European Travels and Tribulations

HOME!!!

2006-05-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of traveling throughout Italy and Ireland and a lot of self examination, I am finally back in the states. I have been back for a few weeks now and am finally settling back into normal life. It feels real good to be back state-side. I could write so much about my travels and my feelings of my trip but I don't really feel like at this point I can accurately translate my feelings. It seems like it's going to take a long time for all the realizations to take effect. That's fine with me however. I am just glad to be home. I loved my time in Europe. I will never forget the plethora of lessons learned and the amazing people I had the opportunity to share my time there with. There will never be another group of people like them for me. This has been the best experience of my life. Well I believe for now that ends my study abroad journal. It was a blast. Signing off.

PS: No real culture shock... just the realization that although I am a transformed man, most people did not change at all.

Winding down.

2006-03-29T02:44:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday I had a rather large scare. I came to the office and my member of parliament asked me what I sent my mom for Mothers Day. My jaw hit the floor. I told her I had no clue that it was Mother's Day. So, she starts joking around with me about how I am a bad son and how she can't believe that someone from the United States would forget a holiday that originates in their country. My reaction was to immediately write my mom an apologetic email about how extremely sorry I was and how I loved her, etc... I felt so bad. So, I go home last night, and start cursing out my roommates for not reminding me of it. Suddenly, my friend Julie starts laughing hysterically. She then proceeds to tell me that it was only Mother's Day in the UK and that it is in May in the States. And about 10 minutes later, I receive an email from my mom thanking me for the kind words but telling me I was "off the hook for now." This is one cultural experience I will certainly never forget.

Another interesting phenomenon that has taken place in the last week, is daylight savings time. In the UK, they get daylight savings time a week before the US. So right now, I am six hours ahead of everyone at home. This has been quite interesting when trying to arrange travel plans with my parents who are coming into visit this Thursday evening. It should be weird to see them in London.

I just got back to the office from sitting in on a private meeting regarding the police force amalgamation scheme set to take force in April 2007. I am writing my dissertation on this issue and it was very valuable to see what the police chiefs and constables are saying. The dissertation is on whether the Labour governments call for a strategic forces approach is the best for Britain in the 21st century. Sounds complicated... and it is. Anyways, this meeting demonstrated that no matter how complicated things look on paper, they will be even more complicated with implementation. There were a myriad of aspects I had never even though about before I sat in this meeting.

In other exciting news, I got to meet David Cameron, the Leader of the Conservative Party today. Now, you have to understand, I have been wanting to meet him so bad. It was my goal to shake his hand since I got here. It is rumored that he may be the next Prime Minister of Great Britain if the Conservatives win the next election. So, my MP Nadine, needed a photo of him for her annual report. She told me I could come along to take the picture and then sneak in for one. So, we showed up, I went into the room and my jaw was practically on the floor. He told me to have a seat on the couch and started talking US politics with me. He asked who I thought the next US President would be, if Hillary Clinton had a chance, etc.. And then I got a photo of him and I sitting on a couch. It was great. He was extremely nice and had been to Boston on some business. Overall, today was probably one of the craziest/ most exciting days of my life. You don't get much better than this... marriage..kids... those definitely.. but other than that.. NOPE! I also got a Vote Conservative sign and had my MP sign it. This experience has been life changing. The stories alone will keep me busy with relatives for months.

As I've said earlier, I can't believe I ever thought about NOT coming to London.

Time is ticking away.

2006-03-23T04:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I have about 2 weeks left in London before I depart for Italy and Ireland. The time has gone by extremely fast. Like anything else, all good things must come to an end. However, I am still enjoying myself and living it up until the last minute. Although, the enjoyment level has dropped now that every second of my time is occupied by either a) work at Parliament or b) writing my dissertation. I had an awful experience the other night. I lost 2,000 words of my disseration (i.e. 4 hours of work) because the Parliamentary system saves things in a weird place when opening files from an email account. Last night, I stayed at work until 10 re-writing the material I lost. This experience sent me into a rage. However, my researcher tried to calm me down by explaining that it was a relatively small problem in relation to the number of serious problems faced by those throughout the world (i.e. AIDS, Genocide, etc...) Although I shrugged it off at the time, it definitely made me think about what he said.

The dissertation I am required to write here is very similar in structure to the AWD report I had to write at Northeastern. The difference is we have about 3 weeks to compose the report here while, at home, we had an entire semester. My dissertation question is as follows: Is the Labour Governments call for a strategic forces approach to amalgamating the current structure of police forces in England and Wales the best approach for creating an effective 21st century police force? This question is extremely complicated because it mixes traditional organizational theory and a current political issue. The British system of education requires a structural framework based off of theory. The theory is then applied to modern day issues. The literature review portion of the paper requires that you read up on all the research and then show the gap in the research of which you are trying to fill by answering your question. It is a bit difficult and very time consuming.

