Ricky V the V.I.P. (Very Insubstantial Poster)

Since I last blogged a lot has happened. Firstly, I was lucky enough to move down to London to work for BBC Radio 2 for just under a month. I had a brilliant time working in a fantastic office full of brilliant, bright individuals who made radio that I appreciated even more after seeing the processes behind it. As consistently quality radio content goes, Radio 2 is an example that is one of the best in the industry.

I was due to stay with Radio 2 for three months but, after, three weeks I received an email informing me that I had been accepted onto a masters course that I had previously applied for and previously been rejected from. However, an individual dropped out at the last minute and, as the reserve candidate, I was offered a place and had an afternoon to make a decision. With the course already underway, time was of the essence.

It seems a tricky situation, but when all the details are provided it was a simple decision, with the masters emerging victorious. This being said, upon being informed of my place I ran to a toilet cubicle, locked myself in and rang my mum and my friend for advice - it literally felt like a teen pregnancy moment.

The reason the masters ruled supreme was, quite simply, because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Set across four different nations (Dresden, Germany; Delft, Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain and Ljubljana, Slovenia) over two years and with a full scholarship it was an unrivalled opportunity to gain vast academic experience whilst tasting a variety of cultures and, hopefully, having a lot of fun.

The course is on Flood Risk Management, and includes four of the leading hydrological institutes in Europe and the opportunity to study at somewhere like the UNESCO-IHE in Delft is simply amazing. (Any hydrologists out there, you know what I’m talking about…). With an opportuntiy to study a topic I deem both interesting and globally important at these institutes (on a scholarship, the lucky beggar that I appear to be) there was nothing that would stop me. Not even the most listened to radio station in the UK. (Radio 2, not Fresh Air)

So, this blog post is a way of breaking some significant news to you: I am leaving the UK on Sunday for two years, to study Flood Risk Management across Europe. Standard.

I kick off the program in Dresden. My timetable for the two years is below, so be ready to hear about my exploits along this timeline.

If you are interested about the course in more detail it has a website. Yes, the course has it’s own website. Ridiculous. http://www.floodriskmaster.org/

Stay tuned for watery-adventures.