The Traveling Scholar

I really cannot believe this day has come so quickly! I am officially done with my Masters! After making a few last-minute changes to my dissertation last night, I got up bright and early, compiled my final product and headed to the reprographics department at LSE to get my dissertation printed and bound! By 1030A, I was at the secretary’s office, signing off on plagiarism forms and handing in the finished piece.

I had expected to be excited and relieved. Thrilled, even. Instead, it was a very bittersweet moment; even a bit emotional. I found myself lingering on campus people-watching and slowly sifting through my dissertation before handing it over to the powers that be. After a year’s worth of work, presentations and essay-writing, everything is officially at an end. No more research to undertake, no more papers to write and no more academic journals to read. The thought actually makes me quite sad… the idea of LSE not being part of my daily London routine is so foreign. It’s particularly weird right now, in this moment. I don’t have a job yet and I no longer have school work to be undertaking. I literally have nothing that I have to do… kind of a scary prospect, actually. I might enjoy the freedom for a couple of weeks, but after that I’ll undoubtedly be incredibly antsy.

On the bright side, with August coming to a close and my dissertation off of my hands, I can now officially move my focus back to September! Mac is leaving San Francisco tomorrow morning and will be in London on the morning of the 2nd! I get to move my stuff to our hotel tomorrow & get ready for his arrival. How does time pass so quickly?! Pure insanity — I’ve almost been in London for a year!

Here’s to hoping there’s (at least) another year of British love in my future! Crossing my fingers that I can get a position at LSE!!

xoxo,

So, as you guys may (probably?) know, Mac is coming to London next Wednesday to hang out in the UK for 10 days! I’m definitely excited to see him after a year! Being that I’m more familiar with London than he is, and due to the fact that he’s super busy at work with the prospect of being gone for ten whole days, he left most everything up to me. I was given the responsibility of getting us a room in London and in Edinburgh and was given his credit card number to do it. I don’t know about you guys, but I get extremely uncomfortable when I’m spending someone else’s money. On top of that, I love finding a deal and I think Mac would more than appreciate that since it’s coming out of his pocket.

When it came to finding a hotel in London, I knew two things: 1) I wanted to be Central and 2) I didn’t want to spend a lot. I think being Central is super important. With London being pretty compact, you can walk most places or take the bus or tube. If you’re way out in Zone 4, you’re not getting the real London experience and it’ll take you forever to get into the city center. Definitely a waste of time in my opinion. Plus you’re spending extra cash on transportation. As for the money issue, Mac assured me that I should find something comfortable, but I tend to think that people aren’t really aware of how much ‘comfortable’ costs in Central London. A decent double near Covent Garden is probably gonna run £160 on the lower end (think Best Western-style). That’s not cheap.  I would way rather spend extra money on seeing a play or grabbing a fun dinner (perhaps I’ve been jaded after living in a shoebox for a year).

After checking out standard hotel sites (think: Expedia, hotels.com, B&B.com, etc.), it dawned on me: Student accommodations often offer double rooms for a reasonable price and they’re almost always centrally located! The University of London has rooms on the cheap (I’m staying in one now, actually!) and the prices are unbeatable considering the central location. LSE also has a slew of their own LSE-branded housing complexes available hotel-style before residents move in! I had a number of friends staying in Grosvenor House and Northumberland House during this year and I was impressed with the rooms — comfortable, decent-sized (by London standards) and incredibly well-located. After checking out their website, I decided to make a reservation with Northumberland House for a double room. With my LSE discount, we ended up paying — get this — £60 a night! That’s for a double room that sits two minutes (max) away from Trafalgar Square. Can you beat that?! Plus, the building is rather gorgeous (if memory serves, it’s the old Department of Defense).

For anyone looking for discount rooms in Central London, university accommodation is the key. You’ll save some serious cash and nab some decent rooms in the heart of the city! They’re not luxurious, but how much time are you really spending in your hotel room? A few places I can definitely recommend:

1. Northumberland House: We’re staying here & I’m kind of obsessed with the location! Down the street from Trafalgar Square, nearly everything is within walking distance. Plus the tube is close & loads of buses run through here!

2. Grosvenor House Studios: I think I speak for all of my fellow LSEers when I say that we were thoroughly jealous of everyone that nabbed Grosvenor House accommodation. They’re a bit more expensive, but they’re a lot more homey. Pretty spacious studio apartments with kitchenettes and an amazing location in Covent Garden!

