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Topic: Greetings from UK Canuck  (Read 1885 times)

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Greetings from UK Canuck
« on: October 14, 2003, 11:28:48 PM »
So hi to all!  I've been living in the UK for the last five or six years...  about four years in Scotland and two in England.  I moved here to do a postgraduate degree, and stayed to get married and have a family.  (Which pretty much happened all at once... ask me, and I'll tell you all!  ;D)

I'm glad I've found this site...  I've been a little homesick lately, and I'd love to get a North American culture top-up.   :D  

As a little paradox for you to ponder, tell me this:  I've always taken Tylenol without any adverse effects (it does what it says on the tin).  But when I take paracetemol, I get an allergic reaction.  I now realize that these are the same thing, but why does the UK one affect me?

Cheers!

Morgana
"Ha HA!" cried she, as she waved her wooden leg.


Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2003, 12:05:11 AM »
Hi morgana...welcome to UKY. :)

Hmmm....I have no idea about the Tylenol/Paracetamol thing but there must be some sort of difference for one to cause an allergic reaction but not the other. Maybe somebody else on the board will have an answer for you on that one. :)

Anyway good to have you here and hope to see more posts from you in the future. :)


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Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2003, 12:26:49 AM »
Hiya Morgana, I'm pleased to meet you and welcome you here.  Did you have any help when you moved over?  Perhaps another site similar.  There isn't one better of course. But I wondered how things were for you that long ago.  I could not imagine doing this without the people here.  I've gotten so much info and friendship here.  Being here has made me think of things that never occurred to me before.
« Last Edit: October 15, 2003, 12:28:02 AM by Kizmet122800 »
Give a man an inch and he thinks he's a ruler!


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Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2003, 06:32:49 AM »
Hi Morgana and welcome...sounds like you had quite a whirlwind of activity there... ;) you will have to tell us more about it all...what did you do your postgrad in?  I am going to be going for my PhD if all works out well.

Where are you from originally in Canada?

The wiring in our brain is not static, not irrevocably fixed.  Our brains are adaptable. -Mattieu Ricard

Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn. -Benjamin Franklin

I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions. -D.Day


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Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2003, 02:57:09 AM »
Greetings to all!  

To Kismet's question - no, there was no site like this available when I first got here.  At least, I never found one...  of course, I wasn't the computer junkie then that I am now!  So you never know, something may have been there and I didn't know!  

To vnicepeeps - I'm from Ontario originally, a little town near Toronto.  I went to Scotland to study my PhD in Ancient Greek literature and women...   :P :-[ ???  That kind of went wonky after three years...  I'm still working on the blasted thesis, but I'm not getting a PhD for it...  I blame the conspiracy theorists for making me think that it was a conspiracy.  Anyhow, bygones...  So, Vnice, what are you looking to study, and where?  

Enjoy!
Morgana
"Ha HA!" cried she, as she waved her wooden leg.


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Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2003, 05:10:51 AM »
Hi again Morgana...seems I dropped off the face of the earth..actually  just Virginia..(which in the parts that I am might just be off the face of the earth!)

In response to your question, I will be studying Public Administration (PhD) and where I am not sure.  Specifically I am interested in Organizational Development/Behavior.  

I am looking at Exeter and Essex as well as a few others.  The whole "proposal" has me in knots as I don't really know that specifically what I want to do my dissertation on yet.  As you know the US system does not really prepare us to do that right away.  I am still going to apply to several US schools as a back up...University of Albany (NY) and Virginia Tech.

Anyways..that's my life...

I have been many places, but never to Canada...had a Canadian/Greek roommate in Barcleona....we shared many 80's retro North American moments. ;D

So how's the thesis coming?  Did you do the MPhil first or how did you go about getting in and funding it all?
The wiring in our brain is not static, not irrevocably fixed.  Our brains are adaptable. -Mattieu Ricard

Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn. -Benjamin Franklin

I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions. -D.Day


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Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #6 on: November 10, 2003, 01:43:36 AM »
Hey Vnice... I wondered where you went to.  Nice to see you again.

As for submitting a proposal here, don't worry about how specific it is on first submission.  It is expected that your topic will be fairly mutable for the first year (usually) and that what you end up writing won't even remotely resemble what you initially said you were going to study.  Don't worry - the topic will change as you start research.  Just don't let it get out of control... keep it within your reach.

