So this week was the first week of classes, and while very different from the United States, all went well.
My Monday class is Body and Society- an upper level sociology class. The professor is really laid back and open to anything, and the class itself is very similar to a medical sociology class I took last semester, so even though its my highest level class, I think I'll do just fine in it. Like all of my other classes here, there is no daily (well weekly actually, since we only meet for each class once a week) homework, there are only two graded assignments- both papers. While one of them is a bit long, after last semesters 45+ pages, 7 is nothing.
Tuesday my class didn't start until 2.30 which was nice, except for it didn't let out until 5.30. When the sun sets before 4 every day, it was absolutely brutal to go into class with it sunny, watch the sun set, and walk out when its pitch black. I'm not used to three hours straight of class or night classes so it was a little difficult to continue to pay attention. The class itself is really interesting though. It's Olympic Cities: Leisure and Regeneration. Pretty much we talk about how the Olympics in general, with an obvious emphasis on the 2012 London Olympics has on the city and the people living in the city. There is only one paper and one group project for that class, and we even take a day to go tour the main Olympic site here which will be amazing.
Wednesday was my early morning (9-12) Art and Society class. This class is available only to exchange and study abroad students, with the whole focus being that our learning should be in London, not just in the class room. We meet for one hour in a lecture hall where were told about some significant sight in London (Tuesday's was the Tate Britain art museum) and then the remaining two hours are spent traveling to the site and then touring it. I'm really excited for this class, not only because its actually only an hour in the classroom, but because we see so many notable London museums and buildings throughout the course. Next week were going to St. Paul's Cathedral, and other weeks include various exhibits at different national galleries- many of which I've been told were a necessity to do while in London.
Lastly, Thursday's class was Globalization and Media- a lower level sociology class. Thankfully a girl on my floor, Sarah is in the same class and seminar as me, so I had a walking buddy. Class doesn't start til 1, which is really nice, expect for lecture ends at 2 and my seminar for that class isn't until 4. The class seems really interesting, all about the inter-connectivity of the world due to various forms of media. After lecture we walked around a few little shops in the area until it was time for seminar at 4. We have a different seminar leader than lecture teacher which is a little strange, but our seminar leader was awesome, so happy and enthusiastic and let us go at 445 when we were supposed to get out at 6. I don't hate it. This class is the only one that I have a final in- all the rest are just papers and projects due either the last week of class, or are to be turned in online in May during the final exam period. Only bummer is that here they don't release the final exam schedule until March or so, so I won't know when the final is. I'm hoping it's before my May 18 flight home, but also hoping its towards the middle of May so that way even though the first week of May technically is final exam period, that I have that freedom to stay out and travel a bit more if I don't have a final immediately.
Sarah and I came back to Marylebone and started preparing our floor dinner. All 6 of us had finally moved in, so we did a potluck style dinner last night to get to know one another. There are 4 American study abroad students, and then two full time degree seeking students who both happen to be internationals, a girl from Japan and a boy from Pakistan. After talking to them it was great cause they gave us a heads up on alot of their favorite places to go in the city, cheap places to buy things (apparently there is a one pound store relatively near by) and talked to us alot about their experience being here. They are both first years, so don't know all the ins and outs but do know a lot more than us. For example: our semester here is 12 weeks. Apparently 2 of those weeks are "reading weeks"- one in the middle of February, and the other is actually the last week of class which is right before our month long spring break. At first I thought it was the biggest of jokes, but then I realized that I have three papers due the end of the reading week in February, so I will absolutely be using those class-less days slaving away in the library, and then the second reading week my family will be here, so the timing couldn't have been better.
In other news, I am finally starting to book weekend trips to other places. The school student union offers a trip to Amsterdam the first weekend in March for a steal of only 125 pounds for two nights hotel and our travel to and from plus cover into a club in Amsterdam. A lot of people here are planning on going, so Ariel and I are booking our spots this afternoon. Paris is also in the works. It's looking like the first or second week of February a small group of us will be escaping for a three day Parisian holiday. Were also in the process of looking at other dates to block off for a trip to Barcelona a few of us really would like to go on, and then hopefully within a few weeks will have planned our month off spring break- hopefully to Germany, Italy and Greece. After all these cloudy days, I need a beach. That's pretty much all that's been going on this week. It seems really busy, but actually with no homework and only one class a day, I have absurd amounts of free time. I know once the semester gets into swing I'll need to use that to start taking care of my papers well in advance so I can actually have spring break as a break, not writing the papers I have due in May. I have no Friday classes, so today is gonna be a lazy day of lounging around, booking trips, and going over the few readings I have for class next week. Tomorrow, Emily, Liz and I are taking a day trip to Oxford, so I'm sure towards the end of the weekend there will be another post with plenty of pictures to accompany it.
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