It's not easy being big

News arrived promptly on my Twitter feed that the Welsh Assembly was going to cover the rise in tuition fees for all Welsh residents studying anywhere in the UK. A bold statement, and one that puts to shame the Westminster and pushes Wales to a more autocratic running like Scotland. http://bbc.in/dXk8UU

I bet English students will be FUMING. But I thought I'd jump in to defend Westminster and the Government for which I voted (sort of).

How does the phrase go? Comparing Oranges and Apples? I'd like to give you a few examples why it's inaccurate to compare Free University education for Scottish, Welsh, and English students. It boils down to people, and in effect money. For clarification, I'll be using the short-scale numbers, i.e. 1 trillion = 1000 billion, and 1 billion = 1000 million (naturally 1 million = 1,000,000 in both long and short scale). Please bear in mind that these numbers are astronomically huge, and it might be difficult to comprehend the true extent of their meaning. These numbers were obtained in one form or another from the Office for National Statistics. The numbers bellow are for illustration purposes and I can supply further details on my calculations upon request. The numbers are (as I understand it) for the year 2010 based on 2008 projections.

Here are some of my assumptions:

1. "University Age" is people between the ages of 18 and 23.
2. The cost of one year of a University Degree is £9,000
3. A maintanance loan or grant is £3,500 per year
4. Population of Scotland* = UK pop - England & Wales pop
5. Population of Wales* = England & Wales pop - England pop
6. Repayment of the loan takes 30 years
7. Average UK Salary = £25,428 (from 2009 ASHE by the ONS)

The UK's university age population is 5,073,900 people.

That means, that over a 3 year degree, it would cost the UK government £137 TRILLION to send 100% of the population to University. Add the maintenance loan and it rises to over £190 trillion. Then consider that Bachelors are being constantly devalued and a Masters becomes more and more necessary, so a 4 year degree is really a minimum, the value sky-rockets to just short of £254 trillion*!!! (*inc. maintenance).

But not 100% of 18 to 23 year-old's will go to University, so here are the numbers for just 50% of the population going to Uni:

3 years costs over £68 trillion. Plus the maintenance rises to just over £95 trillion; and add another year of studying and maintenance, £127 trillion.

What about only 25% going?

3 years costs £34 trillion, plus maintenance £48 trillion, and 4 years £63 trillion.

So how does this compare across England, Wales and Scotland? 100%

England Wales Scotland

3 years: £114T £7T £15T

3 + mnt: £160T £9T £21T

4 + mnt: £212T £13T £29T

50% of the University Age population

England Wales Scotland

3 years: £57T £3T £8T

3 + mnt: £80T £5T £11T

4 + mnt: £106T £6T £14T

25% of the University Age population

England Wales Scotland

3 years: £29T £2T £4T

3 + mnt: £40T £2T £5T

4 + mnt: £53T £3T £7T

It costs Scotland just 13% of what it costs England, and it costs Wales just 6%!

So it's not fair to complain that the government doesn't want to support its students. Of course it does. It's just not feasible! Where the hell is the UK government supposed to find that much money to put towards University? Especially at this time when money is scarce and we have a massive deficit to control!

Coming out of Uni with anywhere between £20,000 and £50,000 of debt sounds scary. And it looks even scarier when you put it next to the average wage in the UK of £25,428. Repayments over 30 years would constitute anywhere between 1/30th and 1/15th of your salary, assuming it was constant at £25,428 during those 30 years. But consider that the majority of graduate jobs (that require a qualification) I've heard of usually start at around this number (Engineering tends to start around £30,000, and Finance around £35,000), with plenty of scope for pay rises. This is a very small amount of money, and it will allow the government to give that money to the next generation who wants to go to Uni.

So stop your complaining and get back to studying! The government isn't ruining anyone's future!! At least not this way.

Money and Freedom

Student Fees seem to be a hot topic at the moment, so I thought I'd throw my two cents into the argument.

I remember during my search for a University I was amazed at the sheer number of Universities that exist in the UK. I wasn't sure if it was a mark of a 'civilised' nation, or that of a nation gone mad; I was inclined to lean towards the former, but I now question my judgement. Upon arriving at University, I was amazed at the geographic spread of the student population; the vast majority of students came from any and every extreme of the country, very few were locals. I remark this as a stark contrast to Universities in Mexico, where there aren't that many in one area, each specialising more in a particular area than the others, and people tend to go to their local one. So what does this have to do with Universities in the UK? With a completely different socio-economic situation?

