Proud of where I am

As I am typing this, I am lying in possibly one of the most comfortable hotel beds I have ever slept in. My dad and my step mom came to London yesterday morning to visit me and see what I have been experiencing the past 3 months. We walked around London a lot yesterday, doing all of the common tourist things that you're supposed to do when you visit London like go see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, have lunch right next to the London Eye, ride the tube, and check out Picadilly Circus. It was a great start to a short vacation, and my one opportunity to show off where I have been living.

I am absolutely infatuated with everything about England. I have probably said that numerous times throughout my blogs, but I just can't get enough of it. I feel as though there are so many places that I still want to see, so many things that I want to learn, and so much that I still want to do. We're walking around in London and my dad is popping out about 20 questions per minute and I have no idea how to respond to him! It's a little embarrassing because I am truly so proud of where I am and what i'm doing over here, but it's not London that I have wanted to, or even had the opportunity to, spend the majority of my time exploring. It's Oxford.

So today, I decided that  I wanted to take them up to Oxford and really give them a feel for everyday life in England. Even my dad mentioned how Americanized London seemed and I just knew that the second we got to Oxford, it would be a completely different experience for them. And was I right! We took the train to Oxford from Paddington Station and right away my dad made the comment of "Okay! we're finally in England!" We hopped on a double decker bus and cruised into the city centre. Starting, of course, with buying my dad a raincoat, we went on to explore the Oxford Library, the Oxford University Schools, Turf Tavern, Chequers, and attempted to climb up the church where you can see all over Oxford but it was closed because they were putting up the bells.

I had never actually truly explored inside the big Oxford University because I alway thought it was closed off to the public. Yet, my dad being who he is and such a rebel at heart, we got to go through some gardens and climb stairs that led us into this huge dining hall that actually completely resembled the "Great Hall" in Harry Potter. It was a really cool feeling to be up there and exploring these buildings because of how old they are and to think about how learning has been going on in these buildings for hundreds of years absolutely baffles me.

The fact that I brought them to see Oxford University before I brought them to where I actually attend classes at Brookes might not have been the best idea, I think that I set them up to expect where all of my learning goes on to be very similar to that. That is not the case at all. Oxford Brookes is a much younger school than Oxford University and definitely not as prestigious, but I am still just as proud to be a student there. I walked them through part of the Headington Campus, but we were in such a rush to get back to London for a Latin Mass (which we never actually made it to) that we had to rush through all of that campus and where I live. Walking into my flat, I was so proud to show them how my flat mates and I live. We really try to make our flat like a home and I was so happy that my dad and step mom got to meet them all.

Getting back to London was not too bad at all, and as always, I passed out on the train ride back. I'm not sure what it is about sitting in moving vehicles, but I always manage to fall asleep! Even if i'm driving 20 minutes on a warm sunny day, it's just how I am. We unfortunately didn't make it in time for a Latin mass so we just decided to go and see the play "War Horse" instead. Now, this was a production like I have never seen before. The acting was pretty good, but what really blew me away was how the actors moved with the man-made horses, geese, and other birds. It legitimately looked as if they had studied animals and their reactions and how they interact with not only humans but with other animals and practiced mimicking them. It was absolutely incredible. Not to mention the fact that I love movies that involve past wars because I am a total history lover, and this movie took place during World War I. There were definitely some parts that I thought were a little cheesy, such as the story line and how much one of the actors talked to the horse, pretty much expecting it to answer back. But I guess that was all part of the plot so there was no real way around that.

Tomorrow my step mom wants to go and check out Harrods department Store, Buckingham Palace, and the crown jewels at the Tower of London. Of course, I wish that I could take them back to Oxford and even just walk around with them, experiencing what I see around the city every day and how it makes me feel that I could live there for the rest of my life. There are some things, such as the Oxford Castle, that I haven't even been able to go to yet so I was looking forward to take them there, but this is their trip, and honestly, I would rather make people happy while they are visiting a place than trying to be selfish and show them what I want them to see.

I feel sorry for anyone that hasn't had their parents, relatives, or friends come visit them while they've been over here. It's not only helpful for a person that may be homesick, but it's a chance to show off what you've been doing for the past three months! Stories and pictures can only say so much, but experiences, now that's where the real appreciation and understanding comes from.

Birmingham Christmas Market

I am finally on my way to pick up my dad and my step mom from the airport, it's about 8 in the morning and I don't think that I have ever had a weekend where I had to get up as early as i've had to every single day. It's been pretty nice, I have to admit I mean I feel productive and I'm definitely ready to go to bed by the time I get home at night, but it's just not what I'm used to. I still cannot get over how I am actually watching the sun rise right now and it's 8 in the morning. Daylight savings time never ceases to blow my mind.

Since this bus ride is a little over an hour, I thought "what a better time than to write a blog about my day yesterday". Getting up at around 6:30 in the morning was a bit of a killer, but I was not the only person having problems waking up. My friend in my traveling writing class, Sarah, actually slept through her alarm! So thank god I kept calling her or else I would've been taking a cab by myself to the Gloucester Green station and she would've missed out on an awesome German Christmas Market.

It was just Sarah, me, and our professor going to this festival, which was actually really nice because I have always liked traveling in smaller groups rather than larger ones. It makes it easier to keep track of everyone and we don't look like a bunch of lost americans wandering around a city that we've never been to before. Instead, we were three americans circling around the streets of Birmingham trying to find any sign of Christmas decorations or german festival signs pointing us in the right direction.

When we finally made it to the right markets, it was just what I expected. Stalls lining the streets with all different types of delicious food, drinks, and souvenirs. Right at the beginning of the market was a little street performer that was a man underneath some sort of box covering his torso while his voice projected out of a drunken puppet that sounded like he had been smoking his entire life. It was quite a show with his little chants at people and random christmas melodies coming out of his flute. People would take pictures of him and he would strike a pose as if the puppet had a mind of its own. I have never seen anything like this up close before, just in the movies such as the "muppets", but it was definitely some of the most creative talent I have ever seen.

Walking up the streets we're passing stalls with chocolate covered marshmallows, hot chocolate with your choice of baileys or amaretto, nut crackers, hand-woven scarves, trinkets made out of wood, pretzel sandwiches (which actually would've been much better tasting if they were warm) and so much more. It absolutely amazed me to see how many people were actually drinking not only spiked hot chocolate, but huge steins of beer that I saw when I went to Oktoberfest in Munich. I take that back, it did not surprise me at all (because I know that we are in Europe and that's what they do here) but it just showed one more huge difference between the culture here and in the states.

I was scoping out christmas gifts for some of my family and friends back at home because this market did not only consist of christmas decorations and souvenirs, but instead home made and hand crafted objects that I would most likely not be able to find anywhere else. I decided to buy one of my many cousins a gift because she has been generous enough these past few years to help me out while I've been away from my immediate family in North Carolina by hosting me at least once or twice a year and always on Thanksgiving. She has always collected elephants so I bought her one that made the sound of an elephant when you blew into a little hole in its back. I thought it was a good idea because it would be something that she could add to her collection and that her 4 year old son could be entertained by. I also bought gifts for my step mom and my little brother, but I'll leave those out of here because who knows if they are reading this blog right after I post it!

