Well, after landing in Manchester far too early on Monday morning I went to my first lecture and discovered that I had a sore throat and that my old british professor had no clue who Taylor Swift was or why she was invading my Facebook feed. After that class it was off to the library to try and get some homework done and then back to my room for an attempted nap (which went pretty well) and some Easy Mac (courtesy of a care package from the lovely parents) which was absolutely delicious.
Normally my day off, Tuesday was jam-packed with stuff and to make matters more interesting I was feeling more of the effects of being sick (read: throat hurt, nose sniffly, sinus pain, ear clogged, and headache when I move.) I got to rep Willamette with Matt, Meredith, and Charlotte (and engage in a spirited discussion about British vs. American candy bars) during the Keele Study Abroad fair from 10:45 to 2 and then went off to my mass media class where I found myself explaining the electoral college before class had even started. Then I used the break between classes to figure out what was going on with my final exams only to get no answers and walk back to my room in a huff of head pain. Then I went to my British Culture 101 class where I got to share my outsider gem of the past two weeks when Abby told me they would "knock the American right out of me" after my comment that I had noticeably been replacing the word "trash" with "rubbish." The night closed with a trip to the bowling alley with Matt, Meredith, Charlotte and Sierra and although I did terribly and was in pain I still managed to have fun which is all that counts.
Wednesday brought more head pain, plus looking and feeling worse, but I trucked on. Class, a celebration and wrap up lunch for Vision week, yay, my discussion group, who was very understanding of the fact that sleep was more important that finishing the reading because being sick sucks and finally a Christian Union meeting which was pretty fun and had more information about their weekend away (they call it "House Party" but for the record it isn't a house party it is a retreat) and brought about my new mission: FIND A SLEEPING BAG I CAN BORROW.
Thursday, more head pain, more sick and more Ian Bell. Let me explain, the professor who teaches my Literature class is filling in for the professor of my Social Movements for this week and next week. This means I get twice as much of the old British guy who likes to call me a "colonial", hilarity ensues (or it will when I'm not sick). Then math class, in which the professor gave us a piece of paper because "that section had too much information and he didn't want to write it all on the board" yeah, thats not overwhelming and scary at all. Oh wait.... The good news is that Thursday means Jesus Jam, which is becoming my favorite part of the week because I often go in tired, weary and just feeling burdened and I always leave on fire for God and with a renewed passion and I am so appreciative of having a discussion and community of people that make me feel that way.
Friday, all the sick was still there (and slightly more coughing) but miraculously the headache had cleared (which, after 3 days straight let me tell you, made me feel like I could conquer the world) I was able to be more productive. Had a preparation meeting for my presentation on Monday, plus class and helping a friend study for the GREs also attempting my homework and doing a little bit of preliminary work on my essay for my literature class. I also took some time to relax.
This blog post seems really short and rushed but I wanted to do my recap of the week before I went to London tomorrow to meet up with my friends, which I'm hoping will be so full of adventure it needs its own post. Until then remember that headaches pass eventually (sometimes they take medicine).
Friday, October 26, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Dancing Donkeys in Dublin
In the process of putting away my laundry on Wednesday, I thought I was such a genius because I had the perfect outfits planned out for going to Dublin this weekend. Background Info: RyanAir, the cheapest of the cheapest flights only allows one carry on that has to be smaller than my duffle bag so all I had was my backpack. I decided that since Friday and Monday were really just plane days and not adventure days I thought I would wear my jeans on those days so I didn't have to fit them in my bag when it had to be small. For Saturday and Sunday I planned variations on leggings boots and tops, not only does it look cute but it doesn't take up a whole lot of space in my backpack and that way I was only bringing one pair of shoes. Well, they were the wrong shoes, if you don't believe me you can absolutely consult my blisters and they will tell you. With all that being said it was an amazing weekend and I loved it.
We got up bright and early Saturday morning to hit Downtown Dublin at full speed. First stop was the beautiful Trinity College which was gorgeous. I took this picture because the presence of cobblestones is still exciting, little did I know exactly how full of cobblestones the city would be.
After our trek through Trinity College, we hit the Visitor Center to pick up our Dublin passes, the very useful, passes that give us free entry or discounts all over the city for a very reasonable price. Our Dublin passes led us to a nice restaurant for free coffee and cake where we had what I can only describe as the breakfast of tourists because who else eats on top of a map?
