Thursday, December 13, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
3 and a half months gone in the blink of an eye
HIGHS
Meeting new people
I have met some absolutely wonderful people while I being abroad, both American and European. In my classes I have managed to meet a really good friend named Hayley that I unfortunately did not have a lot of time to spend with because I was traveling so much, but she really was one of my first impressions of British people and is the reason I thought so highly of them since the moment I started going to Brookes. Paris is another good friend that I actually met out at a club one night and we have managed to meet up quite a few times since for dinner and drinks to talk about absolutely everything as if we have been friends for years. I have even met some Americans through my other friends studying abroad in different places that I have found a lot in common with that I never would have met if I didn’t come here.
Experiencing the culture of Europe
Europe is so different than the United States in a numerous amount of ways. Between the way they talk, the way they act, the way they eat, drink, and even their sleeping patterns are all different. Coming to England I expected there to be quite a few more similarities to the United States than I have discovered. I am definitely not complaining because it has given me an entirely new perspective on the world, but it was a pretty big shock to me.
Discovering who I am
I have always been a pretty independent person. Ever since I was 16 years old I have been able to take care of myself for the most part. Of course my parents were always there for me and helped me out, but, until I studied abroad, I have not asked my parents for money since I was 14 and got my first job. Studying abroad has reassured my independence even more and has made me look to myself for help rather than turning to other people when I am in need. I have been able to find my own way around European countries and have been able to book my own flights, buses and hostels without the help of anyone else. I feel as though in these past for months, I have grown up a lot, and in a way it scares me to go back to my college in North Carolina because I feel as though I am already ready to be out in the “real world”.
LOWS
The weather in some of the places I visited
Well first off, England is known for the amount that it rains, and not only did that put a damper on the amount of things that we were able to do outside, but it just brings everyone’s moods down. Berlin and Scotland were also two places that I did not bring enough clothes for. This past weekend in Berlin, everyone that we were with were unable to stay outside for more than a half an hour before losing the feeling in their fingers and toes. Regardless of how much I love Germany and everything we did there, the whether made parts of it miserable.
Traveling with too many people
This was probably one of the most frustrating aspects of studying abroad. Trying to keep everyone together and trying to have so many people with different opinions and ideas of what to do and where to go is simply too stressful to have to deal with. I wont get into the specifics of this “low topic” because I would most likely take up 2 or 3 pages, but I have definitely noticed that my experiences where I traveled with 2 to 4 people have been much better than the ones that I traveled with 6 to 10 people.
Not having enough time or money
Although I worked my butt off this past summer to make enough money to come abroad, it still was not enough. Not only was the exchange rate absolutely horrid, especially in England, but I wanted to buy souvenirs and give myself the true experience of being a local in some of these countries, and that tended to have a very high price to it. As far as time goes, I wish that I was here longer to visit more places and get to see more countries than I have including: Wales, Ireland, France, and even more of Italy. Yet I do not regret one single trip that I went on, nor would I trade any of them for the a different adventure.
If I could give someone 10 main tips before studying abroad they would be:
1. Always plan ahead -you’ll regret wasting time trying to figure out where you are going and what you want to do
2. Never plan your trips around other people - This is your experience abroad and your time to explore Europe the way you want to.
3. Don’t buy drinks at bars- You’ll end up spending a lot of money that you’ll find out the next morning that you didn’t actually have...
4. Don’t bring valuable stuff out with you - You will either lose it or get it stolen from you
5. Learn how to cook before you go abroad - not only will you save money on going out to eat, but you’ll be able to take that back to the states with you.
6. Always bring a book to the airport with you - believe me, you’ll thank me later
7. Take a self-defense class - I hate to say it, but I have heard of way too many instances of people getting jumped and beat up while being over here.
8. Purchase Mackenzie Smelling Salts - They do not sell them in the states and they are the BEST cure for hangovers, headaches, colds, and motion sickness.
9. Try everything once - You have no reason not to, and who knows when you’ll ever be in Europe again?
10. Make sure to buy or bring a comfortable mattress padding for your bed - At the the ones at Oxford Brookes are the most uncomfortable thing I have ever slept in.
I am really happy that I had a chance to record everything that I have done while being abroad. Blogging has really given me a chance to sit back and think about what I have done on my trips and on a day to day basis while being in Oxford. I see that I tended to repeat the phrase “always expect the unexpected” in a lot of my blogs. This is most likely due to the fact that my expectations for this entire experience have been totally different than the reality, both in good ways and bad. When looking back at my writing, I can tell that I try and look at the sentimental side of each trip that I have gone on, and like to record how I am feeling after each trip and how it has effected me. I also have noticed that I have run into a lot of things that I have seen as inspiration to blog about such as when I have to spend 5 hours in an airport, or i’m frustrated with a person that I had thought was going to be one of my good friends for the rest of my life. I have used this blogging opportunity to not only write down what I did over the past, almost, four months abroad, but I also used it as a source of writing down what I am thinking and feeling throughout my entire time here. I have found that the most helpful because I have definitely found out that studying abroad can be a lonely experience sometimes, no matter how many people you may be traveling with.
Although I have already touched on it a little bit earlier in this post, I would say that my biggest take-away from this study abroad experience would have to be how much I have learned about myself and how much I have grown up. I feel as though when I go back to the United States, I am going to have such a different outlook on life and so much more of an appreciation for all that I have and all that I have been able to do. I have seen people begging on the streets on their hands and knees, people using their dogs to get people to give them money, a man sitting in the same spot by the grocery store every single day with his blanket on and his cup for change in hand. I have even seen someone that has two thumbs on one hand, yet doesn’t have enough money for surgery to get it removed. I have realized how lucky I am to live in the United States with no strikes going on in the airports so that flights are all delayed. I am lucky to have the right to vote on who it is that runs and represents my country. I have realized that I am independent and fortunate enough to make my own decisions on a day to day basis, and that this opportunity that I have been given to travel the world is one that should never be taken advantage of. I am a lucky, proud, all-around American girl, and these past 3 and a half months have truly changed not only my life right now, but who I am going to be in the future.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
One last hoorah!!
