St Bride and freshers week

 

This was our first week of real activities! The freshers week, except we are not freshers, some of us have freshers already too many times!
Tuesday some of us went to St Bride Library in London, where we are supposed to be found the next months lots of times, talking to Nigel, our host at the library, trying to explain him what we need for our research! It was a very nice introduction!
Before that I wondered in the streets of Soho and Convent Garden, when I saw this new Apple shop, and I couldn't resist to play with the new Ipad! It's amazing! I love it to go online, maps, and all the apps, except reading, I love books, and I wont take an Ipad to read in bed…
After the visit to Saint Bride we went back to Reading, already getting used to the trains at Paddington. The next morning awaited!
Wednesday morning was the induction to the department, the welcome day.
It was very nice to meet the last few ones integrating our group for Typedesign and also the other MAs, for Bookdesign and Information design, and also the Phds this year, that I was very glad to meet Alice Savoie and Sébastien Morlighem.
We were all day on campus doing bureaucratic stuff and then a social gathering at the department, that lead us to a pub nearby to finish our first meeting of the year with everybody!

P.S.
One funny curiosity, when doing the student card, when of the nice girls asked me what I was here to study, and then she replied, "Is Reading still the only place where you can study that? ", quite funny!  Of course right now it's not the only place, because we all know about KABK Type Media course, and also some new ones appearing in Mexico and Portugal. But still I said, "No, there are others, but this is still the best!" I had to say that!

First days

After almost eight days in Reading, I finally get the quiet and will to write. It has been a long week adjusting to life in the UK. Especially the weather, it's not easy not to have much light, but well, one gets used to it! Some say it's the latitude, that makes us feel very tired the first days, especially for us southern europeans.
But well this is just some weather adjustments one needs to do when moving away from your country!
The program hasn't started yet, but this year we had homework, so everybody is home drawing, reading, and doing some exercises. But we find time to go out and get to know the city, and
the department.
It's very interesting to meet our colleagues, that are from all over the world, really, from Japan, India, Greece, Holland, United States, just some of them… So our English is a mixture, very
funny sometimes!
We also had the chance to meet some previous students that gave us precious advices, especially work hard, concentrate, and try to follow your instincts, and ear what the professors can taught us, lots of wise words.
It's nice to see them all happy to finish but at the same time sad that it's all over! But it's never over! Hopefully also some previous students of past years will also be teaching us at the department, and that is very good sign!
Right now almost all students are arriving to Reading, the last ones arrive during the weekend! Next wednesday is the first meeting at the department with all students, this year we are 18! Let's hope everything goes smoothly, I believe it will!

In the mean time a nice calm weekend just organizing for a full start on tuesday in London at the St Brides Library!