Well it’s been a while everyone

I’m just going to go straight to the bulleted highlight blurbs for this one. If there are any longer stories I want to share, then they will simply be longer bullet points! Also, I’m not sure how many pictures this one is going to have so fair warning.

• I’ve been missing my old job a lot recently. Not just because I’m poor and it would be nice to be getting a paycheck, but because I really did enjoy working. Ahh well something to look forward to next year!
• I think I’m going to go to either Leeds or the Lake District here in England this weekend for like a day trip, and then hopefully London the weekend after that. I need to explore more!
• I made actual progress on my essays due at the end of this week so that’s encouraging.
• My new coat came in the mail! It’s long and covers my butt so I’m extra warm and it’s really nice.  I can’t wait to actually wear it out in some rain! (Just checked. It’s supposed to rain next week!)
• It’s been slightly warm recently. Like not shockingly frigid cold every time I walk outside, but only crisp. It’s quite nice
• There are a lot of things I’m wishing would have fit in my suitcase but there’s really no point in worrying about it.
• Wizard Week was fantastic! We got to ride on the Hogwarts Express; the actual steam engine and one of the rail cars used in the filming of the movies! It was really exciting and I felt like a little kid again, about to get on the train to finally take me away to Hogwarts.
•    Giddy before getting on the train
•  Rocking my sword of Gryffindor shirt in the compartment!
•  I didn’t want to leave
• The exchange rate is still killer.
• I am pretty much officially nocturnal, plus a bit of an insomniac. It’s super fun.
• The cafeteria serves fish and chips on Fridays and it’s really the only meal to look forward to.
• I bought purple hair dye and am going to dye the ends of my hair purple! I’ve never dyed it before, but I’ve been wanting to try something different. And this way if it looks bad it won’t ruin the color of my entire head and I can easily cut it off.
• I feel more confident here. Maybe it’s the independence; but even on my anti-social, reclusive days I feel a sense of self-assurance that wasn’t there before. It’s a good feeling.
• I’ve been able to find my allergy medications for really cheap which is nice because at home it’s quite expensive.
• People still seem to find my accent endearing and attractive. I have no idea why because I mean, have any of these people heard themselves? You all sound magnificent, not me.
• Chocolate is a food group.
• Lipstick makes me feel so glamorous.
• All of my weird dreams I’ve had lately are just about the people I miss. At least I think that’s what my brain is trying to tell me.
• I’ve really been thinking about my future a lot recently as well. I want to do a lot of things, so it’s more about structuring and finding time to do them all. Having big dreams just means I have to work for them.
• Mardi Gras is this Tuesday, or as it is known here, Shrove Tuesday. From what I can gather it is also Pancake Day (or crepe day since they’re not really pancakes) so it should be interesting to see some different traditions for this day.
• Playlist for this post: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat (which should have been nominated for an Oscar AND won the Grammy it was nominated for.)

Snow and shenanigans

Here you have a lovely selection of pictures from my day in the snow! I was super excited that not only was I getting to see real, flaky, powdery snow fall for the first time; but that the first time happened to be in England! I discovered the “Snow” setting on my camera that I never had use for until now, and I think some of my photos turned out quite beautifully. Seeing the city blanketed in snow was so magical.

In related news, I’ve been published! The Highlander; the school newspaper at UCR; had me write a piece for their “Around the World” series. The link to read it online is here: http://www.highlandernews.org/1370/ucr-around-the-world-york-united-kingdom/ and if you wanted to see how it looks in the format of the paper, in the bottom right corner of the page there is an e-edition of the paper you can scroll through. I must admit, it feels pretty cool to have something I wrote actually published. Hopefully this isn’t the last time!

Although the snow has been the highlight of this week, there are still enough little things to warrant some bulleted highlight blurbs!

• My eating habits have finally stabilized somewhat. I just need to make sure I have enough snacks to make it through the days and actual meals for weekends. But it’s finally working out.
• My bulletin board is nearly finished. It’s not like it’s difficult but I keep getting distracted or busy so I have yet to finish it.
• Having clean laundry and fresh sheets is such a luxury.
• Bought a magazine today (Elle UK) and it came with a free tube of mascara! Sweet! Also I realized I haven’t read a single magazine since I’ve been here and somehow that seemed wrong.
• Drinking enough water recently has made me feel so much healthier. I need to be remember how something so simple makes me feel so much better.
• Awkwardness with friends can sometimes be kind of good. Other times it’s annoying.
• The snow hasn’t completely melted. Probably because it hasn’t really been above freezing. It’s -6 right now.
• I went to Viking Raid with my friend Tracy last night. It was basically a huge, school-wide pub crawl and everyone got shirts with a map on them. It was a silly night; walking from each spot to the next, people watching while sipping a drink, dancing, laughing at drunk people; the usual. It was just fun to do something as a part of the student body.
• Next week we’re going to Wizard Week! Can’t wait to ride the Hogwarts Express!
• I think I’m actually going to look for a job. I need some sort of income.
• Now for a shower then sleep before two classes tomorrow!
• Playlist for this post: Songs to Fly playlist on 8tracks

IT SNOWED TODAY!