Well, I think it's great that under the UK's current system, geography isn't a limitation for anyone wanting to go to University. And if Southampton, or Edinburgh or wherever is the best (or one of) for what you want to study, you can go there (grades depending obviously). The fact that all the Universities are the same price also means that you're not limited by geography either. Throw in Student Loans and you're not limited by your family's financial situation.

So to me it begs the question: Why do crap universities exist? Why do crap degrees exist?

Harsh comments perhaps, but let me give you a practical example: If you wanted to study physics, and you didn't get into any of the top 10 in that field, why would you go to one that was number 87 in the league tables. If your grades weren't good enough to get into the top 10 or 20, how are you better off by going to a low ranking university? Surely a potential employer would factor in the standing of your university in that field. So say you don't go into that field, then what's the point in studying that in the first place?!

I also don't understand why people go to University not knowing what they want to do, looking for some sort of inspiration. I disagree with the idea of going to University "for the experience". Yes University is a great experience, and I wouldn't want to deny anyone of that specifically, but it shouldn't be the primary reason of going to University. University is about furthering your knowledge in a particular field in order to help you further your career in that field.

In that vain, I think there are too many Universities, and too many subjects, and too many people going to University. I think the policy of promoting University to everyone unfairly detracts value from respectable and fundamental jobs that society requires. The UK has a large shortage of Plumbers and Electricians for this reason, not to mention the massive shortage of Carpenters. There are some jobs that don't require a degree, but more a good apprenticeship.

That to me covers one of the biggest reasons/issues why Universities can't be free. You can't try and put such a massive population through University without them paying for it. Why does Scotland have free University for Scottish students? Because there are a lot less people in Scotland than in England & Wales. Finland was another example given, but it's a lot easier to get 80% of women through University when your TOTAL population isn't much more than 5 million people.

Regardless of whether population size is or isn't an issue, we have to make the best of what we have. I believe that despite the massive over-reaction, the UK government has come up with a very sensible compromise. They give you a loan at a cheaper rate than you could possibly get from any bank, and you only have to repay it if and when you can.

There is something that bothers me about talking to people recently. This holds true here at the Flight School I'm at, where people are incredibly privileged to simply be here, as well as students in the UK. There is a distinct difference between a right and a privilege. Free University education is a privilege that is afforded to some by the ones who can. Making you pay unreasonable amounts up front would be a violation of your right to education, yes. But giving you a means to pay for University in order to improve your career options, and being willing to write off any debt if it doesn't work out seems nothing but reasonable. The Student Loans simply ask you to give back the money that gave you the advantage you needed to further your career, and if it didn't work out, you don't have to pay.

I don't like that there are so many Universities, and so many degrees, and I would probably drastically reduce the number if it were up to me. But it's not.

And finally, I don't see the point in violent protests against a passive government over a simple issue. Violent protests are never warranted, and students feeble attempts at non-violent protests are laughable. They should research how non-violent protests managed to succeed and realise that this small issue isn't going to succeed. To that end, if you're protesting the government making cuts in whatever area affects you, it CERTAINLY doesn't help to destroy government property, it's simply a waste of money, your money.

For another option, of someone more opinionated and vastly more intelligent than me, look at this post: here.

Glued to the ground like an anvil

To be a pilot... ah to live amongst the stars... to be but one step below god.

I've been here in Spain for 10 weeks now. It's been great.

The 60 week program here is divided into three main sections: Phase 1) Ground School (theory); Phase 2) Ground School + Flying; Phase 3) Flying. They're each 20 weeks long and have exams at the half-way point and at the end of them.

I've learnt a lot since being here, even if most of it has just been reinforcing things I already knew. The Principles of Flight things I pretty much already knew, like Lift and Drag, aspect ratio and finesse ratio. I learnt all about Piston Engines which I really didn't have much of a clue about before coming here, so that was really interesting! I learnt about various Emergency Systems on aircraft, as well as the landing gear, hydraulics and cabin pressurisation. I had a nice brush with chemistry when studying batteries in Electrics, and learnt all about NDBs, VORs and ILS approaches in Radio Nav. General Navigation was fascinating, learning all about a load of different charts; it's crazy to think that there are so many different ways of depicting the earth on a piece of paper! Finally Meteorology, god it's mad. I have some respect for the people that try to predict the weather, though I know it's an in-exact science. Met is my biggest book, one of the more difficult subjects, and there's just sooo much crap to remember. But I can tell what might trigger clouds, the different types of clouds, and global wind distribution.

