Two days of tours...

is actually really exhausting, especially when you don't really get a whole lot of sleep from Friday night to Saturday night. To close out Freshers Week the Student Ambassadors had planned trips to Trentham Gardens on Friday and Alton Towers on Saturday. I thought it would be fun to see the local attractions. It was fun but it was also exhausting and like everything else since I've been here an adventure.

First let's start with the Monkey Gardens. It was really great and really interesting. They had monkeys running around everywhere and we were able to walk a path through the gardens and see them, take pictures, as the guides questions if we had anyone. As I was walking along I felt something hit my face and I was under a tree so I thought it had just been an acorn or something, but then I reached up to touch my face and oh no I had been pooped on.....yeah......I don't want to talk about, but I had to share it because I feel like those of you that read this blog at least deserve a laugh.

Next we went to the actual Trentham Gardens which were breathtakingly beautiful. I loved them. In addition to the main large Italian Garden off on one side they had show gardens. I don't know if it was the sun finally being out (first time I have worn my sunglasses since I have been here) or the peacefulness of the gardens, but I was feeling very philosophical that day. See the show gardens all had different themes and different names and had been designed by different people and I thought to myself how each person has to find the right garden for them and what fits who they are or what they need. I found myself drawn to the time garden, it was pretty and the sun shined right on it and there were little benches, and so I sat and spent some time in the time garden and it was really nice. Shortly after that we found a park with a rope swing. You never see those in America. It was awesome. I had to go play on it. Finally, it was off to check out the shops in the shopping center and eventually take a break for tea.

This morning I got up bright and early to catch the coach to Alton Towers a local theme park. It was really fun but boy am I exhausted. We tried to hit all of the major rides and I think we only missed one. We started off on Oblivion which dropped straight down for far too long, then Thirteen and Rita in the haunted forest. Next we went on the scariest thing I have ever done worse than any haunted house I have ever been on. It was called Nemesis Sub-Terra, then we went on the much less scary Nemesis roller coaster after a break for food. Then it was back to the bus for us. Now that I'm back its nap time for me because I am exhausted.

Things I didn't know a week and a half ago

Over the time that I have been here I have slowly developed (and I mean slower than a snail slow) a running list of common british phrases that are substitutions for american phrases or else common british sayings that I had no clue about previously.

On my first day at Keele I told one of the Student Ambassadors about my flight times and lengths and time change and general lack of sleep and he responded with "Wow, you must be knackered." I responded with complete confusion because I swear on my life it sounded like he said naked, but he didn't. It is just there way of saying exhausted, spent, delirious or what have you.

There are a few words that are specific to my educational experience here. In America we just refer to everything as class but they have lecture or in some cases if it is a smaller discussion then it is referred to as seminar. Mainly though I hear "I have to go to lecture" Then there is the fact that today in my Math lecture the professor said "I am going to do a revision on the Chain Rule" and I was like "whu, huh" and then I figured it out. Revision is british professor for review....duh!

Next is my struggle with on campus problems. They refer to any sports that are done on campus as clubs. What I think of as clubs they refer to as societies, which I think is so British. Then there are the doors, almost all of the doors on campus are automatic only they aren't American automatic, you have to push the handicapped button, it is so weird to me because I feel like at home pushing the button when you can just as easily open the door yourself is lazy but here it is required. Then there are keyboards, they have different shortcuts above the numbers than ours. Plus the paper is A4 which means its longer than the paper I am used to. When you order food instead of saying "to-go" it is called take away. Hopefully someday I'll have the British thing down.

Also, it seems like running late is pretty common place. It would drive my dad crazy. Cheers.

A Wales of a Tale

Well, I am sad to admit that I made my first big fat American blunder, it took me far too long after being in Wales to realize that it was spelled Wales and not Whales. I've only ever had to spell the animal name so I didn't think much of it. Once I thought to myself 'that looks a little wrong, no, its probably just my imagination' well it wasn't. Just a nice heap of American stupidity on my end.

I loved Cardiff, it was beautiful, I feel like that isn't even the word for it, I just got so caught up in the city it was captivating. I don't think I will have a chance to go back during the time that I am at Keele (I'm trying to save money to go to Paris and Ireland) but, it is officially on my "when I'm rich and/or old I must go back here." I cannot express how grateful I am that I was able to do Cardiff (student style) this time around and develop friendships through the experience. Seriously, there is nothing like getting slightly (walked past the same set of buildings 5 times) lost after dark in a foreign city to bring 5 girls closer together.

