Recent Happenings

Sorry its been a bit...the internet has been down at our flat and only just came back up today. I wrote an entry during the weekend on Word that I will now paste...enjoy!

Soooo. I’m taking two classes. East European Politics and Politics of the near and Middle East. I was going to take two classes on the same day, but I figured the “interest” factor and excitement from the professor was more important…as my other option proved a bit drab and dry after trying it out. Still no word from my internship contact, but they’ve been on “holiday,” so it should be quite soon.

In other news, with our extra time to sight see (since everyone else on our program started their internship last week), Cait and I took the train an hour south to Brighton on the sea. It’s got a super-ultra hip club scene, a plethora of independent cafes and restaurants, “The Lanes,” narrow streets similar to the ones in Camden Market with allll kinds of shops, and plenty of touristy stuff as well – such as the worlds oldest aquarium, a Coney Island typed pier, and a hedonistic palace designed like something out of the Indian Mogul Empire. It’s also got the largest homeless population outside of London (didn’t seem that bad though) and a very active gay and lesbian community (we saw two women marry on the beach – the weather couldn’t have been better for a wedding!). It was incredibly relaxing to get out of busy London for two days…though its barely been two weeks. Either way – great time, despite the ruins of the first pier that collapsed into the water after lack of use just sitting there.

So, Hyde Park in London. Formerly hunting grounds for the Royal Family, its now the largest park in the city. Anyway, Speakers Corner is in the northeast corner, and every Sunday afternoon people can bring a soap box and preach, yell, teach, talk, discuss, whatever they want! Three of us showed up around 10am and there were only two speakers, but after a lovely boating excursion further in the park for a bit, we returned to about 5 or 6 “speakers” and swarms of people. Fire and brimstone, political messages for the West, a self-proclaimed fallen angel…they were all there. One guy asked me to get on his step-ladder and ask everyone listening to dance. Great Kodak moment.
Getting further into classes this week, plus the internship begins. Should be fun.

**Here's a link of one of the speakers at Speakers Corner. Not one of the best, but the entertainment factor was rather high. He also sparked a side religous discussion next to me. What a guy.***** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umsb3cvZAmQ