This has lead up to my first set of exams; the so-called "week 9's". I'm happy to report that I passed them all, eight of them in total. I got an 86% average which is fairly respectable; the school considers 85% to be an indication that you're doing/coping well. There's some merit too in that I managed to achieve this with little more than a weekend of revision (interspersed with plenty of procrastination). But I'm not happy with it. I'm ashamed, because I know that if I had studied for just a week or so before, and put more effort into it, I could have gotten 100% (or there abouts) in all of them. Alas, I hope I've learnt my lesson. At least I have a free morning off this Monday and Tuesday while my classmates re-sit the exams they failed (I was one of three out of 15 who didn't fail any).

Perhaps I'll show my stuff when I get into the sky.

The first months and to a lesser extent the second where frequently punctuated with copious amounts of partying. The night-life here in Jerez leaves a lot to be desired, but it's very good as the Spanish certainly know how to party. The problem I guess is that the Spanish party late, very late. A club here will be practically empty before 3am, and it might just open at midnight or 1am. The Spanish like to party from 3am until the clubs close at around 7. That's after enjoying a few drinks at the local bars from around midnight till 3. It's a very fun night out I must say, but it takes a lot out of you; I don't know how the Spanish do it.

On the up side, there is a bar on campus, that closes at midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. And it's spectacularly cheap, compared to Jerez or anywhere for that matter. A pint of beer? €1.50 a can of coke? €0.60. It's not bad at all. So as of late I've decided to stay in and enjoy this luxury, but I fear soon I'll be required to go out again, if only to be social.

The rest of my social life has been taken up by Tennis. I took classes when I was little, around ten or so, but wasn't great at it. Now I started again, and played abysmally, I'm starting to hold my own. It's a lot of fun, and it's great that so many people here enjoy playing it. I always remember something my dad said to me: "Tennis and Golf are the most important sports you can play in the world. Learn one, or both." Sadly the rain has been getting us down lately, and it's not nice to play on flooded or even mildly moist courts. So I haven't played in a while.

So that's me so far. But what does the future hold?

Well medium term, I'd really like to fly with FlyBE. I have become quite endeared to their turbo-props and wouldn't snuff at an opportunity to fly them. Even better it seems like a magnificent airline, and a great chance to get lots of great experience in turbo-props (and bad-weather) whilst offering an opportunity to move on to Jets with their Embraer 195s. They also happen to have bases in Scotland (particularly Edinburgh) where I would really like to live, at least for the moment. I would seriously consider building a career with FlyBE; I believe a lot in their business model and attitudes towards staff. However I'd be lying if I said FlyBE was the dream.

The dream ever since the 4th of January 1994 has been to fly Long Haul with BA. The first time I stepped onto the magnificent 747 at the tender age of six, I knew this is what I wanted to do, (after already knowing I wanted to be a pilot, now I knew what kind of pilot). So I guess my long-term plan is to get a job at BA and fly long-haul for them. To be more specific, I'll consider my dream fulfiled the day I fly in the Captain's seat of a BA A380. The A380 bit I guess highlights the fact that dreams can change, but their essence remains.

In the Short term, I have to finish this course and get my licence! So what's in store for me in these next 52 weeks?

1. You got a small taste of what I'm doing at the moment, so the first step is to pass my exams in February. Know everything there is to know about Engines, Meteorology, Navigations, and Flight.
2. In Phase 2 I'll start learning about Air Law, Operational Proceedures, and much more. It's when the theory gets a little closer to the things I'll be doing every day I guess. But most of all I'll start flying! The time table will be split into: one day flying, one day ground school, etc. for a total of about 20 weeks. After 10 weeks of that I can expect another set of progress tests for the ground-school stuff (week 30's) and PT1 (Progress Test) for the flying side comes in whenever I'm ready (and roughly equates to a PPL). At the end of phase 2 I will take the official exams for the subjects I was taking in Ground School. Once I pass those, that'll mark the end of all the theory!
3. Around mid June is when I can expect Phase 2 to finish and Phase 3 to start. Phase 3 is just flying 6 or maybe even 7 days a week. It's very hard work, but also gives me a bit of a breather. I won't be flying more than 2 or 3 hrs a day, and won't necessarily be flying every day (there are many factors that influence this). So it should hopefully mean that I'll have a very nice summer, and I'll get onto the bad weather flying (Instrument Rating) around October/November when the bad weather actually starts. It also means that the ideal time for people to come visit is in the summer :) When most people can! (Hint hint!)

