That London Life, and Change of 2014-15 Plans

So what have I been up to? Well, spending a lot of time around Oxford getting the writing groove on in cafes and in my room (cannot wait to move into my new house this August and have a different space to live/work!). I hosted a new deaf American friend to Oxford last Friday and played tourist before heading to a garden party in honor of Nelson Mandela at Rhodes House. And I headed to London from Sunday through Tuesday to catch up with a few people, eat some good food in the east end, and do some wandering around through museums. I went to the Imperial War Museum on Monday to see their recently opened exhibit on World War I, and it was stupendous. Heavy and a lot to process, but one of the best and most innovative/interactive exhibits I've seen.

I've also been sorting through a bit of academic business as of late. Long story short, my plans to do a DPhil here have changed and I'm now only staying for another year to do a MSc (yet another UK equivalent of a master's) in education, focusing on higher education. The reasons had to do with Oxford departmental program requirements and involved a week of uncertainty about the capital-F Future, but at least I've got a plan now and can go from there. It's not what I expected, but c'est la vie and all that, and I'm sure it will work out for the best. Though, American friends reading this blog, you only have one more year to visit moi in the UK! I should be here through August 2015.

I'm actually headed back to London today (again) to catch up with an old friend from Stanford who is passing through, and then at the end of this week the Kolb family clan arrives for graduation and a good bout of summer travels! I'll update once more before we leave if I can, but otherwise -- see you on the other side of Germany, Amsterdam, etc. Auf wiedersehen!