Chevening Blog
Read blogs from Barbora Petrova, a Chevening-Hansard Society Research Scholar, who is currenly in London and who will inform on what it is like to study and work in London.
Week 0: Destination UK
The news about my acceptance for the Hansard Society Scholarship Program caught me in the middle of the summer. I was extremely happy and could not wait to go to London. At the same time, I thought I still had some six long months to prepare all the necessary stuff. A big mistake!
Christmas past so quickly and in the first week of January I managed only to secure papers about my unpaid leave for the next three months and say bye to half of my friends. So, here I am, arriving in London, where I will be partly studying at the famous London School of Economics and Political Science and partly working as an intern for so far unknown political institution.
I will be part of the 30-membered group of undergraduates and researchers mainly from US, but there are also people from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Poland.
I have been to the United Kingdom before, but I think being a short-time visitor does not count when you want to explore, study, live and really understand London, the British political system and the society. Pre-departure booklet also speaks about trips to Oxford and Edinburgh, visits to Parliament, lectures by Lords and MPs and attendance of cultural events. So, I can’t wait….
Week 1: The last blog from London?
Me and my London online self is already facing the first major dilemma! And, surprisingly, it is – to write or not to write a blog describing my three months stay at the LSE combined with an internship placement at the so far still unknown political institution?
According to an advice from an unnamed head of the Hansard Society scholars’ programme, my blog probably shall not follow an example of an unnamed scholar from the last term, who forgot that the abbreviation www stands for the world wide web and mentioned several "interesting" details from a private life of an unnamed MP. And, of course, shortly after that, those reports became very popular information by the general public.
So, I am afraid, this point is a farewell to all of you, who were expecting to finally read something interesting. I am really sorry, but I just can´t... Even the content of our LSE lectures is confidential (or as the Westminster slang calls it "under Chatham House Rules)!
This could have been such an exciting column! I know!
To make things worse, I can’t really provide any interesting stories from my own life at the moment as I am going to start a very calm life of a hardworking and sedulous student. Because what else you could do when you are sharing a hostel-like room on the fifth floor with an amazing view of the South Kensington roof tops, where people pay million of British pounds to live and wait for a single moment to complain about noisy students in their neighbourhood. Hence, in line with the local law we should rather stop talking when we get to our street to prevent any unreasonable noise. On the other hand, it is true that when I climb to my fifth floor I really am out of breath and any words.
So, maybe I just say Hi! to mum and dad and Thanks! to all the great people who had supported me in getting this amazing scholarship and I will go back to planning my 30 page scary dissertation for my new LSE professor.
However, my smart roommate from Warsaw just stepped into my story and reminded me that it would be an oxymoron to live ‘a calm live in London’. So, looking out of the window at this great city, I think she is right! I can find something to write about. Indeed!
Week 1 and half: Music, show and parliament
One of many advantages of living, studying and (hopefully soon) also working in London is the opportunity to choose from a wide range of cultural events, which are right there on every street.
Some four hours after my plane landed, I have already found myself in a wonderful cosy club in Camden listening to a very English, four-boy, rock-and-roll band – and felt like being at one of the first Beatles’ rehearsal. At least, according to the girls’ shouts and musicians´ enthusiasm.
And that was only a beginning. The next evenings, I went to the cinema, had ale in a typical English pub and went to the theatre to see the smashing hit – a musical We Will Rock You! Well, that was really an experience for such an old-fashioned theatre-goer as I am.
The Dominion theatre, we went to, was a very fancy, red-carpet, velvet and golden place with interiors very similar to the sacred place of the Czech culture – The National Theatre. It even had a Champagne bar and dressed-up people of all ages. But, that was all what was similar. It was quite surprising for me that people took to the auditorium their coats, plastic cups with beer and drinks and ice-cream in little paper-baskets. Right before the show started, the typical concert smoke was all around, the rocking music started to yell, my bones started to shake, my English seat mates in their fifties started to go crazy and sung… and my last stereotype about the conservative British nature fell apart.