But for now, I just have Christmas to look forward to. I won't be spending it with my family, but rather with my best friends! I'll spend Christmas in Somerset with one of my best friends from childhood. And I'll jet off up to Scotland after that to spend New Year with my best friend! I can't wait! It promises to be an amazing and unforgettable holiday.

The End of the Begining

Well I've finally made it here to Spain! I'm so nervous, and very excited!

Took me forever to get here. Left Wimbledon at 7:00am local and arrived at the Flight School at midnight local.

Here begins the last stage in becoming a pilot; it will mark the end of the first steps to an awesome life.

Here we go...

Mexico

After a good 7 months away from home, my 5 weeks in Mexico finally arrived!

Needless to say I was really looking forward to coming home, I always do! Sadly there are always things in Mexico that always remind you of why you don't want to live here. The worst part is that I was greeted by one of those such things the moment I arrived!

I must be honest, I can be pretty ridiculous when it comes to certain things, and travelling here with three laptops might seem excessive to some, but it felt quite necessary to me. However, I didn't realise (because noone ever reads it) that in the customs declaration it says you're only allowed to bring in ONE laptop, netbook, or ultraportable device. And because all they care about here in Mexico is squeezing every penny out of you, they scan all your bags as you go through customs (EVERYONE'S!). So not only were my bags one of the last ones off the plane (typical) but also I had to pay VAT on the two additional laptops!! I was not at all happy.

These weeks have shot by so fast, that I can hardly recall what I've done!

My only travels in my 5 weeks here have been very quick, but very worth it. I travelled to a city called Guanajuato which is a fantastic place a few hours drive north of Mexico City. It's a very small city with only a few inhabitants and which relies much on tourism. Much of it is pedestrianised and it has an amazing road network built from old silver mines that run under the city for which it's quite famous. It's so impressive, and it is also famous for it's narrow alleyways through all the residential areas, much of which are only accessible through them!

I stayed in quite a mediocre hotel (it looked very tacky!) but at least it was very (VERY) clean, so much so that my parents didn't mind staying there, so it wasn't all bad. The local food is very good and the "Callejoneada" tour around the city at night is an absolute must!

The next day we set off for San Miguel de Allende, which to be completely honest I don't recommend much. It's a small town that doesn't really have much to see except a cathedral and a few very nice gardens. It's one of the most expensive residential areas in the whole of Mexico (which I found kinda weird). It's famed for it's furniture and decorations, all hand made, which are very expensive but very nice. It seems to cater a bit more for rich Mexican tourists, though it's not entirely unwelcoming to the rest. I can recommend a fantastic (moderately priced) restaurant close to the Cathedral if you ask nicely!

Further proof that there isn't that much to do in San Miguel, we didn't stay the night there. We quickly went off to Queretaro (a large city that is rapidly approaching 1 million inhabitants). We found this absolutely amazing hotel (top of the mid-range price) that was so nice! It was made from an old Hacienda (as all the best ones are) and the architecture looked very Mexican and authentic, with some nice modern touches in just the right places. The rooms were very luxurious for the price, and it was just such a fantastic place.

The city itself was charming; there has been a lot of recent investment and redevelopment by the government in it and it's ended up looking very nice. On the weekend a lot of streets are pedestrianised, and there are several plazas and gardens which are nice to sit in and just "people watch". The regional Museum is an absolute must. It's in a really nice ex-Hacienda (there are a lot of these around, but they're not all nice) and it has such a fascinating history dating back to the first arrival of the Spanish in the settlement. It was also where the Mexican Revolution was planned (1908) and started (1910) and so played a pivotal role in the shaping of modern Mexico (especially apt since Mexico celebrates it bicentenary of it's Independence and centenary of it's Revolution this year 2010).

It's these sorts of fascinating trips that remind me why I love Mexico.

Two more things of note, my cousin is an (hopefully) up and coming composer and co-wrote the score to a small Mexican-Argentine production called "Marea de Arena" set in Argentina. It's a really good film, slow to begin with but about half way (or maybe a little more) you're hit with something completely unexpected! And the film becomes like a tense chess game that's soon to end. I found myself to have enjoyed it quite a lot by the end, and I was impressed with the music.

