OxFORD!!

Christ Church (Oxford) dining hall- which inspired the Great Hall in the Harry Potter movies

I spent a beautiful and relaxing weekend in Oxford!! I was pinching myself the whole time, so happy to be there. A group of us LSE Development Students were there for the OxFID conference, attending seminars on topics like communications in conflict, food security, MDGs and microfinance. I attended talks all day on Saturday, but it was so beautiful that on Sunday I skipped most of the afternoon to go exploring.

As you can see from the first two photos, I visited Christ Church, the beautiful Oxford college which was used for some of the Harry Potter movies (such as the staircase scene where Professor McGonagall welcomed the first year students to Hogwarts). The cathedral and the Tom Tower are quite interesting and it`s lovely to think of all the bright young students who`ve worked and played within these walls, before going on to do great things: W.H. Auden, John Locke, Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) and no fewer than thirteen Prime Ministers!

I hope you are all having fantastic weather too. J'espère que le mois de mars s'annonce beau pour tout le monde!
Love to you all, Miss Engagée xx

2012

The DNA-like building is called "The Orbit", apparently that's where the Flame will go. The other building is the Aquatics Centre. 

 As you may know, 2012 is a BIG YEAR for London. Not only are we celebrating the Queen's Jubilee, we are also getting ready to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. My friend (who's also a Canadian with ties to Ottawa) and I checked out the Olympic Park today - we couldn't actually access the site because it's not ready, but we did get a nice view from the 2012 Olympic Shop across the street.

As you can see, London does occasionally get sunshine in the winter! It's about 5C at the moment but the weather varies a lot depending on the rain, the time of day, and which way the wind blows.

In other news, I had an action-packed weekend planning another friend's 23d birthday party. It was a surprise party: we pulled it off quite nicely, she didn't suspect a thing (well, almost). The theme was "Childhood" so we had a pinata, a "pass the parcel" game, balloons and a clown! (nope, we didn't actually hire a clown, that was just the boys acting up).  I made a cheesecake/brownie cake which was very gooey.

Going to see the Opera this week, I'm very excited!!

lots of love,
Miss Engagée xxx

Bonne Saint-Valentin!

Photo credit: SMUG Lifestyle Store in Camden

Love to all my friends and family. Je vous embrasse,
Mia

Bric à Brac - Odds and Ends

We're exactly halfway through Lent Term already, although I must say it feels to me like we just started. I decided to take my camera for a walk one day to document the sights I see every morning. 

Below are treasure hunters who were out in droves this week, wearing big wellies and carrying metal-detectors (the more serious ones, at least). 

Looking for treasure - will the Thames reveal its secrets?

 I walk by the Millenium Bridge Footpath every day - the second nicest bridge after Tower Bridge, in my opinion. In the picture below, you can almost spot Butler's Wharf - it's just beyond the tall, nearly complete building named the "Shard", which I believe is used for office space. the Millenium Bridge gets you from St Paul`s on the north side to the Tate Modern on the "Bankside".

London School of Economics and Political Science

 I went to see Les Misérables this week with three friends who are all just as keen as I am to explore London's cultural attractions to the fullest. It was fantastic!!! I saw Les Miz three years ago with mom, but this time was just as special. I love the male leads in this musical, which is mainly about Jean Valjean and his journey from convict to respected mayor to runaway from the law to father and hero/revolutionary.

I had a really fun and sociable weekend: my friend X invited a few people to eat dumplings at Northumberland House (the LSE residence which is closest to Trafalgar Square) then another friend invited me to brunch on Saturday (and then I squeezed in some time at the library). That night we went dancing in Soho and I didn't get to bed until 5 am or so ;) and finally we had a huge potluck on Sunday with about 12 people.

Time to hit the books. I have an essay on "agrarian reform" due on Friday!

Bises de
Miss Engagée xx

Broadway and Bowling

Taking a break from the books this week wasn't too hard. I went to my friend's bowling party on Thursday and we had lots of fun inventing creative ways to bowl. (Speaking of bowls: Happy Super Bowl tomorrow!)

It's gotten down to zero degrees Celcius in the last week or so, sparking complaints from LSE students who aren't from Canada or a Scandinavian country. I absolutely welcome the cold front since it gives me an excuse to adopt a superior attitude and tell my friends how much colder it gets in Ottawa ("The second coldest capital in the world after Ulan Bator!! You know we never miss school even when it's minus 40...yeah, you just can't expose ONE BIT of skin in that kind of weather").

Today I went to Broadway Market with my flatmate from Lithuania (she doesn't think it's cold either). The market is a smaller, funkier version of Borough Market, which I frequently visit since it is near my residence. We both sipped hot apple cider with cinnamon and wandered around sampling olive oil, homemade cheeses and pies. I love that they sell flowers in February here, it's as if English roses are immune to the cold weather.

Hope you are well and staying warm. My new "stay warm" trick is to wear several pairs of tights...works like a charm.  ;) XoXo Miss Engagée

If all else fails, watch these marvelous dancers and dream of a hot summer!

La vie, la vie

Bonjour tout le monde,
Je suis malaaaade cette fin de semaine donc je n'ai pas fait grand chose. Le travail s'empile et je me sens un peu comme un hamster dans une cage - ouf! Il faut parfois faire le vide, fermer les yeux, et méditer. Oublier les dates de tombée, les présentations, les essais et la recherche d'emploi. Faire du temps pour soi et apprécier la vie.

J'ai quand même passé une semaine très agréable. Ma copine colombiana, La Ñoña, m'a invité à un concert de Prokofiev interprété par la London Philarmonic Orchestra. Les billets étudiants étant seulement 4 pounds, elle a invité un grand group, nous étions une douzaine!! J'ai adoré retourner au Southbank Centre, la salle de spectacle est vraiment chouette et du 4e étage vitré, l'on a une vue spectaculaire de la Thamise.
----
I thought the LPO concert would be my only fun outing of the week, given the work I need to catch up on, but the same friend was kind enough to invite me to her Colombian party on Friday. Her friends are so fun, and of course there was salsa dancing! Plus I got to practise my Spanish a bit, which is quite rusty and terribly French-accented, but hopefully understandable. My friend A from Miami is much better than I, and I'm surrounded by Mexicans and Colombians so there's no excuse not to become more fluent.

I'm planning a weekend in Oxford in February (for the Oxford Forum for International Development), and maybe a trip to Istanbul in March! so lots to look forward to. Now back to the mountain of essays and readings...

xox Miss Engagée

Like Alice Down the Rabbit Hole

Photo credit: Camomille

Like Alice's Mad Hatter friend, I often want to look at my clock (or agenda) and exclaim: "No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow. " or some other delightful nonsense about the funny way time works. Like in Alice's mad world, my world is filled with tea parties and metaphysical discussions. 


London is filled with wondrous little places that make you feel like you stepped into another world. I had a great time this weekend, exploring Camden Town and the East End with a guest from Brighton. We found this amazing teeny-tiny piano repair shop (see picture above) and walked around the old Stables (which were used back when the train station would unload in Camden and the cargo would be sent around the city on horse-drawn carts). 

We visited Brighton last weekend, on a warm-ish Saturday. It feels very "hippy" and peaceful compared to London. I really enjoyed exploring the North Laines (a maze of pedestrian streets with lots of vintage stores, an old weaponry and uniform store, pubs, cafés, record shops, etc.) and climbing up and down the hill overlooking the University of Sussex.

I love living in England. Time is flying by so fast!!

Got to go plan a presentation on the topic of "Economic restructuring and the informal economy".
Much love,
Miss Engagée xoxo