Archive for September, 2010

This week is LSE’s orientation week, yet us unfortunate first year MPA bunch still have intensive pre-sessional course in statistics. Last night was the postgraduate party hosted by the student union. Though on a Tuesday and we had class this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see a good bunch of us out there having a great time.

I was a member of the greatest group in Peace Corps Cameroon that was very well known for our work hard, party harder reputation; most of us have done impressive projects and are going onto exciting endeavors while upholding the partying standard. It was hard to imagine any other social setting that could measure up to this, but last night, I saw the fun side of the LSE student body and I think it’s a good beginning. The diversity among the student body was mind-blowingly amazing. People from literally all over the world, speaking all sorts of languages, confined in one space and having a grand time. This is the representation of how the world should be – don’t hate, just drink a beer and have fun!

Thanks to Trace TV, we Peace Corps volunteers were quite up on the Top 20 pop chart and clubs and bars often play those music. Akon was also particularly popular in Cameroon, and I think West Africa in general. It was really strange when those same music came on the dance floor. I was brought back to a different club setting, with a much different crowd, and it made me extremely nostalgic for my Peace Corps loves.

The social bar has been set up high, and I’m interested to see if and how it will be met this year! Aren’t people always talking about work life balance? well, work hard, but party harder is the way to go!

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This weekend, I spent in a lodge where Queen Victoria frequented. I am, after all, in England. The MPA program took us away after a week of intensive math and stats classes to Cumberland Lodge which is one of the royal properties entrusted by the current Queen. Situated just outside of London in the lovely town of Windsor (where Royal Family’s Windsor Castle is located),  the building now has an agreement with many of the University of London institutions and many students are able to enjoy a piece of this royal life. It’s strange to think Queen Victoria was hanging out at the same place I did.

Even though I’m sure Queen Victoria did not eat out of a buffet line nor sleep in a converted Mews (horse stable), it was nevertheless a fun weekend full of lots of meet-and-greet for the MPAers to get to know each other better. The 70 of us who made it to the retreat compose quite the interesting bunch. Though there are more people who came straight from undergrad than I expected, everyone has had a myriad of experiences and it seems that having a “complicated background” is prerequisite. It is not at all uncommon to find people who can speak 3-5 languages. I love the diversity, though wish there is a larger representation from Africa.

Anyhow, the weekend was good fun. Lot of drinking, eating, and repeatedly talking about what I did in the Peace Corps. Some strolling around English countryside, Jenga playing, and girl bonding. Looking forward to starting this year with all these interesting individuals!

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Been back to London for just a little over a week, yet it seems I’ve been here for a long while. The first few weeks of any new experience always feel this way – so much excitement and time seems to stand still while one adjusts. Yet once the initial stage passes and a routine is established, time will simply fly. That has always been and likely will always be the pattern.

This is not my first time in London, yet I feel much more in tune with my surroundings. I think my experience in the Peace Corps has led me to really notice and have a deep appreciation for the simple things around me.

I am still in constant amazement as I cross Tower Bridge everyday that this is my life now. A stroll along the south bank is a daily activity for me where as less than two months ago, a stroll along the dirt road was the norm.

daily walk along village road then

daily stroll along the River Thames now

I am in love with my life, and that’s horribly cliché. I love my new friends and flatmates that come from Australia, Chile, Lithuania, France, Mexico, Germany, China, Luxembourg and more. At the same time, London also houses friends from my time in St. Louis and even Peace Corps Cameroon. Last week, I met up with a fellow LSE blogger Shannon after months of reading each others’ blogs and tweets. The world is constantly getting smaller, and I couldn’t be more grateful. The ability to randomly use Skype to call my villagers in Cameroon and hear their voice is one of the greatest simple pleasures of all.

neighborhood pub

delicious frozen yogurt from Snog in Covent Garden

traditional Sunday Roast

adorable pub in Camden where Sunday Roast took place

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Today was the first day of graduate school, but it really was just a meet and greet with everyone in the MPA program. Monday begins the pre-sessional courses which will entail two weeks of intense math and statistics classes. Bundle of joy, I tell you. But the math nerd in me is sort of excited to get back into the game.