The german hot chocolate spiked with Baileys that I tried was absolutely wonderful. Not only was I losing feeling in my fingers from being so cold, but my sweet tooth was definitely satisfied as well. They gave us little green coins with our mugs that had a little logo on them for the German Christmas markets and if we wanted to get our three pounds back, then we would give them the mug and the coin. I wanted to keep the mug as my own personal souvenir, but of course, me being me, I lost it after sitting down at a place that we thought we were going to be getting tea at...

Once it started to down pour and become more and more miserable, we went to this really cool museum that is actually in partnership with the British Museum. We stayed in there for a while and browsed. Soon after we decided to get some tea and coffee at this adorable little restaurant on a boat. I'm not sure how many people can say that they have had british tea and coffee on a boat, but it's crossed off my bucket list now! It was the most adorable place decorated just for christmas time and perfectly heated so that we were warm and cozy waiting for the endless rain to pass. Unfortunately, it didn't pass and we were forced to go back through the christmas markets in the pouring rain to find our way back to the coach station.

One thing we had to do before we left though was try one of the german sausages. Forgive me because my memory is awful and I cannot remember the name of the sausages for the life of me, but they ended up being really good! It was a nice little taste of my heritage while I was sitting in England. Overall I thought the trip was a definite success. Never mind the rain and the thousands of relentless people that were determined to be at those markets no matter what (yet another difference between the states and here because this place would've been completely empty and shut down if it was raining this hard all day). I love christmas markets and I am so happy that I got to experience my first one out of the 4 that I wanted to get to before the 23rd!

Bittersweet

Throughout this entire trip, there have been quite a few times that I think about what exactly I miss from back home. Obviously I miss my entire family and friends, but it's the little things that I have been thinking about recently. Such as, being able to hop in my car and just drive wherever I want, whenever I want, being able to have service all the time, rather than just when I manage to get some wifi, buying chex mix from the gas stations for long road trips. There are just certain American ways that I just long for sometimes at the most random points of the day. I cannot wait to get back home and go straight to Panera, Dunkin' Donuts, Bagel World, and Not your Average Joe's. As funny as this is going to sound, the thing that I miss the most about being in the states is being able to work. Not just because I miss making money, which I do, but because it kept me busy, it made me feel important, and it made me feel like I had some sort of contribution to the world and our economy. 

Back in the states, I have two jobs. One is a waitress at the Seaport Grille in Gloucester, MA, and the other is a hostess, soon to be a waitress, at Harpers Restaurant in the Friendly Center in Greensboro, NC. I have made the best relationships with my co-workers at both places, and it has taught me so much about people, human relations (which is actually my minor), and having a positive attitude. Working has made me feel so good about myself and has provided me with an escape when High Point gets a little too much, or my family and friends that I don't work with gets a little too much. It gives me a chance to build relationships with people that may have an effect on what I end up doing once I graduate college. It even allows me to create a whole different life for myself separate from one that I have with my family, at school, and even from my friends from home. 

There are definitely quite a few things that I am going to miss about Oxford and the rest of England in general. Including the fact that I get to walk everywhere, the history of the city, the people, and of course, the people's accents in England. The food I'll most likely get over pretty fast, but it's definitely going to be a bit of a culture shock going back and not being able to drink for about 3 months since I won't be 21 until March. 

I feel as though I have some sort of unfinished business here in England. Like I didn't have enough time to do everything that I wanted to do. I mean yeah of course I traveled a lot, met a lot of great people, and had an absolutely fantastic time, but I could totally see myself moving back here after graduation. Of course it may take about a year to adjust completely, but all of those things that I mentioned earlier about missing in the states will just be that much better whenever I go back. Another great aspect of moving to England is that the economy is SO much better here than it is in the states, and if I were to get a job here, then I would be much more well off than if I settled for one in America. 

Of course, I would have to talk to my mom about moving here with me because I don't think her and I could ever be apart for more than 6 months at a time. She is the one person in my life that I completely 120% trust and has been there for me no matter what. She's my best friend and I don't know if I could move away from my best friend for that long. I have so much time to think about the future and what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I am just such a planner. Always have been, always will be. I am all about the list making, the goal making, the crossing off when you get something done, the setting of expectations, the constant pursuing of my dreams. It is both a blessing and a curse as my mom has told me since the day I could talk, but it's who I am. 

I feel as though a lot of my blogs recently are about what is going on in my head and how I am changing the way that I think about a lot of things and how I have grown so much over these past few months. Not only in a sense of thinking about my future, but in the sense that I am growing up so much. I don't want to go out and get "wasted" every single night, I want to embrace my time here and do as much as I can because who knows if I'll ever be here again. I want to go to a church service and see how it's different here compared to in the states, I want to buy everyone else gifts, rather than myself, so that they can share in this study abroad experience with me without actually being here. I want to figure out what really makes me happy and hold onto it so that whenever i'm feeling down i'll look back at my experiences and wonder why I am sweating the small stuff. 

It's so true what people say that time changes everything. I would never have guessed a year ago that I would be sitting at this desk typing up a blog about my experience of studying in Europe! I mean I had an idea that I wanted to go abroad but I had no idea where and when I would have the chance to do it. I feel as though I'm going to go back to High Point a very changed person because not only was I known to be a party girl that always liked to have a good time, but I was always up for a drink as well. That's not the case anymore, although I do love to have a few drinks, I do not find a point in getting absolutely smashed like your typical college student. This may have to do with the fact I feel as though I am growing up faster than my peers around me because of certain events that have happened throughout my life, but it's definitely nothing that I'm ashamed of or unhappy about.

I am absolutely infatuated with being abroad, and the whole culture of England in general. It is very bittersweet leaving to return hope to the states, but hey, who knows what the future will bring? Maybe I will end up becoming a UK citizen?

Barcelona!

Barcelona was by far one of my favorite places to go so far. I'm not sure if it had to do with the fact that I was spending an entire weekend with two of my best friends, or if it was because I got to see a beach for the first time in 3 months and it was very refreshing; nevertheless, it was quite an experience. My expectations of Barcelona and Spain in general were completely different than the reality. I was expecting a lot more poverty, a lot and it to be a lot more dirty I guess is the right word? I've never been to Mexico, but i've seen pictures and i've seen it in movies, and I think that was what I was expecting Spain to be more like. The beaches, the sights, the statues, even the clubs...exceeded my expectations to the fullest.

Like every other trip that I have gone on so far while studying abroad, this traveling experience was no different from the others. Our flight left at 7 a.m and my friend, Courtney, and I had to take the 1 a.m bus in order to get to Luton Airport before our flight took off. I described a bit of our experience in my last blog so I won't go through it all again, but once we got off the plane and onto the Aerobus to get to my friend's, Allison, apartment, the adventures began.

