Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Arts n' Crafts??

I guess technically "crafts" are part of The Cultural & Creative Industries...however, I didn't realize that getting an MA in the field meant having to do them. Not that I'm complaining. I'd rather make an "Academic Poster" with my study group than write a 2000 word paper(apparently the next thing on the agenda)...but it was certainly unexpected. This week was Induction/Introduction/Orientation/Whatever you want to call it... for the CCI course. The fire alarm went off in the first hour and we had to file outside and stand around for 15 minutes, then we sat through a lot of fairly useless lectures, but also met our teachers and personal tutors, as well as our assigned study groups. So far, I'm feeling pretty old and definitely out-of-touch with the academic world. I'm hearing lots of words that I don't know what they mean, and trying to pretend that I know how to think critically. Kings College has an English Language Center that I'll be putting to good use. Although a main function of it is for non-native English speakers, they also offer classes for English speakers to get better at going to school. So far, I've signed up for:

- Making the Transition to Postgraduate Study
- Principles of Academic Writing
- Academic Argument and Critical Writing
- Using Sources Effectively

Seems a little excessive, but hey, my £14000 should pay for something, right? Plus, I've decided I don't just want to Pass my course, but I'd like to pass with Merit..so I better relearn how to read and write!

In other news, I found a place to live today!!! Woohoo. I'm so excited to stop viewing flats, not have any more rejections when I'm not picked to live somewhere, and unpack my bag...which at the moment is exploded all over my little closet-living-space. I'll definitely be sad to leave my lovely hosts though...the boys I've been staying with have been great. They make me dinner at least a couple times a week, and are good to sit around with at night. I've been trying to pull my weight by doing dishes, buying toilet paper, and I made Fake Chicken Enchiladas(the old stand-by) one night. I'll definitely need to make one more meal...and make sure they invite me over for dinner once in awhile! And of course, I'll miss Elsa...the other girl in the house.
Anyway, I don't move in until next week, but it's nice to know it's there. It's a bit farther out than I wanted...the past few weeks have spoiled me since I've been right next to my local bar and across the street from the Overground Train that takes me to school..but it's a cute house with a big back garden, decent-sized kitchen, and a big bed.

Other than school and flat-hunting, I've hung out with a few friends, gone to a couple parties, and randomly helped a guy I know, run a stand at a street fair that gave info about a Charity that teaches kids business sense. It was originally meant to be a paying gig (£50), but somehow he suckered us all into donating our pay to the charity. Pretty shady if you ask me, but I still had fun and it was something different to do. The picture below are shot glasses of jellybeans that we gave away.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Back in London

Time to start updating the blog again...

I got to London on Sunday morning. It was an uneventful flight....the first to London where I only watched one movie...KickAss...I would recommend it. I managed to get a 20 lb overweight bag on the flight for free, as well as overweight carry-ons. I love Virgin Atlantic.

My friend Jersey (Sarah) met me at the airport...and we began our adventure of getting from Heathrow to Dalston only using trains and stations that had lifts...except for the replacement bus service from Heathrow(but it was a coach, so plenty of room for bags). We went from tube to DLR train to Overground..and had one station with stairs. Ended up at the new Haggerston Overground Station which was only across a park from where I was staying. I found one of the boys who lives in the house at the bar next door, he let us in, and that was it. Easy!

Since then I've spent a lot of time online...looking for a place to live. I've viewed a few flats..so far nothing to write home about. So far, i like the closet I'm staying in the best...too bad it's not for rent(although I think i'd change my mind come winter...it's not insulated and I can tell). I've posted a pic of it below.
Other than hanging out with my temporary flatmates and looking for a place to live, I've done a few school-related things. Enrollment, which took 20 minutes, and today I went to a "fair" with different booths. Nothing very helpful, and I felt old.
Next week is the fair that the Student Union is putting on...with all the booths for the clubs and societies. I'm gunna go...I'm thinking about joining the rowing club.
More soon.