To make the long story short, the play was based on the Queen’s songs authentically played by the rest of the world-known band, while the story was basically sci-fi romance from the future when the music died, instruments were buried and Bohemians were the only resistance to the ruling global power.
If I was a theatre critic, I would have written that the music was good, as expected, but plot was very plain and tastelessly romantic. For almost one half of the performance, the two main characters were looking for Bohemians and it took them some time to find them, because they only knew that ‘They (Bohemians) want it all!’ and ‘They want it now!’.
As a girl from Moravia, who is living and working in the heart of Bohemia - Prague, I had a good laugh about that!
But, what I have to admit is that the whole audience was enjoying themselves, they sung, waved, clapped their hands after each song and it was the first time in my life when I experienced standing ovations at the end! (Note that I have a track of experience in this sense as I have been at premiere of probably the best performance so far of La Traviata at the famous Salzburg festival!)
When speaking about music, this might be a good time to clear out that the Hansard Society, to which I am grateful for this wonderful time I am having in London nowadays and which, among other things, took us to this lovely musical, is not named after my favourite Irish musician Glen Hansard, a leader of the Frames band, whose Czech partner Marketa might soon win a Oscar award for the best song.
However, it has even more interesting background! Since 1944, this unique society carries a name of Thomas Curson Hansard, a publisher of parliamentary debates from the beginning of the 19th century. Nowadays, Hansard remains the traditional name for the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government and I have just seen their archives of them during our guided tour in Parliament, which I have really enjoyed mainly thanks to the perfect and amusing guide we had! Hope, to soon have also a chance to listen to such a debate live!
Week 2: On way to library
Drinking a hot vanilla latte for 2 pounds in the classic American chain’s coffee place right on the typical beautiful street of South Kensington, sitting just opposite the very busy (surprisingly!) main entrances to the Christie’s auction house and Sussex Mansions, observing people buying original pieces of 19th century furniture, chandeliers and landscape paintings, listening to Frank Sinatra and reading an article on political system comparisons in German – all that you can experience on your way to the library!
LSE library is huge and spacious building with extensive collections, situated at the center of the university campus some six tube stops from our accommodation. It has four floors and large lower ground floor with more than one hundred computers, printers and photocopiers. In its collections, one can find amazing books and articles and even get access to the most rare and expensive academic journals. What I find especially interesting and student-friendly is a section with collections of books, papers and texts for each pending course at the university.
Although the library itself is really crowded you can still find a quiet place for yourself and your notebook for example right behind the enormously overfilled bookshelves in the political science section on the second floor. And if not, the miraculous LSE card secures you an access to some other ten nearby libraries.
Especially on weekend, it was not hard at all to find there an empty spot with a view out of the window! It was one of those rainy Saturdays. Actually, in the United Kingdom people distinguish among several types of rain, at least according to the BBC´s weather web site. You can have light showers, heavy showers, rain, heavy rain, thunderstorm etc.
But today, we are having ‘sunny intervals´ and some 10 degrees Celsius. It is really a beautiful weather outside - people walk without coats, sit outside and wear sun glasses! It is hard to believe that it is January 22.
I was told that the British weather is not usually bad; it just has a bad reputation. And, I agree. The rain I have experienced so far was actually quite warm – much warmer than the cold sleazy snow we have back in the Czech Republic and if you are lucky and the wind does not break your umbrella or your shoes do not get unstuck, you can really enjoy your everyday lovely walk to the library!
Week 3: Right, left, east and west
I never believed in the irrational logics of the left and right. Since my childhood I have always thought this is just a normative confusing direction someone one day invented and now I have to remember which side is which. And unfortunately, I am never right!
