Some tips for the Emerald Aisle

Upon leaving I have two pieces of advice. One came from Shane, who expressed upon me the importance that I come back to see the Irish countryside. Only about 1millio of Ireland 4 million live in Dublin so the heart of Ireland really is its countryside. This wasn’t new to me. The beauty of the rolling Irish countryside was famous, the subject of many a poem or song. Apparently, you haven’t really seen Ireland unless you’ve been to Galway, Limerick and County Clare.

The other I learned from myself. Ireland is expensive. I don’t know if it’s because it has a strong economy, a small population or because it’s an island, but it’s not for the skint. A pint costs €5.90 and dinner cost €10 for a main dish. We cooked dinner together Saturday night which was not only a nice experience but a nice relief for the wallet.

Travel Karma

Originally uploaded by Chee Seong

I have had some bad travel experiences. Like this, for instance. Or this. Then there's this one. Or even this one. I thought I had bad luck with travel. But this is pretty bad.

"In 2001, terrorists crashed hijacked planes into the twin towers. Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence were vacationing in New York at the time.

In 2005, when terrorists set off a series of bombs targeting London’s public transit system, Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence were visiting the city.

In 2008, terrorists went on a killing spree in Mumbai. Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence were vacationing in Mumbai."

Ceck out the rest of the article here.

United Magnets of Europe

Remember when I said that I had started collecting magnets from the cities and countries I've been to? Ever wonder what it looks like? Well here it is. The first is the country, the rest are cities I've been to in the country.

The entire collection

Belgium, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands

Germany, France (Lille) and Luxembourg

I'm still missing Bonn because the souvenir shops were closed by the time I went there. This doesn't include Paris or Dublin because my magnets are at home in Toronto. Niether does it include the other places I've been in my life, before this summer.

Another Border Falls in Europe

Remember when I made my New Year's resolutions? I said that I wanted to go to Eastern Europe? Well, the people who make Eurail passes just made that a whole lot easier. The Czech Republic was added to the list of countries accessible by the Eurail pass.

And it seems they've made a pass especially for me: the European East pass. The pass is good in Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, exactly the countries I planned on seeing.


So, maybe I just might be able to fulfill one of those resolutions...

The real cost of low fare air travel

Sitting in an airport terminal at 11:30pm, I suddenly had an epiphany. Booking a £50 return flight (via Ryanair) to Dublin from London is all well and good, but that glee can fade. And quickly. Getting to Dublin, our flight was delayed an hour from London Stansted. I had gotten up at 6:15am and arrived at the airport for 9:30am to catch a flight for 11:10am. But at 10am word came from on high that the flight was delayed until 12:30pm. We didn’t get into Dublin until 2pm.

But this was a minor blip compared to the return journey. Ryanair closes the gates 20 minutes before a flight takes off. As I mentioned, it was raining all that afternoon, so we scrambled to get to the airport by 6:30pm for our 8:10pm flight. Fifteen minutes later—and a minor kerfuffle regarding Erika’s non-European passport—our flight was delayed until 9:20pm. That’s a delay of 2 hours. This was dismaying not only on principle but because of my circumstances: my iPod was long out of batteries (that’s what a 7 hour trans-Atlantic flight and a jaunt to the Emerald Isle will do to your battery) and I hadn’t brought a book. All I had with me was the latest issue of Toronto Life (which is amazing, by the way. There’s a feature on a cheating website which is outstanding!) To keep ourselves occupied we took our sweet time going through security, rummaged through Duty Free very thoroughly and absolutely meandered to the gate. It was only 7:30pm. After reading for a little while, I headed to the Internet kiosk to check three days worth of emails.

When I got back 15 minutes later, the flight had been delayed to 11:30pm! I did not take it well. Leaving at 11:30 meant we wouldn’t get back to London until 12:30am. Then there was still the hour and a half bus ride to central London—and we didn’t know if the buses would be running that late at night. That’s when my epiphany occurred and I realized the true cost of budget airlines. Sure the flight was only £50, but it was now three hours late. I still had to get home and no idea how that would happen. For all I knew I’d have to stay in Stansted for the night take another bus home or pay a taxi.

By this time, Erika and her boyfriend had left to pick up McDonalds (because it was located in Arrivals, they had to go through customs and security twice) and I was rationing my Toronto Life. To add insult to injury, a later flight to Stansted left at 10:30, right in the gate we were due to leave from. When Erika came back, it was almost time to head to our new gate which was done in the basement of the airport.

