safe and sound across the pond

i've arrived ... for those of you tracking my whereabouts. i got in last night at 9ish and got a taxi back to our student dormitories where they've got a room for me. it's a quad with four bunk beds, perfect for one, but not sure how they actually fit four in, very close quarters. i had a restful 7 1/2 hours sleep and woke to go for a 40 minute run in hyde park and around south kensington. it's a beautiful winter day here.

i'm having a coffee this afternoon with anthony lunch,the director of mondochallenge, the organization i'll be going to the gambia with this spring. he's just been to the gambia so will have a lot to report, i'm sure, and i'll get all of my questions answered. i feel a bit guilty because to be honest, i've not had much time to think about the gambia at all. i STILL don't have my guidebook yet, so i know nothing about the country. i'll spend the tube journey over preparing a list of questions. sometimes i wish i was someone who got nervous about things instead of leaving things till the last minute to figure out. but that just seems to be the way i roll.

on to start my day!

adios! ciao! auf wiedersehen!さようなら (sayounara) BOSTON!

sitting at logan airport waiting for my flight to board, i closed the door to 7th street for the last time this morning - a very clean, very empty apartment. apart from the air mattress, filing cabinet and TV stand i left behind. i got all my stuff into two suitcases (yet again!). the bigger one weighed in at 52 pounds and luckily she didn't ask me to repack 2 pounds of my life. i really wasn't in the mood to reshuffle! i'll have a taxi waiting for me on the other end to take me to south kensington where i'll be staying in a student dorm/flat in the building next to work. very convenient this trip!

yesterday, i realized at 1:30pm that I still had my trusty bike in my possession.



so i quickly took a picture and posted a FOR IMMEDIATE SALE posting on craigslist saying that i was leaving town and needed someone to come and collect the bike (http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bik/491094058.html) - and i had someone at the office with $20 by 3:30! so my cab to logan was paid for by my trusty friend. it was actually a little sad to part with her. she's been good to me.

so now they are calling my rows and i must board the plane.
thanks boston. and goodbye!

a good day ... and more to come!

despite the gray and rain, today has been great! i've only time for a list at this point, so here goes.

top 10 reasons meagan is happy today:

1. i ROCKED my psych test after studying for about 8 hours (only) yesterday!

2. i had a great weekend and am still feeling the effects of lovely family time.

3. i'll be in london in two days where i'll get to see my wonderful friends!

4. i've discovered a song that makes me very very happy by ingrid michaelson called 'the way i am' and have had that on repeat and smiling inanely all the while.

5. i've been given THREE new mixed cd's in the last week which i love -(thank you jordan, jenny/eric!) so feel like music is coming back into my life!

6. i have one more day of work in the boston EUSA office.

7. they are having goodbye drinks for me tonight.

8. at a place known for their margaritas!

9. i've cleaned out my filing cabinet at work and it is empty (that feels good!)

10. end of an era is near ... and a new one is beginning!

can't ... eat ... another ... bite ...

ok, maybe just ONE more helping of stuffing.

had a great thanksgiving at aunt judy's house in CT. she prepared an AMAZING feast for 21 people on thursday (kudos kudos!) it was delicious, complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy (that was ME and suzen!), cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes, apple pie, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. lots of love went into that meal. it always seems a shame to eat it so quickly after so much time was spent preparing. though i suppose we've been eating it ever since ... and the turkey soup will last at least a few more days!

jimmy's brother and his family were in town from chicago. i hope she won't mind that i relay my perspective here, but his brother has ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease., a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. i didn't know anything about it when i arrived, though i'd heard the name, and certainly never met anyone who had it. tom sat on a recliner in the living room, hardly able to move much. if i'm honest, i found it a little hard at first. i didn't know what to do, how to act, what to say, how to respond, what he needed, what he could understand or couldn't. i imagine this paralysis in others is probably just as frustrating for him as his own paralysis. but i sat to talk with him a little later in the night and he had me laughing about old stories of his wife and his younger, crazier years. he has four beautiful children and an amazing wife who equally as witty with boundless energy. where she finds it, i don't know. i suppose when life throws you a pitch you just step up to the plate and give it a really good whack.

