Budapest!

I have arrived in Europe proper. Budapest is most definitely non-English. :)

I'm visiting Spencer, a mate from undergrad who came up to visit me in Edinburgh a month ago. He's finishing up his masters here in Hungary through an exchange programme with the University of Toronto. 

Thursday, Spencer had to take the GRE and his final class. So I had a very (necessarily) lazy day at the flat catching up on emails. 

He and I both have looming PhD application deadlines, so we are doing a "cafe crawl" through Pest's neatest coffee joints and forcing each other to write. 

I'm also getting a wee bit of tourism in there, never fear! Basilica, baths, and tours of the Jewish quarter are on our agenda! And Saturday we are bopping over to Vienna.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying strawberry hot chocolate. :)

Norwich yet again!

Since I was in London for the Marshall Thanksgiving, I popped over to Norwich to meet with Mark about a conference we’re planning around water and power in May 2014. And, of course, to see everyone’s favourite mini maestro!

I got to pick up Iorwerth from Little People’s Monday, and got a delightfully large hug. This evening, we had a lovely round of wand/animal/flashlight/marker with mummy and Aunt Nina.

And, of course, some Merchants of Spice, which I’m now happily eating on the train.
It’s back to London to board a plane for Budapest! 

Marshall Thanksgiving Dinner

Each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Marshall Scholars gather in London for a giant (80+ people) Thanksgiving potluck. Turkey, potatoes, and cranberries, oh my!

We had grand fun. I am most definitely ready for some sleep, now...got into London Thursday night and have been running around since with massive loads of shopping for the dinner, a Friday night meeting about retreats, and a Sunday brunch.

We got to light menorah for Thanksgivukkah in addition to stuffing our faces. Grand fun all around!

Becca has a job!

I know what you're thinking...exactly what Becca needs!

I've been contemplating an Edinburgh job for a while, casually keeping my eyes open without hunting too hard. It's nice but not imperative to supplement the Marshall stipend. More than that, though, it's a really great way to become more fully integrated in the uni. I've really enjoyed working in higher education admin in various roles at my previous universities: in the GenCen (women's studies department) at Michigan State and International Office at the University of East Anglia. 

I've just been offered a job as a "Publications Assistant" for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. They are doing a major push to make more of their faculty's research open access - available to the public without paying for academic journal subscriptions. I'll be encouraging faculty to make their articles open access and working on document uploading, search parameter consistency, etc. Lots of happy, Type A paperwork to do!

I start that when I get back from Budapest. (Oh, yes. I'm going to Budapest. Because 55 pound return from London=why not!? Also, Spencer -mate from undergrad - is there.)

Happy Thanksgivukkah!

For the first time since 1888, the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving are on the same Gregorian date. How delightful! Food! Lights! Family!

I celebrated last night with a Christmas party with my LLM cohort...since many of us are leaving this weekend.

I leave for London this evening for the Marshall-wide turkey shindig, which this year is going to also involve dreidels and a menorah-lighting, because why not?!

See the latest episode of "Ramblings"...discussing Hanukkah and Thanksgiving in front of a Christmas tree.

Holland!

I have an amazing vivid memory of writing and publishing this blog post. But apparently I didn't. Sorry, folks.

Last Friday, I jetted away from bonny Scotland to Amsterdam!
...I was not doing what many people think of as weekend mini-breaks to the Netherlands. (Though it was very clear that some of the folks on my plane were.)

My mate Ally got married in September. I was supposed to be her maid of honor...and very distinctly wasn't because the UKBA still had my passport for visa processing and I couldn't leave the country.
But...enter the beauty of multi-national families! Josh is Dutch, with extensive and close family in Holland. They went to visit their Dutch family as a honeymoon of sorts, and also had a second wedding ceremony/blessing at their family's church there.

It was really lovely to see Ally again and meet her family. Also a joy, of course, to have a good excuse to see the Netherlands! Her family lives in Harderwijk, a small city smack dab in the middle of the country. Lovely train rides to and from the airport, a really cute town centre, and adorable Dutch children in festive hats and shoes, since Sinterklaas comes on 5 December!!

Christmas is Coming!

I know, I know, it's too early!

Except I live in a country without Thanksgiving...so there isn't actually a major holiday between Halloween and Christmas. And that pushes things up a bit.

And then there's the fact that classes end for Term 1 on 29 November...so most people who are heading home will be leaving that weekend. Thus, if we want to do course Christmas parties, they have to happen now-ish!

So Christmas has come to Rebecca's Rooms of Requirement. There are trees, and snowflakes, and lights, and candles galore. And it is beautiful!

Not sure we're going to get actual snow...

I had just a few people over last night for a gift exchange, as a lot of folks had to bail at the last minute. But next week I'm having a social for the full International Law cohort, and I'm setting up a "White Elephant" exchange. The “White Elephant” Gift Exchange is a North American holiday party tradition. Everyone is asked to bring one small wrapped gift (<5 GBP). During the social, attendees will take turns unwrapping a gift. People have the option to open a new gift or “steal” an already unwrapped gift. The point of this is entertainment and laughs over which gifts become popular and who steals from whom.

We did a mini version last night. Naveed got chopsticks, and a 5-minute lecture from me and Becca (the other Becca...one of my best English mates is also named Becca) about how he should learn to actually use them. Other Becca left with a snuggly lion companion (stuffed, not real - I didn't do an actual "white elephant" problematic gift) she has dubbed Aeb. And I have a lovely box of chocolates!