I decided to end my amazing study abroad experience with a trip to Berlin to check out the world famous christmas markets. I actually had no idea that they even existed until one of my best friends from school, allison, told me about them and said how bad she wanted to go. Of course I did not know much about berlin at the time that I agreed to go on a weekend trip there, but I did know that all of the places that I had no intention of going to for any specific reason had been my most successful and fun trips.
When Allison had told me about going to Berlin, I thought to myself, “why would I want to go there? I don’t know anything about it, i’ve never really heard much about it, and I don’t even know anyone that has been there before. But me, being the spontaneous and easily overexcited person that I am, decided to book my trip here thinking it was going to be just me, her and her friend from school, Harry. Three other people that are studying abroad in Barcelona, one that I know from school and two that I had just met when I visited allison in barcelona, decided to join us on our adventure to Berlin. Courtney, my friend from school that is also studying abroad with me in Oxford, decided to come along too because she wanted to get as many opportunities to travel as well.
The way that this trip started out was not exactly a “good omen”. Courtney had a paper to pass in before we left for the airport, so the two of us got up pretty early, packed, showered, and said goodbye to everyone right before walking up the giant hill to the main building of Brookes University. We get there, and Court passes in her paper and we’re ready to go. I look down, I don’t have my passport or my boarding passes, I left them on my bed. So we had to trek all the way back down to our flats and get them because clearly I was not going to be able to go anywhere without those documents. As we’re traveling back up the hill, Court realizes she forgot her headphones, so she runs back down the hill and comes back about 5 minutes later saying she had no idea where they were. Needless to say, we said screw the headphones and lets just go.
We finally get to the bus station and since we couldn’t buy the tickets ahead of time we had to get there a little early to purchase them before boarding the bus. We ask how much the bus is and realize that we do not have enough money combined on us to pay for two tickets, and there were no close ATMs around. Oh, and they don’t take American Express. So we’re trying to bargain with this ticket lady telling her how much we have on us and trying to honestly make her feel sorry for us so that she would give us some sort of a discount! Right when we were about to give up, a man walked up and asked if National Express was associated with The Airline, the bus that we were trying to get on, and they said “yes”. Thank goodness Courtney and I have traveled with National Express enough times to realize that we could use American Express with them, with the additional charge of one pound for the transaction.
The rest of the trip was actually not too bad. The bus was comfy and it had wifi so that I could blog and get some other work done, and this was probably the first trip that we did not have to spend our entire time on an airport floor for hours upon hours staring at the screen waiting for our gate to come up. We got a nice dinner, had a few drinks, and raced to our gate the second we saw it up on the board. The plane ride was decent, except the landing, of course. I’m not sure why EasyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air have the worst landings but every time we touch the ground in one of those big planes, I find myself to be happy to still be alive.
After finding the rest of the people that we were staying with, we got a cab and we were off to find our Hostel. The hostel was a decent one, I mean not the best I’ve stayed in but not the worst, and we were all so exhausted that we just went right to sleep when we got in. However, the next day we went downstairs, got a sort of unusual breakfast that had salami, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, bread, and yogurt that tasted like it was 3 weeks old. We had heard about a walking tour that was free that we all wanted to go on to learn more about the city of Berlin, so we hopped on the metro and found ourselves in the middle of this beautifully historical city.
At the center of the city there were so many people around us that were street performers, and people dressed up in costumes like Mario and Luigi and mickey mouse. There was even one guy that was dressed up like a baby in a crib and had this little thing inside of his mouth that made it sound like he was whining. I’m not sure how these people make a living off of doing this and actually enjoy it because I know that if I had to dress up in a ridiculous costume, in the cold, and have people stare at me all day, I would not be a happy camper.
I was really glad that we decided to go on the walking tour because I ended up learning so much about this city. Our tour guide was this short man wearing a beri and half of his long hair pulled back into a pony tail while the other half was hanging out the side of his hat. We were a bit skeptical to follow him at first because he didn’t really look too professional, but after talking with him for a while we were convinced that he was doing these walking tours out of the pure love that he had for Berlin and wanting to share its history with the rest of the world.
This tour was perhaps the most freezing that I have ever felt in a very long time. Regardless of the fact that I was wearing leg warmers, comfy socks, a big hat, gloves, a scarf, and my jacket, my entire body was turning numb. We were all standing there shivering trying to listen to the stories that this man had to tell us, but it was so hard to listen when all I could think about was the idea of my fingers falling off from being so cold! Every opportunity we had to go inside we took, and the tour guide actually gave us some advice to drink beer to warm up our bodies. So we took him up on that and carried our beers around on the tour, since there is no “open container” law in Germany. The beer actually helped a lot and made the trip go a little bit smoother so that I was less worried about my body temperature and more in tune with everything that was going on around me.
The tour ended really close to one of the center christmas markets, which was the main reason we came here in the first place, so we broke off after the end and decided to go searching in there. It cost one euro to get in, but it was so beyond worth it. I have never seen christmas markets that were this beautiful in my entire life. There was christmas music playing, a stage that looked like it was preparing people to put on a show, and rows and rows of stalls filled with christmas goodies for us to buy. I tried my first mulled wine here, and even though it was not my favorite drink, at least I can say that i’ve had hot wine in Germany now!
That night was very interesting because it was Harry’s 21st birthday that upcoming Monday and we were not about to let him have a non-traditional United States 21st birthday just because he was in another country. We went on this really fun pub crawl and met a lot of really cool people, but if I were to type out the entire happenings of this event, I don’t think anyone would have enough time to read that.
The next day, Saturday, was a little more laid back. We decided to get a good breakfast and wander around Berlin to find the other christmas markets. The next one that we found had a giant ferris wheel in the center of it as well as a skating rink. We didn’t have a chance to go ice skating, but the ferris wheel was absolutely stunning. When we got to the top we could see over the entire markets and out over the city. There were so many people all over the streets and the city looked like a giant winter wonderland. I love these types of places because not only does it get me in the christmas spirit, but it makes me happy to see all of these people coming together to celebrate such a great time of year.
Last night was a lot more casual and relaxed than the night before. We went to a bar to escape the freezing cold and get a few drinks in us before looking for yet another christmas market. This was a really cute pub with people serving us that actually spoke fairly perfect english. I found that the city of Berlin was very americanized, very much like London, and it was funny because anywhere we went it said “tip not included” on the bill when in fact we had been told since the day we all arrived in Europe that it is not a custom here to tip. Some people actually take it offensively if you even try. We walked around the christmas markets a bit more and finally got so cold that we had no choice but to call it a night.