At 11pm we began lining up facing several Ryanair jets—put there, I’m sure, to taunt us. We didn’t board until past midnight and because of strong winds we didn’t leave until 1am, Monday morning. Exhausted we hustled through the airport and lucky for us there was a 24 hour bus downtown; then I took a taxi (which a nice man wouldn’t let me pay for) home. All told, I didn’t get to the residence until 4am. I should also mention at this point that I was moving back to residence. So I arrived to an empty room, in the middle of the night. Exhausted as I was, I changed into my PJs threw the cover-less duvet on the sheet-less bed, lay my head on the pillowcase-less pillow and collapsed into sleep.

More Than Just Potatoes

Since the potato famine in the 1860s, the population of Ireland has been shrinking. Even in the 50s and 60s, while the world experienced the post-war baby boom, Ireland was hemorrhaging people. Last year I read that recently in the last few years, that trend was starting to reverse itself. People are returning to Ireland or, at least leaving in less numbers. Dublin, especially, emerged as a cosmopolitan city with all the benefits of London. When I read it, I couldn’t believe it. But having visited Ireland’s capital, I understand.

Dublin is a lovely capital city. Like most European capitals it sits on a river, the River Liffey, that divides it in into a north and south half. I visited Dublin the weekend before I went back to school, and the good fortune to stay with a native. Shane (with a typical Irish last name) is a friend of my school mate Erika and her boyfriend, Marcel, when they lived in Geneva and he graciously put us up in his apartment.

The fact that we had a tour guide meant we also had access to wheels, which meant we drove by a lot of things. Though I saw the spire built for the Millennium, the General Post Office—a historical site for the Irish independence movement—and various statues, it also meant I didn’t get to take photos of them. What we did see was lovely. There was Trinity College, the oldest in Ireland and home to the Book of Kells (which is usually on display for gleeful tourists such as I, but believe it or not, was being cleaned!). We took a stroll along Grafton Steet, the shopping promenade, and through St. Stephen’s Park. We visited the Dáil (Irish for Parliament) and took in the Nation Museum which had some very cool Bog Men.

Trinity College

Shane, our host and Erika on Grafton Street

The Dáil

Me at St. Stephen's Park

We also devoted an entire three hours to the Guinness Factory in St. James Gate, which is best described as intense. It’s a massive factory with 7 floors detailing every aspect of brewing: ingredients, the brewing process, transportation, advertisement. Then on the top floor there’s a viewing gallery and a free (with admission) pint of Guinness. Not being a lover of "Irish gold" as it’s called, I took the requisite photos and passed my brew on to a more deserving person, Erika’s boyfriend Marcel.

It was raining. Hard.

Alfred Guinness signed this lease in the late 1700s
giving him the building for 9,000 years for £46

While I didn’t do a lot of touristy things in Dublin I was able to conduct various anthropological experiments and experienced the local culture more than I have in other cities. Translation: I went to the pubs. I was with friends and in Ireland and was told that’s the thing to do. I have to say that Ireland is a lovely place and the people are just fantastic. They’re very friendly, extremely hospitable (Shane wouldn’t let us pay for anything), jovial, born story-tellers and always eager for a chat (I had a five minute conversation with the elderly man at the off-license who sold me my liquor). They’re my new favourite people.

Traditional Irish pub, in Dublin

Marcel and Erika

Irish taps and booze

And true to form, it rained. It rained, at least a little, each day. Until it poured cats and dogs on the last day, butchering any last-minute plans we had to conquer the city’s tourist traps.

Reading, Writing and More Reading

Graduate school has changed me in many ways. The biggest—besides the fact that I moved countries and continents—is my study habits. In undergrad, I studied journalism and history and I’m not ashamed to admit that for the majority of my four years, journalism was the priority. I existed primarily within business hours calling people. Afterward I was constantly thinking of story ideas, sources to contact, new angles and deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. History was a great escape and fairly straight forward: go to class, take notes, listen to the professor, write 1-2 papers, take exam. This was the formula and thought it might sound boring, I enjoyed history immensely and excelled at it.

It became clear soon after school started that this pattern would be impossible to replicate in graduate school. So the biggest shock has been the reading. In undergrad I never read. Well, no, that’s not really right. I read for papers. I did extensive research for 10-15 page papers, but I never read to understand the material. I just had to listen to the professor to understand the events and their significance. But here I have to read, widely, thoroughly and constantly. I’m doing an MA in the History of International Relations, which is a mix of International Relations (or IR, how nations interact with each other) and history. But in undergrad where you are taught the events in class, here you are expected to be well versed in the events before you arrive at the seminar. It's like they skip steps one through three and expect to start at four and discuss the intricacies, questions and controversies of the events during a 2 hour seminar. That means reading lists 10 pages long full of required and subsequent readings.

