The craziness that is an MA

So, apprently I have not posted for almost a month (I know I wrote a post last week, but obviously it's disappeared....and no, I'm not crazy). Classes have ended and the fun has begun. 2 essays, my parents and aunt visiting, a trip to Morocco, and 4 exams - all in the next 2 months. Why must everything happen all at once!? It really is all about time management. But I've also wanted to have fun and enjoy myself (perhaps more than I should, but that's what studying abroad is all about, right?). Plus the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. 20C (in the 60s F) and sunny. Very non-London weather. When I'm inside all I've been doing is gazing outside thinking about how much I'd like to be out and about, so I really get much less work done! But the parks in London are wonderful and have been packed with people out enjoying the sun.

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First up/ongoing: ESSAYS. Topics include - Can we talk of revolution in the Middle East? Discuss with reference to what has been termed the 'Arab Spring' and Discuss how Middle East youths are renegotiating their social identities in emergent public spheres. Both due 2 weeks from today. The work is going fairly well, I've done most of my reading, now it's just a matter of putting words on paper and then I'm off and running!

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Second up: My family is coming to visit! It's always nice when people come to visit because then it forces you to get out and be a tourist and explore. A couple of musicals, good food, museums, some stuff I've done before and quite a few new things. Definitely looking forward to seeing family!

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Third up: MOROCCO! I leave the day after my essays are due. I've heard so many wonderful things about the country that it's been near the top of my 'to visit' list. Almost a week with my awesome friend Aicha and her family and friends. So looking forward to going somewhere! I suppose the travel bug has been itching for quite awhile.

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And finally: EXAMS. The most important part of my MA career. All are worth 70 percent of each class's marks which is a huge weight. So, definitely time to buckle down and get to work. Now, if only I hadn't started watching Lost...

Only 2 weeks left...

Actually I've been counting down for awhile, I know, but it still seems so crazy to me that I'm almost done with all of my classes for my Masters degree!! Have I really received the amount of education I should? Only in a short year? The system is quite different from programs in the States which are 2 years. But much of the condensed teaching is also about independent study; you get out of it what you've put in. I've gained so much by being back at school, in the academic world again. Even with all of education's faults, I wouldn't have changed my decision for the world. ---So, essays are coming up, and then exams. I should finally find out when my exams are actually scheduled for this week! 30 April - 25 May, anytime in between there. So, the next to the last week's topics include: Alternative Seculatiries: "Secularism" in the Middle East and Islamism, both with focus on Turkey.

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In addition to my studies, there has also been a lot going on! Unless you live under a rock, you've heard about Kony 2012. And it truly is amazing not only how things go viral but what goes viral. Tons of friends from completely different circles have been posting about the campaign to make this the year Joseph Kony is captured. Following the film that was released, there has been much criticism about not only the film, but the film makers, the organization who produced the film, and the way the message is being delivered. So, what do I think? I agree with some criticisms, but also agree with the ultimate message: to make Kony so famous that he continues to be in the public eye. There are so many issues in the world for our government to focus on that any number of things slips through the cracks. When there's a hot issue, everyone has something to say. If it's not hot at a particular moment, our representatives choose to focus their energies elsewhere. To keep pressure on the government to take action, the idea of keeping Kony in the public eye is the way to go. Why hasn't he been talked about until now? Why hasn't he been captured? Atrocities happen all over the world, and while agruments are made that if Kony is captured, he will only be replaced, if he is allowed to do what he did in Uganda, what makes someone else think they can't? If there is no accountability or punishment, what's to stop others from doing the same? Now, there are many ways to go about providing assistance, and again much criticism is made about the US going in to Uganda and the issue that Ugandans can fight for themselves. I have not decided my opinion on this yet, so here I am only concerned with the message of the film. Which brings me to the film itself. For the longest time I had no idea it was about Kony and Uganda except that the title told me it was. I understand where the film was going and it was made in a way to elicit discussion which is what I think the main point was. And even though there are lots of 'bad guys' in the world, it can't hurt to start somewhere. The challenge will be maintaining the impressive publicity the film and issue has received. Going viral is the easy part, staying power is the what I will be impressed about if it happens. For an interesting article and to watch the film, please visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story. For an easy to follow list of criticisms, visit: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2012/03/09/why-i-think-the-kony-2012-campaign-is-wrong/

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Not only have I been engrossed in reading reading and more reading, I've been a tourist again! (Which I love to do) Saturday I went with some friends to Stonehenge and Bath. While it may just be a pile of rocks, Stonehenge is so utterly amazing that it's hard to wrap my head around. The theories are fun to listen to about how the rocks might have gotten there, but ultimately we will probably never know. The precision with which they were arranged is absolutely mind-blowing: the sun rising and setting at precise places within the stones. Following Stonehenge was an afternoon in Bath which was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining and the town was alive. I had a fantastic mushroom and asparagus pie following by a lovely walk throughout the city. The views driving into and out of the city are stunning since like our guide described it, the city is like a fishbowl, you're always look up or down on the city (for bus reasons I couldn't get good photos during the drive!). The clouds and sun shine made for amazing background to Stonehenge and I did take a ton of photos at Stonehenge, so if you'd like to see more, just shoot me a message! Every time I travel, it makes me want to go somewhere else! There are so many fantastic places just within the UK, so it will be a very busy summer. Although next on my list is a trip to Morocco (just bought my ticket!) right after handing in 2 essays I thought a quick break would be in order before I hunker down for revision for exams!