Courtney and I messed up and made our flights a day later than everyone else, so we had to stay in the hostel an extra night. I’m laying in my bed right now trying to think of what we should do on our last day, but all I can think of is the christmas markets. It’s snowing really hard outside and the thought of walking out of this warm and cozy hostel into the freezing winter cold outdoors of Berlin is just not appealing at all. Courtney is taking a little nap so I’ll probably just do the same and wake up hoping that it wont be as freezing outside as it was the past few nights that we have been here. We’ll probably end up taking it pretty slow anyways because we have to be at the airport by 5 am to catch our flight at 7. But if someone asked me if this was a successful trip, I would definitely say yes and recommend that everyone come to visit Berlin at some point in their lives. Especially during the christmas season because even though it is freezing cold, I have never seen so much happiness and christmas spirit than what this city has shown me.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Stress of finals
No matter what country you are in, you clearly cannot escape the stress of finals. Whether that final is a paper, a project, a debate, or a test, it will always sneak up on you and stress you out. It's kind of funny to see how fast the libraries and reception has filled up since the start of finals and the last few weeks of classes. It's as if it's the norm of going to college to procrastinate. Yet wouldn't it make so much more sense if people studied a little bit every day and had big assessments on the regular rather than one huge one at the end of each semester? I found that in the classes that I have been in that give regular big tests and papers throughout the semester that I usually not only learn more, but actually do a lot better in than the ones that I have a huge final to study for at the end.
I walked into reception yesterday to print out my ticket for Berlin, and I notice that almost every single computer is taken up. I had to keep myself from laughing because this is so much like what happens back at my college in the states! People are talking about how busy they are and crunching in all nighters to make sure that they get the best grade possible at the end of the semester. You always find this time of year to have the longest line at starbucks and the red bulls at the grab and go to be completely wiped out.
I was lucky enough to not have any actual final tests that I have to study for. Instead I was able to get away with only having a few papers due and a debate on the last day of class. I'm still a little bit nervous for the debate because that class has been very confusing this entire semester, but the papers should not be too bad to accomplish. I personally really have enjoyed this travel writing class that I have been taking because of the fact that the entire thing is so reflective and 100% about my experiences abroad. Our final assignment is actually a reflection piece about ourselves and our time in Oxford, and not only is it something that I want to do well on in order to get a good grade, but it is also something I want to do well on so that I can look back at this and remember my experiences and all that I took away from this trip.
It's honestly so bizarre to me to even think about the fact that finals are already here. I remember like it was yesterday talking to my flatmates about how bored we were and could not wait for classes to start. I wish I knew where the time has gone since I have been over here but it seems as though every day passes by faster than the last. It's almost sad in a way, but I think that I am slowly getting ready to go back to the states and get back into my every day routine.
I'm on the bus right now on the way to Berlin, Germany with my friend Courtney and we're meeting up with a bunch of friends from our school back in the states that are all studying in Barcelona. They all leave a week from today, and I leave pretty soon after them, so this is going to be our last trip while being abroad. My expectations of this trip are pretty high since it is our last "hoorah" but we'll see what berlin has to offer us. What attracted us to come back to Germany in the first place is the famous christmas markets in the center of the city. One of my friends that is coming with us, also named Mackenzie, found out that there are in fact 10 different christmas markets going on while we're there! I am so excited for the german atmosphere, hot chocolate, and pretzel sandwiches that we are going to try. My expectations of this are a lot of what I saw both in Prague and at the Birmingham christmas markets here in England.
I can already tell this trip is going to be an adventure because of the fact that I had almost forgot my boarding pass and passport in my room before we left, luckily I remembered it before we got on the U1 to go to the bus station. Also, Courtney and I didn't realize that we actually booked flights to come home a day later than everyone else that we are staying with, so as a result we don't have a hostel our last night in Berlin and are going to be spending a lot of time at the airport. Honestly though, her and I are so used to doing that already that we came prepared with our laptops, headphones, and a list full of movies/tv shows on iTunes that will help us pass the time.
Although I say I am pretty sick of traveling and ready to go back to the states, i'm going to miss this independence a lot. Especially when it comes to booking my own flights, hostels, and plans around a city. These bus rides aren't as bad as they sound, and everyone within the transportation services have been so friendly and helpful to me wherever I have been. I'm going to have to save more of this reflective talk for my reflection at the end of my trip, but the independence that I have gained here is definitely something I will cherish the rest of my life, and be thankful that I was able to discover while being abroad.
I walked into reception yesterday to print out my ticket for Berlin, and I notice that almost every single computer is taken up. I had to keep myself from laughing because this is so much like what happens back at my college in the states! People are talking about how busy they are and crunching in all nighters to make sure that they get the best grade possible at the end of the semester. You always find this time of year to have the longest line at starbucks and the red bulls at the grab and go to be completely wiped out.
I was lucky enough to not have any actual final tests that I have to study for. Instead I was able to get away with only having a few papers due and a debate on the last day of class. I'm still a little bit nervous for the debate because that class has been very confusing this entire semester, but the papers should not be too bad to accomplish. I personally really have enjoyed this travel writing class that I have been taking because of the fact that the entire thing is so reflective and 100% about my experiences abroad. Our final assignment is actually a reflection piece about ourselves and our time in Oxford, and not only is it something that I want to do well on in order to get a good grade, but it is also something I want to do well on so that I can look back at this and remember my experiences and all that I took away from this trip.
It's honestly so bizarre to me to even think about the fact that finals are already here. I remember like it was yesterday talking to my flatmates about how bored we were and could not wait for classes to start. I wish I knew where the time has gone since I have been over here but it seems as though every day passes by faster than the last. It's almost sad in a way, but I think that I am slowly getting ready to go back to the states and get back into my every day routine.
I'm on the bus right now on the way to Berlin, Germany with my friend Courtney and we're meeting up with a bunch of friends from our school back in the states that are all studying in Barcelona. They all leave a week from today, and I leave pretty soon after them, so this is going to be our last trip while being abroad. My expectations of this trip are pretty high since it is our last "hoorah" but we'll see what berlin has to offer us. What attracted us to come back to Germany in the first place is the famous christmas markets in the center of the city. One of my friends that is coming with us, also named Mackenzie, found out that there are in fact 10 different christmas markets going on while we're there! I am so excited for the german atmosphere, hot chocolate, and pretzel sandwiches that we are going to try. My expectations of this are a lot of what I saw both in Prague and at the Birmingham christmas markets here in England.
