Tag Archives: england

Quite a Culture Shock!


As I sit here writing this week’s blog entry, I realize that I have been in England for about ten days now, but it feels much longer! A lot has happened in the last week or so. Where do I begin? Well, the girls and I went to London from Thursday to Saturday. First, we had to take a bus to the train station, and then we had to take a train to London. I had never been on a train before so that was a new experience for me. I really enjoyed riding the train; it was exciting because it was a new way of travel for me. During our time in London, we stayed at the Hyde Park Hostel, which was an experience in itself! None of us had stayed in a hostel before so it was a new experience for all of us. Luckily, we were able to get a four-bed room. We felt safer since it was just us. While we were in London, we saw many attractions including Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, and Big Ben. While we wondered around lost for a while, we came across an area called SOHO where the young generation hangs out.  We also ended up in Chinatown! The weather was beautiful throughout our stay, which I was glad for because we were able to travel by foot to site-see. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than taking public transportation. I think it was actually better because we were able to see things up close that we never would have been able to see if we were on a bus. We also took the Underground while we explored London. That was another first for me, as well!

The following Monday was orientation for the new students. During that time, we were able to get our bus passes and timetables (class schedule). We sat through a two-hour information session, had lunch, and then had a three-hour mathematics lecture. The modules in England are a completely different dynamic than in the United States. For example, I have my Maths course for three hours, just on Mondays and my Citizenship course for three hours, just on Wednesdays. The other class I am taking is called Professional Studies, and I have that module on Tuesdays for three hours and Thursdays for six hours! Luckily, we relocate to different classrooms throughout the session, so time goes by quicker. The other two classes that I am taking do not begin until after mid-term. Those modules will be one day a week each at an all day session, as well. Currently, I do not have lectures on Wednesdays and Fridays, but once the other courses begin, I will have lecture on Wednesdays. Luckily, I will have Fridays off all term–I’m pretty excited about that! Another major difference is that the freshmen (which they call them “freshers”) have induction week this coming week, so the upperclassmen do not have lectures. So after going to lectures for a week, I get the next ten days off. However, I do have homework to keep me busy.

Another major difference I noticed in the United Kingdom is that, in some public places, you have to pay to us the restroom. I could not believe it! For example, when we got to the train station in London, we all needed to go to the restroom. Well, after we saw that we had to pay for it, we realized that we didn’t have to go that badly. However, in a restaurant, you do not have to pay. That was definitely new to me. I found it rather interesting though. In the States, you would never think of having to pay to use the restroom, so we did not even imagine we would have to in the United Kingdom.

Since I have been in classes, I have met some new people, which is a lot of fun. Everyone seems really nice and friendly here thus far.  They seem very helpful, as well. Any questions we may have had, someone just answers it with a smile on their face. That made us feel better when traveling around the area. The girls and I have been invited to a few gatherings since meeting these new classmates. I’m glad for that because we can meet more people that way. It is funny how they seem very interested in America and the culture, just like we are interested in theirs.

This Saturday (tomorrow), I am taking a day trip to Portsmouth, England. I am looking forward to seeing a new area of England! The trip is under the Uni, so I will be with peers of mine. It should be a lot of fun! There is also a gathering tonight at the school that I may attend.

My host family is really nice and friendly. I’m blessed to have them. My host mum cooks me dinner every night, and I have not had anything that I did not like. I am trying new things like cauliflower. The food here is basically the same as in the States except the taste is just a little bit different. They have some different dishes that are not familiar in the States, as well. I have been keeping an open mind about all the food that is presented in front of me. Every family member has his/her own contribution to the family, which is really nice to see. We also sit down together and eat dinner together. It is very nice because it feels like I am part of a family, even though I have thousands of miles away from my own family.

Well, I better get back to some schoolwork so I can enjoy a little bit of my time off!

Until next time…

Cheers!


