Friday, January 31, 2014

First Week of Classes

I finally have my first week of classes under my belt.
Let me just say this, I appreciate the American education system more than ever.
I'm not sure if it's just this college or the country, but it's kind of madness.

Let's just start with the fact that I didn't know the classes I was in until last Friday and we started on Monday.
All those who know me know I don't do chaos and unorganized.
Just no!
I got all my classes figured out and moved around to where I liked them.
The first two went by great.
Did I mention I have 4 hour long classes?
Disgusting I know.
Then came Wednesday.
I was supposed to have Macroeconomics at 9am.
I went online to check the building because it wasn't listed in my previous schedule.
I was looking and it said it had been moved to Thursday!
So of course I start FREAKING out!
I email the professor and my director trying to find out what's going on.
Turns out they changed the day last minute!
Well the American over here was NOT okay with that.
You can't just change it without notifying people.
Are you starting to see where I turn Team America?

This caused a hiccup in my schedule though because I already had a Thursday class.
So I had to drop macroeconomics (how sad).
I finally got my schedule figured out after constant back and forth emailing with Gemma.

Then came Thursday class time.
My first class was Politics of the US.
Many of you will read that and think I am taking the easy class or cheating.
WRONG!
After getting lost in the massive building where this class takes place I finally get settled in.
There is one other study abroad student from America named Peter.
Of course we bonded over our nationality (typical).
So our teacher is lecturing and telling us about our course.
Then he asks if any of us had been to America.
Stupidly, I raise my hand without thinking.
I did not want to be known as the American kid.
I tried to put it down before the professor saw, but now such luck.
I finally tell the class that I live there and all that jazz.
He then proceeds to tell me that if he gets anything wrong during lectures to correct him.
As if!
He obviously does not know how American children are raised.
Then Peter didn't fess up to being American either!
I am now plotting ways to sell him out.
I am not being mean, I just don't like being alone when the professor looks to me and asks me random questions about America.

We finally get along with the lecture.
I am continuously being asked questions about our politics system and way of life in America.
I must say though, these Brits LOVE America.
They absolutely love it.
Which I guess is good for me.
The saddest part is when the teacher would ask questions these British kids know more about recent politics and people than I do!
Obviously I'm not voluntarily answering a question in this class ever!
There were two kids who I'm pretty sure sit around and read American politics books for fun!
They knew every answer to every question.
This is why I plan on selling Peter out.
His plan is to tell them he's German.
He doesn't speak, look, or sound German.
Foolproof plan!
Finally this class was over!
I had a small break until my next one.

My last class is Literature of the Romantic Period.
I thought this class would be fun and easy because I had something similar in America.
Plus how awesome would it be to go see the legendary places these writers lived and wrote about!
Boy was I wrong!
First, this class is not easy or fun.
Our first "warm-up" exercise was dissecting 5 poems.
I could only do one.
Thank God for William Blake.
Needless to say, if I don't fall asleep each class it will be a miracle.
Thankfully I have Fridays off!

The school system here is just so different from back home.
It's not even that I have 3-4 hour long classes.
This does really suck.
It's just that there isn't a lot of structure in it.
I LIKE STRUCTURE!
I am interested to see how it works out though.
Being a future educator makes me curious to see how other schools work, even at the college level.
So far, not impressed.
Maybe they will surprise me.
The one perk is that I don't have to buy books!
I can but it's only suggested.
So in college terms, I'm not buying books.
So the first week was a little stressful and I'm just ready for it to get better.
I know it will because once I get a routine down I will be able to breathe again.

Until next time,
xoxo

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

My Manifesto

Hey all!
So this is the first week of classes here at LSBU. 
I am actually loving the buildings here! 
They are very modern and all quite close. 
I haven't really had "real" classes yet. 
I will post about those this weekend after I have had them. 

This post is based on my first class that is required for study abroad students. 
It's called London: City of Change. 
Basically I walk a lot and learn about London. 
Coolest. Class. Ever. 
Back to class. 
We had to make a manifesto in class on the first day. 
Our manifesto could be anything we wanted but it had to do with our time here in London. 
I really loved the activity because it made me think about what I want to get out of this program. 
I decided to revise my group manifesto and share it with you all. 
So here we go. 

My Manifesto:

I want to explore the parts that others look over. 
I want to leave here a better and more open-minded person.
I want people to look at me after it's all said and done and be able to see the change in me. 
I want that change to for the better. 
I want to diversify myself and learn and love other cultures. 
I want to also remember where I came from and what it has taught me. 
I want to take what I have learned here and apply it to my life in the future. 
I want to accept and love others no matter their differences.

I don't want to fall under a typical stereotype or put others under one. 
I don't want to forget the friends and connections I made here. 
I don't want to gain nothing from this experience. 
I don't want to lose my sense of wanderlust. 
I don't want to forget my friends back home. 
I don't want to squander my time here. 

So this is my manifesto. 
I am sure by the time I leave here it will change. 
I kind of hope not because these are all very important to me. 
I suggest this to everyone.
It's cool to sit down and think about what you want out of life. 
Some of your answers could surprise you. 