Pictures and a full report to come!

Well it’s been a month folks

I can’t believe it. I’ve officially been abroad for a month and the utterly surreal feeling hasn’t gone away. I still walk around campus marveling at everything I pass, and I smile each time the bus takes me into town. What’s even more bizarre is the fact that I still have 5!!! months here. Ridiculous.

As far as school goes, I took a mini field trip with my Milton seminar class to the York Minster Palace Library Archives today. I was a bit late because I forgot it does actually take a while to get into town on the bus, but nevertheless I got there in time to see and touch some really old books. We looked at a few books whose authors touched on major themes reflected in Paradise Lost as well as an extremely old copy of Paradise Lost itself. We had to be careful with the delicate pages and the fragile binding, and the entire time we were in a reading room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves packed with old books. So cool. I couldn’t take any pictures, but the university website has this one of the inside which gives you an idea.

It was cool. Walking to the library gave me a really neat view of the backside of the Minster and Dean’s Park that I was walking through. Here are some of the shots I snapped on my little walk through

  

Gahh so pretty. The grass was still a bit icy from the below zero temperatures the night before but the sun was shining bright and the sky was clear as you can see.

Here are some more pictures I’ve taken of the outside of the Minster since I’ve been here.

        

It’s pretty spectacular, and quite hard to fit into a frame by itself but I’ll keep trying. After our library visit today, I sat outside the Minster and had some lunch on a little bench.

 See? (That lady behind me is confused why I’m taking a picture. I don’t care)

Now to wrap things up with  bulleted highlight blurbs!

• I cannot seem to make nail polish stay on my nails longer than 2 days. It’s lame.
• It’s been really cold the last two days. Like bone chilling cold; with below freezing temperatures at night and barely above during the day AND slight winds which make it so much worse. But it just means more layers!
• I’m starting to become familiar with slang here. Some things just can’t be explained so I’ve just been picking up things here and there. It’s kind of fun
• My sinuses are all messed up again because the weather changed. Oh well
• Spray on deodorant is slightly exciting.
• Their chips here (french fries) always need salt for me.
• I found a patisserie while wandering through town today that had absolutely fantastic looking desserts. I plan to go back and have an afternoon of sampling while reading.
• It’s Wizard Week at the National Railway Museum here in York  starting next weekend and I’m so excited! (More info here: http://www.nrm.org.uk/PlanaVisit/Events/wizardweek2012.aspx)
• Boys talked to me at the club last night. Sweet. I’m not completely unappealing.
• I need to do laundry again but it’s quite expensive. Ahh well what can you do.
• I have re-discovered my ability to nap again recently and it has been wonderful.
• I’ve been having Disneyland withdrawals but then I remembered that I’m going to visit Disneyland Paris soon and felt better.
• There’s a gnarly bruise on my thigh from someone bumping me into a table while I was out and it hurts really bad and is turning all sorts of fun colors.
• My bulletin board will soon have a border on it. Pictures will be taken!
• Having friends here really is the most magical thing. I love having people to talk to; both my hallmates and my girlfriends. Fantastic I tell you.
• Now to turn in for an early night.
• Playlist for this post: William Fitzsimmons and Bon Iver

The last few days

So just some brief bulleted highlight blurbs:

• Dorothy Perkins is becoming my latest clothing store obsession. They have been having a clearance sale online and in their stores and the deals are insane. I’ve bought some really good pieces in the last week for ridiculous prices and the things I bought are making me very happy.
• My throat still hurts pretty bad left over from my little cold so if it doesn’t go away that’s one more question to ask at the health centre.
• I am ridiculously excited for Glee’s Michael Jackson episode. It just looks so fun I can’t wait.
•  My cool new ring (from Dorothy Perkins) and a fresh manicure. I’m quite pleased with myself for keeping my nails nice and not biting them.
• I started to catch up on the TV show Supernatural again and I’ve been entertaining myself by drawing parallels and making connections to Milton’s Paradise Lost. Super nerdy.
• We still need to finalize a lot of our trip plans but it’s still way too exciting!
• Cookies are delicious.
• My sense of style is a lot different here, I guess you could say it’s better. For some reason I felt like I could sort of re-invent myself and the way I usually dress and wear things that I would usually think I can’t pull off. There’s something sort of nice about putting together outfits that I’ve thought would look awful on me, and being pleasantly surprised when I like the result. It’s fun to be one the stylish girls too.
• Speaking of clothes, I took a picture of my outfit yesterday because I really liked it and was complimented on it too. (here’s my face)  (a view of the actual outfit)
• I need to take more pictures. And have people take pictures of me too. I want these memories to look back on
• Sometimes I don’t like leaving my room when I hear people outside because I feel nosy or like I’m interrupting something. But I think that’s just me being weird because everyone is always so friendly but still. Nobody wants to be the weird kid.
• I think the International Student’s Association is going to be really good for me. Their meeting was very relaxed, and they had food. I think this could work. Also, I’m going to the Harry Potter Society meeting sometime this week. Hopefully it’s fun!
• My tiny Nutella jar is now a pencil holder on my desk.
• All I’ve done today is read and think of essay topics. Blah I’ve been shut in my room all day I should probably have some sort of human interaction today.
• I had dinner at Pizza Express last night with a few friends and it was even better than before. Our advisers took us to the one in Edinburgh, and I had a gift card from them to use so we went last night. My pizza was delicious.  I got the Soho with rocket and olives. It was so yummy and I definitely ate the entire thing. And still had room for cheesecake. Yep.
• I need to cook more. Especially on the weekends. It makes me happy and keeps me healthy.
• Alright, time for more food. To the kitchen I go!
• Playlist for this post: Supernatural Season 6. I took a break from reading to watch and write this post.

I never know how to title these

I don’t have any new pictures to post unfortunately, but I’m hoping in the coming days I’ll have some more photo memories to post along with my updates. Sorry!

On the school front, I’ve settled into my classes for the most part. I really don’t spend very much of my time in the classroom as compared to at home, which is a bit different. More of the work is done individually and almost at each student’s discretion. In the end the amount of work and reading someone has put in either makes it easier or harder to write final essays which, duh, makes sense. I’ve been keeping up with my reading for the most part and I have a few ideas floating around in my head already, particularly for my Milton seminar. But enough boring school stuff. On to the bulleted highlight blurbs! (I think that might be an official name from now on)

• My room has stayed surprisingly clean so far. Usually it gets so messy without me even trying but that hasn’t really happened. Maybe it’s because I simply don’t have as many things to get cluttered and it’s easier to clean up the few things that are out of place.
• I finally bought curl mousse for my hair so maybe it’ll stop being limp and frizzy.
• My bed padding and extra pillow got here over the weekend! My bed is super cozy now, even if my weird dreams have been making sleep difficult. My brain needs to calm down.
• I bought Yorkshire Gold tea from the market. It seemed like the right thing to do.
• Nutella comes in small glass jars here. It’s not nearly enough to last a substantial amount of time for a Nutella addict. But the jar is cute.
• I went into town all by myself today to get medication and a few other things and it was awesome. Even just a tiny bit of independence stemming from going to town alone and taking care of business is very satisfying and liberating.
• Poundland is the greatest thing ever. It’s the dollar store basically but I feel like Poundland has better stuff. That’s just me.
• Except for perfume. I wanted a new perfume and there were some for like 50p at Poundland so I thought oooo I can buy like 5! Except they all smelled oddly like either baby powder or rubbing alcohol. Not particularly alluring but I don’t know what else I was expecting. It is still Poundland.
• The clothes I ordered from Dorothy Perkins online came and I did quite well in my internet shopping haul. I might only return one thing; still unsure; but I got two long sleeve t’s, two sheer going out tops, two pairs of long socks, a scarf and a skirt. And all for £31! (or about $42. They were having a clearance sale)
• I’m making some big plans for spring break with my friends. I bought a ticket to Bologna, Italy over the weekend so if nothing else I’m going to Italy! But right now our plan is to go to Italy, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, and Spain. We have a 5 week spring break so we’re going to fit it all in! It still seems surreal that I even have the luxury and ability to do something like all of this.
• I caught a bit of a cold but I think it’s on it’s way out. At least I didn’t lose my appetite otherwise I probably would have wasted away.
• My clothes layering skills are exceptional at this point.
• Budgeting is still stressful, but it’s getting easier. All part of being a grown up I suppose. At least now all of the money I have is actually my own to spend since I made my full accommodation payment.
• I’m trying to figure out with my parents if there’s any way they could come visit. It would be the coolest thing if they could.
• Getting sleepy so it’s time for a shower, then some tea and reading, then bed. Headed back into town tomorrow so hopefully there will be new pictures for the weekend!
• Playlist for this post: Foster the People

Mini Update

This whole post is going to be in bullet form, just so everyone is aware before they embark on the task of reading.