Luckily, we did not make the "common traveler mistake" of taking a nap before we did some exploring because we were ready to see all of Barcelona. We started out at this really good sandwich and salad shop that had very cheap prices for a good amount of food. (Forgive me because my spanish is not too great so the names of places may either be spelt wrong, or forgotten) I don't remember the name of the place but Allison said that it was usually a very popular spot for people to come and eat.


After dropping our bags off at Allison's room and meeting all of her roommates, Courtney, Allison, her friend, and I went on a scooter tour ride. They were only about 15 euro for 2 hours which was definitely not too shabby, and we had our own two free tour guides to show us around the city. Riding the scooters reminded me of riding the Vespas in Tuscany, Italy, but I think the vespas still take the cake. We scootered all the way down the beach boardwalk, passed the statue of Christopher Columbus, passed the Aquarium, passed some street performers, passed people trying desperately to sell us shirts, purses, and other knickknacks on the sides of the streets. We made it all the way down to the end of the beach where the sun was setting and it was one of the most fantastic things I have ever seen in my life. I even had a chance to touch the Mediterranean Ocean for the first time in my life! (cross that one off my bucket list) Although the scooters didn't go very fast, I sort of liked that about them, it gave me a chance to catch up with Allison since I hadn't seen her since Oktoberfest and a chance to really look around and soak in all of the beauty around me.

Once our two hours of scootering was up, we were all starving and decided to go to a restaurant right across from the beach with a big stripped blue awning. (Once again, I apologize about the bad memory on the name of the place) This place had a really good deal of a three course meal and a drink for only 15 euro each. I decided to try out this appetizer that had salmon and cristinis and butter on them. Unfortunately, the first food that I had eaten in Spain was not the best, but once I got the chicken it changed my opinion on Spanish food completely. Courtney, Allison, and her other friend go a very classic spanish dish called Paella. (not sure on the spelling) I got a chance to try it, but it was a little too fishy for me, plus i am not a huge fan of muscles which is what the dish was covered in. Courtney and I decided to buy the two girls a pitcher of Sangria as a "Thanks" for allowing us to stay with them and show us around even though they have already done/seen everything historical over there. The sangria was probably one of the best that I have ever had, and I definitely recommend it to anyone that decides to go to Spain because that's one of the things that Spain is known for.

Another thing that Barcelona is known for is their night life. The clubs are all underground and any bar you go into there is usually at least a 10 minute wait to get in. The place that we went to was really cool, it had a bunch of different rooms and played really loud techno american music. It was packed downstairs and when you went through the doors from the dance floor, it would lead right out onto the beach. We did not end up going home until 5 in the morning which is absolutely insane to me because I never stay out that late!

The next day, as my friend put it, was a "typical saturday in Barcelona" where everyone slept in until about 2 in the afternoon, got up to eat food, rested all day, and got ready to go back out for another night of partying. I was so tired that I was about to say everyone just go without me, but my friends were not about to let me stay in on a night in Barcelona. Allison brought us to this really cool bar that only gave out shots, but not any type of shots, they had about 500 different ones to choose from ranging from Boy Scout shots (which were lit on fire and we were told to chase with a marshmallow on a stick) to willy wonka shots (which tasted just like candy), to Diablo shots that tasted awful but were lit on fire in the sign of a cross.

Our last day in Barcelona was spent doing all of the touristy things such as seeing Park Guell, La Familia Sagrada, Arch De Triumph, Statue of Columbus, and a huge park that had a bunch of beautiful fountains with sculptures in the middle of them. On our way to Park Guell we stopped at all of the touristy souvenir shops which were selling hand painted animals in the same porcelain-type of clay that was used to make Park Guell. I got my sister a little spanish doll that was dressed up like a Flamanco Dancer, and I got my dad one of the hand painted bulls. Later that night we went to a bar called George Payne which is an Irish bar, but the most American place to go in Barcelona. We went to watch the Patriots game (which they happened to beat the Colts - an extra bonus) and sang karaoke to "sweet caroline".

I did not want to leave Barcelona, it was so much fun, absolutely beautiful, and everyone was so nice! Now I understand why Allison was raving about it all of the time when we would Skype. The only downside to living there is the fact that you have to take the metro everywhere, which is not the cheapest form of transportation, and the fact that there are not that many people that speak english. I feel as though I would get so frustrated if I studied over there because although I have 4 years of spanish education, they talk so fast and I don't have a whole lot of patience when I can't understand someone...

Next on the travel list is Prague in 2 weeks and I am so so sooo excited for the christmas market! Christmas is by far my favorite time of year and I am very anxious to see what they do differently to celebrate it over here.

Trying to pass the time

**Written on November 16th, 2012**

It is 5:26 a.m and Courtney and I have been sitting in the Luton Airport for about 2 and a half hours now after taking the 1 a.m National Express bus from Oxford. No, we did not choose to get here this early, it was just the only bus that would get us to the airport on time in order to make our flight to Barcelona at 7:45 a.m. We were the first people to get through security this morning and tried very hard to get comfortable on the hard benches that have a bar in between each seat in order to maybe catch a few hours of sleep before the terminal got packed with travelers. Courtney was lucky enough to get comfortable and fall asleep. Me on the other hand, I resorted so laying on the cold floor and trying to read my book wishing that I would fall asleep. Nope, didn’t happen. Waited until starbucks finally opened at 5 am so I could get a coffee and something to eat, to hopefully make the time go by a little faster. I was wrong, we still have 2 hours left which actually feels like about 10...

Backing up a little bit to right before we went through security, Courtney and I ran through a bit of a difficulty. We were told by one of our friends that has traveled using easyjet before that we were allowed to bring a carry on bag and a big purse. Of course, we found out that that was definitely not the case when we walked up to security. The lady would not let us through so Courtney and I were forced to walk back down the stairs and try to fit our gigantic purses inside of our backpacks. Being the typical girls that we are, we had already overpacked our backpacks and so we had to take out clothes and wear them through security over the t-shirts that we already had on. Also, thank goodness we were both wearing leggings because we were able to put our jeans on over them. We walked through securtiy looking like two huge people getting ready for a northeastern snowstorm. Of course looking back now an hour and a half later, we think it’s a bit funny, but at the time I was ready to pay 60 pounds and just check one of my bags. Thank goodness I didn’t do that!

I am actually surprised that the airport is as packed as it is for a Friday morning this early. There are loads of people trying to curl up on little chairs with their jackets and get some sleep, while others are reading magazines or books, and of course there are the select few couples that are trying to make the time pass by by simply gazing into each other’s eyes, snapping selfies on their iphones, and cuddling up as if there were no heat in the entire building. 

