First Term Wrap Up

Well everyone. A third of my time here in England is done. I soon be returning to the states for a brief trip for Christmas, then onto my beloved Channel Islands from where my love for this country truly began.

As usual, this post will cover the highlights of what has been happening recently. It will also in addition, recap on what has really stuck in my mind after these first few months here.

First, the latest hits:

County College Winter Ball - It's customary here for each "college" to hold a formal function for its students at the end of the term. For us this year, ours had the privilege of being hosted in Blackpool Tower, a historic landmark in a city famous for being the familiar haunts of such characters as George Harrison, Andy Summers, and Jack White. In short, it was incredible. The presentation, the mood, the food, and the entertainment. Having never been to a prom-type event before whilst in school, it was definitely a great experience overall. I must say as well, I looked damn sharp.

Workload - Terms here run for 10 weeks at a time, totaling 30 weeks in all. Having started later than I normally would in the states, I had the pre-concept of a horrendous last week of term, with all students trying desperately to finish papers at the last minute. Not so for me. Maybe it's down to the fact that my major is just different in that lovely way, or maybe it's the classes I chose to take here. All I know for sure is that for the first time in as long as I can remember, I turned in work before a deadline. It wasn't a toilsome effort at all. I had 8 weeks to complete a single piece of coursework for each class, or module here, because of the fact that often classes are comprised of more than just lectures (practical labs, seminars). Not to say that the coursework wasn't challenging, I just had ample time to complete it. Again, much unlike the system back in Maine, this won't be the last I see or hear of these classes. The summer term is not a time for you to take classes, but rather a revision period for the exams in the final week, where students are forced to recall information from the classes they took the terms previous. I'm sure this will be an interesting test of assimilation into the education system when it comes round...

Money - How it all disappeared all of a sudden! One minute I was fine, the next, nada. Barely enough to cover the necessities until I leave for winter break. Mind those last weeks everyone, it will be filled with late night bar trips, spontaneous meal decisions, other coping strategies to avoid finishing that on last piece of coursework you have left. Seriously though, this is how I see it. Plan to spend double to triple your weekly budget in the first two and the last week of the first term. The common factor in everything that you will buy with it? Things you realized that you can't live without, but never think about.

Now, the overall review.

It's been a life changing experience already. I can only think of one, maybe two days where I haven't felt 100% great about being here. I have seen so much already, without really having left the city really! Next term will be different in that aspect. I plan to make use of the absurdly cheap airfare to exotic and awesome locations to really take advantage of my proximity to them. As I have said multiple times in my previous posts, I have a sense of belonging that makes me ache every time I think about the inevitability that I will have to leave here next August. On the flip side of that though, it fills me with the more want and motivation to make the most of it every day in one way or another.

I'm off to bed now. It's been a busy week of socials and celebrations and I am ready for a bit of down time. Will resume posts next term!

Happy Christmas and New Year everyone!

Is it really almost Christmas?

No. Can't be. I only just bloody-well got here!

Alas, it is true though. No matter how much I try and ignore the fact that my first term here is coming to a close, it is, and always has been, inevitable. Regardless, without further a due, I shall update the recent goings on.

PAPER INSANITY. Why use 5 words when 1 will do? Because that's what a good little Harvard/Oxford/Trinity College hopeful would do. So far, I have been lucky in that I have only been assigned 3 papers that need completing by the end of next week, not so lucky in that so much of my assessment is riding on them. Grr. Not really complaining though. I have read lots of studies that have turned out to be very interesting, as well as finding a use for all of those past papers that I thought I would never need to look at again. There is indeed a time for everything.

WEATHER GONE WACKY. Yes, I know it's England. Yes, I know about global warming. I also know that 40 days of rain means something in the ominous, better-start-a-prayin kind of way. Come on, I have never in my life looked at the forecast and seen nothing but rain predicted for TWO WEEKS with a 70% chance every day. Lucky for me, I live on the third floor. Gives me time to start on that ark.

