a bit of a let down. But they did have a moon rock which was cool!
-Royal Albert Hall, Albert Memorial, Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park (including Speaker's corner and Marble Arch): This was another busy day. I saw the outside of the Royal Albert Hall and of course the Albert Memorial. After that, I went through Kenington Gardens to Kensington Palace. Highlights of the palace (which is the current London residence of Will and Kate, was the residence of Diana, and was the residence of Queen Victoria), include the room where Victoria was born, the room where she held her first Privy Council meeting, and a staircase (at the top of which is a room where Victoria was told she was Queen). Highlights of Kensington Gardens included the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. This was a really cool fountain--it was in the shape of a circle (although not a perfect circle) and one side was a bit higher uphill than the other. This meant the water ran down along both sides of the fountain over different textures of cement. It was really worth seeing. After that, I went though Hyde Park and saw Speaker's Corner, where for a really long time (sorry, don't remember when it started) people have been able to stand up and say whatever they want, and Marble Arch which used to be the entrance to Buckingham Palace. All in all, a good, if tiring day.
-Les Mis the musical (stage show): I saw this a few weeks before I saw the movie. It was awesome to see it in the West End! The only downside was the Jean Valjean was played by an understudy that night who wasn't as strong as I would have liked (the part is extremely difficult to be sure). But let me tell you, at the end of "One Day More" it was all I could do to stay in my seat and not jump up to join the revolution!! (It's a good thing intermission is right after "One Day More!")
-Canterbury and Canterbury Cathedral: On another day, I took the train out to Canterbury to see the Cathedral. I thought of it as my own little pilgrimage. It was really cool although to be honest, I found Salisbury Cathedral more moving and impressive. Anyway, the inside was beautiful. Canterbury became a pilgrimage site after Thomas Becket was killed/martyred in the church (the King thought he would, as bishop, be fairly weak and follow his instructions but Becket didn't so the King had him killed). The site where he was killed, the stained-glass windows and the chair where the Archbishop of Canterbury (the head of the Anglican Church) sits were all highlights for me.
-The British Museum: I had been here before, but it was a whirlwind tour so it was nice to go back with more time. They have a ton of history in there. But for me the highlights were the Rosetta Stone (which, with the same text in three languages, was the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs), the Elgin Marbles (sculptures from the Parthenon in Greece, so called because they were brought to Britain, with permission at the time, by a guy named Elgin), and a statue from Easter Island.
-Twirties weekend away: This was a retreat that I went on with the twenties, thirties, and beyond group from St. Martin in the Fields. I wanted to go to meet people my age from the church and I was not disappointed. It has been so wonderful to have friends at church and to do things with them (ever since the retreat I have enjoyed going to church even more because I actually know people and have people to talk to)! It was a really special weekend (sorry, I'm running out of steam writing this and I'm sure you are sick of reading it, if you are still with me at all...). I felt like not only did I get to know people, but I got to experience English culture a bit more--I took the opportunity to ask questions and they were great about explaining cultural differences to me! I even tried Marmite (developed during the War to get people much needed vitamins)--I don't recommend it!
So that is what I did over winter break! I'm sorry that the post was so long! It probably wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be, but we are basically caught up (I'll save the fun I had with snow in London for another post as that was after break). I really did want to share these things with you and let you know what a special holiday I had.
Thanks for sticking with me and reading all of that!
Abbey
I am afraid this post is long overdue (and will therefore be a long one). I am sorry and I hope you will stick with me and not get too bored. I wanted to take a bit and tell you about my winter break. I already told you about my trip to Scotland and about the day I saw Les Mis (the movie). Those were sort of the bookends to my break so I would like to fill in the middle. I went to a lot of museums over break. Break was my time to start checking things off the long list of places in London that I want to see. I've decided that the best way to arrange the post will be bullet points and some pictures interspersed. Some will be significantly longer than others, but this will give you the highlights of what I did. I have tried to put things in essentially chronological order. So here goes...
-Christmas: (We'll start with the longest section.) In case you hadn't figured it out already, I stayed in London for my winter break. This meant that I spent my first Christmas away from my parents. We all knew that this was going to be hard. But to be honest, it was better than I expected (Mom and Dad, let me explain!). While I wished I could have been with my parents, this was still a very special Christmas for me and I am glad I decided to stay here.
