Blogging for OIP

My main motivation behind beginning this blog was to have a journal of sorts where I could write down my thoughts from London. I thought of it as an easy way to keep in touch with friends and family. But I was inspired by the blogs I saw on OIP's website. I read those posts hoping to gain some understanding of what fears and goals the other students studying abroad might have. The blog is great. There was even a guy who wrote from LSE, but he stopped updating after December. Anyways, I recently received an e-mail from OIP about becoming a travel correspondent. I don't know if I should do this since knowing myself, I will give up on this blog and their's pretty quickly. We'll see, maybe I will apply.

Traveling While Abroad

Like any student that plans to go abroad, I hope that I'll be able to visit some other places in the region while I'm there. I was hoping that I'd be able to backpack through Europe with my brother during the Easter break in March/April, but it's looking like he will most likely come visit me during summer, once I am finished with my exams. Based on the map above, I have clearly been to much of Europe (red pins), but there are even more places I'd like to visit (yellow pins). I didn't add any pins to Eastern Europe because I honestly would rather see Western Europe. I've been to the major cities like Florence, Paris, Barcelona, London, Naples, Zurich, and Amsterdam. But I still haven't been to Berlin, Munich (or anywhere in Germany for that matter), Madrid, Lisbon, Rome, Brussels, Vienna, or Budapest. So, with the extensive time I will have between the second and third term at LSE, I hopefully will get to go explore more of Europe. I am guessing that through the program I will get to visit Scotland and Stonehenge and perhaps even Dublin or Belfast. Like my brother, I do have a strange affinity for Ireland. Initially I considered studying a semester in Dublin, but that idea was nixed pretty quickly. I'll have to figure out all this travel stuff while I'm over there, but I know about and have stayed in hostels before. I have taken the cheap flights like RyanAir and Easyjet before as well, and I'm even familiar with the trains, so this whole process shouldn't be too stressful. Nonetheless, thinking about all the places I'll get to visit while abroad only makes me more excited though. And that doesn't help the fact that I am still sitting here in Washington, DC waiting until my next class starts.

Also, on a side note: the gerund form of travel is traveling, but it's travelling in the UK. Which spelling should I use?

Housing

Earlier this week I found out that I had been placed in Carr-Saunders Hall for next year, in a single. Under my parents' guidance, I requested a twin room. I was against the idea, but my parents sought to lower the cost of the entire experience by having me share a room. Nonetheless, I was placed in a single anyways, and apparently it's nearly impossible to switch out of this placement. I'm not complaining, but it is a sore point for my parents.

Anyways, now that I have housing, I have spent hours looking at maps of London trying to figure out if I remember this area from when I last visited London two years ago (I don't.) Basically, Carr-Saunders Hall is in the Fitzrovia neighborhood, which itself lies in between the Borough of Camden and the Town of Westminster. The neighborhood is filled with advertising agencies and media companies such as MTV Europe and CNN Europe. There are also quite a few architecture firms in the neighborhood. Fitzrovia is in central London, as indicated by its postal code, W1 WC1, which means Fitzrovia is on the West side of London, but still very close to the center of the city. There are many famous London attractions in the area such as Regent's Park and the West End. I'm fairly confident I'll find some fun running trails through the park and that I'll see at least one show in the West End.

Just across the street from the hall is BT Tower. So, every morning when I leave my building, I will get to look up and see a giant building covered in satellite dishes. I bet if the communication singnals of the tower weren't shut off, this would increase my chances of getting cancer. The building is now used mostly for environmental studies on air quality.


Carr-Saunders is one of the smallest buildings at LSE, with only 156 residents. I feel like I am bound to meet every one of these people and like my freshman year at Georgetown, these will most likely be my closest friends at school. I am guessing the the smaller building provides for a more intimate, social atmosphere, which is what I was looking for in a residence. It would absolutely suck to have no friends while abroad. Other features of Carr-Saunders include a dining hall and a pub, both of which I was hoping for. The meals at the dining hall, which look more like a kitchen in a hotel, are pretty cheap (£3.50), which will allow me to save money since I won't have to constantly eat out. It will also save me time since I won't have to cook for myself that often.

Small side note: I wonder how I make a pound sign on an American computer. I probably have to switch my computer to UK settings.

The building also offers pillows and duvets, which makes one less thing I will need to buy in London. A single in a London building will probably be pretty small, but that is fine with me. I won't have my bike or shelves with me, so I think I'll be able to manage in a smaller space.

One issue with living at Carr-Saunders is that the building across the street will be under construction during the early part of the first term. And knowing construction, it will probably extend through the next term as well. But I figure I won't be in my room all that much during the day, so it shouldn't be that big of an issue. Also, the building is a 20-25 minute walk away from campus, which on the one hand is annoying, but also gives me an excuse to explore the city each day. There are buses and tube stops nearby, which I will have to learn to use, but I'm not averse to walking.

Now all I need to do is pay my £200 deposit and a room in Carr-Saunders will be mine...