Final exams are also on the horizon. In two weeks, we have the tests for both of our classes. The exams are worth a whopping 75% of our course grades! I am a bit worried about how they will be structured. Also, they are three hours long. This is only an hour long than Northeastern exams. However, it is hard to imagine writing for an additional hour. My hand often gets tired and covered in ink. Furthermore, there is a lot more material to cover with only a few days available to study for the tests.

In other news, I had to pleasure of sitting in the House of Commons Chamber and watching Prime Ministers Question time yesterday. It was incredible. Tony Blair is an extremely gifted politician. It truly makes George W. Bush look like a sixth grader. I now have a better understanding for why Europeans and those throughout the world view as a utterly incompetent (not that I didn't know why this was so prior to my trip because I share their view). I think that Presidents in the United States should be forced to address Congress far more often and take unscripted questions. The ability of politicians to address Congress and public forums should be essential piece of the job description. To me, if you have not taken a public speaking class somewhere along the line, your resume is certainly not strong enough. The President of the United States is arguably the most important world leader and should have enough skill to at least pretend like he knows what is going on. Additionally, Gordon Brown announced the budget for Britain yesterday and I was able to stay in the chamber and see his tenth budget speech as Chancellor. This was arguably the most important day in Parliament since we have been here. It is really mind-boggling to think that I can say I saw the Labour Government's 10th annual budget delivery. Also, it is extremely likely that Gordon Brown will be the next Labour Prime Minister when Tony Blair decides to leave office within the next 2 years.

All of our travel plans are booked for my post-program travels. The cities I am going to see (as of now) are as follows...

Milan, Italy
Venice, Italy
Florence, Italy,
Rome, Italy
Dublin, Ireland
Galway, Ireland
Cork, Ireland

I am exstatic at this point. As long I can buckle down and work hard over the next few weeks, I surely will be rewarded. My parents will visit next Friday for 6 days. This will be the first time my mom and brother have never been to Europe. I have thought long and hard about how lucky I am to have seen so much in my life. I now am an expert on one of the biggest and most exciting cities in Europe and will always be able to navigate my 'second home.' Signing off.

Oxford and the Goblet of Fire

2006-03-17T01:32:00.000-08:00

So, as the weeks have passed I have become bogged down with the routine of school, work, sleep, and more work. I guess no matter where you are, there is some routine that you eventually get trapped in. Everyday I return to the office, I feel like I just left. There is nothing like working in Parliament. However, at the end of the day, it is still work! However, in the past few weeks I have had a few more politician citing. I have seen:

-David Cameron (Conservative Party Leader- Rival to Tony Blair)
-George Galloway (MP- Recently involved in controversy surrounding his choice to be on Celebrity Big Brother)
-Geoff Hoon- Speaker of the House
-George Osbourne- Shadow Treasury Secretary

It is definitely exciting to see these high profile people everyday at work. One thing it has made me realize is that they are just people. It is odd to see these people on TV in the chamber and then sit next to them at lunch.

Today, the program director, Alex Boughton brought us all to the world famous Oxford University for a policy study visit. We received a lecture from a few Oxford professors and toured around the town/campus. The university is antiquated in every sense. The architecture is extremely beautiful (I use this word too much but it's so true). In addition, the libraries have books that have accumulated dust for hundreds of years. We had the pleasure of hearing a lecture from a famous professor of elections. He told us a great story about how met Sir Winston Churchill at 25 years of age. Churchill, once figuring out how old he was, boasted.."You better hurry up boy. You are falling behind.. Napoleon was only 26 when he approached the banks of the Rhine!" I found this be hilarious. Thinking about conversing with such a powerful and interesting man like Churchill is not something most people get to brag about. He seemed like a rather humble man. The other lecture was on Tony Blair vs. Gordon Brown in the struggle for premiership and what fundamental differences would be exemplified by a Brown premiership.

The structure of classes at Oxford is very cool. The students have regular lecture twice a week. However, the part that strikes me, is that they have a tutorial every week with the professor, which consists of 2 students with a professor in their office. He asks them questions on the application of the material and expands on it. I know this sounds like office hours in the American system but it seems really intense/useful for getting the brain thinking about the material. I often find in the American system that teachers spit out the material in lecture, students write it down, and then close their notebooks and don't think about what they have just heard until the final. Ultimately, studying for finals is extremely painful because you have to re-learn all of the material instead of taking the time to learn each peace separately. It doesn't make sense to me but I fall victim to this as well. Oxford was a very cool experience and I'm happy I got to see one of the most famous institutions of education in the world. This program really does provide us with some great opportunities.

Tomorrow I am off to the constituency with my Member of Parliament to do some canvassing for a local district council candidate, Angela Barker. We are also going to go to a surgery in Houghton Conquest. Surgeries are where MP's meet with their constituents to hear their concerns. It sounds like a very beneficial and effective feature of the British Political system but I will save me judgments for after I see it in person. I am ready to escape London for a bit and see middle England. Farmers, fresh air, and politics...always a favorite combination of mine. I will update soon after I return from the constituency. Signing off.

Southampton Rocks.