And call me weird but I love cars, especially my cars. We've had an old 2002 VW Jetta for, well 8 years now. It's been such a good car, so faithful and reliable. So today we celebrated something special, it's 100,000 km. I don't quite know what to say about it, but I'm very emotional, I've had some really good times in that car, and can't wait for the next 100,000 ;)

PLANES!!!!

Well today I spent the day at RAF Fairford where I visited the 2010 RIAT (Royal International Air Tattoo http://airtattoo.com/).

It was amazing! We began by walking through the static displays, checking out some cool transport/rescue helicopters like the Sea King and the Merlin. When suddenly, in between them, behind some marquees I spot an aeroplane tail... and it's none other than my favourite military plane the C17-Globemaster III. What a great start!

I was amazed by the quiteness of the C17, and it was nicely contrasted by the omnipresent roar of the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Typhoon had a brilliant display, being thrown about even more than if a giant kid had picked it up and started zooming it about!

I won't detail every display, but the only the ones that stood out to me. Like the B-52, which is unbelievably massive! And a RNZAF Boeing 757 transport plane that had one crazy pilot! This guy was throwing this massive plane around as if it was a fighter, and it just left you gob-smacked!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the F-22 Raptor... it was as if it had been taken straight out of a video-game. It looked so smooth and shiny, so futuristic, and flew very impressively, though only out-did the Typhoon in looks.

The beautiful Airbus A400M made it's worldwide air show début today and it didn't disappoint! It is a bit dinky, but very fast, very manoeuvrable, and very impressive! It even managed to land and stop within 1000ft, AMAZING!

The Vulcan was very impressive and managed to make an unbelievable amount of noise! Along with many Spitfires and Hurricanes.

The Red Arrows did a SPECTACULAR display at the end which was very well commentated over the tannoy and an absolute delight to watch. I think I spent the whole 30 minutes with my jaw on the ground!

The very last display was of the Eurofighter and the Spitfire to show the old and the new technology. A lovely way to end (though a bit of a dud compared to the Red Arrows!)

I will enjoy this amazing experience while the memories last (they're sadly fading fast!)

You Can't Always Get What You Want...

… but if you try sometimes, you just might find... you get what you need!

Well it's game set and match for another chapter in my life; University is over and it's time to go on to bigger and better things, hopefully. There have been many ups and downs over the years, but I feel I can say with some confidence that the ups have definitely outnumbered all the downs and all in all I've had a great time.

I've dedicated the last four years of my life to achieving a Bachelors of Engineering in perhaps one of the hardest subjects possible. With many ups and downs, the time is finally over. Here's a summary of the last four years:

My first year was the first time I'd lived on my own 5500 miles away from my family. I remember thinking when I first came to University that I was OK with it and I was strong enough to shrug it off. Looking back I think I realise how much it actually affected me. I've come a long way from the shy boy that arrived at Southampton in 2006. I laugh when I look back at my feeble attempts at appearing confident and outgoing, I wasn't. And it took me two years to settle in to my new life.

Repeating a year always makes you feel stupid, especially when everyone else around you seems to cope fine with the work, but I have to say that repeating second year was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. I suddenly found myself in a very familiar setting, studying familiar material, and managed to gain a level of confidence I'd never reached before. I felt happy and confident enough to go out and meet new people, and I manage to land myself in the most awesome and friendly Martial Arts club I could ever have hoped for. Jiu Jitsu was vital in helping me keep my sanity at University and it helped me gain the weight I needed to not look like I was wasting away. The regular exercise made me fitter and happier, and the social aspect of the club helped me make a great group of friends and got me out of the house three times a week.

Third year (of the degree) was as amazing as I could have hoped. I had a great group for my Design Project and my Individual Project (dissertation to everyone else) was really interesting. I did some very interesting modules and re-enforced the friendships and confidence I had gained the year before. I met some great fresher’s this year who I'm sad to leave; this year has made University that fantastic place everyone seems to reminisce about, and I'm going to miss it a lot!

Another highlight of this year has been that I spent it in a fantastic relationship with the most amazing person I've ever met. I travelled a lot, finally finding a use for all those air-miles, and had some wonderful experiences I'll never forget. This past year has been practically perfect in every way.