However, I find it very helpful that almost every time you want to cross a street in London there is a white inscription in capitals ‘Look right’ or ‘Look left’ down at the beginning of zebra crossing. This a moment, which reminds me that I am outside the continental Europe and makes me think about traditional values ....and suddenly the green turns to red and I am going to have to wait again...
In case you are taking tube, you can forget about all that and search back for your geography classes’ knowledge as the London tube system is oriented according to points of the compass. Despite the fact that Czechs historically tend to go west and in the summer to travel to south, I sometimes have to take a train, which goes via Eastbound or Northbound. In addition, there is also a circle line, which gives you little bit of everything. Nevertheless, if it’s 8-9 am or 6 pm on a working day, it does not really matter which line you take. You will probably hear some (some great musicians playing in the underground and I suggest you keep listening to them another hour as you are not going to fit in a train anyway.
So sometimes I find it better to walk through the parks and couple of streets of Westminster to get to the Parliament fast.
When you take the St. Stephan’s entrance to the Houses of Parliament you are back in the simple world of binary oppositions. Turn right and you get to the area of House of Lords. Besides men in wigs and baronesses in costumes and pearls the main feature you will probably notice is the typical red color decorating all House of Lords spaces. That is the area where my roommate Gosia from Warsaw works researching and typing amendments and notes into the speeches of her Lord. Although Gosia comes from the traditionally very religious Poland, you can guess that she has not experienced a theophany when she describes to me in the evening: "Oh, my Lord asked me today to help him..."
If you, however, decide to turn left you will get to the rooms of the House of Commons, which are significant for its green color and have less members of the nobility, but more real political fight. That is the place where I am going to start working in a couple of days; when the MP, I am supposed to assist, comes back to his office.
Looking closer at British politics, I have so far very surprisingly concluded that the everyday reality is quite similar to the Czech Republic. You have financial scandals, alleged briberies, wasting taxpayers’ money in the benefits of your family-members, bankrupted banks etc. (but no party leaders’ love affairs yet). However, the main difference is that people actually resign if any such issue is revealed!
So for now, I remain in the good old centre (of course not when talking about the street crossings), where both major UK parties are heading to anyway in their hunt for volatile centrist voters. At the moment, I keep observing everything closely from the academic perspective consuming hectoliters of caffeine all around LSE, thinking that, concerning my practical experience, I might easier find a job as a ‘coffee critic’ than a political scientist.
Week 5: Leaving Westminster village
After four weeks of intensive studying, working, debating and exploring the British politics, democracy and Parliament, the group of Hansard Scholars had left the so-called "Westminster village" behind them and went looking for a different environment up to the north of the kingdom.
It took us 4 hours and 30 minutes (and another 2 hours changing the coach and train due to temporary railway closings) to get from London to the mysteriously medieval and lightly-grey Edinburgh, which was surprisingly very sunny and impressed me with the several most romantic dusks I have ever seen in my life.
Scotland is really beautiful country with a picturesque landscape! It looks very similar to England except for the wilder and higher hills, sheep in the place of cars and different personalities on the banknotes.
Despite the fact that the Scottish accent was sometimes quite hard to understand I have had a chance to listen to six very interesting lectures covering all sorts of different perspectives concerning the Scottish national movement and devolution. Speeches by politicians, economists and civil servants working in Edinburgh really allowed me to grasp the whole issue of the Scottish efforts for independence as well as pros and cons of this potential step.
It was really highly valuable experience listening and talking on the spot to people from the country, which is not really united about the idea of getting separated from England, but already took some steps forward in this regard and might one day join the European Union as a brand new state.
Scotland already has shiny and new Parliament building (which you might like only if you are fan of grey and grey variation of the Gaudi´s architecture). And, its recently established government is looking for all ways how to bring Scotts from all over the world back home and also attract other nationals, who would all support the country’s economic growth. Very wise policy, I think.