The next several hours were full of wandering around and seeing sights that included: a great street band called The Wildlings, St. Patricks Cathedral (yes that St. Patrick), Christ Church Cathedral, another Cathedral (where they were holding a graduation), a gorgeous and gigantic park called St. Stephen's Green, Dublin Castle , then it was a race to the Guinness Storehouse.
Highlights in the form of a few small pictures:
We made it to the Guinness Storehouse...phew. I have to say that the Guinness Storehouse was probably one of my favorite parts. It was really interesting because you take this self guided tour where you learn the process and what goes into each step, in addition, they integrate the history of the company into the tour. Did you know Author Guinness threaten to attack in order to keep his precious water supply? Man was serious about his craft. Once you have seen every step of the process and learned that it takes a total of 9 days for the Guinness to actually be made you go to the tasting experience. They give you a small glass with a little bit of Guinness and the walls have instructions on what you should be seeing, smelling and tasting. I think that was the thing that drew me in because I took my first drink and went "Blech" and then I looked at the wall and saw oh I am supposed to taste that bitterness on the back of my tongue, but there is also the something on the middle (I can't remember and it is driving me crazy) and the sweetness of the malt on the tip of your tongue. Then we continued up through the other displays and finally hit the Gravity Bar (almost entirely windows rather than walls providing an amazing view of Dublin) on the 7th floor right about sunset, which was absolutely beautiful. I got my complimentary pint of Guinness and they had made a Shamrock in the top of the foam, it was awesome and I may or may not have said a little too loudly upon returning to my friends "THEY MADE A SHAMROCK IN MY BEER!" yeah. Focusing on what I was supposed to be tasting I actually enjoyed the Guinness and managed to finish it.
After that there was the great Irish Dinner & Dance search of 2012 which lead us to the conclusion that every Irish Dance show starts at 8:30 and most of them are full or expensive or both on a Saturday night and a good number of them need a reservation. We decided that we should eat dinner first and then make reservations at dinner if possible, the final verdict was that we would shoot for Sunday night as it is less crowded and we found one that was free after dinner.
We ended up having dinner at The Bad Ass Cafe, which drew me in because it had a dancing donkey outside.
Yeah, it did. For dinner I had Bangers and Mash which was delicious and felt like a very Irish thing to order. We got to listen over the speakers to the people playing live music downstairs and generally just have a great time.
After that we made a quick stop at the hostel to drop off some stuff and then went out to the Temple Bar area and somehow managed to run into a free outdoor concert, but couldn't actually go in because it was at capacity, how the outdoors hits capacity I couldn't actually tell you. After walking around some more we went to a little bar called The Quays that was jam packed but it had good singers and a (European) Football game on so we stayed for a bit before calling it a night.
The next morning Hannah and I were off on a day tour that starts at 7 am (british time as in Keele time as in late) and goes until 9:45 pm. So after walking to the place we were supposed to meet the bus we actually had to follow the person from the tour company back the exact path we walked to finally catch the city link bus. The city link bus took us from Dublin to Galway where we switched onto a tour bus and headed out to the farm, which may or may not have had a name, I can't really remember. The tour guides name was Daraugh and he was hilarious and Irish and he walked us up this hill (he called it a mountain, I laughed a lot) to see an amazing view of the town and the bay:
Then we went back down to have tea and cake at Granny's house before departing again. I have to say I love love loved the tea and cake at Grannies house, plus I drank from a cow mug! We also learned about hurling a big sport in Ireland.
The bus then took us out the the Cliffs of Mohr, which were gorgeous and I'll let the pictures say the rest.
Then we went to a village and had a very Irish lunch:
After that we made a few more stops along the way for some pictures before we finally ended up in Galway with an hour before our bus left to head back to Dublin. Through our exploration of Galway we found a park, a mall and a painting of that mall underwater. The mall was especially interesting for us though because it had stone buildings and a stone tower inside it. You just have to see the pictures:
When we got back to Dublin we met up with the rest of our group and finally got to see traditional Irish Music and Dancing which was amazing and I really enjoyed. Then we were off super early Monday morning to catch a plane back to Manchester.
We got up bright and early Saturday morning to hit Downtown Dublin at full speed. First stop was the beautiful Trinity College which was gorgeous. I took this picture because the presence of cobblestones is still exciting, little did I know exactly how full of cobblestones the city would be.
