Tuesday, June 26, 2012

I think best in the shower

Up until this point, my blog has been a surface overview of my life in London, well, not so much my life but the things I've done since being in London. My experiences have been amazing and memorable to say the least. From my Masters courses to my sister's visit to riding a Boris bike, I dutifully described what I have been doing but not much more than a bland explanation of the activities.

One thing my Masters study has taught me is to think further, to not accept what is given and to constantly question what is presented. I am on a quest. I came to graduate school and to London in an effort to figure my life out, to figure out the next step which seemed constantly out of my reach because of my age or lack of experience or lowly Bachelors degree. Everyone piques at different times in his or her life and in many ways I had enjoyed where I was at in mine prior to coming back to school. I was healthy, active and spending loads of time with friends. But I also knew there was more for me.

So, here I am, working toward finishing my Masters by writing my dissertation and I feel as though I need to re-evaluate myself, from who I am and how I define myself to where I'm going professionally. One of the hardest challenges in life is to put yourself out there, open to critique and criticism. Here is where my quest comes in, to ask myself the tough questions and by doing it on my blog I feel as though I am holding myself accountable. It's so easy to say I'll do something and blow it off.

My biggest frustration and challenge at the moment is that I have reverted back to my eating habits of when I was growing up, without moderation. I was in the best shape of my life just a year ago and now I can't seem to get out of my funk. Little exercise and massive food intake. Every day is a new day and it's hard not to think, oh I've already blown it for the day, why not just eat what I want? My lack of energy is surely affecting my desire to change my habits but I feel lethargic all the time. I don't want to wait until tomorrow to start. I need to start right now. And it doesn't mean cutting out everything I love to eat, but it does mean cutting back and little by little enforcing moderation. I will have this challenge my entire life and making sure I keep tabs on it will certainly help down the road.

I look forward to being open and honest with myself about my personal challenges and hopefully by sharing them here, on my personal blog I can avoid those pesky therapy bills. Wish me luck!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

A Year of Firsts

Traveling or moving to a different city is all about new experiences and inevitably will come with multiple 'firsts.' The first time you check out a local market, the first local food you eat, the first time you see a musical or play or performance.

Boris bikes and fried pickles. Those are my most recent firsts. I've been wanting to cycle for awhile as I miss the exhilaration of riding a bike and covering a lot of ground. So last Friday evening, rather than wait an extra 5-10 minutes for a bus, we decided to rent Boris bikes (the bike-sharing concept named for the mayor of London). Little did I know that my concept of "oh we're really close" was actually a 30 minute cycle ride through the streets of London on a Friday evening after midnight...who's bright idea was that? It was fantastic. I haven't been cycling in so long and loved (almost) every minute of it. Nothing like a taxi slamming on its brakes right in front of you or people wanting to high-five as you ride by. And the best part is we survived!


Meat Liquor http://www.meatliquor.com/ was where I had my first deep-fried pickles and I loved them. They don't take reservations so fortunately we went early enough to get a table without waiting (horror stories of a 90 minute queue!). Coming from Iowa, few southern style food concepts make it our way and unless I make an effort or am in the South, it's easy to pass up. So the pickles were a pleasant surprise and reminded me of the good old US of A.


Another semi first is coming up this weekend...Royal Ascot! While I've been to the Virginia Gold Cup, this weekend promises to be exciting and fun and hopefully dry!

Friday, June 15, 2012

The Sun is Shining!

It had been raining and dreary for about 2 weeks straight. I had been warned about the London summers and fortunately we've been very lucky with weather, but all I want to do when it rains is stay in bed and read or watch a film! I don't want to have to get up and be active or actually get work done. However, after a meeting with my supervisor I realize it's time to get started on my dissertation research. So, yesterday was spent in the SOAS library which now that term is over I found surprisingly easy to get work done. I didn't have to search for 20 minutes just looking for a place to sit sandwiched in between two people who are constantly either on their phone or having people stop by for a chat.

London was decked out for the Queen's Jubilee a few weeks ago and I saw my first Olympics flag among the English flags waving for football. This summer promises to be one of activity and excitement and hopefully I survive the crowds. As much as I usually enjoy festivities, I have to admit it was nice to be outside London during the Queen's Jubilee especially since exams had just finished. I am very excited, however because I will get to see the Queen at Royal Ascot. My first royal! I've got a fantastic hat and might even put some money on some horses.

Just as I'm typing this, the clouds have started to roll in....hopefully the sun comes back soon!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

I am still alive...promise!

I feel as though I've just run a 2 month marathon. I've been going non stop since April and have finally reached a break (however brief it may be - 1 month) until I'm off yet again. A brief summary:

Parents visiting London was absolutely wonderful

  • White cliffs of Dover, Leeds Castle
  • Afternoon tea at Harrods
  • Phantom of the Opera and Lion King in the West End
  • Sunday roast
Wrote 2 essays:
  • One on youth in the Middle East
  • One on using the term Revolution to define the events beginning with the Arab Spring in the Middle East
Left the day after handing in both essays for Morocco!
  • Wow, just wow
  • Rabat, beaches, loads of tea
  • Wonderful friends who treated me just like family
  • Couscous on Friday!
Came back and studied for 3 exams
  • I haven't had an exam in 6 years!
  • Comparative Politics of the Middle East, Arabic writing and Arabic speaking
Left the day after my third exam for Barcelona
  • Much needed relaxation and sunshine!
  • Gaudi
  • Stayed in a yacht in the marina
Came back and studied for my final exam
  • Culture and Society of the Near and Middle East
  • This is the one I was most nervous for, making sure the right amount of theory is mixed with the right amount of ethnography
Had a friend visit from the States
  • Celebrated his 30th birthday
  • Dinner at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in the Mandarin Oriental, my first Michelin Star (1) dining experience!, liquid nitrogen ice cream
  • Visited Windsor
  • Saw the Damien Hirst exhibit at the Tate Modern
The day after my friend left, I left for a wedding in Oxford and 3 days in Bath!
  • So amazing to walk around Oxford and punting in the rain
  • Bath is absolutely beautiful and was perfectly relaxing
  • Roman baths and wonderful spa day
  • Pies at the Raven, Sally Lunn buns, and a little Texas dining experience!

So, now that I'm back I have a month to get to work before I leave for my research trip in Israel and have just over three months to write a 10,000 word dissertation. I think the hardest thing for me when I was writing essays is that I focused on multiple things at the same time, so the thought process was jumbled and easily lost track of. For my dissertation, however, I will be able to concentrate just on my topic and will really be able to focus on thinking through my argument and piecing together a good paper. Something I'm surprisingly looking forward to.

My summer will be filled with getting back into running and dance, job searching, writing blogs (I mean it!), fun stuff around London (Royal Ascot and Wimbledon) and a few more travels (Israel and Ireland...I just can't stay in one place too long). I do look forward to getting back into my routine!