Until next time, 
xoxo

Saturday, January 25, 2014

The Little Things

It feels like a month since I lasted made a post. 
Things are going really great in London.
I can't believe I have almost been here a full week. 
I am still missing home, but I am so thankful to be here. 
I have started to notice the little things that I miss.
They will seem very strange to people back home. 

Besides family and friends which I doubt I will ever stop missing.
I miss the small conveniences we have. 
First off, the prices. 
You would not believe how much it is over here. 
It blows my mind when I think about it. 
Plus there is living on a budget that makes it more terrifying. 
Gotta love being in college.

I also miss WalMart a ridiculous amount. 
They don't have stores like that. 
Since the city is so large and packed they don't have places where you can go get everything you need. 
Instead you walk to 3 or 4 different places to pick up everything. 
It's so weird. 
We have explained WalMart to them and they are baffled by that concept. 
I think I need to have a talk with WalMart execs. 

Then there's all the little weird food things that I miss. 
Wheat Thins. 
JIF peanut butter. 
Chef Boyardee Ravioli. 
PopTarts. 
My favorite cereals. 
Just weird little things, but I am finding different things to replace them temporarily. 

I miss manners. 
This may be the rural Midwest girl in me, but these people do not have our manners. 
They're not necessarily rude, okay some are. 
They just don't have the manners drilled into them like we do.
For instance, when someone sneezes they don't say bless you! 
Like what?
You do not do that back home. 
They also don't say excuse me when they bump into you or need to get past. 
They just barrel into you. 
I can't even count how many times I have been pushed or stepped on. 
I have almost had to bring out, as my flatmates call it "The Southern Girl" a couple times. 
Not my fault my parents taught me how to stand up for myself.
They could use a few lessons.  

Even though I miss all of these things I am still happy I came. 
I have experienced quite a bit in the past week and can't even imagine how I can discover more. 
There has been so much going on. 
I'm actually very ready to start classes and get settled into a routine. 
Next weekend we are going to Stonehenge and Bath and I am SO excited! 
You will all get the update from that wonderful day! 
Love you all! 

Until next time, 
xoxo

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Exploring Solo

Today was our first day without our director!
My flat decided we wanted to check out the free museums in South Kensington. 
Two things about that sentence. 
First, the free museums!
Yeah how incredible is that? 
Almost all museums in London are free. 
This is because Queen Victoria and Prince Albert wanted uneducated people to have access to information that would make them smarter. 
Thank God for dumb Londoners back in the day!
Second, South Kensington.
This place is absolutely gorgeous. 
We compared it to the Upper East Side in New York. 
It is very posh, expensive, and nice. 
Many of the residents and shops are French. 
I don't know why but they love South Kensington. 
This is also where Harrods is!
It's massive. 
I didn't have the chance to visit there today. 

So we all woke up and took the tube to South Kensington. 
We were so proud because we maneuvered the stations all on our own! 
It's only day three!
I felt like a pro and I'm sure the residents hate us. 
Finally we made it to South Kensington. 
We decided that the museum we wanted to see today was the Victoria and Albert. 
These are named after the Queen and Prince. 
This museum is so cool. 
It doesn't have a specific theme and you can see almost anything. 
They have jewels, statues, crowns, paintings, and so much more. 
It was so incredible!
I being the little history nerd that I am was in love. 
This place is so massive though that we didn't even see the all the exhibits. 
We figured we will make our way back sometime in the next 6 months. 

After we left the museum we decided we should probably head home. 
So we started our walk to find the Underground Station. 
We ended up walking past this huge Catholic church and decided to take a look. 
I cannot even describe the beauty of this place. 
It was so ornate and gorgeous, the architecture was incredible. 
There was a sign that said no pictures, but I snuck a few on my iPhone. 
You can check those out on my fb page. 
We left the church and figured it was really time to head home. 
We managed to get to the station while realizing we were there during rush hour! 
It was so packed!
Twice we had to wait for another train because of how many people there were.
Finally we got back to our dorm which is where I am now. 
I am so exhausted from a lack of sleep and walking all day. 
We have all decided that we better be in great shape after this much walking.

I am still missing everyone all the time!
I love you guys and love telling you all about my days!
Just keep in mind that this is barely scratching the surface.
I feel like when I come home I will need weeks just to sit down with everyone. 
I also want to thank Mrs. Zink for giving me great advice before I left. 
You told me to make every day an adventure. 
I have set out to do just that. 
I have made a promise to myself to try something new or discover something new each day that I am here. 
Thank you for that challenge!

Until next time, 
xoxo

Orientation&First Night Out

Hey everyone!
So these past few days have been absolute madness!
I wish everyone could be here with me to see what I see. 
I am missing everyone terribly too. 

