Still No Internet

We have pretty much moved in to the flat. Sadly, I haven't gotten around to taking pictures of the place yet. Perhaps I'll do that today and post tomorrow?

We still haven't figured out the internet. It's our next project, but trying to get the internet when you don't have internet is a bit of a challenge. We've been going to Starbucks and a local pub - where I am now - to get some facebook and proper email time. Now that classes have started again, I've bonded with the postgrad room on the third floor of the library to use their internet.

My classes are really great. It seems we are really diving into exciting projects for our publishing assessment. For creative writing I'm going to have a ton of work to do - but I'm not complaining.

I want to be a writer so I must write.

I want to be an author so I have to write more and write better.

In conclusion: Bring it on - I'm ready.

I'll tell you all more about my classes at Kingston once everything has settled a bit more.
xx, Kristin 

ps: If you want my new mailing address - send me an email at: kberg032@gmail.com and I'll get back to you when I get the chance!

BIG NEWS

Today I signed on a flat.

In the center of Kingston, London.

That
            is
                      ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xx, Kristin

THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR THE POPCORN!!!

Norbiton Train Station - towards Kingston.

I am much worse at updating this blog than the one I kept in 2009, I wonder if that means something - haha.

From the last time I posted I have accomplished quite a list of activities - if that is what you want to call them, haha. I had a conference on publishing at Stationer's Hall, I dorked out with Ruth in various geek shops in the center of London, I went shopping for warm clothes, I wrote a paper on production in publishing - which required me to take books from the library - I agreed to attend the mid-night premiere to see the next Twilight movie, I emptied my fridge and have not restocked it, I booked a spontaneous trip to Wales for their Christmas events, and I got a ton of popcorn in the mail from my parents - etc, etc...

In other news, NaNoWriMo is going terribly and I do not know when I will focus on that. Maybe today, before class, and while finishing my laundry, packing and preparing for tonight. Also, I have yet to find a place to live, and I am completely unable to keep up with my incoming emails - so much stuff, all the time. Thanksgiving plans have failed to move forwards, and I am not really motivated to work out the kinks without help. BUT the golden light at the end of this tunnel is -

I AM GOING TO WALES THIS WEEKEND. 

(Cardiff to be exact). 

Mentally - I am still doing really well, and I am really loving everything about being here. But do not worry, I am super excited for Christmas and to see my family and friends. Also I am super excited for New York Pizza, wings and an antipasti salad - So, if someone wants to put that order in for me? All the doubts I had before coming are gone now, and honestly I cannot even remember the details of those extreme moments of panic - I am sure they are in this blog somewhere.

Ruth and I at M&M World, London. 

Sure, I do not know what will happen once I get my degree.

But, I have a plan, and I know what I would like to happen.

But that is all in the future, and there is no point is killing myself today about what will happen in a year. A year ago today, I had no idea I would be back in London. I had the plan of moving to New York City, or Boston - maybe even Seattle - after getting decent experience at The Freeman's Journal. Working towards a degree in publishing and creative writing was not even a real consideration and it took a few more months to bring me to that single decision. Which is silly of me after all, because I love books, so working with them is just the correct answer.

My point is, right now is really good, and in one year the most important thing will be that I am still able to feel confident and happy. That is really the most important thing for anyone. If all I have in one year is the memory of this experience, and the knowledge I have gained, I want that to be enough. However, I am sure my dedication to carving out a niche for myself, and my stellar work ethic will continue to pull me through.

And on that note,

Myself, new winter gear
and a poppy. 

THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR THE POPCORN. 

(It's one of my favorite foods). 

Here's for constant optimism,
xx, Kristin

Show and Tell

This is the view outside of my window: 

This is a spider inside my house:

This is me and some friends at a bowling alley:

This is me, and a friend, and a stranger, on the train:

This is my attempt to balance school work and socializing:

T H E  E N D. 

xx, Kristin

I AM IN LONDON: The Edge of Night and Day

Over the last few days I have been on quite the adventure - slow and dull at times, but exciting also.

SPECIAL NOTE: In my rush to get this update to you all, I have not edited the following post. 

September 12, 2011:

• Made it to the airport 2 hours early have a filling meal at Smokey Bones. I had a delicious burger and it filled me for the entier flight to Boston and several hours later.

