Author Archives: jxm5220

Oxford

Let’s talk about Oxford. I could talk about Oxford all day. I’ve had the privilege of visiting this famous collegiate city twice this May–once with my friend visiting from home and once again with some friends on my program. I chose to go back simply because I loved the place so much the first time–it felt like home as soon as I arrived–and I’m so glad I did: while I liked Oxford in the rain on the first trip, I enjoyed it even more on the second trip, in warm, summer weather (and I’ll use mostly pictures from the second trip in this entry). Anyway, to start with, Oxford is the city that houses the famous Oxford University, although even Oxford is not just one university–it’s a complicated network of 37 mini-colleges, all of which have their own buildings, programmes, and faculty. Prospective students actually apply directly to the college at which they’d like to study, although all the colleges are united under the banner of Oxford University (or University of Oxford–the Brits don’t discriminate.). I’m not sure exactly how this works, but I think that the term “Oxford” refers more to the educational system in that city and at those colleges than to a specific university in the American sense. In other words, the 37 colleges at Oxford are all Oxford, but they are also more specific than that. That being said, my friends and I took a walking tour which let us walk through four colleges: St. John’s, Exeter, Lincoln, and Christ Church. All of them were similar but unique, with beautiful white-yellow sandstone, ivy, roses, and gardens for students to lounge in.

Our first stop in Oxford, however, was not the universities but the famous pub The Eagle and Child. This is where the group of writers and thinkers, The Inklings, regularly met to discuss their lives and their work. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are the most famous members, and they sat in the same pub that my friends and I ate lunch in! They referred to it as “The Bird and Baby.” (As another plus, this was the only pub in England that we’ve found that serves real American lemonade. What the English call “lemonade” is usually Sprite, so needless to say, finding real lemonade is a big deal.) As for the atmosphere of the pub, I understood why the Inklings chose to meet there: dark mahogany booths were situated in quiet nooks, with tablecloths and candles on the tables. The pub itself is very old and has the traditional cozy feel of an English night in. As my friends and I ate our fish and chips for lunch, we wondered where Tolkien and Lewis might have sat…and of course, it must have been at our table.

After lunch, we went on a three-hour walking tour of various colleges and around the city, and our outrageous tour guide told us hundreds of years of history–not only of the city and the very old buildings, but of the famous students who have come and gone: George Washington and John Adams attended Christ Church University; Tolkien attended Exeter (twice, as he went off to fight in WWII); and even contemporaries like Bill Clinton and Tony Blair have studied at Oxford. Throughout the tour, I kept finding myself fascinated by the history that surrounded me, but also by the living, present feel of the city and the colleges. Below are pictures of just a few of the colleges and (the second picture) the Bridge of Sighs.

Like so much of England, Oxford really feels like living history–a place that’s been lived in but is also being lived in. For example, while on my tour in Lincoln college, a student ran through our tour group in shorts, with her face painted light and dark blue. Our guide stopped her and asked why she was wearing this. “I row for Lincoln,” she said. “There’s a boat race on the Thames today. So go down there and root for Lincoln!” She made a “woo!” and ran off, but I might never forget how enthusiastic she was–and how nice she was to a tour group invading her school. It was an interesting juxtaposition: a young, very normal college girl among the very old, magnificent and beautiful architecture of Lincoln college. But I think it’s this mix of past and present that makes Oxford so vibrant. I can’t wait to visit there again…perhaps as a grad student? I hope so.

Location: Oxford, U.K.

On Paris

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”–Ernest Hemingway

Although I didn’t live in Paris like so many ex-patriot writers in the 20’s, I did visit there with Andy for around three days in April. I took a train from Amsterdam to Paris early in the morning (around a 3 hour ride), and by noon, a sunny Paris greeted me. Sadly, this was one of the rare moments of sunshine, but we took advantage of it, walking all around the giant city. We saw many of the highlights–Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower in the distance, the Luxemburg and Tuileries Gardens, the Pantheon, and Montmartre, where our hostel was located. One of my favorite parts was the bouqinistes (or riverside vendors)–miniature, unlock-and-open bookstores on the sidewalk–on the Ile de Cite, near Notre Dame. These little shops lined the streets and sold everything from old books in French to touristy magnets. I really enjoyed just strolling along and browsing–although they closed when it started to rain, and I didn’t actually get to buy anything! We spent the rest of the day wandering around, ate at a wonderful caf� where I got an omelet (navigating Paris gluten-free is hard, but do-able), and headed back to our hostel.