3. High Holborn: This was my little hole for the year and it’s definitely okay if you’re a single person (or two young travelers) trying to find a budget accommodation. I think they do breakfast in the summer, too, which is a double-score! Well-located although not the most aesthetically appealing :)

4. International Hall: Two minutes from the Russell Square tube station and totally central for £35 a night (£25 if you’re a University of London student!) There are doubles available, too: £65 en-suite with a little kitchenette!

University of London has a number of other well-located inexpensive accommodations but I haven’t checked them out so I can’t personally recommend them.

A few other tips:

1. There are a few more LSE-run housing units that you can nab for even less! They’re not as well located as the ones I mentioned, but they’re all within Zone 1 and well connected.

2. King’s College also has accommodations in the summer for £22.50 a night (£30 en-suite).

3. The Guildhall School of Music and Drama has some rooms available, too; they’re apartments with 3 – 6 bedrooms and they run from £27 – 32.

4. UCL also has a number of residences for singles or groups — prices vary but the flats are all fairly central.

Hope that helps a bit! Now you can save cash and spend it on much more worthwhile things… like shopping on Oxford Street :)

xoxo,

Oh, gosh, I’ve been MIA lately and have been neglecting this poor blog. I haven’t forgotten about it, I’ve just been so engrossed with dissertation & job-related activities that I haven’t actually had anything interesting to talk about. Lest my parents think I’ve gone into hibernation/died from dissertation overload, quick update: I’m applying to jobs maniacally (read: I applied to three jobs this morning before 10A; one in San Diego, one in DC and one in San Francisco). Though I had been totally London-focused before, I have expanded my horizons a touch since I can’t bear the thought of being unemployed. I picked a few top cities based on job opportunities and location (in terms of things to do, compatibility with my personality and weather):

1. London: No surprise here! I love London and I want to enjoy living in the UK for as long as I can! I wish I could say that I’m considering other cities in Britain, but I’m not. If I can’t find a job in London, I’ll probably just head back to the US or gain some experience in a developing country.

2. Washington, D.C.: I think every single International Development organization has their HQ in DC. I had been opposed to it for the longest time, but it’s a young city with a cool, unique energy. Plus, job opportunities galore.

3. San Diego, CA: Oh, San Diego. In reality, SD wouldn’t be the best move for me career-wise. There aren’t many Int’l Development organizations nor are there many HIV/AIDS-related job openings. That aside, I could see myself living in San Diego which moves it up quite a bit! Plus, UCSD has a good PhD program & the fam will be there.

4. New York: I’ve never had the East Coast experience and I think NY would be the ultimate (maybe I’ve watched one too many episodes of Gossip Girl). Lots of NGOs plus the UN offices make for a nice international development community. Plus, I’m planning on applying to Columbia so it’d be nice to get a feel for the area.

5. San Francisco, CA: Living an hour and a half away from SF my whole life + having most of my family in the Bay Area, SF has always been kind of a home away from home. The fact that it’s one of the greatest cities ever doesn’t hurt either. Bonus: lots of HIV/AIDS-focused institutions plus an amazing academic environment.

6. LA/Santa Monica, CA: I’ll admit, LA hadn’t been on my list before this year. Since one of my BFFs is from Santa Monica (and has professed her undying love for the city), it’s piqued my interest. Awesome weather, cool vibe + nearby UCLA with another awesome PhD program. Potential!

7. Boston, MA: Again, a little piece of me wants to go to the East Coast and I’ve always had an inexplicable obsession with Boston. With Massachusetts in general, actually. I think this obsession has been compounded since I’ve developed a love of Harvard’s Public Health Program & Ally McBeal.

So, in case you run across jobs in any of these cities and think of me, I’m still looking! At first I just wanted a job; money to pay bills and pay back my loans. Now, though, I’ve decided that I want a relevant job. I need experience in the field I’m interested in and I don’t want to get stuck in a position just for the money. Anything focused on international development will work, but anything focused on HIV/AIDS research will work even better :)

xoxo from London,

This is amazing. It’s absolutely hilarious and I know that other Masters kids can relate… at least to an extent! I think we’ve all had issues focusing and have found the most bizarre ways of procrastinating (catching up on facebook, watching re-runs of 1990s sitcoms, playing Mahjong, etc.) I don’t know who this kid is (apparently he goes to school in Coventry?), but I definitely appreciate the fact that he procrastinated by making a video! Stellar.