After our trek through Trinity College, we hit the Visitor Center to pick up our Dublin passes, the very useful, passes that give us free entry or discounts all over the city for a very reasonable price. Our Dublin passes led us to a nice restaurant for free coffee and cake where we had what I can only describe as the breakfast of tourists because who else eats on top of a map?
The next several hours were full of wandering around and seeing sights that included: a great street band called The Wildlings, St. Patricks Cathedral (yes that St. Patrick), Christ Church Cathedral, another Cathedral (where they were holding a graduation), a gorgeous and gigantic park called St. Stephen's Green, Dublin Castle , then it was a race to the Guinness Storehouse.
Highlights in the form of a few small pictures:
We made it to the Guinness Storehouse...phew. I have to say that the Guinness Storehouse was probably one of my favorite parts. It was really interesting because you take this self guided tour where you learn the process and what goes into each step, in addition, they integrate the history of the company into the tour. Did you know Author Guinness threaten to attack in order to keep his precious water supply? Man was serious about his craft. Once you have seen every step of the process and learned that it takes a total of 9 days for the Guinness to actually be made you go to the tasting experience. They give you a small glass with a little bit of Guinness and the walls have instructions on what you should be seeing, smelling and tasting. I think that was the thing that drew me in because I took my first drink and went "Blech" and then I looked at the wall and saw oh I am supposed to taste that bitterness on the back of my tongue, but there is also the something on the middle (I can't remember and it is driving me crazy) and the sweetness of the malt on the tip of your tongue. Then we continued up through the other displays and finally hit the Gravity Bar (almost entirely windows rather than walls providing an amazing view of Dublin) on the 7th floor right about sunset, which was absolutely beautiful. I got my complimentary pint of Guinness and they had made a Shamrock in the top of the foam, it was awesome and I may or may not have said a little too loudly upon returning to my friends "THEY MADE A SHAMROCK IN MY BEER!" yeah. Focusing on what I was supposed to be tasting I actually enjoyed the Guinness and managed to finish it.
After that there was the great Irish Dinner & Dance search of 2012 which lead us to the conclusion that every Irish Dance show starts at 8:30 and most of them are full or expensive or both on a Saturday night and a good number of them need a reservation. We decided that we should eat dinner first and then make reservations at dinner if possible, the final verdict was that we would shoot for Sunday night as it is less crowded and we found one that was free after dinner.
We ended up having dinner at The Bad Ass Cafe, which drew me in because it had a dancing donkey outside.
Yeah, it did. For dinner I had Bangers and Mash which was delicious and felt like a very Irish thing to order. We got to listen over the speakers to the people playing live music downstairs and generally just have a great time.
After that we made a quick stop at the hostel to drop off some stuff and then went out to the Temple Bar area and somehow managed to run into a free outdoor concert, but couldn't actually go in because it was at capacity, how the outdoors hits capacity I couldn't actually tell you. After walking around some more we went to a little bar called The Quays that was jam packed but it had good singers and a (European) Football game on so we stayed for a bit before calling it a night.
The next morning Hannah and I were off on a day tour that starts at 7 am (british time as in Keele time as in late) and goes until 9:45 pm. So after walking to the place we were supposed to meet the bus we actually had to follow the person from the tour company back the exact path we walked to finally catch the city link bus. The city link bus took us from Dublin to Galway where we switched onto a tour bus and headed out to the farm, which may or may not have had a name, I can't really remember. The tour guides name was Daraugh and he was hilarious and Irish and he walked us up this hill (he called it a mountain, I laughed a lot) to see an amazing view of the town and the bay:
Then we went back down to have tea and cake at Granny's house before departing again. I have to say I love love loved the tea and cake at Grannies house, plus I drank from a cow mug! We also learned about hurling a big sport in Ireland.
The bus then took us out the the Cliffs of Mohr, which were gorgeous and I'll let the pictures say the rest.
Then we went to a village and had a very Irish lunch:
After that we made a few more stops along the way for some pictures before we finally ended up in Galway with an hour before our bus left to head back to Dublin. Through our exploration of Galway we found a park, a mall and a painting of that mall underwater. The mall was especially interesting for us though because it had stone buildings and a stone tower inside it. You just have to see the pictures:
When we got back to Dublin we met up with the rest of our group and finally got to see traditional Irish Music and Dancing which was amazing and I really enjoyed. Then we were off super early Monday morning to catch a plane back to Manchester.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Vision Week...
