I want to move to the Lake District!

Don't freak out, Mom. ;)

Yesterday, I spent the day in the Lake District. This area of England is full of beautiful mountains and lakes. I had seen pictures of the Lake District before I came to England, and I knew that it was a destination I wanted to see. No amount of pictures could have prepared me for the beauty that awaited me.

My day started early; we left Lancaster at around 8:00 AM. I had not slept a lot that night, so I was extremely tired. I was closing my eyes and trying to sleep during the ride. However, that quickly ended. I opened my eyes for a moment to see what time it was, and I saw something on the horizon. Mountains!

After that, I didn't want to sleep. Everything was just so lovely. There were green hills with adorable stone houses and sheep! The sight made me so happy; I kept thinking, "I want to live in a place like this."

The first stop we made was at Kirkstone Pass. It is the highest mountain pass in the Lake District that is actually open to traffic. We were so high up that there was snow! I am no stranger to snow. However, seeing this snow just made me so excited. I was so enthusiastic that I sped up to take a picture. In the process, I slipped on black ice and fell to the ground. While everyone surrounded me, asking if I was okay, I remained on the ground laughing. Just my luck, right?

I got back up and proceeded to take pictures. I couldn't get over how incredible the view was.

After Kirkstone Pass, we made stops in Glenridding, Keswick, Grasmere & Dove cottage,
and Ambleside. We were supposed to go to Windermere, but by the time we made it to the town, everything was closed. We weren't able to see the lake because it was so dark out. Regardless, I had an incredible day. I saw so many incredible sights. I couldn't get over how quaint everything was. Stone houses, hills, lakes, snow covered mountains, sheep... It has such a picturesque feel to it. I highly recommend visiting the Lake District.

I know I keep babbling about how pretty the area is, so I'll stop. Instead, I'll let the pictures prove my point.

Small Victories

Warning: This is probably an extremely boring post. This entry consists of me rambling about groceries. Continue reading if you would like.

I am really happy. Why? I was able to go to the grocery store all by myself today.

Yes, you just read correctly. Going to the grocery store made me happy. Laugh if you want, but this tiny errand made me proud. Lame as it may be, I felt independent. Before today, I always went into town with a friend. If we got lost, at least I had someone there with me. Not today! I ventured out all by myself. I took the bus into town and wandered around trying to build a mental map. I walked around to see if I could discover new things such as shops or landmarks. I found a few pound stores (equivalent to the dollar store back home), bakeries and restaurants. One such bakery is called the Pound Bakery. I'm not quite sure if this was a good discovery or not. Delicious sweets for only a pound? Yes, please. :)

I treated myself to apple turnovers. Two turnovers were one pound. Compared to other prices I had seen, this was a good deal! In the Pound Bakery, I noticed that they also sold vegetarian sausage rolls. I have yet to try one, but they seem like they are similar to pigs in a blanket. One thing that I really appreciate here in England is how vegetarian friendly the restaurants are. The menu will usually list a "V" for vegetarian friendly. There are usually multiple options, too! I have yet to come across a restaurant that did not have some sort of designation for vegetarian food. Anyways, I digress...

After walking around town for a bit, I walked back to the town center where the charter market was being held. Every Wednesday and Saturday, Lancaster hosts an outdoors market. This market has been going on for over 900 years! All types of things are sold. Some of the items include: jewelry, pillows, blankets, knickknacks, sweets, bread, meat, fruit, and vegetables.

Once I was finished with the market, I walked to the grocery store. I signed up for a rewards card (are you proud mom?), and I began my shopping. I am still not used to the layout of the store, so it took me a bit of time to find everything. I had set a budget for my groceries. I wanted to spend fifteen quid or less. I actually spent sixteen quid. However, I was not too upset. There were about three items that I had not planned to buy, but I saw that they were on sale. They were items that I knew I would use, so I took advantage of the deal.

Once I was finished, I hopped on the bus and headed back to campus. I really love the ride to and from town. There is so much beautiful scenery! My favorite part of the bus ride is seeing all of the sheep grazing in the hills. As I stared out the window, all I could think about was how happy I was.

When I initially signed up for study abroad, I was terrified that I would fail at adapting to a new country. I have gone to the grocery store back home plenty of times. This felt different. Back home, I would sometimes call my mom and ask, "is this a good deal?" Here in England, that's not really an option. I now have a lot more confidence that I am fully capable of doing things by myself.

