I've been to London and back today. It amazes me that that is even possible, but I did it! I'm tired now though. I was down for an interview at UCL, and I think it went OK. It was actually a kind of small group debate, and I'd have rather had an interview, so I knew what to expect. Everyone was really friendly though, and I had a nice time. There was a lady on the train on the way down crocheting, which was funny since I had my crochet with me too. Then we got chatting and it turned out that both her and the other lady sitting at our set of seats worked in higher education, which again, was a bit of a strange coincidence since I was on my way to a university! Strange!
The debate we had to do was about the necessity of aid in India from Britain in this day and age. I had to argue for aid, although I actually think that continuing with it is just encouraging the development gap in India to grow, which is one of their biggest problems. One article we had said that there are over 153 000 millionaires in India, and yet 2 in 5 children are malnourished. I think the more I look at areas like this, the more interested I become in studying and working in them.
On my way back I bought a panini from a stand in Euston. This little old lady (okay, maybe not THAT old) came over to me asking for spare change. She was most persistent than most, telling me it was her 50th birthday today (do you think I look fifty?), and that she hadn't slept for six weeks, and that she had schizophrenia (do you know what that is? it's a mental disease...). I gave her the change from my panini (about a pound), and I've been thinking about her ever since. If I'd given her more, what would that do in the grand scheme of things? She needs a stable source of income, and maybe an education. I find myself wondering what circumstances forced her out onto the streets at that age, and whether or not she really did have schizophrenia...
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