It was recommended that I start at the beginning so prepare yourself for a long winded blog post. I was the last to join up with this group, but essentially the plan was to take advantage of the fact that most classes don't happen on Freshers Week and go away for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The problem is the bulk of the master planning for this get away happened Sunday night. So we sat around with our computers and figured out that Meredith and I would come back Tuesday pretty late (so we could have most of the day in Cardiff) so that I could still attend class on Wednesday and Meredith could read Shakespeare for her class.

So the next morning when the alarm went off far too early we were up and off on a bus. Then another bus and then another bus. The third bus was my favorite not for anything the bus specifically had (all the buses were cold) but for the fact that Alyssa would yell out every time she saw an animal out the window. It made me ponder to myself about what people from other countries take pictures of when they travel on I-5 for the first time, cows perhaps?

Once we got into Cardiff we dropped our stuff off at the lockers in the Tourist information center. The Meredith and I ran off to the Doctor Who Experience (because it is filmed in Cardiff) which was really fun and then also had a museum with all sorts of Doctor Who goodness. It made me excited to watch more of the episodes with Mykel when I get home. That evening we went to Prince of Wales for dinner and I had seriously the best chips (fries) ever. I'm hoping that pub fries in this area will be just as good. Then we wandered around, went shopping, and headed to our hostel which took us quite a while to find and when we finally did it was worth it because for the price it was really nice. It even had the English version of continental breakfast which is basically toast (and butter and jam.)

The next day we went to Cardiff Castle, which was probably the most wonderful part of the trip for me. Not only was it full of history but it had so many great views and lovely decorations. I just couldn't believe it. I think the thing that really made the whole experience for me was surviving the scariest stairs I have ever climbed to see one of the greatest views I have ever seen. We shopped at a store named something along the lines of "All Things Wales" then it was lunch (some yummy mini pizzas), shopping, and a photo shoot in the park. Finally Meredith and I were back on the bus and the bus and the taxi and back to Keele around midnight.

Coming soon on facebook far too many pictures from these wonderful two days.

Meltdowns and Music

First, I want to say that the (almost) daily posts are not the norm for me. I have had time to post (almost) every day and so I've been able to sit down and do it but once I have books to dive my nose into I will probably shoot for once a week or once every two weeks to keep those (few) of you who actually read this thing apprised of the goings-on.

The exploring that I mentioned in yesterday's blog went really well. Lauren (Meredith's friend who graduated from Keele but did a year abroad at Willamette) took us into Newcastle and we went shopping and had lunch (really good food from a place called Missoula (isn't that a city in Montana?)) and then went back to campus had a nice break and then went grocery shopping (at what Lauren called the English version of Walmart, its called ASDA and no it doesn't stand for anything (we asked)). Finally, we came back to my room at like 9 and made dinner (chicken and noodles with white sauce and asparagus) after (possibly scaring) the drunk freshman out of the kitchen. Shortly after finishing dinner I had a GIGANTIC HOMESICK MELTDOWN, crying for no reason and just generally thinking I want to go home, over and over and over again, but I calmed down and did the dishes and talked my way through most of it. Then it was back to Meredith and Sierra's place to drop some stuff off and then we went to tea and toast in the chapel (which was actually really nice and I'm excited that they put it one once a month). I came back to my room around midnight and was able to call my mom which was really nice and we had a good talk and then skype with my fiance which was comforting and then I tried to go to bed and had to fight off the ridiculously loud club music pouring through my window from the student union (which is turned into a club on weekends (and possibly some weeknights I haven't quite figured it out)) SO MUCH LOUD MUSIC.

Then this morning, I attended breakfast with the other people who live in the Horwood section of campus and went to the church service. Then most of the day up to this point has been filled with Welcome Festival activities including the Sports Faire, I did take information on multiple sports and sign up to be on an email list but I'm not going to say quite yet until I commit myself to one or the other or both. The Welcome Festival also included A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF LOUD MUSIC AND A GIGANTIC TV! I should have emailed the picture from my phone while I had wifi so that I could include it in this blog but ho man it was not something I could ever imagine at Willamette but we managed to snag a great view from the balcony of the second floor of the student union. Now its a little chunk of relaxation time before we have dinner and head to a comedian later tonight.

This one has pictures!

Currently it is 11:30 in the morning on Saturday and I am waiting for a call from Meredith and Sierra, my American friends, so that we can go exploring today. I slept in until about 10:30 today which actually felt really nice and I don't think it will mess with me adjusting to the time change too much.

