London Photo of the Day

It is officially Autumn in London!

London Photo of the Day

Covent Garden back streets.

Mussels in Brussels

Last weekend Stern treated all of the Business and Political Economy majors to a trip to Brussels to tour the capital of the European Union.  Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to see a lot of the city because we had lectures during the day, but what I did experience of the city I really enjoyed.  This was the first time I'd been outside of the UK since being here, and it was a nice escape.

The EU wasn't in session last week (and they have Fridays off), so we didn't see any delegates walking around, but we did get to see the assembly room. Being at the EU and learning about what they do there strengthened my desire to do (as I put it to my friend last weekend) "international stuff", whether that's international business, politics, relations, whatever! I love the idea of international cooperation and learning about how countries interact with each other.

Outside of the EU, we didn't see much of Brussels except for the tourist areas.  Some parts of Brussels are ugly and kind of seedy, but other parts are old and beautiful. I love the Grand Platz. So many beautiful tall buildings in one place!

Then of course there's the Belgian food! I would be a hundred more pounds, at least, if I actually lived in Brussels.  The food is so heavy and rich.  For dinner one night we got some famous Brussels mussels (of course). And for the rest of the trip we mostly just ate waffles and chocolate!

I did not try the escargot cart. I was too nervous.

My friend and I decided that we didn't see enough of Belgium (really, we decided that we didn't get enough chocolate and waffles), so we are going back to Belgium--Antwerp this time--to get a little more of the Belgium experience.

THIS is Belgium.

This is Brussels...the sketchy part. Still awesome.

Just a Regular Ol' Sunday Night

As my friends and I sat around eating a dinner of roast chicken and potatoes in our London flat laughing at how silly the French are, I had a thought. I said to my friends, "we're all smart people--why don't we solve the world's problems?" And so we did. We each chose a developing nation, studied its political and economic systems, and identified the country's strengths and weaknesses. Then we made recommendations of how the country could improve. And so we began solving the problems of the world.

...okay...so maybe it wasn't my own brilliant idea to fix the world's problems...maybe it was an assignment... But we did have to study developing nations and solve their economic problems.

I'm nineteen years old and last week I had to find solutions for a small country's economic development issues.

My life is kind of ridiculous.

"Who Gives a F*ck about an Oxford Comma?"

Sorry I have not posted anything substantial in a while. October is kinda killing me right now. I have tests, essays, projects, and presentations for every class due all at the same time. It feels like it will never end!

I bet I wouldn't feel this way if I went to OXFORD UNIVERSITY.

Yep. I bet those Oxford kids get crazy stressed out like this. You know why?
Because that school is AMAZING!

God lives at Oxford.

 I visited the famed University last weekend and fell in love. Why didn't anyone let me in on the secret?! Forget applying to any of those American schools, just apply to Oxford. It's 100x more beautiful than anything you'll find in the United States, and once you graduate you'll basically be set for life.

It is not clear when the University of Oxford was established, but teaching of some form has been taking place there since the early 1000's. THAT'S ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO. The school that currently calls the city of Oxford home is one University made up of 38 colleges, the most famous of which is Christ Church (a.k.a. Hogwarts).

Yep, this is actually what it looks like.

 Besides the fact that Daniel Radcliffe went prancing around the school wearing a robe for 8 years, the best part of Oxford is the teaching system. The teaching is basically one-on-one. For all of the Americans reading this and don't know what this might mean, let me explains. It means that the students, from freshers (freshmen) to post grads, HAVE PRIVATE TUTORS FOR EVERY SUBJECT. So there's no hiding behind the 20-300 kids sitting in the giant lecture hall when the teacher asks a question. And these aren't just tutors, they're not "teaching assistants," they're not graduate students. No, these teachers are some of the greatest minds IN THE WORLD. And these students are getting private lessons from them.

They also sit for exams only a few times a year. Individual classes aren't tested. Students sit for university-wide testing a few times a year. No matter what college you're in or who your professor is, everyone takes the same exams. 

So I was basically walking around, looking at the students and thinking, "you're probably a genius."

Those guys chillin in the grass? Geniuses.

 Only four Prime Ministers of Great Britain were not educated at University of Oxford. Cambridge has produced exactly zero Prime Ministers. Food for thought.

The second reason I am extremely jealous of students that attend University of Oxford is because of how exquisitely beautiful it is. You have to pay to tour most of the colleges if you're not a student, so I didn't get to see Christ Church, but I did see New College (which, ironically, was founded in the 1300's).  And, I must admit, New College is so beautiful that it almost made me cry. True story.

The garden behind New College is partially enclosed by the old city wall. It was very cool to walk along this ancient wall that used to protect a tiny town. Not to mention the beautiful garden. I would just be amazing to be a student there and be able to sit in that garden on a nice day and study... [yes, I do fantasize about cool places to study. I'm a dork, ok?]

The chapel and cloisters at New College were simply amazing. Really beautiful. They filmed some scenes of Harry Potter in the cloisters, and it is obvious why. The chapel was so beautiful and old and holy (for lack of a better word) that I was rendered speechless upon walking in. I was feeling particularly reverent, so I unfortunately did not take any pictures of the chapel. I thought New College's chapel was more beautiful than St. Mary's the big University Church.

Maybe it's weird that I think old buildings are so beautiful (I was raised by two architects, what do you expect?). Maybe it's weird that I would give just about anything to go to school here. But the fact that their academics are amazing and the campus(es) is beautiful make for my dream school. The fact that the university is so old, also means that there are some very old, established traditions that each college and the whole university have. NYU doesn't have any cool traditions like that (well, we used to have one: we used to graduate in Washington Square Park...but not anymore). We are a pretty old school, but we just try to "modernize" ourselves too much to keep around old traditions.

Another reason to love Oxford: they have this amazing little pub tucked away. It was probably the best pub I've been to so far.

Can I major in Intoxication?

10/10/2010

Happy Cows

This is why British dairy products are so much better than American milk.

Dear London,

Thank you for the sunshine. I have missed it.

Sincerely,

The Girl from California

(I did not take this picture, unfortunately; Banksy c.2007)

Ninety-Two Years Later....

So, World War One officially ended yesterday with Germany's last payment on it's 132 billion Mark (equivalent to about $382 billion today) reparations required by the Treaty of Versailles.

Interestingly enough, economist John Maynard Keynes quit his job at the British Treasury after the signing of the Versailles Treaty because he thought that the treaty was unfair and the reparations charge too high. Keynes thought that by making the Germans pay so much reparations for the war the German economy would become unstable, which would lead to political instability...

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Where the Druids Live, and They Do Live Well

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been crazy busy with school work. October is basically going to kick my ass academically. So this will just be a quick one.

Anyone who has ever seen Spinal Tap will appreciate this post, because it is basically just one long Spinal Tap reference. And if you haven't seen Spinal Tap, then I highly suggest you run out and see it RIGHT. NOW.

"In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, there lived a strange race of people......the Druids.   No one knows who they were, or what they were doing......But their legacy remains....Hewn into the living rock of Sonehenge...."   Nigel Tufnel

Stonehenge, where the demons dwell
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge
Where a man is a man and the children dance to
the pipes of pan
Stonehenge
Tis a magic place where the moon doth rise
With a dragon's face
Stonehenge
Where the virgins lie
And the prayer of devils fill the midnight sky
And you my love, won't you take my hand
We'll go back in time to that mystic land
Where the dew drops cry and the cats meow
I will take you there
I will show you how