2006-03-14T02:16:00.000-08:00

Today, I took an hour and a half train ride to Southampton to visit my good friend Wes. I was anticipating this trip greatly for I had only been to Bath, which is another touristy town. This was going to be my first trip to a non-touristy destination. I arrived at the station and was shocked. When I stepped out of the station to meet him, there was a Toys R' US, a Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a McDonald's in sight. It seemed rather strange to me to see these in Rural England. Now granted, Southampton is a decent sized city but I had no clue what to expect. I jokingly then made the remark to my friend that " I was going to take pictures but this place looks too much like the USA." We had a good laugh over it. He had stayed with me in the states twice before and had warned me that it wasn't all that different.

Southampton is an old town with a substantial amount of classic British Architecture from the 15th and 16th centuries. A castle sits in the center of town but most of it has been removed in order to allow traffic to move effectively throughout the city. The castles walls stretch for miles and are still in existence. However, there are large holes where streets pass through them. Southampton is also a city famous for sailing. It is on the southern coast of England and the around the world sailing race starts and finishes in Ocean Village. There are a plethora of parks and open public spaces for people to enjoy themselves.

Let me explain some of the cultural differences of Southampton. There is a large gay community in Southampton. Not that there is not a large gay community in Boston, it's just the way people accept it is a bit different. It was not uncommon to see two men kissing or holding hands. I think it is a good thing when people can not be afraid to do what is a natural thing. I know it's arguable whether it is natural but I've always taken the position that no one wakes up one day and says " I'm going to choose a life of persecution and discrimination." I don't think some of the homosexuals in Great Britain realize how good they have it. If these people lived in the South of the United States it would be quite the different story.

The people were also very laid back and slower paced. I guess anything would seem to be a slower pace than London but it seemed a bit slower than normal. Everyone I met was extremely friendly and greeted you with a smile (well almost everyone). I think this had an effect on me because I am so used to the London syndrome of putting your head down and keeping to yourself. Not that this is much different from Boston.

I got a chance to hang out with Wes's 8 roommates and hung out. I got a chance to talk a lot with his roommates about their professions and university experiences. The college experience in Great Britain seems to be a lot different than that of the US. One of them was a meter maid. It was insightful to hear him talk about his profession. In Britain, meter maids have to take self-defense classes before they begin the job! This really surprised me. I mean he is just doing his job.

Wes and his roommates cooked me up a traditional English All Day Breakfast, which consisted of Beans, Stewed Tomatoes, Hashbrowns, Toast, Sausage, and Tea. Let me say, it was fabulous. The idea of creating a meal that you can enjoy at any point of the day is great. I think I could eat that meal all day everyday. The English experience in Southampton was fantastic and I was glad I got to meet up with my friend in a new country. It felt very weird to see him on his home turf. Establishing a group of friends in another country is not a luxury that many people in the world and I don't think I could be any luckier. It is exciting to know that if I came back to Britain I could visit people in Southampton, Manchester, Brighton, Bedford, Sheffield, and more.

Signing off.

Scotland Part 2

2006-03-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

The rest of the week in Scotland was fantastic. I really got a feel for the country and people. One day we climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat, a dormant volcano and had breath taking views of all of Edinburgh. It was amazing to sit a top this hill and look out over the Atlantic ocean. I live at the beach in NH during the summers and always look out on the horizon line and wonder who/what is on the other side. While a top the volcano, I looked out at the horizon and felt connected to the rest of the world. As I travel more and more, I feel more connected to the human race in general. In addition to the volcano, we hiked a huge ridge of crags and got some fantastic pictures of all of us. The pictures will surely be something I cherish for the rest of my life. This experience is changing me in numerous ways and the photos are will be a good reminder of this time of my life.

Scotland is the Whisky Capital of the World and we took a tour of the Whisky Heritage Museum. The Edinburgh Castle sits high a top a cliff in the middle of the city. The Castle is extremely old and we got a chance to tour it. It is a very interesting structure and was used by the Scottish to house crown jewels during invasions. The Scottish Crown Jewels now are guarded in a room in the castle, which we had the pleasure of viewing. Standing in the castle and looking out over the city made me feel like royalty. The castle made me realize how young of a country America is. These castles are hundreds and thousands of years old and America has only been around since the 18th century. Hearing things like "this was built in A.D. 289" is surreal. I think that the philosophy and values behind government and society clearly reflect this youth. The United States gained a position of power relatively quick and aligned itself perfectly to become a global hegemon. However, I think this position often goes to our head.

Scotland beat England in the Six Nations Rugby tournament. We watched the game at a local pub called the Globe with a huge group of locals. It was very interesting to see their reactions compared to some of our reaction to games of national importance (i.e. the red sox riots). They just got really happy and all linked arms and sang the national anthem. Their was joy in the air for the next few days but certainly no violence. However, Scotland seems to have a high level of nationalism. Great Britain on the other hand does not. People see themselves as being a resident of the UK, not solely Britain. But although Scotland is part of the UK, they have a lot of pride in their country and tradition. As one of them told me, "William Wallace didn't fight for nothing!"

