Classes those things I am taking while in London…

First of all, I love blogging! I was thinking today that I feel like Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex in the City writing a column like Carrie. If only people would pay me to blog and I would go to all different places and write about my experiences. But – like I said I have been stinking at taking pictures, but my friend Gabby loves taking them. So I have stolen some of hers to post to my blog at the bottom. And that pole on the right hand side about the superbowl, yeah just vote in it I created it.

Classes are interesting. It feels like a small high school here at the London center and I am not used to that. There are only 288 kids here and there are only like 5 classes in session at once so when one class gets over its like changing classes in high school minus the lockers. Let’s see I have had PSC 400.something Comparative Public Policy US vs. UK. My professor is lovely! He is English. He introduced himself and our placement professor, because this class can go one of two ways – in PSC you take it and write a big research paper about a policy topic OR you take a placement which is like an internship and do a littler paper and keep a journal. Since I am hoping that my pre arrival internship comes through I cannot do two internships so I have to take it as a big paper – for now. Things may change if I don’t get the other one or if I think I can add that in on Monday’s or want to add it on Fridays. The load seems manageable and he lectured about the “peculiarilities of London.” How it developed since it was an island, how it has a unique central government. It was good. It should be an ok class. That was all I had that day. But me and my new friends Kareen and Meghan went out in search of the other text book he wanted us to buy at a bookstore nearby that was so cute and quaint – just like a barnes and noble past the London Museum. We only found one copy. But then I saw ULoo the University of London Union. After hearing my sophomore year roommate RAVE about ULoo and urge me to go with eager Im’s. I dragged Kareen and Meghan to go check it out. It is really cool! They have a stationary shop with clearly cheap prices so I stalked up on 2 notebooks and some folders. They have a travel agency that looks like it will help find hostels and book stuff on cheap airlines. This place also has a gym that you can pay for. Eh, not worth it for me. It has clubs but no dance, salsa dancing and like badminton and fencing but no ballet. Maybe I will try something different. Then it had two, yes two eateries WITH REASONABLY PRICED FOOD AHHHHHHHHHHH! You can get a pizza for like 3.95 pounds and a brownie for dessert for 2.00 pounds! Holy heck a meal for 12.00 dollars American! Unheard of. However, I didn’t eat there yet. So I will tell you if it is any good haha. Then I came home and relaxed oh it was so good to talk to people from home! The time difference is really hitting me now when I talk to people at home. I just expect them to be on the same schedule but when I wake up for classes its 3AM and no one is there and when I get ready for bed its dinner time and homework time there. So that is sad. Then at Gabby’s urging – we walked to Tesco express which is like a smaller version of a big supermarket here in search of Ben and Jerry’s. I got a brownie and some digestives which are these amazing cracker cookies Julie told me about.

And Tuesdays classes are good too. My first class RTN 345 Critical Perspectives on the Media is taught by an American professor, Proffesor Touhey. He is really nice! A breath of fresh air I feel like I am back at SU ! He brought his whole family over here with him this semester, his wife Professor Perry, who also teaches at SU in the Broadcast department and his kids who are 9 and 11 I think, how cute! I feel like if I were really homesick I could ask to go visit with him and his family and eat a meal with them or something that is how nice he is. Oh and another note all my classes are like 10 people or less. It’s really weird. I am not saying I loooove lecture halls but this is very intimate I will have to tell you if I like it as I go along. But Professor Touhey is great! He introduced himself went over the syllabus and had us introduce ourselves. He then talked about how we have to consume the news and that he is learning as he goes on too about which newspapers are the best. My friend from the airport Jaime is in that class too so that is good. That class will be good. And it fulfills a requirement so that is good. Then I may have to drop this next class depending on that internship. But its Creative Non-Fiction writing. I will be kinda sad if I have to drop it because this professor seems awesome! I swear to goodness he is Zachary Cummings in like 10 years. He is tall, skinny, pale, with strawberry blond hair and a sparse beard and mustache. He introduced himself he teaches full time over here in London and he got his doctoral degree from UCLA. So he is an American too but who has lived here a while so that is cool. We went around and introduced ourselves and he outlined the syllabus and he was cracking jokes and telling vibrant stories you can tell he is the literary type. He is so nice and welcoming. That class seems like it will be good also.

Then tonight we have a travel meeting where we can sign up for upcoming field trips and Gabby, Sam and I have to do some serious food shopping! I need laundry detergent so I can do laundry which is free by the way woot woot! But check out the pictures I will add some of my own soon and vote in my poll! But uh, the stock market crashed really bad today?? I dunno we will probably talk about it in the World Economy so stay tuned to the 11 oclock news. Wow I just mixed my majors and minors in that sentence – my brain hurts. Haha.

PS I just heard that Tom sustained a little injury from the championship game. But he will be ok my sources are telling me. And if any of my Giants fans friends participate in these shinanigans…. http://www.q1043.com/pages/images/BridgetMoynahan.pdf

well God will punish you so that’s enough. Haha.

Don’t forget me, I’ll write to you soon!

Stacey

Distance never separates people that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But, whenever I start feeling sad because I miss people I remind myself how lucky I am to have people so special to miss.