• Saying good bye to mom and dad was really hard - not helped by how much I dislike planes. I had a few panic attacks as I waited, only calmed by some hot tea and pretending I was at Stagecoach. 

• The plane was small and had propellors. It was terrifying. It was fast. 

• We landed in Boston, and I had to take a bus to the correct terminal. I called my parents after getting my boarding pass for Iceland. After going through security again, I found a restroom, found a sandwich shop, found a table and then ate. It was a three hour wait, where I read and ... read. 

• Boarded the plane, relaxed into my travel pillow and actually slept for the first few hours of the flight. It was in the last hour I could not fall back to sleep, and watched as the sun rose with a brillant red horizon. We landed, coming lower and lower over the ocean and buzzed over the flat land before the airport. There were very few houses scattered about the shoreline but many mountains in the distance. I am fairly certain I saw the volcanoes, but cannot say for sure because I am not well studied in the geography of Iceland.

September 13, 2011

• 9.5 Hours In Iceland: I got off the plane. I had tea and a scone - that my Mommy packed me. I found a comfy chair. I found a second comfy chair. I pulled them together. I slept. I slept on those two chairs, with my travel pillow for 6 hours. Then - I read. And - Ate a sandwich.

• Boarded the plane - 45 mins late - and got on my last flight for London. It was a very short flight compare to my day in Iceland, but beautiful. This time I was able to watch the sun set. The whole sky was a giant rainbow. Red on the horizon, then orange, then yellow, green, blue and a dark navy into the night with the small bright dots of the stars. As we flew on towards London, I began to notice something I'd never paid attention to before. A line across the sky - the edge of night and day. It was incredible to watch our plane fly into the night. Incredible. 

• Once in London, it was dark and we were welcomed by the bright orange lights of the city. After circling for about 20 minutes we finally landed, and I was picked up by a Kingston Uni official and brought home to Philippa's. 

• She had made the most delicious dinner - a real chef - and we caught up before I fell into bed. It was really wonderful to see her again, and as even John commented on, "It's like you never even left!" It does feel that way a bit, but I have changed much over the small bit of time that I had been gone. I am stronger, more confident, more sure of what I am after. Walking down these streets feels like being back in my second home again; They may not have changed in their paths but I have changed my own. 

My stamp from Iceland and a postcard to prove I spent
real-life time in their wonderfully designed airport. 

September 14, 2011

• Stacey and I meant to wake up early and get right to campus for enrollment, but we didn't. Around 11am we left the flat for Kingston and successfully made it without getting lost! I was quite excited about this, even remembering the back way to save us time. 

• At enrollment, we signed up for the health clinic, grabbed information on phones and waited. We waited for our orange designated color to be called, we waited to stand in the enrollment que, we waited in the enrollment que, we waited to have our credit checked and we wait to have our photos taken and printed onto our brand new id cards. It was probably between 3 and 4 hours of waiting, but not stressful because we had nothing else planned for our day but lunch.
• At enrollment, we managed to meet some new / cool people. Anna from Poland and Mike from Niagara Falls - small and big world at the same time. We went to the King's Tun pub and had some enlightening / wordily conversation that I had missed from both not being a student and not being in such a diverse place as London. 

• I had a Chicken Caesar Salad.

• We then got a few items from Boots - shampoo, toothpastes, etc - and Asda - bread, peanut butter and crackers. On the walk home we grabbed a newspaper to look for flats, but everything posted was for the central London area. I would love to say yes to that but that would be a long commute every morning, not to mention expensive monthly payments. I then spent the next several hours looking online for places with very little success. Philippa again treated and Stacey and I to dinner - a pasta dish with homemade sauce, delicious. She and John then provided us with good information on looking for a flat. We concluded we must get another paper and look around as we walk Kingston tomorrow - writing down all the let signs we see. 

Now I am getting ready for bed after another exhausting day. I believe I skipped right over jet lag, and went straight to - Can my bedtime be at 9pm? (That would be 4pm USA time). 

Sorry I delayed my post a bit,

xx, Kristin

ONE WEEK

Dear London,

We are down to the last week at home.