The next day, day-tripped to a rainy Versailles, and at night, walked toward the glittering Eiffel Tower–a truly magnificent sight.

Sadly, our third day in Paris was spent dealing with stolen identities: although neither of us got our credit card physically stolen, we both were victims of ATM skimming. Basically, someone stole our banking information and our pin numbers, loaded it onto a blank card, and withdrew the maximum amount at an ATM each day. When we checked our accounts that morning, we saw the balances and had to gesture and use our weak French to buy a phone card to call our home banks. So, beware! Check your credit statements often, and watch out for ATMs in busy places. Although our situation was semi-unavoidable, being alert can only help.

After we called our banks and did all we could with that, we attempted to forget the whole thing and enjoy our last day in the city of lights. Although once again it was raining, we headed to Saint Chappelle, a beautiful stained-glass window church with hanging chandeliers. The D’Orsay was next, and I especially liked the more modern exhibits such as impressionism and the Van Goghs; however, the best museum EVER was the L’Orangerie. It’s mainly two giant, oval rooms housing Monet’s enormous paintings of waterlilies, and even though we only managed to get in 20 minutes before closing, we just sat on the benches and soaked in the painting that seemed almost at one with the walls. The Lourve was mind-blowingly gigantic and open late that night, so we strolled around mostly aimlessly (besides seeing the Mona Lisa), and it reminded me of that book where the kids spend the night in a museum, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil. E. Frankweiler.

Overall, I liked Paris. I tried to avoid the metro whenever I could, but walking around the city offered beautiful views of white sandstone (or limestone?), and the bookstore Shakespeare and Company was, almost literally, heaven on earth; I could have spent all day in there. Though my visit to Paris was a relatively short one, I would like to go back and spend more time relaxing in the beautiful gardens and soaking in more artwork stored in the many museums. Perhaps I’ll even be able to find a gluten-free patisserie when I return!

Location: Paris, France

Amsterdam (was stuck in my head)

From the air, Holland looks like a very colorful patchwork quilt.

During my April break, I also visited Amsterdam, or, as I call it, the city of bikes and canals. They were everywhere! Almost every street/square looked the same to me, as each followed a canal and contained similar earth-tone, rectangle buildings facing the water. In fact, Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands, originally began as a Dutch trading post which relied exclusively on the maze of canals and rivers for its transportation. The city slowly grew to become as it’s known today, where, in addition to water taxis and boats, bicycles are chained to all the bridges and railings; many Amsterdamians ride them as their main form of transportation, which makes a lot of sense because the city is very flat. Andy and I considered renting bikes for a day, but the busy traffic and the tram dents in the road (scary!) dissuaded us, and we walked around the city instead–probably the safer choice.

At one point, we did do a Blue Boat Canal Tour, which was a really nice way to see a lot of the city and the canals in little time. Although the boat had commentary about the city’s history, we preferred to sit in the back of the boat, outside the glass, so we could be outside and see the buildings better. The weather was nice: windy and brisk but sunny. As we rode down the river, I really got to experience the vibe of the city, along with catching a glimpse of many of its main attractions: one of the IAMsterdam signs (yes, there are multiple ones!), the Anne Frank house, a few of the museums, and The Jordaan. I don’t think I saw The Van Gogh Museum from the boat tour, but it was another highlight of the trip. In fact, the museums in Amsterdam are supposed to be amazing, although I only got to see The Van Gogh Museum (the Rijksmuseum looked impressive but I just didn’t have time). I wouldn’t describe myself as an avid Van Gogh fan, but I do like his paintings, especially the ones with heavy impasto, and I loved going through the four-story museum to learn more about the famous Dutch painter.

We also visited the famous Jordaan district–a center of arts and culture in Amsterdam. It’s full of cafes, comedy clubs, and busyness. (Although, to me, it seemed much the same as the other parts of the city, albeit with a few more offbeat shops.)

As far as Dutch food went, here’s what I found:

A Ben & Jerry’s! Actually, Ben & Jerry’s seems to be all over Europe, with ice cream vending machines on Kent campus and stores in almost every city we went to in Europe. Even though the duo learned their ice cream making trade at PSU, I haven’t really tried their ice cream, so we decided to duck in. I had a decent chocolate mint bowl, and Andy got a crepe which looked amazing, but apparently tasted terrible? (I kind of don’t believe him.)