Fast Tube by Casper

xoxo from dissertation jail,

I must admit, the fact that I’m submitting my dissertation in two and a half weeks is simultaneously exciting and disheartening. I obviously can’t wait to be done with it and get it submitted, but I’m also a bit nervous… What do I do with myself when I’m done with school? Even when I worked full time, I took classes every night after work. I have always been a student. It’s part of my identity. While some people continue in school because they want to put off real life, I want to continue because it’s a part of who I am. I can’t imagine ever not learning or teaching. After September, however, it’s going to be different.

After talking with a friend last night, I decided what this year is going to be about for me: finding/working in a position that is still educational, either in an academic environment or as a researcher, plus doing my own research. Just because I’m not in school doesn’t mean  I have to stop. I’m also going to try to find funding for a PhD so the reality of actually getting my doctorate at the London School of Hygiene can actually/maybe come true. I realize that this will sound pretentious/vainglorious (for lack of a better word), but I feel so behind. I haven’t had any work published yet and I feel like now is the time for me to start writing and submitting (I swear a lot of other 24 year olds have been published, but maybe I’m just imagining it?). At the very least, going through the process of submitting articles and getting rejections or revise-and-resubmits will help me better understand the process and understand what I need to improve upon to get things published.

So, by the end of this year, a few goals: (1) work in London in a relevant field, (2) look for PhD funding so I can work with the brilliant minds at the LSHTM, (3) write at least two small pieces to submit to journals.

For anyone else looking to submit pieces to journals, I’ve been using this amazing website to find journals that will potentially be receptive to my articles (the content and style of my writing). There are soooo many journals out there, but I’m going to start by going the route of typical would-be writers: submit to a upper-tier journal first, wait for a response (which will likely be a rejection or revise-and-resubmit), take that as a learning experience and either revise and resubmit or submit it to another academic journal after making changes.

So, while I’m not officially a student anymore after September 1st, I refuse to not be constantly learning. What is life like if you’re just complacent? If you’re just content with the knowledge that you have? I don’t even want to think about it!

xoxo,

PS. Also, fun news: 7,500 words down and feeling good. Obviously going to have to do some editing to get it ready for submission, but on a roll!

As I sit here writing my dissertation, I find that business (undergraduate) Shannon is fighting with social policy (postgraduate) Shannon. Take that in a non-schizophrenic way. I don’t want to go into my dissertation topic in depth for fear that I’ll bore you or lose readers, but suffice it to say that it revolves around the potential of the private sector to fill HIV/AIDS governance gaps in South Africa. A substantial proportion of my literature investigates the power (and limitations) of corporate social responsibility and its potential to actually fill the gaps left by the state.

Corporate Social Responsibility.

I should preface this by saying that I chose this research question because it provided a nexus of sorts; a place where business meets social policy and where my interest in HIV/AIDS finds a comfortable nest. Now, I have studied CSR for years, but this year has presented it in a different capacity. I have been reading now about putting mandates on CSR premised on the idea that voluntary initiatives aren’t enough. The idea is that big TNCs don’t want to really help people (there’s no incentive), so to ensure that rhetoric becomes reality, some legally binding instruments should find their way into the business world and mandate CSR.

Now, Social Policy Shannon understands those lines of thinking — big business has quite an impact on the environments in which they work and often times the impact isn’t entirely (or even slightly) positive. In South Africa, for example, big business has been implicated in furthering the apartheid system. With that in mind, perhaps it is good to make businesses help out; to push them past philanthropy to encourage real social change. As much as I like to think that, Business Shannon keeps coming through; perhaps so many years of discussing the bottom line has dirtied my virgin soul.

How can you mandate CSR?! Not to completely echo Milton Friedman here, but why is it business’ responsibility to help with social change? Sure, I think it sounds like a nice idea, but isn’t it the responsibility of the state to provide social services? Why should a tech organization be mandated to work on social issues? That’s not their job! It’s not as if they’re an NGO that’s intentioned on helping out with these kinds of issues. It seems that civil society pressure has moved off of the state and onto corporations — why is that fair? How is it their responsibility? Sure, I firmly believe that organizations should do no harm and that, where possible, they should provide employees with a wonderful, safe working environment, health benefits, etc.  Awesome, awesome, awesome. Again, not to sound too Friedman-esque but doesn’t the idea of mandated CSR run counter to a capitalist society?

