It was pretty shocking to realize today's the starting of my second month in London. Time really flies. 1/12 of my master student life is just gone.
So time to review and reflect a liitle bit.
Today is the end of my week 2 of 1st semester, and slower than expected, only until now I have the feeling of getting the whole picture of life here. For student and teachers, first week of the year is basically for "course shopping" (the whole year's courses need to be decided in the very beginning), so no real lectures and seminars are delivered. Thus, after this week of "reality shows", I finally figure out how the workload really looks like, and can start mapping out my strategy for it.
As many people might expect, studying in LSE isn't easy. However, it's not simply because of the workload, but also overwhelming information, fast decision making requirements, and challenges of being firm about your own choice. There are just too many opportunities here aiming to occupy your time. Every single day, there are at least 20 events happening in the campus: public speeches, seminars, trainings sessions offered by school, society events, internship opportunities, career fairs, parties, dorm gatherings, and so on. What makes the situation even more stressful is how aggressive the students are. For example, there are limits of how many students each course can take, and if you don't wait in front of computer before the booking time starts, actually there will be nothing left for you. The vacancies for any useful resources are just fast gone in seconds, which makes me feeling like in war all the time.
Anyways, thanks for the training of AIESEC, I know how crucial it is to check out the key priorities and hold on to them from the very beginning, so the only difficult part is to decide what is more important than others. (By the way, the pic on the right is the poster I found in the campus, and I was so happy to know LSE LC exists. It's like having one more home, though not feeling going back yet. =P)Among all, I guess the biggest decision I've made is about career. Because most recruiting activities here happen around October to November, so recently the endless fairs and deadlines are really eating time and keeping nerves tight, if you wanna apply. What I've made up on my mind is to simply give up all the career opportunitiies given, focus on books and knowledge, and find a job in Taiwan after finishing my studies here.
The opportunities are truly awesome - better than anything you can imagine - and it would be a lie if I said there had been no struggle, but in the end I decided to simply follow my heart again - it's saying time to be back staying with your family, and none of the positions are located in Taiwan, mostly in Eupore, with some in Hong Kong and Singapore.
I know a lot of great opportunities are once in a lifetime, but what the past two years taught me is they're not fundamentals of a happy life. I still don't know if this is a right choice or not, however, at least it ensures me following what I believe in. We can just wait and see how promising this faith can be. C'est la vie, as people always say.
Without the pressure of seeking job and running society, my life here is far from hectic as it used to be in the last five years. Nevertheless, to an extent the life pattern remains the same as what it's like in Jordan: walking 50 minutes to school every day, shopping mostly in the grocery store next to my dorm, preparing my own meals in order to save money, enjoying staying at home, and being super happy while receiving any message from friends and famliy members. Due to the Thames river, the walking to and back from school forms the most enjoyable moments of each day. The view from the bridge simply conquers me. I still remeber what appeared on my mind upon seeing countless stars above Wadi Rum desert in Jordan: "that's already worth it all."
Since young, I have been feeling more or less bound to find the meanging of life, and to achieve, and there are always gain and loss, pain and confusion along with the pursuit, no matter what waiting in the end is the realization of dream, illusion, or lie. Hence, I'm grateful for every small thing telling me "it's simply worth it all". Just as the shepherd in the novel "The Alchemist", eventually he gets the treasure under the old place, but everything experienced along the way proves its value by no words upon seeing the pyramid.
That's how I feel right now. Life has its own path. I follow, react, and learn. There is great uncertainty waiting for me, and even now there are still ups and downs in my life here, but in general, I do enjoy the current status, and keep seeking ways to to make the best out of it. Okay, I guess it's time to stop the super long and fluffy monthly report. (Sorry guys =P) Hope you all enjoy the pictures, and as usual, your words are always greatly welcomed.