• I (finally) got to Skype with my two best friends and roommates at home last night (well really incredibly early this morning). It was so good to see their faces and hear their voices and laugh hysterically with them even being so far apart. It made me very happy 🙂
• A few of my hallmates and I went to the college bar (yes each college has their own bar) last night. It was really chill, just people sitting around with a few drinks and talking. They taught me how to play pool too, and the great highlight for me was getting one ball to go into a pocket. It was quite exciting. I expect only exponential improvement from now on.
• I made a Disney collage to decorate the front of my dull notebook for school.
•  See?
• I bought groceries yesterday. Having food to eat that isn’t from the dining hall or from eating out is already incredibly helpful. Yay for food!
• Me and the girls went to a really cool pub called the Evil Eye Lounge tonight for a few hours. It was thoroughly enjoyable; with a really fun vibe to the whole place (candles, fun wall decor, highback chairs, cool bartenders), delicious drinks, and good conversation. We might make it a weekly tradition actually!
• The extra cushion and pillow for my bed should be soon. I can’t wait to have a more comfortable bed.
• Now I shall sleep because I either feel a cold coming on or I’m being paranoid because my friend here is sick. Either way I need to sleep.
• Playlist for this post: Ed Sheeran… again…

A bit of a smorgasbord today

So since it’s really cold and might actually rain I thought I would do a little homey, everyday life post. You know, what my room looks like and such. But first an update on everything else I suppose. I had my first seminar for my Milton class today, and I think I’m going to really like it. The class feels like one of my honors discussion sections (except without the horrible soul crushing that came with anything to do with honors) because of it’s small class size. I think there are only 12 people in the seminar which can either be incredibly awkward or a lovely sort of intimacy. Today it was pleasant but we’ll see. There was only one guy in the class, actually there was only one in my other seminar too. Good to see the English program is female dominated. Well maybe not so if I want to go on a date but ehh. My professor was really animated which is always a good way for me to become engaged in a class. Overall so far so good. Dinner wasn’t bad tonight either; school cafeterias probably shouldn’t make risotto but at least it had flavor.

Now to my house. I live in one of the older buildings on campus, but like we would always say on housing tours, it has history.

But my room itself is cute. It felt cozy as soon as I started unpacking and now it really feels like home.  Here’s some of the things in there that make me happy

 

My collages on the giant bulletin board on the wall. It’s seriously like 6 ft wide. It’s one of the coolest things about my room. And it’s nice to have room to add on to it with things I collect while I’m here.

Also hanging on the bulletin board is all of my jewelry. I hung my necklaces from tacks, while the travel toiletry case hangs holding my earrings, bracelets, and rings. I was quite proud of my creativity here.

Now on to the clothes! I tweeted the other day about my closet looking like the inside of Hollister, and now you all may judge for yourselves. There’s something about those wooden shelves…  And next to that we have pretty much my new favorite things, the faux leather boots I bought at  Primark in Edinburgh for £10! They’re pretty fantastic.

 

   

And just a few more random shots. My school stuff (Kindle, planner and notebook), sweater shelf again, and my little sink area in my room which is super convenient.

Oh! And the view out my window

Now for some closing remarks:

• We still haven’t gotten any real rain. So strange
• Everyone here must either be independently wealthy or heiresses or oil barons’ kids or something because they all have so much disposable income for food out in restaurants and groceries and alcohol and clubbing. It’s insane.
• I think I want some sort of border paper for my bulletin board.
• Every time I come home and want to socialize with my hall mates, no one’s home, and then the second I get cozy in my room or get sleepy or a headache crops up, everybody pours out of their rooms to party it up. Terrible timing people
• I’m irritated and a little ashamed that I’m not at Riverside today, yesterday too. There are incredible protests and changes happening that I saw the beginnings of last year but to not be there for the Regents’ meeting and the awesome power of the frustrated student body is disappointing. I’ll stay glued to the computer then
• Being able to drink tap water is quite literally refreshing
• Playlist for this post: Ed Sheeran, courtesy of Jake

An update and some musings

* Quick note: This post doesn’t have as many pictures, but I may come back and add some in… But here’s me in one of my hats today!

