First weekend in London and Harry Potter Tour

This weekend was definitely a very interesting one. It was good because we learned a lot out of our experiences and were able to navigate our way around London so that we knew what to do, and where to go next time we decide to come into the city. Our plan was to go into London, catch a train to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, check out the night life, and sleep in a decent hostel. We got so lost and confused about how to go about using the Tube and the buses on our way to the Harry Potter tour that we must’ve spent at least 20 pounds trying to get there and back. The actual tour was pretty amazing though. We got to see how they made the “magic of Hogwarts”, see the actual sets and costumes that were used by the actors, and even have a chance to ride a broomstick! The first thing I did when we got back to our flat was watch Harry Potter 4, and I can honestly say that it was interesting to know how everything was made, but it did ruin the movie a little bit for me just because I now know that there officially is no such thing as the actual Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry! Just kidding, but really, it definitely changed my perspective on how I watched Harry Potter. Another thing that was really interesting about this tour was that they had pictures of the actors all over the studio from the time that they first began filming about 10 years ago, until now. If those actors went in there today, it would be as if they are looking at a timeline of themselves and seeing themselves grow up, which makes you have even more of an appreciation for the movie because you realize how they literally became their characters, and formed one huge family. 

After the tour, we managed to find a Chipotle back in town and that was definitely refreshing to finally have some American food once again, which surprisingly tasted just like it does back at home! Finding our hostel was the next step in our day, and that was a whole separate adventure that we had to go on. We had no idea where the street that the hostel was actually located on was, and it was starting to get dark. When we finally figured out where we were supposed to be, the Clink78 was definitely not what any of us were expecting. We had a room to ourselves with 4 bunk beds side by side, and thank god we were all friends because that definitely would have been extremely awkward if we had to share a room with all strangers. I feel like staying in that kind of a room was good for us, because we are used to a very luxurious living situation, not only at HPU, but even the flats that we live in right now are decent compared to some of the dorms in the United States. 

The next day, we did not know that we were going to get fined if we were not out of there by 10am so we all scrambled to get our things and ran downstairs legitimately as if we were running from a fire. We finally arrived back at Clive Booth Hall and were so happy to be back in Oxford. That experience made me realize how happy I am that I am studying in Oxford rather than in London. Not that London isn’t an amazing city, but I don’t think that i’m ready to have a crazy city life until After I have graduated college. 

Me time

I love exploring on my own and doing my own thing on this trip sometimes so that I have a chance to reflect on myself, and I what it is that I came here to do in the first place. So this morning, I slept in a little bit, got myself out of bed, and went for a short jog around Clive Booth Hall. I ended up finding this gorgeous little park where it was so quiet and serene that I decided to take off my headphones and give myself a chance to actually think for the first time on this trip. I feel like we're always either on the go, or chatting with someone every moment of this trip from the second we wake up, until the moment we go to sleep.

The fact that Oxford is a city also makes it pretty hard to actually get inside your own head and get back in touch with your true self, which is exactly why I needed today to be a "me" day. I went into town by myself, and am sitting at Starbucks just starting some school work and getting myself organized before I have to go back to my flat and get on with my day. When leaving starbucks to go back to Clive Booth Hall, I realized that one of my favorite parts about living in the city is the fact that there are performers all over the place, and although they do it for a little bit of extra change, a lot of them are performing just for the joy of doing something that they love. There were some singers on the side of the road today that were singing American songs, another trio was playing the guitar and a stand up piano instrument that are very popular in Italy ( I am not sure the name of it exactly) but I could have sat there and listened to them for hours on end. Sometimes you see street performers in the U.S., but I feel like it's so different here because they are so much more talented and actually passionate about what they do, so much so that they are willing to perform for free for anyone that is willing to listen. 

For some odd reason, it has taken me the three weeks that we have been here so far for it to actually hit me that I am going to be spending four months of my life here in Oxford where my close friends and family are thousands of miles away. It's definitely bittersweet, but I would not trade it for the world. I know that I have so many opportunities and experiences that lie ahead, that I know this time is going to fly by much faster than I expect it to. I am going to try to soak up every moment of it, go to every English pub, store, historical site, etc. that I can so that I am able to truly get a feel for what it is like to be a Brit.