I could not help to compare. Apparently, the passion for independence on the bigger powers does not go hand in hand with the prosperity of the separating country. As we have a new-born state on the other, southern, end of Europe, which is still fighting for the recognition of its sovereignty, but has tremendously different economic and living conditions and I even heard someone asking about the future of the state, where people have electricity only for three hours a day.
I am not sure about the answer to their doubts but what I have discovered is that once I have become a part of the Westminster village, I will probably never be able to leave it. Even if being physically outside this world of politicians, diplomats, journalists and scholars, my mind keeps spinning around the idea of sovereignty, power and politics.
Week 6: In the middle
I do not exactly remember how it happed, but I have found myself being in the middle of my 3 months stay in London. So far, I have become familiar with a life in London with all its positives and negatives, but I still feel there are much more things there that need to be discovered and I have less and less time.
So far, I have found swimming pool close to my faculty, become one of the joggers in the Kensigton Gardens and Hyde Park, discovered a cheap cinema in the centre, managed to cash travellers´ cheques, topped-up my UK mobile phone, went to the rock concert and to the theatre, got cold, missed some deadlines, received a library PIN code, climbed a Scottish mountain, went dancing in Soho, celebrated the Chinese New Year, tasted Burmese and Thai food, cashed some more cheques and topped-up my phone again, attended some extremely interesting lectures about political communication, sunbathed in the St. James Park, started to understand the system of the London underground, stopped getting lost, sat some ten meters from Gordon Brown and David Cameron and listened to their debate.
Being in London for six weeks also means that now I can go to Tesco with closed eyes to find my tomatoes, goat cheese, yoghurt and hummus, I know where to go for the absolutely amazing French homemade cakes, how to ask for the student discount and where Londoners spent their weekends. I have been to Cambridge, Oxford, to the seaside and to Scotland, I have learnt how to properly drink Earl Grey and order fish and chips, I have visited local Rotary Club, fell asleep in the library and stopped checking on the weather forecast.
And, now I understand why I should avoid shopping for clothes at Oxford Street during the weekend, why you can not survive in London without your Oyster, why people start their Friday night dancing at the Victoria&Albert Museum and how to distinguish between a good and a bad lecturer in the first five minutes. But, I still do not know how I am going manage to write my final paper on time.
Let’s see what comes next!
Week 7: Working in Parliament
The British MPs live a very healthy life. Who would think they only sit in the dusty offices under piles of files, would be wrong. It is pretty physically demanding job! At least, according to my fresh observations being an intern within a Tory backbencher’s office.
Let’s have a look at the facts:
the elevators in the House of Commons are rare and tiny, people rather use stairs
the corridors are long. It takes you some 10 minutes to walk from one side of the buildings complex to another
the files they carry are huge and tall
when the division bell calls the MPs to vote you can see the honourable men and women running like Olympic athletes just to be there on time
the benches are not really comfortable as they don’t have armrests and side-tables for drinks, newspapers or PCs. You have to sit more or less straight and concentrate
if you do not reserve a place in the House in advance, at some sitting you might have to stand
MPs and Lords do not put up their hands when they want to speak, but they have to keep standing up after each of their colleagues´ speeches until the Speaker of the House calls them
they stand when they hold a speech, sometimes for long minutes
they lean forward when they enter and leave the house
See, lots of working out during a regular day.
But, of course, a highlight of the Parliament week is the time for the Prime Minister’s Questions. Gordon Brown versus David Cameron for 30 minutes in the ring. The storming arena crammed to the top with MPs shouting, whistling and jangling as fans during a football match. Or shall I rather say a rugby match or a corrida? This is the time when the emotions are high and calories are being burned. And, it is also a lesson to be learnt for their Czech counterparts.
Although, the PMQs take only half an hour and you have to search for options to get the special tickets in advance, it is definitely worth it. It is probably the most amusing time of the week, sometimes much better than any TV talk show and no matter, which team you prefer, they both know how to debate and attack their rival with elegance and keep their public entertained.