The museums regarding Art and War were extremely interesting. I have not been exposed to much Scottish culture. However, these museums informed me of the Scottish involvement in numerous wars, gave me a background on the different tribes (example: Cameronians) that have fought on behalf of the country/ UK throughout history. Furthermore, I have not been exposed to many Scottish Painters. The art work was rather impressive. This made me realize that many galleries feature a number of famous painters but often omit skilled works because they are not big name artists.

Overall, my trip to Scotland was spectacular. I feel that my time up in the mountains was a perfect escape from the fast paced and work intensive environment of London. I wish I was still up in the mountains contemplating where my life has been, where I am going, and what will become of me. Human beings need time alone with nature. In the words of the Rolling Stones, I am a Ramblin' Man! I need too keep traveling. I envy men like Ernest Shackelton, Jack Kerouac, and Ken Kesey who spent their lives traveling and exploring the human condition. All I can do is try my best to understand what my life is about and keep an open mind and heart. We live in a beautiful world. Singing off.

Arrival in Scotland

2006-02-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well we arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland yesterday. The program set up a policy study visit for us at the Scottish Parliament. The train ride was extremely beautiful because we traveled directly north from London and got to see a lot of the English countryside. I have yet to see any towns in the North and we passed right through Newcastle (Northern-most town in England). Scotland is a much different place than London. I have only been here a day and I have already talked to some locals that are extremely nice. In London, most people are too busy getting to work or somewhere specific to talk to you. Anyway, when we arrived a bunch of us set off on a journey to see the sights. The first area we were interested in seeing was the world famous Edinburgh Castle.

When we finally found it, I could hardly breathe. The castle sits a top an enormous hill in the center of the city. It was built around 3,000 years ago. The castle was used to defend the Scottish from invading countries. On top of the hill where the castle lies, you get a 360 degree view of the city. The Atlantic ocean is in the distance and it excites because I live on the east coast in NH and I always look out and wonder what's beyond the horizon line... Well I certainly got my answer. In addition, to viewing the castle, we went out to a local pub and watched a football game (Barcelona vs. Chelsea).

Here I was able to talk to a local named Graham. I really had a great discussion with him about Scottish identity and culture. Since I have been working in the British Parliament and have talked mainly to the British about Scotland, I was shocked to hear a lot of things he had to say. The British generally see themselves as the caretakers of the Scottish because so much of their tax dollars go towards funding the welfare state there. I had also heard that since Scotland is part of the UK, they don't have much of an identity towards Scotland. This just shows you not to believe everything you hear because it couldn't have been more of a false statement. Graham told me that the Scottish take great pride in their identity (bagpipers, William Wallace, Rugby, etc...) and have a huge amount of respect for their country. I also had a chance to talk to him about how they as Europeans view the United States. He said the general opinion is that Americans are ignorant and don't care a lot about the rest of the world. Once again, I was happy to try to change his mind by being kind and engaging in conversation. He was quite surprised by the end of our talk that I knew so much about Europe and the rest of the world. He said that he was surprised that someone of 21 could have a conversation of such a political nature (but little did he know, that's my specialty!). This is one reason I am on this trip... to get more of a feel for how the rest of the world works.

Today we had a series of lectures from the Head of the Scottish Law Society, a Scottish Member of Parliament, and a right-wing Media Man. That gave me a good feel for how the Scottish Political System works. The Scottish Parliament was created out of the Scottish Act of 1998 passed in the Westminster Parliament (where I work). This is generally referred to as devolution. In this act, Great Britain created the Scottish Parliament and devolved specific powers to them in order to allow for more independence in decision making matters. However, Great Britain kept all of the important powers (taxation, defense, etc...) and left the Scottish Parliament to argue over remedial matters such as the tail docking of working dogs (what they were arguing about when we viewed the chamber). It was useful to be able to juxtapose Westminster with Holyrood. This really helped me to understand Scotland's relationship to the UK political system.

The right wing man who runs the largest paper in Scotland, The Scotsman, was hilarious. He believes the European Union is enslaving many countries and forcing them to adopt many economic measures that are largely incompatible with their economic capacity. For example, Scotland has the same tax rates as Britain; a country constantly out performing the economies of Scotland and Wales. He also believes that Scotland's economy has some serious problems and that they need to be addressed ASAP before the lifestyle of every Scot is increasingly affected.

There is much more to see in the next 4 days. I could not be more excited.
-Signing off!

Roman Baths.

2006-02-20T11:34:00.000-08:00

Today we returned from a trip to Bath, England. Bath is a little rural town to the west of London. Friday morning we departed for Bath. On the train ride there I saw a bunch of English Countryside. It was very interesting that only about 15 minutes after we left Paddington Station in London, it was simply farmland. Sometimes when you're inside a city for so long, you forget that there is an outside world. I was listening to a mix CD that had a myriad of English bands such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Sex Pistols. The music made me feel so great as I traveled into the great beyond.