Small victories, my friends. That is what makes me happy.

Liverpool

I spent this past Saturday in Liverpool. The city is home to a rich musical history, intense football fans, and beautiful cathedrals. Liverpool is also home to the most intense wind I have ever experienced. I am not exaggerating when I say that people were being knocked to the ground and hats were flying all over the place. There were many times I had to duck behind buildings to get away from the wind. It was crazy!

Poor weather aside, I enjoyed my time in Liverpool. England contains so many beautiful cathedrals. Even if you are not religious, there is no denying the beauty of the architecture.

This particular cathedral is actually hollowed out. In the 1940s, it was hit by an incendiary bomb.

I visited the Liverpool World Museum, which was incredibly fun. I wish I could have had more time to explore! Each floor had a different theme. Some of the themes included ancient societies, outer space, and animals. The first floor had an aquarium. I felt like a little kid; I was so excited to see the fish.

One of Liverpool's biggest claims to fame is its musical history. The city is the hometown of the Beatles. Beatles memorabilia can be seen throughout the city. They even have a museum dedicated to the band.

I was able to visit the Cavern Club. The club is famous for hosting the Beatles' first performance. They even have a statue of John Lennon outside!

All in all, I had a lovely time in Liverpool. I look forward to more traveling!

First week of classes is over!

'Tis a very rainy day here in Lancaster. I am sitting in my nice, warm bed expressing my joy at having the day off.

I enjoyed my first week of classes. The academic structure is much different here. Instead of classes, the English call them "modules". Back home, I am used to having a consistent schedule. Classes were almost always on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule. However, in England, my classes do not follow that type of structure. For example, my one class has a lecture on Thursday, and then is followed up by a seminar about 3 hours later. Another one of my classes has a lecture on Mondays, but my seminars are on Thursday.

I can no longer have the mentality of, "Oh, it's Wednesday, I have the same classes that I had Monday." It will just take some getting used to. I actually like my schedule. Mondays are a bit busy, but other than that, I have Tuesday and every other Friday off. On Wednesdays I only have one class. Not bad. :)

I am a bit nervous about the standard of academics. Apparently students very rarely get an A. In fact, As are a 70 or higher. Although 70 would seem to be easy to achieve, in fact it is very difficult. It's very strange to hear some of my British classmates say, "Oh, I did quite well. I got a 58 on my exam!"

Hopefully I will be okay!

Tomorrow, I will be taking my first trip since being in Lancaster. I am heading to Liverpool for the day! I'm not really sure what I'll be doing while I'm in the town. I will probably try and find some Beatles memorabilia for my mother. =) I look forward to my first trip. I hope to do a lot of traveling while I am abroad. My friend Elise and I would like to go to Sweden during our month spring break. I would also love to visit Scotland and Ireland. I have so many places I'd love to see. Hopefully I can see at least some of them!

Heading to Lancaster

Tuesday morning, I said goodbye to London. We hopped on a train and took the three hour ride to Lancaster. We all had so much luggage that it was difficult to maneuver our way in the train. Luckily, it was not crowded so we just put our luggage in the empty seats.

Our train ride was filled with beautiful scenery. We even made a stop in Warrington, which was really awesome. Can't wait to visit sometime soon!

When the train finally arrived in Lancaster, it was a bit rainy and chilly. Despite the poor weather, I still found Lancaster to be beautiful. The town is really quaint, like something out of a storybook. The architecture is fantastic. The whole look of the town is just very different from the United States.

Once I made it to campus, I was finally able to unpack all of the luggage I had been hauling around. I really love my room. If it wasn't so messy at the moment (I'll clean it, I swear!), I would take a picture. Perhaps next post. :) There's a nice bed, desk, coat hangers, bulletin boards, closet, and plenty of storage. I share a kitchen with 11 other people. I share a bathroom with two other people.

My first night on campus, there was a welcome dinner for all study abroad students. I met people from Norway, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Spain. It was really interesting to hear the perspectives of other students. The girl I met from Australia was complaining about how cold she was. On the other hand, the girl from Norway was saying how warm it was. I also noticed that many students were seeking out people from their same countries. I can understand that; it is comforting to know that someone can identify with the differences you are experiencing.

