(no subject)
So far London has been exhilarating, but I am still uncertain how the rest of the year will pan out. Before I left I took the GRE, and although I did well, in my following relief I failed to adequately prepare for my journey. The flight over was pleasant enough and I would later learn that at least two people on my flight were also going to LSE.
I am not sure how effective my sense of humour is across the cultural divide. In several conversations my remarks have failed. Despite these setbacks, I have been accumulating a diverse array of potential friends. Although I don’t know how social I plan to be in the weeks to come, I am making an effort now while the networks are plastic. Last night was a large student union event, which was remarkable for a series of reasons. Student Unions in the UK are pretty incredible, I think mostly because they are so powerful. It is reassuring to know that they will bail me out of jail at the airport. Also I am getting adjusted to the new institutional attitudes towards drinking in the UK. There are pretty fun bars both in the LSE and in my hall, which is a convenient state of affairs. As I was wandering around the student union event, I would meet people who, as I would discover through a conversation impeded by large amounts of ambient noise, were specializing in analytic philosophy of science. This makes me very excited about the rest of the year, if my sampling is an accurate representative of the student body as a whole.
My current residence is a single and temporary, I move into a double with an as-yet-unknown room mate this Friday. I’ll try and room with a Swedish fellow who considers himself a member of the Austrian school of economics. Another fellow from Germany on my floor has argued with me about the merits of Keynes, showing his preference for Hayek. In many ways I feel like I am holding discussions with strange European Thomas’ of two years ago.
I have found myself associating with a group of freshers, which I am as well, who are mostly 18. They are all very friendly and funny, in addition to talking in a silly way, but I am not sure if I will go out as much as they plan to for the rest of the year. I feel old, in a strange sort of way. This might be because classes start next week, and I am planning for much blood. Instead of getting a job or working out, it is likely I will spend a large portion of my free time sitting in on philosophy and mathematics lectures. This is probably because I am unbalanced person, and these departments happen to have just the right specializations; philosophy of science and discrete mathematics will be my downfall. The library here is pretty amazing.
There also has been a large amount of bureaucratic obligations, which I have been only a partially successful at tackling. I really should be more certain that my financial situation is satisfactory, but I can’t be bothered. There is also a rivalry between LSE and other university of London schools, which has made for some silly encounters. The first night as I was walking around with others some old fellow came by and loudly stuck his tongue out at all of us. I am trying to separate the personal idiosyncrasies of those I meet from the general culture, and I would pity those who tried to figure out what Americans are like based off of my behaviour.
I will try and update regularly, and I hope everything is going well back in the states.
I am not sure how effective my sense of humour is across the cultural divide. In several conversations my remarks have failed. Despite these setbacks, I have been accumulating a diverse array of potential friends. Although I don’t know how social I plan to be in the weeks to come, I am making an effort now while the networks are plastic. Last night was a large student union event, which was remarkable for a series of reasons. Student Unions in the UK are pretty incredible, I think mostly because they are so powerful. It is reassuring to know that they will bail me out of jail at the airport. Also I am getting adjusted to the new institutional attitudes towards drinking in the UK. There are pretty fun bars both in the LSE and in my hall, which is a convenient state of affairs. As I was wandering around the student union event, I would meet people who, as I would discover through a conversation impeded by large amounts of ambient noise, were specializing in analytic philosophy of science. This makes me very excited about the rest of the year, if my sampling is an accurate representative of the student body as a whole.
My current residence is a single and temporary, I move into a double with an as-yet-unknown room mate this Friday. I’ll try and room with a Swedish fellow who considers himself a member of the Austrian school of economics. Another fellow from Germany on my floor has argued with me about the merits of Keynes, showing his preference for Hayek. In many ways I feel like I am holding discussions with strange European Thomas’ of two years ago.
I have found myself associating with a group of freshers, which I am as well, who are mostly 18. They are all very friendly and funny, in addition to talking in a silly way, but I am not sure if I will go out as much as they plan to for the rest of the year. I feel old, in a strange sort of way. This might be because classes start next week, and I am planning for much blood. Instead of getting a job or working out, it is likely I will spend a large portion of my free time sitting in on philosophy and mathematics lectures. This is probably because I am unbalanced person, and these departments happen to have just the right specializations; philosophy of science and discrete mathematics will be my downfall. The library here is pretty amazing.
There also has been a large amount of bureaucratic obligations, which I have been only a partially successful at tackling. I really should be more certain that my financial situation is satisfactory, but I can’t be bothered. There is also a rivalry between LSE and other university of London schools, which has made for some silly encounters. The first night as I was walking around with others some old fellow came by and loudly stuck his tongue out at all of us. I am trying to separate the personal idiosyncrasies of those I meet from the general culture, and I would pity those who tried to figure out what Americans are like based off of my behaviour.
I will try and update regularly, and I hope everything is going well back in the states.