I actually started writing for a PhD, but after a few years was informed that the department did not believe I would finish the entire thesis within the allotted time, so I was offered an MPhil instead, after revisions (which pretty much took the same amount of time that finishing the PhD would have taken).  But thankfully it's all over now.  I finally finished the final corrections last week, and I'll be submitting this week, after I've heard from my supervisor.

Funding wasn't hard...  Parental scholarship covered everything!  (My parents had planned on extended university schooling for me and my brothers, so the money was already there and waiting to be used.)  I tried applying for different scholarships, but nobody was forthcoming for my topic.  Take a look in the Careers Advisors office at your nearest university, and check out the lists of scholarships that are available.  More often than not there are dozens that no one actually applies for, thinking that they don't qualify for them, and they are desperate to give the money away.  So apply for everything that seems even remoted related to your area.

I've not heard of your discipline before - sounds interesting though.  Any ideas of what your thesis will be?  

I knew a bunch of Greek guys while I was doing the PhD - I used to make them laugh because I would throw Ancient Greek phrases at them on a regular basis, and discuss their own history vigorously with them.  (I think they were pretty indulgent with me.... grrrrrr!)  

I've been a few places, but I want to see more of the world.  I've only seen Detroit and Florida in the States... want to see New York and Washington now (my best friend is working there!).  

80's retro moments?!?!?!?  How old are you?  And share some with me....  

Morgana
"Ha HA!" cried she, as she waved her wooden leg.


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Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #7 on: November 10, 2003, 02:29:49 PM »
Wow...it's been a really long time since I looked at this board  :-[

A belated hello to you.  :)

So how does England compare to Canada in your opinion?  ;)
wench
Ask and ye shall be babbled at.


Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #8 on: November 10, 2003, 03:11:19 PM »
Go on.....tell us ya hoser! ;D


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Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2003, 11:18:05 PM »
Quote
Go on.....tell us ya hoser! ;D



Watch it, hoser!   ;D ;D

I've been thinking about this a lot...  There are advantages and drawbacks to both countries.  

I like the fact that I can drive for half an hour and see one of the most impressive mansion and estate grounds that I ever knew existed.  (It's Castle Howard, for anyone here who might be interested in visiting.)  I like that in the middle of the city centre of York is the oldest standing Gothic church in all of Europe.  I like living amongst all this history, and having the opportunity to explore such a diverse countryside, which is all within a decent drive (ie. you don't have to drive for days to see something really interesting!).

I love the commercials in this country - the sense of humour is rife throughout, and I get a real kick out of some of the more experimental ones.  I appreciate the television programming ideology of the BBC - no commercials!  (I think the best way to get to know any society is to delve into its pop culture.)  

Most of the drawbacks to the UK (for me at least) are completely subjective and personal.  I don't like the area we live in, though it is improving quite a bit.  I still get a little freaked driving on the left side of the road.  I'm too far away from my parents (who are in Canada, duh), and I wish they could be around to see my son grow up (who is only 15 months old now).  

All of my current friends I met through baby groups... everyone is a parent.  I have no single friends, no student friends, and no friends who have similar interests to me... outside of parenthood.  So I feel a little isolated - all my like-minded friends are online, and I can't always get in touch with them.  My husband and I don't get a chance to spend much time together, except in the evenings when we're both too wiped from the day to talk about anything.  Bleah...

The main difference is the language/slang.  I have to be extra precise whenever I speak to anyone, to avoid any kind of miscommunication.  And I find myself switching back and forth between English and Canadian, in an effort to remember what I knew once and to allow Connor to be 'bilingual'!  LOL  (Go see Favourite Brit Speak board.)  

So there you have it.  I like UK for the culture and the history, but I prefer Canada for family and friends (and I know the school system there better than here, and I like it there!).

Any questions, thoughts, musings?  Beefs, complaints?  

Cheers,
Morgana
"Ha HA!" cried she, as she waved her wooden leg.


Re: Greetings from UK Canuck
« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2003, 11:25:01 PM »
Canada's a beautiful country, and I do so love the exchange rate! heading up to your neck of the woods (Ajax) for Thanksgiving (well..at least the American version anyway since you hosers celebrate it before us ;D)


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