Author Archives: Shelbie Howard

About Shelbie Howard

Although I am new employee at Penn State Greater Allegheny, I earned my baccalaureate degree in English from the Greater Allegheny campus in 2014. I then went on to earn my MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh. My career has been fulfilled with both public, academic library work, and I am excited to be back at Penn State. My title is Information Resources and Services Support Specialist, and I am based at the J Clarence Kelly Library. I became a librarian because I enjoy helping people find their potential through learning and education.

Another Busy Week in Great Britain!

I have less than two weeks left in Great Britain–it is unbelievable! This past week, I went to class and worked on my final assignments. These last few weeks are going to be emotional, just like the first few weeks. There is the stress of doing well on my final assignments; there is the sadness of saying goodbye to the friends I have made; but there is the excitement of going home and seeing my loved ones. It is a combination of emotions.

 

On Thursday night, my friends and I went to a charity WSIHE BINGO game. It was only �3 for admission and four rounds. Then, every speed round was an extra �0.50. I decided to play all four speed rounds. When the last speed round began, there were only four people playing. We had to get a ‘House’, which is the filling of an entire box. The caller was running through the numbers very quickly–it was hard to keep up at times. Luckily, I won the last round. I was so excited! My prize was a bottle of wine and men shower gel. It was a nice night out with my friends and a break from my assignments.

 

On Friday, my friend, Rebecca and I decided to go shopping in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth. So Friday morning, I hopped onto a bus which took me to the Chichester train station. Then, I got onto the train where it dropped me off in Cosham. That is where I met Rebecca. She and I then drove to Gunwharf Quays. We were able to walk around, do some Christmas shopping and just hang out. We then ate lunch at Fire & Stone which is a pizza restaurant. I ordered a cheese, basil and tomato pizza. It was delicious! After a little bit more shopping, Rebecca drove me back to Cosham train station where I took the train to Chichester. Then I hopped back onto the bus which took me to Bognor Regis. I really enjoyed myself on Friday. There was good conversation and a lot of laughter. It was also a nice break from my assignments, as well.

 

Over the weekend, my host family’s relatives came to visit. The one thing I have enjoyed most about being in Great Britain is my host family. Even though I am far away from my own family, I still live in a family atmosphere which I find comforting, at times. There are many people who live in the house so there is always something going on. I am definitely going to miss the family.

 

Until next time…

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, Portsmouth

Another Week in Great Britain


As I write this, I realize I have three weeks left here in Great Britain. This week was slightly bittersweet. I attended my last ICT lecture and Citizenship lecture. Out of all my lessons, I enjoyed those two the most. My tutors are very nice and helpful. They made each session interesting and fun. I have never taken classes related to those topics before, so that was a new experience for me. I have definitely learned a lot while I have lived here. I have two maths sessions and one science session left in the following weeks.  Then, I will spend my free time finishing my final projects and visiting Chichester and Portsmouth. It brings me sadness that I have to say goodbye to the new people I have met here. Everyone has been very nice and helpful. I am going to miss everyone whom I met this semester.

 

I’m sorry this is such a short blog. Next week’s will be longer.

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, Great Britain

Only Four Weeks Left?!?!


As I write this week’s blog, I realize that I only have four weeks left of the term in Great Britain. Some days it feels like I have been here forever, but other days feel as if I just got here. It is a weird feeling, really. On one hand, I am ready to go home. This is the longest time I have been away from home. I feel as if all I do is schoolwork, and I am in need of a break. And I miss my loved ones back home, so I am ready to see them. I’m ready to get back to everyday life in the United States. I really cannot wait until I am able to drive again! But on the other hand, I am not ready to leave. I feel as if I haven’t seen everything I wanted to, even though I have seen a lot while I’ve been here. I have very much enjoyed living in the United Kingdom. I have enjoyed meeting new people and seeing new things. I have also enjoyed going to school in a different country where I am unfamiliar with the way of doing things. It has been interesting for me to learn how another culture lives and spends everyday life.

 

This has been an overwhelming and emotional experience.

I am pretty sure I have every emotion possible throughout this experience.

Before I left the US, I was scared of the unknown, but I was excited at my upcoming journey.
I felt blessed and thankful to have this amazing opportunity.

I felt ambitious and proud of myself for taking on this incredible challenge.

