Busy, busy

Happy Monday, blog readers!

I can't believe we are already in our third week of the semester. So far, my classes have been intense, but I am enjoying them. I am not looking forward to reading 200 pages for Contemporary British Fiction tonight, though.

I think I can justify my procrastination, though, because this Friday was my 21st birthday. My parents came in for dinner and my best friend from home, Jamie, came into the city to go out with me! I was so happy she was here for it and that I got to spend my birthday with so many wonderful people! Then, on Saturday Haley and Rachel hosted an Ambassador gathering at their apartment. It's always nice to get together with everyone outside of the office. A good time was had by all!

On Sunday, I woke up bright and early to go to the InterFuture Research Colloquium. At this event, my fellow InterFuture classmates and I presented our findings from the research we conducted abroad. It was great to see everyone again and hear about how their research went. It was also nice to get feedback from staff members and get into the mindset of doing the United States portion of my study.

This week looks like it will be a busy one. Today I need to buy my tickets for the Sean Kingston and Girl Talk concert hosted by Program Council and tomorrow is the Temple Street Student Activities Fair where I will be working at the Venture Literary Magazine table. The Fair gives students an opportunity to learn about different clubs on campus, and to get free food and prizes. It's always a chaotic, but fun day. I also have a ton of planning to do for my SU101 class on Thursday. My instructor and I are assigning the Suffolk Scavenger Hunt to our students and it is my favorite class of the semester! We send them out in small groups to search for different places on campus. It was a huge success with our class last year.

That's it for now. Time to get back to work in the office. Enjoy the week!

American Soil

Looking back on my last blog post, I can't believe it was almost five months ago that I returned home from London. The summer flew by and we are already getting back into the swing of things on campus. After a semester of doing my own research on my own time, it has been strange taking classes again, but I think it's going to be a good year. After all, I am a senior!

Coming back from London was difficult. Of course, I was a little homesick while I was there, but I would have stayed there all summer if I could have. I came home with $0 in my bank account and went back to work right away. I never stopped thinking about London, though, and can't wait to get back there as soon as possible. One major highlight of the summer was when my host family from London came to Boston to visit some old friends. It had only been a few months since I last saw them, but I already missed them so much and loved getting to see them.

On September 1st, I moved into an apartment with three other girls in Porter Square. It's about half an hour from school and I have loved exploring the area. And it sure beats commuting! As for classes, they seem pretty good so far. I am taking two English classes for my major and two Philosophy classes for my minor. I also recently got a job at Borders to that will keep me busy, too!

Now, it's time to get back to work in the office! Here is to a memorable (and hopefully not too difficult!) senior year!

Hmm

I don't like to admit it, but I have a terrible love for "The Way I See It" quotes on Starbucks cups. 83 days ago, as we sat in Logan Airport waiting to embark on our InterFuture adventures, Beckee and I read one by Youssou N'Dour. It said "People need to see that far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions, and traditions is a great treasure affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others".

Ain't that the truth. Goodbye, London.

Busy Bee

I clearly have never lived in a warm climate because the fact that it is 60 degrees and sunny has me jumping for joy. I don't want my last couple weeks in London filled with gray skies and rain!

Along with April and Tram, the other InterFuture scholars I am here with, I have been making an itinerary for our last weeks in London so that we are sure to see everything before heading back to Boston! Last weekend we went to a comedy night at a local pub and it was absolutely hilarious. It was fun to experience English humo(u)r at its best, and we are planning to go back there tomorrow evening. On Monday, we bought tons of food and had a picnic at Alexandra Park near our house on Muswell Hill, and later we went to see yet another musical in the West End - Spring Awakening - for only 10 pounds! Today, the plan is to check out Little Venice (although my guess is that it won't have anything on the North End), and tomorrow we are going on a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre! There are also a few museums and markets we want to get to before we leave.

Three months ago I never would have thought that I'd still have sights to see in my last few weeks, but the time really does go by so quickly. You think you have all the time in the world, but somehow it slips right through your fingers. I have begun to check out graduate programs in London because I want to come back as soon as possible! And the best part is that it will be significantly cheaper to go to graduate school here than in the US. At the rate I change my mind, though, who knows what will happen?