I am always amazed to see how people dress when they are traveling by plane. I would think that everyone would like to be comfortable and wear something like leggings, or yoga pants, or sweatpants, with a t-shirt and sweatshirt on. Nope, but of course there are those girls that are dressed up in their tight little dresses or dress pants and their cute tops with heels on and their hair looking as if they had just walked out of a salon. I mean HELLO PEOPLE, isn’t it 5:30 in the morning?! The guys on the other hand, all seem to be wearing similar outfits. Jeans and a casual top with comfortable shoes. Unless they’re business men of course, then it’s the whole suit and dress shoes attire carrying their breifcase (or some call it a manbag). 

I honestly have nothing better to do than observe the people around me, so that is exactly what I am going to blog about. The man sitting in front of me looks as if he is going traveling somewhere. Maybe staying in a hostel? He looks to be twice my age but he’s carrying a backpack with a waterbottle on the side. He’s reading a book, and pushing his glasses up about every few seconds when they start to slide down his nose. I wonder where he’s going... Maybe he’s going to visit someone? maybe a long lost lover? Or maybe he’s traveling somewhere to do some research. He seems like a pretty intelligent man, or maybe it’s just the glasses...

Another couple sitting right near the “intelligent man” look ready to go on a vacation together. The girl is one of the ones that I described earlier, all dressed up, carrying her starbucks coffee, and furry purse (that’s right, I did say furry purse, it looks as if she skinned her own cat to make it), while reading a woman’s health magazine. I wonder where these two could be going. Maybe to visit one of their parents? Maybe to go on a mini vacation just the two of them? They look to be only a few years older than me so I don’t think that they’re married, but they are definitely comfortable enough with each other to not have to be all over each other all the time. Sometimes I envy people that are in happy relationships, but then I remember “oh yeah! i’m abroad and beyond happy to be single!”

Right before Courtney and I left for the airport, we met up with my friend Paris that is originally from Oxford that I met out one night at Clems. I may have written about her in a previous blog but she is genuinely one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I feel as though it’s been pretty hard to meet international friends because I always seem to be around a huge group of girls that are really loud and, I can imagine, a bit intimidating. Yet, I managed to meet her and we just clicked right away. She talks about coming to America all of the time and traveling all the way across it. I love how she always asks me questions about America and where I think she should travel and what she should do. She answers all of my questions that I have about British people as well. She even introduced me to what the word “Posh” really means: people who have money but don’t typically show it off. It’s sort of the British way of saying “old money”. I feel like I am still learning something new every day that I’ve been abroad, and I can only imagine the amount of knowledge that I am going to gain just within the next 5 weeks!

Another week gone by (where does time go?!?!)

It's already been a week since I was getting ready for my adventures to Scotland, and now I am starting to pack all over again to go to Barcelona! It's insane, time feels as though it goes by so much faster over here. Even the days seem to fly by, it's already almost 3 in the afternoon and I have yet to get changed out of my PJs! That is a little embarrassing to admit to, I must say, but hey it's the truth! I have been getting a lot of work done this week though as far as classes go. I finished 3 huge assignments that I have due towards the end of the semester, and now I only have a few more that I need to worry about in the next 5 weeks. I don't like to say 5 weeks, because that sounds like we barely have any time left it's starting to scare me!

The weather has been crazy warm here lately it seems like, I mean that might have something to do with the fact that I was freezing in Scotland and slept with long pants, long sleeve shirt, socks, and a jacket on... but regardless I feel like it's almost springtime rather than winter. I'm not complaining because I would rather this than be upset about how cold it is but it's just really strange to me. I also really like it because it allows me to be happier about going out on runs and not being freezing. I love to run, I used to do it a lot more back in the states, but it gives me a chance to break free of the world for a little while and just be able to think about life and what it really means to be here.

I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit of a mush bucket when it comes to deep thought and like meaningful things. I'm not sure why, but it's the way I've always been. I love all corny things and truly trying to cherish every moment of every day. I already look back at some of my experiences here and think to myself, "why in the world was I thinking about that when I should have been enjoying myself in Europe?!?!" There is plenty of time to worry about social things and self-conscious issues when I'm back in the states, but for now, let's enjoy! I used to always say "no regrets" and all of those cliche terms before I started getting these self-conscious issues. But I really do need to realize, that's life and hey, everyone goes through it.

Now enough of all that sappy stuff that I have stored in the back of my mind at all times. I'm going to get excited about Barcelona! One of my best friends from High Point is studying abroad there and I haven't seen her since Oktoberfest! (which actually seems like yesterday but when you're used to seeing someone everyday it seems like a lifetime away). It's going to be so refreshing being around someone that really knows everything about me and that I have missed when I've been going through tough times over here. I wonder if i'm going to like Barcelona as much as I liked Florence, or even as much as I like it here. I've heard amazing things about the place, minus the pick pocketing of course, but I am so excited to experience it all!

This is going to be my 5th trip to a place in Europe and I am beyond excited to take my next picture in the "Thank you for giving me the world" gift for my parents when I return back to the states. I forget if I have mentioned this in any of my other blogs but it is a gift that I plan on giving them both for christmas. It is going to be a set of pictures of me in every place that I visit while being over here, holding signs that ultimately spell out "thank you for giving me the world". It was an idea that two of the girls that came to visit one of my friends over here suggested because it is what they are doing for their parents. I want to trying and think of some creative twist to it that I can make because I want it to be a little more original than just being the same as everyone else that has heard of the idea. I really think my parents are going to appreciate it because I know how hard they have worked to not only help me pay to come over here, but also how hard they have worked to raise me right in order for me to be stable enough and independent enough to do a trip like this. I know that not everyone in the world is capable of traveling this far without familiar faces and the security of being able to call their parents at any time of the day when they need them.

I'm really excited to share all of my experiences with people when I get back, but I feel like no pictures, no stories, nothing is going to be able to do this trip justice. I actually feel sorry for people that don't have a chance to study abroad or travel the world like I am doing. It's sad because yes you learn so much about the world and other cultures other than your own but you discover so much about yourself and what you're capable of, and what your true purpose in life is.

Look at me...trying to be all mushy and "wise" again...

I always catch myself doing that. I'm not sure why, but I wish that I could describe the amount of gratitude I have.

Today has definitely been a bit of a lazy day where I have been able to sit in my room in the quiet (which is very rare in this flat) and think about what I wanted to write in this blog. Yet, once again it is a blog that comes out as me just rambling about my thoughts and how happy I am to be here. This is what I enjoy though, and this is what I want to be able to look back on and see how I was feeling during this trip and what exactly I was doing on if not a day to day, then at least a week to week basis. I hope that I encounter a lot of people in my life that ask me to share my experiences with them while being abroad and give them advice on what to do and what not to do while being abroad. A few things that I would say to them are:

1. Go abroad with either just you and one or two other people that you know decently well.
2. Try not to room with your close friends if you never have before.
3. BRING A BACKPACK
4. Do some research about the weather of the place that you are studying and the places that you plan to visit so you don't have to buy as much clothes before you go.
5. Work as much and as hard as you can to earn a lot of money (it helps to relieve the stress of having to ask your parents for anymore).
6. Don't be afraid to book long bus trips (they're really not that bad)
7. Plan your trips ahead of time and book your trips EARLY. you will save a ton of money
8. Go to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany! it is the best experience you will EVER have.
9. Make international friends!
10. try not to use too many texts on your international phone, the money goes fast.
11. Don't worry about what everyone else wants to do, do what makes you happy, go where you want to go.
12. Make it a point to go out to eat at a new place (preferably a pub) at least once or twice a week
13. Be prepared for random people to walk into your flat at 7 or 8 in the morning on a sunday. (only if you're staying at Oxford Brookes on campus)
14. Buy reusable bags at the grocery story, they are much easier to carry and a lot more sturdy.
15. Never set your expectations too high, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment
16. Go on a crew date!
17. Be opened to all opportunities that come your way.
18. Don't be too much of an "obnoxious american"
19. Try to remember that "pants" here are not actually referring to jeans or sweatpants...
20. Only fall in love with places while being over here, not people.