I was appreciative to all of the support and encouragement everyone gave me.

After I arrived, I felt accepted by my host family, so I was happy.

I was eager to begin classes at a new university.

There were particular moments where I have felt frustration, anger and unhappiness.

I have longed for home and my loved ones.

I have felt confident that I could complete this term successfully.

There are many more emotions that I’m sure I missed, but these can give you a general idea of my emotional journey in the United Kingdom.

This journey has been a roller coaster ride for me.

 

I still have a few weeks left, which will be filled with hard work to finish my assignments successfully. I will also try to visit a few more places and see all the new friends I have made. I’m sure these last few weeks will go fast!

 

Well, I guess I better get back to work!

 

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, England, UK

Same Language, Different Meanings.


As I sit to write this week’s blog, I realize that I only have 35 days left. While I’ve been here, I have learned quite a bit. Since I am an English minor, the differences in phrases and spellings of words interests me. Another thing I find interesting is how the English are interested in American phrases. In my maths lesson, my tutor makes an effort to use both English terms, as well as American terms.

 

Here is a list of English words versus American words:

 

ENGLISH WORD

AMERICAN WORD

The queue

In line

Biscuit

Cookie

Chips

French fries

Car park

Parking lot

Block of flats

Apartment building

Sweets

Candy

Bonnet (car)

Hood

Boot (car)

Trunk

Chemist

Pharmacist

Crisps

Potato chips

High Street

Main Street

Lift

Elevator

Maths

Math

Mad

Crazy

Post

Mail

Rubbish

Garbage

Timetable

Schedule

Diary

Planner

Windscreen

Windshield

Tea towel

Dish towel

Knackered

Tired

Postbox

Mailbox

 

It has taken a little while to get used to, but I have caught myself using the English terms instead of the American terms since I’ve been here. Even though I haven’t picked up the British accent, I think it is pretty cool that I picked up the lingo!

 

Until next week…

 

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, England

A Stressful Week in England!


This week was filled with schoolwork. I had to give a presentation on Tuesday for my Professional Studies class. I think it went all right, but I will not know my mark until I get back to the States. It does not really bother me though. I now have four more assignments to do that are due in December, so my November will be very busy! This week was just very tiring. I felt as if all I did was homework. It happens.

 

However, I went on a trip to Oxford this Saturday. I had a very good time. I met up with my friend, Eveliina, and we spent the day exploring. We visited the University of St. Mary the Virgin and climbed the tower. When we got to the top of the tower, we saw a breath-taking view of the city of Oxford. It was unbelievable! Eveliina and I also visited Christ Church, where we saw the actual staircase that was in the Harry Potter films! You did not misread that. The famous staircase in the Harry Potter films is in Christ Church in Oxford, England. I know I have friends back home that are jealous of me. We ate lunch at Taylor’s Oxford and just walked around town. I am glad Eveliina and I went together because we had such a fun time!

 

The upcoming weeks will be filled with classes, research and stress! Wish me luck!

 

Cheers!


Location: Oxford, United Kingdom

My visit to North Ireland!


After working diligently on my assignments, I decided to take a trip to Ireland. So my friend, Eveliina and I made plans to do so.  We planned on leaving Chichester Wednesday morning so we would arrive in Ireland by Wednesday evening. But the way my trip is going, of course it did not happen that way…

We decided that it would be cheaper if we took the train and the ferry to Ireland. Our train had four legs before reaching the ferry: Chichester to London Victoria; London Victoria to London Euston (the underground); London Euston to Chester; Chester to Holyhead; Holyhead Port to Dublin Port.

