In two weeks’ time, Michaelmas Term will have come to an end, I will be 66% through the academic portion of my Oxford experience, I will have turned 23, and I will be on my way to Turkey with my father. The last of those is definitely the most exciting, though I still have not done any real background research. With lots of reading to be done for every Thursday, a thesis meeting with Dr. Hurrell coming up on Friday, and other tasks looming in all corners of the town, it can be difficult to devote energy to anything else.
That may partially explain all my recent contemplation of being in other places – a phenomenon similar to that which I experienced during the short, cold days of this period last year. At least there is no profoundly flawed statistics course happening at the same time, this year.
I hope the new Canadian High Commissioner to London (James Wright) decides to perpetuate his predecessor Mel Cappe’s tradition of inviting Canadian grad students in the UK for a Christmas party in the official residence. I got my invitation at around this time last year, and had a good time in London at the start of December. It was my first trek out of Oxford, since first arriving from Vancouver.
No plans yet, for Christmas. My father is returning to Vancouver on the 14th of December and – barring the need to work on my thesis – I have no other commitments.
PS. Sorry to not have written something more interesting. My brain has been barely functioning all day, after staying up until after 4:00am having an extended philosophical discussion with Tristan. I really need to start enforcing a disengagement with MSN after 1:00am, no matter how interesting ongoing conversations may be.
****RPL Reception at St Giles House, St Johns College****
The Government of Canada’s Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) Program invites
you to a reception at St John’s College, Oxford, on Wednesday 29 November
2006, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in St Giles’ House (16 St Giles). Come learn more
about employment opportunities in the federal public service for outstanding
Canadian graduate students with the talents, experience, and energy to make a
rapid contribution to the development of public policy in Canada.
**** Canadian High Commissioner Postgraduate Reception****
REMINDER: Reception at the High Commissioner of Canada‚s residence in London
on Friday Dec 1st 2006.
Canadian graduate students in the UK are invited to a reception on Friday,
December 1, 2006, from 18:30 to 20:30, at the James Wright, high Commissioner
of Canada‚s, residence – 3 Grosvenor Square, London W1 (Bond Street
Underground).
This reception coincides with the Recruitment of Policy Leaders’ initiative
here in the UK by the Public Service Commission of Canada.
They may still have a few places available if you have not yet responded
(reply to ian.napier@international.gc.ca)
Talk about “ask and ye shall receive!”
I don’t know if I will be able to go to the party on that day (it is when my father will be in the UK) but those recruiting events sound excellent. I already emailed Ian Napier.
Re: Recruitment of Policy Leaders’ initiative
“I am afraid that the application period for this year’s campaign closed in October, but for more information about the program in the meantime, please visit our website.”
TURKEY?!?! I’m so jealous!
and you can expect to hear gratuitous and trite “Christmas Turkey” jokes from me for about the next two months!