...was not at all what I excepted. This week (which I might remind you I was looking forward to) threw challenges at me that I was not expecting. I am so ready to run away to Dublin for the weekend. First I have to struggle with my math homework, pack and write this blog (not necessarily in that order.)
Monday was pretty good, I went to my literature class then spent some time in the library before it was off to visit Cafe Chappelle an ongoing part of Vision Week, which was fundraising for Franciscan Homeless Charities. Then I went back to my room to prepare for something that I probably made a bigger deal of than it needed to be. I went grocery shopping by myself. I took the bus into Newcastle and went to two different shops, one just to get mugs that I had seen when we were doing the washing up (so british) last week and really wanted. I think one will be a gift but I may just keep the 2nd one for myself. Then I went to Morissons and successfully purchased groceries by myself. Not only that but I tried to be responsible in my spending and my purchases and I finally decided to man up and I bought a measuring cup. Long story short instructions here are in mL and so I was just estimating how much water went in everything but I decided that would not be the best plan of action when it came to pancake mix so I decided it was worth it. Monday closed with a Quiz Night at the chapel as part of Vision Week, where we had to abuse the fact that our team was all Internationals so we could have a handicap and ask for some help.
Tuesday was my drama day. This was the day where nothing seemed to go right. It started with the laundry, I got up at my usual time thinking I could do laundry and maybe even have time for a run before class. Nope, not happening. I did two loads and put them in at the same time and switched them at the same time, little did I know one of the dryers didn't work. So that killed an extra (almost) hour from the time that I thought I would be done. Needless to say, I didn't go running. I really need to and want to and I keep getting that 'I must go running' feeling but I am struggling to fit it into my schedule and homework always comes first. Then I went to class, fine no problem. After class I had a list of things to be accomplished: mail, library, cafe chapel, dinner. Well, the mail didn't have the package from my parents, the librarian was rude and talked down to me and made me want to cry (I told you it was drama day) so I went to the chapel quickly and made it to my room before I had a melt down over Skype. I finally came around to breathing and not crying and with a little virtual hand-holding from my mom even got some homework done. Tuesday night I went out to Curry Night at Snyd Arms (a pub super close to campus, pronounced Sneed (like the Dr. Suess character)) it was delicious and hilarious. For the record if you order something spicy on purpose I will laugh at you as you moan, groan, sweat and inhale water while eating said spicy dish. I'm just saying, its who I am.
Wednesday was mellow compared to the drama that was Tuesday. I went to class, visited at Cafe Chappelle for a bit. Met with my discussion group for my Thursday class. Then it came to planning London. I didn't have drama necessarily, but planning trips with large groups of people and having your credit card not work causes undue frustration. So next week rather than taking the coach with everyone else, I will be taking the train by myself. It'll be okay, I'm comfortable with the train and I will be meeting people as soon as I get there.
Thursday was a sandwich of class, time at the chapel, and more class. Then some free time which I filled with the math homework that has been eating me alive. Finally I went and hung out with some friends before deciding that I was not up for an international society party that started after 10 and could go as late as 2 am, still working on expanding my comfort zone to that sort of scene but I'm just not there yet.
Finally today, I had one class, helped out at the Lunch and talk at the chapel and have since been in my room doing the things at the start of this blog. Tonight I leave for Dublin and will be back in the wee hours of the morning on Monday with enough time to change clothes and get to class. So the Dublin blog will happen sometime before the end of next week. Until then, remember that just because something isn't what you expected doesn't mean it isn't worth it.
Monday was pretty good, I went to my literature class then spent some time in the library before it was off to visit Cafe Chappelle an ongoing part of Vision Week, which was fundraising for Franciscan Homeless Charities. Then I went back to my room to prepare for something that I probably made a bigger deal of than it needed to be. I went grocery shopping by myself. I took the bus into Newcastle and went to two different shops, one just to get mugs that I had seen when we were doing the washing up (so british) last week and really wanted. I think one will be a gift but I may just keep the 2nd one for myself. Then I went to Morissons and successfully purchased groceries by myself. Not only that but I tried to be responsible in my spending and my purchases and I finally decided to man up and I bought a measuring cup. Long story short instructions here are in mL and so I was just estimating how much water went in everything but I decided that would not be the best plan of action when it came to pancake mix so I decided it was worth it. Monday closed with a Quiz Night at the chapel as part of Vision Week, where we had to abuse the fact that our team was all Internationals so we could have a handicap and ask for some help.