Change is good

Living in England has definitely been a huge culture shock for me, at least more than what I expected. Not only has it been hard living away from everyone that I am comfortable with, like my family, best friends, and boyfriend, but it has been hard adapting to the ways of the English. For example, when I am out to eat, or I get off the bus, or someone holds the door open for me I always am used to saying “thank you” and getting the reply “your welcome”, except in England they tend to use the word “cheers” in replacement for all of that. Driving on the opposite side of the road has also been a bit of a struggle and as funny as it sounds so has walking around because when you pass people, do you go left? or do you go right? In america, you always go right, here, (at least what I have experienced so far) you always go left. Starting classes today was also a bit of a culture shock for me because I am so used to living on the small HPU campus and waking up 5 minutes before my class because it was only a 2 minute walk out of my dorm room. Here, I have to take the bus places and walk about 15 minutes to get anywhere from my flat. One thing that has really made me feel like an outsider is the fact that the staff has keys to come right into our flat without even knocking. The amount of times I have walked downstairs to people cleaning at 8 in the morning is ridiculous. I thought the English were all about being polite and courteous to others, the staff here has definitely not shown me that so far. On the other hand, there are definitely some things that I have been able to get used to in the past 3 weeks. For example, knowing how to navigate downtown, counting out the change when paying for things, and even using military time. 

The fact that I already speak English gives me an obvious inside perspective as well. I could not imagine going to Italy, France, or Spain and trying to communicate with people when I barely know how to say anything besides “my name is” or “where is the bathroom”! Although we have only been here a few weeks, I have already learned so much about myself and what kind of person I want to become. This is a process that I have been looking forward to for a long time because it allows me to appreciate what I have at home and all of the opportunities I have to experience here. Feeling like an outsider in a foreign country is not always as bad as some people make it out to be. I actually find it fun and interesting because of the amount of stuff that I get to learn about people and their culture. It allows me to see what else there is out there besides the ways of Americans. Also, being an outsider can be fun because people always comment on your accent, your gestures, even the way you may eat and it opens an awareness of yourself that would not have been possible in a country where you are surrounded by so many familiarities. I plan on visiting quite a few other countries while I am studying here, and although it’s going to be an adjustment to adapt, once again, to a different type of lifestyle, it’s going to be a great experience that I will remember the rest of my life and will create more awareness and respect for myself of the diversity of the people in this world. 

Today was the first day of classes, and let me tell you, this is definitely not going to be as easy as I was expecting. Theres a lot more reading and independent study involved than there is in the US. I am excited to finally be starting school and having a routine though, I was getting a little sick of having too much free time on my hands. I am also starting to book a lot of the trips for the upcoming few months. This may be the only time that I have the chance to come to Europe and I definitely don't want to spend the entire time in England. We have Oktoberfest coming up in a few weeks, Italy right after to visit one of my friends, and hopefully Denmark not long after that. It's stressful to book these trips because I can see my money balance declining, but I know it is going to be soooo worth it to be broke when i get back to the states.

It is the 5th day that we have been in Oxford, England and I am absolutely loving it! The first night that me, emily, and meg got here we were so exhausted. We had to wait for our hotel room at the hotel to be ready for about 6 hours, and the second we got in the room at 2 in the afternoon, we all passed out on the bed, woke up about 4 hours later and decided to go check out the night life in London. The pub we went to was soo adorable, and we ended up meeting some other americans that had been there for the past week and they helped us find our way to a different part of the city so we could check out the clubs and stuff. People are sooo nice in London! they all knew we were americans because of the way we talked but they were asking us so many questions and making us feel so welcomed. When we drove to Oxford the next day, we had to take a cab, a train, and another cab (which we got very lost in) just to get to the building we were living in. I am living with Kate, Catherine, Meg, and Emily, and the other three girls that we hang out with every day are Courtney, Annie, and Clarissa. We are all so excited to be here and all get along so well, it's such a blast. We have been to London, saw the changing of the guards, we went to a club called the Bridge which was uh-mazing and to another club called Lava. Nightlife is so different in Oxford than the states, people stay out later, are definitely not as crazy as us, and there are about 3 to 5 different rooms in every individual club. Tomorrow we are going to Stonehenge and a very old Castle. I am so happy I get a chance to learn all about what it was like back then and to hear about the history of all of these places.The only thing that I wish was different is that I wish we had wifi so i could talk to my family and boyfriend easier rather than making them spend a fortune just to talk for 2 minutes. I can only imagine what else England has in store for us, and I am more than anxious/excited to find out!