PARTY TILL YOU DROP. I honestly have calmed down a bit since I first got here. Even still though, these people never stop. You give me a normal Friday night out and I'll show you the drunkest people you've ever seen in your life. Lots of end of term festivities coming up though, providing ample amounts of incentive to get more work done every day. A part of me thinks I should be keeping these kind of updates to myself, but at the same time, being so much a part of the culture, it's hard to ignore, and vital to experience.

THE MOST LOVELY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. Everywhere. All the time. Can't escape it.

THAT FEELING. That "I don't want to come back feeling". To everyone in the states, it's nothing personal. This place is addictive, the lifestyle (even minus the excessive socializing), the people (even with the assholes), and the general gist of things here just works for me. Definitely looking at coming back for grad school with more money and more options for a longer stay. Hopefully, some of my friends my follow suit. Hint.

DID I REALLY JUST AGREE TO MAKE THANKSGIVING DINNER? Enough said. I have officially lost my mind.

Over and out for now. Be back soon no doubt.

Niceties that surprise.

Having lived here in England for a while before I came recently, you would think that I would cease to be surprised by some little things that occur ever so subtly in everyday life. Here are some of those things that still make me smile:

Awesome taxi drivers. Honestly, I didn't appreciate this as much till I lived in NYC for a while.

Communal feeling to friendships. It's a big thing here to feel like you are part of something bigger. It's not pushed through the media like the newest diets to make us feel better. Everyone just seems to know that some parts of life are better with company, and they act on it.

Health care. For free. With awesome staff at the hospital. Stuff works better this way, America. Take note.

The high street. Big name shops that don't infringe on the business of smaller ones. Saw a guy fixing shoes in a proper cobble shop last week, then a guy able to tell me my suit sizes by just looking at me. They said they've been doing it all their lives.

Rain. Yes, the miserable, cold, persistent rain. As much as I like to bitch about it with my adoptive country, lets face it, like the white cliffs, palaces, and cathedrals, it's what we are known for.

Fashion forward men who aren't put off by shopping. It's out in the open, we like to look good too!

Full English breakfasts for less than £3. Quick and nasty. Always the best.

There are countless more things I could go on about, but that's a decent shortlist. More from the school report later, must get that homework done. Gotta justify going out this weekend!

Work hard, play hard!

Note to all those wanting to study abroad in England, get ready for a social life like you have never experienced.

So far, I have had not one minute of "down-time". I've either been diligently working on coursework, attending lectures, or partying with friends. Make no mistake, if you are as dedicated as you should be while you are here, you will need to be able to juggle all three with a finesse I can't convey. Once you have it down though, every weekend will be the "Best I've ever had!"

I've been having an amazing experience so far, and I haven't even left Lancaster to explore the greater lake district yet (been trying to get a feel for a study plan to deal with the immense amount of reading)! Studying here is a whole different practice than in the states, in which you are constantly "checked on" by a mass of small quizzes, writing assignments, and other weekly or frequent measures of your competence. Here it is very much your responsibility to keep up with everything yourself and go beyond what the lectures say. For instance, you may be used to only keeping up with the information that relates directly (in some cases word-for-word) to what has been taught or will be taught in your lectures. Not so in the English system. Be expected to read three or four chapters from several books each week for ONE CLASS. The expectation seems to be that you not only learn what is being taught, but also to formulate your own thoughts based on multiple sources through your own research, from DAY ONE. All of this culminates (for most classes) in a rigorous final exam or paper, which takes several hours or weeks to complete, respectively.

In my opinion, I love it. it truly gives me a sense of understanding of subjects that makes me feel less like a student and more like an academic. The reading lists, while not for the faint-at-heart, reflect a deeper understanding of the course material in ways that allow to to draw your own conclusions. Speaking of which, I better get back to it...

First week done already?

It all went by so quick!

Feeling better about scholastic situation here now, had a few scary moments this week from not being able to find the books I need (and I do need a lot of them) but now I'm pretty confident that just about everything can be found at the library. Speaking of the library, it's pretty much unlike any system I've ever used, so it took a bit of learning. Wasn't expecting that one.

