Hi guys! So I've been completely swamped here in London with all my work, but I've had a couple of very cool trips in the last few weeks, and Easter Break is just around the corner and I've got some neat stuff planned, so I figured it was time to resurrect the blog. First on my list is the trip I took to Paris a couple of weeks ago for the International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Mediation Moot (try saying that three times fast). Since I am taking a law class here at LSE, I was able to join LSE's commercial [View Full Entry]

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Hi all! So I realize it's been quite a while since I've updated. School has kept me inundated with work. I cannot say how different the system is here. The amount of reading is incredible, and if you get even a little bit behind it's incredibly difficult to catch up. That being said, the freedom you have on the exam (you usually have to answer three or four questions out of ten) means that if you're not interested in something you don't really need to study it or read about it, because you can just dodge that question on the exam. [View Full Entry]

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So I know I've been rather remiss in updating, but I hadn't been doing too much of interest until Brian arrived on Friday. So pre-Brian, I had my first week of class, which was quite good. The lecturers are just outstanding! I'm absolutely loving my law class (Public International Law). PIL lawyers are so optimistic about international society, and the good that law can do, and the responsibilities of international law for creating a better, more just way for states to interact. It's so idealist, and I just love it. It's too bad most PIL involves working for NGOs/the UN/governments, all [View Full Entry]

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Well, I know I've been a little remiss in the updating department, so here goes. I've done lots of registration type things in the last couple of days, but the real excitement began yesterday. I had my induction into the International History department here at LSE, and then Natisha (a girl from Penn) and I went around the Freshers' Fair, a gathering of all 190 societies from the LSE Student Union as they try and vie for your membership. It costs about a pound to join each society so I signed up for Inns of Court (for those students who want [View Full Entry]

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Well, here I am, arrived at my dorm all safe and sound (although a little worse for the wear). I spent Friday night at my dance teacher's house, which was aboslutely wonderful, and it made me feel much better that Brian wouldn't be able to see me off. Saturday, my teacher and I spent quite a bit of time chatting, doing a little dance, and generally just trying to relax before my long flight. Her husband dropped me off at the train station, where I caught the New Jersey transit train to Newark. It is a miracle that, with the amount [View Full Entry]

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Well, folks, it's time once again for my standard pre-departure entry. I'm currently in Philadelphia, working at the same law firm I worked at over the summer, seeing Brian, earning some money, and getting everything together to go to London School of Economics (henceforth, LSE) for the year. My flight leaves from Newark Saturday night, and I'm very excited (and a little apprehensive). Honestly, though, at this point my biggest fear is that for some reason or another I'll be turned away at the airport. I've gotten my student residency permit, but they still require you to show letters from [View Full Entry]

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Well, Brian and I are finally back, and I've got a few weeks before I have to head back over to Europe to start school at London School of Economics. But before all that happens, I've got a few more pictures of Portugal, this time of Belem. Belem is another "suburb" of Lisbon, and it is from Belem that Vasco da Gama set out for India, returning sometime later with a huge cargo of spices that brought wealth and fame to Portugal. Anyway, here they are, and I'll start posting again when I head off to London. :) [View Full Entry]

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Sorry about the long delay in updating...it's absolute hell to find wireless in Portugal. At any rate, after relaxing in Tarifa, we caught a three-hour bus to Sevilla, where we deposited our bags in our hotel and headed out to poke around. It poured on the bus ride, but it let up a little bit for our walk around our neighborhood. Brian and I both looooved Sevilla. It's extremely beautiful, cosmopolitan and classy. We had tapas for dinner (Tapas in Spain! I've always wanted to have tapas in Spain), and wandered around the area, which was largly pedestrian. There were all [View Full Entry]

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So we boarded our bus for the looooong (it ended up being almost five hours-and that was the express bus) ride to Lagos, on the Algarve Coast of Portugal. We were worried about the weather, since it poured for the first half of the ride, but the closer we got to the Portuguese border, the sunnier it became. We crossed over a spectacular suspension bridge and into Portugal. When we finally arrived at the Lagos bus station, an old man approached us asking if we needed a room. I am pleased to report that I havve discovered that I can understand [View Full Entry]

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So we finally made it to Lisbon yesterday, to scrounge for a hotel and drop our bags for the last time. I hate to say it, but I think we're a little jaded. To us, after two weeks, Lisbon is another atmospheric European town with twisting streets and interesting sights, but nothing out of the ordinary. We are exhausted, and I think we're good on extended travel for a while! We're heading home tomorrow, and I think we're both glad we're at the end of our journey. Yesterday, after another long bus ride, we arrived in Lisbon and dropped off our [View Full Entry]

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