My research has also picked up quite a bit in these last few weeks. I ended up going to that conference hosted by the Sex Education Forum and it provided me with mountains of information. I am also going into a school a few days before I leave to observe a sex education class and distribute my questionnaires to the students. Until then, though, I have been busy getting myself ready for the Amsterdam conference. We have to do a write-up of our project methodology - how we did our project, who we spoke to, what materials we collected, etc, and we have to prepare a 20 minute presentation on our initial findings. Unfortunately, there will also be a 10 minute Question and Answer session following each presentation, so it will take 7 hours for all 14 of us to present! As much as I am looking forward to being in Amsterdam with the other InterFuture scholars, I am beginning to realize that it is going to be yet another mentally fatiguing four days.

Spring Ahead

I am trying to update more frequently so that I can tell of all my London adventures!

A couple weekends ago, April (the other InterFuture scholar I am living with) and I went up North with our host sister, Ella, to visit the University of Sheffield. While Ella attended an Open House-type event, April and I explored the city and did some shopping. Lucky for us, it was an absolutely gorgeous day! I have really enjoyed getting out of London and seeing other parts of England during my time here.

Then, early last week, two fellow InterFuture girls, who are studying in Madrid, came to visit London for a few days. It was so nice to see them and exchange stories of our lives and research abroad. One of the nights they were here, we went to see the musical Avenue Q and it was absolutely hilarious. I am hoping to get to a few more shows in the West End before I leave. They have great discounts for students.

I also had an interview last week with a health educator at a local school. I loved talking with her, and she even gave me the name of someone else to contact for my research. Tomorrow, I will be attending a one-day sex education conference hosted by the Sex Education Forum, a subset of the National Children's Bureau. The day will be filled with presentations on research and new approaches to sex education. I am hopeful that it will provide me with a lot of good background information for my report, and also an opportunity to network with local health educators.

I really love it here. If I had the money and the means, I would stay for the summer in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, though, I will be going back to work at Aeropostale as soon as I get home so I can start saving for an apartment! I guess that brings me to the fact that I decided not to go to South Africa. It was a really difficult decision, but it just isn't the right time/situation for me. I know I will get there at some point, just not this Fall. I am looking forward to being in Boston for the entirety of my senior year. Although living in the city will empty my bank account, I won't have to get on the commuter rail every day, and I will get to see my friends more often. I think it will be a great year. But, of course, let's not jump the gun - I still have 3 weeks in London!

Chaos

The past week has been absolutely crazy! Last Friday my Mom and Aunt arrived in London and we spent the entire week sightseeing, shopping, and traveling! It was a lot different from the un-regimented, laidback time I have been spending in London for the past two months, but it was a nice change.

We spent Sunday as quintessential tourists: Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, a bus tour around the city, and shopping at Harrods. I also took them to Camden Market, a huge outdoor market with everything you could imagine, and we had dinner at the Tate Modern, an art museum with amazing views of London. Then, on Monday it was time for Paris! We were only there for a few days, but it was absolutely beautiful. I need to go back some day. Over the last few days of their stay, we went on a tour of the Tower of London, had afternoon tea at an adorable hotel, saw Abbey Road, and celebrated my Aunt's birthday. It was really nice to have them here. I had been a little homesick, and it was the perfect remedy. Now I am ready to continue work on my project and enjoy my final month in London!

Everything!

Hello!

I have just over a month left in London. I have been here far longer than I have yet to be here, and soon it will all come to an end. It's so depressing. I have been trying not to dwell on it, but despite how busy I have been, it feels like the days are slipping through my fingers. I need more time!

Anyways, in the spirit of focusing on the present, I will update you all on what I have been doing. Last weekend I went to Oxford, Windsor, and Bath. While in Bath, I was able to meet up with a friend from home who is studying there this semester. All three are beautiful cities, and I am so glad I ventured out into other parts of England. I plan to do a bit more exploring outside of London before I leave.

On Monday, I went on the London Eye with the girls I am here with, April and Tram, and Tram's boyfriend, Mike. At first I was worried about being up so high, but it moved so slowly that I could barely tell when we were at the top. I was able to get some great pictures of London. Then, last night we got cheap tickets for Wicked! It was such an amazing show. From the storyline, to the performances, to the set, it was an absolutely flawless musical and I am so happy I saw it.

A few hours ago my Mom and Aunt arrived at Heathrow. They are spending the night at a hotel close to the airport and making their way up to Muswell Hill, where I live, in the morning. I am so excited to see them (naturally, I have become a bit homesick) and we have a great itinerary. I will be sure to blog about their visit next week!

And of course I have been working on my project. I had an interview with a health educator at a school in East London a couple weeks ago and have continued to stay in touch with her. I have another interview scheduled, am doing loads of project-related reading, and quite a bit of writing, too. Overall, it's coming along smoothly.

That's it for now. Cheers!