Time to breathe in and let everything out

~Sanctus Real

Last week was the end of my first two classes here at uni. Have I really been here long enough to have completed 2 courses? I guess when the courses are only taught for 5 weeks, time does go by. I can't believe it though. I had my exams last week. It was great. So great in fact that I likely failed because every time I think things have gone well on a test I end up really upset with the grade. But that's OK, I also made an A* on an assignment. That's right, A*...which is better than an A+. Who knew? Just to top off my week I received by far the best piece of mail so far this year (sorry mom...but how do you top getting this from a 5 year old?)

Yesterday I went to Cambridge for the day. It was a pretty great trip. I'm kinda glad I'm not going to school there. It's a town packed with tourist. I bet the students feel like animals at the zoo. But, it has some amazing architecture. I saw several of the colleges, went into the Chapel and King's College and even got to listen to the organist practicing. Yes, I'm still a music dork! I probably could have sat in there all day just listening to that pipe organ.

We went to the Fitzwilliam Museum as well. They had an exhibit from Egypt, including real mummies. They also had quite a bit of Roman and Greek artifacts, which of course made me happy. The highlight of the time in the museum though was getting to see real paintings by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Matisse, and Picasso. How often have I had the chance to do that. I've never really considered myself as someone that likes Monet, but after standing in front of his artwork and really considering it all, I found it truly mesmerizing.

The only thing I didn't get to do in Cambridge that I had really hoped to was punting on the Cam. I did watch someone fall into the river though, so that was almost worth missing out on the experience. But the rain kept me from wanting to spend too much time near lots of water. Great trip overall, and I can't wait until I get another day to travel somewhere new. Oh! I almost forgot, I also saw the apple tree (or part of the apple tree) where Sir Isaac Newton first learned about our friend gravity. (That one is just for you, Carrie.) More pictures are up on flickr (click on the image to the right).

This country is amazing. The people are really nice, not anything like I had been told. I'm making some amazing friends and I'm learning new things about myself everyday. I'm just doing my best to take everything in that I can, and soak up this awesome opportunity.

'Til next time!

My soul sings

~Delirious?

I'm apologizing yet again for my lack of posting. It's been one of those weeks that couldn't end fast enough but also didn't leave enough time for everything. But it was very fun at times.

The weather here has turned quite cold. This week especially I've had a hard time getting warm. It really makes me miss Phantom and how much he likes to cuddle. I hope my parents are enjoying all the warmth he provides, because I certainly miss it. Last night it rained, hard. It was also really windy, and cold. Today wasn't too bad, except for the cold, but at least it wasn't raining. Maybe this is the start of that "English weather" everyone keeps telling me about. Either way, I stand by my statement that if it's going to be this cold it should snow. That hasn't worked for at least 10 years though, so maybe I should give up on it.

The concert Saturday night was AMAZING! I don't think I have the right words to describe the atmosphere. It's been a long time since I've been to a Christian concert but this time things were different. The feeling and the movement within me was pretty sweet. I met up with some friends at the concert, which was a lot of fun because I'm actually starting to form relationships with people that I would call friends. It makes being here easier and makes me realize that the people I choose to spend my time with really do matter.

This was the last week of lectures in my first 2 classes. I'm glad they're over, mostly because it means that I will be able to start learning more detailed information. I have exams this week though so I'm trying really hard to stay focused on studying, which makes writing this blog seem rather unhelpful.

Last Tuesday night our professors took us out for an evening of skittles. I'm not one to brag, but I totally rocked at skittles. It's a lot like bowling, but still very different. Basically you through a wooden block called the "cheese" down an alleyway and try to knock down the 9 wooden pins at the end. This isn't the greatest picture, sorry.

Otherwise life here is taking a pretty normal pattern. I catch up on schoolwork everyday, read more things than I ever thought I would, and I have a pretty normal schedule of when I go out...typically on the weekends. I do think I need to find a new study place though because having a tv in my apartment and the internet are really big distractions. After the exams this week I'll hopefully have some time to post some pictures of my big trip on Saturday. I'll leave you in suspense until then.

Cheers!

I'm through accepting limits

"I'm through accepting limits, cause someone says they're so. Some things I cannot change but 'til I try I'll never know." ~Wicked Musical Soundtrack


It's been a long week. One that has tested me in many ways, and finally sent me to the point of being extremely homesick. I'm better now, thanks to a little talk with an old roommate, but I do miss home. I miss my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, the kids, my grandmother, my dog, my parent's dog, my cat, normalcy, and the few friends that I've actually talked to since I've been here.

I went to church on Sunday and finally made a few friends there. Well, people I think will end up as friends anyway. Sunday night they did a special service just for students. The guy that spoke talked about our interactions with people and how we shouldn't be afraid to show people who we are and should carry our torch for Christ out in front of us at all times. It was the shyness part that got me. I thought I was past all this. But you know, there are times that being shy is just part of who I am. I'm getting better now, but the first few times I was around the church group I had a hard time talking and just wanted to run out of the room and find someone I knew...that I'd known longer than the 6 weeks I've been here. I guess that's what got it all started.

Monday was great. Well, the end of Monday was great. I finally got my package from home. All I knew it contained was a few things I wanted to bring but didn't have room for...mostly clothes (like my winter coat!). When I opened the box I was surprised by what my parents had added. It was great, and made me feel little more ok about things here, but still missing home. I can't wait to get more packages from home though. (*hint hint*). I received a letter from my grandmother yesterday. That was a great thing too. Now I just have to write her back but include pictures. She loves seeing the things I'm doing here.