I can already tell this trip is going to be an adventure because of the fact that I had almost forgot my boarding pass and passport in my room before we left, luckily I remembered it before we got on the U1 to go to the bus station. Also, Courtney and I didn't realize that we actually booked flights to come home a day later than everyone else that we are staying with, so as a result we don't have a hostel our last night in Berlin and are going to be spending a lot of time at the airport. Honestly though, her and I are so used to doing that already that we came prepared with our laptops, headphones, and a list full of movies/tv shows on iTunes that will help us pass the time.
Although I say I am pretty sick of traveling and ready to go back to the states, i'm going to miss this independence a lot. Especially when it comes to booking my own flights, hostels, and plans around a city. These bus rides aren't as bad as they sound, and everyone within the transportation services have been so friendly and helpful to me wherever I have been. I'm going to have to save more of this reflective talk for my reflection at the end of my trip, but the independence that I have gained here is definitely something I will cherish the rest of my life, and be thankful that I was able to discover while being abroad.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Prague
One of the most beautiful places that I have ever been in my entire life is Prague in the Czech Republic. I did not have very high expectations for this place because I had never heard much about it until I actually came abroad. I was actually expecting something more along the lines of something you would find maybe in the middle east? But what I came across instead was a mixture of Scotland, Germany, and Barcelona all in one. Not only was the landscape absolutely breathtaking but the ancient architecture of a time before the Romans was fascinating. I have never seen anything like the huge gate that separated the "old town" from the "new town" and the huge palace that sat at the top of a long vertical hill. It was definitely a place that I could find myself exploring for much longer than the short weekend that I had a chance to stay there.
Courtney and I flew in on a Thursday night and were more than anxious to get to our hostel and get some quality sleep. The only problem was, we had no idea how to get to our hostel, and silly me, forgot to look up the address thinking that the Mosaic House Hostel was pretty well known. Boy could I have not been any more wrong. We asked 2 taxi drivers who had no idea what we were saying, despite the huge language barrier, and neither did the person at the information desk at the airport. Luckily, we came across two other girls that had no idea where they were going either, but they did have an address, and they happened to be staying at the same hostel as us! These two girls actually happened to be americans as well studying abroad in London for the semester, and one of them even knew some of my friends from high school! It blows my mind what a small world it is. So the four of us shared a cab to the hostel which was about 15 minutes away into the center of town.
One of my favorite things about Prague, besides the fact that it was stunningly beautiful, is that their currency was so cheap! For every 100 czech crowns, it was only 5 dollars. Needless to say, that is where I spent the majority of my money out of all the places that I have traveled so far. After visiting the John Lennon Wall which is a gigantic wall in tribute to one of the beatles singers and pretty much signifies peace, union, and freedom of speech (or song in this case) throughout the world, I had to buy some sort of souvenir from it. On the Charles Bridge that connects the "touristy land" from the "political land" are a ton of vendors selling everything from water color paintings of prague, to photographs of the John Lennon Wall, to hand made jewelry made right there in Prague, and so much more. I found one stand that was selling pictures of the John Lennon Wall "buy 2 get 1 free" and of course I wasn't going to pass up that offer. I found one picture that had the song "We all live in a yellow submarine" which is very special to my dad because one of his best friends, and long-time business partner, died of cancer a few years ago, and that was his favorite song. So I decided to buy that, another one that had a great quote sketched into the shape of a heart, and then one more that had 3 pictures in one that I plan on putting in my dorm room when I get back to High Point.
The John Lennon wall is amazing with all of the cool drawings and sayings that were decorated all over this wall. It was a little smaller than I had expected, but it was definitely far from a let down. One of my favorite quotes that I found on the wall was "Courage is Contagious". It pretty much sums up a lot of what I have taken away from this time abroad and what I plan on bringing back with me to the states. I feel as though I could've stayed there for hours and hours just looking at everything that was written on that wall. It absolutely blows my mind that it is still there and not just a giant paint blob after so many years.
The next day was definitely my favorite day there. It was the day of the Christmas tree Lighting and the opening of the Christmas Markets, which were actually the main reason that we were in Prague in the first place. We walked all around Prague that day trying to follow the only map that we could find in English that we happened to find in Starbucks. We went and saw the famous clock tower, went on a boat ride right underneath the Charles Bridge, which was really cool because we got to see the entire outer banks of Prague and listen to a tour guide tell us about how Prague actually is where many films are made because there are so many places that look like other places around the world and it is a lot cheaper to film here than to go to the original ones. For example, scenes from Harry Potter were filmed at the castle, even though it was said that Harry Potter was a completely "british film", and scenes from other movies that are said to take place in Venice were actually filmed in the canals of Prague because they resemble them so dramatically. It was really cool to see where the 5 star Hotels were that all of the celebrities stay in, as well as where the embassy was where the Presidents, Royals, Prime Ministers, and other people of higher authority stay when they come to Prague.
The food was very interesting here. I think I talked a little bit about it in my last blog, but the sausages weren't exactly the best I've ever had...seeing as they didn't sit too well in my stomach the rest of the day. The hot chocolate was very good, and the beer tasted very similar to something I could have found in Germany. We went to a thai restaurant on our last night called Zebra, and I have never tasted pad thai so delicious in my entire life. Courtney and I split a plate of it, but I can guarantee you that I probably could have finished the entire thing by myself, whether I would admit to actually being hungry enough for it or not.
The Christmas Markets were absolutely amazing. Although we were squished like giant sardines, it was definitely worth it to see the huge tree get illuminated and light up the entire center of the city. When the crowd finally cleared out after the tree lighting, we were able to do a bit of shopping around and looking at the cool knick knacks and things that all the stands had to offer. There were hand made clocks, hand made jewelry, gingerbread men, christmas ornaments, roasted chestnuts, and so much more. It was fridgid outside and I was starting to lose the feeling in my face, fingers, and toes, so I tried to convince Allison and Courtney to come with me back to the Hostel, and right as we were about to leave we spotted a horse and carriage ride. Their way of convincing me to go on it with them was "it's only about 10 dollars each, you're never going to be in Prague again, and there's a blanket on board." So of course, we hopped right on into the horse and buggy and were off exploring the streets of Prague. The one thing that could have made this trip even better was if right at that moment on the sleigh ride, it started to snow.