We arrived in the quaint city of Bath, England at around 12. Right when we stepped out the train station we were greeted by beautiful sights. High up on a hill, there is a church and a collage of houses that intertwine. It is hard to describe but it looked amazing. We found the hostel very easily and moved on to explore the city. It was refreshing to be in city that was small enough to find things without any trouble. From the hostel, the next stop was the Roman Baths. The Baths were built by the Romans in A.D. 43. This continuously blew my mind as I walked through the exhibits. Over the years, the structure of the building surrounding the Baths has changed as power has changed hands. However, a large portion of the Temple of Suvis Minerva has remained unexcavated. The Bath was bigger than most swimming pools and runs of the same filtering system that the Romans used. Unfortunately, over the years the water has become polluted and people are not allowed to get into the baths.

The Romans believed that the God, Suvis Minerva, heated the baths for the people of higher society. Unfortunately, that is not the reason the Baths are heated. There is actually a fault line running underneath the baths that heats the water. One of the baths actually still bubbles. The whole experience of walking through a temple really got me thinking about what people in the future will be saying when they look at our artifacts and architecture in museums. It seems like such a foreign concept that the Romans believed in Dietes and the powers of sacrificing lambs and goats. However, it really makes sense that the unexplained would be chalked up to some higher being; especially for those in the higher classes that were in power.

Mike and I decided to walk up to the top of the hill to get good views of the city. The hill was literally at 45 degrees and our legs were burning. When we got to the top of the hill, it felt like we had reached the peak of a mountain. Looking out over Bath, I was ecstatic. Mike and I discussed how happy we were that we had pushed ourselves to study abroad and how it almost seemed absurd that others wouldn't take up the opportunity. There is so much to see in this world and we are paying the same amount of money in tuition to be working in Parliament, living in London, and traveling throughout Europe. Before coming to Europe, my life was very normal. I had a girlfriend for all of college, I had the same roommates for two years, and I was extremely comfortable in Boston. When I left, I was a bit apprehensive of what it would do that comfort zone. I am normally adaptable to most situations and I feel like that description still stands. However, there are many things I have realized in a very short amount of time. I can only imagine what I feel like when I return to the states.

Today I walked around Oxford Circus while listening to music. I realized that there are so many various types of people inhabiting London. This is probably one of the most diverse cities in the world and it sometimes feels surreal to be living here. On the subject of roommates, I cannot believe how lucky I am to have such a solid group of guys in this program. Normally when you put 11 guys together there will be at least 3 or 4 that I wouldn't like. However, all the guys in this program are pretty great and I am excited that I will have another group of friends after this program is over. We are already discussing plans of reunions and hangouts of the summer. This program really is all it is cracked up to be.

-Signing off.

Accents and Adventures.

2006-02-16T04:06:00.001-08:00

Well, I am writing from my desk in Parliament. Everyday is extremely exciting when you are working in Westminster. For instance, today I went to sit down for breakfast with my researcher and who do I notice sitting next to us? Sir Mingus Campbell, the Deputy Leader for the Liberal Democrats! Anyway, on to substantive matters.

My office got a new British intern from Manchester England. Her name is Salma. It has been really nice getting to talk to someone my age that is British. When I was coming to London, I really expected people to find my accent weird and thought that I would be surrounded by a majority of British people. However, London is so diverse and has so many people coming in and out for business, that I sometimes don't feel like I am in another country. This has changed significantly since Salma came into the picture. She always laughs at different words that I say such as trash, soda, awesome, and Edinburgh (they pronounce it Edinburgh). Her, along with MP and Researcher, are constantly questioning me about the American Political system and social differences. Their questioning has really caused me to examine the system that I am a part of and create an unconscious comparative scheme that allows me to see the differences. It's hard to explain but I feel as if everyone should be forced to live outside of their country for at least a few months in their lifetime. One thing I have thought a lot about is how complacent Americans seem to be with their own country. No one questions if there is anything better out there. The US flag is always flying and most people truly believe that is the best place on earth. My experiences here have shown me that taking time to leave the place you are can actually give you more respect for the country you reside in.

I've always thought that I would like to travel but now I know I NEED to travel. Speaking of travel, this weekend a few of us are heading to Bath, England. Bath is North of London and is home to the traditional public Roman Baths and Churches. I hear it is quite beautiful and am extremely excited to get out of London and see more of England. From what I hear, London is NOTHING like the rest of the country. There is actually a joke that London is not even British anymore because it has become so international. In addition of traveling to Bath, we are going to see the world famous, Stonehenge.

We return from Bath on Saturday evening and depart for Edinburgh, Scotland on Tuesday Morning. We will be in Scotland for 6 days. The program has arranged the trip and has set up lectures inside the Scottish Parliament with a number of SMP's (Scottish Members of Parliament). On the weekend, Dan and I are going to Glasgow to see another slice of Scotland. The next few weeks should be busy but invigorating. Well I must return to work. Working in Westminster is fascinating but strenuous. Signing off.

In Sickness and In Health.