Location: Bognor Regis, England, UK, London, England, UK

Life in London

I’ve made it to London in one piece and with no complications, no sleep, and a wonderfully fortuitous upgrade to business class on my flight. It’s been five days and I am already completely enamored by this city.

My flight was quiet and comfortable, and I was even lucky enough to be seated next to an intriguing British man who resembled Chris Martin and drank lots of gin and tonics. And they gave us such fancy food!

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When I landed in London at 7am on the 5th, Ariel and I (a girl from PSU who was on my flight) found the man who was driving us to the hotel pretty easily, and from there we were out on the streets of the city we were to be spending the next five months exploring. Thank goodness for the driver, because my overweight suitcases and massive duffle bag were NOT easy to maneuver, and I don’t think I would have been able to pull them through the underground stations alone. As soon as we reached the hotel, we dropped our ridiculously heavy bags down and passed out… for 6 hours. Not the best idea, because jetlag is a REAL thing and since then and it’s been hard falling asleep at night. I’m sure that’ll go away soon, though.

I’ve been spending the last few days getting to know the people on my program- they’re from all across America and I’m living with lots of them in my “flat”! We’re all getting along so well so far, I’m so happy!! There are 16 people total- 4 boys and 12 girls, and all of the boys have significant others. How coincidental is that?! PLUS, two of the boys on the program are dating two of the girls on the program! So much love.

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We’ve been slammed with lots of information about transportation, classes, and other cultural stuff for the past few days of orientation, and now it feels like we’re actually settling into our own spaces in London. Since Thursday, we’ve eaten at lots of great restaurants (paid for by our study abroad program :) ), ridden on a tourist-y bus tour around the city and boat cruise down the River Thames, shopped at the British version of Walmart, laughed at an improv-style comedy club, drank cider and beer at pubs, and discovered a lot in general about London and how things work over here.

Today was a big independent day for me: I took the tube into central London alone! The tube is a lot easier than the map makes it look, and I was able to get on, transfer trains, and get to where I needed to be for an advising appointment on time. My classes for the semester are so wonderfully British and interesting that now I’m even kind of excited for school to start next week! One class I’m taking, called “Art and Society”, is all about the art and history of London, and each Thursday we’ll go out on little excursions to see secret parts of the city that many people miss out on. AND my classes only meet once a week and I don’t have any class on Wednesday or Friday! Life is good.

I feel so fortunate to be able to study and live in this amazing city. This post was just a general catch up entry, and hopefully I’ll be writing a lot more in the next few weeks. Cheers!

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Location: London

In England!

I arrived in England yesterday at around lunch time. The trip was a bit tiresome, and we had a little problem because the airline lost our luggage. But once we left the airport, I must say that I truly enjoyed my time. I’m here in England a little earlier than school, and I am staying with my roommate from Penn State at her aunt’s. We are about half an hour from London in a town called Orpington.

Yesterday evening one of Anita’s cousins took us on a walk around town. The town is so lovely and adorable! The homes are the cutest things in the world! And everyone seems to really like gardening lol I knew that England would definitely have a McDonald’s (bc honestly where doesn’t?), but i was very surprised to see a KFC, and a Burger King! haha While we were walking around we went into this store called Tresco’s, which is owned by Wal Mart. It was pretty nice, I saw a few things in there that isn’t sold in the States.

Today was spent mostly indoors. We had a small barbecue which I found interesting because the bacon and the burger was surprisingly different from any other that I’ve had. The burgers are small, like super small. lol and the bacon was circular, which actually worked out well because it fit the burger perfectly. Anita’s aunt has been to the United States quite a few times and noticed how surprised Anita and I was. She said when she visited she was surprised as to how big our burgers were, and she talked about how full it made her after eating just one.

We haven’t had the chance to visit London yet bc of our luggage situation. Fortunately we received our luggage a little earlier this evening and so we plan on visiting London tomorrow to get a few things, and go sightseeing of course. On Tuesday Anita and I are leaving Orpington and going to Rome for about 4 days. I am very excited because obviously i have never been to Rome! I am so excited to interact with the people, visit the sights, and of course eat the food!

