Wow, it's been awhile! I returned from London the beginning of 
August and here it is the end of the year! I had an absolute blast in London. I adore that place and want to go back there again just as soon as I'm able! It was strange that I felt more "at home" there than I have anywhere else that I've lived, and it isn't even my culture! I maintain that I was meant to be British rather than American! =D I got to spend just one night and part of the two days on either side in Cardiff, Wales when my educational program at Middlesex University was completed. Wales is another place I'd like to return to and see a lot more of. I want to see the countryside next time. It's supposed to be absolutely beautiful. I also want to see a lot more of England and also Scotland and Ireland. A group of foreign students went through the tunnel to spend a weekend in Paris, but I wasn't able to go because of the extra cost. I'm going to get over to Paris next time I visit London. I've been studying French this term in a total immersion class, and I love it!Speaking of which...just two days left of this term. Two more final exams to take, then I'm finished with my bachelors degree program in Psychology-neuroscience at Washington State University. I'm glad to be finishing, but I'll definitely miss the place!I'm still writing my young adult fiction book called Time Dance, and it's coming along. I'll link to some samples in a future post. I'm currently focused on job hunting in a less-than-desirable economy. I've landed a part-time job at a psychology office (counseling facility) that sees patients with neurological differences, among others. After the holidays I'll be meeting with one of the professors at Washington State about possibilities in working with persons with neurodevelopmental challenges and other disabilities. I'm sure things will come together.
I'm SO stoked that I'll be spending nearly a month in London, England taking an intensive research class at Middlesex University. I've ALways wanted to go to the UK ever since...well ever since I've been ALIVE, it seems. An old English manor house, Trent Park Mansion, is the main educational building on the campus. Is this like straight out of Jane Austen, or WHAT?! I'm going to take in Windsor Castle (Her Majesty The Queen is in residence at Buckingham this time of year, so it's closed to visitors) Eton College, of course the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Hampstead and Camden Town , Hampton Court, and whatever else I can get to (around all of the studying!) When my course ends, I hope to make an excursion to Cardiff, Wales to meet a longtime online friend in person. All of this, courtesy of my home university, Washington State University-Vancouver and financial aid dollars. Gotta love it!
It's been Spring Break all this week...hasn't been all that warm or dry here in the great state of Washington, but at least neuropsychology has been taking a back seat in my life, if only for a few days, and that's not a bad thing...as it's given me some time to think of other things I'd also like to do in the near future besides graduating with a psychology degree. All throughout high school, and even now again --as I'm in my second college experience--people, mainly professors, ask me if I'm a "writer". I get great compliments on my papers; sometimes these have even come in the form of a highest grade in the class on a particular paper. I start to think: maybe someone's trying to tell me something, and I'm just being dense. After all, it couldn't hurt to write some work of fiction outside of my educational endeavors and just see what happens, right? Well, crazily enough, I'm letting myself become excited about doing a writing project as a sideline. It very well may never get published, but nothing ventured is also nothing gained, so why not attempt? I've already pounded out some little vignettes that can morph into bigger story lines with more work, and some character sketches. I'm planning to weave a lot of my interests into the story, such as: British culture, Edwardian and steampunk-style fashion, technology, preppy boarding school ala Harry Potter settings, time travel, genealogy, coming of age and, of course, love. I started a novel once, when I was still in high school, and nothing ever became of it. I'm really hoping to stick out the writing this time. We'll see how it goes...anyway, I truly hope to be blogging more about this project in the near future.One just never knows.
"I let the birdie out of the cage!" =D
August and here it is the end of the year! I had an absolute blast in London. I adore that place and want to go back there again just as soon as I'm able! It was strange that I felt more "at home" there than I have anywhere else that I've lived, and it isn't even my culture! I maintain that I was meant to be British rather than American! =D I got to spend just one night and part of the two days on either side in Cardiff, Wales when my educational program at Middlesex University was completed. Wales is another place I'd like to return to and see a lot more of. I want to see the countryside next time. It's supposed to be absolutely beautiful. I also want to see a lot more of England and also Scotland and Ireland. A group of foreign students went through the tunnel to spend a weekend in Paris, but I wasn't able to go because of the extra cost. I'm going to get over to Paris next time I visit London. I've been studying French this term in a total immersion class, and I love it!