See, my Mom knew this Christmas was going to be hard so she tried to make it special. And let me tell you, she succeeded! (Thanks Mom!) She sent me a lovely advent package at the beginning of December that had a little Christmas tree and small gifts (mostly ornaments from home) to open each day until Christmas. It was so thoughtful and really made me happy! She even sent some of my favorite ornaments that we usually put on the tree together back home. She and Dad also sent a wonderful Christmas package with my gifts!! It was great! But, the Royal Mail failed royally (see what I did there?) and my Christmas presents didn't arrive until New Year's Eve. This would sound like a recipe for a sad Christmas, but on the contrary! I'll admit, I was sad that I didn't have my gifts on Christmas (rather too upset for a 23 year old actually), but the great thing was it made me focus on what is really important about Christmas (and hint: it's not the gifts).
Christmas (for me and I understand this is not true for everyone and that is fine) is about Jesus and family. This year, religion played a particularly important role in my holiday. I went to more Christmas services than I ever have before. I was going to go to a variety of churches for these services including Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's, but I ended up going to St. Martin in the Fields for all the services and that was really special for me. In fact, I went to two different services on Christmas Eve (a Carol Service and the Midnight service) and one on Christmas morning (which I have never done before that I can recall). Since St. Martin's has started to feel like home, it was very nice to go there.
And for me, Christmas is about family. This year, I couldn't be with them, but that is where Skype comes in! Mom, Dad, Liesl (my dog), and I Skyped for over three hours on Christmas Day! I got to watch them open their presents (and I had a few of my advent packages saved up to open and some gifts from my wonderful Godmother), which was great! I got to experience the joy of giving gifts without then immediately focusing on what I got in return. It was such a joy to see how happy they were with the gifts I had sent (LSE themed for the most part) and to just "be" with them through the wonder of the internet and Skype. It was a truly wonderful and memorable holiday even though I was far from home.
Opening gifts with the family on Christmas day!
-National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery: In the week after Christmas I went to these galleries. They are right on Trafalgar Square so I had passed them everyday, but now I finally made time to go in. I had a lot of fun. And discovered a new passion/talent (although neither word is quite right as the talent is minimal and the passion is really more a passing interest sometimes)--drawing/sketching. I started doing my own sketches of paintings I liked. I went out and got some sketching materials and a book on drawing and had fun with that for the rest of break!
-Tate Britain: Following up with my art theme, I went on another day to the Tate Britain. This is not to be confused with the Tate Modern which is probably the more famous of the two. The Tate Britain holds British works of art, including a fair amount of Turner (who, by the way, it turns out I really like).
-Imperial War Museum: On another day, I went here. This Museum is great, but was also a bit of a disappointment. See they have what I understand to be wonderful exhibits on WWI and WWII that are quite interactive (I think they have a simulation of the trenches in WWI and the Blitz in WWII). Unfortunately, both the World War exhibits were closed for renovation. In fact, a few days after I was there, they closed the entire museum (until the summer) to renovate in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI (wow, has it been that long?). So I didn't get to see everything I wanted to--I'll just have to go back. What I did see was the Secret War exhibit which is about spies (not as fun as it sounds) and the Holocaust exhibit. The Holocaust exhibit was very moving. It made me think about my history class last year and what we read about the Holocaust. It was just a very moving exhibit.
-New Year's Eve: Wow. Well this is something I never thought I would do, but I'm so glad I did! On New Year's Eve there is a huge fireworks display on the South Bank at the London Eye. In the past, I think there have also been some fireworks set off of Big Ben (but alas, not this year). Anyway, a lot of people stake out a spot along the river, but I decided to take a different approach (which was certainly not unique as I had tons of company!). I stood by Westminster Abbey so that I had a view of the top of the London Eye and Parliament in front. While I couldn't see the lowest fireworks, I maintain that mine was the best spot in the city! The show was spectacular! The only downsides of my position--St. Margaret's Church, which is right by Westminster Abbey, rang their bells for hours on end in the lead up to midnight which got rather annoying and I spent four hours staring at a really big clock, which does NOT make time move any faster, let me tell you! But it was worth it. I made friends with some young women around me and the fireworks were amazing!! I'll let you see for yourself.
See what I mean? Best spot in London!
-The New Year's Day Parade: Again this is something I never thought I would do (and let me tell you, ONCE is enough!), but I'm glad I did it. I had a spot right at the intersection of Whitehall and Trafalgar Square. The Parade was cool (although there were an awful lot of American groups--they were good, but I was left wondering why I came to London to see American marching bands and cheerleaders, but oh well). Actually, by the end I was in a rather bad mood because I was freezing! Way colder than I had been the night before and the parade wasn't as great as I hoped. But again, glad I did it once--can check it off the bucket list and move on with my life. :)
-Natural History Museum: Turns out that my tolerance for crowds is not that great. By midday or early afternoon I start feeling really overwhelmed with the crowds and this was one of the days that I learned that lesson (I was reminded in coming days as well). Highlights of the Natural History Museum include the dinosaur exhibit (but there were too many people for my tastes), a "vault" with a lot of really cool precious stones, and a rock from Mars (it was a meteorite that came from Mars)!