Tuesday was my drama day. This was the day where nothing seemed to go right. It started with the laundry, I got up at my usual time thinking I could do laundry and maybe even have time for a run before class. Nope, not happening. I did two loads and put them in at the same time and switched them at the same time, little did I know one of the dryers didn't work. So that killed an extra (almost) hour from the time that I thought I would be done. Needless to say, I didn't go running. I really need to and want to and I keep getting that 'I must go running' feeling but I am struggling to fit it into my schedule and homework always comes first. Then I went to class, fine no problem. After class I had a list of things to be accomplished: mail, library, cafe chapel, dinner. Well, the mail didn't have the package from my parents, the librarian was rude and talked down to me and made me want to cry (I told you it was drama day) so I went to the chapel quickly and made it to my room before I had a melt down over Skype. I finally came around to breathing and not crying and with a little virtual hand-holding from my mom even got some homework done. Tuesday night I went out to Curry Night at Snyd Arms (a pub super close to campus, pronounced Sneed (like the Dr. Suess character)) it was delicious and hilarious. For the record if you order something spicy on purpose I will laugh at you as you moan, groan, sweat and inhale water while eating said spicy dish. I'm just saying, its who I am.
Wednesday was mellow compared to the drama that was Tuesday. I went to class, visited at Cafe Chappelle for a bit. Met with my discussion group for my Thursday class. Then it came to planning London. I didn't have drama necessarily, but planning trips with large groups of people and having your credit card not work causes undue frustration. So next week rather than taking the coach with everyone else, I will be taking the train by myself. It'll be okay, I'm comfortable with the train and I will be meeting people as soon as I get there.
Thursday was a sandwich of class, time at the chapel, and more class. Then some free time which I filled with the math homework that has been eating me alive. Finally I went and hung out with some friends before deciding that I was not up for an international society party that started after 10 and could go as late as 2 am, still working on expanding my comfort zone to that sort of scene but I'm just not there yet.
Finally today, I had one class, helped out at the Lunch and talk at the chapel and have since been in my room doing the things at the start of this blog. Tonight I leave for Dublin and will be back in the wee hours of the morning on Monday with enough time to change clothes and get to class. So the Dublin blog will happen sometime before the end of next week. Until then, remember that just because something isn't what you expected doesn't mean it isn't worth it.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
My Day in Manchester
Saturday was our day trip to Manchester and I have to tell you I LOVE THE TRAIN! I don't know why, its not cheaper than the coach, you still have to sit next to people in crowded seats, but I just like it so much better, I don't think I have good reasons, but I really like the train. I can't quite explain why I like it so much but I'm going to try and make more train trips happen, even if everyone else is taking the coach (well maybe not, we'll see, I am getting better at doing things by myself.)
After meeting the other half of our group (we were split between the coach and the train) we went to Primark, a large department store chain, and spent 2 hours there. I didn't realize we had been there for so long until someone mentioned it afterwards. There were 3 levels and so much to see and look at. At some point I want to check out the one that is closer to campus. One of my jeans is growing a hole and so I think when they get to the point they need to be in the rubbish bin (so british) I will actually throw them out and go buy a new pair from Primark (they are relatively inexpensive as well.)
After that we had lunch at the street fair, I wimped out and had a 100% beef burger with cheese (I couldn't understand what kind of cheese it was but it was tasty.) If we go to Manchester again, I am going to have the Ostrich Meatballs I think because I will be adventurous one step at a time.
After a quick bathroom break, we mapped out and set off on our adventure. Our first stop was Chinatown and seeing the Chinese Arch. Then we set off along Princess Street because with all girls and one boy the princesses ruled the day. Then we spontaneously stopped at an Art Museum which was really interesting and had a lot of different exhibits and time periods. My favorite was the special/seasonal/rotating exhibit that they had about the art of paper cutting, I can't really explain it but I watched the video special they had on the making of and it was really really interesting.
Then we headed to the People's History Museum and stopped to take pictures of beautiful buildings along the way. Then we rushed off to check out the National Football Museum before it closed. We also got some pictures of the beautiful Manchester Cathedral.
Then we wandered around (kind of lost, I'm not going to lie) the Northern Quarter of Manchester and found the weirdest little shop that I have ever seen called Oklahoma, yes thats right, like the state or the musical.
Finally we went to the mall, it was called the Manchester Arndale and had dinner there and got to meet up with Martin and his two German friends. Then it was back to the train station to head back to Stoke.
