This week has certainly “heated up” in terms of my workload. It’s gotten so stressful, so quickly! It’s left me a bit dazed and a bit confused. I have been in the process of working on my dissertation outline, and a policy proposal.

For my dissertation, I am focusing on globalisation and how it influences British identity. (I’m practicing the British spelling of things, bare with me! Haha.) I think this should be an interesting study of what “Britishness” is, and how this has been influenced by more modern developments, especially devolution and Brexit. I want to find out whether globalisation has made people feel more or less British, and how it has affected Scottish identity, Welsh identity, Northern Irish identity, and English identity in addition to british as a whole. Of course I will never be able to answer this definitively, but I think that in the process of research I should come to some interesting conclusions.

For my policy draft I will consider the Labour policy of a four day working week. This policy was proposed at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton last week. Looking at both sides I will come to a conclusion regarding the preferred implementation (or not!) of this policy, considering literature on both sides concerning past implementation of a four day work week in addition to statistics concerning possible impacts on productivity, the environment, gender equality, small business, the NHS, et cetera.

My classes have been quite illuminating in presenting the current state of british politics while considering historical, political and philosophical trends. It has also been helpful to consider how policy and practice has influenced politics in Britain.

Other than working on the dissertation and policy draft, I was able to do some fun things on Monday, Wednesday and the weekend. (One of the best things about the Hansard programme is that my weekend includes Friday!)

On Monday, my programme visited the Churchill War Rooms. This was a great exhibit that showcased the place where so many important decision during World War II were made, and the audioguide provided voices and sounds to go along with the history. There was also an exhibit that detailed the life of Churchill, who was truly such an inspirational and fascinating person. I was particularly struck by how many times in his life he faced adversity and even hatred from others, and yet kept fighting for what was right and never lost hope.

Wednesday night, after a long day of work, my friends and I went to the Science Museum for the adults night out (called “Lates”) and had a fun time exploring while no kids (or tourists!) were there.

I left to stay with my cousins John and Jenny on Thursday night after my classes finished. I had such a lovely time on Friday visiting the English countryside. We stayed within or near Greater London—this made it all the more fascinating that there was such a stark difference from the city center to where we visited, with such a small amount of distance between. It was just so beautiful!

Saturday John and I visited Camden Market. I loved it— there were so many sights and sounds and colours, and I was able to get a few things for a very small price. We had a delicious Indian burger and then, when we finished at the market, walked along Regents Canal (another hidden gem that I loved finding). Later when we went back to Purley, I was able to meet up with my other cousins and we all went out to eat and then headed back to John and Jenny’s. I finished up the day with a pillow fight with my littlest cousins, Frank and Oscar. 🙂

Sunday I had a lovely day out with my cousins and friends celebrating with cocktails and great food. We went to the Ivy, where I had the best eggs benedict ever, and then the Sipping Room. It was a lovely girl’s night out.

As many of you have probably heard, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was found to be unlawful in his five-week proroguing of Parliament. He has since stated that he accepts the Court’s ruling. This has major implications for Parliament as Speaker John Bercow has stated that Parliament will reconvene tomorrow, 25 September. I am so lucky to be interning at such a tumultuous time in British politics!

Those of you who know me well will know I am quite opinionated on most things, but especially on political matters. However, I cannot speak too freely of my own political opinions on this blog due to the nature of my internship in Parliament and the academic programme I am in. What I can tell you all is: my inner political nerd is absolutely enamored with all that is going on and I truly can see both sides (or, often, three or more sides!) to these contentious issues.

I had another great week with the Hansard Programme! We went to Cardiff, Wales and I found it to be charming and understated. The locals were lovely and were delighted to meet Americans. We visited the Senedd (the devolved Welsh Assembly) and watched the First Minister’s Questions and heard lectures from MA’s and even one from a former MP. I had lots of time to explore and loved noticing Cardiff’s quirks. One memorable moment was going in a Welsh mall which was entirely different than an American mall —smaller, less overwhelming, and much better service. I had forgotten to bring my heels, and a nice woman helped me find some cheap new ones and gave me 20% off of the original price.

Thursday night our flat had lots of fun doing a “flat crawl” where each apartment had a different drink to sample.

