Dickinson College Humanities Program in Norwich

Ok, so here I am again with another post on my findings. I have to go out and purchase converters for all of my electronics, such as camera charger, computer, etc. I have a MacBook and since my computer is probably one of the most important possessions going abroad with me, I called up Apple to see how they would fair in England. Apparently, Macs have something built in that they do well with converters abroad. They also have a feature (that I have yet to find) that can allow the DVD player to play the European-style DVDs. The only problem is you can only switch back and forth from this function a limited number of times. It is also good to make sure your Mac is covered under AppleCare abroad so that it is protected. Yay Macs!

Hey everyone! So these past few days I have been doing some research on cell phones. I have an At&t phone that can be activated to be used abroad. They have this World Traveler plan that (at least for my phone) it would cost me $5.99 a month in addition to $0.99 a minute. My text messages would cost $0.50 to send but nothing to receive. They made it seem like a good plan, but $0.99 a minute seemed a bit pricey to me. I have skype, which does have a feature to call telephones and I forget exactly how much it costs, but it is pretty inexpensive, you just have to use your computer. Right now I am going through other types of phones. Here are my findings:
Orange– www1.orange.co.uk
This mobile service is based out of the UK…to call to America (under their Pay Monthly plan) would be 1.10 pounds. Under their Pay as you Go plan it is 1.30 pounds per minute. The site was a little confusing, so you might have to check this yourself.
Virgin Mobile– www.virginmobileusa.com/rates/InternationalCalling.do
It is $0.20 per minute in the UK, with $0.20 to send a text message, $0.10 to receive one (This is probably in addition to a certain package and paying for the phone).
O2- www.o2.co.uk
Under Pay & Go there is a service called Discount Country if you will be frequently calling one country. For the US it is 9p per minute and 2.55 pounds per month. Discount Country is also available to pay monthly. It is 9p per minute as well, plus 3 pounds a month.
International Traveller Service is only available under the per month category. It seemed to be geared more towards business people. It would be 2.99 pounds per month and 17p per minute to the US. For some European countries it would be 17p per minute.
Vodafone–www.vodafone.com
I have not gotten a chance to check out this site yet.
Magic Jack– www.magicjack.com
I could not get this link to work for whatever reason, but it is supposed to have good rates.

To me, the Virgin Mobile seemed like the best deal for me. Of course, you all know you have to purchase a phone and pay for a package in addition to the international rates. If anyone has any other findings or advice, please post it! Thanks!

We are trying to get around the city (and surroundings) of our new home. Thought you might like to see some photos.

We’ll have to swap stories: Which is worse? Fitting one year of your life into two suitcases or packing up your house for two years and shipping all the family essentials? The packers came today and will be here tomorrow. Movers come on Monday to empty the house. We have (most of) our bags and boxes packed and we are waiting the empty house to start cleaning. What chaos here. But things are starting to feel real. Look for a post or email in the future regarding pdf readings. The college has the new blackboard-like site up, but our course is not yet “populated.” That is, I have the readings up, but you don’t have access yet. I’m working on this happening much sooner than the early August date they were planning.

As I think we’re supposed to blog a bit about our assigned reading, I thought I’d start us all off while the first book is fresh in my mind.

I just finished reading Salaam Brick Lane and I enjoyed it more than any other summer reading books in recent memory. I liked both Hall’s colloquial writing style and the book’s format and approach to the topic, since I’m more partial to personal, first-hand accounts. I’ve always been interested in South Asian culture, and reading about the UK immigrant experience of Bangladeshis was an interesting, new perspective from what I’m used to reading.

However,  I most enjoyed reading about a side of London that many foreigners rarely hear about or see. Based on my visits there as a tourist and the pictures of London we get from films, TV, and other forms of media, I have always had a vision of London as a quieter, more civilized, cleaner-cut big sister to New York City. I live about an hour outside of Manhattan and it has always seemed to be a chaotic jumble of people living on top of each other in a small area, but I enjoy London because it often seemed a little more prim and proper and orderly, both in person and in the media. I now realize that London does indeed have these areas, and that I know next to nothing about the areas outside of the main tourist circuit. I was always looking forward to scratching below the tourist surface of London, but after reading Salaam Brick Lane, I’m even more excited for learning about the many faces of the city, specifically the different immigrant cultures and experiences.