Yesterday was pretty jam-packed with a Welcome specifically for exchange students and then many steps in order to register for classes. Then that evening was the Welcome Ball for International Students. So the one break in the schedule that day I took advantage of to relax and hang out and watch some tv on my computer. Now before you jump right to the judgement about watching tv on my computer I have to say that not mater what situation I am in it always calms me down and keeps me level and helps me to not focus so much on the stress that I have going on in my life.

So my dorm room is a single room with a fair amount of storage (I think I am biased by the fact that Belknap has infinite storage) and more plugs which would be useful if I wasn't from out of the country. Anyway, I promised that once I got settled I would take pictures so that people could see what my room was like. Please don't judge the hideous amount of food that I have or the fact that I haven't unpacked my kitchen supplies very well.

This is my bed and my shoes, I don't have much to say about that, the bed is actually pretty comfortable which I appreciate.

My desk with my computer, my in room phone, my phone that might as well be an ipod, my cheap british phone, and my letter to Barbie that I wrote in the Amsterdam airport and have yet to mail.

Finally my closet which on the inside is laid out a little funny (but I'm not going to show you because my dirty clothes are also in there) and my towels which I need to get hooks for, but the best part of this picture is probably something you can't read. In case of a fire in my dorm I report to the bar. Seriously, no joke. It made me laugh. All for now because its basically lunch time and I haven't eaten today.

That is so British....

I had to keep telling myself "It'll be okay, your not stuck your out of your comfort zone, this is what you wanted remember."

I think that everyone encounters a moment where they realize that it is actually real. For me it was the Bus ride from the Manchester Airport to Keele. The weird thing is that the realization came because the cars were driving on the wrong side of the road. I don't know why that was thing that made me go "Holy crap, I can't go home, I can't see anyone for 4 months, aaahhh, I want to go home" So from then on, I tried to put on a smile and tell myself it was going to be okay and I'd figure it out. I think putting on a front emotionally made my body respond physically and so I felt like I was going to throw up and I had terrible awful no good very bad stomach pains. After getting into my room I tried to go to the Welcome to Britain party but it hadn't really started and I found out that the Post Room wasn't open and so I couldn't get my bedding packet. So I went back to my room and laid down and did some stuff on my computer and tried to go to sleep at 9 which turned into actually falling asleep sometime between 11 and midnight.

So today definitely had its ups and downs but it was most definitely better than yesterday. Showering without a towel...struggle. Meeting new, nice people at breakfast....positive. Barely being able to digest breakfast because I still felt nauseous....struggle. Feeling a lot better when I sat through the Welcome for International Students....fantastic. Talking to one of the other girls from Willamette....really good. Weakly carrying my heavy box of bedding supply all the way across campus....the best struggle ever. Ending up spending the rest of the day with her and her roommate....awesome. So awesome in fact that I didn't have to worry about stomach problems.

Here are some of the highlights, we watched the chef from Keele do a demo which inspired Sierra's fascination with fish and potatoes for dinner (which actually turned out really yummy.) We went the grocery store and I stayed within my preset budget (but now I have to figure out if I can sustain that budget or if I have to pare down what I want and figure out cheaper ways to eat.) I got a phone so I can finally respond to the question "Can I have your number?" with something other than "I'm American so my phone doesn't work." I also got 5 pounds worth of international calling so I got to talk to my mom which was pretty great. Closing out the day with a great dinner. Now I've got to finally unpack my stuff so my room is clean and not the ridiculous mess it is currently (groceries on the bed) and I can go to sleep and hopefully continue the trend and make tomorrow a better day.

Bah! I totally forgot to explain the point of the title of the post. I kept seeing things all day that just screamed BRITISH to me and I know that it is completely idiotic to notice how british things are in Great Britain but I'm new here give me a break okay. First of all, British traffic signs are POLITE. You laugh but I'm serious, they are phrased so much nicer than American signs. My favorite example (but not my only example) is that instead of "yield" they have a sign that says "give way". They also had a sign that said "New Zebra Crossing Ahead" which made my day. Then there were all sorts of things in the store, including british children that just made me think "that is so british" and the fact that everyone says cheers at the end of a conversation and people in stores instead of asking how you are doing or if they can help you find something they ask if you are okay....so british.

Holy Amenities, Batman!

