the corner office

London again, bright lights, big city. I really do like the place. The throng of people is incredible, but my mind always wanders back to how hectic the sewerage systems must be to support that many people in one place.

I feel like a country bumpkin walking around, I'm sure people can tell I'm not a local. It's probably because I'm constantly staring up at buildings and gawking at interesting things. What really piqued my interest this time were the basement flats in Bayswater and Kensington. They must have a really awesome urban jungle vibe, and a little more affordable than the 5-storey terrace houses above them, but living below street level in a city with a real risk of flooding is perhaps a little too adventurous for me. Even out here in the country, the Thames Valley becomes more of a Thames Marsh every time there's a heavy stretch of rain. I'm all for living on high ground, myself.

At least exams are over, for this year. Given the chaos of moving last year I decided to cancel two subjects, so I have another year of studying ahead, but with only two subjects it shouldn't be too much of a stretch. The only frustrating thing is that a postgrad 'Honours' degree by SA standards doesn't exactly map to the UK concept of 'Honours' so I'm working towards a qualification that doesn't seem to mean much to anyone here. I'm so close to finishing though, that I'd be crazy not to see it through.

What I do know is that I'm guilt-free and unburdened for the next month or two. Yippee!