Get back to work!

Well, well, well... my second/final term of classes begins today! I arrived back in Edinburgh last night and slept for almost thirteen hours after (miraculously) unpacking and cleaning up a little. One should never underestimate the joy upon seeing a made-up bed when arriving home from a long flight. I'm so glad my mom taught me to make my bed (most of the time, but especially before trips)! I might be fighting a bit of jet lag and residual stress from all the goings-on during my visit home, and I feel like Monday sort of didn't exist at all, but all is well and I'm ready to jump back into a routine and whatever comes next. 

This week is busy, and they'll only get busier. I might not be as present here as I have been the last few weeks--I had so much more time! But I'll try to keep posting as much as possible. This blog and all of your lovely comments keep me grounded, and that's something I can't understate. It's surprised me a little bit how much blogging, even when I feel like I 'can't be bothered,' really helps me get through--whether it's just a long day, or a heavy school workload, or stressful times, or long layovers in airports--you name it. Even if it means posting a picture of a cute kitty or a bright blue sky to make myself feel better about this thing or that, the point is that I do feel better when I blog. And on the flipside, it's so amazing to blog about things I see and learn that I thoroughly enjoy -- being able to share it is just the coolest. And I love hearing from you all. :) So thanks!

Cheers,

Kate xx

(By the way, that's England through a very scruffy window yesterday morning!)

Remember, remember...

Remember, remember the 5th of November. So the saying goes, and it is indeed Guy Fawkes Day/Night... also known as Bonfire Night. Tonight there's to be a big fireworks display at Meadowbank Stadium, and although I'm probably not going to go into the stadium, I may traipse around outdoors (weather permitting) to see if there's a spot to catch them from.

November is also Crunch Time. I feel it deserves capitalization because, as of yesterday, my first essay is due in one month. It so happens that I just wrote the first page yesterday, and although I would like to call that a coincidence, it was more a result of sudden panic. (When was the last time I even wrote a research paper? I don't know.)

My classes also finish up at the end of this month. (This seems awfully quick.) I believe my internship will probably continue more or less through the break, or as time allows, but I think it's good to spread it out. Where that's concerned, I have no set routine at all (yet), but plenty of work to do (eventually). But the overall routine of this semester has been, well... almost nonexistent.

Differences I've experienced in the academic setup alone are vast and varied -- more than I expected, and not necessarily bad. Just different. For a 12 month program, it has not been nearly as demanding as I presumed, but perhaps that says something about my previous experience at university, or about my workload prior to returning to school, or... I don't know what. But having two classes that meet 11 times apiece, once per week for an hour or two, and one graded essay at the end for each, plus an internship... I mean, I kind of chuckled along when a friend of mine at home went, "That's it? You do that for two semesters, then write a 15,000 word paper, and you get a Masters degree?"

"Well... yes."

I'm well enough into the year (but it's only been about two months, amazingly) to know that my work load next semester will be tougher than this one. That's probably good, seeing that I hadn't been in school for several years and now have sort of been eased back in, as it were. My conscience is constantly reprimanding me for not taking it seriously enough--for not reading and taking notes and writing for four or five hours every day. There are days when I feel like all I do is grab a cup of coffee, wander around, take pictures, go to a gallery or two. Of course there are other days where I hole up in a corner at a coffee shop for a few hours with my laptop and academic journal articles, highlighter at the ready, and pore over whatever it is I'm supposed to be poring over. Those are the days I'm reminded that I'm a student, so it goes both ways.

We also had a "reading week," which was essentially a week off halfway through the semester in order to, well... read. And organize. Or something like that. A lot of people went on trips (myself included), but then in addition to this week off, there was a strike by three university unions against a pay freeze for staff, so my fullest day of class last week was entirely cancelled. As an undergraduate I would have rejoiced at the opportunity for a day off... right now, I'm irritated that I haven't had a proper class in two and a half weeks.

Tomorrow, and there is no complaint here: my Medieval and Renaissance Scottish Architecture class is headed to St. Andrew's for the afternoon. BOOM. Just love it.

So the beginning of November marks a point where academics take precedence. I might not be posting quite as much on the blog while I (attempt to) hunker down and do some real work, but I'll keep the updates coming as much as possible!



Photos are from yesterday afternoon as the sun began to set. The view is from my kitchen, overlooking New Town, the Firth of Forth and the hills of the Kingdom of Fife! One of my favorite times of day, even if it is coming a bit earlier these days... ;)

Cheers!
Kate x

Pack it up, pack it in

Somehow, this photo makes this look a lot more contained than it feels!