This was a big adjustment in the beginning. In the past I'd read entire books for my essays and take painstaking notes. Within the first week I learned this wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to be strategic about my reading. The important thing is to read widely, from different authors with different perspectives, and only one or two key chapters. I’m not saying I’m a pro at it as I still manage to read only 1-3 sources a week (per course, and I have three of them) and that’s when I have no papers due. In any case, that was the challenge.

To deal with the new demands I had to adapt. In undergrad I always did work at home in my room. I didn’t like libraries because they were too quiet and I could feel the anxiety and the nervy energy of the people stressing out around me. I liked the quiet and privacy of my room where I could listen to music and go to the bathroom whenever I wanted.

But while my room was great for freedom, it was also plagued with distractions: the Internet, the books on my shelf, the window, postcards on my bulletin board, coloured pens, whatever was close at hand. If I’m being honest, it’s not really my room's fault. There are sometimes when no matter what you do, you’re determined to not do work. I also started to go stir crazy. The idea of going to school, coming home and sitting in my room and reading for five hours depressed me. I needed a change of scenery.

So I ventured to the library and it worked. So now I have a new system. Some days I go to Senate House Library (a 5 minute walk) and other days I head to the LSE Library. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. Senate House is cozy and small without many people and has that old-time library feel. It also doesn't have Internet, which is mostly good--though while writing a paper I distracted myself by listing the 50 US states (got to 48), 27 members of the European Union and the countries using the Euro (see, sometimes you'll do anything not to work). LSE is bigger and has more people but it accommodates laptops easier and has wireless Internet for when I need it.

The British Library of Political Science
aka the Lionel Robbins Building,
aka the LSE Library,
the spaced out stairs mean you can climb up the 5 floors
without being out of breath, but look like a pirate coming down

In the new year, I’m going to add the British Library also just 5 minutes away, to the list. Hopefully this will help me tackle my listlessness.

Photo: flickr

One Law I Could Live With

As you read this, I'll be back from Paris and back to the grind (read: school and life). I'm sure I'll have much to say about the City of Lights and many pictures to share. But just to whet your appetites, here's something you may want to ponder. Last July I was talking about the sales in Brussels. Well, according to the New York Times, they are legislated:

"These sales are the real deal. Under French law, retail stores are only allowed to run public sales for several weeks in January and July, and for two weeks sometime during the year."

And they're even better than in Brussels.

"That marks opening day of this year’s winter “soldes” (sales), five weeks of frenzied bargain-hunting for the perfect Azzaro cocktail dress or the normally unaffordable monogrammed Noël bed linen — at between 30 and 70 percent off...

For foreign visitors, the best bargains are in clothing, although porcelain, glassware, linens, furniture, even wine and Champagne also go on sale. Pricey designer handbags and shoes are particularly good value, so expect long lines with cash-carrying, battle-ready Russian, Japanese and Chinese tourists outside Prada and Gucci."

I don't see myself forking over my scarce Euros for Gucci or Prada, but I'll let you know what I end up bringing back across the Channel.

Self Evident Truths and Inalienable Rights

Barack Obama [President-Elect]
Originally uploaded by slight clutter

I usually write about European politics and European culture, but today is a momentous enough occasion for me to step away from that for a while. On the day of Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th President of the United States, I thought it would be fitting that I at least mark the occasion.

By now expectations for his presidency are so high, he'll need to walk on water to not disappoint. Being a student of history and international relations, I don't really want to add my two cents to the millions of people (both paid and not) who are speculating about his presidency. I will share more about what it's been like experiencing this election abroad with a later post. But on Inauguration Day, it might be interesting to think about other inaugural addresses, great orators (both real and fictional) and the power of words.

With that, please enjoy this article about former presidential speechwriters from my friend Sara.

Au Revoir, Mes Enfants

I'm off to Paris for the weekend. I want to get in a little trip before school gets busy and swallows me whole. I'll be back posting Tuesday! Au revoir!

A Different Kind of Shopping

There are many differences between the British education system and the Canadian one. Different school year, marking is different even different terminology. But the best difference is the idea of shopping for classes. It was first introduced to me in Michelmas term (what they call the time from October to December). It's based on the idea that you should go to a class before you decide to invest 10 weeks, countless hours of reading and work and pounds to excelling in it. Teachers are fully aware of it too. The first class acts as their pitch to students: here's why you should take my class and why I'm awesome.

