Buying a coffee maker in the UK was probably the best decision of my trip thus far. Averaging 3 hours of sleep each night for the past week has finally taken a toll on me, but I can keep going as long as I have constant access to caffeine. Freshers Week fun keeps me out with my flatmates all night, then the Loyola group boards buses at 9am to go touring around North England.
Yesterday we went to Whitby on the coast. SO freezing and windy. I seriously don't know how people can live in this cold climate. The North sea coast is absolutely gorgeous, though. And naturally we all decided to hiking for a few miles then go climb the rock cliffs with our program coordinator. Exhausting, and totally not something I would normally do, but the view from the top was stunning. Photographic evidence to be loaded on Webshots as soon as I have a spare moment.
After hiking all day I had about 20 minutes to get ready to go to the Glow party with my flatmates. The University rented out a huge arena in town for an end-of-Freshers-week party. We all bought glow in the dark clothes and UV body paint and had a fantastic time. We must have walked 3 miles to the arena on a pub crawl, then danced all night. I'm so glad I have great flatmates. They're such a fun group of girls, and we all hang out with the other apartments in our block. Everyone has been so welcoming ... it's going to be hard to leave in a few months.
After 4 cups of coffee, the Loyola crew went to Alnwick castle today to tour the state rooms and the gardens. The Duke of Northumbria and his family still live in the castle for half of the year. Again, even with 3 shirts and a winter coat on I've never been so cold in my life. The whole wind/rain/cold weather deal just doesn't work for me.
This weekend will be the first time I have nothing planned and no meetings to run off to in the morning. I'm thinking sleeping until 3pm to just recover from Freshers Week sounds like a plan. My room still isn't completely unpacked either, and I need to do that before classes start. Only 2 more days of freedom before I actually have to start learning something. But Oktoberfest is in 1 week! So pumped!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
London and Beyond
Last Friday I hopped a train to London with the rest of the Loyola crew. Basically, I had extremely stereotypical tourist weekend, and loved every minute of it. Navigating a group of 30 college students through the London Underground was rough, but amazingly no one got lost. We arrived really late on Friday evening, so Cait, Rachel, Jill and I just grabbed dinner and headed to a local pub to relax for the night and chat it up with Londoners.
Saturday was a crazy and hectic day, but we got to see so much of the city. All 30 of us went on a guided tour of Parliament and saw Big Ben, then headed over to the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. I've never seen so much bling in my life ... kind of jealous. Next stop was touristy photo shoot on the Tower Bridge (gorgeous), and by that time everyone was wiped out. While everyone in my group went back to the hotel to nap, I just grabbed a huge cup of coffee and set out to navigate the London Underground (flawlessly!) by myself to enjoy the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. We all met up again for dinner, then went out to enjoy the London nightlife. Piccadilly Circus is absolutely nuts. But all in all, Newcastle is totally head and shoulders above London in terms of nightlife. Seriously, London just can't compete with this amazing town that I'm living in.
Sunday was more touristy stuff, including Buckingham Palace and more of Trafalgar Square. Cait, Jill, Rachel and I rode the London Eye at night ... spectacular view. London is definitely stunning all lit up. I think we walked all over the city trying to find cheap, yet edible food, and eventually found a Baskin Robbins. You have no idea how elated we all were. English food is mostly just strange, so it was really nice to have familiar treats.
I arrived back at my flat on Monday to meet my flatmates. Of course I had met my American roommate earlier, but I got to meet 4 more friendly girls, Eleanor, Lauri, Fran, and Sarah. All of them are British and extremely nice. So far they've been very welcoming and we've been having so much fun together. Living together seems like it will be easy. All of my flatmates are first-year students, so we're all in the same boat together trying to make new friends. It's so nice to take a break from the Loyola group that I've been traveling with non-stop for over a week and just go out with the British girls. We've been going out in the evenings enjoying the "Freshers Week" events in town.
Classes start Monday, which I'm actually excited about. Next week all of the orientation craziness will be over and I'll actually have time to settle in. This is shaping up to be a great semester already. Still loving Newcastle!
