Travel Day

Friday (Day 82): Scotland Bound.

Thanks to Matt, I have Friday off so that I can begin my Scotland adventure a little early. One of the side benefits of the Global Citizens Program is that you get an opportunity to make travel plans on your own. You have to learn to get to where you need to go in a timely manner, read and follow directions closely and budget your money carefully. When you don't, you miss out on some really good times. To cover a lot of ground and to avoid wasting time, organizational skills are key.

Modes of Transportation

A Two Night Stay.
I can see Edinburgh Castle from my room.
Thanks Mom and Dad!

The View From My Window!

Dinner Here Friday Night!
A short bus ride from the hotel.
I think I may have sat where J. K. Rowling wrote her first pages!!!!

The Waiting Game

Thursday (Day 81): Course Registration

Developing a plan of action, attempting registration for the first time ever, in the wee hours of the morning from across the pond is a little daunting. VSB provided plenty of support. Mrs. Pitts, my advisor, has responded quickly to my every email, but the process is .... well, nerve wracking.

Because I'm trying to manage a dual degree program in both the School of Business and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, there are a few more balls to juggle, which makes scheduling tricky. I have mapped out three strategies. With a little luck and lots of help, I'll be able to take ethics with a favorite professor, get into a Corporate Responsibility class with friends from GCP, and schedule Astronomy with a lab, along with two other classes for a total of 19 hours.

Wish me luck. Too bad my weekend destination isn't Ireland!

Plans for Scotland

People, priorities and plans change over time, sometimes without notice - even in London. Even so, I am still committed, one way or another, to traveling to Scotland this weekend to tour the countryside. Castles and J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter will be high on my priority list. Distilleries less so.

I've arranged my Gatwick Express to the airport, an Easy Jet flight to and a room reservation at the local Holiday Inn in Edinburgh. I have a guided tour of the country side scheduled and an early morning ticket for the castle on the agenda before returning home early Sunday.

Edinburgh is where the first pages of the seven volume story of Harry, Hermione and Ron were written - and there will be much to see and do in just a short two days time.

The Land of Kings

Edinburgh Castle

The Streets of Edinburgh

The Birthplace of Harry Potter
Click here for more information.

Interning - Week Two

Days 78 through 81: What a Great Place!

The second week of internship with Camden People's brings a new set of challenges. See those windows on the first floor of the building? I have to design a display for the upcoming season. Pervious interns have concentrated on making sure that each display element is perfectly aligned with the one adjacent to it. You might guess that this was not the highest priority for creative people like Matt and Freya. Maybe I will try out some "Creative Memories" scrap booking techniques!

I now have my own set of keys and handle daily banking transactions for the theatre without supervision.

The project for the reminder of the semester has emerged from conducting a non-traditional SWOT analysis - matching my strengths against their weaknesses, creating an opportunity for me to be most helpful to them in the remaining month of work. How cool is that????

Housing and Roommates

Complaining Distresses Me So.

To be honest, we really didn't know what to expect when we arrived. Manson Place is adequate, but the living situation does leave a little to be desired.

The co-ed flats for VU-GCPers are in the basement, I'm guessing because there are so few of us in comparison to the guys. There are no windows and only one bedroom for the four of us in Flat 1. Three share the one bedroom in Flat 2, and they have no common room. Meanwhile, the guys are upstairs in larger flats - two per bedroom, 6 or 8 per flat, with larger kitchens and common rooms. There is a public common room and a study space on the basement floor, which is convenient for us basement dwellers.

We all started out sharing our refrigerators and cooking dinners together. As time has gone on, many bedrooms, (which include metal bunks and single beds but not much else) and some common rooms resemble cyclone city. Although we have a cleaning service of sorts, they are not really equal to the task. Bathrooms and kitchens have become an issue.

It's proven difficult to get even the smallest of our groups on the same page when it comes to neatness and cleanliness. Some Villanovans are traveling so frequently on weekends, that just keeping up with the laundry is a daunting task. Visiting family and friends provide the only motivation for neatening and cleaning.

I've taken to eating one big meal during lunch hour at work. I keep small snacks in my suitcase for the morning or evening when the mood strikes, but I have abandoned the kitchen all together.

GCPers who lived on campus fall semester have, I suppose, had an easier transition in this regard. As for me, I do admit that I miss my room at home, especially space for quiet time, a little privacy and space for my stuff!

We made friends with a few students from Boston University, who are also in London for the semester. Let's just say, their housing is sweet.