The Late Start

So it has been almost a month since I have come to the UK and I have not been faithful to entries in this blog. I am mostly adjusted to the move and to my new program so I figured that it was time to write a few more entries. I am happy to say that I find the University of Leicester Museum Studies Program very interesting and I never knew I would enjoy reading about "What is an Object?" or "What is a Museum?". These are crucial question to address and even if they seem simple, believe me, they are not. Ask yourself, what is an object? Is it vase? A photo? A painting? An historical building? A landscape? The answers seem infinite, so how does one assign a universal way of analyzing an object? or viewing an object? Just something to think about. One of the best things about this program is that it is really making me examine the ideas I have about museum and larger society. 

So while I will be devoting most of this blog to writing about my experience in the museum program, I guess I should give a description of where I am. So I am studying in Leicester, England, which is not the most beautiful european city. However, it has a surprising amount of charm to it. It is in the Midland region of England and is the 10th largest city in the UK, at more than 300,000 people. It has a long history dating back to the Roman period. The city survived through the medieval and modern era, boasting the oldest covered market (and largest) in all of Europe. While it is not as large I as I could imagined, it does have an extensive selection of food, with lots of fresh (though sadly, for the most part, not local) produce. The city center, where the market is located, also has a large number of stores and a large shopping mall area. This area of the city is fairly nice and it is enjoyable to walk around, with a beautiful walk way called "New Walk" which leads from the city center to the university. 

Leicester University is smaller than I imagined it, with a very compact campus center. My program is a little more than a 10 minute walk from the campus center, in a new building (opened just this year!) I have come to appreciate the library greatly, which is very nice and modern looking, with a separate area just for the postgraduate students. It is nice, however the library closes at midnight and there is no where to study besides my room after that time. 

My accommodations are adequate, a room with a wardrobe, desk, chair, and bed, with a kitchen, toilet and shower shared by the ten people in my block. I was a little disappointed when I moved in, because I was placed with all international students. I have 6 chinese roommates, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Indian, and 1 Arab roommate. So I am the only native English speaker and this can be difficult at times. I do wish I had a roommate from the UK as it would have greatly added to my experience here I feel. But I guess it makes sense. Leicester has more International Students in the postgraduate program than British students. 

So that is a brief (very brief) overview of Leicester, I am sure I will flesh it out as I go along.