-------Let the week begin!

Bath

Bath Abbey, stunning architecture

Mushroom and Asparagus Pie. YUM!

And so begins another week...

The weekends always fly by and before I know it it's Sunday evening. The weather has been up and down, but Saturday was a beautiful day and it was nice to be out and about. I went to the Saachi Gallery in Chelsea which offered some 'interesting' work. I think I liked the design of the gallery more than most of the work. But to each their own.

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This week's topics for discussion include Zionism in Practice (Comparative Politics), Youth: Rewriting the Rules (Culture and Society in the Middle East), and an Arabic quiz. I'm also looking forward to seeing the show Midnight Tango starring Vincent Simone and and Flavia Cacace from BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and a trip to Stonehenge and Bath! Now, I just have to find time to get started on my essays. As much as I love school, the work is never-ending; there's always more that I can be doing.

Artwork at the Saatchi Gallery

St. Pancras Rail Station right next to King's Cross

Westminster Cathedral

It's March!

Following up my snowfall pictures, today, 1 March has started off absolutely gorgeous. Sunny and potentially about 60 degrees. One of the things I do not miss from undergrad is how easy it is to get sick. So, after 2 days of feeling quite unwell, waking up to sunshine and feeling better is most welcome!

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I haven't posted as many photos as I would like, but I found this great photography slide show featuring images from across America. They're classic Americana and remind me why I love taking pictures. Especially with summer coming, I will being doing more exploring, starting with a trip next week to Stonehenge and Bath. So stay tuned!

--http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/postcards-wonder-and-whimsy-from-the-road/2012/02/26/gIQAIg8vgR_gallery.html#photo=9

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Now, if only I didn't have to spend the day in the library...

Time to catch up!

Photos from the first snow fall a couple of weeks ago. It was absolutely beautiful, light and fluffy.

Beautiful Days

17 degrees celcius and not a cloud in the sky....and it's February! It's always hard to stay motivated when the weather is nice after snow a couple of weeks ago. However, loads of reading awaits me for next week. Currently working my way through Zionist leaders, I will be moving on to religious authorities: shifting styles and politics. I can't believe there are only 4 weeks left in the term. Seems like I just started! Not to mention 2 looming essays and my dissertation title/topic due shortly.

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Also quite interesting, international politics make their way to Muscatine, Iowa, 45 mintues from where I grew up. Xi Jingping from China made an official visit and this piece by Al Jazeera highlights the small town attitudes, commenting on the quiet interest shown by the locals while demonstrators were kept apart by polite requests from the police. Sounds pretty accurate, but quite a world away from my life in DC or here in London.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/americas/2012/02/16/chinas-xi-jingping-goes-iowa

Back up and running

It's amazing how dependent I am on technology. I was without my computer for almost a week and at first I had no idea how I'd manage. Living without access is one thing, but being a student and living in a dorm room is another....so, I made plans to keep myself busy and the week flew by! I finished all of my reading in the first 3 days, spent an afternoon in Camden, and went to the gym and multiple yoga classes. I can survive. :)

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But I'm glad to be connected again! Especially since I only have 5 weeks of teaching left. It's amazing how fast this time is already flying by. I also need to start reading for 2 essays coming up and researching for my dissertation. I had an excellent meeting today with my supervisor. You know when you get positive feedback to your ideas; how elating that is? Well, I had a basic idea of what I'm interested in focusing on and even just with one meeting, I have more of a direction and am more interested than ever. So, this will be a major evolution of topic but my very broad and with limited research topic concerns the Ultra-Orthodox conservative Jews in Israel who are being very vocal about their issues with women in public spaces and how they should act and dress. Heavily focused on theory, there might also be a chance for some fieldwork which always adds a unique component to a dissertation. Updates will certainly follow.

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So, this week will be quite busy: class topics include country-specific nationalism in the Middle East and Borderland areas. There are also 'extra' lectures that should be interesting...yes, I do attend more lectures than are required. It's so amazing to have access to the academics and professionals who are in London and doing work on the region. Not to mention finding time to go running and hit a couple of yoga classes! The weather has even been quite pleasant and sunny. Or maybe it just feels that way since it was freezing for awhile.