Eveliina and I met at the Chichester train station at 9:00am, and our train left for London Victoria at 9:41am. Once we arrived in London Victoria, we had to take the Underground to London Euston. When we arrived at the London Euston train station, we discovered that our train has been delayed, but they did not tell us how long the delay would be. So while we waited, we ate the lunch we packed for ourselves. After anxiously waiting for about 25 minutes, we were able to get onto the train from London Euston to Chester. For some unknown reason, the train ride was terminated in Crewe, and we had to hop on another train to finish the journey to Chester. This caused us to have an even longer delay. Once we arrived in Chester, we hopped on a train to Holyhead, England. By this point, we were delayed about 30 minutes or so, and we were afraid that we were going to miss the ferry to Dublin that was supposed to set sail at 5:15pm. By the time we got off the train and to the ferry station, we had missed the last ferry of the night by 5-10 minutes. Everyone was livid. The next ferry didn’t leave until 2:40am! So Eveliina and I decided that we would just spend the few hours in the ferry station instead of wasting money to pay for a hostel when we wouldn’t spend the whole night there. Meanwhile, we met a backpacker named Maddie, from Australia. We had decided to hang out together and get something to eat. So we left the ferry station to find a lively pub in Holyhead, England. We came across a pub called Stanley’s Arms. We were able to have a hot meal and relax since we were not going anywhere until early morning. After we ate, we stopped at a convenience store to buy some food for the journey ahead, and then we made our way back to the ferry station. Once we got settled in the ferry station, we took turns napping, which was very difficult, as you can probably imagine. First of all, the florescent lights were on, which made it hard to sleep. Secondly, the only furniture in the station were metal chairs, which were extremely uncomfortable. Nonetheless, we did not sleep very well that night. When 1.30am rolled around, we made our way to the check-in line, where we met an American named Tyler, who was studying for a semester in Italy.  When we finally boarded the ferry, we found a comfortable couch and fell asleep. When we woke, we had landed in Dublin, Ireland. Our journey could finally begin!

We got off the ferry and onto a bus where it took us the Connolly bus station where we walked to Paddy’s Palace to meet the bus tour. We were able to eat breakfast and relax before the next leg of our journey began. At 8:00am, we hopped on the bus and began the tour. We left Dublin and made our way to Belfast, where we went on The Black Taxi Tour. This tour explained the rivalry that still existed between the Protestants and the Catholics. We had learned that there was a murder the day before. That made us a little hesitant about walking around Belfast. It seemed as if everyone was walking around on eggshells due to the murder. The tour took us to the Peace Wall, which is on the Protestant side and the International Wall, which is on the Catholic side. Still today, the Protestants and Catholics do not associate with one another. While visiting the Peace Wall, I was able to sign my name on the wall. I thought it was really neat that I was able to leave my mark in Belfast, North Ireland. After the tour, we were able to explore all of Belfast. The next day, we got onto the bus again and made our way to the coast. We visited Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which we crossed. It was very windy and very high up. Crossing that bridge gave me such an adrenaline rush! After that, we visited Giant’s Causeway. While visiting Giant’s Causeway, Eveliina, Jaci, and I ate lunch at The Nook at Giant’s Causeway. For lunch, I had a measure of Bushmills and Homemade Steak and Guiness Pie. It was delicious! We spent a few more hours exploring Belfast and then we made our way to Dublin.

After arriving in Dublin, we checked into our hostel and made our way to the oldest and most historical pub, The Brazen Head. I enjoyed a pint of Guiness and Traditional Irish Stew. It was absolutely delicious! After our late dinner, we wandered around Temple Bar, which is a large town square of bars and pubs. We ended up having another drink in The Palace Bar, where there were Irish singers entertaining the pub. After that, we said goodbye to Jaci and made our way back to the hostel. The next day, we woke up early, got ready, and made our way back to the Dublin Port to catch our ferry home.

I very much enjoyed the holiday to Ireland, and I wish I could have spent a few more days there. I am definitely planning on going again.

 

Slán!


Location: Dublin, Ireland; North Ireland

Finally Made it to Stonehenge!


So here we are again, another week down. I can’t believe how fast this semester is going! It has been quite an interesting week–even if I do say so, myself.

 

Well, I finally made it to Stonehenge and Salisbury! Saturday morning, I woke up at 6.00am and was out of the house by 7.00am. I hopped onto a Coastliner 700 bus that took me to Chichester College where the coach bus was picking us up at promptly 8.30am. I made it there with enough time to get organized and to use the loo one more time before our journey! I made friends with the lecturers who were in charge of the group, and they were really nice. Lin and I had great conversation throughout the entire trip. Once we made it to Stonehenge, we had the option of either paying £7 and going into the actual site or go for free and walk outside of the fence. I chose to walk around the outside of the fence because the view was just as incredible as it would have been inside the exhibit. I found it absurd that it cost that much to go inside, when you could not even touch it! So Lin and I walked along the fence and took some pictures. It was really neat to see such a mysterious and historical landmark! I was blown away. After we finished taking our pictures, we walked to the concession stand and bought hot apple cider–it was delicious! It was definitely worth getting since it was a little chilly outside. It definitely warmed me up that morning!

