Traveling Tales...

Greetings from Bulgaria! 

I'm on my third day of non-stop traveling for around 10 days. 

I'm going to be attempting to blog throughout these 10 days about what I get up to, so I can avoid tons of entries next week!

For now, follow my adventures on my Instagram account, @kewalpole!

Five on Friday

It's been quite some time since I participated in the blog round up for Five on Friday! Being on spring break, I've been able to structure my time during the week to get prepared to begin regularly blogging, again, and I knew this is something that I wanted to start doing again.

1.  Everyone knows I've had my Starbucks Gold card for years, and I'm coming no where close to never not being a gold member. The other day I was in Target, and I finally found the Starbucks Discoveries for the area! I've picked up the vanilla latte, and I love it! Has anyone else tried these?

2.  I've gotten wanderlust this past week. I'm still home in the States for another week or so before heading back to school for my last term. But, that hasn't stopped me from looking into a trip to Morocco and Hungary before I graduate!

Source

3.  The new lines at Target for spring have gotten me snatching up dresses left and right! I just picked up this gem for an evening with the girls!

Source

4. Did anyone else watch the Scandal season finale last night? I'm still coping with the last five minutes!

5.  And, this is just hilarious for all my fellow Beyonce fans.

Source 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

Spring Break!

As I mentioned in some earlier posts this week, I'm officially on spring break! Five glorious weeks! 

Although, these glorious weeks are going to be spent writing papers and studying. Unlike last year, where my final papers and exams were at the end of May and the beginning of June,  all my papers are due throughout April and the beginning of May.  For example, I'm wrapping up my final paper for my 'Information Systems for the Public Sector' class. My final paper is 100% of my grade...so, excuse me as I wipe the sweat from my brow. 

My other final papers are my policy paper (more on that in a future post), one for my 'Contemporary Issues in Media Policy,' and one for 'US Legislative Politics.'

And, as for exams...well I get to take a break once I write all of these papers. Both of my exams this year are back-to-back days in the middle of June. 

But for now, I'll let you in on a secret...I'll be headed back to America on Monday to work from the comfort of home. There is just something about writing and working from home that sparks my imagination! 

MPA Ball: Round 2

As our spring semester came to a close this past week, it was time for the annual MPA ball! 

Susannah and Me

This year, it was held at the Grand Connaught Rooms with the after-party at Sway. 

The Boys 

The evening included a speech from our Dean, several musical performances by classmates, and incoming/outgoing MPASA board members. 

Plus, there were the token superlatives awarded to my graduating class.

Yours truly won for 'Most Likely to Like your Facebook Post!'

It was a fun evening of dancing and sharing laughs before we all depart on our five week spring break! We've got one more term to go before we are done!

Blog Makeover

If you haven't noticed, my blog got a makeover.

Phew, that was really needed.

I have to thank Aubrey Kinch at Kinch Life for doing such a great job on incorporating what I wanted in the new design.

As you will see, the design is much cleaner and easier to read. The colors are reflective of the old design but are also a breath of fresh air!

I'm so pleased with how it turned out! Thanks again, Aubrey!

Latest Happenings

Over the past week, London has had a wave of spring weather. 

50 degrees, sunny with a few rain clouds, flats, spring jackets...as you can see, you won't find me complaining. London avoided a hard winter, but I'm nevertheless still excited to push the pea coats aside.  

The above photo was taken of my backyard last week on a nice day. And yes, I live along a canal! 

This post isn't going to focus on schoolwork as well...that deserves another post once again. Let's talk about fun activities! 

Last Thursday night, Susannah, Alyssa, and Crystal and I got dinner at the Real Greek in Shepard's Bush before we went and saw Gavin DeGraw. We had standing room only tickets, but we managed to make our way to the front of the crowd. 

Post the concert- which was fabulous and a ton of fun- we met Gavin DeGraw in the pub next door to the theater! Talk about a fun night! And, yes that was the second celebrity encounter in two weeks...

On Friday, I met up with my friend Eleanor who I met via the Smart Girls Group and social media! She's studying abroad this semester,  and she was in London for the weekend! We went to a BRGR.co in Soho to check out their version of "afternoon tea." It was sliders, milkshakes, brownies, and iced tea!

Mini Milkshakes!

Twist on Afternoon Tea 

Friday evening, LSE hosted a "trial" on the baby boomers! I served as one of the members of Generation Y on the jury. The event took place over the course of two hours with evidence from witnesses, opening and closing statements, academics playing the judge/clerk, and the jury actually deliberating. Without going into the whole case, we the jury did find the baby boomers non-guilty on all the various charges! 