Don’t get me wrong — I think CSR has wonderful potential and I do think that it’s important for organizations to get involved. With the impact and power that they have, certainly they should be giving back. To mandate these things, however? I think that’s extreme and unfair.

I’ll have to get back to you on that, though… after finishing my dissertation I might have different thoughts on the issue!

Love from London,

A few days ago, our MSc program had an end of the year dinner as a  last chance to say our goodbyes before we all part ways for summer. One of my girlfriends, A., suggested that we go out on Friday night, too, for a proper night out: club-going complete with too-small outfits, dancing and overpriced drinks — the works. Now, if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that I’m not really a club-goer or a dancer. At all. In the name of friendship, however, I let these things go and stepped out of my comfort zone into the life of a normal twenty-something. Lucky bar of choice? Opal Bar near Embankment station — actually a pretty fun spot if you don’t mind spending 7  - 10 pounds on cocktails.

I desperately try to enjoy late night partying and drinking until an ungodly hour, but it has yet to appeal to me. Nearly every time I go out, I wake up the next day wondering how people enjoy this madness. Still, hanging out with friends for what could be our last night together was more than worth it. Plus, since I know how I work — I downed a few vodka tonics and was primed to hone my (nonexistent) dancing skills.

I guess I still can’t believe that it’s over! Currently, I’m sitting in my room, splitting my time between dissertation work and packing up my room. Half of my stuff is in my suitcase, privileged to come with me on my summer of fun. The other half – the wintery half – is boxed up getting ready to find a new home in storage as of tomorrow. No time to waste — gotta get as much done as possible today and tomorrow because Tuesday and Wednesday will likely be road trip days, Thursday I have to meet with my professor to discuss my dissertation and then on Friday, my cousin comes in from San Diego! Pure insanity. I’ll be in Malta in less than a week!

Happy Sunday,

I recently packed up my pictures, my old plane tickets, train tickets and other travel souvenirs, tucked them neatly into a large manila envelope and sent them back to California. I didn’t want to throw them out but I also didn’t want to have to carry them around all summer for fear that I might lose them somewhere along the way. Today, I was sifting through my drawers, throwing old papers into the recycling bin when I ran across one lone ticket tucked away in my drawer:

My ticket from San Francisco to Heathrow. Fitting that it was the one that stayed behind, and a bit crazy that I had that ticket in hand nine months ago when I first arrived in London. Everything was so different then. I was excited, I was scared and I knew no one. I remember moving into my residence and wondering if this was the right decision: leaving my family, my friends, everything that I had known to move to a foreign country where my ‘bedroom’ was a shoebox and my ‘flat’ was reminiscent of my dorm when I was 18 years old. Now? Well, I couldn’t be more sure about my decision. Without a doubt, the best decision that I’ve made in my life. All of the experiences that I’ve had here, all of the places that I’ve seen, all of the knowledge that I have gained, and — above all — all of the amazing friends that I have made. Life-long friends.

Last night, in honor of the last social policy exam, our Social Policy and Development MSc program got together for a goodbye dinner. It was held in the lounge of my residence, casual and fun with Sri Lankan food (from a place in Harrow) ordered in for the 40 attendees.

We all chatted away for a few hours before saying our goodbyes. I don’t know that it really dawned on me until that last moment that for some of these people, it would be the last time I would see them. People are heading home for the summer: to Sri Lanka, Mexico, Peru, India, Korea, Thailand, Ghana and while some are coming back for graduation in December, that isn’t the case for everyone. I felt a really unexpected sense of sadness. I knew I would be sad, mind you, but I had no idea how hard it would be to part ways with some of these people. Most of us came here knowing no one, all of us from different countries, different backgrounds and with different goals. Yet, it only took a few weeks for us to bond and to become friends. We worked together like a little family and the girls in my program that I have become close with have really become some my best friends. Not only do we have classes together, we study together, we grab lunch/dinner/drinks (sometimes even breakfast!) together, we shop together and I call them when I need to talk. We’re even planning a road trip for next week! The thought of not seeing them every day? Actually a bit depressing. Luckily, we’re in a time when facebook, email and Skype make it a thousand times easier to stay in contact, but nevertheless, I’m going to miss everyone… Goodbye, my SPDers!