Courtney and I flew in on a Thursday night and were more than anxious to get to our hostel and get some quality sleep. The only problem was, we had no idea how to get to our hostel, and silly me, forgot to look up the address thinking that the Mosaic House Hostel was pretty well known. Boy could I have not been any more wrong. We asked 2 taxi drivers who had no idea what we were saying, despite the huge language barrier, and neither did the person at the information desk at the airport. Luckily, we came across two other girls that had no idea where they were going either, but they did have an address, and they happened to be staying at the same hostel as us! These two girls actually happened to be americans as well studying abroad in London for the semester, and one of them even knew some of my friends from high school! It blows my mind what a small world it is. So the four of us shared a cab to the hostel which was about 15 minutes away into the center of town.
One of my favorite things about Prague, besides the fact that it was stunningly beautiful, is that their currency was so cheap! For every 100 czech crowns, it was only 5 dollars. Needless to say, that is where I spent the majority of my money out of all the places that I have traveled so far. After visiting the John Lennon Wall which is a gigantic wall in tribute to one of the beatles singers and pretty much signifies peace, union, and freedom of speech (or song in this case) throughout the world, I had to buy some sort of souvenir from it. On the Charles Bridge that connects the "touristy land" from the "political land" are a ton of vendors selling everything from water color paintings of prague, to photographs of the John Lennon Wall, to hand made jewelry made right there in Prague, and so much more. I found one stand that was selling pictures of the John Lennon Wall "buy 2 get 1 free" and of course I wasn't going to pass up that offer. I found one picture that had the song "We all live in a yellow submarine" which is very special to my dad because one of his best friends, and long-time business partner, died of cancer a few years ago, and that was his favorite song. So I decided to buy that, another one that had a great quote sketched into the shape of a heart, and then one more that had 3 pictures in one that I plan on putting in my dorm room when I get back to High Point.
The John Lennon wall is amazing with all of the cool drawings and sayings that were decorated all over this wall. It was a little smaller than I had expected, but it was definitely far from a let down. One of my favorite quotes that I found on the wall was "Courage is Contagious". It pretty much sums up a lot of what I have taken away from this time abroad and what I plan on bringing back with me to the states. I feel as though I could've stayed there for hours and hours just looking at everything that was written on that wall. It absolutely blows my mind that it is still there and not just a giant paint blob after so many years.
The next day was definitely my favorite day there. It was the day of the Christmas tree Lighting and the opening of the Christmas Markets, which were actually the main reason that we were in Prague in the first place. We walked all around Prague that day trying to follow the only map that we could find in English that we happened to find in Starbucks. We went and saw the famous clock tower, went on a boat ride right underneath the Charles Bridge, which was really cool because we got to see the entire outer banks of Prague and listen to a tour guide tell us about how Prague actually is where many films are made because there are so many places that look like other places around the world and it is a lot cheaper to film here than to go to the original ones. For example, scenes from Harry Potter were filmed at the castle, even though it was said that Harry Potter was a completely "british film", and scenes from other movies that are said to take place in Venice were actually filmed in the canals of Prague because they resemble them so dramatically. It was really cool to see where the 5 star Hotels were that all of the celebrities stay in, as well as where the embassy was where the Presidents, Royals, Prime Ministers, and other people of higher authority stay when they come to Prague.
The food was very interesting here. I think I talked a little bit about it in my last blog, but the sausages weren't exactly the best I've ever had...seeing as they didn't sit too well in my stomach the rest of the day. The hot chocolate was very good, and the beer tasted very similar to something I could have found in Germany. We went to a thai restaurant on our last night called Zebra, and I have never tasted pad thai so delicious in my entire life. Courtney and I split a plate of it, but I can guarantee you that I probably could have finished the entire thing by myself, whether I would admit to actually being hungry enough for it or not.
The Christmas Markets were absolutely amazing. Although we were squished like giant sardines, it was definitely worth it to see the huge tree get illuminated and light up the entire center of the city. When the crowd finally cleared out after the tree lighting, we were able to do a bit of shopping around and looking at the cool knick knacks and things that all the stands had to offer. There were hand made clocks, hand made jewelry, gingerbread men, christmas ornaments, roasted chestnuts, and so much more. It was fridgid outside and I was starting to lose the feeling in my face, fingers, and toes, so I tried to convince Allison and Courtney to come with me back to the Hostel, and right as we were about to leave we spotted a horse and carriage ride. Their way of convincing me to go on it with them was "it's only about 10 dollars each, you're never going to be in Prague again, and there's a blanket on board." So of course, we hopped right on into the horse and buggy and were off exploring the streets of Prague. The one thing that could have made this trip even better was if right at that moment on the sleigh ride, it started to snow. 
Leaving Prague was actually a bit sad, because it was the last trip for the three people studying in Florence that we were there with. It made me think of what little time I have left in Europe and all of the good times that I have had while being abroad. It's such an eye opener going to all of these different places and experiencing the cultures of each one of them individually. Prague, or how the Czech Republicans say it "Praha", was probably my third favorite place that I went in Europe, and I would recommend anyone that comes over to Europe in the future to make it a point to visit it.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Airports
Honestly, I almost feel as though I have spent the same amount of time in airports while being abroad that I have actually traveling abroad to different countries. I have slept on the floor of the Luton Airport numerous times while waiting for my plane to board at 6 in the morning, also while waiting for the bus back to Oxford at 6 at night. I have laid in the chairs of the Costa Coffee at the Stanstead Airport waiting to go to Germany and Italy, although I did not mind it as much back then because those were my first 2 trips and I was preoccupied with getting excited about my adventures that were lying ahead rather than how cold and uncomfortable the ground was that I was sleeping on.
I have ate probably at every single restaurant in both the Luton and Stanstead airports. The people that work at Starbucks at both places definitely know me by heart as well as the fact that I am going to order a "skinny gingerbread latte, hold the whip cream" every time I get in line. The police officers at Luton airport even know me and courtney because of the fact that we were laying down reading and waiting for our bus back to Oxford for about three hours and every 20 minutes that they passed us on their rounds around the airport they would say "hello."