2006-02-12T23:13:00.000-08:00

I have one thing to say at this point, being sick in another country is awful. On Friday, I woke up and felt awful. I had a temperature and felt weak throughout my entire body. It was one of the sicknesses where your body just tells you that you have to stay in bed all day and that there is no option but to drink orange juice, watch TV, and take advil. I would have no arguments against these demands except that I had NONE of the previous things. Friday was one of those days where you wish your mom could just wait on you hand and foot. Unfortunately, she is miles and miles away.

On a better note, because I gave in to my body's demands and slept all day Friday.. I awoke Saturday feeling fantastic. I left the flat and toured the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum is filled with just about everything from all around the world. The first floor is Korean, Japanese, and Chinese art and artifacts such as Kimonos and traditional Buddhist statues. While walking throughout this floor, I listened to Japanese sounding music and I felt as if I was sent back in time. On the second floor, there was a hallway of gold and silver artifacts such as Celtic Crosses, Chalices, and Jewelry. The museum also housed a series of class British paintings. The most impressive rooms were the rooms that contained statues such as the models of "David" and "Moses" by Michelangelo. In addition, there was Trajan's Column, which was constructed in A.D. 113 in Rome. The Column was so enormous that it practically touched the ceiling. The museum also contained an extensive tapestry collection from the Roman empire and traditional Protestant church.

Later on in the day, my flatmates and I attended an authentic British Premier League Football Game. The match was Fulham vs. West Bromwich at Fulham Football Stadium. This was an essential part of the British cultural experience. The sports culture in Britain dominates the media and culture far more than in the states. At the game, both teams fans had designated chants that they would belt out when their team gained control of the ball or scored goals. It was truly an incredible feeling to be among these people and get involved in their culture. The game was very similar to a Red Sox vs. Yankees game because the fans were extremely hostile towards each other because of the rivalry between the teams.

Today (Sunday), my roommate Dan and I went to the LSE library, printed our papers after extensive revision and decided to visit the Tate Britain Art Museum. Although we only got to see around half of it before it closed, I was very impressed. This past semester in British literature class, I read a poem entitled "The Lady of Shallott" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It was one of my favorite poems in the class. At the museum, there was a painting by John William Waterhouse that depicts The Lady of shallot on her journey down the river while she freezes to death. The painting really struck a chord in me and really tied in many of themes the poet represented and demonstrated a strong tie between the visual and written arts. I don't think I will ever be so lucky as to have so much culture in one period of my life again. London embodies so much of British culture.

There are a myriad of exciting events to come in the next few weeks. This Friday, two friends and I are going to visit the beautiful English town of Bath. This city hosts traditional Roman Baths and is about 20 minutes from Stonehenge. We return on Sunday and then leave for a 6 day trip to Edinburgh and Glasgow Scotland. The fun never stops on this trip but I am learning so much about myself and the British culture in the process that it seems like a perfect mixture of education and travel.

Culture and Fame

2006-02-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Today I had some very interesting experiences while at work in Parliament. I will start with the cultural differences I encountered while speaking to my researcher Peter and our PA, Philippa. Philippa always asks me if I would care for some coffee or tea and I never care for any because I generally don't drink a lot. So, she says to me "you never really like to drink anything!" So I replied "I just don't need drinks every hour on the hour." In response, she says "so what do you drink at lunch if you don't drink coffee or tea" and I replied "Soda." She got this confused look on her face and said "what's soda?" After about 5 minutes of my jaw laying on the floor I explained to her what it was. Turns out they just call it simply "Coke or Sprite" or "Fizzy Drinks." This made me laugh and really realize how different it can be in another country.

While in conversation today, I noted a few words that people in Great Britain pronounce differently. The first is patent. They say it like pay-tent. Another word is Caribbean. They say carra-bee-in. Where would pronounce it more like carri-be-an. People here say rubbish... Not trash, These are a few of the interesting cultural and linguistic differences I have noticed since I have been here.

On the subject of famous people, I had an interesting experience today. Every Wednesday at 12 noon, the Prime Minister goes to the House of Commons chamber for Prime Minister Question Time (PMQ's). Since I arrived in Britain, it has been my dream to see Tony Blair up close. So, in a desperate attempt to see him, I attempted to get tickets for PMQ's. Too my great disappointment, there was a queue out of the door. I decided to return to my parliamentary office to watch PMQ's on the television. On my way up the escalator into Port Cullis House (the main building for MP's and staff), a security guard yelled for me to come back down. So... I run backwards down the escalator. When I got to the bottom, he thanked me and told me to hang on for a moment. As I am standing there, Tony Blair and his Cabinet come riding down the opposite escalator. I practically crapped my pants. When they reached the bottom, the Prime Minister looked over and raised his eyes in a kind of "hello" kind of gesture. When he was gone, I was given the OK to proceed up the escalator. I will never forget that experience. I was so excited and I am so happy that I am working inside of the British Parliament.

I feel like I am getting sick. I hope this does not materialize into a major sickness!