Saturday was a crazy and hectic day, but we got to see so much of the city. All 30 of us went on a guided tour of Parliament and saw Big Ben, then headed over to the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. I've never seen so much bling in my life ... kind of jealous. Next stop was touristy photo shoot on the Tower Bridge (gorgeous), and by that time everyone was wiped out. While everyone in my group went back to the hotel to nap, I just grabbed a huge cup of coffee and set out to navigate the London Underground (flawlessly!) by myself to enjoy the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. We all met up again for dinner, then went out to enjoy the London nightlife. Piccadilly Circus is absolutely nuts. But all in all, Newcastle is totally head and shoulders above London in terms of nightlife. Seriously, London just can't compete with this amazing town that I'm living in.
Sunday was more touristy stuff, including Buckingham Palace and more of Trafalgar Square. Cait, Jill, Rachel and I rode the London Eye at night ... spectacular view. London is definitely stunning all lit up. I think we walked all over the city trying to find cheap, yet edible food, and eventually found a Baskin Robbins. You have no idea how elated we all were. English food is mostly just strange, so it was really nice to have familiar treats.
I arrived back at my flat on Monday to meet my flatmates. Of course I had met my American roommate earlier, but I got to meet 4 more friendly girls, Eleanor, Lauri, Fran, and Sarah. All of them are British and extremely nice. So far they've been very welcoming and we've been having so much fun together. Living together seems like it will be easy. All of my flatmates are first-year students, so we're all in the same boat together trying to make new friends. It's so nice to take a break from the Loyola group that I've been traveling with non-stop for over a week and just go out with the British girls. We've been going out in the evenings enjoying the "Freshers Week" events in town.
Classes start Monday, which I'm actually excited about. Next week all of the orientation craziness will be over and I'll actually have time to settle in. This is shaping up to be a great semester already. Still loving Newcastle!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Loving Newcastle!
So I've been in the UK for 4 days now, and just today got my laptop connected to the internet. I apologize for the lack in blog entries, but there was no reasonable way to get to the internet. The other Loyola students and I have been running around for the past few days in just a whirlwind. Everything is so new and so fun. The campus and city of Newcastle Upon Tyne are HUGE! Luckily, after a couple of days I finally have my bearings and can make it from my flat, to main campus, the metro, shops, and the downtown district.
Though settling in has been hard and a little stressful at times, I'm having the time of my life. I've had so much fun so far, and it's only a few days into my stay here. The locals are so friendly, the British accents are adorable, and the nightlife is incredible. I'm going to be very happy here for the semester.
The flight over here wasn't too bad, just really long. Arriving to Newcastle University jet-lagged with only an hour of sleep was rough, but I was so excited to be in England that tiredness really didn't matter. I arrive in a foreign country to hear that I can't move into the apartment I was assigned. Minor freakout. Apparently there had been a fire in the kitchen over the summer, and everything in the flat was gutted. They put me in temporary housing all by myself, but only for a couple of days. Luckily I was still able to catch up with my Loyola friends. But today i moved into my newly-renovated flat ... gorgeous. My living arrangements are spectacular. None of that nasty college dorm room stuff, just new kitchen, common rooms, and everything. So living out of suitcases for a couple of days was a small price to pay for the best flat I've seen so far. I'm living with 5 other girls, 4 of whom have yet to arrive. Only the international students are here this week, but my British flatmates should be moving in over the weekend. One flatmate, Fiona, arrived when I did. She's also an international student, but from New Jersey. She's a lot of fun, and hopefully our other flatmates will be great as well. I can't wait until everyone else arrives so campus comes alive. 18,000 undergraduates. Huge.
I've spent the past 3 days hopping from one meeting to another trying to get registered in the university system, as well as sign up for classes. There's a reason the Loyola program coordinators refer to registration week at Newcastle as "Hell Week." This stuff is intense. But I think i finally have everything figured out so my classes can transfer and I get credit for everything. Then again, I think the 'study' part of study abroad is a joke. I'm signing up for Introduction to Archaeology as an elective. It includes field trips and excavation experience. When else in my life am I going to be immersed in a foreign country, learning about their history, and also get to dig around their ancient sites? So excited about life right now.
Other than that, what I've done in Newcastle has been a complete blur. Between getting settled into my flat, shopping for things I need, getting a phone, and struggling with the internet, I haven't had much time to explore on my own. I got a brief tour and overview of the city, and there's SO much I need to see and do within the 3 months that I'm here.