Scotland and a weekend full of surprises

I have definitely learned to lower my expectations of places before I embark on the rest of my journeys in Europe. With no expectations comes no disappointments, and although I have definitely had the time of my life over here, there have definitely been some unforeseen disappointments that I wish could have been avoided. It’s funny how living with someone, or even visiting them for a weekend, changes your entire perspective on who you thought that person was. That is what happened this weekend with a friend that I have known since I was 4 years old.

My friend, lets call her Stacey, and I used to be attached at the hip when we were kids. Running around at school together, playing Mary-Kate and Ashley inspired games (the two Olsen twins that we were obsessed with because they were around our age and famous), and crying whenever our parents would say no to having two sleepovers in a row. She surprised me for my 9th birthday, and again at my high school graduation party. I was sure that we were going to be best friends forever. Unfortunately, like I said earlier, having expectations leads to disappointments. 

Stacey has been going to school in Edinburg for the past 2 and a half years. She has made many new friends, had a college experience to already brag about, started smoking cigarettes, and has come a long way as far as her confidence goes. While preparing to go to Scotland, Stacey seemed a bit weary about my friend coming with me to stay with her. I had asked her numerous times if it was okay that we stayed there and she always said it was fine, but with a certain attitude as if she felt obligated to say yes. We took a 9 hour long bus ride to get to Edinburg from Oxford, and we were ready to crash for a few hours before we started exploring. Walking up the stairs to Stacey’s apartment, I started to get so excited that I was going to see one of my long lost friends. I ran to her and gave her a big hug, and already I could feel the awkwardness between us. 

Throughout our entire time there, I felt as if her friends were more excited that we were there than she was. Stacey did not come anywhere with us, show us around, cook us dinner, or even have dinner with us... It was so different than what I had expected and I saw that my long-lost best friend was actually still lost somewhere, and what had taken her place was a new woman. A woman that I didn’t even recognize. Surprisingly, Stacey invited my friend and I to come celebrate her 21st birthday with her and all of her friends. Of course, the entire time I was talking with her friends and the only words I got out of Stacey were, “yeah I know, I look a lot better than last time you saw me...” after I had complimented her on how great she looked. It made me sad, but I was not about to let this bump we were having in our relationship ruin my one and only time in Scotland.

My friend and I decided to go off and do our own thing at one point in the night, when Stacey was already too preoccupied with her Scotland friends to even notice that her American one was missing. Regardless, my friend and I still had a great night all around. We met some random people at this beer-like tent that reminded us at Oktoberfest and ended up getting lost with them all night. We sang scottish songs, learned that the Scots really do live up to their reputation of being able to drink...a lot. It was a great night, almost as great as the night before.

After taking a nap when we first arrived at Stacey’s flat, my friend and I decided to go exploring Scotland. We found this adorable little pub to go to called Ryan’s that was decorated with christmas lights from head to toe, and it was packed for being only 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The food was actually delicious as well, which was a big surprise because back in England, almost everything we tried had no taste and had the same texture as rubber. When we were finished our meal we decided to go exploring on Prince Street which has tons of shops up and down the road, which we tried very desperately to avoid buying anything seeing as our budgets were already running very low. That night, Stacey did not want to go out with us because she was too exhausted, but she recommended a few places we should try out and how to get there. 

We started out at The Brass Monkey, which was a complete fail because we were the youngest people there by 10 or 20 years.... Next we tried the Grass Market which had a bunch of pubs all in one giant circle. We ended up meeting a group of people that were playing “Pub Golf” for one of their friends birthdays. This is a game where you dress up like traditional golfers and go from pub to pub trying out different drinks and recruiting more people to join in the fun. We ended up having the most random night and getting lost all around Edinburg, but thank goodness we had enough money for a cab because we would’ve been wandering the streets for hours!

The next morning was just as much of an adventure as the last. It was Stacey’s birthday and, once again, she did not want to come accompany us around the city of Edinburg. Regardless, we found our way up to The Royal Mile where we got to see street performers on every corner, very similar to Oxford except instead of playing music or singing, people would be dressed up in costumes acting out the old Scotland, there was one guy that somehow magically floating in the air and dressed up like Yoda. People were so desperate for money on these streets that one woman had probably around 50-80 piercings just on her face and neck that she was showing off! That absolutely repulsed me, but hey I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do...

Edinburg Castle was at the top of the Royal Mile, and that was an absolute beautiful sight. You could see all over Edinburg and there was a woman in there that was selling family crests and you could learn about where your last name came from. They didn’t have my full last name because it has been changed quite a few times over generations, but my friend learned that her last name, Morse, is very Keltic. I love learning history like that about personal things, it’s funny to think that I have relatives that lived during the time that this castle was actually occupied. The Whiskey tour that we ended our day with was so interesting. I have never been in something like that before where it was almost completely all interactive. We learned about how long it takes for the whiskey to be made, and how many are sold in just a single second! There was even a bottle of whiskey that was bought for $1,000 which absolutely blows my mind because I personally do not think alcohol is worth that much money... At the end of the tour, we even had a chance to taste the whiskey, which I was not a huge fan of but hey when in Scotland right? 

I’m proud to say that I have experienced yet another country on my study abroad experience, and although it turned up differently than I expected, I cannot say that I am completely disappointed with the trip all together. This trip has definitely taught me that life is full of surprises, and even you may have a set, laid out plan for what you want to do, or how things are going to end up, nothing ever turns out how you expect it to. 

Overwhelmed

I have so much homework to do over the next few weeks between papers, case studies, and blogging that I am starting to get very overwhelmed. I have trips booked almost every weekend, besides thanksgiving, up until I leave to go back to the states and I don’t know 1. Where I am going to get the money to spend when I get there. 2. How I am going to find time to both do my homework (well) and travel at the same time. I mean I guess I should’ve expected it coming here, but now that I’m finally getting overwhelmed after spending almost three months here is stressing me out. 