Later that night, we went to a famous comedy club–Boom Chicago–which actually wasn’t as good as some improve I saw in New York last year. Still, it was a nice change to touristy sightseeing, and I had a good time there. Walking around the city at night, too, revealed lots more bicycles, lights, and people going their ways. The city definitely had a young, busy vibe, though it seemed rather quiet and quaint, in a way, at the same time. Only around 2 million people live in Amsterdam, and the lack of tall buildings made me keep reminding myself I was in a capital city–but perhaps that reveals more about my ideas of cities than a fault of Amsterdam’s. Ultimately, I really did like Amsterdam, a lot more than I expected. I’m not sure what I would have done if I had stayed longer, but I really enjoyed soaking in the vibe and simply watching all the people on bikes and all the canals reflecting in the building windows.

And you should probably listen to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAppS5HalR4. It’s true.

Location: Amsterdam, Holland

Let’s Eat Chocolate…in Switzerland.

As the University of Kent school system includes a month-long Easter break with no classes and a campus that empties, most students either go home or, if they’re internationals, go traveling. My boyfriend, Andy, and I had been planning a three-week Europe trip for a while, so it felt almost surreal when the time came for me to pick him up at the airport. We visited London, Ireland, Amsterdam, Paris, and Switzerland, each location for about three days, and now that I’m back in Canterbury, I’m sorting through pictures and feeling a bit nostalgic. The trip was so interesting, and I got to experience so many places that I’d never been before (anywhere outside the U.K.). Blogging about it all together would be a disaster though, so I’m going to skip to my favorite parts and do those first.

Besides London, which will probably always hold a special place in my heart, I loved either Switzerland or Ireland the most. (I blogged about Ireland before, when I visited Galway, but this time I got to spend more time in different locations and travel across the country more.) The country is just so beautiful, raw, and comforting in subtle ways. Even though some of the towns are run-down or industrial, the landscape is always breathtaking, and the slow pace of life away from a city appealed to me, especially after long days walking around. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed Switzerland too: once again, the landscape was unbelievable, like screen-savers that are actually real. (I always assumed the Swiss Alps photos you see in picture frames are photoshopped, but the mountains looked even better than the pictures.) In fact, after walking out of a pub one night, we thought the sky in front of us was really dark, but it was actually just the giant mountain looming in front of us and obscuring all the starlight.

We stayed in the resort town, Interlaken, which means “between two lakes” in German, at the best hostel in the world–for all you considering a visit, Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof is a must-stay hostel. It had a home-y feel and a cappuccino maker that was free. In contrast to the go-go-go lifestyle of touring cities such as Paris or Amsterdam, life in Interlaken moved at a slower pace–as most people staying there were on vacation themselves–and we spent many hours just sitting on couches and watching live footage of skiers on the Jungfrau. Although we considered taking a Flying Wheels motorbike tour of the Alps, the steep price and the possibility of rain convinced us to take a leisurely hike on our own instead: we found a local trail that went around one of the lakes, so we got to see the town of Thun across the water. It did start pouring halfway through our hike though, so we returned to our hostel drenched and ready to eat Lindt chocolate (which we did…a lot).

The rest of the time, we walked around the town, which was full of tourist shops selling the quintessential Swiss trinkets: watches, clocks, knives, cheese, and chocolate abound, although to get quality stuff you have to spend more money than I was willing to. In fact, everything was really expensive in Interlaken: even though the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Swiss Frank is roughly the same, a Caesar salad at McDonald’s costs 12 Swiss Franks…it was the cheapest dinner we could find. Needless to say, we lived out of grocery stores that weekend and bought few souvenirs. The view of the mountains and the gorgeousness of the town, however, made up for it all. Although the town was pretty touristy, it was also a haven–with people paragliding and flying kites, mini-golfing (which we did too!), and biking around. My favorite part of Interlaken was definitely getting off the beaten path a bit to walk the paths around the mountains and glacier-water rivers: nothing can beat Switzerland for raw beauty. Even now, back at home, I find myself thinking of Switzerland most when I recall my trip, and I’d definitely recommend the trek to get through the mountains to a small Swiss town–the landscape is stunning and the relaxation is a nice break. The chocolate isn’t that bad either.

Location: Interlaken, Switzerland

Trips to the Coast: Broadstairs and Ramsgate

It’s spring in England. Honestly, the stereotypes about terrible British weather are lies–it’s been gorgeous, warm, and sunny almost every day here for the past month. It’s almost too good to be true, and I’m waiting for the spring rains to batter this town. For now though, my window is open and my coat is off. Since I’m only about 10-15 miles from the coast, the air is breezy and warm but not too warm to scorch. Maybe it’s just a mild winter and spring, but either way, I’m happy to be missing the usual long winters in PA.

