IOE

Arriving last September 30 at Luton Airport, which is one of the smaller airports serving the Greater London area, I cannot help but feel so alone again in an alien city very far from home. I am still not fully convinced (at least until today) that studying for another master degree just two years after earning one is a good idea, more so that the tuition fee charged for overseas students studying in the UK is quite exhorbitant compared with the rest of universities in Europe. Nonetheless, Allan has been drilling into my mind, just like what his father told them, that an investment in education is always a good investment; which is basically the same for Filipino families - putting a premium on education - even to the extent of getting in debt just to support the education of the children. I am lucky in the sense that I am fully supported by a partner who so believed that education is never a lost investment. So packing my 20kg luggage, my laptop and some working files for an idea for my thesis I soon find myself trying to make sense of the train connection maps at the arrival terminal of Luton Airport. From there it was almost an hour and a half travel by a combination of shuttle bus from the airport to the train station up to the underground station at Kings Cross St. Pancras, changing to Picadilly line tube to Bounds Green station then a 10 minute walk to Sylvia'a house - where I will be based for the next 365 days. The Institute of Education is a hundred year old higher education institution of the University of London. It was founded in 1902 for the purpose of training teachers. During the induction program for new students we were told that it is the best teacher training institute in Europe - though I am keeping an open mind about this claim. First impression though is that they have a good, functioning and up-to-date library facilities complete with all the trappings of the latest in technology. Unfortunately, it looks like one can only use the facilities of the library if you are enrolled as a student or a faculty member, unlike in the University of Geneva where the public can use the facilities of the library. Well I am inviting you my readers to see for yourself the institute through the link I included in this post.