Embracing change

Since last September I've been doing a Masters in London. All that has now ended in something of a blur. In a period of 3-4 weeks I went from last minute memorising for exams to moving my precious few belongings across town away from the centrally located university residences to the not-so-distant, predominantly Bangladeshi Whitechapel part of the east end. The reality of life outside the student bubble has perhaps been best reflected in the fact that I can't walk to my local hang outs, or embellish the word 'narrative' or 'discourse' in my conversations as freely (supermarket attendants are far from chatty). Otherwise I'm quite enjoying my new location which has two features I shall never tire of rejoicing in - fruit and veg street markets that sell good, cheap produce; and kebab shops open 'til very late.

Certainly the past year has been a rewarding one. I learnt a great deal; happily, mostly information which built on matters I already understood to some extent. Perhaps the greatest surprise was just how diverse the student population was. I met people from all over the world and from various different professional backgrounds and age groups. Notwithstanding that, most of the students came from affluent backgrounds. To give but one example, one of my flatmates was the child of one of the most powerful Israel lobbyists in the United States. Not to worry, there were no issues in the hall ways. Believe it or not, I'm not the type of person to bring politics into the private sphere, although I did enjoy wearing my Palestine and Malcolm X t-shirts heh.

What begins now is perhaps my fifth transitional phase. Sometimes I get a bit tired of the constant change of environ. I don't think I've been in one city for more than a year now for the past 4 years. But in truth I love it. Deep down I'm an intellectual nomad. Privilege and a Western upbringing have affored me this luxury. So I choose to live it up. Notwithstanding this, expect, in time, some challenging writings from some not-so-luxurious environs.

I remain committed to radical change and figuring out how to actualise said change. Oh and I'm still angry as ever.