My results at the end of this year haven't been as amazing as I had hoped, but they're good enough, and I now have a degree. I'm confident that had I dedicated myself entirely on my studies, I would have done a lot better, but I pride myself in being a well rounded person and so distributed my efforts evenly across all my activities. I am proud of what I have achieved and am thankful to everyone who was able to join me on my journey.

Now that this chapter is coming to a close (I suppose it's not over until the Graduation Ceremony) I am looking forward to what lies ahead. Come September I have the absolute luxury of going to an amazing Flight Training School in the south of Spain. I will finally embark on my destiny to become an airline pilot. Not many people have the benefits and good fortune to follow their dreams, and I feel I owe it to them to achieve mine. I have the opportunity to fulfil a long-life childhood dream of becoming a pilot and doing what I love for the rest of my life.

I can't wait!

CDO - That's OCD in the right order...

I took part in a conversation today all about perfectionism and mannerisms. I'm not going to lie, a lot of people often say that I'm somewhat of a perfectionist. I like things to be tidy and clean. I'm not compulsive, but I do get fed up of mess quite quickly. There are also things that bother me greatly, and I occassionally find it quite upsetting when I see people doing things... well wrong. Most cases I think comes mainly down to people touching my things, and not touching them or taking care of them in the same way I would.

I mainly have this trouble with my brother and sister, and often find being at home quite... well upsetting. But I've learnt a lot really, and I know people don't do these things to spite me, or to hurt me. It just never occurs to them to do it my way because they're not me. I guess this just serves as telling you a little bit more about me, but the main reason for this post was amazement today at how a 40 to 50 year old woman is only just learning this, after decades of bickering and arguing with her husband and daughters.

I was contemplating not posting this, because well it was quite random and you didn't quite need to know. But there's a reason to my madness, and that was to flesh out this post a bit, and tell you that I managed to fiddle the dates on some posts so they match more or less the time I travelled to those locations. So my previous posts proclaiming I hadn't posted since November is no longer quite true. Scroll down to see if there's something you haven't read before :)

Land of clogs and stuff...

Easter... a great time, mainly because I get 4 weeks off from Uni which is more than enough time to spend it leisurely trotting the globe. However, final year tends to put a damper on things.

I had planned to write my dissertation during these 4 weeks, well firstly finish the damn project and then write it up. To be honest, that did not go as well as I had planned, but it all worked out in the end.

The interesting part comes on Easter weekend, when I went for 4 days to Copenhagen. When I went around western Europe after finishing school Copenhagen was by far one of my favourite cities. It's so small and quaint, it's cosy and cute; it's a fantastic city all-round. I took* a special certain someone there, and we had a fantastic time. The hotel claimed to be 4 stars, and had the pictures to prove it, but the room left way too much to be desired.
Add to that the unforseen hiccup that in Denmark everybody get 5 days off for Easter... that's from the thrursday to Monday off. So almost everything, bar a few coffee shops and restaurants was shut for all but one or two of the days we were there. Needless to say that sucked epically. But we still managed to have a great time. I got in touch with some neighbours from my London days who now live in Copenhagen and they invited us for dinner. Their house was so small and fantastically Danish, I loved it, and the food was great as always.

For crimes against the Internet...

November... That was my last blog post... November... I should be shot.

I'm not saying that I'm a bad person for not updating this blog; personally I think that this year it is perfectly justified... we'll see about next year.* But I kind of wanted this to be kept more or less up to date. But now, since that last post, I've been to Mexico and back, St Andrews a few (though not enough) times, and Copenhagen. Oh and I forgot about Spain! Needless to say there's much to be said! :P

I guess that I'll eventually write it, hopefully in a couple weeks or so, and maybe even adjust the time-stamps so that it's all in proper chronological order. Yeah, that sounds good.

Reason for not posting in December: Butt load of coursework; January: Exams; February, March, April: Dissertation; May: Exams. I think that's enough justification.

Thinking about it, even though I wanted to focus this blog on my many travels, I also want to say a few things on the recent Election, the Digital Economy Bill, the Economy, and the Internet, though for that mainly talk about Facebook.

So, that's enough for tonight at 2am... I'd say "back to revision" but who am I kidding. Anyway, lecture at 9 tomorrow so see ya!

Fly me to the moon...

OK, so Exams are over, for the moment, and it's time to take a jump into the unknown and take a trip to Spain!

