First whole week

*Pictures later

The last week was rather rough. The classes are no breeze, that's for sure. Two of them require a research paper at the end. The Social Science paper allows for much more freedom to choose a topic, and almost anything could work. The problem is that it requires a strong investigative mind to go out into the city and actually interview people who may challenge you about your homecountry in a thick Irish accent. The one for my Modern European History class will require a trip to a library for sure.

I found out last week that our classroom is one block from where the double-decker bus was blown up last year. We walk by the exact spot everyday, but there is no sign of anything having happened. After so much of the city was blanketed with bombs during WWII the small IRA bombings and terrorist threats are weak in comparison. It's almost like the immense stress of the German air raids have literally pounded a slight immunity, or atleast tolerance, for shrapnel and explosions. Bombs wont irk a Londoner.

Dr. Handrick is my ISS professor, and he's the only MSU professor here with us. I would have to say the prevailing mood of our trip is one of confusion. After the other MSU prof had to dismiss herself because of a back injury the program has been a mess of scheduling conflicts and poor communication. Lots of idunnos and wheresthats. He seems to forget we've never been to London before. Curt Noel is one of my History profs. He was born and educated in the States, but has lived in London for 30 years. He is a very fun guy, and I can't recall a person more excited about History than him. The other HST prof is Dr. Thorn. Born and educated here, he has taught American students before and claims to know how to do it. The only difference I see in his teaching style is the unusually high expectations. He's also not very personable. James Hicks and Rachel Barnes are our IAH (arts and humanities) teachers. Both are younger and much more fun. Sometimes James teaches the lecture, and he likes to mention a dozen foreign names, dates and titles in his everyday conversation. It makes him sound very pretentious, but he manages to keep a very laid back feeling in the class. Rachel is our tour guide, and we meet her every Wednesday at the National Gallery. It makes an excellent compliment to the classroom. She is nationaly renowned lecturer and art critic, published with high regard.

I haven't made the same connections with people that I've made back home. I'm not going to lie, this trip is much more alcohol oriented than I expected. Ka-ching! $$$$ And with 8 roomates and a flat nextdoor with 8 more students it's very hard to reach a consensus for activities. I usually just split and start walking. When I come home, I usually find out something absurd has happened. Case in point, Greg peed on the couch last night. Better decisions need to be made, or should I just live a little? The beer here sure is good. They have bitters and ciders that blow the tastebuds and really make you feel dandy after one pint. Once in awhile, maybe every few days, it is fun. But, it's too costly to be a regular at the local pub without some form of income. It's so customary to buy drinks for people once the conversation starts flowing you can blow a lot of money in one night.

John and I both learned European-style eightball at the Leinster Arms. It's a very cool game, and you have to be so much smarter about it than American eightball. We keep seeing these Snooker tournaments on TV, now that looks like a fun game.

This Weekend: guitar stores, Portobella Street, Japanese mimes, London Eye?

The room is airing out,
Ben