EUROPE

I should be writing a paper but instead I'm marveling at the fact that I'm actually in Europe. I can hop on a plane to any major European city RIGHT NOW if I wanted to. Wow what a feeling. Like having the world at your fingertips.

Amsterdam!

So it's been a while since I've been on here. So busy!! School's going well, it's definitely hard but I really like all of my classes. I think I've learned more here in two weeks than in my entire two years at FSU. Thats how smart my professors ( and classmates) are. I love it. But I don't love all of the work. I really wish I had these types of classes in Tallahassee; it's s hard to focus when London is at your doorstep. My flatmates and I spend lot's of time in the conservatory, which is a glass study box in the courtyard kind of underground....tough visual, I know. I'll post a good picture soon. I gave my first presentation last week and it went really well! Now I'm trying to work on a paper thats 30% of my grade due in 2 weeks....and we're out of town for the next 3 weekends. Well i must go, we have lots to do before leaving for Amsterdam tomorrow!!!!!!! Yipee for stress relief.

Working hard and playing harder,
Aly

Hmm

I want to reconstruct the entire education system. Its a bajillion times more effective to go out and learn about something than to be trapped by 4 walls and a ceiling. This makes me angry.

Life Revelations?

So we had our first day of Monday classes today. Yippee! I have European Union from 10-1 and then Modern Diplomacy from 2-5. Talk about long classes. I really like my two professors for these courses, the way they teach is awesome and they're both pretty laid back. They also don't expect us to know freaking everything like my Tues/Thurs professor. So after looking over all of my syllabi (syllabuses?...sounds like a mode of transportation), I have a mere 6 presentations to give, 10 papers to write, and finals which all consist of essay tests. My flatmates literally get to play in a sandbox for one of their finals. Please remind me why I didn't just sign up for Broad Curriculum? Oh yes, Brussels. My programs trip to Brussels is the only thing keeping me semi-sane right now. Its amazing how I can go from totally stressed, to determined, to not even caring, to back to working within a 30 minute period. Its like a vicious cycle. I know the point of studying abroad is to study, but how am I expected to sit inside a classroom reading textbooks when in London?!?!  My professors are just going to have to deal with the fact that class is coming second to Europe. We have weekend trips, day trips, excursions, breaks and all sorts of fun stuff happening, and I refuse to read all the pages I'm assigned. HA! How's that for beating the system. So my grades might suffer for a semester, but today I learned that I'm not cut out for academia. I love school and learning and all of that, but doing it outside of a stuffy classroom is what really counts, I think. Why read about something when you can be out there experiencing it instead?
On a side note, I started to realize that as much as I like to learn about how and why countries interact with each other, whats really fascinating is the people and culture of that country. Not necessarily the stuff you learn about in third grade, but more about interacting with them on their turf. Travel, I guess is what I'm talking about. How cliche. But I want to do it for the rest of my life. Preferably with my sister, who'd be an awesome companion, but if anyone is having a fifth-life crisis and wants to join, let me know.

Wow I've been rambling. I'm not even going to take the time to edit this (Sorry!) because I should be finishing my presentation/starting a powerpoint/watching the news/reading textbooks.

Oh by the way, we're going to see Deathtrap on Wednesday with Jonathan Groff!! If we get there early enough we can get front row seats for cheap!!! Some theatre kids in the study centre already went and met him! SO excited. Night!!

So Bloody Knackered

Haven't been on here in a while, sorry! I've been too busy learning the language of the Brits, going to our favorite bar The Court, traveling to Stratford-upon-Avon, shopping on Oxford street, relaxing in Hyde Park, and packing more activites into each day than clowns in a clowncar. Tomorrow we're headed to Brighton, a seaside town with pebble beaches and fish and chips! But tonight we went to see Into The Woods in Regents Park in an open air theatre. It was SO good, as is every show I've seen here so far, but tonight's was freezing! Winter's definitely going to be harsh. I am so in love with this city and the people in it it's unreal. I don't think I've ever experienced this much continuous, sustained joy in my life. No joke. It's kind of weird the way it happens too; we'll be out on an excursion or just walking down the street and a wave of giddiness will hit. Suddenly I'll feel like I'm five again and every little thing becomes the most exciting experience in the world. I love everyone in this program, and I couldn't have asked for better flatmates. I wake up every morning with a spectacular selection of ways to spend my day and it is an incredible feeling. Every single penny put into this was well worth it, so thank you to those who helped me make this dream a reality. I never want to leave London.