Museum Musings

Last week, along with a friend, I visited an Imperial War Museum in London. There, WWII fighter planes dangle from the ceiling and a jeep is frozen just before it drives off the second floor. We guessed how many uniform-clad school children running about could be jammed into the single-man bomb shelter, and we squinted at paraphernalia and pamphlets. We laughed at the sassy letters evacuated children wrote to their parents, and we commented on clothing styles, many of which we find on streets today. We walked in silence through the holocaust exhibit, which bars anyone under the age of 14, and watched in rapture as Hitler spoke.

A quote from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone stuck out to me as a child, and to this day it comes to mind when I hear Hitler speak. Harry has just received his wand at Ollivander’s when the wandmaker says, “I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter . . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great.”

About a Boy

I've been in London for a bit over two weeks now. I find myself settling in, falling into patterns, and enjoying my new normal. For several months I've been anticipating the panic to set in, realizing the magnitude of what I am doing, and to freak out just a little. It hasn't happened yet, so I'm just going to go with it.

The KU Big Read program has punctuated my first few weeks here. Essentially, Kingston University sent every first year graduate student, staff member, and incoming freshman a copy of About a Boy by Nick Hornby (a KU alumnus). Nearly 12,000 specially printed copies were distributed with lots of social media chatter, pictures on Twitter tagged with #kubigread, and events on campus. One of my lecturers developed KU Big Read (this being the inaugural year) and, as a publishing student, we received lots of information about the program prior to arriving on campus. It was a great, natural conversation starter with my new classmates, and it encouraged me to read a book I may not have picked up otherwise.

New Adventure

In a few short weeks I will be jetting off on a thrilling new adventure that will take me back to school at Kingston University in London. 

It has all happened rather quickly and things have fallen into place in ways I cannot explain. I was in a confused, complacent, and somewhat lukewarm place just months ago and now I am headed in an undeniable direction with excitement, anticipation, and most of all, faith. 

I will be working for a MA in Publishing, a field that has not only interested me for a long time but also seems to fit with the experience I have gained over the past few years in the internships and jobs I have worked. Perhaps more importantly, it fits with the skills I have enjoyed developing and the natural inclinations that have become more clear to me over the past few years.  

My dad asked once if I was going to London for school or if I was going to school for London. In all honesty, it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. I am beyond ecstatic to have found a program that, while providing the education and experience I desire, also allows me to travel and experience a new city and culture. 

Where there is excitement, there is also anxiety. In both of these emotions (and so many more) I turn to a phrase that guided me while I was studying abroad in Spain, a Hebrew word that means surrender while simultaneously meaning movement (see more about that here). I hold onto that as I approach these last few weeks before leaving and ask that, if you feel so inclined, you send positive thoughts and prayers my way. 

I hope to keep up this blog with thoughts and adventures of this new chapter and I'd love to have you along with me. Also, I am now officially letting whoever said "never say never" say "I told you so" (Brad, I am looking at you). 

The New Job

I am still working at my previous job, but I am now also working at Starbucks. Not exactly the "new job" that I was thinking of as I wrote down my goals, but it is a new job.

I decided to apply at Starbucks late on a Saturday night, bored, lonely, and ready to try something new. Within 48 hours I had been interviewed and hired, so I suppose it was meant to be. I really do think it was - I have met so many great people, learned a skill I have always wanted to learn, and am doing something that I simply wanted to do without there being a real "purpose".

Although, I do think there was a greater purpose that I was unaware of in the beginning. Like I said, I have met a lot of great people, I have learned a new skill, I have something that occupies my days and gets me out of my apartment. It has also been a bit of a learning experience in that I have fully realized how prideful I am.

Let me explain. I wanted to work at Starbucks (or a coffee shop of some kind). I was excited to start learning about coffee and the process of creating these different beverages. I was looking forward to meeting new people and thrilled to be doing something active each day. Yet, I didn't actually tell many people that I had this new job. When I did tell people, it was always with the explanation that this is something that I chose, something I wanted, and most importantly not something I needed or had to do.

Nola

Well, I went home for the holidays (yes, all of them) and have been so busy with family, friends, and a bit of work that I simply haven't had time to write. That is ridiculous, because I have done quite a few lovely things.

One of which was traveling to New Orleans for a little modeling shoot (no, I was not the intended model, although I did get one or two pictures taken).

The Manhattan

One of my goals is to have the ingredients for Manhattans in the apartment. I should have specified and also noted that I wanted to be able to make them as well. I am by no means claiming to be an expert, but I have experimented a bit, and I think I've got it.

The Nordic Heritage Museum

I have been wanting to visit The Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle for ages. Although I personally have no Nordic heritage, I think their history is fascinating. (I may or may not also be in love with the idea of Vikings...) I dragged my roommate out of bed this morning, fueled her with coffee and a breakfast sandwich from a great little place called Neptune Coffee, and we were on our way.

The museum is located in a beautiful, old brick school building in the middle of the Ballard neighborhood. Naturally, the museum focuses on Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish immigrants, with a focus on those who ended up in Seattle.