 

After we loaded back onto the coach, we made our way to the town of Salisbury. The lecturers gave us maps of the town and set us free. I made some friends with students from Spain and Italy where they are studying in Great Britain to learn English as a second language. They were very friendly and fun to talk to. Even though they are still learning, I was able to understand them and help them out when they needed it. I had a lot of fun exploring the town with them because they were just as amazed as I was at the fabulous city! We had the chance to explore the Salisbury Cathedral, which was pretty incredible! The cathedral was absolutely gorgeous inside! It was so massive that I felt as if I couldn’t take it all in. There were so many details in the architecture that it was breath-taking! My new friends and I found a little café called Boston Tea Party (ironic, right?) for the traditional dish of cream tea. Cream tea is hot tea (of your choice) and a scone with butter and jam. So I had an Earl Grey tea with skim milk and sugar alongside the scone. Everything was very delicious–simple, but delicious. The funniest part was that the three of us each had our own tray, and all of the tables were quite small, so the table looked a little crowded with our trays. We laughed about it and took some pictures. Then we decided to stack the trays to give ourselves a little bit more room.

 

After we inhaled our cream tea, we explored the town for a few hours. Unfortunately, there was not much of the town that was as breath-taking as the cathedral, but the conversation was great. My new friends asked me questions about America, and I asked them questions about their home countries. I definitely learned a lot in that one afternoon!

After a long day, we loaded back onto the bus to head back to the campus. The lecturer, Lin, gave me a ride home, which I thought was very nice. We had decided to take a trip to Paris, France in a few weeks. She also invited me to join her for a lecture on neuropsychology next Tuesday. It sounded rather interesting, so I told her I wouldn’t mind going.

 

The rest of the week was pretty interesting, as well. On Tuesday, I went to my first ever spinning class at the Chichester College. Let me tell you, it was pretty intense since I have not been on a bike in probably over a decade! I did enjoy myself and made plans to go again. On Wednesday evening, my host family and I went bowling. Everyone went which made it a lot of fun! Plus, I won both games, which made me pretty happy too! Another friend whom I met when I visited Portsmouth has agreed to join me on a trip to Ireland next week. We are in the process of making that happen–I am so excited that I will finally get my chance to see Ireland! I will have more details about that trip at a later date.

 

Did you ever have one of those days where you couldn’t catch a break, and all you wanted to do was to just go back to bed? Well, that was my Thursday. Something either backfired or delayed me in every aspect of my plans. It was rather frustrating! As the day progressed, it did get better, but I didn’t get everything done that I wanted to. On a better note, I went to my second Zumba class on Thursday and had a blast! I was pleased that my day ended better than it began. My Friday was just a regular day. I just tried to get as much homework finished as possible so I have less to do next week, since we have no classes, and I am trying to visit Ireland.

 

The following week where we are off is half term, which means I am halfway done with my semester abroad. I can’t believe it!

 

Until next time…

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, England, UK; Stonehenge; Salisbury

Another Interesting Week!


So another week has past, and what a busy week it has been!

 

On Friday, my friend, Cessie and I visited Arundel Castle and Arundel Cathedral. She picked me in the morning, and we drove to Arundel. Something I didn’t know about Arundel is that it is about a 15 to 20 minute drive from Bognor Regis. Also, Arundel Castle was used in some scenes for the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. I thought it was really cool to see. Friday was a beautiful day, which added to the excitement of the day, for it had rained quite a bit in the previous days. We first took a tour of Arundel Castle and the surrounding ground. I really enjoyed reading all the signs about the facts about each part of the Castle.  Arundel Castle was absolutely gorgeous!  We then ate lunch at The Black Rabbit. Since it was such a nice day, we were able to enjoy our lunch sitting outside on the deck next to the water. The food was delicious, and the company was fabulous! We then visited Arundel Cathedral, which was very spiritual for me. I found it fascinating to see a large Roman Catholic cathedral in the United Kingdom!  After we explored the Cathedral, we walked about the town of Arundel. There were so many little shops to look in. Cessie and I found ourselves spending quite a bit of time in a small little bookshop. The shop had a couple floors with many different rooms. Each room was a different genre of literature. I have never seen so many books! Whilst we were in the shop, it poured down rain outside! Luckily, the rain had subsided once we were ready to walk to the car.