Friday (which I have off from classes and lectures each week) I went to Soho for a punk rock tour of London. It was incredible! There were so many spots I had walked by and not noticed, and yet had played host to bands like the Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, The Beatles, and so many more. Afterwards I found the best Indian restaurant ever, in my opinion. It was delicious! Then, I walked along Regent’s Street and enjoyed the silliness of Hamley’s (a British toy shop) and then walked into a posh Kate Spade. I hit it off with the manager of the Kate Spade so well that she poured me a glass of Rosé for free and gave me a 15% off coupon!

Saturday I went to the East End of London and saw my amazing relatives, Ray, Cathy, and Joe, and his girlfriend Rachel. We explored the Southbank and took a Skyliner (surprisingly, only £3.50!) over the River Thames. We finished the day in Bethnal Green with some delicious Italian food. After I returned to my flat, a friend and I went out to the nightclub Tiger Tiger, which was extremely fun, and we met some new British friends. It was overpriced, so I definitely suggest not ordering drinks there!

Sunday I went to Peckham with a friend and we saw Downton Abbey, which was a lovely film. It surpassed my already high expectations. We ate at a scrumptious and cheap Roman pizza place called Pizza Pickup, which had such unique flavors and great service.

My favorite thing about my time here so far is exploring the hidden areas that I never would have seen in a guidebook. London always offers something new to see, something you see that you must go back to, and something you’ve done that you must do again.

This week I listened to some very fascinating lectures and toured around London a bit with my programme. I found the lectures by Steve Richards and Jonathan Tonge particularly fascinating. Richards’s lecture concerned recent and historical developments in British politics, but he approached them with a humorous, dry tone. Tonge’s lecture concerned Northern Ireland. I enjoyed his unique stances on the issues, and how he didn’t accept that the peace process was finished.

The weekend was especially fun, though. On Friday I found a discount open top bus, and road “the loop” which allowed me to see London and get some excellent pictures. I stopped for a cream tea in St. Martin in the Fields after the tour.

I decided to visit the National Gallery and heartily enjoyed that, after. I only got through the Sainsbury Wing, which features pre-Renaissance and Renaissance art (my favorite!). So yes, I spent three hours looking at only fifteen rooms. 🙂

Saturday I was reunited with family, which was lovely. I stayed with them in a beautiful pier town in Essex. We walked around a gorgeous park and then I was treated to a delicious, posh meal.

Today, (Sunday) we went to the petting zoo—my little cousin loves animals—and then had a delicious cream tea.

(Yes, I had two cream teas in three days. No, I am not ashamed.)

It’s been an interesting time already! First, I had an amazing week with my relatives, John and Jenny. I visited lovely Brighton, beautiful Arundel, the intriguing British Museum, and a few other places. I absolutely loved staying with John and Jenny— they were absolutely the highlight of my week! The movie theater we went to was quite good as well. I highly recommend seeing Once Upon A Time In Hollywood; it was especially great watching it in the UK, because even in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve become hyper-aware of American mannerisms, quirks and (especially) accents. For example … we talk too loudly, smile a lot more than most other nationalities, value personal space (the Brits are the same!), are quite confrontational and have much better service — the british people are so kind and polite, but the waiters, waitresses, grocery store clerks, Primark sales associates (this is oddly specific for a reason…) etc. are not!

I arrived and moved into my flat in central London on Saturday. I had a great time getting to know and partying with with the new people I met. The locals, “Londoners,” are so much fun, too! The next few days after I arrived and went out with new friends have been devoted to lectures and orientation. My programme provided a nice tour of Parliament, too, but I was only able to get pictures in the front room.

Well, I’m off! I’m headed to London after I change in another state. I will arrive tomorrow morning. I’m going to miss my family, friends and pets, but I’m so incredibly excited to, as Obi Wan said, take my “first step into a larger world.” ❤️

Hi, my name is Sophie Boulter. I’m a student at Xavier University. I’m spending this semester interning at Parliament and studying with the Hansard Society at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

I’ll also be writing a dissertation (topic to be determined, I’ll let you all know!) This will be a crazy semester for someone who hasn’t even taken an international flight by herself and can barely turn on the stove without burning herself… but I’m incredibly excited for this journey. If you’re interested, subscribe 🙂