In one week - at the moment I started writing this post - my plane will be gearing for take off. And, while it's first stop is limited from Albany, NY to Boston, MA - it is still the beginning. So, it is easy to say that everything is dwindling to an end. Goodbyes have begun - though not forever - and packing is taking precedent from other daily rituals. 

It is appropriate that this week should be so wet and gray. 

I believe comfort is coming from the changes in my other friend's lives who have also spent the last year and a half in good ol'Cooperstown. Kaylan is now settling in New York City for her own graduate program at Columbia Teacher's College. She is as nervous as I am about being a postgraduate student. Eric has found an apartment in Brooklyn where he can start his ambitions in the city. It seems that we are all falling into our personal goals. It is a nice achievement.

For Kingston, I am down to organizing dates. It seemed from a moment of confusion over the weekend and this morning, I am unable to attend the seminar on being a postgraduate student - an international postgraduate student. It seems important right? But unfortunately the only thing I can do at this point is shrug my shoulders and sigh. It is no surprise to me that yet another struggle would arise in the 12th hour. If they do not have room for everyone to attend, it must not be exceptionally important. If it is, I will bribe my friends to take good notes with a nice cup of coffee - or tea. 

In other Kingston News: The publishing half of my master's degree has been filling me with much information about courses, reading lists, and an all day event on September 22 to introduce me to the program. Though, I will not be purchasing any texts until my loans come in on October 3rd - which will be a scary time with the loans coming out of my very empty home bank account. I guess this will be a good time to see if the library has those texts that I can glance over so I do not fall behind. 

The creative writing side of my master's degree has been relatively silent. The email where I was told to read Rebecca  - which everyone should know I LOVE - was the first and last email I received from them. Period. I sent them an email yesterday asking about the lack of incoming instructions, whether I am not on a mailing list I should be on, or if they just have not gotten around to sending out their emails. So far, I haven't heard anything yet from that email either. In response, I have settled into my new adapted personality. I have shrugged and sighed and will be patient - waiting for them to take their time, and tell me what I need to know. It seems that I am not the only facing silence from their faculty either - which is oddly uplifting. 

I am still without an apartment, though Stacey has found another good option which she shared this morning. It seems that we will have to provide some furniture - dislike - but the rent is super cheap - like - and it is both really close to campus - like - and Philippa - like. Of course, we still have to get there to take a good look inside, as the website has no interior pictures - suspicious. 

For banking - which is something I need to solve quickly once in the UK - I have decided to go with Lloyds. They have a classic plan, which has the simple things I need like holding my loan money and a debit card. A few things I must consider in banking is how to get funds from my English account to my American account so I can continue to pay my student / car loans while abroad. I hope this will not be another struggle, but really - I have to do, what I have to do. 

Saying good-bye is getting harder and harder. Obviously it is not forever, but for some it will be awhile. I think that with each bon voyage reality is coming more into focus - but hey, it is only one year. And, with luck I will be coming home for Christmas - I just have to save my pennys! This week is very busy with trying to see friends before Friday - when I will be having a dinner with family before traveling to Albany to say good bye to my more family.

I am sure this week will go fast. 

This day already went exceptionally fast. 

xx, kristin

PS: Word on the street is that some of you are struggling to comment on my posts. I have posted instructions on the process, and if you follow them closely you should find all your questions answered. If not, send me an email and I will see how to help. Click here to reach the instructions : How To - Comment. Note: if you reply to the email that is sent to your telling you I have posted, I will not see that. 

PPS: If people are asking for a link to my blog please feel free to forward the email I sent before, or just share this URL - http://kristinandlondontaketwo.blogspot.com/ - I do not mind. When putting together that email, I was not sure who would want to read this, and I was missing many email addresses of family members who may want to keep in touch.  Also - I'm shy - haha. 

More Word from Kingston

Dear London,

I have received another email from Kingston, something that seems to happen when I need a reminder of what all this work and stress is for. It was a pretty basic email telling me about a postgraduate meet and greet and then mentioning about my courses. My heart stopped when I remembered what I am throwing myself into, and while it will be nerve wracking it is something I have accomplished before. I did not know Ruthie or Stacey before I went over and now we are all heading back again. I did not know a single person before I went over last time, and now I am already ahead of that game.

So basically...

I CANNOT WAIT - but also, I am nervous and apprehensive - which means I am human.

Paris: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, kristin