Some snapshots from this year:

Moral of the story? Time flies. I’ve definitely tried to enjoy every day here and the time that I’ve been lucky enough to have, but it’s still absurd how quickly time goes. It seems like yesterday that this year began and now I’m packing up my room and saying my goodbyes. Despite my sadness about departing, my friend, A., put up a facebook post (I believe it’s attributed to Dr. Seuss) that perhaps said it best:

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

If ever there was a reason to smile, this year was surely it.

Love from London,

Today is truly momentous. I took my last exam of my masters career (and I think it went well — icing!), the US beat Algeria 1-0 in the 92nd minute of their game this afternoon and I just booked our hotel in Nice for next month! We’re going to be popping over to Nice after our stint in Florence and we’ve been scouring expedia for deals to find a reasonably priced hotel in a good area (a difficult find in the French Riviera). Nevertheless, S. and I waited, patiently, knowing that a deal had to come along at some point… right? Well, after my exam (half way through the England-Slovenia game) I got an email from S. on my iPhone. Pertinent message: Expedia is having a 24 hour sale. Let’s book! Needless to say, as soon as I got home, I jumped online and began scouring.

It was only a few minutes before I stumbled upon the Residence Nice Fleurs, an apartment complex renting out studio apartments 400 meters from the beach, near the heart of the city. Plus, kitchenette, flat panel TV and free internet? Could this place be any more perfect? Of course, the reviews are mixed, but with it’s location and it’s amenities, we had to give it a shot. After inputting our dates, it notified me that a 2 person studio was going to run me about £75 a night. Not cheap, but definitely not expensive for Nice standards. But wait! Not only is it £75 a night, the third night is free?! Cha-ching! Needless to say, it was the fastest decision we’ve made yet. For £165 pounds, we booked three nights in a central location in a more-than-decent hotel, keeping us right at budget. In Nice!

Happy, happy, happy.
That’s what I am right now.

Exams are done. I have a lot to do, yes, but the really rigorous, mind-bending work is done and I made it out alive. I am so excited to begin this madness. Let the adventures ensue! Stay tuned — this summer is going to be an intense one.

June 30 – 31: Road trip with SPD girls! Location TBA.
July 3 – 7: Malta
July 7 – 12: Athens, Delphi and Hydra, Greece
July 12 – 15: Amalfi Coast, Italy
July 15 – 18: Florence and Siena, Italy
July 18 – 21: Nice, France
July 21 – 23: Carcassonne, France
July 23- 27: Barcelona, Spain
July 27 – 31: Dublin, Ireland

Lots of love and happiness from Londontown,

With the term coming to an end (my last final is tomorrow!), a few girls from my program and I have been throwing around the idea of a road trip! I know the notion of a road trip sounds very… American, but I can certainly see the appeal of a British road trip so I’m more than on board (and clearly spreading myself way too thin with the million other things I need to get done by July 3rd).

We initially considered doing a Stonehenge/Bath/Cardiff road trip with Cardiff being the final destination before heading back. Despite the fact that Wales is super close (relatively speaking; it’s about two hours driving), I still haven’t made the journey out there. I’ve heard good things about Cardiff: laden with history and a unique culture while having a vibrant, young feel. If I’m in the business of ticking boxes of newly- visited countries, certainly this is as good as any? Plus, I tend to feel that Wales is neglected. I mean, why is the Union Jack a composite of England’s flag and Scotland’s flag? Does Wales not count? (I’m not going to even mention Northern Ireland… poor neglected countries.)

While I was daydreaming about said road trip, another idea popped into my head… what about heading north into the heart of England? For having lived here for nine months, my journeys around England itself have been limited (sadly). Stratford, Warwick, Oxford and the Cotswolds are all pretty close to one another and could make for a great two-day adventure. Four places is too much, so Oxford would probably get knocked off the list, but Stratford is a quick stopover before heading to Warwick Castle and then ultimately to the Cotswolds to spend the night! If you’re not familiar with Warwick Castle, it’s probably the most bad ass of the castles that I’ve seen, in the sense that it’s really well-preserved. The trip would have an entirely different feel, I presume, but would still be an awesome road trip!

Any thoughts? Has anyone been to any of those cities?

We’re planning on (tentatively) going Sunday – Monday or Monday – Tuesday so any insight would be stellar!

Lots of love,