i found myself oscillating between being angry at whomever-i-should-be-angry-at for such a thing happening to such an amazing family, and being in awe of their resiliance and spirit in the face of something so unfair. it reminds me of this quote hanging on the door of the little girl's room i slept in while i was here: 'when life throws you lemons, you want to throw them back and scream 'i asked for limes!!'' ... i'm SURE they did not ask for lemons but it hardly seems like that's what they've got. you'd never know it from the way they live and love. it was very powerful and i am grateful to have shared thanksgiving with them this year.

it reminded me, i suppose, that lows will come, that lows are inevitable in life, i know there have certainly been a fair share of lows this year and i know there will be more to come. so i gave thanks for the highs that come, also thankfully inevitably, that make the lows bearable. may 2008 bring far more highs than lows!

lucky socks!

what a day today was!
i'm sitting at home, on my floor because i've no chairs left, everything is gone. waiting for my celebratory fruschetta pizza to warm in the oven because i have no pots and pans with which to cook. it's kind of sad. but i couldn't be happier.

because i ROCKED the GREs!

it started this morning around 7 when i biked to funkin donuts for my good luck cup of coffee (did i mention i have no coffee maker either) and got a large cup of joe with cream and proceeded to spend the next four hours capriciously alternating between work and last minute cramming. (GRE word, don'tcha know. my mnemonic device? - 'capri's, are they pants or are they shorts? they can't decide') but honestly, i couldn't bring myself to study THAT hard because if i didn't know it yesterday, and i don't know it today, how will i know it in two hours. still, a few last vocab drills and it was time to go.

but when i looked out the window (which clearly i hadn't done all morning) - i realized there was a torrential snowstorm whirling outside my window. i'd given myself plenty of time for the bike ride over, but not enough time for the T if i didn't want to be panicking the whole ride there. plus i was looking forward to working off some nerves and that very large, very caffeinated coffee, with a long ride. so i threw an extra pair of pants in my bag (as it turns out, my new brown cords, which i fancy as rather more academic than my jeans, even if my jeans are 'lucky' brand and were going to be my lucky jeans that matched my lucky underwear and my lucky 'sconnie' sweatshirt). it was a good thing because after pedalling only five minutes from my house, i was soaked, and there was still another 20 minutes to go.

(for the record, lucky underwear = not gray or baggy, i don't really have 'lucky' underwear!)

anyhow, because i'd given myself plenty of time for the bike ride, i arrived a half hour early, in time to pop into walgreens and get myself a pair of lucky socks! (taken from my camera phone).



my feet were soaked and i didn't really want to sit for four hours with cold wet feet. fortunately for my new 100% waterproof jacket (see earlier entry) the upper half of my body was entirely water-free apart from the sweat i'd worked up. (ok, so it wasn't THE most comfortable test taking outfit ever).

so when i got there, i had to put all of my belongings into a locker. i got number 32. my age. which i took as a fortuitous sign of all things good. (lots of symbolism today!) and i had about 5 minutes to wait and sit quietly and just take a deep breath and pray to the GREat god of standardized computer adaptive testing. ('please let me get the first question right, and please let the second be difficult, so i know i got it right, but not so difficult that i can't answer it, and another difficult one next, and so on and so forth')

they took me to my computer station and i took my time reading the instructions (before the clock begins), taking deep breaths and reminding myself that i could, indeed, do this. and then it began.

my first essay question had to argue over the statement something along the lines of 'formal education exists only to encourage the ideas a culture likes and discourage the ones it doesn't like or is fearful of.' (paraphrased, obviously) - it didn't matter which way you chose to argue, you just had to have a sound argument and analysis. i argued against it though. and the second question i had to analyze an argument for spending on computers/technology in a school district based on a few flimsy facts provided.

i FREAKED out for about 30 seconds when i got the first question. one of those freakouts where you forget where you are and what you're supposed to be doing and how to read a sentence. but after i calmed myself down and began jotting down notes, i was fine. i finished both essays with ample time to read and re-read, but i was pretty happy with them both when i hit submit. they get scored on a 1-6 scale. and if i don't get 5s or 6s, i'll be bummed.

