So these past couple days have been pretty crazy. Since our Development Week break, all of the assessments for the international students are starting to be due. I've had to turn in a 2,000 word page paper for my Power and Persuasion in the Media class, along with a 12 picture photo presentation for my Feature Writing class. I have another 2,000 word paper coming up along with one due in April. I never thought I would say this, but I actually have enjoyed doing homework here. The classes have been really interesting, and seeing that I don't have classes like these back at home, I get to learn about things that I am actually interested in. The classes have been so interesting that I've actually started looking at how the graduate school program functions over here. So far I've learned that it is cheaper for someone to study their masters degree here and that I could get my Masters in a year, as opposed to the 2 years or more back home. Also, if someone wants to study something like TV and Radio production, but didn't graduate with that degree, the university has a crash course that lasts about 2 to 3 weeks where they get the person caught up on all the material that the undergrads learn. I'm not really set in the idea of doing my masters over here, but I just thought that it would be something good to know for future reference. Besides that, this week has been pretty great.
I started my internship/work-based learning last week as well at this place called Chester: The Giant City. The Giants is a non-profit group that creates these huge floats, giants, and statues for different festivals around England. As of now, I come in and help every Tuesday, and help with anything that needs to be done around the headquarters. After our 3 week easter break though, I will be helping with their public relations and communications department (mostly helping with the advertising and promotional work). Along with that, I'll be going on the local radio station to let the people of Chester know what all we are doing in preparation for the festival. We're currently preparing for Chester's Midsummer Festival, which is an old tradition where they parade the "giants" through the city to ward off evil spirits for the Spring. We are also getting ready for the Queen's Jubilee Festival. We're currently are in the process of creating 60 different statues of the Queen that will be paraded throughout Chester. Later on in the summer, they will also be having a huge parade for the 2012 Olympics. It's crazy thinking that I get to help with a huge event like that. It is definitely a once in a lifetime event. One thing that makes the job easier is that the people who work at the Giants are pretty great and relaxed. One thing that the organization like to stress is that they welcome anyone and everyone to come volunteer at the HQ. Along with creating these giants, they have different side projects in order to get different people from the community to come help. They do everything from gardening to graffiti art that will be presented during the festivals. The whole place is great, and I can't wait for all of the other events that I will be helping with in the future.
Last weekend was also pretty great because I got to go to London to visit my sister Katrina and my older brothers Michael and Wayne. I got into London Friday night, and left for Oxford Saturday morning to meet up with Michael, Wayne, Wayne's wife Lisa, my niece Macy, and newborn nephew, Marley . We spent the whole day in Oxford catching up and relaxing. Trina and I went on an impromptu tour of Oxford later that afternoon. One thing I never realized was that Oxford University takes up a big majority of the city. After touring though some of the buildings and other parts of the city, we decided to head back to London. The next day, Trina showed me the different parts of Tottenham and London. A few places we went to were an ice rink that used to be a palace, a neighborhood of streets called "Millionaire's Row"that has huge mansions for a about a mile or two, King's Cross Train Station (Home of Platform 9 3/4!), and the London Eye. The Eye is this huge ferris wheel that is in the heart of central London. Once you are at the top, you can see all of London, and on a clear day see places like Tottenham along with other nearby cities. After the Eye, we walked around the House of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Pickadilly Circus, which is the British equivalent of Times Square. After an amazing tour of the city, Trina and I walked back to the train station and left to head back to Chester.
England has been a great experience so far. It's weird thinking that by the time I get back from Easter break, I will only have a month left before I'm on my way back home to the states. There is still a lot to do while overhere, but at the same time, time has seemed to fly by. Hopefully this coming week will be a little less stressful. I have one last essay due Friday, and after that, me and some of the others in the group will be on our way to Barcelona, Rome, and Paris for the next week and a half for Easter Break!