Keeping in mind the longest flight that I have ever had before today was less than 5 hours. So sticking me on the 10 hour marathon flight was going to be a trying experience no matter what bells and whistles Delta decided to throw in, but the bells and whistles helped a whole lot. So, I listen, I pay attention to safety regulations and no matter how bogus the sound system may be I will ALWAYS make an attempt to hear what the flight attendants were saying which meant that I anticipated all of the meals and they were far more numerous than the internet let me to believe. I had my book and my laptop and I was fully prepared to be solely responsible for my entertainment for 10 hours, low and behold, MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES in the form of free movies and TV. Now isn't that exciting. Now I am going to do a play by play (not really that detailed) of my plane flight to the best of my memory. Got on the plane all set to read my book. Then the screen came on and I saw how the guy in front of me popped out his remote and I was curious. I went through several stages of 'how committed will I be to this little screen and its' fancy options?' First stage: Denial - I don't need the screen for movies, especially if I have to pay for them. I bet the musics free, I will listen to music and read my book and life will be peachy. Second stage: Questioning - Well how but I just inquire about the cost of the movies or see what is available, maybe I'll hate it. Third stage: Amazement - The Hunger Games for FREE? I guess I could watch that and then go back to my book later. Fourth stage: Addiction - I can plan out all of the movies that I want to watch during this ridiculously long period of time. So I start out watching the Hunger Games which I was really excited about because the last time I saw it I hadn't read the books and this time I have read all of them. During the Hunger Games we get the first drink service with pretzels and peanuts which is when I realized exactly how hungry I was because slap my knee if those weren't the darn best pretzels that I have ever tasted. Then a while later (still hunger games, but after a good number of tributes die) they started delivering the specialty meals, the women who wanted kosher in front of me and the couple who had lactose free and gluten free behind me and some other people around and hoo boy if I thought I was hungry before than smelling that food made my mouth water. Finally after what felt like eons and seeing the women serve the row in front of us and then stop and go do something else for like 10 minutes I got my food. I choose the noodle dish over the chicken and it was really good. Plus they had Tillamook cheddar cheese in the little individual packet which probably made my day. Plus a roll which was nice and a blonde brownie with chocolate chips for dessert. So I finished the Hunger Games and decided to check out what other movies they had available and I found plenty of possibilities for what to watch but I settled on The Help because I have never seen it but I had been meaning to and although it was a beautiful movie, selecting a movie that is well known for making people cry was a terrible idea. After that was an episode of the big bang theory. Its a really good episode from the 5th season where Sheldon screws up and gives Amy the tiara to make up for it. Next up was Morning Glory, a really good movie that I had seen once before and knew I liked but thought I wouldn't feel guilty falling asleep during, oh well, didn't sleep but I still like the movie. So during that movie we got more food, a small sandwich and Milano cookies in a nice little bag and I went to the bathroom to take out my contacts and put on my yoga pants which I packed in preparation for that moment which was when my jeans started to imprint on my skin. The yoga pants were a fantastic decision that I probably should have made from the beginning. Finally I started watching The Five Year Engagement. It seemed pretty funny although I didn't actually get to finish it. During that time, they turned the lights on in the cabin and tried to trick everyone's bodies into believing it was morning (for the record mine isn't buying it) and they even served us breakfast to go along with the ruse. It was a banana, orange juice and a pizza pocket only instead of pizza we had grits and egg and stuff in a sesame seed pocket. Weird. All for now as I try and waste time in the Amsterdam airport....maybe I'll go shopping.

The downside of being in an Airport by yourself...

...is that you have no one to sit with your stuff so you can go to Powells! I am an avid rule follower. I even follow the guidelines. I would probably make a terrible pirate (don't tell my littles.) So when the website very specifically said arrive 3 hours before departure that is exactly what I did. The wonders of the Portland airport (beside the fact that they have the nicest TSA workers I have ever encountered) is that you can make it through security pretty swiftly, even with a line. So now I have an hour and a half before boarding begins and I'm at my gate. I even stopped to get Starbucks on the way (a delicious blended chai latte and coffee cake if you were wondering (oh, you weren't? Well bonus information for you then.)) So I decided to make a blog, frankly because I told people I would. I, however, cannot make any promises about the frequency with which I will update said blog. I would so much rather sit down and write letters to each specific person that I have tracked down the address for. Its not that I don't like writing a blog, I do, I can rock the one-sided ramblings like nobody's business. I just get so busy and caught up in everything that I feel like I never have enough time to commit to a good solid blog post. I think the problem is the main example that I have for blogging is long posts and so I feel like if its too short its not solid enough to print (and of course by print I really mean post on a blog.) Hopefully I'll post again when I get to Keele, probably after I've unpacked because based on when I moved in Freshman year, I can unpack pretty fast once I decide where I want everything to go. The downside is that post will actually come up tomorrow because I'm spending basically a day (when you factor in time change) on a plane. I'm just hoping I'll have enough to do. Maybe I'll draft another post while I'm on the plane. That would be something to do.