It was exhausting, there was a lot of walking, but all in all I feel like it was a good day and a great way to see Manchester with friends.
After meeting the other half of our group (we were split between the coach and the train) we went to Primark, a large department store chain, and spent 2 hours there. I didn't realize we had been there for so long until someone mentioned it afterwards. There were 3 levels and so much to see and look at. At some point I want to check out the one that is closer to campus. One of my jeans is growing a hole and so I think when they get to the point they need to be in the rubbish bin (so british) I will actually throw them out and go buy a new pair from Primark (they are relatively inexpensive as well.)
After that we had lunch at the street fair, I wimped out and had a 100% beef burger with cheese (I couldn't understand what kind of cheese it was but it was tasty.) If we go to Manchester again, I am going to have the Ostrich Meatballs I think because I will be adventurous one step at a time.
After a quick bathroom break, we mapped out and set off on our adventure. Our first stop was Chinatown and seeing the Chinese Arch. Then we set off along Princess Street because with all girls and one boy the princesses ruled the day. Then we spontaneously stopped at an Art Museum which was really interesting and had a lot of different exhibits and time periods. My favorite was the special/seasonal/rotating exhibit that they had about the art of paper cutting, I can't really explain it but I watched the video special they had on the making of and it was really really interesting.
Then we headed to the People's History Museum and stopped to take pictures of beautiful buildings along the way. Then we rushed off to check out the National Football Museum before it closed. We also got some pictures of the beautiful Manchester Cathedral.
Then we wandered around (kind of lost, I'm not going to lie) the Northern Quarter of Manchester and found the weirdest little shop that I have ever seen called Oklahoma, yes thats right, like the state or the musical.
Finally we went to the mall, it was called the Manchester Arndale and had dinner there and got to meet up with Martin and his two German friends. Then it was back to the train station to head back to Stoke.
It was exhausting, there was a lot of walking, but all in all I feel like it was a good day and a great way to see Manchester with friends.
Friday, October 12, 2012
When you start your week with a firedrill
You are tired, the whole week, so exhausted. Not as bad as jet lag exhaustion but still pretty freakin' exhausted. Let me back up a minute and explain. Leading into this week I figured that it would be a good example of what I could expect from a typical Keele week. Homework, activities, class time, I thought this would be the week that I could use as a measuring stick to know what to expect from other weeks. The great flaw in this otherwise well thought out idea was the fire drill.
Keele has quite an interesting policy goal for fire drills. They would like to make sure that the fire drill will without a doubt wake you up from a deep sleep and so they choose a time when they know (hope) everyone will be sleeping. My dorm's lucky time........6:05 am on Tuesday morning!
Now on to my week as a whole. Monday went pretty well, classes, time in the library homework. Tuesday I don't have class until 2 in the afternoon and so I had made this grand plan of the things I was going to get accomplished Tuesday morning, but the fire drill and following exhaustion (I did go back to sleep, but not well) made a mess of all of that. I got the bare minimum accomplished Tuesday morning, didn't go running finally had lunch and went to class. Tuesday evening was the first of my all-American, British Culture 101 class. It was really interesting and I enjoyed the free pizza knowledge that I am not the only one experiencing culture differences and wondering. I closed out Tuesday with Sacred Space at the chapel where we had prayer stations and I had a good long cry sitting at a map of the world praying over Oregon.
Wednesday and Thursday blended together with classes and homework. Wednesday night I went out with the Christian Union to do Acts of Random Kindness which this week took the form of doing dishes in the kitchens we could access. Thursday night was Jesus Jam with songs and great discussion. They even snuck in one of my favorite worship songs "Lord I Lift Your Name on High"
Friday was math day. Math class, math homework and doing the math on how in the world I am going to have the Scarlet Letter finished by Monday. The last equation has yet to be solved.
A break in the math came in the form of a British-Canadian Thanksgiving Celebration. Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, green bean casserole (with onion rings on top), peas and carrots, broccoli, gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and stuffing with sausage in it. Finally we had pumpkin pie, ice cream, and cranberry bars for dessert.
Tomorrow I am taking a day trip to Manchester with the restless Americans. Sunday marks the set-up (and in my mind unofficial start) of Vision Week. So next week will be spent almost entirely at the chapel but when I come out on the other side I will be in Dublin!