I used to love flying. It was actually my favorite form of transportation for as long as I can remember. I used to love the smell of the airport, the hustle and bustle of people trying to get to their gate on time, the fact that every single person in the airport was either going or coming from not only a different part of the states but possibly from all different parts of the world! Airports absolutely fascinated me and I always expected them to stay open and packed 24/7. My perspective on airports has completely changed now since I have been abroad and although I still love to travel, I'm not sure I will be using airports as much as I used to, especially not Ryanair.
The cheapest way to fly in Europe is either by Ryanair, EasyJet, or Wizz air. All three of them have pretty decently priced plane tickets to all over Europe except everything else about them I would say is pretty much shit. For Ryanair, you have to get there extra early to stand in a very long line and get your passport checked off with the people at the front desk, then you have to wait a little bit and go through security (which is thankfully not too bad) then you have to sit by a monitor and wait for your flight to come up so that you can see what gate your in. After sprinting to the gate that you saw flash across the monitor, you have to stand in line again for about 30 minutes and wait for someone to come by and check that you only have one bag on you that is of a certain size and length. Then you have to wait in line again to board the plane, sprint to the plane, and get in the seat of your choice. It is pretty much the same for the other two airlines that I discussed above, except you don't have to get your passport checked first.
Landing on these airlines is a completely different story. Compared to this, everything else makes it seem like we're being treated like first class. You slowly are coming closer and closer to the ground and you can see your destination, the plane goes a little bit wobbly side to side until finally *BAM* you're landed on the ground with a few large bumps and your face pressed up against the person's seat in front of you. To top it off, on Ryanair, the pilot likes to play a "congratulatory" song singing "congratulations you have arrived on time". The song is supposed to be reassuring but, for me at least, it has the opposite effect of making me feel as though it is a "congratulations you are still alive song".
People always talk about how bad customs is and how it takes so long to get through it, but I never get impatient when I am standing in line for it. It usually seems to go pretty fast, and to this day I still get really excited about getting another stamp in my book! It sounds a little childish but hey when I look back and see all of these stamps, it is going to remind me of all of these memories that I have made while traveling abroad in Europe.
There are a few places that I wish I had been able to go to now that I am leaving in a few weeks, and the only time that I usually think about them is when I am at the airport looking at the monitor wondering when my flight is going to pop up. I wish that I could've made time for Wales, Ireland, Switzerland, and so many more places. Traveling abroad is such an amazing experience, but a person really does need about 2 semesters to an entire year to actually be able to say they have "fully accomplished europe".
I have ate probably at every single restaurant in both the Luton and Stanstead airports. The people that work at Starbucks at both places definitely know me by heart as well as the fact that I am going to order a "skinny gingerbread latte, hold the whip cream" every time I get in line. The police officers at Luton airport even know me and courtney because of the fact that we were laying down reading and waiting for our bus back to Oxford for about three hours and every 20 minutes that they passed us on their rounds around the airport they would say "hello."
I used to love flying. It was actually my favorite form of transportation for as long as I can remember. I used to love the smell of the airport, the hustle and bustle of people trying to get to their gate on time, the fact that every single person in the airport was either going or coming from not only a different part of the states but possibly from all different parts of the world! Airports absolutely fascinated me and I always expected them to stay open and packed 24/7. My perspective on airports has completely changed now since I have been abroad and although I still love to travel, I'm not sure I will be using airports as much as I used to, especially not Ryanair.
The cheapest way to fly in Europe is either by Ryanair, EasyJet, or Wizz air. All three of them have pretty decently priced plane tickets to all over Europe except everything else about them I would say is pretty much shit. For Ryanair, you have to get there extra early to stand in a very long line and get your passport checked off with the people at the front desk, then you have to wait a little bit and go through security (which is thankfully not too bad) then you have to sit by a monitor and wait for your flight to come up so that you can see what gate your in. After sprinting to the gate that you saw flash across the monitor, you have to stand in line again for about 30 minutes and wait for someone to come by and check that you only have one bag on you that is of a certain size and length. Then you have to wait in line again to board the plane, sprint to the plane, and get in the seat of your choice. It is pretty much the same for the other two airlines that I discussed above, except you don't have to get your passport checked first.
Landing on these airlines is a completely different story. Compared to this, everything else makes it seem like we're being treated like first class. You slowly are coming closer and closer to the ground and you can see your destination, the plane goes a little bit wobbly side to side until finally *BAM* you're landed on the ground with a few large bumps and your face pressed up against the person's seat in front of you. To top it off, on Ryanair, the pilot likes to play a "congratulatory" song singing "congratulations you have arrived on time". The song is supposed to be reassuring but, for me at least, it has the opposite effect of making me feel as though it is a "congratulations you are still alive song".
People always talk about how bad customs is and how it takes so long to get through it, but I never get impatient when I am standing in line for it. It usually seems to go pretty fast, and to this day I still get really excited about getting another stamp in my book! It sounds a little childish but hey when I look back and see all of these stamps, it is going to remind me of all of these memories that I have made while traveling abroad in Europe.
There are a few places that I wish I had been able to go to now that I am leaving in a few weeks, and the only time that I usually think about them is when I am at the airport looking at the monitor wondering when my flight is going to pop up. I wish that I could've made time for Wales, Ireland, Switzerland, and so many more places. Traveling abroad is such an amazing experience, but a person really does need about 2 semesters to an entire year to actually be able to say they have "fully accomplished europe".
Sunday, December 2, 2012
European Food
Every single place that I have been in the past 3 months has given me a completely new experience with food. It has shown me how much we take advantage of the amount of food that we have in America, and how we are so consumed in eating the food that we don't actually think about what it means to enjoy it. Back in the states, we are known for our huge portions and, let's be honest, huge appetites. Why do you think that there was a movie created in America called "supersize me"? In these European countries, I have realized that although the food may not taste as good (aka is not as greasy, salty, and "bad for you") as the food in America, everything has its own unique taste.