It might be so beautiful because I’m studying in Canterbury– the hub of the county Kent, which is often dubbed “The Garden of England” for, well, obvious reasons. The lush grass, countryside, and rolling farm hills surround multiple small towns on and near the coast of the Channel. It’s also a rather rich (or “posh) part of the country, near to the continent, the water, and to inland England as well. Because of this, seagulls are everywhere, the fish and chips are especially good, and I can travel to the ocean in 40 minutes by bus.

Yesterday, on my day off, a few friends and I ventured to the seaside resort town of Broadstairs to spend a lazy day at the beach. While other beaches such as Dover are covered in pebbles, this one had real sand–although it was more brown than the sand I’m used to, from the Outer Banks–and the wonderful weather made me wonder if I was really still in England, but in another way, it was essentially English: the architecture near the seaside seemed lazy and Brighton-esque almost, colorful, and summery. (The climate here is mild, so the temperature usually stays between 40 and 75 degrees year round.) People lounged or played football (American soccer) on the beach. We took our shoes off and sat by the sea for a while before heading off to walk along the white cliffs.

Broadstairs is known for being Charles Dickens’ haunt from 1837, and the once-home of Mary Pearson Strong now stands as the Dickens House Museum. Although he never actually lived in this house, it served as the inspiration for the character of Betsey Trotwood in David Copperfield. His actual house, which has now been renamed from Fort House to Bleak House, stands at the top of the cliffs, and here, he finished David Copperfield and began Bleak House. The house is privately owned, but tours will let you see his bedroom (where Queen Victoria once slept!), some manuscripts, and even his sitting room as he described it. Although I didn’t get to see Bleak House this time around–we were walking along the cliffs looking for a famous archway that we could never find–I definitely want to return and see it. One of the main reasons I came to England was to see the places my favorite authors lived and wrote, and it’s crazy that I’m currently living a mere bus ride away from where Dickens himself once lived. Here’s a picture of the house. It looks stunning. I’m kicking myself for not insisting on finding it yesterday:

In lieu of visiting the house, however, we walked along the white cliffs–as I said, looking for an archway/tunnel where you could walk through the cliffs. We didn’t find it, but we did see some mini-caves, which occurred naturally through erosion and the brittle quality of the stone (which I assumed to be chalk? It rubbed off on my hand). What never ceases to amaze me is how these magnificent, historical places (such as the cliffs or historical houses) aren’t venerated or roped off: they’re just there, for everyone to walk by. In America, we have to grab and store all the history we can, but here, they have to get rid of it, keep it from piling up, just to make room for the new and the now. Canterbury is a prime example of this, and I’ll post pictures later of the crumbling Roman wall in the center of the city. What I’m getting at, however, is that there weren’t any plaques or tours to tell us about the Broadstairs or the cliffs–at least not where we were walking. There was just the gorgeous sea and the white cliffs.

We walked so far along the coast, in fact, that we ended up in the next coastal town over, Ramsgate! It was even ritzier than Broadstairs, with the same Victorian, colorful architecture and stunning views of the sea. Dozens of boats nested in the harbor like little birds, gleaming and bobbing slowly. A beautiful garden took up an entire square near the harbor, and pictures just don’t do it justice. By this time, the sun was setting, and we had to catch our bus back. I loved seeing the English coast on a sunny day, and honestly, I want to go back.

Location: Broadstairs, UK

Another Look at London

I said I’ll be talking a lot about London, and I wasn’t lying. I’ve visited the city a few more times (and am now ready to branch out into other parts of England, don’t worry) and thought I’d share my experiences! You know you’re excited.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned that taking the high-speed train from Canterbury to London is so convenient, and I highly recommend it. I bought a railcard, which gives me a 33% discount each time I ride, and this makes the round-trip ticket price to and from London St. Pancras International about 22 pounds (right now, that’s about 36 dollars, which doesn’t sound as good as 20 pounds…so I prefer not to do the conversion). It’s only a 45-minute ride, which for many people in the U.S. is their morning commute. Interestingly, here, living “very far away” is living an hour away by train, and, although it varies, most locals seem to avoid London except for the occasional field trip. I guess I do the same with New York City, but then again, I consider myself close to that, and I’m actually 5 hours away. Anyway, after the train, I use my OysterCard (basically a gift card for the tube that you scan each time you enter and exit; it charges you based on how far you go) to get around the city: I can’t emphasize enough how much I love the tube. Others may disagree, but it’s very convenient, unique, and the maps are easy to read. If you’re thinking of coming here, you can pick up this handy-dandy map anywhere here:

Moving on: this past weekend, I met up with some friends studying abroad in Ireland to show them around London (which I jokingly pretend to know well). Of course, it was actually my friend who found out about this amazing, free tour of London’s sites. (I can’t quite remember the name, but I think it was something like Royal Heritage Tours.) You have to register beforehand, but the tour meets at Wellington’s Arch, by Hyde Park Corner, and our Londoner tour guide walked us around the city, entertainingly telling us the history, legends, and scandals associated with each place. The tour included the gates of Buckingham Palace, Victoria’s Arch, St. James’ Park, St. James Palace, Trafalgar Square, Nell Gwynn’s house, and of course, Westminster.

At Buckingham, the guide mentioned a few facts about Prince Philip–the husband of Elizabeth, Queen of England–most of them being about how he is often viewed as a bit racist and impolite. When a few tourists asked more questions about this, the guide replied, “I can’t talk about that here, but when we get to the next stop on the tour, I’ll answer that.” Our guide had a bubbly, open personality, and the whole thing was so strange–why couldn’t he say whatever he wanted, right here? So, as the tour moved on, my friend and I asked him what he meant:

“Well, since the flag is flying”–the white one, not the British one–“the queen is in, so we can’t say anything unflattering that she might hear. The guards have given me dirty looks, and we’ve had problems like that before.” He said this off-handedly, like it wasn’t a big deal. My friends and I couldn’t believe this: England–for all the “police state” jokes we may make about it, stemming from 1984 and also the cameras constantly monitoring everything– is a relatively very free country. I guess I just assumed they have very similar rights and freedoms as I do back home. While this is generally true, this instance showed me that it is not completely true–and this (arguably little) suppression of freedom bothered me immensely. It was just such a different view of government and freedom of speech–I’m still surprised about it, honestly. I’ve been having a lot of epiphanies here lately about the different governmental philosophies, in fact, and I’m interested to see how these experiences influence my own opinion on the American political system.

The tour, however, was amazing, and ended at a pub in Westminster–after seeing the Houses of Parliament and hearing a sobering story of the Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot (sometimes I forget London has a very present dark, brutal side)–where we ordered fish and chips…and warmed up! After that, my friends and I rode the Eye on a foggy night, saw Piccadilly Circus lit up at night, and went back to our hostel in King’s Cross (but not after checking out platform 9 �, of course). The next morning, we headed to the British Library–where I’d never been and which I would definitely recommend! It was better than the British Museum and had original copies of, for example, Woolf’s rough drafts of Mrs. Dalloway and a very old Canterbury Tales. A giant glass section of rare books stands in the center of the building, looking colorful and literary. There’s even a moving picture downstairs (you just have to go to see what I mean). Admission is free!

We also got to see the Tower of London–home to the Crown Jewels and complete with a conveyor belt to keep tourists moving–although I didn’t actually go in this time. Something happened to my foot, so I waited in a Starbucks right by Tower Bridge, and although I was lame, it wasn’t bad. The absolutely gorgeous day, the River Thames, and a mocha Frappuccino made up for it. The Tower Bridge, pictured to the left, is iconic (and really beautiful), and I still think it’s funny that London Bridge is no big deal. Also intersetingly, Starbucks isn’t very expensive compared to other local businesses in London, so if you want the best price for coffee, Starbucks is your place to go!

I headed home after that. Even though I feel more familiar with parts of London, there are still so many things left to see: Kensington, Windsor, Harrod’s, and The Globe! I’d also like to see a play on the West End. I’m looking forward for spring to bloom in the parks as well!

Location: London, UK

“Would You Care For a Cup of Tea?”

Seeing as I’m studying abroad in Britain, you’d think that I’d often be asked, in a beautiful Southern-English accent: “Would you care for a cup of tea?” Surprisingly, however, I haven’t been inundated with invitations like this…yet. Don’t get me wrong, people do drink tea here, but at least at Uni., I haven’t heard anything about taking afternoon tea or crumpets–although there are some very classy tea rooms in town. Tiny Tim’s is a particularly good one, and they serve an afternoon English tea, complete with scones and multiple utensils. There is actually a correct way and an incorrect way to butter a scone, be warned. I do not know which is which because I actually can’t eat wheat, so I haven’t gone. I do hope to try high tea sometime soon though, as I still feel that drinking tea is the way England breathes–it’s a cultural and national pastime (and present-time) that I don’t want to miss out on.