Thankfully we chose this time to go to London. Anita’s aunt said that visiting London in the month of August sucks. Because for 1 month almost everyone in Rome (aside from politicians, and government workers) leave and go to their home villages. It’s like a city wide holiday, that literally lasts a month. So during that time the people there are mostly other tourists and those who HAD to stay to keep a store open or something.

Anyways that’s all for now. My next post should have pictures from Rome and London!


Location: Orpington, England, UK

Final exams/essays after Christmas break? Boo, England.

I finally made it back to the UK. Once again, it was horrible luck that plagued me while traveling back. My flight from Syracuse to JFK was canceled on Sunday, Dec. 31st, but my flight was still scheduled out of JFK on IcelandAir for that night! So my mom, younger sister and I drove 6 hours to NYC. We got half an hour away from the airport when I was warned via Twitter that the flight was most likely canceled. And by the time we got to JFK, it was. It was also starting to blizzard. So we left JFK in the blizzard to drive 7 miles to the nearest hotel with a vacancy. On the way, we got a flat tire. We ended up waiting in a Target parking lot for 2 hours for AAA to come and replace it. It was still a blizzard. By the time we got the hotel, but Aunt, who is a travel agent, found out I had been rebooked for Tuesday night: 48 hours later. Lame. 

Two days later, I spent 12 hours at JFK until my flight left. I got a passport stamp for Iceland at 9:30am local time and it was still pitch black! Crazy. Then I got to London again!
Bertie met me at the airport and we took the tube to King’s Cross where we got our Orange Wednesday 2-4-1 deal at Pizza Express. I was so exhausted that I dozed off on the 15 minute tube ride from King’s Cross to Bertie’s house in Highgate afterward. I then crashed for a few hours until Bertie got bored and woke me up to play table tennis. 
We spent the last few days watching far too many films, going to the cinema, playing lots of monopoly and table tennis, watching BBC iPlayer too much and doing nothing productive. We went out to a hill to watch the London fireworks on New Year’s Eve, which was nice and relaxing. 
Anyway, now I’m back in Leeds. Sitting in my room and pretending I’ve started revising for my two exams or writing my 3000 word essay. I don’t really like the “exams after Christmas” thing. My mind is just not in the game. Luckily, my international politics class and my geography class overlap A LOT so while I write my politics essay I will also be studying for my geography exam. In theory. 
I have to work out my schedule for next semester still. Having a change of advisers really messed up my year abroad in terms of the “study” part, but it should work out. It will. I was assured I could graduate in December if I did a full year and I will. 
Oh! I’m also using a site called DailyBooth now. You take a webcam picture every day/however often you like and it loads it to your DailyBooth profile. It’s quite handy for a quick journal entry and all that: www.dailybooth.com 

Location: Leeds, UK

Long journey home for a short stay…

+ Getting back home was an absolute nightmare. After my first flight from Heathrow was canceled, I rebooked via the internet on another for the next morning. Well, that was very nearly a bust. Rather than fly to JFK, I was set to fly to Atlanta then to JFK and then to Syracuse. There were almost no flights leaving on Monday, but my plane boarded only an hour late, so we were all very excited. That excitement was premature, though. We sat on the plane at the gate for 5 hours. FIVE HOURS. They took 2 hours deicing the plane and because they took so long, they had to redo it. Then, it started to snow again. Our entire crew, including the pilot, was American so they wanted to get home too. After the initial five hours, we pushed back from the gate only to taxi and wait at the runway for an hour. 

