Orientation

Yesterday, I had my official study abroad orientation. Along with the other students going to LSE, there were students studying at Glasgow, Oxford, St. Andrews, and other British schools. But by and far most of the students were heading for LSE this fall. From what I could glean, many of the students were just as excited as I am. It honestly reminded me of second semester senior year of high school. Everyone was gossiping about what they had heard about the program. Nearly every sentence began with, "I heard..." or "My friend said that..." People were bragging about how they knew people there and already had friends. So, I was correct in thinking this whole process and experience of preparing to go to London would be very similar to the whole process of coming to Georgetown.

Liz, my study abroad adviser, let us in on some information that we did not know before. For one thing, the UK changed their student visa policy just 8 days ago. The process used to be relatively simple, like any other visa application. Now, however, it's almost like a full background check. They request my actual passport, financial records, a letter from LSE and Georgetown, an itinerary, and a biometrics scan. I had heard that the Brits were very concerned with security, but this is absolutely ridiculous.

I also found out that British students don't buy books in college. Instead, the school library has multiple copies of each book assigned, and students must go to the library and rent the books for a few hours to do the assignment. So, while I hardly ever go to Lau now, it looks like I will be at the LSE library pretty often (if I decide to do my work in a timely manner). And from what I hear, the LSE library is equivalent to the Library of Congress, which is absolutely incredible. I could enjoy studying there.

Afterwards, we got to talk to some returning students. Some of the info was frightening, some exciting, some confusing. One of the students had studied finance while at LSE and echoed what others had said that FM300 (which I am planning on taking) is incredibly difficult. Multiple Georgetown students failed apparently. They also said getting cellphones is really simple since most phones are pay-as-you-go. Getting bank accounts might be difficult, and it's easier to get accounts here that work there (Bank of America). One thing I found really interesting was that there's a pub in London called Boudin that is a Georgetown bar. They show Georgetown games and Georgetown expats and grads all hang out there. I don't know how often I'll go there, but that is pretty exciting. Most of what the students discussed was where to get great food and cheap drinks. It seems like the whole experience was more important to them than the studying and anything else. They seemed most excited about the pubs and countries they visited, rather than the classes they took. They recommended restaurant after restaurant as if we'd remember any of them. At one point, one of the girls ust broke down and cried, "Mango lassis!" Clearly they loved Brick Lane and the Indian food in London.

But one other thing I noticed was that the returning students didn't seem to do many of the things we were most excited about. They rarely went to football matches and went on few of the school trips. While we were sitting there talking, the other students going abroad next year kept saying how they wanted to go to every soccer stadium, go to every concert, see every country. Just like how we all came to Georgetown saying that we couldn't wait to explore DC and do all these great things. I'm pretty sure the whole experience will be incredible, but I am absolutley sure that my expctations are skewed and highly misguided. I remember thinking this morning, "Hey, I'm in Washington DC now, this is where I live," and it didn't affect me. Yet at the same time, I constantly think to myself, "In five months, I will move to London. I will live in London." And I remember feeling the same way before I left California two years ago. I don't mean to be Debbie Downer, I just don't want to get my hopes up and be disappointed. In the end, it's still school isnt' it?

I don't mean to say that I'm not so excited I often start daydreaming about what life in London will be like. I just mean that I know that London won't be what I imagine in my head. That doesn't mean it will be better or worse, it's just that I can't possibly imagine what day-to-day life will be like. In the end, orientation was pretty eye-opening and like every other mention of London, got me all excited to finally go. Too bad it's still over 5 months away...