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

Pare down and pare some more

The sun is out, the doors are open, there's fresh fruit in the kitchen and... I'm cleaning! I could say the last few months have been an extended exercise in the art of paring down.



Getting rid of things can be a tricky business. Anyone who has packed up to move, whether short or long term, knows what it's like to go through the wardrobe or the bookcases and try to figure out what's necessary to keep, and what can be gotten rid of. When it comes to space limits and the practicality of say, shipping boxes overseas (ahem, cha-ching), the reality of how much I can keep becomes apparent. I've got this to deal with:



And this:



And some more that's hidden in various places around the apartment. An eclectic collection...



There's a bit of (my own and others') artwork, too. One large one I started a few years ago and never quite finished, below. I thought I was being clever with the idea that "nothing is black and white." Commence snicker and eye roll.



My parents are loving and generous and are allowing me to keep a few boxes of things in an out-of-the-way closet in their house while I figure out where the non-essentials like my art books and vinyl records should go. It's the stuff I can't bear to get rid of because it's either very valuable, or special in some way, or sentimental. I also find that I'm entering that grey area of "student life" where I'll have a room in a flat for the next year, but after that year is up, I'll invariably be moving again -- and I haven't the foggiest idea where. It's wonderful that I don't have to give up everything I can't take with me.

Today, on my very first proper day off in weeks, I decided to go through my belongings one last time. I've become a bit of a bibliophile in the last four+ years, having worked as a bookseller at a used bookstore where the treasures were really treasures. I tend to lean in the artsy book collecting direction, which of course tends the bookcase toward a mass of oversized, beautiful, sometimes rare and altogether totally impractical books. Well, maybe not totally impractical. ;) I am bound to be an art historian after all, right? ;)



I've been through these shelves and crates before, culling as I went, but I'm down to the tough decisions, and I think I've finally made them. I'm keeping plenty of really wonderful items, but as for the other things that I may have been holding onto simply because I was accustomed to holding onto them, they're going to the used bookstore to find new homes. Some, like my beloved and ancient Salinger will not last much longer no matter what happens to it, since it's basically in pieces as it is.

  

My cat Porter was kind enough to keep a watchful eye from his overseer's spot on top of the microwave, and I'm happy to be able to spend this beautiful Friday getting some things done (and getting outside a little bit too).






He can be kind of a serious guy. But he may have been frustrated that I hadn't fed him any Fancy Feast yet today. It can make him kind of testy.

Hope everyone has a marvelous weekend!


Days to Edinburgh move-in: 36

Juillet est fou!

What's happening to summer? Where is it gooooinngggg? And why is it so HOT? Thinking of cool, lakeside Glacier NP on steamy days like today...

Wow. The days are flying. And what am I doing? Nothing very picturesque, lamentably. Yet I've been busy. When I returned from my trip to Glacier NP, where I want to be still (hence the photo), I hit a metaphorical wall of shit to do. Pardonnez mon français. Let's be honest: I've been stressed. More than I should be at this stage of the game, but what can you do? So much is going on!

My visa application has been received at the New York processing center. Technology is so amazing these days -- that they can email me to let me know they've received it and when-about to expect the decision. The whole process is a huge pain in the arse (and expensive), but it's streamlined online as much as it can be, and I appreciate that.

Additionally, working two jobs is no small investment of time, especially two distinctly different kinds of jobs. It's not all bad, though. The money is nice. ;) And of course, there's the work experience in my chosen field of art history, however part time, that I can use in the future.

In other news, I've rounded up the vast majority of of my wardrobe into what will be rummage sale-bound in a month from now. Much of it I've priced already. Now it's a matter of going through furniture, kitchenware, home decor, etc. and weeding out all the things I don't want to hold onto until some later date in my fuzzy future. Bahh!

Right. Remember. Calm and cool, Kate, you're moving to the UK. Stop stressing. It's amazing.

For now, I keep an eye on the end of July, when my projects will be concluded at the art museum and I can focus on actually moving. And maybe partying a little ;) So here's to looking forward to August!


Days to Edinburgh move-in: 52