Orientation Week

It's about time!  This week is "Week 0", or "Fresher's Week".  All orientation events are occurring around the University of London's schools, which are scattered around the the Bloomsbury area here in West London.  Everyone, approximately 90,000 students, has been scrambling to attend all of the different welcome sessions of his or her uni and of the whole system.  This includes me!  Yesterday was the first day of orientation.  My course only had to attend the School's welcome session in the morning and be back to the hall for registration at 2pm.  This consisted of turning in one's registration form and other necessary documents, as well as get a photograph for the coveted student ID.  More events, like the course lunch time meeting, occurred today and will take place for the rest of the week. 

Unlike in the US where registration for your school occurs on one day or over the internet, it apparently takes about a week here; only one or two required events take place throughout the day.  For instance, my course met for the first time together as a course today to have a lunchtime meeting.  We discussed our course handbook, the "bible" for the year.  It outlines the logistics of the course: important dates of the year, examination procedures, class descriptions, etc.  Everything seems a bit overwhelming right now, but will surely be manageable once the classes begin next week.  It's like meeting new people and making new friends.  At first, you are nervous and hope that at least one person likes you.  However, the majority of people are extremely nice and are eager to make friends because they are in the same situation.  It may help that all of the social events are located at the pub (a UK thing?).

Although the long orientation week isn't stressful, I'd just assume start classes.  London is a great city and there is so much to do, but I need school.  Five months have passed since I've sat in a classroom and have had the typical student obligations of studying, sitting exams and LEARNING!!!!  Some things apparently never change.  I am still such a nerd.  I am still stressing over which courses I should take and what my schedule is going to look like (it's going to be extremely hard in the upcoming terms where there is the possibility of only choosing ONE class out of the 5ish that are available per module slot).  I am still thinking about taking on extracurricular work [to be a course representative (!!!?????)].  I have only to wait until Monday when all everything is finalised to start becoming more comfortable with my life in London as a student!

         

My First Encounter with the LSHTM

The "International Students' Welcome", an optional orientation geared toward giving a better understanding of living and studying in London to the large international student population of the School, occurred yesterday and today.  It was interesting.  The information provided gave me a new, more practical outlook of the city.  The tourist mind-set shifted to survival mode: How can I set up a bank account? What type of Tube pass do I need? Where can I get a good bite to eat and get the supplies necessary to live?  No longer are the thoughts of "how can I cram in as many sights in my time here" or "which museum MUST I see in this limited amount of time".  They may still exist because I'm only here for a year, but they have been demoted to the status of "less important concerns".  Although the talks were informative, the School itself and its students (well, some of them) were even more enlightening. 

The main building of the LSHTM is surprisingly modern.  The facade, like many buildings here in London, is of old gray stone.  The bronze fixtures around the windows and doorways are delightfully that of disease vectors: rats, ticks, mosquitoes, etc.  The inside was a mix of new and old architecture and construction.  A modern lecture theatre, the Dr. John Snow Theatre (the physician of historical London who discovered that the wells in Soho were contaminated [with cholera] and were, thus, the source of the peoples' sickness), was a short climb from the contemporary wood-floored and glass-lined closed-in courtyard.  Other parts of the building retained their vintage look, with white marble floors and wooden doors.  I am sure that I will be able to get a better impression of the LSHTM, as well as provide greater details of the School, as I become deeply acquainted with its facilities during my studies over the next year.  In all, I honestly liked it.  The wonderful smell of learning (a.k.a. books) was everywhere and the building seems like it will be navigable [after many hours of study and using a floor plan like an extension of my arm, haha], unlike my residence hall in which there are many hallways and random rooms used for an assortment of gatherings.  The pub in the basement at which our social events of the ISW were held was a lovely surprise, too!  How wonderfully British.

One of the reasons why I chose to study at the LSHTM was its reputation for being an internationally-focused school with many international students.  Everyone was so friendly and appeared ready to make friends and begin studying.  It was great being among people with so many different outlooks on life, cultures and life experiences.  However, everyone had a common bond--the love of creating and maintaining a high quality standard of health across the globe.  I feel like I'm at Model UN Conference where everyone likes and is interested in international affairs.  This is better, though.  EVERYONE loves not just issues of global importance, but international health.  Many students had been working for some time before deciding to come to London for study.  It seemed as if everyone was a physician coming back to school for a supplemental eduction (this is definitely an overstatement because I met a lot of health practitioners of all professions and some people straight out of undergrad).  This has really made me realise that it may be a good decision to go to medical school.  Regardless of my thoughts about going back to MI for med school after the year @ the LSHTM, I feel like a "fresher" (a "freshman") at school in the sense that everyone has had extremely meaningful experiences in [global] health care, whereas I don't.  It's a bit intimidating, but yet comforting.  Hopefully I will be able to learn a substantial amount from my new colleagues.  I'm sure that I will.  That's another reason why I'm here.  I need more clarification on exactly what is my future role in global heath.  I am confident that the experiences in London both while in the classroom and out of it, in addition to my experiences with my student peers, will point me in the right direction.