The flight was then 9 hours. I was on the plane longer than I was to get to Japan a couple of years ago. And we only had one meal. Suffice to say, by the time we got to Atlanta everyone had missed their connections. I called my mom on the whole 60 seconds of international calling my iPhone has once we landed and she had rebooked on a flight from Atlanta directly to Rochester. I had just over 2 hours. Customs was easy, but it took me half an hour to get my bag and another half an hour to get a new luggage tag so it would follow me to a different airport. In Atlanta, you have to go through security again. So by the time I took the train to my terminal and got to my gate, my flight was almost done boarding. I hopped on and two hours later I was in Rochester. It was midnight then. My mom and younger sister came to meet me there. We collected my bag and left for the 2 hour drive home. 
By the time I got home I had been awake for a solid 28.5 hours, eaten one meal in that time and smelled horribly. I showered immediately and crashed. I slept for about 10 hours. 
+ Since being home, I haven’t done much. My younger brother is also back for the holidays (he’s a marine and has been over in California). Tuesday, my first full day home, I slept a lot. My dad, mom, brother and I went to Outback for dinner per my request (I wanted a bloomin’ onion). Then we came home and I video chatted Bertie for a bit until my sister came home and the two of us went to Wal-Mart to get something for one of her friends. 
Yesterday I slept even more. My dad and I went out for a snackish dinner, but that’s about it. Today, I’m getting my hair cut so it looks healthier, shopping for jeans and boots as my Christmas presents and running to Wal-Mart to stock up on American things I want to bring back. Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, my dad and I are going to drive to Ithaca to see “Black Swan”, have Red Lobster for lunch, and then my family will play a game of monopoly, have Christmas Eve dinner, and tour our small town to look at everyone’s Christmas lights. Then Saturday is Christmas so we’ll do the Christmas things. Then I leave on Sunday to get back to the UK. 
It’s a short trip home. I am not looking forward to getting on another plane, though. 

Location: horseheads, ny

First semester in Leeds: Done.

Since I have the time (stuck in London due to weather), I figured I should make this post now. 

