Not without my scarf!

November is here, and so are the deadlines for various essays. Less than one month into my studies at University of Aberystwyth, I have produced one review (of the book Crying Wolf), a summary of reportage from the war in Chechnya, and two essays.

I handed in my first essay this very morning. I wrote about sustainable development in the Czech Republic for the Global Environmental Politics and Sustainability module (subject). I am handing in my second essay just three days later, and it’s about the dysfunctional state of the US intelligence service during the Vietnam War for the Vietnam War module.

November is always a month of sleepless nights, nervousness and incredible pressure, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the results of my work. Aberystwyth is in the westernmost part of Wales, and if not for the curvature of the earth, which restricts one’s horizons to 20 kilometers, I could see the Irish coast. November brings the first frost, and combined with the cold front and the ocean breeze it makes for quite depressing weather. The sun never comes out, but instead rain and biting wind take turns regularly. Sometimes it occurs to me that I am really happy for the amount of work I have to do in November, which prevents me from going outdoors. I’m in my second year now, and I have yet to reach the degree of hardiness seen in the locals that are able to wander out wearing just Crocs and shorts even in frosty weather.

Well, hopefully I’ll dare leave my apartment without my scarf next year.