With only three days until departure (!!!) the stress of packing and cleaning (ie. moving -- I'm sure there are those of you who know this well) has slightly eclipsed the excitement, but I'm ticking things off my seemingly monumental to-do list and getting down to the nitty gritty. And some of the stuff on that list is fun! Like a haircut tomorrow (nothing serious, just a trim), and a belated farewell dinner at one of the best restaurants in the area (from the museum), and probably at least one more get-together with at least one, if not more, of my favorite people. Laundry is getting laundered! Skype is installed! Bags are getting packed! Belongings are (mostly) boxed! My cat is freaking out!

It's all coming together. ;)

I'm currently without a phone that takes decent photos, or an iPod that takes photos at all--so Instagram is on hold until I get my iPhone up and running in Scotland. But until then... I hope you'll keep track of whatever updates I can muster via the Artsy Abroad Facebook page and I simply cannot wait to do my first posts from Edinburgh!

Cheers!
Kate x


Days to Edinburgh move-in: 4 (so close I can taste it)

Packers and a postgrad

I'm within two weeks until departure (13 days!) and firmly in the get-it-in-before-I-go phase. Hanging out with various people, stopping into particular restaurants, taking certain trips, and--going to a Packer game! Preseason, but still. It's Lambeau! It wasn't something I planned, but I haven't been to a game in a couple of years and the tickets were complements of my grandparents -- and club seats! Can't really turn that down. The only downside being that a can of beer costs almost $10. ;) At least it's damn good beer.



I was raised twenty minutes from Green Bay, so it's really no contest when it comes to where my football loyalty lies. Every season there's usually a game or two that I have the option of going to see, but it's been a while. So I'm happy to get a game in before I left, even if we lost big time. :(



Can't go wrong with that view... brand new stadium addition and all.

Anyway. It's not like me to go on about football, so... I won't. The Predator is about all you need to know. ;)

_._._._


As for the next couple of weeks, and what comes next: wow. Are big changes afoot or what? It's finally starting to sink in that I'll be moving abroad for a year at the very least, with no clear idea of what comes after that. But this next year will undoubtedly reveal a lot about where I'm headed, and get me on that journey. I don't particularly have one place I aspire to end up, or one thing I must do... I view my career and schooling as a series of little islands I get to hop to -- kind of like life. Here and there, for this and that. Whatever makes me happy is about where the ball stops! ;)

I've started receiving notifications of meetings and welcome events to the Edinburgh College of Art (or ECA). The week before classes begin is known as "Freshers Week" in UK parlance, but in the States is what I've always known as "freshman orientation," ie. chock full of activities, picnics, outings and getting-to-know-you events. But in my case, and other postgrads (another US-UK difference: I'm a postgraduate student, not a graduate student) mostly an opportunity to meet up for various ECA events and to prepare as much as possible for the upcoming year.

My official program title is the MSc History of Art, Theory and Display. I've chosen a few classes that I'm interested in taking, so my schedule tentatively looks like this:

Semester One:
Research Theories and Methods
Scottish Medieval and Renaissance Architecture
Internship

Semester Two:
The Cultures and Politics of Display
Rome Across Time and Space: Visual Culture and Cultural Exchanges c. 300-1300
Internship

Summer term:
Plenty of dissertation-ing

Something that I had to consider when choosing this program was whether I wanted to pursue a taught masters or a research masters. The distinction doesn't exist in quite the same way in American universities, but a taught masters degree functions similarly to an undergraduate degree where one attends classes and is assessed by group projects and a dissertation. A masters by research is one that is more independent and sets one up on a clear path to the PhD--usually with a more specific focus and independent academic approach.

Since I'm not quite sure that a PhD is the path I'd like to pursue immediately, I wanted to take a somewhat general course to get not only an opportunity for research, but vocational experience as well, through the internship opportunity. I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a straight-up academic/scholar, so the value of that vocational aspect can't be overrated. I look forward to seeing what kind of opportunities this year presents!