I’ve finished my first term at Leeds. It was an interesting few months with lots of fun, a little confusion, only occasional difficulties and a lot of new memories. Before I forget everything I did/learned/tried, I suppose I should write it all down. 
1. UNI
University in England is quite different than in the US. And I like the system more, I think. 
Firstly, classes are structured differently. I would have one lecture a week for 50 minutes and then one tutorial/seminar a week. The tutorials/seminars are 50 minute classes with only 10-15 other students from the lecture. Basically, it’s a time for discussion and debate. You can ask questions and argue and learn a lot more, I feel. 
Second, there’s no busy work. By that, I mean there’s no random assignments that are due in every week just to waste your time. There aren’t even exams, actually. Everything is assessed with essays. You’re given the essay topics at the beginning of the semester and then you will either have just one essay due in January as a final or 2 smaller essays, one due in November and the other in January. Or you can have a “final exam”, which is just a closed essay writing in January. Basically, there’s just less busy work. Granted, you are expected to read more, but I like that because I can tailor my selected readings and essays to my interests. 
Overall, I just feel like I learn a lot more and retain 10x more here than I do at PSU. In fact, I’ve never studied in the PSU library or even touched a book there, but at Leeds I frequent the library at least once a week and have been reading fascinating texts about sexuality, stigma, eating disorders, the UN, climate change, mental illness, business ethics and so much more.
2. FRIENDS
Coming to Leeds, I knew three Brits there. I met them last year when they were studying at Penn State. One, I had started dating at the end of the spring semester, and the other two were going to be his housemates. I was skeptical about it because I didn’t want to linger around with them. I wanted to meet entirely new people. It was one of the biggest motivations for me to go to England after all. 
And I didn’t linger at all. Aside from bumping into my boyfriend’s housemates when I’d go around, I never saw them. 
Instead, I made some fantastic new friends. I never made a good friend group at Penn State, and since coming to England I’ve realized that I mesh a lot better with English culture than American. So that’s a big part. Anyway, more on that later. 
My friends at Leeds are an eccentric bunch. They come from all over the UK and have different tastes in everything: music, movies, politics, etc. But we all get on really well. For my birthday, they made me cake and took me out along with making me memorabilia plates and mugs to take back to America with me. They are the kind of people that I know I can rely on. In fact, one of them is letting me come visit him at his home in Somerset after the New Year. 
3. TRAVEL
Perhaps I didn’t travel as much as expected, but it’s because I was having too great of a time in Leeds. And it wasn’t a mistake at all! I traveled to Ireland for a weekend, which was beautiful. It was a fantastic trip and I love the Irish now. 
I also visited Austria. I went to stay with my friend, Chelsea, who was studying abroad in Vienna. Well it was a good time, and I ate my weight in German/Austrian sausages, it let me down a little. It was a pretty city, but it just didn’t feel like home. Maybe getting stranded there slanted my view, too. But because of getting stranded there I got to venture into Slovakia so I could fly out of Bratislava. 
I’ve been to and around London loads, too. Since Bertie lives here when he’s not at Leeds, I have a place to stay and he’s been a great host. I’ve really gotten the hang of this city and it’s still my favorite place in the world.
4. LEARNING
 a. Politics
     The politics of Britain in…interesting. They had major riots in London and sit ins in Leeds in protest of the tuition cuts. Tuition prices are going to double, but I still have a hard time sympathizing since PSU is putting me $120,000 in debt. Still, it was fascinating to watch the events unfold.
     I also learned that some English really despise the Royal Family, that half the Scottish want independence and that everyone picks on the Welsh. It’s a weird politics. And usually the British are complacent and mock it more than anything.
 b. Culture
     I adore this culture. It suits me so much better than American culture. First, the people are just better friends. They’re nicer. Americans tend to be shit friends more often than good friends. By that, I mean that they say they’ll do something or pretend to be your best friend even if you don’t know each other well and then not show up and disappoint you nine times out of ten. In England, I’ve found that while people are less likely to initiate a conversation with a stranger, they are much more genuine in their relationships with people. They will either be your friend or not be. It’ll be definite. You’ll know where you stand. And the ones that are your friends are much more reliable than anyone I’ve met at PSU. 
     Then there’s British TV. I never watch TV back home. Not really anyway. I don’t follow shows. Here, though, I am in love. They have these panel shows that are fantastic. They’re funny and intelligent. BBC iPlayer is one of my favorite inventions. Seriously. 
     Food. Yum yum yum. People who say English food is shit have never eaten it properly. First, their Chinese food is 10x better than ours on average. No contest. Second, they’re pizza is 20x better. I hate pizza back in the US, but here I go out to Pizza Express every Wednesday and have myself a delicious pizza pie. With dough balls, of course. Third, they have awesome bacon! Fourth, fish and chips, toad in the hole and bangers and mash are yum yum yummy. Last, there are more healthy options everywhere. Aside from chips. The English love their chips.
     Drinking culture. It’s so different than in America. It’s talked about differently. People don’t have alcohol on some pedestal of holiness or something. They know what it is and that is that. People drink in a more relaxed manner. Pubs are very chill and just a nice night out. Clubs are, well, clubs. I don’t care for them much. But even the bars aren’t like the ones in State College where students insist on getting wasted and making fools out of themselves. Typically, they’re more relaxed and just fun. Oh, and it’s legal here. Which I think is a fantastic thing and that America has it wrong. 
     In terms of political correctness and all that jazz, Britain is so much more relaxed than America. They just have a much more chilled attitude and think it’s hilarious how uptight we are. I think it’s funny, too.
 c. Life
     1. When traveling, stressing yourself out doesn’t help matters. Even if you get stuck in a country where you don’t speak the language and have already gone over your budget and have class you’re supposed to attend back in the UK and are ready to cry, it’ll be OK. And it’s OK to cry. 
     2. It’s OK to ask for help. Even if you’re stubborn and proud, it’s all right to ask for help. Someone will always be there.
     3. Even if you are super organized and a budget fiend, you will spend more than you plan. A lot more. And you will be angry at yourself until you realize it’s only money and you have to spend it on something.
     4. The only thing you’re guaranteed to have in common with your flatmates is that you live in the same flat. You don’t have to be best friends and it’s perfectly fine if you’re not.
     5. Every inconvenience will eventually be funny.
     6. Bacon is easy to cook. 
     7. As is pasta. And everything goes with pasta.
     8. There’s no point in comparing your experiences to someone else’s. As long as you’re happy and having a good time, it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. 
Well, I guess that’s it for now. Wish I could insert some pictures, but it just won’t let me. Have a very merry Christmas!