Let's start with the first place that I went, Munich, Germany. From the second we walked into the huge train station in the center of town there were food places surrounding us. Everything from pizza, to sausages, to sandwiches made inside of pretzels, to snitzel. The chicken that we had at Oktoberfest was roasted on a stick right in front of us and served right off the cooker. It was savory and tasted very fresh, the meat was pretty much falling off of the bone. There was gingerbread cookies hanging from all of the stands that had german words written on them and were carved in the shape of hearts. And when it comes to drinking, there is a completely different perspective of it over here. People were drinking from the beginning of Oktoberfest (at 8 in the morning) until the tents closed at midnight. It absolutely blew my mind at how much Germans can drink and are willing to drink. You could never find a stein (a beer equivalent to 5 beers) in America never mind finding someone standing on a table chugging one at 8 in the morning.
Italy was the next place on the agenda. This was the most delicious place that I traveled to, not only because they are known for their food in Italy but because I had the time to sit and enjoy what I was eating and be able to understand why Italians are so famous for their cooking. I already described some of the food in one of my previous blogs when I talked about the pizza and how it is made differently there than anywhere else in the world. Mainly because of the fact that all of the ingredients they use are fresh. The pasta was the most amazing pasta I have ever eaten in my life. It sounds a little funny but I didn't want it to end! I would never leave a table hungry and I know for a fact if I studied abroad there I would definitely come back to the states looking much heavier than I did when I left! As far as drinking goes, my impression of Italians is that they are more about enjoying and tasting their drinks rather than sucking them down to get "wasted". When I tasted wine there I was told to swirl it around in a glass, sniff it, and then taste the it. The wine was especially good at the winery because it was so fresh and made right at that site. I think it also tasted so delicious because I learned all about where it came from and how it was made before I tasted it.
The food in scotland is very similar to what I had encountered already in England. There was nothing that stood out more than anything else, but that might have something to do with the choices I made about what I wanted to eat. Although the brucsetta that I had at the first pub we went to was unbelievable, as well as the pasta that I ate right before we left to go back on our 9 hour bus ride was definitely worth the scottish pounds. Something that I found very interesting both in Scotland and in England was how popular Indian food is. Everyone seemed to love it there and there was a different Indian restaurant on every block. My friend that we stayed with for the weekend was determined to buy it the night after her 21st birthday, and that absolutely astonished me because Indian food would be the last thing that my stomach would be craving after a night of drinking and partying. The scots love to have a good time as far as drinking goes. The night life there definitely reminded me a lot of what I had encountered in both England and Germany. Crazy people that like to scream a lot and drink a lot of beer!
Food in Barcelona came as a big surprise to me. I did not expect everything to be so all about fish and other seafood. I think I was expecting something more along the lines as what you would find in Mexico (aka burritos and chips and salsa). Paella is a dish that is advertised at every single restaurant that I walked past. It is a combination of rice, a little spicy sauce, and all types of seafood in one dish. It was a little too fishy for my liking but people seemed to really enjoy it. Sangria was one thing that Spain is widely known for so we had to try that, and it did was definitely not a disappointment, let me reassure you. The drinking was pretty insane in Barcelona, not to mention it is the party capital of the world, but there were at least 10 different clubs to go to just in the center of the city, and people were constantly trying to sell beer to us off the streets. People actually tend to sleep in until about 2 or three in the afternoon on the weekends, wake up, eat something, and then start drinking and partying again around 12 in the morning to come home 6 hours later and do it all over again! It was definitely a tremendous experience for the weekend, but I don't think I would have lasted there any longer, never mind studying abroad there for 4 months.
This past weekend we went to Prague for their legendary christmas markets. Aside from the food that we tried in the markets, I'm not sure that we got anything that was imparticularly authentic Prague food. We pretty much had things that we could have found in America or in England simply because we were not sure what we were really supposed to try from there? The closest thing that we got to trying native food from there was the sausages and these round cinnamon bun-looking things from the markets. The sausage was gigantic and was given to me in a baguette straight off the grille. It sort of made me feel a little sick afterwards, but I still ate the whole thing! The cinnamon bun-looking thing was okay tasting, it was a little bland for my liking. The hot chocolate on the other hand was really, really good! It was fresh and homemade right in front of us so it tasted like a rich, melted chocolate bar in a cup. I couldn't get enough of it. The drinking in Prague was sort of similar to Italy for me. I did not feel as though it was a huge deal there because although they were selling mulled wine everywhere, it was the only type of alcohol sold at this market. Not that that's a bad thing, but it was different than what I had found at the previous market that I had been to in Birmingham the week before.
Last, but certainly not least, is English food. This is something that I have had a chance to experience the most while being abroad in Europe. One of the first things that I tried when I got here, because the brits are so well known for it, was fish and chips. To be completely honest, I was not exactly blown away by this dish. I am not the biggest fan of fried fish to begin with, but I guess I was expecting it to taste different over here than back in the states. The malt vinegar that is usually served with the fish and chips added a bit of flavor to it, but it was still pretty bland. At least I can say that I had fish and chips in England now! Another interesting food that I have discovered over here is pig's belly. I don't think I have ever expected to eat that before, but it was by far one of the best meals that I think I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked and tasted absolutely astounding, I will definitely be having that again before I leave. I think that I have pretty much expressed my feelings about how the brits drink over here in my previous blogs, but I have recently tried a classic British drink called Pims and I found it to be one of my favorites! I was pretty happy to discover this because the typical beers and ciders that I have tried so far have been quite a disappointment to me.
One food that I have found to be in every place that I have visited so far in Europe is kabobs. Now, when I used to think of kabobs I would think of a few pieces of chicken, peppers, and onions grilled on a stick. Over here in Europe that is far from what I have encountered. It every place the kabobs are prepared the same, with the meat being rotated on a huge pole for hours on end and being carved off and separated into containers for people to choose from. The workers take that and mix it into a pita bread with your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, special sauces, etc. and then rolled up and eaten all together. Kabobs tend to be a popular nighttime snack, especially for those that are going home from a club, so that is why they usually open their shops around 8 or 9 at night and don't close until 2 or three in the morning. They taste pretty good late at night, but I'm not sure I would feel the same about them if I tried one during the daytime...
One thing that I must admit to being very happy about while studying in England is the fact that they have a starbucks here. I am not sure what I would've done if I had to go 4 months without a starbucks latte.