I’m huge on planning things out, making lists, and setting goals for myself. So hopefully I can use that trait to not only help me get all of my school work done, but also to help me give myself a better routine. I feel like I get very overwhelmed and stressed out when I don’t have a routine down and something to work towards. The only thing that has seemed to stay consistent for me (which is so sad) is going out and drinking with my friends. I am doing a good job of being able to balance everything and get my work done, but I miss working out, having me time, and feeling good about getting things done. Wasting a day hungover in bed is not my ideal “study abroad experience” and although I say it a lot I really do want to try and change it for the second half of my time in Oxford.

Registering for classes a few days ago has also added to my list of things to worry about because I didn’t end up getting all of the ones that I needed, and so now I have to send emails to a bunch of people trying to let me get into this one Human Relations class. I have to take at least two Human Relations classes next semester because I just declared it as my minor and I wont be able to graduate on time if I don’t start taking them as soon as possible. 

This blog is pretty much a vent session right now because although I am on my way to Edinburgh as we speak, I cannot thing about anything else besides my worries that I left behind in Oxford. I think that there is something about studying abroad that makes you think, a lot, all of the time. I don’t know if it’s because you’re finally away from the hustle and bustle of “real life” back in the states or what, but it’s definitely different than it was back in the states. 

The fact that we only have less than two months left here is also stressing me so bad, I feel like I’m missing something or I’m not doing everything I could be doing every day while I’m over here. I don’t ever want to leave Oxford. My friend and I were actually talking the other day about possibly moving back here after college. Not only to get away from the terrible economy that we are going to have to face in a little over a year, but so much is different here. It’s more historical, I feel as though I learn something new every day, and it’s one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The rain is probably the only down side to this little plan, but hey, a little rain never hurt anyone...

These bus stations are so much cleaner than the ones in the United States. I also noticed this about taking the Tube in London compared to taking the subway in Boston. It’s cleaning and it’s easier to navigate. I’m sure that the U.S has bus stations like this as well that can get you from state to state pretty easily, but it absolutely blows my mind that we’re about to get on a bus and travel just 7 hours to another country (well sort of, I’m not exactly sure what they consider Scotland, or what Scotland considers itself...) but anyways it blows my mind! Same thing with flying, only 2 hours and bam, you’re in another country in Europe. 

I wonder what people from England think about America when they go over there. Is it really all they expect? Is it truly “the land of opportunities”? When I used to waitress, I used to get english people in all the time, but I never thought to stop and ask what they thought about it, what the differences are, or if they were happy to be there. Of course I would ask how their trip was going, but I guess I was more concerned about earning money for my own trip that I forgot to ask them more about theirs. It’s funny how people’s perspectives on a place are all different, depending on their personal experiences there. I don’t have very many expectations for Scotland other than being excited to see my friend that I’ve known since preschool. I’m pretty much expecting something very similar to what we are used to in England. I have heard from some locals in Oxford that it’s “boring” and i’ve gotten asked a million times, “why would you want to go there” with a sort of smirk on their faces, but why wouldn’t I want to go to Scotland? I am all about trying everything once, and hey if I don’t like it, I don’t have to come back, if I do, well it will give me a reason to work towards a way of coming back.

Everything is so different!

Today is nothing too special, I woke up early, went to the bus stop and took the bus to my first class of the day all the way over at Harcourt Hill. I've made some pretty good British friends in that class and I got to talking with one of them during class today, and she started telling me about how she was going home for the weekend and was really excited to have a "Sunday Roast". Apparently it is a british tradition that has been going on for generations where a family gets together every sunday and has a huge meal at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. She said that her family doesn't do it as much as they used to, but that her "Nan", who I am assuming is her grandmother, still does it pretty much every sunday. I guess it sort of resembles our Thanksgiving, except they have it every sunday and we only have ours once a year.

My friend is from Birmingham and she was also telling me all about her hometown and what kind of place it is. She compared it to a smaller version of London, but a bigger than Oxford. So what I am picturing is something that reminds me either of Boston or maybe a little smaller, Charlotte? But anyways, she was saying how she is actually scared to walk around alone in the city, always holding onto her bag just in case for robbers, and her parents even forbid her from going out into town after dark because it is so dangerous. I find this such a funny concept because I have never lived in a place like that before. Back home, I live in a small town called Beverly Farms, where everyone knows everyone and it is very rare for any crimes to happen. Then I move to a place like Oxford where I feel more than comfortable walking around by myself anywhere because of the type of people that live here. It is a more upperclass, high-end type of place, especially with the types of shops that are all over the city. High Point, on the other hand, I would never dare step off of my campus without some sort of companion. That place scares me to the bone with how sketchy it is anywhere outside of the university's walls. Yet within High Point University, I feel as though I could walk around all hours of the night and not be once bit nervous.

It's unbelievable how many different things we have in America compared to here. Even the schooling here is so much different. Not only do we go to class just twice a week pretty much, but most of the classes don't even take attendance! It allows us to have so much freedom and independence on choosing whether or not to go to class or not. Which is sort of ironic because coming from a free country you would expect it to be the other way around. Maybe it's the university's way of giving the students more responsibility? Or maybe it has something to do with the actual teachers themselves not caring as much? Who knows. But all I can say is that there definitely are some days where I cannot wait to get back to the US, back to my old routine of class 5 days a week, and back to the old way of learning of which I have grown up with over the past 20 years.

Another aspect about England that I just cannot wrap my head around is the fact that it rains at least once a day every day here. It's as if I never know what to wear because one second it might be sunny when I wake up in the morning, but after my first class it could be down pouring rain. I understand that we are on an island, but what else could be the cause of this strange precipitation change? I know England is known for how much it rains, but I was definitely not expecting this.

It's funny that I have been here for over two months already, and I am still continuing to find so many differences between America and England. It's almost as if I find something new, or learn about something new every day. Another great example is the fact that they do not sell cookie dough in the grocery stores here. In fact, they don't even sell any sort of cookie dough mix or brownie mix! What is a girl supposed to do at that time of the month?! It baffles me how different the food choices are over here, which I am getting more used to day by day but I have a feeling I am going to go back to the United States and think that everything tastes so much sweeter and flavorful.

I am going to Scotland next weekend with two of my good friends, Courtney and Emily, and I am very interested to see how it differs from not only America, but England as well. I hear jokes all the time about how similar Scotland and England are "when they like each other", but I have no idea what they mean by that. They are attached, yet Scotland tries to make themselves different by having the scottish pound and a little bit of a different, more harsh accent than the English. Not that I have ever been there before or experienced it, but that is what I am expecting before I get there.

I love the fact that I am so close to all of these different countries and I am having all of these opportunities to travel all over the place. Its helping me find my purpose in the world, and making me feel much more independent. It gives me a chance to look at myself, and see how I react to certain things and how I handle being so far away from home without any of the resources or support system that I am used to back in the United States. I am learning how to better rely on myself rather than others and being more comfortable in my own skin. I think that I definitely come off as a more confident and happy individual than I actually am. With every new experience that I have here, I feel as though I am becoming a stronger, more well-rounded person. It makes me so happy to see how far i've come in the last 6 years and to be honest, although I would not have admitted this a few years back, I would not change a second of it for the world. I feel like as I find so many differences between America and England, I also keep finding differences in myself as time goes on as well.