Bits and Bobs

2006-02-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

At this point in my stay here in Great Britain I have had two weeks at my internship in the British Parliament. I would like to discuss many of the tasks I have at the Parliament and the myriad of differences there are between the US system. I work for Nadine Dorries, a Conservative member of Parliament for the district of Mid Bedfordshire. The office is myself, a research assistant (Peter Hand), a personal assistant (Pippa Rowen), and Nadine. Some of the main tasks I have been assigned are as follows:

- Drafting Press Releases whenever my MP participates in a crucial vote or is in the press
- Drafting, Editing, and Submitting questions to Ministers and Cabinet Members of Parliament
- Updating the website
- Researching issues that interest my MP such as Education, projects in the constituency, and law and order
- Keeping track of a constituency database that contains information on those that voice concerns
- Writing letters to constituents in response to their concerns and informing them of the Conservative Party Position
- Attending select committee meetings to take detailed notes to report back to my MP so she can be up to date on hot
button issues.

Overall, I am very happy with the real work I have received and the tasks I am required to complete. Parliament is such an exciting atmosphere to work in. Everyday I see famous politicians such as Sir Mingus Campbell- the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, Tony Benn- Cabinet member of 4 administrations and the first member to switch from Lord to MP, Simon Hughes- candidate for Liberal Democrat leadership recently involved in scandal, and many other influential ministers, secretaries, and lobbyists.

The British Parliamentary system of government is extremely different than the US Presidential system. First of all, dissent is not tolerated. Members of Parliament (MP's) are elected as a representative of the party. They are supposed to tow the party line when voting and when speaking to the press/constituents. If a member speaks out against the party... they are either replaced or placed on the back bench. This has been shocking to me. In the US, members of the Senate and House of Representatives are often portrayed as heroes if they are brave enough to speak their own opinions and go against the Bush White House or political party. I personally believe this is the way it should be but I fully respect the British system.

One area where I believe the British system is far superior is debating. I have sat in on two sessions of the House of Commons where various MP's and Cabinet members have been forced to answer detailed questions in front of a large body of vocal politicians. Every Wednesday Tony Blair has Prime Ministers Question Time. This is where members of parliament ask him questions on hot button issues and he is required to answer them. This is very difficult and requires various skills; theatrical, linguistic, and political. If George W. Bush were ever forced to address open questions from the Senate, he would certainly make a fool of himself. I really respect this system of accountability that has been set up by the British system of Government.

I look forward to seeing who else I meet and what other aspects of British governance I get to experience.

Now, moving to the subject of school and the differences between the education system in Britain vs. that of the United States. I am studying at the world famous London School of Economics and Political Science. It is truly an honour to study amongst some of the most intelligent minds in the world. As I have embarked on this new journey, I have noticed a plethora of differences when juxtaposing the US to Britain. The US professors definitely spoon feed students more. For example: we have a paper due next week that the professor has never mentioned. It is just assumed that everyone will know by reading the syllabus. Office hours are a must in the UK. In addition, in class, professors often ask students to apply information that was just learned in various models and questions. I enjoy this because it forces me to grasp the material more. However, I do like the US style of making sure all is clear before students complete an assignment and realize they did it wrong. Everyone in my program is worried about the lack of information given on the criteria for the paper and what the professor prefers in terms of writing style, paper and citation format, etc...

Overall, I believe the combination of political and educational experience provided by this program is unprecedented. I don't believe that any individual could ever possibly understand the British system unless they came and lived here for an extended amount of time. Singing off.

Amsterdam

2006-01-30T12:51:00.000-08:00

I am writing this post fresh off a trip to Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Brugge (Belgium). The trip was amazing. We departed London at around 6:45 am, drove 2.5 hours to Dover. Here we were able to view the famous white cliffs that poets such as John Keats have often written about. From Dover, we took a ferry across the English channel to the port of Calais France. From Calais, the tour brought us through Belgium and into Amsterdam. There is so much to say about Amsterdam but I will start by describing the landscape of this beautiful city.

Amsterdam is built on a series of canals that dissect the entire city. The road map looks like a grid that has canals running perpendicular with streets running along the canals and across them. The buildings are extremely old and have oddly shaped roofs that often resemble Christmas trees. Everyone that resides in the city ride bicycles and there is always a bike lane next to the lane for cars. Anyone that makes the conscious decision to drive an automobile, drives a smart car (they are about 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide). The native language is Dutch and it is very weird to hear people speak it. It is sounds like a more throaty version of German (as if you ever thought that was possible).

Here I will outline some of the cultural differences I picked up on. Amsterdam is a city that is known for it's liberal tendencies towards drug use and prostitution. So when I embarked on my journey to Holland, I really wasn't sure what to expect. However, when I arrived I encountered a general public that was extremely friendly and laid back. It was a drastic change from London where although friendly, people are always in a rush and seem concentrated on getting to work and getting out of the city as quick as possible. I would really like for George Bush and all the Americans who believe that Marijuana is a drug that will make you crazy and dysfunctional to take a visit to Amsterdam and to casually take notice that there is a fully functional economy and society that is known for it's low crime and homicide rates. Note that I am condoning the use of drugs, I just think it's quite absurd that government officials have historically gone through such great lengths to prohibit the use of a drug that's less harmless than alcohol or cigarette consumption.