I officially became a LSE student today after registration and received a student ID that grants me access to the LSE library, which is apparently the world’s largest social sciences library! I must admit, the sheer volume of the books in there made me nervous and I felt like I was somehow behind even though classes haven’t even started.

The meet and greet was your usual where-are-you-from/what-did-you-study-in-undergrad/what-did-you-do-before sort of questions. The cohort of students are from all sorts of backgrounds around the world, though I think I am the only Returned Peace Corps Volunteer that I know of. This is quite different from the American programs like Columbia SIPA or Johns Hopkins SAIS where there are a high percentage of RPCVs.

I am looking forward to a fascinating year and getting to know all the interesting individuals. Perhaps because we are only at the beginning, but it is incredibly easy to forget my other lives whilst chatting up with people and thinking of all the work that is ahead. The director of the international development stream is a wonderful quirky American professor who used to teach at the University of Chicago. During the introduction, he went on for 5-10 minutes about how we should all be so glad that we are here, how many other people would love to be in our seats, and how the MPA program is so much more rigorous than the other programs at the LSE, and blah blah blah. It was wildly entertaining, and while I take the compliment lightly, I did begin to seriously think about the rigor of this program.

While most other MSc programs at the LSE only require 4 units of courses and last only one year, the MPA program requires 5 units per year and lasts two years. I compared class time with my flatmate who is doing a one-year degree in Law and she said her class time only add up to about 8 or so hours, while ours can add up to be nearly 20 hours a week, with discussion sessions and all the extra stuff! What a difference!

Anyhow, I am looking forward to really challenging my brain in the academic sense again! Oh, funny side note. Apparently this blog shows up when one googles “LSE MPA international development”, because today, there were many people who I’ve never met nor know of from Facebook who came to me and said, “oh you are Wendy! I read your blog” or “hey! I know you. How was your trip from Cameroon?” I suddenly drew the connection between my “online” life and my “offline” life. That was quite amusing!

In case I haven’t talked about how wonderful my neighborhood is, this is the view on the way home tonight from the Tower Hill tube, which is the closest tube stop to me. I live quite far from the university itself, but with a view like that? I can’t complain.

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I’m back in London after 3 years of wildly amazing experiences, and I’m deliriously happy. It could be because I’ve hardly slept in the past 36 hours, but I remember this state of contentment from my previous stays. I arrived in London Heathrow at 7:30am. After a long wait at the customs line, I finally pushed all of my luggage out and was looking for my taxi driver. To avoid the hassle of public transportation with nearly 150 lbs worth of stuff, I decided to spend a little money and reserved a private taxi. These are not your typical London black cabs, but they are still certified by Transport for London. At a flat rate of £43, my taxi driver took over my bags the minute I saw him, loaded them up, and drove me through hectic morning traffic and dropped me off at the door of my apartment. Worth every pence!

We drove into the city from West London and went by my old neighborhood of South Kensington. It was surreal to see the stores where I shopped regularly, the pubs that we frequented, and being able to recognize all the major landmarks. I felt instantly at home. I know right away I had made the right choice coming here. This is the kind of familiarity I need after the intense experience of Peace Corps.

I’m living in the LSE Residence of Butlers Wharf, thought a bit far away from the campus compare to the rest, the neighborhood is absolutely charming, and the price is just right! How could you complain when you can walk less than 5 minutes and see Tower Bridge and no matter which direction you go, you are likely to end up by River Thames. I checked into my room and dropped my bags off. For the first time since 2005, I’m living in a dorm style housing. Though the Butlers Wharf is technically an apartment, the rooms are arranged like a dorm room with a single bed, a desk, closet and all the basics. Major spiffing up is absolutely in order to make this space my home.

Before unpacking, I had lunch in the neighborhood. London welcomed me with some rare sunshine. The brisk wind, sunshine, coffee and pasta made a delightful lunch. I’m excited to explore this neighborhood and call it my home for this next year. I met some of my flatmates today and they are all incredibly interesting. This place is mini UN. There are 6 of us and we come from: USA/Taiwan, Lithuania, Australia, China, Japan and Chile. I had a drink at one of the English pubs nearby with the Australian & the Lithuanian. Our amazing conversations about world politic, culture, and the like is just a small preview of what is to come with the rest of the LSE student body. I’m in for a treat! 24 hours ago, I was nervous and scared, but now, I’m 110% ready!

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