Finally, this past weekend, I really explored more of my neighborhood- something that I often don't get to do! On Saturday, my friend, Chelsea, and I took a graffiti class at a gallery on Portobello. While I am no Banksy, I did make this lovely creation: 

Graffiti Class Accomplishment  

 The real Banksy? 

On Sunday, I met up with a few friends to check out the Rum Kitchen! I've been wanting to try it for sometime...and before a capstone meeting, a drink was a must! After all, it is my birthday month!

How was your weekend? Did you try anything new in your neighborhood? 

A Whole Lot of Work...

My last post was 10 days ago. 

I have finally finished the last assignment in what could be called a midterm period at LSE. Except...none of my essays, presentations, or assignments in the last two weeks were graded. They are all formative assignments. So, I'll get feedback in terms of writing, preparation for the final summative papers, and general comments of my understanding of the course load. But, let's just say...phew! I'm tired!

Last week, I had a paper due in my media policy class. I wrote a short analysis about the increasing access to broadband in the United States and how educational policies aimed at teachers in secondary schools needs to change. It was actually a lot more interesting that I thought it would be! It might be a topic for my final essay. I also had a paper due in my US legislative politics class last week. That one was about the electoral connection! 

This week...I had an outline due for my final paper in my information systems for the public sector class. I'm writing on the organizational structures of two different web councils in the US federal agency structure and how those organizations effect the delivery of digital services to citizens. The graded essay is due in April (bit early), so I'm looking forward to getting that feedback right away! 

And, tomorrow, I have a presentation about the deliberation process in Congress for my US legislative politics class. 

Can we say "Katie needs coffee?" 

If you're wondering how everything else is going at school...

Our capstone project final presentation has been set for March 18th. It's the day after my birthday, so double the celebrations! We're aiming to have the entire 15,000 word report written by the end of this weekend. 

As for my policy paper, I changed my topic and focus, but I like my new idea much better. Plus, I think it will be much more feasible to write about. 

LSE is pushing me to the extreme, again. But, I am still glad that I chose the rigor of my program and the school. I know it's all going to be worth it once I finish in a few months!

Last Course Registration….ever?

This morning, I registered for my final courses at LSE. Weird, huh?

Even weirder? It could also be the last time I ever register for courses!

During my first year at LSE, as you may recall, there were no option courses. All first-year students have to take the same three requirements in addition to the stream requirement. All my units were clearly selected for me! This year, minus the two main requirements, I've gotten to choose what I've wanted to take. And, since last semester, I was interning, I waited for this term for the majority of my units to balance out a workload.

This term, I'm taking:

MPA Capstone: My group will be completing our project with G4S this term!

MPA Policy Paper: Started last term, but my final policy paper will be submitted.

GV4C4: US Legislative Politics 

GY439: Cities, Politics, and Citizenship 

GV477: Comparative Public Policy Change

IS479: Information Systems for the Public Sector: Digital Government and Service Innovation

It's going to be another long semester of reading, late hours, and tons of coffee. But, I'm up for the challenge. I'm excited to finish out my final two terms strong!

Jammed Recap

The end of another semester results in a constant flurry of events, extra coffee, and a lack of sleep. I'm adding a lack of consistent blog posts to this list as well.  In this post, I'm trying to essentially recap a bunch of things I've been doing on and off over the past two weeks in order to be back in the present!

About two weeks ago, I heard Alec Ross (@AlecJRoss) speak at LSE on power in the information age. Alec Ross formerly worked on the Obama 2008 campaign and was Senior Advisor on Innovation for Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State. 

I've had  a  bunch of Pi Phi Alumnae events and meet ups over the past few weeks as well. One was a farewell as my friend, Michelle, and her family moved back to the States. Michelle was the first Pi Phi that I met in the UK. She and I met randomly on the streets of London near Holborn in 2010, and from there, we both found out we were Pi Phis! 

Michelle and me

The Pi Phi Alumnae Club also hosted a small Thanksgiving potluck the weekend after turkey day!

Other events over the past few weeks included the MPASA pub quiz (2nd place team!), a UK Panhellenic Alumnae Club Luncheon, a few holiday parties, enjoying the West End, and plenty of Christmas themed treks around London! 

1st Winter Wonderland Trip of the Year

Sorry again for the lengthy catch-up post! More frequent posts are coming to an blog reader/email inbox soon!