Location: London, England

T-minus 13 days!

If any of you are wondering, which most of you probably are, t-minus 13 days is in reference to my birthday.  Yep, you guessed it, the big one, the one every American college student yearns for…my 21st.  One problem…it is rather anti-climatic since I can legally drink here.  But still exciting, nevertheless!

I will also begin by saying that I am terrible at updating my blog.  I kept with the “at least once per week” GeoBlog request, for about a month…and now it has been almost two months! Where has the time gone?  Is it really November?  What did I do in October?  Well my dear readers, I will tell you.  Not all that much, really.  Definitely not a lot of homework, (whoops), some stressing about travel plans (still doing that), and a bit of travel around England.  I have also discovered that I need to write approximately one-million essays in place of the final exams I will not be present for at the end of the spring term. 

Concerning the essays – this is what has me the most stressed, ugh!  I wouldn’t be so annoyed if a.) we had been informed about this even once before arriving here, or, I dunno, within the first month of being here; and b.) the system was more organized.  There is literally no organization as far as international students are concerned.  These essays may turn out to be a study-abroad buzz kill though, considering that all of my courses here are electives that I do not need, but the grades will transfer regardless.  So, do I make the most of my time and not concern myself TOO much with the quality of my work, or do I spend all of my time and energy focusing on grades and not enjoy living in a foreign country?  Tough choice.  I guess we shall see what happens.

Moving onto more fun things: London and Oxford!  I traveled to Oxford at the beginning of my reading week, with a friend named Anja.  We were only there for about 5 hours, and since it was a Sunday most things didn’t open until later in the day.  We mainly only got to see the outside of buildings, but did visit a couple of the colleges.  It was absolutely a beautiful day, and Oxford is a lovely city.  We visited St. Mary’s (gorgeous!)…

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The interior was so beautiful and so old!  I wish we had more time to read and explore there, but had to move on to some colleges!  We visited one (sadly I cannot remember the name right now) which seriously resembled the sets of Harry Potter,

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And Christchurch (the outside anyway),

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Unfortunately, we did not get to visit the college where Harry Potter was actually filmed.  I will make up for this though by going to see the movie AS SOON as it comes out (t-minus 15 days.  Yes, I am actually counting down the days).  Even more exciting, I will be in London the day after it comes out!  So hopefully there will still be a lot of Harry-hype going on, and some craziness.  I may even dedicate some of the day to searching for the Harry Potter cast.  This will all be prior to a birthday dinner in London and seeing the Phantom of the Opera!

I suppose that the next few weeks will bring much more to write about, as I will be incredibly busy with my first round of deadlines, and going to Paris, London, and Zurich!  I cannot even express how excited I am for all of these trips.  Pictures and stories to follow shortly. 

As far as a blog goes, I am aware that this one is not terribly interesting.  Hope to correct that soon, way too crunched for time! 


Location: Canterbury, UK

I never want to leave!

I have never been so happy that I chose to study abroad for a whole year. A semester would just be devastatingly short. It’s going to be hard enough going home for a grand total of 6 days over Christmas. I don’t even want to think of how hard it’ll be to leave at the end of the summer. Yes, the end of the summer. I am currently fighting to find internships in London for 2 months so that I don’t have to leave in June. 

