LLM in International Law London School of Economics and Political Science 2005-06

How quickly time flies. Just over one year ago, I was on the phone being interviewed for the Chevening Scholarship - and wondering after I hung up what exactly was it that I had said? And a similar feeling passed recently as I handed in my last exam - what exactly was it that I had written? Hopefully, the latter will end up being as fruitful as the former.

Now that exams are over, I am settling down to spend an intense summer working on my dissertation - a rather cruel proposition given that London has been having the most amazing weather recently. This is after the dripping heat wave we had a couple of weeks back - when for the first time since I arrived here - I missed something tangible from good ol' North America: air conditioning.

Aside from that little realization, my time in London has been fantastic. The city combines the beauty and charm of continental Europe with the conveniences of North America (minus the air conditioning aspect as we have already been over) - and on top of that, adds its own flavour. I love British humour. I love being called "Love" and "Sweetheart" by the person at the shoe repair shop - among many others - i.e. close to the entire British population (male and female). I love that I can buy chicken biryani, vegetable korma and samosas at almost every corner store. I love that it has just not been physically possible for me to catch even a twentieth of the theatre that plays here. As an avid theatre goer since I was a teenager, I have seen some of my most memorable productions here. I love walking along River Thames in the day and at night, with everything all lit up. I love that there are beautiful parks and parkettes all over the city, and that the only thing that tops them in frequency is the pub at every corner. I love that in the summertime, people at pubs spill over into pretty much the entire street - rendering the entire city of London one big party. I love the incredibly high level of debate and dialogue that occurs here. I love that people really challenge and question their government here. I love that there is a war memorial for animals killed in battles just outside of Hyde Park.

And of course, in addition - I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at LSE and my program in International Law. It has been fantastic, with engaging and entertaining professors, super international classmates and a most interdisciplinary curriculum, which is exactly why I picked the school. It's enriching to be in a school that is so diverse - to take a Conflict and Peace Studies class, which has people coming from both Israel and Palestine, from Turkey and Cyprus etc. - and to live in a city that is equally diverse - something, which I have also always appreciated about the city of Toronto. I've made some wonderful friends, I've learned a tremendous amount and I've thought about many things in a whole different light.

Next month, I will be traveling to Bosnia and Herzegovina to do some field research for my dissertation on refugee return and post-conflict reconciliation; and then will be spending a week at a 'Summer School for Transitional Justice' in Palic, Serbia and Montenegro - all experiences and opportunities that have been made possible by my being a student at LSE.

I am so grateful for all these things that have come my way - and to come full circle - I have to thank everyone at the British High Commission and the British Council for my scholarship and for all the behind the scenes work surrounding it. Really, thank you all, "Loves" and "Sweethearts."