-Victoria and Albert Museum: Also cool and definitely worth seeing. They have so much there! My favorites were some paintings and a cast of Michelangelo's David which was HUGE (and in an area where they were renovating so I wasn't expecting to see it, but saw it from above. It reminded me of the time I saw the real thing in Italy-you turn a corner, and BAM there is this really big, really famous statue!)!
Cool instrument sculpture at the V&A. They were flattened and painted black!
-The Science Museum: On this day, I wasn't feeling well so I really only went in here to see the space exhibit and then left pretty quickly afterward. Frankly, it would be great for kids, but was a slight disappointment (again my headache and aversion of crowds played a role in this opinion). To be honest the Museum of Flight in Seattle has such as good exhibit on space that this was a bit of a let down. But they did have a moon rock which was cool!
-Royal Albert Hall, Albert Memorial, Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park (including Speaker's corner and Marble Arch): This was another busy day. I saw the outside of the Royal Albert Hall and of course the Albert Memorial. After that, I went through Kenington Gardens to Kensington Palace. Highlights of the palace (which is the current London residence of Will and Kate, was the residence of Diana, and was the residence of Queen Victoria), include the room where Victoria was born, the room where she held her first Privy Council meeting, and a staircase (at the top of which is a room where Victoria was told she was Queen). Highlights of Kensington Gardens included the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. This was a really cool fountain--it was in the shape of a circle (although not a perfect circle) and one side was a bit higher uphill than the other. This meant the water ran down along both sides of the fountain over different textures of cement. It was really worth seeing. After that, I went though Hyde Park and saw Speaker's Corner, where for a really long time (sorry, don't remember when it started) people have been able to stand up and say whatever they want, and Marble Arch which used to be the entrance to Buckingham Palace. All in all, a good, if tiring day.
Me at the Albert Memorial
The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.
One side of the fountain. So cool.
Kensington Palace.
Speaker's Corner
-Les Mis the musical (stage show): I saw this a few weeks before I saw the movie. It was awesome to see it in the West End! The only downside was the Jean Valjean was played by an understudy that night who wasn't as strong as I would have liked (the part is extremely difficult to be sure). But let me tell you, at the end of "One Day More" it was all I could do to stay in my seat and not jump up to join the revolution!! (It's a good thing intermission is right after "One Day More!")
-Canterbury and Canterbury Cathedral: On another day, I took the train out to Canterbury to see the Cathedral. I thought of it as my own little pilgrimage. It was really cool although to be honest, I found Salisbury Cathedral more moving and impressive. Anyway, the inside was beautiful. Canterbury became a pilgrimage site after Thomas Becket was killed/martyred in the church (the King thought he would, as bishop, be fairly weak and follow his instructions but Becket didn't so the King had him killed). The site where he was killed, the stained-glass windows and the chair where the Archbishop of Canterbury (the head of the Anglican Church) sits were all highlights for me.
Canterbury Cathedral. Part of the reason it wasn't overwhelming is that it is surrounded by buildings.
The spot where Becket was martyred.
The alter with the chair for the Archbishop of Canterbury behind.
This was really cool--the stairs are really warn down from where all the people made the pilgrimage to where Becket was killed.
-The British Museum: I had been here before, but it was a whirlwind tour so it was nice to go back with more time. They have a ton of history in there. But for me the highlights were the Rosetta Stone (which, with the same text in three languages, was the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs), the Elgin Marbles (sculptures from the Parthenon in Greece, so called because they were brought to Britain, with permission at the time, by a guy named Elgin), and a statue from Easter Island.
The Rosetta Stone
-Twirties weekend away: This was a retreat that I went on with the twenties, thirties, and beyond group from St. Martin in the Fields. I wanted to go to meet people my age from the church and I was not disappointed. It has been so wonderful to have friends at church and to do things with them (ever since the retreat I have enjoyed going to church even more because I actually know people and have people to talk to)! It was a really special weekend (sorry, I'm running out of steam writing this and I'm sure you are sick of reading it, if you are still with me at all...). I felt like not only did I get to know people, but I got to experience English culture a bit more--I took the opportunity to ask questions and they were great about explaining cultural differences to me! I even tried Marmite (developed during the War to get people much needed vitamins)--I don't recommend it!
So that is what I did over winter break! I'm sorry that the post was so long! It probably wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be, but we are basically caught up (I'll save the fun I had with snow in London for another post as that was after break). I really did want to share these things with you and let you know what a special holiday I had.
Thanks for sticking with me and reading all of that!
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