The tea I have had, however, has usually been sipped at friends’ houses in the evenings: perhaps to wash down a piece of apple pie or just as something to occupy us while chatting. I’ve found it’s a great way to connect with people. My current favorite is Earl Grey, with honey. (Anything baked goes well with this–the more sugar, the better.)

But I don’t just love tea for its taste: I’ve found it’s inspired conversations and meeting between friends as well. It’s easy to invite people over when you tempt them with freshly baked cookies and have a stash of tea in your pantry–who can resist free hot beverages (especially when it’s colder)?. And when friends start bringing friends to the table, you never know who you will meet.

For example, about a week ago, I headed over to another house on campus for– yes!– some tea. It was about 9pm at night, and a few of my friends were getting ready to go out and wanted to see if some people wanted to come with them. After knocking on the door, our friend warmly invited us in–dressed in baggy pajama pants and a sweatshirt, which made me instantly wish I had thought of staying home and wearing pjs–and made tea. We sat around her kitchen table and her roommates came downstairs, wearing equally comfortable things, and in the end, about six of us–all from different backgrounds–sat around the table. One girl from Hong Kong, studying art here, told us about trying to get internships in London, and how she’s technically a British citizen because she was born before Hong Kong became part of China again–so she’s a citizen but doesn’t have residency rights in Britain. Two French girls tried to teach us some French slang (and some British slang: apparently, “bang” means “hot;” as in, “she’s bang.”) One girl there, whom I actually met here, is from PSU, and we got to talk about the differences in our school system and England’s, how the campus here seems so small to us, and how we don’t understand their lack of computer labs. Although meeting people from Europe is endlessly exciting, it’s equally exciting to know someone here who shares my history, at least partly, and who knows about State College, my home. I’ve found that sparks of the familiar can do so much to warm the sometimes-overwhelming feeling of being out of my depth in this new place.

And so, tonight I’m baking cupcakes for a cozy night-in, and I’m excited to talk to the people who stop by. I stocked up on tea!

Location: Canterbury, England

May the Road Rise Up to Meet You

In my first trip outside of the U.K., I ventured to Ireland, that land of green and lepercons, to visit my friend Jess and her boyfriend, both of whom are studying in the same city. (If I could have chosen, I would obviously have gone there on Leap Day, but sadly, that didn’t fall on a weekend.) Anyway, both of my friends are studying in at the National University of Ireland in Galway–the third largest city in Ireland (located on the West coast). Canterbury is about as far away as I could be, being on the next island over, but after catching various planes, trains, and automobiles (all by myself! I’m officially an adult.), I arrived. Here’s a few pictures, of Galway Bay and downtown:

I had originally planned to stay at Jess’ apartment, but due to my excellent timing, something called “Rag Week”–which seems to be an Irish version of State Patty’s day–made the authorities tighten security and not allow any non-tenants into the building at any time. So, we all camped over at another apartment, which luckily for me, only had security stationed between 10pm and 7am. This gave us a few time constraints to work around, but it wasn’t really a problem…I was just happy not to need an emergency hostel. (Interestingly, though, I never heard noise the whole week…either security was effective or “Rag Week” went underground.)

Jess and I spent Monday in Galway, as she needed to go to class. She showed me around downtown Galway first–pointing out Shop Street, along with a mall with the city wall intact inside it, countless pubs, and the river Corrib. While wandering the streets downtown, I noticed a few things: 1) the weather is actually really nice in England (Galway, being by the ocean, was very rainy, windy, and cold…although I didn’t really mind), 2) not having to use pounds (euros!) made me feel rich, 3) you can never take enough pictures of the sea, and 4) I really like the “quiet city” vibe Galway gave. Since I’m on a university campus about a mile from a town at Kent, I don’t live in a city, and I liked stepping outside the door and being in a semi-busy place. In fact, if you walked out the door where I was staying, you’d be a five-minute walk (along a scenic canal) from the city-center.