I have to say that I think it's a great concept. It is kind of ridiculous to choose a course based only on its title and professor. That's why here they make as much available as possible--timetables, class syllabus, due dates, reading lists, etc—all with the hope that it will help you make your decision. This concept benefits students to: if your students want to be there, they’ll try harder, do well and make for a more interesting seminar.

But sometimes the system breaks down. Case in point, last semester. I had to choose three classes. I ended up choosing "Presidents, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy," "Political Economy of South East Europe" and "From Nationalism to Fascism: Europe, 1880s-1939." Now according to the first class, "Presidents and Public Opinion" should have been the worst. I had already studied American history and I actually fell asleep during the introductory class. But this was not the case. This class is by far, no contest, hands down, my favourite class. The classes are brillantly structured and the professor is very engaging. Ironically, the class with the best introduction class—From Nationalism to Fascism—turned out to be the worst. The class is disorganized, the teacher is unhelpful and the concepts are sometimes too abstract for me to care about.

That’s why this week I’m shopping for another half credit class. I was supposed to take Varieties of Capitalism, but after a horrible experience with Political Economy of Southeast Europe, I’m thinking of moving away from political economy. I’ll let you know what I end up “buying.”

Image: jisc_infonet

A note about the weather.

Before coming to London, I was warned constantly about the weather. Rain, clouds, gloom was what awaited me. After a summer in Brussels, enjoying less than summery weather, I was even less excited weather-wise. Then I arrived here and I have a confession to make: I love London weather.

I am in love with London weather. Who wouldn’t love 14 degree weather in October? Who wouldn’t like fall in November? Who wouldn’t love 8 degrees in December?

I know I’m prejudiced. I’m from Canada and Canada is a cold place. And Ottawa, my home for the majority of the year these last four years, sometimes feels like the coldest place in the world. So when I come to a country where I can wear a light jacket in December, no mitts and no hat and my Converse sneakers, I’m happy as a clam. Yes it’s cold, but a lot of places are cold. London doesn’t have the bone-chilling, feels-like-swords-are-ripping-at-my-skin feeling of sub-zero temperatures. Sometimes it rains—OK, more than sometimes—but rain is just water. There’s no snow, no salt stains on my pants. I now realize why I have so many jeans: it’s not for fashion but because every winter I had to wash my jeans every day after coming home with huge salt stains up to mid calf.

This will revolutionize my life: I'll spend less on pants and do less laundry. I'll buy lighter clothes with less material and therefore spend less money. I'll take less time getting dressed in the morning because I'll have less layers. And I'll use less moisturizer because it's not as cold--or dry--in London than Ottawa. This will save me time and money.

Don’t get me wrong, there are parts that suck about London weather. It gets dark at 4:30pm here, and I am not down with that. That extra hour makes a huge difference. And the grey when it rains, doesn’t make me feel cheery inside. But it just makes you appreciate the sun when it does come out. But there’s something to be said for going outside and not feeling the hairs in your nose freeze.

The Best Places I've Been This Year

This past year was been one of travel. I’ve been to eight European countries, seen thirteen cities, and lived in four countries. I’ve travelled in planes, trains, cars, subways and streetcars. I’ve met politicians, cheered on celebrities and made new friends. So what’s been the best? Like any parent knows, choosing among their children is impossible. Each is precious and special in their own way. Trier will stand out for its Roman landmarks while Madrid's opulence and culture is unparalleled. But, in the end, there are always favorites. The end of the year always comes with countdowns. In that spirit I bring you the best places I’ve been this past year:

1. Amsterdam is more than just prostitutes and drugs. This almost under water city easily takes the prize, by far and without question. It has everything you could want: gorgeous architecture, great museums (the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh), exciting nightlife (outside of the Red Light District) and fun things to see and places to explore. The outdoor markets are not to be missed. The Albert Cuyp market is worth a trip as is the Flower market. Museumplein is chock full of interesting museums and then there’s the Rembrandt and Anne Frank’s house; the sex museum is tacky but fun for the young at heart. But exploring this city where you find the hidden treasures like restaurants that serve pancakes all day, the coffeehouse from Ocean’s 12 or a giant outdoor chess game. Grab a bike and cycle down the canals or hope on a boat and take a canal tour. The only downside is the rain. But if you can get over the torrential downpour for two hours a day and then brilliant sunshine, the Dutch city will is well worth the visit.

