Seven weeks GONE! POOF! Just like that I’m more than halfway
done with this amazing adventure!!!
The last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy, and even
busier. The social program at Roehampton is awesome. There is something to do
every weekend. Two weeks ago I went to Ireland and this past weekend I went on
a trip to York and experienced the Minster, which was so beautiful and so full
of history. On the way back to campus we made a stop at the Elizabethan country
house, Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, built for Bess of Hardwick in the 1500’s.
The house is spectacular and the grounds are breathtaking.
My classes are going very well. Each week for the last few
weeks I’ve had a group project due. Here in England, the students go to
University for three years. They choose their area of study and take classes
for that area of study. There are no required language courses, math courses or
science courses. If they choose to major in accounting, they take three years
of accounting classes. They have a short list of classes they can choose from
that are designated “first year” classes and the same goes for second year and
third year. The classes get progressively harder each year. I’m taking Project
Management, which is a second year class, and People and Organizations, which
is a first year class. There is a distinct difference between these two classes
in regard to expectations. In People and Organizations, our group had to
choose a company and produce an academic poster with specific details included.
(I blogged about this a few weeks ago.) The group project in Project Management
was much more detailed and much less structured. The lecturer’s instructions to
us were, “You know what we’ve been studying so far, so pick a project and write
about that stuff.” There were no set rules. It was great fun sitting with my
group and brainstorming ideas and directions we could take the project. We
presented this project last week and it was a hit! We won’t get our grade for
another week or so, but our instructor had very nice things to say.
This week I have a group presentation due in my theater
class. This one is bit tough for me because theater is not my forte. I took
this class as my London Studies/culture course. Our instructions are to think
back on all of the performances we’ve seen so far and ask ourselves what
questions we’ve been asking ourselves. Is there something in particular that is
absent, or present; a tone or an aesthetic choice? We have to research this and
present to the class in a way that will show the class what we have discovered;
draw them in and make them feel what we feel. This is slightly obscure for my
pragmatic mind, but I wanted a challenge and I definitely got one. This
presentation is due Thursday. We’ve decided to research how our emotions and
feelings for the actual performance are dictated by our life leading up to the
performance and the actual space in which the performance is taking place. I’m
just hoping this is what the instructor meant in her extremely ambiguous
instructions.
There are no words to describe how this experience has been.
I have been a stay-at-home mom for 15 years and this chance to “run away from
home” has been exactly what I needed to motivate me to keep working hard and finish school. The daily grind of
mothering and running a household and being a full-time student is exhausting!
Here, I come back to my flat and relax; get schoolwork done; enjoy the peace and
quiet and miss my family and the chaos they bring to my life. I know when I get
home I will be thankful for their company.
For those students who are thinking about studying abroad,
DO IT!!! I cannot stress this enough. This experience has forced me to step out
of my comfort zone, go on walks in the park to reflect on the day I had, or the
day ahead. It’s no big deal to jump on the bus at 10pm and go to Asda to pick
up the necessities I need, or to check out all of the different and
interesting food they have. Like most of us, I get stuck in the same routine. I
cook the same things for dinner, and eat out at the same restaurants, and drive
the same routes to the same locations. Since I’ve been here I’ve tried steak
and ale pie, hot crossed buns, Guinness straight from the tap at Guinness in
Dublin, freshly prepared sandwiches from local delis, and the most delicious chocolate
I’ve ever had. European chocolate is unbelievably exquisite! I’ve taken public
transportation all over England and in a couple of weeks I’ll be taking public
transportation to Wales.
There is no fear of getting out there and doing things
alone. Sometimes those are the best ways to find little gems hidden in the
city. On the flip side, there is no shortage of new friends to pal around with
at a moments notice. So work hard to get
good grades and take the time to go through the process of applying for study
abroad. You won’t be sorry! When you are abroad, join a club or two or three. I
joined the trampoline team and it is the most fun I’ve had. The girls on the
team are extraordinarily talented and win big at competitions. I’m learning a
routine that consists of tuck jumps, pike jumps, straddle jumps, a ½ twist, a
full twist, a seat drop, a ½ twist to a seat drop and the most terrifying part,
a seat drop with a ½ turn to my feet. This may sound amazing to some of you
(insert laugh) but if you could see the twists and turns these girls do mid-air
you would be just as enthralled with them as I am. Even though I am an infant
learning to walk compared to their skills, they have welcomed me as one of
their own and continuously take the time to teach me new things and how to
improve. Being a part of the University trampoline team gives me more pride in
my schoolwork than anything else I have done here.
I’m off to research theater and emotions. Until next week…
York Minster
A spectacular view of the inside.
Hardwick Hall
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