A Day At The Circus

So here's a little bit of morbid trivia I picked up over the past few days: apparently the English jurist/philosopher Jeremy Bentham (utilitarianism, Panopticon, etc.) was the 'Godfather' of UCL since it was the first university in the country to embody his ideals of education for all (regardless of race, class, religion, etc.). In light of the contribution, Bentham asked that after his death, he be embalmed and his corpse displayed at UCL. So, when you walk into the admissions office past a box with what looks like a wax figure, you are actually walking past the taxidermied body of good old Bentham. His head (which kept getting stolen -- ?) was eventually replaced with a wax one, the real one is now kept, mummified, in the school's vaults.

There are no words for how bizarrely macabre this is in person.

The past few days have been pretty hectic as I try to coordinate what courses (or as they say here 'modules') I'll be taking this semester. I was accepted to both the political science and history departments so they both need to confirm any change I make to my classes. They also handle all these transactions in person which means a lot of running around. On the bright side, I think I finally know where everything is on campus! 

As of right now I'm taking Violence in the European Age of Extremes, Gender and Politics, British Slavery and Abolition, and International Development and Public Policy. Each course will be assessed by two 10-page essays, and in some cases, a final exam. So far I've had Violence in the European Age of Extremes with a female Italian professor who I think will really challenge me (she likes to pick fights during class), and Gender and Politics with a well-intentioned but virtually unintelligible Japanese professor.

After class this morning I took the afternoon to walk around the Oxford Circus district of London for some shopping and pubbing. I discovered TopShop, went to Dior, and ate at one of my new favorite pubs: The Hog in the Pound. I also looked for a Drogba jersey (go Chelsea!) and finally found bedding at H&M... no more sleeping in long underwear! Despite getting caught in a late afternoon rain storm with no umbrella (when will I learn?), this was definetly one of my favorite London days so far!