Since no one else has blogged about reading yet, I’m not sure if this is the sort of response we were supposed to come back with, but I thought I might as well get going with something before it becomes hazy when I move on to the next book. I also was a bit confused about all the reading that’s expected of us before we arrive in England: Are we supposed to have read the fictional account of life in the East End and Ms. Dalloway in addition to Hall, Schama, Wilson and Shakespeare before the London course starts, or will we be reading them there? I assume it would be best for us to have read them beforehand, but I wanted to make sure to leave time for them in my reading list this summer if we’re expected to have read them by the time we arrive.

Andrew has gotten confirmation that his visa has been approved! Congratulations. I just went for my biometrics in Baltimore. The staff there was great. I have to say that I have less positive things to say about World  Bridge, the phone bank that answers questions for the embassy. The person I spoke to seemed to have little knowledge of the biometric procedures. However, all went well. I’m just hoping that I filled everything out right on the application.

Let us know about your visa process. I know that there has been some confusion with the new rules and procedures this year. Neither UEA nor Dickinson had ever gone through the process under the new procedure and there was a problem with the initial letters for you. Fortunately, we found a helpful and kind person in the NY consulate who has helped us immensely. Hopefully, those of us who have to apply through Chicago and LA will have equally good results.

Make sure to get an RSS feed for new posts so that you can keep up on the musings of your classmates.

Wow, what a busy couple of weeks. But what a joy it has been reading and, in some cases, re-reading good literature. My days have been filled mostly with trying to arrange for various events in London, get our home ready for our departure, finish up my duties on campus, and learn about my new duties in Norwich. But my evenings have frequently found me curled up in bed with Virginia Woolf, Buchi Emecheta, and Zadie Smith. I don’t think my wife minds sharing her bed with these women! 😉 I love ending the day reading a good novel, and I have not been disappointed with my selections so far. I hope that students enjoy these readings and find them as useful to understanding some parts of London as I have. I’m sure that you all will tell me eventually whether you like my selections or not.

For anyone interested in racial politics in England today, i started reading “There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack” by Paul Gilroy, it was recommended to me by Professor Ball (history department) and so far it’s pretty good stuff!

=] Flow

Truly, I find it difficult to pinpoint what exactly I’m most looking forward to in the upcoming year. Things that jump to mind are traveling, an increased sense of independence, constantly embarking on new experiences, and studying Renaissance authors in their land. Most pressing though is my desire for it all to begin. I find the dreams and excitements as well as the fears and anxieties to be a tad overwhelming. My hope is that once I’m across the ocean and in England, all of those feelings of uncertainty will go away and I’ll just be able to experience everything instead of just think about it. I’m hoping to learn the history of England as a whole but specifically Norwich and the cities that the authors that I will be studying lived in. To make sure that that happens, I’m planning on continuing my habit of living in the library and reading as much as possible but I am hoping to learn more from the city itself. My plan is to never just be sitting in the flat but to be out and about experiencing all that Norwich has to offer. Of course, I’m quite nervous about getting lost and even more nervous about the large span of time that I won’t be able to see my family and friends here. While those fears are certainly real, I’m more excited than anything else just to be in an entirely new surrounding with the opportunity to do everything that I want to do.

The semester is not yet over, but you have already been thinking ahead to next year. Module selections are complete; orientation is over; lots of paperwork has been filled out. Now we await visas! But first, we have technology training sessions and a cookout at my house. Then you’ll go your separate ways and await a syllabus and LOTS of reading for the summer before you arrive in London on 20 August. So, tell us what you are expecting in London and Norwich. What do you most look forward to? What are you hoping to learn? What are you anxious about? What hobbies or interests do you hope to continue? What is something new that you hope to try? This is our opening for the blog, and the beginning of your  participation in our collective learning experience. I look forward  to a fun, exciting, and  EDUCATIONAL year ahead. Fasten your seatbelt; it is gonna happen fast!