As a reward for surviving the entire blog I give you: The Great Cheese Misunderstanding
I LOVE string cheese. I will take it any time I can get it. In fact I love almost all kinds of cheese. I paid more than I would have in the states to make sure that I had a supply of cheddar cheese in my fridge. Today I went to buy lunch from the select and save on the way back to my room, I picked out a Cornish Pasty (Pronounced like pasta but with a y instead of an a not like kindergartens eat paste-y) and then I saw it. STRIP CHEESE, 'that must be string cheese' I thought to myself bursting with excitement at this treat that reminded me of home and deliciousness so I grabbed it up and purchased a 4 pack. So thrilled with the idea of string cheese I tore into the package the minute I left the store. Opened the individual cheese and took a bite. 'What in the bloody hell is that?' I thought in my best british accent. It tasted like gross, plastic, American cheese. The worst of the cheeses. Of all the things for them to take from America and pass off as there own why would they take the worst tasting cheese we produce and turn it into strip form. It was awful and I have 3 more in the fridge. What is a bug to do?
Keele has quite an interesting
Now on to my week as a whole. Monday went pretty well, classes, time in the library homework. Tuesday I don't have class until 2 in the afternoon and so I had made this grand plan of the things I was going to get accomplished Tuesday morning, but the fire drill and following exhaustion (I did go back to sleep, but not well) made a mess of all of that. I got the bare minimum accomplished Tuesday morning, didn't go running finally had lunch and went to class. Tuesday evening was the first of my all-American, British Culture 101 class. It was really interesting and I enjoyed the
Wednesday and Thursday blended together with classes and homework. Wednesday night I went out with the Christian Union to do Acts of Random Kindness which this week took the form of doing dishes in the kitchens we could access. Thursday night was Jesus Jam with songs and great discussion. They even snuck in one of my favorite worship songs "Lord I Lift Your Name on High"
Friday was math day. Math class, math homework and doing the math on how in the world I am going to have the Scarlet Letter finished by Monday. The last equation has yet to be solved.
A break in the math came in the form of a British-Canadian Thanksgiving Celebration. Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, green bean casserole (with onion rings on top), peas and carrots, broccoli, gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and stuffing with sausage in it. Finally we had pumpkin pie, ice cream, and cranberry bars for dessert.
Tomorrow I am taking a day trip to Manchester with the restless Americans. Sunday marks the set-up (and in my mind unofficial start) of Vision Week. So next week will be spent almost entirely at the chapel but when I come out on the other side I will be in Dublin!
As a reward for surviving the entire blog I give you: The Great Cheese Misunderstanding
I LOVE string cheese. I will take it any time I can get it. In fact I love almost all kinds of cheese. I paid more than I would have in the states to make sure that I had a supply of cheddar cheese in my fridge. Today I went to buy lunch from the select and save on the way back to my room, I picked out a Cornish Pasty (Pronounced like pasta but with a y instead of an a not like kindergartens eat paste-y) and then I saw it. STRIP CHEESE, 'that must be string cheese' I thought to myself bursting with excitement at this treat that reminded me of home and deliciousness so I grabbed it up and purchased a 4 pack. So thrilled with the idea of string cheese I tore into the package the minute I left the store. Opened the individual cheese and took a bite. 'What in the bloody hell is that?' I thought in my best british accent. It tasted like gross, plastic, American cheese. The worst of the cheeses. Of all the things for them to take from America and pass off as there own why would they take the worst tasting cheese we produce and turn it into strip form. It was awful and I have 3 more in the fridge. What is a bug to do?
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Keele time.....
.....is roughly 5 to 10 minutes late, to just about everything. This week I finished my first week where I actually had all of my classes. I am not kidding, even in the classes where the students and the professor were there on time we still managed to get started late. Same thing with the meetings I attended, I would be so worried about getting there on time and when I got there I clearly had nothing to worry about. The person running one of the meetings even told me that Keele time is about 10 minutes late.
I could definitely tell the difference between having multiple classes a day everyday and my Keele week where the only day I have two classes is Thursday. I am excited by my classes though. The titles of the classes are kind of long so it is easier for me to explain the gist of what they are about. Monday is a class on Gender and Sexuality in 19th century American Literature, Tuesday is a class on Mass Media in America (and every other week a no credit class on British Culture specifically for American Students here on exchange, but I haven't actually had that class yet), Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I have Partial Differential Equations for 1 hour, and additionally on Thursday I have a class on Social Movements in America. Keele students tried to explain to me that the reason they have less time in class is because there is more reading assigned outside of class, I'm holding my breathe to see if this is true because when a Keele student was on exchange at Willamette he posted a facebook status about the large amount of reading Willamette Professors had assigned him.