Anyway, I am still enjoying life about 10x more than I did back at PSU. The people here are so wonderful. I have made better friends in the last month and a half than I have for 2 years at PSU. 
I was supposed to go to London this weekend, but decided not to since I’m going to Dublin next weekend and London again on the 11th of November (which is my 20th birthday AND the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1). Rather, I am having the most productive day of my life (not as much of an exaggeration as you may think). I woke up before noon (11:55am, but still!), went to the library for 3 hours, wrote an essay for Monday, checked out 5 books for one of my mid-term essays, tidied my room, vacuumed my room, made a wrap and 2 cups of tea, did my laundry, and am currently reading and taking notes on one of the books I checked out. Once my laundry is dry, I will be showering. Tonight I’ll be going out with my floormates, so I am having a well-rounded productive day. This is so exciting. 
Speaking of tea, how much tea is too much tea? I put a lot of sugar in tea, so that’s not healthy. But oh well. I’m on my third cup in the last hour and a half. I am becoming too English with this habit. But it’s so yummy. And cheap. And cheap is key. 
In more personal news, my brother graduated from boot camp yesterday! He leaves Parris Island in 3 hours to go home for 10 days before being stationed in California for a few months. He’s 18 and a marine. I’m proud of him for making it through. I was able to talk to him via email for the first time since July. He’s going to come over here and visit after he’s done in California, so I’m excited! 
One thing I miss about home: Steak. Oh how I could go for a delicious steak. Yum. The English don’t do steak as well as we do, or at least not for the same price. And I am being cheap. Still surviving on bacon (and now chicken pattys!) for my meat source. I told my parents that when I come home for Christmas I demand to be taken to Outback for a steak and a bloomin’ onion. They think I’m joking. I’m not. 
I am cooking a Thanksgiving dinner/feast for 12 people! Rather, I am organizing and directing the cooking and everyone is helping out. It should be epic. 

Location: Leeds, UK

A semi-organized post of my life in Leeds, UK

A brief overview of my life now is necessary, methinks. Let’s see how organized I can make this. 

