glittering eyes: that one bit I forgot about

School.

Now it’s time for the part of the show where Katie remembers she’s a student and students must go to school. Even when said student is vagabonding throughout Europe for a term.

Monday morning rolled around in that snarky, ha-ha-you-forgot-I-existed sort of way it always does and jolted me from my sleep with everyone’s favorite iPhone hit, Marimba. It was time to get reacquainted with things that have been zipped away in a backpack for a spell. Trivial things like college-ruled paper and No. 2 pencils. Things that I have happily neglected for the past, oh, 107 days or so.

The day began like any other, with a croissant and yogurt (the breakfast of champions) in the caf in Atlantic House basement (the place where champions go to dine). In true European form, showers were skipped and it was dry shampoo to the rescue. (Yes, British Kath is eco-friendly and conserves water. Save the whales.) I slapped on my new Clinique lipstick (because the color is called intense and obviously I mean business) and pulled on my Hunters. Quick pause for the obligatory first day of school picture message to mom. And we’re ready.

My first class was Intermediate Microeconomics. I should’ve known something was amiss when the young, twenty-something guy who walked in behind us, asking if this was in fact Microeconomics, turned out to be the professor. Not what you want. Little Einstein skipped the syllabus and dove right in to the first day of the curriculum. With my trusty turquoise Sharpie pen clenched tightly, I kicked out a solid four pages of notes. That’s four pages front and back, mind you. Between furiously copying down the slides and attempting to interpret his thick German accent, I did not retain one ounce of knowledge on the subject of microeconomics. Go team. Conclusion: This man talks at the speed of an auctioneer and is, perhaps, too smart for his own good. In other news, you need a significant understanding of calculus to pass this class, which was unbeknownst to me at the time of registration. The last time I took calculus was in high school three years ago, and even then we spent more class time doing yoga and playing Heads Up 7-Up than deriving things. Pray for me.

Class number two was as inspiring and hilarious as class number one was terrifying. Honestly, what’s not to love about a course on leadership taught by a Scottish man who promised an A right off the bat? Not only is this guy an absolute hoot and a half, I actually feel like I’m going to learn some valuable life lessons this semester. We spent the whole first class talking about our own personal heroes and what makes a great leader. Perhaps that discussion sounds a bit elementary for an upper-level university course. In that case, my answer was just as elementary. I chimed in saying my dad is my personal hero, because he never quits, never fails to make me laugh, and never forgets to tell me he loves me. (Awww.) Regardless of its simplicity, I walked out of class feeling grateful for the great leaders that have impacted my life and encouraged to follow in their footsteps. Appreciative and motivated—two extremely rare first day of school sentiments, am I right?

After a break for lunch at Whole Foods (a delicious and nutritious reprieve from my strict diet of croissants and only croissants), it was on to the one class I had been waiting for: FASHION MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING. And was it as absolutely marvelous as I had hoped it might be? You bet your Jimmy Choo suede booties it was. Within the first few minutes of introduction, it was clear: my prof is the real deal. Her résumé boasts all kinds of glamorous fashion-related jobs, including work as a buyer for Jaeger (a British luxury clothing retailer), as a marketing consultant for Harrods and London Fashion Week, and as the Head of Marketing for the famed shoe brand, Hunter. She, ladies and gentlemen, is the woman who transformed the Hunter rain boots that were once just a practical work boot into a multinational fashion statement. A fashion statement that I myself was employing in that very classroom at that very moment. As if I wasn’t already paying attention…

Know what else just rocks? At the beginning of class, Abby and I were just casually chattering away with her about how she couldn’t figure out her new iPhone (people who are friendly and candid from the get-go are winners in my book) when somehow Pinterest came into the conversation. (Typical. When does Pinterest not come up in a conversation of mine?) Now, get this: she had never heard of it. She had not yet been introduced to the highly creative, intuitive, dare I say productive world of pinning. That poor woman… Well, as they say, one good turn deserves another, and that, folks, is how I introduced the woman who made Hunter boots famous to Pinterest. We had her logged into the app and integrating Pinterest into the curriculum before we walked out the door in her blessed boots. Oh and our homework was to comparatively analyze the merchandising methods of two different clothing stores. You heard right. My homework was to go shopping. Snaps for Fashion Marketing.

My last class, Research Methods, was with the same professor who taught Leadership earlier in the day. By 4:30 in the afternoon when class began, the man was as lively as ever. This guy is more like the class clown that just so happens to be the highly educated professor. The earlier class was a pretty even mix of both study abroad and regular Richmond students. This last one, on the other hand, was all Richmond upperclassmen, except for two: Abby and myself. We walked in to find every seat taken, except for a lovely pair in the most sought after location: front and center. Sweet. Needless to say, we survived the next hour and twenty minutes’ worth of course introduction and overview, complete with loads of good-natured teasing from the professor. Multiple times throughout class he warned Abby and I (the token American girls) to steer clear of our many European male classmates. “Wolves in sheep’s clothing, lasses!”

Our professor wasn’t all pranks and jokes, though. After class, as everyone was leaving, he introduced Abby and I to some of our classmates, and then pulled us aside to ask us how we’re liking Richmond. Then he asked the all-important career question: “What do you ladies want to do?” (If I had a dollar for every time I’m asked that question, I wouldn’t even need a career.) He then looked each of us right in the eye and with the utmost conviction urged us to take every advantage of being here. He informed us that we have been sitting in class with royals and billionaires, children and grandchildren of people who are doing incredible things. He repeated to us that our being here opens up a goldmine of opportunities for our future. It is to our great benefit to not just live the length of our time in London, but to live the depth of it and seize every opportunity. My parents gave me similar advice a couple days ago, after I had a minor panic attack over money and planning and fun things like that. (I know what you’re thinking… “Wait, Katie having a mental breakdown? That is absurd. This girl is as emotionally intact as a cucumber.” We all have our moments, people.)

Anyways, what my professor and my parents reminded me was Carpe Diem. Look beyond the worries, realize the possibilities, and start seizing the opportunities like flowers in a field. And with this schedule of only two days of school a week, it looks to me like I’ve got plenty of time for that.

Here's a peek at what else I was up to this week...