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.