The highlight of the city so far: the nightlife. This town is insane!!! I had heard that Newcastle was party central of north England, but that didn't prepare me for this. This is definitely not your average college-town party scene. I don't think I've been back to my flat before 4am for a couple nights in a row now. You can't go a block without a pub, bar, or nightclub. Things will get even crazier once all the other students get back. I'm loving every minute of it.
Next stop: London. The Loyola students are all going together for 4 days. We're all hopping on the train tomorrow afternoon after yet another academic registration session. I'm sure we'll do the usual touristy stuff, but it'll be fun to see how the clubbing scene in London stands up to the crazy city I get to call home for the semester.
I'll fill you in on London when I get back. Just know that I'm extremely happy and excited to enjoy every second of my time abroad. You only live once, right?
Though settling in has been hard and a little stressful at times, I'm having the time of my life. I've had so much fun so far, and it's only a few days into my stay here. The locals are so friendly, the British accents are adorable, and the nightlife is incredible. I'm going to be very happy here for the semester.
The flight over here wasn't too bad, just really long. Arriving to Newcastle University jet-lagged with only an hour of sleep was rough, but I was so excited to be in England that tiredness really didn't matter. I arrive in a foreign country to hear that I can't move into the apartment I was assigned. Minor freakout. Apparently there had been a fire in the kitchen over the summer, and everything in the flat was gutted. They put me in temporary housing all by myself, but only for a couple of days. Luckily I was still able to catch up with my Loyola friends. But today i moved into my newly-renovated flat ... gorgeous. My living arrangements are spectacular. None of that nasty college dorm room stuff, just new kitchen, common rooms, and everything. So living out of suitcases for a couple of days was a small price to pay for the best flat I've seen so far. I'm living with 5 other girls, 4 of whom have yet to arrive. Only the international students are here this week, but my British flatmates should be moving in over the weekend. One flatmate, Fiona, arrived when I did. She's also an international student, but from New Jersey. She's a lot of fun, and hopefully our other flatmates will be great as well. I can't wait until everyone else arrives so campus comes alive. 18,000 undergraduates. Huge.
I've spent the past 3 days hopping from one meeting to another trying to get registered in the university system, as well as sign up for classes. There's a reason the Loyola program coordinators refer to registration week at Newcastle as "Hell Week." This stuff is intense. But I think i finally have everything figured out so my classes can transfer and I get credit for everything. Then again, I think the 'study' part of study abroad is a joke. I'm signing up for Introduction to Archaeology as an elective. It includes field trips and excavation experience. When else in my life am I going to be immersed in a foreign country, learning about their history, and also get to dig around their ancient sites? So excited about life right now.
Other than that, what I've done in Newcastle has been a complete blur. Between getting settled into my flat, shopping for things I need, getting a phone, and struggling with the internet, I haven't had much time to explore on my own. I got a brief tour and overview of the city, and there's SO much I need to see and do within the 3 months that I'm here.
The highlight of the city so far: the nightlife. This town is insane!!! I had heard that Newcastle was party central of north England, but that didn't prepare me for this. This is definitely not your average college-town party scene. I don't think I've been back to my flat before 4am for a couple nights in a row now. You can't go a block without a pub, bar, or nightclub. Things will get even crazier once all the other students get back. I'm loving every minute of it.
Next stop: London. The Loyola students are all going together for 4 days. We're all hopping on the train tomorrow afternoon after yet another academic registration session. I'm sure we'll do the usual touristy stuff, but it'll be fun to see how the clubbing scene in London stands up to the crazy city I get to call home for the semester.
I'll fill you in on London when I get back. Just know that I'm extremely happy and excited to enjoy every second of my time abroad. You only live once, right?
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Leaving on a jet plane ...
So this is it. Everything I need for 3 months of my life is packed into 2 suitcases and a backpack. Don't ask me how we did it ... I have no clue. All I know is that everything from sweaters and laundry detergent to soccer cleats and an extra pillow is somewhere in the 2 gigantic suitcases. How am I going to manuver these huge things by myself in an airport? Let's not even go there. I didn't exactly make the 50-pound weight limit ... each bag is exactly 65 pounds. Eeek! But there's always a loophole if you look hard enough for it. British Airways says on their website that baggage up to 70 pounds will be accepted up until Septmeber 30. Score!
Now it's back to finishing up last minute craziness. In a matter of hours I'll be flying over the Atlantic Ocean!