So I’ve been abroad for 2 weeks now, which simultaneously feels like forever and nothing at all. I suppose that’s good though, it means I’m getting the most out of my time. Or something. I started classes on Monday, which at first I was super intimidated by suddenly. We kept receiving all of this conflicting, random info from different advisers and faculty about the difficulty of our classes; with some lady telling us that we would practically have to learn a new language to write proper academic English. And then another one said that was for people whose first language wasn’t English. So unclear. And ridiculous since I already know how to do that. Then there was the usual unknown of what professors expect of their students, would I have to talk, will I sound stupid blah blah blah. But the first day was fairly anti-climactic. The lecture for The Romantic Period was sort of dull and random but I’m hoping it will pick up. I just have to keep up with all of my reading. My Kindle has already proved quite handy for keeping all of my reading on it though so that’s a plus.

On the social spectrum, my hallmates (flatmates? roommates? apartment mates? I never know what to call them) and I are getting along really well. They’re all so welcoming and friendly, from knocking on my door to ask if I want to do stuff with them or feeding me when they make dinner. They gave me a cupboard in the kitchen too which just felt kind. I have a pretty cool group of international student girls to hang out with too, and it’s been so fun to go into to town and explore and go out dancing with them at night and just experience being here with other ‘outsiders’ as it were.

Other things:

• Someone who had this room before me left glow-in-the-dark stars and planets on the ceiling. I like them.
• I have a sweater shelf and it makes me really happy.
• 
• It was supposed to rain today for the first time since I’ve been here, but it still hasn’t. Weird.
• Going out here to clubs or pubs or bars or even just for food is expensive. It doesn’t seem that bad until suddenly it’s adding up. Gotta cut down even though it’s part of the experience.
• This is what I wore to the first day of classes:
• 
• I think I’m going to do some more specialized posts on specific things instead of clumping them together.
• I’ve heard Mexican food is atrocious here, if you can even find it, which I am severely disappointed by. I’m not sure how long I’ll last without it. At least I know how to make a lot of it so there’s that option.
• If you want to take a tour of York Minster like I did, go here http://www.yorkminster.org/virtualtour/index.html and explore. It’s almost like being there.
• The size of lined notebook paper is different here. Awkward.
• I have a newfound appreciation for socks and boots. At home they were rarely necessary and so not much attention was paid to them. Now I love socks and want to buy more and boots are my shoe of choice.
• I think I have lost weight again. Not sure if I like it.
• Guys here are strange. They’ll smile at you and whisper to their friends and stare at you but won’t make a move at all. They rarely just walk up and talk to you and they definitely don’t just start dancing with someone. Pretty different from home where guys don’t really give a crap and do whatever they want for the most part. I think a balance of the two would be nice.
• I have now successfully eaten two meals solo in the dining hall and it was quite liberating.
• My bed needs some sort of extra padding on it but mattress toppers are expensive.
• There are 4 ducks quacking outside my window right now. They’re just some of the many birds we have on campus. They’re funny.

A little taste

Just thought I would do a little master post of some of the meals I’ve been having. Food abroad overall has been not bad, some bland and not great but others pretty good.  So here’s the one’s I remembered to take a picture of.

My first real meal abroad, homemade vegetable soup and roll from a cafe just off of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Simple and delicious.

 

A mushroom Wellington with chips at Mum’s which serves traditional British food. I wish I had a picture of the inside, because it was full of cheese, mushrooms, and spinach. Yum

 

Really delicious macaroni and cheese from a pub off of Prince’s Street. I wish I had been able to take the leftovers home, but many British restaurants don’t have ‘takeaway’ options for their food. Ahh well it was wonderfully creamy.

 

 

My lovely brunch from the Elephant House in Edinburgh. This is the cafe where J.K. Rowling famously started writing Harry Potter so it was incredible to actually sit in the restaurant.  The food was quite yummy too (I had a shortbread cookie, a mocha, and scrambled eggs on whole wheat bread) so not only was it a super cool experience but good food as well.

 

Marshmallow hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant from Pret a Manger in York. So warm and chocolately, especially nice for a crisp day in York.

 

Me at Piccolino, this lovely Italian restaurant in town. I only had the salad pictured (the Tricolore with mozzarella, tomato, and avocado) that night since I wasn’t very hungry, but they make homemade pasta that I’ll have to go back and try.

Hope this little taste (haha puns) of my travels is fun! After all, everyone loves food.