The National University of Ireland is located in the city as well, only a ten-minute walk from where I was staying. I even went to one of Jess’ classes, Modern Irish Literature, where the lecture was luckily on Ulysses. Besides the fact that reading Ulysses in Ireland is pretty much the best thing ever, I was supposed to be reading the novel for one of my own classes at Kent, and had brought my own copy to Ireland! (Of course.) Although the lecturer was American, I enjoyed sitting in the giant lecture hall and learning more about Joyce in his homeland.

On Tuesday, we embarked on our day trip to the Aran Islands–specifically, the largest island of Inishmore. Dan and Jess had already been there, but the island was interesting enough for a second visit. The island–which sits on the west coast–is small, with only 800 full-time residents, and a ferry brings tourists over a few times a day. The landscape, as I’d hoped, did feel extremely remote–very Irish and almost, even, backward in its nostalgic ways. The island seemed the epitome of what I’d always pictured as Ireland: full of endless green, rain, and stone walls. Lots of stone walls. The island is literally partitioned into tiny squares from them, as each generation would pass down the land to each of the sons, dividing the land more and more as time passed. These plots are now used as gardens, grazing pastures for livestock, or simply for a house.

Inishmore is narrow enough that, at a few points, you can see both the ocean and the Irish Sea: the cliffs by the ocean are massive, rocky walls with jagged edges. On part of the tour, the bus stopped and we walked up to an old fort, right by the cliffs. With no fencing (Jess says the Irish motto is “Just enough” as in, “We tell them not to go too far just enough for them not to die”), seeing the cliff drop off into ocean–with the wind swirling and the ground slippery–I stayed well away from the edge. Ireland is full of wildness, and the sheer power of the ocean against the rocky cliffs was an amazing sight. Eventually though, the wind and cold make you run to the nearest pub/caf� for lunch, which is what we did next. Some of us had apple pie and tea and scones for lunch. I had a very warming Irish stew.

We spent the rest of the day finishing the tour, shopping at the authentic, local wool outfitter, and then grabbing fish and chips back in Galway for dinner. (Note: In England, mushy peas are included. In Ireland, I had to order them extra. This is a tragedy. However, what isn’t a tragedy is that portions of Leap Year–an amazing rom-com–was filmed at the Aran Islands! I’m not sure what scenes or what landscape they used, but I guess that just means I’ll have to watch the movie again to see.)

The next day, I spent more time in town and, in the evening, got to experience live Irish music at a local pub. With old pictures and newspapers lining the walls and rain pouring outside the windows, the comforting atmosphere felt warm and jovial. An old man sang a folksong (his voice blended with the music too much to tell if he was singing in Irish/Gaelic or English), and a few others fiddled or played guitar. I see why people love pubs so much in England and Ireland; on a cold, windy, and rainy day, there’s no better place to warm up, and my friends and I enjoyed our Irish Bulmer’s watching the windows cloud as the rain continued to pour outside.

That concluded my first trip to Galway; however, I’m planning a second! In April, I hope to spend another four or so days in Ireland, seeing Dublin, Galway again, and Cork. I can’t wait. For now, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Irish toasts:

“May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light.

May good luck pursue you each morning and night!”

Location: Galway, Ireland

Confessions

Yes, this is a travel blog, and study abroad is a time of change, excitement, new faces, new places, and probably a ridiculous exchange rate (depending on where you’re headed). At the same time though, you are still yourself and there are still 24 hours in the day to fill. I’m hesitant to post blog after blog of cool places where I merely describe the places with the crystallized nostalgia that inevitably comes with looking at amazing pictures–because yeah, sight-seeing is cool, these cities and places awesome, but sometimes, when I’m there, the most important thing is finding the hostel and crashing…or finding the nearest fish and chips. The Rosetta Stone, after all, is merely a rock in a class case, surrounded by a crowd. That’s not to belittle it–just to acknowledge the real nature of things. Life doesn’t always speed up, and sometimes, that’s when the best things happen and I feel most like myself. Ordinariness in the midst of upheaval is no light thing. So this is a blog post dedicated to mundane-ity, the normal, and the not-exciting.

One of the least glamourous (note the spelling) aspects of going to school here is going to school here: I do have class, though less often than I’m used to. Tonight, in fact, is my first real homework binge night, complete with Grooveshark (Pandora doesn’t work over here), Facebook, and actually this blog as welcome distractions. I’m wearing my PSU tee-shirt, shorts, and fuzzy socks–my normal regime for school-mode me. My housemates are probably surprised at the transformation and eyeing me strangely when I come down into the kitchen to get yet another slice of cheese, but this is how I would haunt my dorm room halls. It’s incredibly calming actually; I’m familiar with homework-packed nights and procrastination. It reminds me of home, although I’m missing my roommate to commiserate with me, and reminders of home, schedules, and normality are comforting–as is the sound of Bon Iver in the background.