One Week Later

US Embassy in London

I will  have officially been back in London a week tomorrow morning. It's crazy that even a week flies by this quickly anymore. 

I mentioned in my post earlier this week that on Thursday we'd be having our introductory sessions for the second year. Thursday started off rainy (of course), but I got to collect my loan check for the term. It's the little things of feeling slightly richer and poorer at the same time.  

The second year sessions began with our Dean giving us an oversight on some changes to the program.  Following that, besides being reunited with so many of my friends in my program, we had an introductory class to a half-unit course we are required to take this year. It deals with power, organizations, and leadership. It's taught by the "father" of the MPA program, so I'm looking forward to this one! 

The afternoon and early evening of Thursday was spent listening to the various capstone projects that we could choose from for the year. Essentially, there are numerous government departments (UK), non-profits, world organizations, and non-profits that we can choose from. Each capstone group contains between three and five people doing research, preparing reports, etc.  I submitted my preferences today, and we get to find out our projects/group this week! 

And, we also finally registered for courses. Sadly, in all my years of higher education, I was shut out of a class I wanted to take completely. I wanted to take a media and politics course as an option this year. It's not even offered until the Spring, but despite registering for it, I've been shut out and put on a very long waiting list. But don't worry, I registered for two others that will be my options to take in the Spring! 

We officially start classes this week. As for my schedule, besides interning and capstone group projects, I only have class two days a week! 

More on my weekend adventure including the boat party to come!

Summer is Over?

Summer vacation is technically over today. I know, I know...I don't resume grad school until this week with classes starting the week after. Yet, tomorrow, I leave to head back to London and start my new internship on Tuesday!

Can you believe how the time has flow? I feel as if I was literally just complaining about taking exams and studying for six weeks followed by complaining about waiting for exam results. How could that have been several months ago, already? 

Spending the summer essentially relaxing and being mentally and physically prepared for another year was the best medicine.  Of course, I worked remotely, but being able to sit down and watch television (something, I rarely do) was a great way to just not do the norm.  And, getting to spend time with my parents and the  animals was key to my relaxation as well. 

Until the next time which will be from the other side of the pond, enjoy your weekend!

Five on Friday!

The weeks fly by so quickly anymore, don't they?

This was my last full week at home as next weekend I fly back to London to begin my second year of graduate school. It's crazy how the summer has flown by! More on that later though...let's get to my Friday favorites! Some of these are actual things while the rest are just moments that I'm loving reflecting on this week!

  

1. Can we talk about the Newsroom Season Finale? I was surprisingly pleased with the way Sorkin wrote this season finale. I'm used to his writing style from the West Wing, and I am so happy he let the characters play out....the way that I think most viewers were hoping for!

2. Fall Television Shows are coming back! I know I posted last week about the sneak peak of the season premiere of the Mindy Project. The season premiere of New Girl was on this past Tuesday. What fall shows are you loving? 

3. This is sort of a thank you one. I'm loving and appreciating the numerous comments I've received from so many numerous readers of my blog this week!

4. For those of you who don't know, I'm an avid fan of Yelp. I achieved Elite status earlier this year based on my reviews. Anyways, I received the weekly email this week for London which was all about my neighborhood, and one of my tips was included! Some might view it as silly, but I'm hopeful that even if one person can grab a tip of of what to do at Portobello Road based off my experiences, I'm happy! And for the other tips in the email for my neighborhood, I've put those on my list to check out.

5. And, last but not least...I'm super excited to get to know the incoming class in my Master's program.  It's hard to believe that it has been officially one year since I registered, attended orientation, and started math camp.  The incoming class attends registration today, and I've been emailing my first-year buddy with tips and answers to her questions. Let's just say that the MPA program rocks! 

Primark Autumn/Winter Collection 2013

A few days ago, Marie Claire UK tweeted about Primark's Autumn/Winter 2013 collection.

Clicking on the link, I expected a small sampling into what the collection would be for the season. Surprisingly, the slide show was 150 photos deep. 

For those of you who are not familiar with Primark, it is a retail department store in the United Kingdom. Often associated with high streets, it provides clothing to women, men, children, and also offers housewares. Fashion trends come and go, but Primark provides an alternative way to introduce a trendy piece or two with avoiding depleting your bank account. 

When I initially lived in England in 2010, I shopped into Primark once. I was frightened. It's often crowded and reminds you of the end of the world. Yes, that description just happened.

Yet, you can't beat Primark. Moving back last year, Primark became a destination to find some cheap housewares. 