A separate book could be written about the dining in the Houses of Parliament. The choice is wide and (more importantly) cheap. Although, the employees do not have an access to the house while it sits, they can say what the think in The Debate – a lovely dinning facility in the main hall of the modern house (lots of salads, organic and vegetarian food), which stands opposite the famous Houses, but is connected to the old buildings by an underground channel.
The best place, however, is probably The Terrace on the Thames bank, from which one has a fantastic view over the river and can sit and eat there for long, long hours. Also, this place gives you a chance to meet other MPs or Lords. And, if you had a bad working day, you can discuss it with your boss at the Lord’s bar.
Week 9: Distresses of young researcher
The only possible explanation is probably that I am too young and too ambitious. (The first was true ten years ago and the latter is a synonym for the word stupid). Otherwise, I would never base my paper on what I though was a simple, little, short questionnaire, which I will easily distribute by e-mail among the British MPs.
Unfortunately, it was too late to change my dissertation topic, by the time when I have discovered that, to my great surprise, there is not really a list of all MPs (or they assistants´) e-mail addresses and that I can only effectively reach them using the good old mail.
To make the long story short, after purchasing 600 envelopes I have arrived to my friends´ office Tuesday evening at 6 pm with 4 coffees. She agreed to be part of my scientific project, although the poor girl had only a very misty idea what a crazy project she naively nodded to volunteer on. We have stayed there couple hours (read 6) and the result was a bag full of 300 cover letters, 300 both-sided printed questionnaires and 300 hundred envelopes with MPs names written by our hands, a broken copy machine, a “need new cartridge“ sign on a printer and too haggard Czechs.
I still own you my great thanks for the night shift Jana!
The remaining 300 questionnaires and letters were enveloped due to a great help of my three flat mates, who wisely formed a chain and shared the sign-turn two times-put into envelope-stick up tasks.
By next Monday, I was finally able to bring my three big stuffed bags to the Parliament and send the questionnaires out to all MPs using the internal post mechanism.
Ufff, I am done!!, I though at the first moment, but silly me! The second phase was here and the responses started to come back. Honestly, to my great surprise, it was loads of them. I got more questionnaires back that I was hoping for, which was great. I had several minutes of fame reading notes by hands of a real British front and backbenchers written only to me!
On the other hand, the more responses, the more the time was needed to spent on analyzing them:(
So this is in short, how I managed to employ myself for almost a month in what the others had as a spare time.
And, there might be a sequel to this as my Czech supervisor likes the idea and wants me to repeat the survey in the Czech Parliament...
Week 12: The last week’s fever
The last weeks of my stay in London past so quickly that I have just realized there are only days until my departure. Everyone got into a great rush as only hours are left to finish the dissertations, see the best West End’s plays, enjoy the spring parks and farewell drinks, and do the last sightseeing and shopping for souvenirs, books and clothes.
Things are happening quickly...
I got back from a political marketing conference in Manchester, where I had a short presentation, met some great people, heard a lot of interesting staff, but unfortunately had time to see only a little from the city.
Right before that, I have enjoyed this year’s first London snow on an Eastern Monday and had a great Eastern organic brunch made of the “vegetable and fruit box”, which our smart friend Chelsea won in a quiz competition, all cooked and eaten in the lovely apartment at the Angel’s.
Lots of people from the programme used the spring break to travel all around the Europe, but I have decided to be loyal and kept exploring England. However, our New Zealand friend Keri’s decision to go to the sunny Barcelona might have been smarter than our trip to the seaside in Kent. The wind and rain there was so strong and cold that my winter jacket was not enough and one could hardly see the brown sea waters through a cap, hood and two scarves around head. But, an original white tea in the medieval teahouse at the end was fantastic!
That is something – I have switched from lattes to tea (with milk) and stopped complaining about weather, I guess coming back to Czech might me a bit of cultural shock for me!
Chevening Scholar Barbora Petrova shares her experience from the UK.