the rest of the test flew by. 1 verbal, 2 math sections - one of which won't count because it's just the educational testing service trying out new questions for future exams. (THANKS A LOT) ... but in fact, i'm pretty sure it was the second one that counted because i saw a few new questions on the first. which was much better since i had more time to get my math groove on.

in any case, at the end of the test, the computer asks you whether you want your scores to count or not. i suppose if at that point you feel you've really blown it, you can not have them count and they won't go down on record. (though the fact that you took the test will appear, so isn't that kind of being a ninny about it?) anyway ... it's not like i'm taking THIS test again, so i hit yes please.

and was i surprised!! honestly, i was expecting somewhere between 900-1000 (out of 1600, 800 for each section, excluding essays which get graded separately). all my practice tests had given me a score somewhere in that range. but when i hit 'show me the money'...

wait for it. wait for it.

i scored a 1260!!

i don't like to think of myself as truculent - but i BEAT THAT mo'fo's ass!

(truculent - fierce and cruel, eager to fight)

woo hooo. please don't consider me a braggart. i'm not really competitive about this with anyone except myself. i honestly could care less about this test as long as it gets me into marquette. but i'm pretty darn chuffed with the score. maybe i could even look for some scholarships! woo hoo.

so now it's back to packing up the flat, eating my celebratory pizza for one, and enjoying the last few days here in boston. although i'm leaving tomorrow to spend thanksgiving in CT with my fam. i'm going to be one wild turkey this year.

thanks to all who sent vibes my way - i definitely got them!

and happy thanksgiving to everyone. i'll be giving thanks for all of you!
xoxo

dog walkers

dog walkers are the bane of my existence tonight, dear readers. not LEAST because i am not a dog person. if you know me well, you know this. but because of ridiculous questions like this:

Of the 24 people walking their dogs in Golden Gate Park, 25% are not on the phone. If the dog walkers are outnumbered 4 to 1 by people not walking dogs, and if one fourth of the people in Golden Gate Park are on the phone, how many people in Golden Gate Park are on the phone but not walking dogs?


try it. go on, see if you can figure it out.

i am going to guess my cousin sara, who MAJORED IN MATH is quite possibly the only one who will get this. i'll reveal the answer in the comments section.

THESE are the kinds of questions i will be forced to answer in a 4 hour exam on tuesday afternoon. if you could all please say a few prayers, or send a few vibes, or think a few good thoughts for me on tuesday, i'd be grateful. i have the GRE at 12:30pm where i'll have to answer 2 essay questions (45 minutes each) 1 verbal section (30 minutes) and 1 math section (45 minutes). urgh urgh urgh.

how can my knowing the answer to that question about dog walkers make a difference in whether i will one day be a good counselor and student at marquette. i have NO idea. standardized testing makes me angry sometimes.

in any case, i'm sitting in a pub trying to study, on my third blueberry beer, so the vocab section is beginning to slur .... but the blueberries sure are nice. did i say slur, i meant blur.

bring on the grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrE

a special occasion

wow. so here it is. my 200th post. i'd like to take this opportunity to thank my dear readers, for following along this journey, back and forth across the ponds. of course i'd like to thank my mother, for making me write one-page essays before i could get my allowance - only AFTER scrubbing the toilets - all those saturdays of my youth. and to all of those who have been subject to and subjects OF my postings week after week, year after year (I started this in october 2005)!

so since it is my 200th post, i thought perhaps i should do something special, write something requiring exra thought or consideration. a musing on life post-200, a profound gem of wisdom.

instead, i think i'll share a picture of my new beau. (that's pretty exciting, isn't it?) a new character in the life of meagan. someone i'm excited about crossing the ponds with. (sorry mom, ending in prepositions never correct, i know, but love knows no grammar).

you can't see it in this picture, but we're both wearing our wisconsin (UW) red (freezing our respective bits off) at the football game. he got me a 'sconnie' sweatshirt and i wore it with the kind of naive pride only a newbie can have. he attempted to fill me in on the rules of the game between plays, and i have a slightly better idea of how it's played, though will still look forward to peaceful sunday afternoons on my own during the season. (who knew i could live with seasons?)



but happy to learn the rules of the game.