But first, St Andrews, again. I LOVE visiting St Andrews, it's such a nice town and I'm insanely jealous of everyone who goes to Uni there. And of course, there are people there I wish I could see a hell of a lot more often. Quite a few friends of mine from school ended up going there and it's funny bumping into them in the Students Union. But people I've met more recently have made it a very fun place to visit. But of course, I'd be lying if I didn't say that my main reason for going there is to visit a certain someone. I LOVE them and I love visiting them. I guess my experiences there are quite/very personal, but I recommend the town to people thinking about Unis and people looking for a nice Scottish sea-side town.

I went to a Ball there and had such a great time. I love dressing up for Balls, and having such fantastic company makes it all that much more amazing.

I was required to go to flight school in Spain in order to take some tests and have an interview to get into the school. It was set to be quite an adventure, and I managed to convince someone special to accompany me there. Whilst the room left plenty to be desired, it had enough, except heating, so it was quite cold.

The weather was very nice compared to England. The temperature still demanded a good jacket but it wasn't that cold, a very welcome improvement on England. The downside however was that in Spain most buildings are designed to be very cool, so that they're habitable in the summer, but tend to be bloody freezing in the winter, particularly at night. So the two nights we spent there were by no means warm.

The tests went quite well, I think I did above average which is good, but the interview went even better and I really feel I made a lasting impression. I think I'll need a lot of help training for proper job interviews, but I think I've got everything else I need to excel!

The one and only downside to this place (so far) is the fact that it's bloody difficult to get to! The quickest, most direct route from the UK is from London Stansted on Ryanair, which to be honest, I think I'd rather herpes. The only other option is Heathrow-Madrid-Jerez on Iberia. I flew Ryanair the first time, but from now on I'll take the latter option. I think the price is worth paying.

Mexico & Holbox

Christmas is always a fun time time in Mexico, there is so much colour everywhere, and the lights and decorations, with Santas and Reindeer left right and centre. It's a fun time.

However, the fact that I "only" get three weeks off for Christmas and that I have a large family means that I (and everyone else) is constantly busy. There is so much to do and so many people to see that it is so hectic all the time. I love seeing everyone, but I hate not having any time to myself, or at least any time to relax or take things slowly. But Christmas is Christmas, and it's not going to change any time soon.

New Years however is a different matter. Starting Uni on the 3rd of January means that on the 26th of December there is a mad rush to go on holiday somewhere to celebrate New Years. There seems to be a bit of a tradition to spend New Years on/near the beach, or at least near water (have spent a few near a lake). This year we dispensed with the usual Acapulco and went East to the Yucatan Peninsula.

I spent a couple of days in the city of Merida, the capital of Yucatan state in Mexico. It's absolutely fascinating all the culture and heritage there is incredible. Yucatan had a large population of Mayan people, and there are loads of ancient towns and cities dotted with pyramids and ruins. I love seeing all that stuff and while it does boil up a certain anger at the Spanish who came here and obliterated the culture left right and centre, it's nice to see that at least some of it remains. Hopefully we can avoid such a mass extinction again.

One more thing about Yucatan is that it is made of porous rock, so there are no rivers or lakes on the surface but it has many deep underground. The area is famous for its underground lakes which are connected by very slow moving flows that literally travel through the rock! It was nice to be able to go swimming in one of these lakes that had only recently been discovered and so hadn't experienced much human contact. Much like seeing a nature show on TV and wanting to visit, if everyone got to visit there it would be ruined. I'm all for sustainable eco-tourism, but what really does destruction is the sheer volume of people.

I spent New Year on an island just off the Yucatan peninsula (near Cancún for those that don't know). The island has a funny name, Holbox, which is pronounced Hol'-bosh... which sounds rather snobby... but is just another way to pronounce the letter "x" apparently. The island has some very peculiar characteristics. The only way to get there is by boat (or very very small plane) and there are no cars on the island! Well to be honest the Police have some bitching pick-ups but everyone else moves around on golf-buggies! I'm serious, imagine miniaturising a town, where everyone moves around on golf-buggies like they were cars. I thought it was quite a surreal experience.

We stayed at this absolutely amazing boutique hotel called "Las Nubes de Holbox" (The Clouds of Holbox). It had a spectacular view, and the rooms were beyond amazing. The hotel sells not just really nice facitlities but also service. This was lacking somewhat, not from effort, but from experience. It was clear this was a new venture and the staff lacked the experience with dealing with guests. But all in all it was a fantastic experience, and I shall treasure it for a long time.