 

On Saturday, I was supposed to take a trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury. Well, I never made it there last week. It is actually a funny story: We met at Chichester College promptly at 8:30am. We did not depart from the campus until 8:45am. We were not even 25 minutes out, and a huge pheasant flew into the coach bus. Not only did it fly into the bus, it also cracked the windscreen of the bus. Since all the other buses were being used that day, we had to turn around and go back to the campus. They told us that it was unsafe to continue the journey. However, we are able to take another trip this weekend, so hopefully I make it there!

 

The rest of the week was productive towards schoolwork. Then, on Thursday, I participated in my first Zumba class. It was a great work-out, and I had a lot of fun too! I can’t wait to go again next week! I hope to make it a weekly activity!

 

Until next week…

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, England, UK; Arundel, UK

A Pretty Busy Week


So I have been living in Bognor Regis, England for four weeks now–I can’t believe it!

 

This week has been rather busy. Since classes are in session, I’ve been diligently going to class and working on assignments outside of class, while also trying to travel and have a social life. Right now, I only have classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. But, beginning next week, another class will be added that I will attend on Wednesdays. I am really enjoying my classes this semester, and I am looking forward to the other ones! They are very interesting, and my tutors are absolutely brilliant!

 

This week has not been too exciting because I’ve been busy with schoolwork, but this weekend shall be fun. My friends and I were originally supposed to go to Brighton, but everyone is ill, so we had to postpone that trip. I am going to Arundel Castle on Friday with my friend, Francesca. I am really looking forward to it. The weather is supposed to be decent, as well, so we should have a nice day for it. Then, this Saturday, I am taking a day trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge. (I will have more details on those trips in next week’s blog).

 

Have a great weekend and look for my next blog!

 

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, England, UK

A Week of Firsts


I am finally in a routine here in Bognor, and I really beginning to enjoy this whole experience. I wake up everyday around 6:30am, work out and get ready for classes. As I walk to the bus stop, I hear the seagulls while they fly overhead from the ocean, which is about four miles away from where I am residing. I watch the primary and secondary students walk to school. While I wait for the bus, I set out my plan for my day ahead of me. I also reflect on the previous days and remind myself why I am here. Since I live so close to the ocean, I can feel the breeze, which lifts my spirits whenever I am feeling down. After waiting a little while, I get on the bus, head to school, and go about my day. I have realized that I function better if I am in a consistent routine; it keeps me motivated and organized.

 

This week was definitely a week of firsts for me. While I am here, I look for new things to experience. I have been trying new foods, as well as, partaking in social activities. Last weekend, my host family took me to Tesco in Littlehampton while they grocery shopped. Tesco is like Wal-Mart. It is one of their largest superstores in England. I thought it would be a good experience to go out and live like a local. It was interesting to see how average people live from day to day. One of the sons of my host family came over to spend the day with us over the weekend, as well. He brought his toddler son with him. I spent the day with the family, which was comforting since I am so far away from my own family. We walked to the beach and saw a seal in the ocean. I also picked up some stones from the beach to take home with me.

 

Another first for me was to go out to the local club. Every Thursday night, this club called Sheiks has discounts for students. Sheiks is basically a huge dance club! At first, I was a little hesitant to go because I have not experienced that kind of thing in The States, but some of my new friends told me it would be a lot of fun. So after having a day of classes, I came home, had dinner, got ready, and then went to one of the girl’s houses. While we were there, we hung out and prepared to go to Sheiks. Later in the night, we walked to Sheiks and the night got underway. It was definitely a new experience for me seeing that I am not yet legal to drink in the United States. I had a lot of fun dancing with my new friends and other classmates. It was definitely a night to remember, and I plan on going out again! I am proud of myself for not allowing my inhibitions stop me from experiencing something new. That is definitely a first for me, as well. I am usually very cautious about going out of my comfort zone. This whole experience has definitely opened up some new doors for me, and I am thankful for that.

 

Well, I am going to try to spend the rest of my weekend finishing up some homework and doing some relaxing before another busy week begins…

 

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, England, UK