Let's start with the first place that I went, Munich, Germany. From the second we walked into the huge train station in the center of town there were food places surrounding us. Everything from pizza, to sausages, to sandwiches made inside of pretzels, to snitzel. The chicken that we had at Oktoberfest was roasted on a stick right in front of us and served right off the cooker. It was savory and tasted very fresh, the meat was pretty much falling off of the bone. There was gingerbread cookies hanging from all of the stands that had german words written on them and were carved in the shape of hearts. And when it comes to drinking, there is a completely different perspective of it over here. People were drinking from the beginning of Oktoberfest (at 8 in the morning) until the tents closed at midnight. It absolutely blew my mind at how much Germans can drink and are willing to drink. You could never find a stein (a beer equivalent to 5 beers) in America never mind finding someone standing on a table chugging one at 8 in the morning.
Italy was the next place on the agenda. This was the most delicious place that I traveled to, not only because they are known for their food in Italy but because I had the time to sit and enjoy what I was eating and be able to understand why Italians are so famous for their cooking. I already described some of the food in one of my previous blogs when I talked about the pizza and how it is made differently there than anywhere else in the world. Mainly because of the fact that all of the ingredients they use are fresh. The pasta was the most amazing pasta I have ever eaten in my life. It sounds a little funny but I didn't want it to end! I would never leave a table hungry and I know for a fact if I studied abroad there I would definitely come back to the states looking much heavier than I did when I left! As far as drinking goes, my impression of Italians is that they are more about enjoying and tasting their drinks rather than sucking them down to get "wasted". When I tasted wine there I was told to swirl it around in a glass, sniff it, and then taste the it. The wine was especially good at the winery because it was so fresh and made right at that site. I think it also tasted so delicious because I learned all about where it came from and how it was made before I tasted it.
The food in scotland is very similar to what I had encountered already in England. There was nothing that stood out more than anything else, but that might have something to do with the choices I made about what I wanted to eat. Although the brucsetta that I had at the first pub we went to was unbelievable, as well as the pasta that I ate right before we left to go back on our 9 hour bus ride was definitely worth the scottish pounds. Something that I found very interesting both in Scotland and in England was how popular Indian food is. Everyone seemed to love it there and there was a different Indian restaurant on every block. My friend that we stayed with for the weekend was determined to buy it the night after her 21st birthday, and that absolutely astonished me because Indian food would be the last thing that my stomach would be craving after a night of drinking and partying. The scots love to have a good time as far as drinking goes. The night life there definitely reminded me a lot of what I had encountered in both England and Germany. Crazy people that like to scream a lot and drink a lot of beer!
Food in Barcelona came as a big surprise to me. I did not expect everything to be so all about fish and other seafood. I think I was expecting something more along the lines as what you would find in Mexico (aka burritos and chips and salsa). Paella is a dish that is advertised at every single restaurant that I walked past. It is a combination of rice, a little spicy sauce, and all types of seafood in one dish. It was a little too fishy for my liking but people seemed to really enjoy it. Sangria was one thing that Spain is widely known for so we had to try that, and it did was definitely not a disappointment, let me reassure you. The drinking was pretty insane in Barcelona, not to mention it is the party capital of the world, but there were at least 10 different clubs to go to just in the center of the city, and people were constantly trying to sell beer to us off the streets. People actually tend to sleep in until about 2 or three in the afternoon on the weekends, wake up, eat something, and then start drinking and partying again around 12 in the morning to come home 6 hours later and do it all over again! It was definitely a tremendous experience for the weekend, but I don't think I would have lasted there any longer, never mind studying abroad there for 4 months.
This past weekend we went to Prague for their legendary christmas markets. Aside from the food that we tried in the markets, I'm not sure that we got anything that was imparticularly authentic Prague food. We pretty much had things that we could have found in America or in England simply because we were not sure what we were really supposed to try from there? The closest thing that we got to trying native food from there was the sausages and these round cinnamon bun-looking things from the markets. The sausage was gigantic and was given to me in a baguette straight off the grille. It sort of made me feel a little sick afterwards, but I still ate the whole thing! The cinnamon bun-looking thing was okay tasting, it was a little bland for my liking. The hot chocolate on the other hand was really, really good! It was fresh and homemade right in front of us so it tasted like a rich, melted chocolate bar in a cup. I couldn't get enough of it. The drinking in Prague was sort of similar to Italy for me. I did not feel as though it was a huge deal there because although they were selling mulled wine everywhere, it was the only type of alcohol sold at this market. Not that that's a bad thing, but it was different than what I had found at the previous market that I had been to in Birmingham the week before.
Last, but certainly not least, is English food. This is something that I have had a chance to experience the most while being abroad in Europe. One of the first things that I tried when I got here, because the brits are so well known for it, was fish and chips. To be completely honest, I was not exactly blown away by this dish. I am not the biggest fan of fried fish to begin with, but I guess I was expecting it to taste different over here than back in the states. The malt vinegar that is usually served with the fish and chips added a bit of flavor to it, but it was still pretty bland. At least I can say that I had fish and chips in England now! Another interesting food that I have discovered over here is pig's belly. I don't think I have ever expected to eat that before, but it was by far one of the best meals that I think I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked and tasted absolutely astounding, I will definitely be having that again before I leave. I think that I have pretty much expressed my feelings about how the brits drink over here in my previous blogs, but I have recently tried a classic British drink called Pims and I found it to be one of my favorites! I was pretty happy to discover this because the typical beers and ciders that I have tried so far have been quite a disappointment to me.
One food that I have found to be in every place that I have visited so far in Europe is kabobs. Now, when I used to think of kabobs I would think of a few pieces of chicken, peppers, and onions grilled on a stick. Over here in Europe that is far from what I have encountered. It every place the kabobs are prepared the same, with the meat being rotated on a huge pole for hours on end and being carved off and separated into containers for people to choose from. The workers take that and mix it into a pita bread with your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, special sauces, etc. and then rolled up and eaten all together. Kabobs tend to be a popular nighttime snack, especially for those that are going home from a club, so that is why they usually open their shops around 8 or 9 at night and don't close until 2 or three in the morning. They taste pretty good late at night, but I'm not sure I would feel the same about them if I tried one during the daytime...
One thing that I must admit to being very happy about while studying in England is the fact that they have a starbucks here. I am not sure what I would've done if I had to go 4 months without a starbucks latte.
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