kathleen
February 22, 2006
Just a quick note
Hello everyone! I am incredibly busy right now but haven't updated in a week so I thought I would fill you in on life. :) My friend Heather arrived on Friday and we spent the weekend exploring London -- going to some of my favorite places. I finally had time to spend at the British Museum really enjoying all that there is to offer there (the reading room is probably my new favorite room in the world!).
It is week seven of term so I am busy writing essays, trying to figure out my summer plans and looking forward to the many trips and adventures up ahead, most notably my trip to Scotland this weekend! First I am trying to start my 3000 word essay due Tuesday on globalization and the welfare state. Amazing!
At LSE I have had some of the most amazing lecturers ever and I'm not kidding. Most of them are even really friendly, approachable and seemingly compassionate. Being here has made me question what I want to do after I graduate. The options seem quite endless, which I think is my problem. :)
My big news of the week: Jen and I bought tickets to see Kelly Clarkson next month in Sheffield (2 hr train ride away) and tonight we bought tickets to see the Foo Fighters and the Strokes in Manchester (4 hr train ride away), where they will be playing on a cricket field! We are SOOOO excited!!!
Ok, well I should get back to work. This weekend is my nephews 9th birthday and I'm going to miss being there for it. Hopefully this summer I will be able to catch up on some lost time with the family...
P.S. Jen and I have begun booking our Easter break amazing journey across Europe! :) It looks like 17 days of craziness starting in Portugal going all the way to Germany hitting as many major cities as possible.
Posted by kathleen at 02:56 PM
February 14, 2006
How to Gain Weight, Quickly and Effectively
There is one place to go to add curves: Belgium! :) This weekend I went to Brussels and Bruges to sight-see a little and eat a lot. We took a bus to Dover, hopped on a ferry to cross the channel, drove from Northern France to Belgium and on to Brussels. Anyway, we saw the sights but we also ate the fries, the waffles, the chocolates and the mussels and of course, we tried the beer. I guess I never realized that only the best beer in the entire world comes out of Belgium. Fancy that! We all sampled a bunch of famous names and stuffed our faces with sugary, fatty goodness for three days. My body has been crying out for fruit and vegetables since Sunday...
Just a quick note, CONGRATULATIONS to my Simmons sister who was just accepted to LSE! I think it is fantastic that others are applying and getting accepted! :) It was hard for me to come and figure out the ropes because only ONE person came before me a few years back and I came alone this year... My hope is that Simmons and LSE may form a link or bond if you will, to make it easier for students to study the social sciences here.
Today I am working on two essays due this week (one technically tomorrow, one definitely Thursday) and preparing an itinerary for when my friend Heather comes to visit!! She arrives Friday and I can't wait. :) This weekend we're having a big get together over some homemade Korean food too, which is exciting because I've only had a couple of Korean foods, like ever, in my life...
Happy Valentine's Day, too! My parents both sent me a card. :) Tonight I am going out to a dinner with a local Church and other college students to hang out, eat some tasty food and dance…it should be a lovely time.
Rosa, Me, Jen and Eunice in front of the Baker's Guild (Grand Palais)
Manikin Piss, famous to Brussels...very overemphasized.
Imran's beer was chunky...it makes me gag to think about it...
Jen and I with some random statue near a market.
The best waffle ever consumed. :)
Posted by kathleen at 09:37 AM
February 09, 2006
Alegria
Whoa! My roommate and I went to Royal Albert Hall tonight to see Cirque du Solei's Alegria. I had never seen any Cirque before... It was FABULOUS! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and yes, I even had sweaty palms for the people doing all of the flips and twists and jumps fifty+ feet in the air. The music was amazing and they had a wonderful set and lively costumes. A-MAZING! :)
In about 7 hrs I will be leaving London to head for Brussels (that's in Belgium in case you were wondering). It's going to be really fun but I still haven't packed or found my passport. I will be gone Friday, Saturday and Sunday, returning late in the evening.
Today was also good in terms of school. During my 9am I had to present and I think it went pretty well. I really enjoy my Comparative Economic Development class and what's better is that I can really connect ideas and can see that I'm learning a lot. :) In the afternoon I had my philosophy lecture and I got up the courage to talk to my professor. He is brilliant and basically intimidates the skin off of me. We talked and he helped clear up some of the things he lectured on last week about Wittgenstein so I have a better idea for my essay. He's actually a really nice guy, very suave.
I hope that everything is going well back in the States! I've been working on my accent a little more...
If you want more info on Cirque, check it out! http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/default.htm
Posted by kathleen at 06:21 PM
February 05, 2006
Super what?
I hope that you are all enjoying the Superbowl right now...I decided to stay in tonight in hopes of getting some work done... Weekends seem to take away all of my energy, funny how that works. :)
We finished JAW -- Jesus Awareness Week -- and it went really well! There were talks (like Game Theory and the Gospel), evening activities (like jazz night!), a table Houghton Street (busiest street on campus) and people answered student belief surveys! I think we accomplished our mission in sharing Jesus with others at LSE. I definitely think they are more aware of Him that before! :) We had "jumpers" made as part of our advertising and wore them for five days...in a row...
Our theme was "Life Actually" -- Nick, Winnie and Adun pose Monday morning on Houghton Street sporting their fabulous hoodies!
Friday night Jen, Heather and I joined some of our LSE buddies for CRUSH -- this weekly party/club type experience that is located on campus in three different inter-connected rooms (each with bar of course) and dancing. CRUSH attracts a lot of freshers and older male masters students. We hadn't been before so we thought it was about time we showed off some moves. There was even a chance for us to sing along to "Backstreet's Back"... Oh how good music breaks cultural boundaries...
Saturday Jen, Heather and I went to Camden Market. There was so much STUFF. Clothes, food, random knick-knacks, glass jewelry, candles, fudge, etc. We had a good time and ate some really awesome food. When we got back that evening we helped my roommate celebrate being done with her LSATs! We ate kebabs (YUM!) and hung out in the lounge of our dorm. Afterwards we crossed the river to watch "The Wedding Singer" with some friends and I got my 80's fix...
Today I slept in, did a little work and went to church. Thankfully it was warmer today than it has been. I couldn't even see my breath! Right now I am trying to figure out what to do with myself this summer and looking into various options. This weekend I am going to Brussels with some other students and next week my friend Heather R is coming from Maine to stay with me for 10 days and go to Scotland! :) Term is picking up and I have essays galore to be writing and loads of reading. Only another 6 weeks left of term though, which is INSANE!
I hope everyone is doing well. Sending my love from London!
Jen and I at Camden, in case you forgot what I look like...
Posted by kathleen at 09:21 PM