A few days ago, I took a walk past the outskirts of campus–by myself, headed in no real direction, just me and my camera. This wasn’t an epic journey, but I discovered a gem of a cute British neighborhood right near my house, and the walk gave me time to think, be alone, and muse on life as I currently know it. Here are some of the cute places lining the streets around my university!

Is this postcard news? No. Is it blog-worthy? Yes. It was a chance to reflect and, even less than that, a chance to exist outside of the constant barrage of sensations and new things: to be separate, to be in the moment, to be doing nothing much. I’m dwelling on this and it’s starting to sound cheesy, but it’s so important. I’d say it’s like taking time to stop and smell the roses, but in a way, it was taking time not to stop and smell anything: I’m sure I could have been seeing some historic site, meeting new people, or hey, doing homework. But in all the madness of study abroad, some things remain the same. I liked just letting everything be, taking a metaphorical deep breath, and realizing that life is still just life–made up of mainly the same emotions, excitements, and failures that life at home consists of too. I guess I just wanted to give that aspect of the study-abroad experience (although of course, there is no one definitive experience) a shout: in the end, sometimes it’s you sitting in your room thinking whatever thoughts you would be thinking anywhere. And that is not a bad thing because–according to Frost–the thing about life is that it goes on…wherever you happen to be.

Location: Canterbury, UK

London

This is my London entry–a city I will probably post about again and again. London is the reason I came to the U.K., the city that makes me feel at home despite its foreignness, and somewhere I could possibly see myself living one day. This is dramatic, I know, but true. (Ask my friends, they will tell you how true it is.) Since I’m living in Canterbury, London is a mere 50 miles away: an hour by high-speed train or a two-hour bus ride. This makes it possible to spend weekends or even just one day in London, and I fully plan to zip over there as much as possible. So far, I’ve gone two times, both with a group of my friends who helped with details such as booking the hostel, buying bus tickets, riding the tube, and finding bars or restaurants. I highly recommend doing this first–it’s nice to have a support group when you’re getting to know a city…or staying in a super-sketch hostel. (Which did happen–but hey, it was only 13 pounds a night!)

One of the first places we visited was, of course, Westminster. It’s one of my favorite places on earth: you turn a street corner and suddenly, this regal clock tower is in front of you. It’s a symbol of the western world, but really, I just love the way the subtle gold glistens and stretches in the sky–with the backdrop of the grey Thames, the usually clear but misty (musty? sea-like?) air, and red buses whizzing by on the bridge. You can never have too many pictures of Big Ben:

The London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel offering breathtaking views of the city, was built in 2000, but at least in my mind, it’s already iconic. It’s rather pricey (19 pounds), but it’s worth it. Besides a hilarious 4-D (4-D! complete with goggles) movie beforehand, the ride above London lasts about 25 minutes. We actually rode it at night, and seeing the city lit up and expanding to every horizon was amazing.

Other historic sites (which are basically everything in the city) such as Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London are scattered throughout the city, and although I’ve visited both before, I truly enjoyed seeing both again. The Abbey is impressive and sobering, but my favorite part is Poet’s corner–where there are plaques and often tombs of famous poets and novelists, such as Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, the Bronte sisters, and Dryden (to name merely a few). Many of the kings and queens are also buried in the abbey. You’ve also got to love the oh-so-cheesy gift shop next door. We also visited Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace,the British Museum, and rode the famous London Underground.

So, those are the touristy things. The less obvious gems, however, are the pubs on every corner, the football (American soccer) matches going on in those pubs, the double-decker buses everywhere, and the streets full of old shops, gorgeous architecture, and past and not-so-past history. There’s honestly nothing I’d rather do than sit in a pub, sip some cider, and devour fish and chips–with mushy peas! Get a window seat, snuggle up with your coat and scarf (that’s a must) and watch the people walking by, while also keeping an eye on the football match on television. (Although I usually abhor sports, I’ve found a friend in British football. It’s so interesting. Go Tottenham! And Liverpool!) I’ve yet to go shopping on Oxford Street, but I’ll get there eventually, along with The Globe Theatre, Baker Street, and countless other places. London is one of those places that I doubt I will ever exhaust.