During a venture for housewares, I stopped in to browse the large women's section. Let's just say that I left with a bag full of new clothes and a new appreciation towards a store that I used to be cautious and  well, frightened of.   Of course, I do recommend using noise canceling headphones during a shopping visit.  But, we can come back to shopping tips at Primark in a future post.

Back to the 2013 collection preview, I kept flipping through the slideshow very impressed with this season's trends they are offering as well as what appears to be higher quality merchandise in some respects. I'm going to have make a trip to either the Oxford Street or Tottenham Court Road location in my first week back in October. 

Here are some of my favorites that have landed on my fall fashion wish list: 

(Note, that I do not own these photos)

You can check out more of the collection here: Primark Autumn/Winter Collection 2013 Video

What piece is your favorite? What has been your experience with Primark? 

Noticing Some Changes?

If you haven't seen them yet, I'm slowly making some changes to this blog.

A Changed Title? Imported Old Posts from Previous Blogs? New Photos?

Yes to all of them!

As I begin my last year of grad school, I want to be able to keep this blog active post graduation next June. The name change to "Wandering Walpole" will allow me to keep posting. Besides, I've been posting way too much lately about matters not concerning England. Flexibility is my goal!

(Note, the URL has not officially changed, yet!)

You may also notice in the archives that I have imported my two prior blogs: "Katie Lives Simply" and  "The Other Side of the Pond."  The first was a blog that I kept during undergrad at Syracuse for a period of a few years. And, the second is the blog I kept during the four months I studied abroad in London during undergrad! 

A lot of the renovations on the blog is still in progress, so get ready for some big changes in the next few months!

Summer Obsession: Coursera

I discovered Coursera in my last few months at Syracuse. The idea of massive open online courses or MOOCs as they have started to be referred to is a trend that has really taken off. The number of courses that are now available from leading institutions such as Stanford or University of Pennsylvania on the website is insane.  The other day I was browsing courses, and within a week, there were new ones posted.

So, being the person that I am, this summer I decided to take a few of the courses. The courses are free as they are MOOCs, and if you do well enough, you receive a certificate of accomplishment. 

Yes, the underlying theme of this post is that I am in fact a huge nerd. 

My friend, Brett, and I are taking Maps and the Geospatial Revolution together. It's only been a week into the course, but it actually overlaps with some of the interests I have in the world of social media. It has given me a few laughs, and reminds me of the West Wing episode dealing with maps.

As for the other courses that I am considering taking this summer?

-Disaster Preparedness

-Big Data in Education 

-Securing Digital Democracy

I'm sure I will dabble into a few other courses and check them out as well. 

Have you ever taken a MOOC? How was your experience? 

Check out my latest article!

Brief Discussion of the Latest Civic Engagement Reports

Week Recap

Since my last post where I fully admitted to academic purgatory, I tried to add more fun activities back into my life. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy my coursework as I have mentioned numerous time. And, I love learning. It's just that cramming 20 weeks into my brain is not something I enjoy. 

On Tuesday, I attended a Local Levo League event. It was held in one of the buildings that was used in Skyfall. And, the view from the office spaces that we were in...was truly amazing! The evening was spent around asking for more. Specifically, we focused in how to approach situations of seeking more responsibility in the workplace as well as approaching the task of asking for a salary raise.  It was truly a great evening, and  I know the knowledge will be helpful in the coming years. Plus, I was able to catch up with so many amazing women that I know call my friends.

Building used in Skyfall

View from the Levo League Event

Wednesday evening, we had a sorority alumnae club event. I cannot recall if I mentioned, but I am now the Vice President of Event Planning for the Pi Beta Phi UK Alumane Club. I had organized the Founder's Day event in April, but I was in Scotland, so I didn't attend. The event this week was a Wine & Silver Spoons Potluck complete with a Cookie Shine. For my Pi Phi readers, I had been in desperate need of a cookie shine! 

Cookie Shine

Members of the Exec Board

And, on Thursday, I got to attend the public event at LSE with Jared Cohen and Eric Schmidt. It has to be the best public event that I have been to at LSE so far! I got there early and wound up in the front row. Despite having a ticket, LSE events fill up quickly. I had to get there an hour early! But, it was worth the wait! Truly inspiring talk about digital media, the Internet, the future capabilities, and the ideas of the changing world landscape. 

Jared Cohen and Eric Schmidt!

I'm off to go do some economics revision and laundry before a night out with a friend leaving for the summer! Stay tuned!