I'm trying to explore the area. I've been into town a few times so far. It's about a 10-15 minute bus ride from campus. My favorite part of taking the bus is seeing all of the scenery. You'll be riding along and see a field of sheep.

You can't really see it, but there are sheep in the back of that field.

There is this beautiful area near my flat that I keep admiring. I kept telling myself I would go look more closely when I had time. Finally, on Saturday, I was walking back from the bus stop and I couldn't wait any longer. The sun was so bright, and it just looked so astonishing. With bags from my shopping trip, I trudged my way to this area behind one of the campus buildings. My camera gives no justice to how amazing it was.

The more I explore, the more differences I discover. I think one of the most interesting things I've noticed is how much drinking is a part of the British culture. There are nine bars on campus. Each bar has its own theme/personality. In the student stores, alcohol is available for purchase. I couldn't help but think of how different it is from back home. Yes, drinking is a part of the culture. But nine bars on a college campus? No way. Back in the day, Stockton had a bar. It no longer exists.

I'm still trying to get used to the money. I'm getting better! I'm also trying to get into the habit of saying "cheers" as opposed to "thanks". Whenever I say "cheers", I get this stupid smile on my face as though I'm proud of myself. They probably think I'm mocking them. :(

I've been having a really nice time. Everyone seems to be really friendly. Don't worry! There are still things I miss about home. :)

Class starts tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous, because I've heard it's such a different system from what I'm used to. Wish me luck?

London!

After arriving in London, I spent Saturday, Sunday & Monday discovering the city. I am studying abroad through a company called Eurolearn (GlobaLinks). Although I am not studying in London, Eurolearn organized a Bridging Cultures Program to help students acclimate themselves to British culture. The BCP usually takes place in the same country in which you will be studying but not always. We had a few people studying in Wales, but they were in London for their BCP. In the mornings, we would have three hour meetings to discuss important aspects of study abroad. We covered topics such as budgeting, goal setting, etc. We discussed the differences between American culture and British culture. There was a really neat activity we did which had us writing down the way we think the British will perceive us. While we were writing down our thoughts, two of the meeting leaders (both English), wrote down how they perceive Americans. Almost all of the students wrote down that they thought the British would see us as uneducated, loud, rude Americans. It was kind of sad.... The meeting leaders were nervous to tell us what they thought of Americans because we were so harsh on ourselves. They said they found Americans to be loud and very patriotic. They also said that Americans are extremely friendly and eager. I'd say that's a fair description.

The nice thing about studying through a company is that they created a facebook group, and they invited all of the students to join who are studying in England via Eurolearn. Through this facebook group, I met a handful of people who would be studying in the same place as me. We all bonded through messages. When we all showed up at the hotel, it was like we already knew each other. It was really nice to not be so alone right when I arrived. I really like the people I have met, and I'm happy we have each other for support.

On Saturday, my new friends and I walked from our hotel to Hyde Park. It was so beautiful. Random bit of information: The squirrels in Hyde Park are ridiculously friendly. They have no fear, and they will walk right up to humans.

On Sunday, our group visited the Tower of London. The tour was great, and I learned a lot. We saw the traitors gate, which is where prisoners accused of treason would have to enter the tower. Often times, while they made their way through the gate, they would have to walk by the heads of recently executed prisoners. The heads would be displayed by placing them on spikes. The tour taught us that the Tower of London has a rather gruesome history.

I also couldn't stop taking pictures of the Tower Bridge.

After Tower of London, we went to dinner. That night I discovered that Indian food really isn't my thing. Everyone else seemed to love it though. Oh well! After dinner, one of my program leaders took us to see Platform 9 3/4. I was so excited!! We ran all over King's Cross station looking for it. Upon reaching platforms 9 and 10, we discovered that there was no 9 3/4. I felt like my worst fears were coming true... I was a muggle! :( However, someone working at the station told us that due to such a high amount of traffic caused by the platform, they had to move the display outside. It wasn't as magical as I would have hoped, but it was still so amazing to see it.