Classes are getting tougher. It's not the content, mostly the grading. I received my first graded assignment back and let's just say I broke down. I'm really confused by the grade but I guess I'll just have to do better from now on. I have so much reading to do this weekend, on top of the 3 weeks worth of laundry, grocery shopping, and work. But it's why I'm here, right? Plus tonight will be loads of fun. I'm going to a concert at the student union...to hear Delirious play. I love them! I've wanted to see them for years...so I'm really excited. And it means I get to hang out with some people from church. Maybe making friends is what will help me get past this funk. Or at least make this place feel a little more like my home away from home. One can hope so anyway.

But that's enough procrastinating for one morning, it's time to get through this pile of reading before it piles up even more.

I am not afraid to walk this world alone

~My Chemical Romance

I've been pretty slack with this blog lately. I apologize! It's not that life hasn't been exciting here in England, it's just that I literally feel like I'm doing something every minute of the day. Down time is pretty much none existent.

Here's the breakdown on what's been going on...in short form.

Class, reading, homework, work, cooking, hanging out with friends, running into guys dressed in wedding gowns, football game, live band, sleep. Yep, that's about it.

I have class pretty much everyday of the week from 9-12:30, with some exceptions, like today. I've learned a lot of stuff in this first 2.5 weeks of class. Some stuff I was really excited about learning, and some that quite honestly, I never thought I'd need to know about. For instance, there was the 3 hour lecture on latrines. Who knew there was so much that went into deciding the appropriate type of latrine (or toilet) and so much for the design. Well, now I do. I do love class though. It's so much different than what I was doing back home.

I just started my job here. I'm working as a resident coordinator in my apartment building. Last night was my first official night. I had to make the rounds in the building so that I could get everyone to fill out a form that is required in this area and then I was on-call all night. Thankfully the phone never rang. All was good with people not locking themselves out or setting off the fire alarms. Whew!

Being on a limited budget, and living in a town where all the shops, cafes, and most restaurants shut down at 5 or 6 means I'm getting to cook, a lot. I'm enjoying cooking more and I'm getting better at cooking for 1. The good thing is that a few of us generally invite each other over for dinner so that we're not always eating alone. We have a bet going to see who can get the most free meals. I'm not exactly sure who is in the lead.

OK, I'm sure you're most interested in the guys in wedding gowns comment above. Actually, it was just 1 guy, but still. Guy, wedding gown, walking around town at midnight on a Friday with a bunch of normal looking guys. It could only mean one thing, Stag Party! (or bachelor party for my readers back home). We were out trying to find something to do in town a couple of Fridays ago and ran into the group. A few of the guys stopped us and asked us what we thought about the guy in the gown. Then we got invited to go with them to one of the dance clubs. It was a fun night overall. But I still can't get the image of the "bride" out of my head. Maybe there's a thought for the next bachelor party back home?! Unfortunately, I left my camera at home that night, so there's no solid evidence of this event taking place. But trust me, I can't make that up!

The day after the wedding gown incident I went with a few of the other international students up to Notts for the football game. It was the Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace. Two teams that I honestly have never heard of before. The bright side is the Notts is red and white. Pretty appropriate for me considering how many of my shirts are red. Great game...not quite as rowdy as a premiere league game would have been, but definitely worth the trip and a possible return.

I've been so busy lately that I haven't even begun thinking about possible weekend trips. We take our finals for the 2 classes I'm in now the first week of November. Maybe that weekend will be my first trip...possibly Scotland. Who knows with me?

Hope all is well back in the States. Cheers!

"I'm international and you're orbiting my brain"

~Carbon Leaf

This was my first week of classes. Seeing as how I finally moved into my place and started classes, it finally feels like some sort of normal life. I really like my classes, my lecturers, and my classmates. I guess you can't get any better than that? It's going to be a tough year though. Right now we take 2 classes together, ending the first week in November. Then we take our finals for those classes and move onto 2 more classes until Christmas break. We have class everyday for 3 hours, which is much different than the other programs at this school. The classes are interesting, right now I'm reading about poop, latrines, and why water is important. Maybe I wasn't sure how much of this course would be about poop. It's really interesting stuff. Really...

Our lecturers have us call them by their first names, instead of Dr. so-and-so. We have different lectures throughout the classes as well. They come in and teach about the subjects that they are experts in. It's great! And my classmates are all awesome. They seem like a fun bunch of people. Plus, it's a very international group. Here's the breakdown:

3 from USA, 1 from Spain, 2 from Sweden (twins), 2 from China, 1 from South Korea, 1 from Sri Lanka, 1 from the UK, 1 from Anguilla, 1 from St. Lucia, 1 from France, 1 from the Sudan, and 1 from Uganda.

This Thursday after our morning class our professors took us on a little field trip to Bradgate Park. Along the way they told us a little of the history of the water supply for the town and some of the history within the park. We saw the ruins of the Grey Manor where Lady Jane Grey lived. We also saw quite a few deer, really big deer. It was really pretty out there...and cold.

Moving on up!

I've finally settled into my new place. I now know where just about everything is. I'm starting to learn what things I can live without, and I'm starting to realize there are some things I miss...like have a fridge that doesn't sound like a wind tunnel. It's a very neat little room that I live in. Just enough for what I need. My favorite part of it all is that I walk downstairs and I'm in the middle of town. It's great when we go out at night, it's terrible when I have a 40 minute walk to make it to class everyday. Here are a few shots for you...

Bedroom:

Kitchen:

Study:

Have Fun Storming the Castle

Saturday my temporary host took me out to see Bolsover Castle. It was pretty sweet! I don't have much to say about it except the views were amazing, I tried to lock my ride in a secret cubbie (but she got out), and I had a blast seeing more of the English countryside. With that, here are a few shots from the day.