It's been a bit busy...

Life gets crazy!

I traveled two weekends straight, took a day trip last weekend, and I am headed away again this weekend. Take all of that travel and sightseeing, and merge it with two insane weeks of homework, essays, and internships.  I've become a bit tired, but in a good way.

I think this is one of the challenges of grad school. Time management. A simple concept. One that I thought I had mastered over my four years at Syracuse. Yet, grad school changes all of that. Specifically, balancing the intense workload of grad school in a combination of a social life, sleep, and travel is hard to do. But, this is what I wanted. More and more, I am thankful and happy that I decided to attend grad school at the LSE for the myriad of opportunities that I have had.

Term ends in three weeks, and then it is a month of traveling. Stay tuned for more updates! 

Lent Term Begins!

Ahhhhh...the smell of a new semester! 

Or, term as they call it over here.

Lent Term officially begins today. While my schedule and courses stay the same for the semester, I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine. My day consists of my usual four hours of econometrics for Monday, but I'm actually really looking forward to dealing with STATA and problem sets today!  

One change that I will see with my courses this semester is that my economics class will begin to focus on macroeconomics until final exams. As for everything else, I will be interning with the internship that I landed at the start of the Michalmas Term. It was delayed starting, but I'm looking forward to having a few other things in my life besides math and game theory!

If you will excuse me now, I need to get coffee and get to work!

Michaelmas Term Begins!

Today was the official start of the Michaelmas Term. Yes, that fancy phrase does simply mean the fall semester! And, if you are wondering, the spring semester is denoted as the Lent term, and unfortunately, the summer term does not get a special name. Anyways, while real classes do not start until Monday, today marked the start of the term. It also was a very lucky day for me as well as a day filled with academia.

To start with, I registered for courses this morning. While I had to pre-select the three I had to take, I got  to finally decide what option to take. I am waiting to hear back if I am selected into the course, but if I am, I have quite a lot of free time! We were able to choose our seminars (discussion classes). Couple of weird sentences written here, but I'll do a whole post on classes once they start!

My loan was also released today. LSE officially was able to draw down my first loan check. I won't get it until next week, but at least I can almost finally say I have the money that I will owe for the rest of my life.

Ticket for Kofi Annan

The first part of my lucky day was clearly those two different results.  But, I also landed an internship today! It will be a paid internship that I had the interview for earlier this week. I'll post more specifics on it later since it is actually quite a new position, and it is still somewhat being developed. I start Monday with an introduction session with the rest of the intern class. Looking forward to it!

Kofi Annan

LSE is well-known for having exceptional guest speakers on campus. Today was no different. I had been able to secure a ticket to see Kofi Annan last week, and today he spoke about his new book, Interventions. As I got in line about an hour early (tickets are not guaranteed seats-first come, first ticket served), bought his book, and began to begin to live-tweet his talk, I couldn't help but think that this was an amazing first day to start the term. It reminded me again of how happy I am that I decided to attend LSE. Impeccable opportunities to hear from people who have inspired me (or, maybe I've disagreed with some positions). It's academia at it's finest. There is a reason I choose to come to the best social science institution in the world.

At the end of his talk, I was able to meet him quickly during the book signing.

Signed copy

Signing books

 Following the talk by Kofi Annan, I studied for a bit, but then it was time for my second public event of the day.  The Minister of the Economy and Competitiveness for Spain, Luis de Guindos, was given a talk on the Spanish Economic Policy strategy. Having only learned a bit about the Spanish economic woes from prior classes and what I've read in the news, I decided to go to this event. I requested my ticket last minute, and was thankfully allotted one. While much of the presentation that he presented dealt with a lot of graphs (using those math principles already), a lot of it was information that is often overlooked or underrepresented in reports about the Spanish economy.

Luis de Guindos

The highlight of the event clearly came when the questions were asked by the public. I had somewhat predicted that this event could get of hand with all of the security and the current economic woes. As he was responding to a question given the current day decision by the ECB, a woman interrupted the room with a very loud question. She was followed by two others yelling that Spain is for Sale. None of them were escorted out of the room despite the somewhat five minutes of tension. Throughout the rest of his question and answer period they continued shouting remarks as well as many others.

You can read more about the event here: "Spain Does Not Need a Bailout." 

Sorry that this post is fairly short, but I have my pre-semester math course test tomorrow! Even though it's not graded, I want to make a good showing. Stay tuned for more posts--lots of catch-up posts planned!