Days to Edinburgh move-in: 14

A little of this, a little of that

My attention has been pulled in various directions today--my first proper nothing-needs-doing day off in weeks--starting with a lovely little message in my Edinburgh mailbox about setting up my student email and welcome booklets! Nothing gets me more amped than reading about the logistics and the practicalities of life in a new city. I know, I know, it sounds like it should be the opposite, right? Finding out where the closest grocery stores are, how to open a bank account, what the most affordable public transportation is, who will meet me at the airport and so on... it's all rather boring in and of itself. But when you're talking something like Edinburgh (or throw in anywhere from San Francisco to Tokyo to the two two hours away from you that you've always wanted to live in), even the little things sound like great fun.

At least to me. ;)

My youngest sister made from-scratch pancakes for my mom and I this morning, meanwhile discussing other logistics and practicalities -- the kind pertaining to camping in less than a week! So looking forward to my sibling road trip to Montana. We leave next Saturday!

And then, to top it off, after a quick trip to the store for dinner items and things like Off Deep Woods bug spray, I got home and popped in a CD I've been listening to constantly for the last couple of days. An odd choice, but so it is: Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Wasps performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. One of my favorite classical tunes is "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" and second up is "The Lark Ascending." Kind of chill-yet-exciting classical stuff, very English, and just what I happen to be into today.

And on an English note, my other purchase of note from yesterday:

Great Houses of London by James Stourton, photographed by Fritz von der Schulenburg, and published by Frances Lincoln. It's an amazing, gorgeous book. It's no secret I'm a self-proclaimed Anglophile (it just happened), and although I don't usually find it necessary to own architecture and interior photography books (I love to look at them, but usually can't justify their cost) this one just drew me in. I just wanted to be in every single image. I want to visit all of these houses. I want to be in London right. now.

I want to be a lot of places right now, it seems. It's this summer, the weather, the plans and determination to go somewhere very soon. It all adds up. I've got the travel bug, full force! And of course I can't wait to share all that comes next.

Days to Edinburgh move-in: 76

The left and the right...

(photo)

As I checked my email today and learned, disappointingly, that I was not chosen for one of the three major scholarships I applied to for my year at the University of Edinburgh, I realized that I have plenty of reasons to be anxious as well as excited about the upcoming school year.

My mind is made up; I'm going. I made that decision well over a year ago, but now, as we get into summer with a little over three months to departure, I'm getting that sort of anxious, curdled feeling that comes with worries and woes about money and "the future" and "my path." My right and left brain are constantly at odds: one part of me wants everything planned out ad infinitum, and the other part of me prefers to go with the flow.

I suppose there's always going to be anxiety about making any kind of life-altering decision. This masters program only takes one calendar year, which my left brain is really happy to know is totally regimented and planned, but the material point is that once I've done it, I can't really go back to the way things were/are. Student debt is a killer. And I have a hard time not picturing a giant black hole of life/career uncertainty after I graduate. My left brain wants to make sure I have a fallback plan; my right brain is sure something will work out as long as I'm smart about my choices and work my hardest. Both are probably correct.

I'm awaiting word on two more major scholarships, and one other smaller external one. Crossing fingers, but money isn't everything. If it was, I'd not have chosen to be an art historian!

Four months and counting.

The inaugural blog post!

As the title implies, I intend this blog to be artsy, and, indeed, to go abroad. I thought I'd start now, to get a grasp on things as they happen before I actually hop on the plane.

What's so artsy about it, and where are you even going?

Here's the low-down: Starting this September, I'm going to Scotland, to the University of Edinburgh-Edinburgh College of Art for an MSc in the History of Art, Theory and Display. I think that pretty much covers the whole artsy + abroad thing, however I want to take it a little further than the obvious. This is, for all intents and purposes, going to be a way to keep my friends and family updated while I'm away (in addition to my obsessive-almost-maddening presence on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram). But it is also going to be a little bit more than that.

My previous blog, Little Red Fish Little Fish Red is/was a nice experiment in blogging. However, it was random and usually directionless, and had its good days and its long swaths of nothingness. I hope to be more consistent with this blog, as it has more of a focus. Be warned that I use the term 'focus' loosely. I'd like to see this become a travel-history-art-experience-food-style-lifestyle blog. What, I'm focused!

As an art history masters student, I'll be attending (maybe even working?) arts functions and visiting museums and galleries and architectural treasures and so on and so forth... It's going to be amazing. But I'm also going to be in a city I've never been to before. Edinburgh has festivals galore throughout the year, countless pubs, cafes and restaurants, and plenty of museums, parks and landmarks to fill up a year, and then some. Not to mention the student life!!

So, first, a little reality check: I'll be leaving in almost exactly four months. Let the countdown (and the preparations) begin!