Now it's back to finishing up last minute craziness. In a matter of hours I'll be flying over the Atlantic Ocean!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Perfection
So my last few days in the States are turning out to be absolutely perfect. I drove into Baltimore to see the crew at Johns Hopkins and Loyola yesterday and got to catch up with everyone I needed to see before I leave. Fantastic. Plus, I got to crash the Loyola crab feast, which made me ridiculously happy. Seriously, I can't just visit BMore and not eat crabs. I'm going back for round two at LoCo Friday to spend the night with my favorite girls. Crab feast, Friday nights at LoCo, then leaving for England ... I couldn't ask for more.
3 days left. I'm finishing up last-minute errands today so I can cross off the last few things on my to-do list. It'll be nuts, but hey, today already started off great with a phone call from Mary and Clarice in Paris ... just the beginning to another perfect day! Nothing can keep me from smiling. In 72 hours I'll be on my way to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Wish me luck!
3 days left. I'm finishing up last-minute errands today so I can cross off the last few things on my to-do list. It'll be nuts, but hey, today already started off great with a phone call from Mary and Clarice in Paris ... just the beginning to another perfect day! Nothing can keep me from smiling. In 72 hours I'll be on my way to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Wish me luck!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Less Than a Week???
It's official - I'm totally freaking out. It hit me when people asked me today when I was leaving ... "Sunday." Not "next month," or "in a couple weeks," like it's been for so long. Sunday. O crap. At least all my shopping is finshed. The guest room looks like my wardrobe exploded all over it. How amI going to fit all this stuff into two 50-pound suitcases? Seriously, something's gotta give ... and it's not going to be my little black dresses or clubbing tops. I have no clue what I'm going to do.
Well, at least packing will be easier than saying goodbye to everyone. Sure, I said goodbye to friends from home before they left to go back to school, but now I have to do it all over again via phone. Seeing the Loyola crew later this week will be amazing, but then I have to get ripped away from them again. Just go ahead and tear my heart out.
But hey, I have the most amazing semester of my life ahead of me. Apparently Newcastle is the nightlife hub of north-east England - totally my scene. Bring on the late-night craziness. Sleep is overrated anyway. All I need to function is coffee.
Nervous? Sure. Excited? Like you can't even imagine.
Well, at least packing will be easier than saying goodbye to everyone. Sure, I said goodbye to friends from home before they left to go back to school, but now I have to do it all over again via phone. Seeing the Loyola crew later this week will be amazing, but then I have to get ripped away from them again. Just go ahead and tear my heart out.
But hey, I have the most amazing semester of my life ahead of me. Apparently Newcastle is the nightlife hub of north-east England - totally my scene. Bring on the late-night craziness. Sleep is overrated anyway. All I need to function is coffee.
Nervous? Sure. Excited? Like you can't even imagine.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
10 day countdown
So the final countdown is here ... exactly 10 days left in the States. It seems so surreal that in less than two weeks I'll be landing in Newcastle, England. As fast as these next few days of living from one to-do list to another will fly by, I'm certain that 3 months in the UK will go even faster. Even though I'm a nervous wreck as I'm about to totally change my routine and travel all over Europe, I'm even more excited. All of my friends also studying abroad this semester have already arrived in their European host countries and are having a blast ... I can't wait!
So about that whole "I already know English, so I don't have to worry about learning a new language" concept ... yeah right! I swear, for the first few weeks I'm sure half of my conversations in Britain will be lost in translation. Thank goodness for British-Yankee vocabulary cheat sheets.
From navigating pubs and clubs, to catching flights to Munich for Oktoberfest, this should be an interesting few months. And maybe I'm supposed to pass classes while I'm over there? Personally, I think the whole "study" bit of study abroad is more like a weak suggestion than a rule. I plan on letting Europe will be my classroom this semester ... let's country-hop!
So about that whole "I already know English, so I don't have to worry about learning a new language" concept ... yeah right! I swear, for the first few weeks I'm sure half of my conversations in Britain will be lost in translation. Thank goodness for British-Yankee vocabulary cheat sheets.
From navigating pubs and clubs, to catching flights to Munich for Oktoberfest, this should be an interesting few months. And maybe I'm supposed to pass classes while I'm over there? Personally, I think the whole "study" bit of study abroad is more like a weak suggestion than a rule. I plan on letting Europe will be my classroom this semester ... let's country-hop!
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