2. Lisbon. There is no way I’d make a list like this without having a Portuguese city high in the ranking. I’d never seen the capital of my homeland until this year and what a place it is! The charming Chiado district is unparalleled. I recommend either taking the Santa Justa lift or skipping the cost of admission and going through the Carmo convent. Same view, much less Euros. Statues and monuments to Portuguese kings and queens adorn the many grand squares scattered throughout the centre. Then there’s old Alfama home to the Castle of São Jorge, the electric street car where you get the feeling you walked into Lisbon circa 1923. Finally, Baixa, the party district. Although I never had the opportunity to experience it firsthand, I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about the street that is shut down to car traffic at night and brings the city to life.

3. Madrid made the list purely for its opulence and the fact that there is so much to see, you can easily spend days there. The Golden Triangle are the biggest reasons to go. You can easily spend days in Prado, I know I would have. And the modern art in the Reina Sophia could be a fun game to play. The huge plazos (Mayor, Puerto del Sol) are mesmerizing in their scope and the Royal Palace is worth a visit for history buffs or fans of tacky, opulent furnishings. But be warned: the lines are long and no pictures are allowed (and they're vigilant about it. There are guards in every room and signs everywhere). Walk through the huge gardens and spend a quiet afternoon wandering in El Retiro park or hope on a boat right in the pond if you're feeling romantic. Then at night take a stroll along Gran Via and take in a show. And please, go shopping in Madrid. You'll thank me later.

4. Bonn is very different from the first three on the list. It’s simply a charming German city. I think it ranks higher than the others for its historical significance. It’s the old capital of West Germany, which for some Cold War buffs is worth a trip in and of itself. But it is also Beethoven’s birthplace, a fact that the city now relies on heavily. Indeed, the Beethoven museum is not to be missed. A little pricey, it is worth it if only to see the instruments the great composer played and the ear trumpets he used. It’s not particularly cosmopolitan, with little or no nightlife that I’m aware of. But it’s charming and quaint, perfect for a quiet stroll along the Rhine.


5. Bruges is the kind of place that you visit and don’t realize it’s made an impression until you leave. No part of it is extraordinary alone but it’s the sum of its part that makes it worth the visit. There are the chocolate shops—hardly a novelty in Belgian towns—and the medieval buildings and horse and carriage that make you think you walked into A Knight’s Tale. Add to that the river (I’m a sucker for anything with the water) and you’ve got yourself a party.

My New Years (Travel) Resolutions

Everyone has 'em, everyone breaks 'em. Here are my projects for the upcoming year.

1. Go to Berlin: For all I know, this European adventure will end in September (when I finish my degree). So I intend to make the most out of it. I have had my sights set on the German capital since I was supposed to spend last summer in Frankfurt. Sometimes when I’m bored I plan my trip in my head: Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, and maybe the Holocaust Memorial.

2. Go to Central Europe. For a history buff like me capitals like Vienna, Prague and Budapest are calling my name. I want to see it all. And I want to go before they develop, are yuppy-fied and get the Euro—I’m too late for Slovakia which gets the Euro January 1, 2009—but it's not to late for Prague, Budapest and Krakow.

3. Take better pictures. It’s been one of goals since I first saw the Life Magazine image of Kim Phuc after the napalming of Vietnam.

Photos are such a captivating medium that I’ve never really been able to grasp. Terms like composition, framing, shutters and aperture just confuse me. I’d like a personal tutor (Joni!) but as that might be a bit hard to find abroad, I’ll settle for learning a term a year. And Picasa and Photoshop Internet tutorials.



4. Work out consistently. This has been on my list for the last three years now and each year I get closer and closer but I never mnage to make it the "life change" it needs to be. Though I came the closest in third year. I started off well enough in the beginning of last semester. Then my system broke down around week 4. Only to collapse around Week 7. So I’d like to last longer than that.

A New Year, a New Start

It’s a new year, a new month and a new start. Hopefully you’ve noticed the new look of the blog (if you’re reading this through a newsfeed click the homepage to see what I'm talking about).

Over the break I was tweaking Blogger and fiddling with Picasa so you’ll notice a new theme, a (new) picture in the title, some changes in the sidebar and other small improvements. Pictures will also be done a bit differently in the future, as I became faster and better with Picasa. But the bare bones of the blog will remain. I’d also like to change the theme and picture quarterly, but that may be a bit too ambitious for now. New posts will start when school does, January 12. Again, I’ll update as long and regularly as school, life and Internet connections permit and keep commenting. Enjoy!