The food in Amsterdam was terrific. It reminded me of a previous trip to rural Strasbourg France on the eastern coast. Crepes, Pastries, and meat are the main fixtures of their diet. I really wish that I could eat food that tasty all day. Some of the sights we saw were the Royal Palace, the National Monument, The Red Light District, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank House. The Van Gogh had the most extensive collection of Van Gogh paintings that I have ever seen. It was unbelievable. The Anne Frank House was very interesting. One of my roommates is Jewish and he had a very strong reaction to the house. The Frank's hid in a two room area about the size of an average family living room with around 6 people for almost 4 years until they were discovered. Standing in the actual room I started to think about how scared a young girl like Anne Frank must have felt when the Germans marched through the streets. The constant fear of being caught and shipped to an execution camp at her young age must have been horrible. To think that she experienced such hatred at such a young age truly disturbed me.

We departed Amsterdam and stopped in Brugge Belgium on our journey back to the ferry. Brugge is a very antiquated medieval town. There is actually a church there that claims to have a vial of Christ's blood. I come from a Catholic family so that is a very big deal to them. Brugge had a totally different feel than Amsterdam. All of the streets were composed of stones and a great deal of the people traveled by horse and carriage. There were numerous quaint little chocolate, pastry, and sandwich shops that had some of the best foods I have ever tasted. I bought world famous Belgian Chocolates for my girlfriend (I don't think there could be a better gift for Valentines Day). Brugge is one of those unknown cities that never gets talked about but I will always remember and recommend to those who get the opportunity to experience it. We returned to London via the English channel and all took naps.

I will never forget my trip to Amsterdam. The culture, food, atmosphere, and beauty of the city hit me in an unprecedented way. The trip increased my excitement for traveling after the program ends. Signing off.

In One Weeks Time...

2006-01-22T21:28:00.002-08:00

Greetings from London! It has been one entire week and I have done so many things. We arrived in London one week ago and made our way to our apartments. The program director for the Hansard Scholars Programme thought we would be arriving later so we were stuck on the street for about an hour. This gave us the opportunity to talk to a few locals and cab drivers. The program has put us up in one of the richest neighborhoods in London; South Kensington. It is mind boggling. It is so rich that there is actually a law in South Kensington/Chelsea that says you cannot be loud after 11 pm. There are 9 of us in our flat. I have two direct roommates who are from Cornell and Marist College. They are great guys. The others are from states such as Washington, South Dakota, and Alabama. We are also paired with 9 graduate students from countries such as Kosovo, Tanzania, Georgia, Argentina, and Czech Republic. This definitely allows for some interesting conversations about politics and culture.

London has so much to offer in terms of sights, foods, and drinks. The culture revolves heavily upon drinking. For instance, we are studying at the world famous London School of Economics. On campus there are 3 bars, and a nightclub. After class it is not unusual for students to go have a pint and chat about issues. There is a central artery through campus that hosts student tables for issues such as Green Peace, Oxfam, and a myriad of other student advocacy groups. In addition, soccer is extremely popular. Today we went to a local pub and watched Manchester United battle their rival team Liverpool. People get really intoxicated and scream at the television. I really enjoyed this atmosphere. It is mindboggling to think that soccer players here are some of the most popular people in the press and get paid millions of pounds every year.

It was hard getting used to the system of currency they use here. They have 1 pound coins, 2 pound coins, and all the rest of the currency we have. They also have 2p coins which I often confuse with 2 pound coins. It is easier to spend money here because we Americans don't value coins.

We met a local named Marty who bought us drinks at a local pub and talked football with us. The tube is a great subway system compared the to the T in Boston. There are electronic signs that tell you when the next train is coming, there is an all night bus system that values tube passes, and the trains are always quiet. That was probably one of the only culture shock elements I experienced. In Britain, the proper role for a person riding the train is to mind their own business and remain silent. The other culture shock element I have experienced is the FOOD. It is bad. I tried the meat pie... believe me... they were right when they said "don't try the meat pie." Bacon is fatty ham, hot dogs are greasy sausage, and they eat such small portions. I think I've discovered why Americans are so overweight. Even portions at fast food chains such as Burger Kind are smaller. Well that is enough for my first entry. I am getting along well with my roommates and having a fabulous time. Tomorrow we are getting our internship placements. Singing off.

Goodbye

2006-01-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is the first of many posts that will be made on this blog. Tomorrow Evening I depart for London England. I will studying at London School of Economics and interning in Parliament. I am extremely excited about this opportunity. This experience will certainly change my life in a myriad of ways and I am completely open to this. High hopes and aspirations are certainly inhabiting my body and mind right now. I will miss all of my friends, family, and loved ones and this will be a test of a lot of things. But I believe I am ready to embark on this journey.

Next stop... London.