On a side note today was election day in the United States, and President Obama was re-elected. Personally, I am not a hung fan of him, and neither is my family so we are all a little bit disappointed. I am not that huge into politics but I know enough to care and to have an opinion. Sometimes I do wish that I lived in a place like England that had a monarchy rather than a democracy, but then I would lose my voice in my country and have to have complete faith in the royal blood. It's a difficult concept because you feel as though you don't have as strong of a voice when the election does not go the way you want, but I guess you still have to have faith that the person who is elected is going to make decisions and do things for the betterment of the entire country.

Never judge a book by its cover

A saying that has been taught to everyone since pretty much the day that they learned what "judging" meant. Every body has their faults, their demons to deal with, and their struggles to face. It's not always easily seen on the outside because every person handles their troubles differently, and sometimes they choose to hide them away and hope that they disappear, while others face them and reach out to people to try and seek help on how to make these issues go away.

Today I learned a lot about that and a lot about people that I thought genuinely had nothing to hide. I am guilty of "judging a book by its cover" because I thought that just because a person didn't react the same way to things that I reacted to, that they didn't understand, that they didn't know what it was that I was going through. A big part of going abroad, and going to college in general is growing up and figuring out what kind of person you are/want to become. It's not always right there in front of your face, or going to magically appear like in the cartoons when a lightbulb appears above someone's head. No, it's going to be hard, and it's going to come with experience.

Now i'm not saying that I know who I am, or who I want to be, or what my specific purpose in life is. But what I am sure of is that I want to find out all of those answers. I want to be the kind of person that is open to any opportunity that is thrown at me, has all different types of friends, and is so sure of herself that nothing anyone says to her can bring her down.

Of course, I've had my struggles in the past, and have scars from them that will forever remind me of my mistakes, misjudgments, and lost opportunities that I will never be able to get back. I could drone on and on about what has happened in my life over the past 20 years or so, but what good is that going to do? People do not have to know everything about a person in order to get to know them. The past is the past, and although it does shape a person into who they are today, that doesn't mean that they are going to stay that same person for the next 20 years, or for even the next month. Time changes everything and people need to realize that everyone has reasons behind their actions, and everyone has reasons as to why they are who they are.

This is a bit of a deeper blog that I chose to write about tonight. Mainly because some of my flatmates and I had a heart to heart about life here, and things that have happened within the course of the past few months. As I said before, being abroad changes people, living with your friends changes your perspective on them. Nobody is perfect, and it absolutely drives me insane when people try to be.


Looking back now at the people that I thought were my really good friends a year ago from now, that knew I was going abroad this semester and that I imagined I would stay close with forever, I rarely talk to now. It's almost as if we were never that close, and it's funny because I will get a random wall post from them on Facebook or get a text from one of them on the international viber and it just says "I miss you, we need to talk more often!" but nothing will ever come of it. It's the friends that I talk to more regularly, that ask me about my time abroad, that care to reach out and say hey i'm just thinking about you that I know are my true friends. They are the ones that will be in my wedding, the ones that I will be able to call when i'm bored just to grab a coffee, or go on a run, or come to my house when i'm upset no matter what time of day it is or how far away they are. It is those friends that I miss, and studying in Oxford has really shown quite a few people's true colors to me. I'm not saying that these people are not bad people, they are just different than who I thought they were. Everyone does not have to be friends with everyone all the time, you are going to have those people in your life that you just don't "click" with, and that's alright because it's part of life. That's what the best friends are for. Thats what the friends that you haven't seen in weeks, months, or even years, and when you are reunited absolutely nothing has changed. It's funny that being abroad has taught me all of this when you would have expected to be busy all of the time and to not have to worry about what is going on back home. But as strange as it may sound, studying abroad can get lonely, and when people get lonely (especially myself) we think about the past, and we think about what we miss and even sometimes wish we could go back in time just to relive that memory, in that moment, with that person(s).

Yet looking to the past is no way to live. You can remember it, be happy that it happened, learn from it, and move on. Even when one is lonely, in the end you are the only person that has complete control over your own emotions and can change your mood in a blink of an eye. A great quote by C.S Lewis gets me by whenever I am having any thoughts that make me look to the past and wish I could relive it:

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

Transportation in England

This past weekend was a typical one in Oxford. A few of one of my friend's friends came to stay with us for the weekend, and it felt as if most of the time that we spent showing them around Oxford and London was spent on transportation. Everywhere in Oxford, it is the most common for the students to get around the city either by bus, walking, running or by bike. Since I have been here, it seems as though there are more taxis on the road than there are personal cars. This might have to do with how small of a city Oxford is and that people just find it cheaper and easier to buy a bus pass rather than an entire car for themselves, but I'm not really sure. Espcially because in the states, well at least at HPU, we typically get around by walking or by our own cars. We do have a trolley service run by the University, but students tend to prefer bringing their own car onto campus if they have to go long distances on a daily basis. HPU also has bikes which can be borrowed from the Rec Center, just like in certain places in Oxford, and London, there are bikes available to rent for the day.

Usually the only time that we decide to choose to either walk long distances or pay for a taxi is when it is too late for a bus, or the bus is taking too long to pick us up. We have learned that we need to be really careful about which taxi we choose to take because certain ones that are "private taxis" are legally able to charge a person any amount of money to get them from point A to B, whereas in a normal taxi with a yellow "taxi" sign on top of it has to charge their customers the amount that it says on the meter. Sometimes it ends up that no one has any money to pay for a taxi and we would have to walk home in the freezing cold! But that has only happened to us a few times, so far...


On Saturday, we thought it would be a good idea to take the girls into London and show them around because neither of them had been before. So, we walked to the bus stop to take the Oxford Tube, and this is probably my favorite coach that we have taken so far to travel anywhere. It is very comfortable on the bus, the seats recline, they turn the lights off at night so we can sleep, the bus driver announces the stops, and it's not too hard to miss because it has a bit "Oxford Tube OXFORD TO LONDON" sign on it. It's also one of the cheapest ways to get into the city of London: only 10 pounds for a student round-trip.

The other types of coaches that we have experienced are the U1 and the 8 (which both take us into the city center or to one of the farther away campuses for class), National Express (to take us to airports), and the X90 (which also takes us to airports and certain parts in the city of London). The U1 and the 8 are very typical looking buses with the uncomfortable seating and people packing onto it on a regular basis as if it was a subway. The National Express is what we generally like to take to the airports because it is the bus company that we are most familiar with, we know where and how to purchase the tickets, and the tickets usually aren't too expensive at all. I have yet to try the X90 bus because I am so used to taking other ones, but this was the one that was recommended by Dr. Forsaith to take from Heathrow airport to Oxford Brookes. It's kind of funny to look back and remember my first reaction to riding on a double decker bus, "OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SO ENGLISH", and now it's such a normal thing to hop on the bus and run up the stairs to find a seat. It's actually odd when I ride on a "normal-sized" bus with only one floor because I feel like it's so small. It's almost as if what I thought was the norm before had actually turned into a foreign concept to me.

