Seven [Weeks] in London
It's slightly unbelievable that I landed in London 7 weeks ago. I just wanted to unpack a little bit of this experience and all the feels I've had here. Many describe the international education experience as a rollercoaster. So I'm going to take you through a few highs and lows of that rollercoaster for the past seven weeks. Quick recap, a lot of things have happened. Those things include: Fulbright orientation, moving into my flat, RVC orientation, MSc One Health induction, an event at the US Embassy to welcome the new American Ambassador to the UK and celebrate our "special relationship" in relation to education, USA College Day, trips to Greenwich, Brighton, Cambridge, Oxford, Brussels, and some other Greater London 'burbs, my birthday, and many, many classes.
HIGHS
1. My Fulbright Fam -- What an incredible group of people to be associated with that make London feel like home. From reaching out to me to check in after one of my last posts to a Hampstead Heath birthday picnic, I am so grateful to be sharing this year with this crew. Other highlights with the Fulbright fam have included: Sunday exploring in Brighton/Cambridge/Oxford, seeing Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and many many Indian dinners.
2. The MSc One Health gang -- It's only been about four weeks, but I have already learned so much about London, British slang, biology, and cow reproduction from these stellar coursemates. The camaraderie our group has already developed is fantastic and motivating and reminds me a little of Tech.
3. I am constantly learning -- Almost every conversation I have had in London has been a learning experience. From class discussions to chatting at meals and on trains, I am always learning something from the people around me. I learn about the different experiences of growing up or going to school/uni in the UK versus in America, I learn about the research interests of the Fulbright cohort in and a realm of academia I didn't even know existed. The frequency of such deep and intellectual conversations is awesome and I really appreciate the opportunity to learn from my peers more than I ever have before.
4. So many cool opportunities in London/the UK -- In case I wasn't sure of it before, I am now positive that this city is an incredible place to be studying (probably in almost in any field, but definitely in global health). Between Public Health England, the Royal Institution, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, this city is rife with events and speakers focusing on global health. This weekend I registered for a Global Mental Health Conference and an Antimicrobial Resistance Conference and today I attended a talk given by Professor Peter Piot (who was on the front line of identifying and responding to the Ebola outbreak) evaluating our preparedness for the next epidemic.
5. Most lectures are incredibly fascinating -- I did not know three hours talking about malaria could be so riveting. Or that identifying various types of white blood cells under a microscope could elicit so much pride. But some of the lectures I have been in over the past month have literally been what I have dreamed of for years.
LOWS
1. The sun has disappeared -- My first few weeks in London were far from the norm in terms of weather. But this last week, I have finally experienced the typical London gray and been caught in some surprise rains. It is not the worst right now, but I sure will be missing the sun more and more in the next few weeks.
2. Missing homecoming -- Finding out homecoming would be a night game (aka airing at 12:30am here) was definitely one of the lower points of my last month and a half. It came just as the excitement and glamor of a new city was wearing off and the cold hard reality of school and homesickness began to set in. I had been planning to organize a viewing party for the GT network in London, but that went out the window when the time was announced. I then entered a frenzy of days where I planned every way I could possibly make it home in time without spending my entire bank account balance or missing too many classes. Eventually I had to accept that I wouldn't be able to celebrate homecoming on the flats, and I am so grateful for all the friends back home who FaceTime'd me into their homecoming experiences (shoutout to Avery, Andrew, & Jacline). I was especially glad to be able to speak (or attempt to speak over the background noise and terrible connection) to each of the Mr. & Ms. GT finalists before they took the field.
3. Some lectures are less than fascinating -- Being at school from 10 to 5 every day can definitely take its toll. Especially when every lecture is three hours long. I still haven't quite gotten the hang of the academics here and preparing for class and self-teaching are a bit of a challenge.
I am grateful for a rollercoaster that I think so far has been more highs than lows. This isn't to say that there aren't any days where I spend more time in bed than out of it and would rather watch Netflix and eat pizza than read another journal paper (because those days exist...quite often). Grad school is hard and creating a new life is hard. But this is definitely a glass half full.
HIGHS
1. My Fulbright Fam -- What an incredible group of people to be associated with that make London feel like home. From reaching out to me to check in after one of my last posts to a Hampstead Heath birthday picnic, I am so grateful to be sharing this year with this crew. Other highlights with the Fulbright fam have included: Sunday exploring in Brighton/Cambridge/Oxford, seeing Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and many many Indian dinners.
2. The MSc One Health gang -- It's only been about four weeks, but I have already learned so much about London, British slang, biology, and cow reproduction from these stellar coursemates. The camaraderie our group has already developed is fantastic and motivating and reminds me a little of Tech.
3. I am constantly learning -- Almost every conversation I have had in London has been a learning experience. From class discussions to chatting at meals and on trains, I am always learning something from the people around me. I learn about the different experiences of growing up or going to school/uni in the UK versus in America, I learn about the research interests of the Fulbright cohort in and a realm of academia I didn't even know existed. The frequency of such deep and intellectual conversations is awesome and I really appreciate the opportunity to learn from my peers more than I ever have before.
4. So many cool opportunities in London/the UK -- In case I wasn't sure of it before, I am now positive that this city is an incredible place to be studying (probably in almost in any field, but definitely in global health). Between Public Health England, the Royal Institution, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, this city is rife with events and speakers focusing on global health. This weekend I registered for a Global Mental Health Conference and an Antimicrobial Resistance Conference and today I attended a talk given by Professor Peter Piot (who was on the front line of identifying and responding to the Ebola outbreak) evaluating our preparedness for the next epidemic.
5. Most lectures are incredibly fascinating -- I did not know three hours talking about malaria could be so riveting. Or that identifying various types of white blood cells under a microscope could elicit so much pride. But some of the lectures I have been in over the past month have literally been what I have dreamed of for years.
LOWS
1. The sun has disappeared -- My first few weeks in London were far from the norm in terms of weather. But this last week, I have finally experienced the typical London gray and been caught in some surprise rains. It is not the worst right now, but I sure will be missing the sun more and more in the next few weeks.
2. Missing homecoming -- Finding out homecoming would be a night game (aka airing at 12:30am here) was definitely one of the lower points of my last month and a half. It came just as the excitement and glamor of a new city was wearing off and the cold hard reality of school and homesickness began to set in. I had been planning to organize a viewing party for the GT network in London, but that went out the window when the time was announced. I then entered a frenzy of days where I planned every way I could possibly make it home in time without spending my entire bank account balance or missing too many classes. Eventually I had to accept that I wouldn't be able to celebrate homecoming on the flats, and I am so grateful for all the friends back home who FaceTime'd me into their homecoming experiences (shoutout to Avery, Andrew, & Jacline). I was especially glad to be able to speak (or attempt to speak over the background noise and terrible connection) to each of the Mr. & Ms. GT finalists before they took the field.
3. Some lectures are less than fascinating -- Being at school from 10 to 5 every day can definitely take its toll. Especially when every lecture is three hours long. I still haven't quite gotten the hang of the academics here and preparing for class and self-teaching are a bit of a challenge.
I am grateful for a rollercoaster that I think so far has been more highs than lows. This isn't to say that there aren't any days where I spend more time in bed than out of it and would rather watch Netflix and eat pizza than read another journal paper (because those days exist...quite often). Grad school is hard and creating a new life is hard. But this is definitely a glass half full.
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