Outside of classes I have also tried to figure out what activities I will pursue while I am here and I think I am going to commit the majority of my time to being involved with the Christian Union. They are so welcoming and I feel so comfortable in the Chapel and with the people and at the events that they have held. The Pastor (her name is Ruth and I'm not sure if I should actually call her a Pastor or not, I'm still figuring that out so I think I'll switch to calling her Ruth) Ruth had a lunch at her house after last week's Sunday service and she has been especially nice to me. She likes to say that if you really want to there is something to do at the church every night of the week and I have been exploring the truth in that by checking out (and mentally trying to commit to some of these events.) Tuesday night is Sacred Space where they run a different kind of alternative prayer each week, it is later in the evening and seems like a great way to unwind and I am excited to experience new things. Wednesday night alternates between the Main Meeting of the Christian Union and the Christian Union's Acts of Random Kindness, and finally Thursday nights are Jesus Jam which is a fantastic mix of worship, bible study and discussion and I cannot wait to keep going.
Today some of the Christian Union took a trip out to the Manley Mere Assualt Course, which was basically like a big obstacle course, but you had the choice of whether or not you did each obstacle (check out their website here: http://www.manleymere.co.uk/id12.html) I loved this event because I feel like I bonded a lot with the girls I was walking around with and was able to support them and encourage them (and them for me) even though I didn't know them that well and wasn't really an established member of the group.
The next few weeks are gearing up to be a nice mix of busy and awesome. This week will be another week of school, but the next week the 15th through the 19th will be Vision Week where all the Chapel groups get together and have events everyday and things going on all the time and I am excited to volunteer and help out with that as much as I can plus that leads right into the trip to Dublin, Ireland that I have planned with my travel buddies. More blog posts as those things happen. Thanks for sticking with me!
I could definitely tell the difference between having multiple classes a day everyday and my Keele week where the only day I have two classes is Thursday. I am excited by my classes though. The titles of the classes are kind of long so it is easier for me to explain the gist of what they are about. Monday is a class on Gender and Sexuality in 19th century American Literature, Tuesday is a class on Mass Media in America (and every other week a no credit class on British Culture specifically for American Students here on exchange, but I haven't actually had that class yet), Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I have Partial Differential Equations for 1 hour, and additionally on Thursday I have a class on Social Movements in America. Keele students tried to explain to me that the reason they have less time in class is because there is more reading assigned outside of class, I'm holding my breathe to see if this is true because when a Keele student was on exchange at Willamette he posted a facebook status about the large amount of reading Willamette Professors had assigned him.
Outside of classes I have also tried to figure out what activities I will pursue while I am here and I think I am going to commit the majority of my time to being involved with the Christian Union. They are so welcoming and I feel so comfortable in the Chapel and with the people and at the events that they have held. The Pastor (her name is Ruth and I'm not sure if I should actually call her a Pastor or not, I'm still figuring that out so I think I'll switch to calling her Ruth) Ruth had a lunch at her house after last week's Sunday service and she has been especially nice to me. She likes to say that if you really want to there is something to do at the church every night of the week and I have been exploring the truth in that by checking out (and mentally trying to commit to some of these events.) Tuesday night is Sacred Space where they run a different kind of alternative prayer each week, it is later in the evening and seems like a great way to unwind and I am excited to experience new things. Wednesday night alternates between the Main Meeting of the Christian Union and the Christian Union's Acts of Random Kindness, and finally Thursday nights are Jesus Jam which is a fantastic mix of worship, bible study and discussion and I cannot wait to keep going.
Today some of the Christian Union took a trip out to the Manley Mere Assualt Course, which was basically like a big obstacle course, but you had the choice of whether or not you did each obstacle (check out their website here: http://www.manleymere.co.uk/id12.html) I loved this event because I feel like I bonded a lot with the girls I was walking around with and was able to support them and encourage them (and them for me) even though I didn't know them that well and wasn't really an established member of the group.
The next few weeks are gearing up to be a nice mix of busy and awesome. This week will be another week of school, but the next week the 15th through the 19th will be Vision Week where all the Chapel groups get together and have events everyday and things going on all the time and I am excited to volunteer and help out with that as much as I can plus that leads right into the trip to Dublin, Ireland that I have planned with my travel buddies. More blog posts as those things happen. Thanks for sticking with me!
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