So far the only class that I've not taken to immediately has been Research Methods 204, only because the professor is a bit if a drag. I think that we will be switching that up as the semester goes along...
Amy (my girlfriend) and I will be going to sort out phones sometime next week, I've ordered my debit card from HSBC and gotten payment of rent squared away for next week.
We've made some pretty good friends here already and lucky for us, they are all very dedicated to school. Just our type of crowd. The girls are smart and pretty, the guys are intelligent and well dressed. They know how to have fun, but they can also buckle down and study when they need to. We have been going out a lot, but with our student cards, amazingly, we've only spent about £10 this week on it! There was an England football match on this Wednesday which was an experience in it's own right! This place is truly designed for work and play!
Anyway, I've got to head to the library. I have to find a bunch of books for my cognitive psych and psychotherapy classes. I have a reading list 2 pages long and all for next week!

First Classes

October 12th, 2009

Today was a blast!

Let me give you the run down, I went to Nicola Rastall (my international student organizer here, and just one of the nicest people) this morning to sort out my registration, but I forgot most of my papers in the room! Since I only had about an hours sleep last night due to jet lag, I wasn't surprised. Anyway, she gave me the course registration sheet and I went along with my course choices to the philosophy and psychology depts. (which are right next to each other!) and they signed me up for all of my first choices! I hit the Psych dept. last, and when we were done, June, my psych advisor here, asked me if I was ready to get started that morning. To which I replied "I've had less than 2 hours sleep, bring it on!". I was then escorted to my first class Psych 357: Cognitive Psychotherapy.

LOVED IT. Every minute. I know that's what I want to do. The professor was awesome, and it's a very hands on class. My favorite aspect about it remains that we are, in essence, learning the methods of Rational-Emotive-Behavior-Therapy through practice rather than exams. I can't wait for my chance to tear that class apart. Definitely feels different, but in so many ways incredibly awesome.

My next class starts 3 minutes after that one, Cognitive Psychology 201. I had a bit of trouble finding the department it was in (the biology building). So I was a little late, but when I got there I tried my best to jump in and get going. Most of the topics I have heard in passing before, so I hadn't missed all that much. Very much more science in that one, but still fascinating. Easy to review with the right techniques though (nod to Dr. Dufour). I had an hours break after that, in which I got my forms from my room for Nicola, got a Lucozade (one of the best drinks in the world) and a bacon roll, signed up for classes, got my library card, internet sorted out, then trekked back to the psychology dept. for the "seminar" section of the Psych 201. Which is essentially a lab discussion. There are like 7 people in the group. Result!

So, that's the basic rundown of my first day here. I don't have class again until Wednesday, research methods for 3 hours! Tomorrow I am going to the bank to sort out my debit card, pay the first installment of rent (which is much cheaper than I originally thought), and get some of the reading knocked out for next week's stuff. I've got a lot if intense reading to do and I can't wait to get started. I'm strange like that.

That's all for now, I am going to start looking over my notes from today, then I might go to the pub for one to celebrate today.

Getting there

October 9th, 2009

Right, so things got off to a bit of a shaky start. Getting my visa was a complete nightmare. Take this as a lesson, get all of your things for your visa in order as SOON AS POSSIBLE. Financial aid confirmation, letters of support from both home and host institutions, biometric info (fingerprints and jazz), proof of funding in YOUR NAME, and making sure to check every inch of the website for any more information you might need to provide. These people pull no punches, and once it’s in their hands, they become anything but transparent. Know that the day they receive your application is NOT the day they begin processing it. They held mine for almost 2 weeks before they began to process it.

So as a result, I missed “freshers” week festivities, not to mention the first week of classes. Luckily, study abroad faculty on both sides of the Atlantic were more than helpful throughout the entire fiasco. Thanks everyone! You know who you are! :-)Student Universe is a godsend, tickets would have been hundreds of dollars more elsewhere. I highly recommend.

I am heading to the airport now, hopefully the in-flight meals won’t suck too hard. It’s kind of a hit and miss with American based airlines in my past experiences, while always being reliably awesome on carriers like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Check off another thing that is a good thing if you are to apply for your visa as early as possible, around the time you would be shopping for flights, fares on those great airlines are as low as they get... Just a thought.