On Monday, we had a really busy day. We saw Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and then we finished with dinner and a viewing of Billy Elliot. The show was actually pretty good. The music was great. We had gone to dinner at a restaurant called Nando's. I didn't have high expectations, because I was told that it was a chicken and burger place. However, Nando's had the absolute best veggie burger I have ever had. I am not exaggerating when I say that. It was so good. They also had fantastic carrot cake. Not as good as my mom's though. :) Nando's put clotted cream on my plate with the carrot cake. It was gross!  :(

On Tuesday, we said goodbye to London. We took the train to Lancaster, and we saw some amazing scenery along the way. In my next post, I will talk about the lovely city of Lancaster. :)

Cheers!

Arriving in England

'ello! I've been in England for about a week, but it feels like so much longer. I've been so busy these past few days. More details will follow in subsequent entries. This post will mainly focus on my journey to England.

I arrived in England on Saturday, January 7.  I flew via British Airways. This particular airline seemed to call out boarding stages very oddly. They first called for passengers that had small children or needed extra time for boarding. They then called people seated at the back of the plane and passengers at the front of the plane. From there, they gradually worked their way to passengers sitting in the middle of the plane. Guess where my seat was? Yep. Middle of the plane...

The plane was actually a lot smaller than I imagined it would be. The seats were very cramped, and the overhead compartments were downright minuscule. My mom was amazing and helped me pack a lot of things. However, my carry on had so many things that my backpack was jam packed. When I boarded the plane, my seatmate had already boarded. I opened our overhead compartment only to discover that he had used up a large majority of it.  He was able to board before me because he needed "extra time" due to having a guitar. That guitar took up pretty much the whole compartment.

As I looked around, I realized that nearly every compartment was full. When I did find compartments that had space, I discovered that my carry on was so big that it did not fit. People were trying to get by me, and I felt awful for slowing everyone down. I began to panic.  This was my first time traveling all by myself. I was shaking; I thought they would make me leave my bag behind. Eventually, a flight attendant helped me find a compartment that was near the front of the plane. It still didn't fit... I had to remove a few items and keep them on my lap for the flight. The entire flight, I was petrified that someone would try to open that compartment and my bag would fall out and hurt someone.

I was only able to sleep for about two hours. The other five hours were spent attempting to sleep (trust me, it's time consuming) and watching Harry Potter and Modern Family.

Flying over London was unbelievable. I looked out of the window and saw the Tower Bridge. I tried to get a picture of it, but by the time I was able to get my phone, we were over it. Here's the best I could do...

London From Above

I was amazed at the size of the airport. I knew it was large, but I vastly underestimated Heathrow... When we landed, we had to exit the plane by climbing down stairs attached to the plane. From there, a shuttle picked us up and drove us to the terminal.

After passing Immigration with no problems, I faced my next problem. The shuttle driver was not there to pick me up! I had a map printed out of the airport with the meeting point marked off. After walking back and forth twice, I had to sit down. I was heaving around a heavy backpack, a laptop case, and rolling luggage. I was also wearing two jackets because they didn't fit in my suitcase. I was overheated, exhausted, and lost. That wasn't fun... but I didn't panic. Instead, I took a seat and began to weigh my options. Just taking that moment to collect my thoughts was incredibly helpful. The people at the airport information desk were so helpful and nice.The shuttle driver was thirty minutes late.

I was incredibly proud of myself for my successful travel trip alone. I think my whole mantra for the next six months will be:

In my next post, I will discuss London. :)

Packing

Today is the day! My plane leaves for England at 10 PM. I pretty much have everything packed. My mother is fantastic, and she has worked wonders with my luggage. She was able to pack everything from clothes to frying pans. We didn't even go over the one check in, 50 pound limit! I have no idea what I would do without her.

For years I have talked about studying abroad. Now that it's finally here, it doesn't feel real. A lot of people have asked me if I am nervous. I can honestly say that I am not feeling anything yet. No nervousness, no fear. I'm very calm and collected. I'm more so shocked at how calm I am. Perhaps I have been freaking out so much in the past few months that I'm over it? I'm not counting on it. I will probably be sitting at the airport calculating an escape plan.

I am going to miss everyone so much. I will miss my family, friends, and dogs. Lola knows something is going on. When I was packing, she cuddled up on top of my clothes.

I will try my best to keep in touch with everyone. Best of luck to all of my Stockton friends with the Spring 2012 semester! Wish me luck?