only 2 more weeks in boston. i leave for london exactly 2 weeks from today and i couldn't be more excited. for one - i'll see the gang again - long overdue. and for two - i'll be OUT of boston for good. i'm packing up, moving house, jumping ship and setting sail from beantown. most of my stuff i've moved to wisconsin, and the rest i'll carry with me in two suitcases (i'm used to this, i pack lightly). i've sold the furniture and given away what wasn't important. downsized for - quite possibly - the last time! i must admit, i'm looking forward to the final crossing of ponds. i'm ready to start collecting, and stop letting go!

so hooray for football, and wisconsin, and cheeseheads, and boston, and lessons learned, and old friends, and new love, and fond memories, and 200th posts!

keep on reading!

here to stay

i bought myself a jacket yesterday. it's a much needed every-day jacket since my others are either too formal, too long, too hot, too ragged or too something-not-quite-right. it's a nice one from patagonia bought in part on their environmental principles of recycling their materials but also in part because of the lifetime warranty that comes with their products.

in my usual way of imbibing symbolism into just about everything i own, this jacket is no exception. because while it's very stylish as ski/snowboarding jackets go - it's still a puff jacket - and still an active (oh, can i say 'american'??) style jacket. and i love it. not something i would have bought five years ago when i was all about the hip and trendy - but definitely something i can live with now. warm. cozy. practical. comfortable. just how life feels right now.

bedposts and notches

so if last week's entry was my ode to boston, this week's is an ode to milwaukee.

i spent this weekend wandering around town (or really, i should say driving, because it's not particularly a wandering town and it was quite cold) and exploring the different neighborhoods, the universities, the condo market, the restaurants and shops. why would i be doing this? i hear you ask. (and WHERE is milwaukee?, i hear my friends across the pond asking)

and so now i must come clean. this 'great city on a great lake' is where i'll find myself after the gambia next year.

and why milwaukee? (and really, where IS milwaukee??)

milwaukee for those of you not familiar with US geography is to the west of lake michigan in the state of wisconsin. and i'll be moving here because i've met someone very special and together we're heading to middle america for an adventure. i'm thinking of it as a stop along the way out west, because one day we'll get west. but it's a beautiful stop to make, and i'm enthralled by the city after this weekend.

the city itself is relatively industrial - historically a blue collar factory town - but the rejuvenation effort, especially downtown, is strong, and the pride for all things milwaukee is contagious. we went to see a movie on friday night at the oriental theatre - an old school theatre on the east side of town - and there was a man playing an ORGAN on the stage as we arrived, and enormous genie-like cross-legged statues lit up in florescent pinks, purples and oranges. it was like walking into the 1930s - very glamorous. when the movie began, the organ slowly disappeared into the stage while he continued banging out the last few notes which were quickly swallowed by the velvet curtains.



they've got a market downtown in a section of town we like - 'the historic third ward' - called the milwaukee public market and walking inside is like walking into foodie heaven. (it's supposedly meant to mimic pike market - of seattle fame, and it's perhaps a bit like the new part of spittalfields market in london). it's an indoor market the size of a football field with specialty stalls of cheeses, fresh fruit and veg, ethnic cuisines, nuts, dairy, candies, coffee, a delicatessen, raw juice bar, pastries and bread and anything and everything in between. a top mark green grocer and definitely a selling point for this area of town.

i read somewhere today that milwaukee is very much like chicago without the crowds - it has museums, a symphony and theatre, the ballet, sports teams (brewers and bucks), festivals and a relatively small financial district. it also is ON lake michigan, so has the views and esplanades of a coastal town. i'm excited to explore yet another notch on my bedpost of cities.

i also spent friday talking with professors at the two local universities and fell in love with the program at marquette university. i met with the chair of the department for over an hour and he told me that if i got my application into him ASAP, he would see what he could do about expediting the process to get me an early decision before i leave for the gambia. (which leads me to believe that i rather impressed him and that the outcome would be favorable to me!) - which is excellent considering i was completely unimpressed with the other university i visited (uwm). i think marquette will give me the kind of experience i hoped for in my undergraduate career - personal, intimate and involved - and i am incredibly grateful to be in a position to take advantage of this at this point in my life.

all in all, things are moving along nicely and i couldn't be happier. watch this space for updates!