In London, the Tube is probably the easiest, cleanest, and best way to get around the city. Some people would argue that it's the fastest as well, but I honestly believe that that just depends on the day. When we went into London this weekend we decided to take the tube to get from point A to B around the city. Waiting in line (or queue as they call it in England) to top up our oyster cards, the cards that we use to ride the tube, took about a good 15 minutes. Then, we had to find our way to where we had to go, that took another few minutes, and sometimes we would have to connect to different stations to get to different lines, so that took some time as well. But the most annoying part, to me at least, was the fact that they were so jam packed inside! I felt like a little sardine squished in a can the second we got onto the central line tube. I'm not a very claustrophobic person but I do appreciate my bubble space and do not like it when strangers are two inches away from my face. Granted, thats bound to happen in any city on any major transportation system, but still it was quite uncomfortable.

Flying is a whole different experience of traveling over here than it is in the US. This might have something to do with the fact that I'm flying the cheapest airlines rather than really nice ones and not checking any bags most of the time, but nevertheless, there are a few differences. For example, on the airline RyanAir, you have to have only one bag (including just a purse, duffle, suitcase, backpack, etc.) and it has to be a certain size that fits inside of a box that the flight attendants have to come around with and check every person's bag. You have to take your passport with you every time you fly because naturally you're going out of the country, but it completely blows my mind that although you're leaving the country, it's only a 2 hour, more or less, flight to get there! The flights that I have experienced so far have been pretty decent, except for when we hit the ground. For some reason every single time the pilot manages to slam down onto the ground and jolt every person on the airplane awake with a loud bang and "completion" music. It's very odd.




It's funny how even transportation in different countries is a culture adjustment in itself. Of course you have the accent change, the change to the metric system, the size of food portions, even the smell of the people that live there which can all be huge culture shocks, but typically I would think that a lot of the ways that we travel in America would be similar to the rest of the world. Now of course i'm not saying that they're are not any differences but there are definitely some major differences that take a little bit of time to get used to. I am so accustomed to just hopping in my car and driving any where I want anytime I want, and now I have been forced to rely on the timetables of transportation systems and pay whenever I want to go pretty much anywhere, especially if it's in a hurry. Of course there are other parts, such as the fact that I can walk to pretty much anywhere around here in Oxford within at most 15 minutes, and it makes me feel more active throughout the day and enjoy the fresh air and fall scenery around me.

Halloweekend

Halloween hasn't always been one of my favorite times of the year. I used to hate turning the TV on and finding nothing to watch but scary movies or TV shows, they all used to give me nightmares! But as I have grown older, I have obtained a new appreciation for Halloween. It's more than just dressing up and going trick-or-treating to all of my neighbors houses and being scared that something is going to jump out of every corner and scare me. We learned in Dr. Forsaith's class this past week that Halloween was created to celebrate the dead and remember the people who have passed away. It definitely seems to be celebrated in some similar ways here compared to the United States. It seems like here, people are more concerned about how scary they can make their costumes rather than make it a competition for "who can wear the least amount of clothes". I like how they do it here more honestly, because it makes it allows people to be more interesting and creative about what they decide to dress up as.

My friends and I decided to be "Captain Underpants" for Halloween this year. We were walking around downtown and saw a pair of underwear that had the American Flag on them, right away we knew we had to buy them for Halloween night! So we wore those over a pair of leggings, made shirts that said "Captain Knickers" (making it a little more Englandized) and stapled plastic table cloths to our backs. And of course course we had to wear metallic masks because what's a superman halloween costume without a proper mask?




We started out our night at one of the flats that belonged to a few people that were in our study abroad program from HPU. I was glad that we were all getting together for Halloween because usually everyone tends to just stick with the people that they live with or their closest friends in the program. We decided to go to the clubs and bars that we typically go to on the weekends a little bit early because we wanted to get there before everything got really crazy. Usually most places on Park End street are just starting to fill up by the time that we get there around 12 or 12:30, but last night, they were completely packed full at 10:30 or 11! We walked around to all of the places that we normally go to on that road such as Lava, the bridge, Junction, Fuzzy Ducks, Thirst, etc. and no one was letting us in anywhere because they were at their max number of people. On top of that, it was down pouring outside and I had just slipped on some concrete stairs and fell right on my tail bone, so the night wasn't exactly going as we had planned. When we finally got into Thirst, the night actually turned around and we all ended up having a great time! We met a bunch of people from all over the UK and managed to get home early enough that we were able to catch the bus and didn't have to pay for a cab!

It's interesting how in different countries all around the world, we celebrate the same holidays but in different ways. I'm glad that I got to have that experience in England and see what it's like to celebrate Halloween like a brit! I also found it a little funny that Oxford already has Christmas decorations up all over their city. Back in the US, we usually don't start putting anything up until the day after Thanksgiving. I mean i'm not complaining because the Christmas season is my favorite time of year, but I just find it a little funny to be walking around downtown the day after Halloween and finding lights in the shape of Christmas trees, sleds, bells, and stars being strung all up and down the streets, and signs saying "book your christmas dinner today!" outside of every other restaurant.

Seeing all of these holiday decorations and realizing that it is already November 1st has really opened my eyes to the fact that I am already past half way done with my trip here. It absolutely astonishes me how fast that went by, how much I've learned, and how much I've seen in such as short period of time. I always feel like we have plenty of time left here that we don't have to rush and try to do everything so fast, but in reality, I only have 3 more weekends left in Oxford that I am not going to be traveling around Europe. I feel like I have changed physically, mentally, and emotionally so much over the course of the last few months that I could not imagine ever not studying abroad. It has been such an amazing, life-changing experience and although there are a few things that I probably would've done differently knowing where I am now, I do not have any regrets.

I know that I write about this in almost all of my blogs but the experiences and opportunities that I have grabbed while being over here have been so life-changing. I find it so bittersweet that I only have a few months left here because of the fact that I know I am going to be homesick for Oxford in probably less than a week when I get back to the states, but right now I get homesick for the states every once in a while. There are parts of me that could stay here forever because I love the atmosphere of Oxford, London, and Europe in general, but then there are parts of me that miss the states so much that no matter what state I am in, it still feels like home. I have genuinely learned so much from being over here, not just from being enrolled in school, but through the people and the culture of Europe that I never could have found in any textbook or on the internet. School is a lot more independent studying over here, and it has taught me what kind of a student I am and what capabilities are as far as teaching myself and understanding different concepts. I do prefer the way we are taught back in the states to what I have experienced here at Brookes, but I figure the rest of this study abroad trip is spent through "independent study" by traveling and gaining knowledge through my experiences that it almost makes sense that I am learning information for school through that same "independent study" technique. The truly best way to learn, understand, and remember something is through experience because that is something no one can teach or be taught.