Orientation is next week, with classes commencing the following week.  I can feel that this is going to be a WONDERFUL experience.  London rocks.

Landed in London

Day 1 of 365 is now complete.  I'd have to say that it was a success.

The flight over here was not eventful; it was just long and uncomfortable.  Overnight flights to Europe are all the same--virtually sleepless and cramped.  I had no time to be sleepy when I arrived in Europe, though.  I entered the UK via Copenhagen, Denmark after flying from Saginaw through Chicago.  Hooray for backtracking...twice!  It was then a chore trying to drag two, 50 lb. bags into and off of the crowded Tube once I did land.  My workout was complete 1.5 hours later when I arrived to my place of residence for the next year, Connaught Hall (pictured below; the building on the right). 

          
Once I got my room assignment and got up to it, I immediately threw all of my stuff to the ground and hopped onto my bed for a rest.  Unpacking is still on my 'to do' list, as you can see from the photos.  The room is a bit small, but it's Europe so everything is compact.  I think it will work out rather well.  I'm happy.

Oh, and if you'd like it, my address is:

Drew Emge
Connaught Hall, Room 233
36-45 Tavistock Square
London WC1H 9EX
United Kingdom

Care packages are welcome.  Haha.

Enough complaining, though!  Today I was able to sleep in (for a surprising 12 hours! yikes!) and I started to explore and re-acquaint myself with London.  I walked from my room to Hyde Park, which is in the western/south western part of the city.  It took me longer than usual because I stopped in Tesco (the UK's version of 7-11) for some room supplies and mobile phone stores.  My new number is 011 44 (0)7564 055677.  That's INCLUDING the international access number and UK country code, so you'll dial that number to "ring me" from the US (you will probably have to take out the zero that's in parentheses).  If you have any questions or issues, let me know!!!!

Hyde Park was great.  This was the first time that I have been there.  I walked around for about 2 hours (it's a BIG park).  The highlight was the Serpentine (a river-like lake), Round Pond and Prince Albert Memorial.  There were so many geese, ducks and swans in the water.  They were chasing people around the grass to try to get food.  Once I escaped from the birds, I was able to get a close-up look of the Prince Albert Memorial.  That was AWESOME!  The monument was huge.  It looked like an open cathedral, with a golden statue under the main tower.  Surrounding the main statue and tower were ornately-carved sculptures of peoples and animals representing the "continents" (America, Africa, Asia, etc.).  The details of the carvings were so life-like.  The last time that I saw the monument was in a quickly moving tour bus.  Yuck.  I suggest the method of viewing it up-close.

Well, that's all for now.  Sorry that this was such a long post, folks.  I'll try to keep them shorter next time.  Tomorrow is the International Students Welcome @ the LSHTM.  I will try to practice making a short post about it (if it is post-worthy...).  Stay tuned for upcoming additions!

One Week 'til Blast-off

I can't believe that I only have one week left to remain here in the US!  It seems like the summer has just melted away (albeit the low melting point of this season).  I find myself really cherishing the time that I am spending with my friends and family before I go.  Why do deadlines alter the way that we look at life?  For instance, it appears as if the fleeting hours before the due date of a big project or exam are extremely stressful and the last few weeks and days when I was at Alma were some of the most enjoyable that I have ever had.  Maybe I am taking all of my good friends too literally?  According to them, I'm not going to come back once I'm over in Europe.  Lol.  Do they know something that I do not yet know?  I find this amusing, but I guess that I am still getting a bit scared that I won't see people for longer than the year to which I have committed.  However, grandparents and other immediate family rest assured, I still would like to and plan to go to medical school at Michigan State's College of Human Medicine with the entering class of 2010.

When all is "said-and-done", despite the nervous anticipation, I am sooooooooo EXCITED to be beginning this new adventure.  I look forward to these final, sweet State-side moments!    

The Countdown

For those of you who are curious, here is a look at my time left in the US as my departure date (21 September) looms ever closer.

09.09.09-11.09.09: Tawas City
11.09.09-13.09.09: Detroit
13.09.09-18.09.09: Bay City
19.09.09: Lansing
21.09.09-Aug/Sept 2010: LONDON


I would like to see as many people as possible before I go for the entire year, so please let me know if you'd like to get together!

Setting-up the Blog

Friends and family:

Per the suggestion of a family member this past weekend, I have decided to start a blog about my adventures in London over the upcoming year.  Hopefully this will be easier than remembering to send out a monthly email, or something similar, to my closest friends and family members.  I don't want to appear to be trite in copying my friends who are blogging about their studies and other experiences abroad, but I figured that this would be the easiest way to keep in touch (I like to think of it as emulating a wise decision, haha).  Please be patient as I try to remember to update this thing regularly, as I am new to blogging.  I welcome your suggestions on the content that I should/could include!

Enjoy!
Drew