STUDENT HOUSING
1. I have to cook. My culinary skills before coming to the UK were, well, nonexistent. Now, however, I am master of bacon and god of cheap food. I have learned that oil makes things not stick. I have learned that chicken and I do not mix on a grill. I have learned that bacon goes with everything from salad to bread to soup to pasta. I am becoming a chef. A cheap chef that specializes in canned soup, bacon, and salad, but a chef nonetheless. 
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2. Two words: No Roommates. This is the best part of student housing. I need my privacy and I like to conquer my living space with dirty clothes, music, and random things. I also like to sleep whenever I want, control the lights, and not worry about bothering someone else. 
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3. En-suite bathroom. My shower was broken when I first came. I reported it that day and the next day it was completely replaced! I have the newest/best shower in the building and everyone is envious. 
4. Flatmates are weird. I don’t particularly care for mine. The two guys I live with are OK, but we only pass by each other in the kitchen. One of the girls is quite nice, but too peppy and, frankly, she remains me too much of a stereotypical American girl (which I’ve never been too fond of). The other girl is, well, let’s just say no one gets along with her. She’s snobby and acts too posh. And steals my spatula, which is a necessary tool for my bacon-making. 
FRIENDS
1. I have an adoptive flat! It’s the one opposite mine. There resides Joe, Peter, Rachel, Freya, and Jenny. They are all English (well, Peter is Welsh) and fantastic. Elliot and Dora from the other flat on our floor have joined recently, as has the Canadian, Garen, upstairs. We go out a lot together and make flat meals and have fantastic times. I never made a real good group of friends at Penn State, but these people are just wonderful. We’re all dorky and quirky and cool in different ways. We don’t judge each other and since we’re all 19 or older, I think we understand a lot more about life than the other Freshers. 
EXTRA CLUBS/STUFF:
1. I joined film-making! I’m so excited. I want to work in the film industry and Penn State never gave me the opportunity to experiment, whereas here I am able to. We have a meeting tonight in an hour and a half. 
2. I also am joining belly dancing. Because I can. Because it looks fun. Because I want to do something random and different. 
3. The gym here is much newer than the ones at Penn State. It’s very high-tech with TAGs that monitor your workout at each machine. And touch screen monitors with built-in games. I am a gym-addict and I go once a day. Apparently girls in England aren’t so keen on exercise. I heard this before, but have definitely discovered it’s true. It’s sad that instead of running and being healthy I’ve found that many take up smoking and extreme dieting to stay “fit”. It’s part of the culture that I don’t care for, to be honest. 
CLASSES
1. Pros: Seminars. Lecture for 50 min once a week and then a seminar for 50 min once a week. Lectures are big and boring. Seminars are 10-20 students and a graduate student and it’s discussion and questioning. It’s a much more progressive way of learning.
2. Cons: Limited module choices. Since I’m study abroad, I can do any module I want, basically. But, for those in a degree they are only allowed one class a term as an “elective”. I found that it makes students have a much deeper knowledge in their specific subject, but that they are not as well-rounded in their education. 
CULTURE STUFF
1. My biggest fear is crossing the street. Instinctively, I am used to cars in America. This means I risk my life to cross UK traffic since I have yet to grasp they’re signs/postings/which side of the road the cars will be on.
2. The English drink a lot, but it’s so much more controlled than at Penn State…because it’s actually legal. It’s expensive, though. Penn State really should tell us about that additional cost. But, yes, legal drinking makes for a much more relaxed night out. It also means that there are fewer students vomiting because they’ve binged horribly or making terrible decisions. I always believed the US was a bit off with the drinking age, but now I have been assured that we are. 
3. The English do, in fact, drink tea. Lots of tea. 
4. “All right?” is apparently NOT a question. It just means “hey”. Don’t answer “Fine, you?”. They will be confused. 
5. Taxis are so much cheaper!
6. English society is, generally, more open than American. They are much more tolerant of different religions, races, sexualities, and thoughts than America is. They find it unreal that America still debates over homosexual marriages and abortion rights. But they are interested in US politics. They like to hear about all different sides.
7. Fancy dress is massive. That means costume themes. I went as Lara Croft for my first one, which was themed “English People”. 
Photo on 2010-09-11 at 19.05 #2.jpg
And that’s it for now. I am going to make a salad and bacon for dinner then head off to film-making!

Location: Leeds, UK

In anticipation

In 15 days I will be heading off to the UK. My parents and younger sister will drive me to JFK (5 hours without traffic) and then I’ll be on my way. Until then, I am stuck in my hometown of Horseheads, NY (population: approx. 6,000). With all my friends heading back to their schools this weekend, I anticipate a boring couple of weeks here, but I still have plenty to do in preparation.

I have two (purple) suitcases to fill…and fill them I will. I made a very detailed packing list that I’ve tripled checked, had my mom check, had my friends here check, and had a few friends from the UK check. All looks good, methinks. I even color-coded it so I know what will be in each suitcase and in my carry-on (organizational dork?). One suitcase is almost completely packed! I’m going to avoid pack the second until next week so I can have something to do. It’s not all that difficult to pack, actually. I don’t take much anywhere with me, though, so maybe that’s the reason.

I’m so excited to get to London! I’ll get in Monday, September 6th bright and early. I’m being met at the airport by a Leeds student I met at Penn State last year. I’m going to be staying with him in London for a week. We have tickets to the Lion King show on the West End and to the Muse concert on the 10th. I’ve been to London before, but I’m excited to see my favorite city again and do all the crazy tourist stuff.

After London I’ll head up to Leeds via train on the 13th. I’ll move into my room in Leodis (I have my own bathroom!) and then get a jump on all the international stuff! The first week will be all internationals, but the second week is Freshers week! My friends there  say it’s tons of fun and that I’ll have a great time.

For now, though, I will continue lazing around my small town, watching movies, and reading some good books (perhaps I should get around to finding my Kindle charger?). More to come once I’m across the pond!


Location: Horseheads, NY