Okay so day two was a walking tour with our director. 
It was also an orientation of our neighborhood and things that will come in handy during our time here. 
So we started out taking the bus. 
We reached our first destination and learned how to "top up" or "top off" our oyster cards. 
Yeah I'm kind of becoming accustomed to their slang. 
So then we started our walking tour of London. 
We went EVERYWHERE!
I can't even believe how much I have seen and know that I still haven't been everywhere. 
There is so much happening. 
Basically this walk was just to give us a bearing of places we could go on our own.
We didn't really stop in anywhere.
It was mainly a stop, look, and onto the next thing. 
Some of the cool things I did see:
Tower of London, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe theater, all kinds of beautiful architecture, and so much more. 
We finished the tour at a 3 story tall Starbucks for Orientation talks. 
This was all really fun but the best part came that night. 

It turned out that one of the girls turned 21 yesterday. 
We decided that we had to take her out and celebrate. 
As you all know the drinking age here is 18 so we are all age, even the birthday girl. 
We wanted her to have a good time though. 
Plus there are 20 of us and we are all American so we understood. 
So we started out a pub but they stopped serving food. 
Then we tried the next one down the road and they didn't have the space. 
At this point I was ready to find a Mickey D's and call it good. 
Finally we went to a pub called the Blue-Eyed-Maid. 
If you are ever in London I suggest this pub!
So we got there and they actually accommodated us by moving tables around. 
Finally it was time to order. 
Me and another girl were assigned as designated walkers instead of drivers. 
After we left this place we walked around London aimlessly. 
We decided to start heading back to a local place to see if anything was going on. 
We found a pub called Belushi's and it happened to be karaoke night. 

Now people who know me know I DO not sing in public, but I guess last night was an exception. 
The first guy to go was British and could SING!
We were all cheering for him. 
Then we decided we wanted to get up there and show them how Americans do it. 
So naturally we pick the most typical 90's girl song and choose Wannabe by Spice Girls. 
It was so much fun!
I loved singing with two other girls!
Honestly it took everything in myself not to choose some Johnny Cash and get up there and sing away. Don't worry I didn't. 
It's amazing how much fun you have when you don't know a single person in the crowd!
This went on for the entire night. 
We closed it out with my selection of Don't Stop Believin' because I mean it's Journey and you can't not sing to Journey. 
After this it was time to head home. I think I finally got to bed about 2:30 in the morning. 
The time difference is still kicking my butt! 

All in all it was an amazing day with my group! 
We all get along really well and don't have to worry about cliques even though half of them are from the same school.
Until next time!

xoxo

Sunday, January 19, 2014

First Day

So you should think of this post as a sequel to my last post.
Honestly, I'm just trying to stay up so I can beat off jet lag.

So I arrived and met my group.
Then we took a charter to our dorms.
While we were on the charter we got a mini tour of a few of the boroughs of London.
Let me just say this so everyone understands.
LONDON IS PERFECT!
It is so incredibly beautiful!
I cannot even believe that I am actually here.
It is so different from anything I have ever seen.
Fellow classmates, we thought NYC was big and incredible. It has nothing on London.

We checked into our dorms and got all our stuff in our rooms.
We had about 30 minutes of downtime.
I used this to lay on my bed and change.
It went by extremely quickly.
Then it was off to meet Susannah (my onsite director) in front of the LSBU Student Centre.
We finally get everyone there and equipped with their oyster cards.
These are cards for the tube and buses. We hopped onto the tube and we were off!

The first stop was shopping. Most of us needed bedding or towels.
I needed towels and pillows because I had bought bedding from a girl here last semester.
We went to BHSmith which is like a Macy's.
It was so weird using British pounds to pay for my items.
Another weird yet cool thing is no taxes.
When an item is 25 pounds you pay just that. Makes learning the currency much easier.
After we were all done shopping it was off to the pub for some grub.

I must add that this entire day was chaos. We kept losing people, oyster cards, and having mishaps. I am amazed by Susannah and her ambition to keep going.
At this point we are all feeling the jet lag hit us, but we are starving.
We end up on London Bridge on the way to the pub. This is the view of the Tower bridge and the Thames river from this spot. Isn't it gorgeous?

NOW it was time for some pub grub! 
I was so excited to experience my first pub. 
It was called the George Inn. 
I wish I could have gotten a picture of the place it was amazing.
It was small and quaint and exactly how you would picture a pub in London. 
I ordered a very traditional dish of fish and chips!
It was delicious. 
Of course before digging in I had to be the typical tourist and take a picture. 
After eating we were all exhausted, but my day was not over. 
Since I had bought things from a previous student, she had to give those things to Susannah. 
So myself and another student had to go to Susannah's house to get our items. 
It was important because I needed the bedding I bought for the night. 
The walk to Susannah's was so cool!
We rode the tube (I think I'm already a pro!)
Then walked the rest of the way.
She lives in a house on a street built in 1792! How cool is that?
It was really a pretty and peaceful walk, except my feet hurt and I wanted to curl up and sleep. 
Being the gem that Susannah is she brought us in her house and introduced us to her family. 
Her husband was really kind and she has the cutest 3 year old twin girls. 
When they would speak I would just smile. British accents are cool, but British accents on a 3 year old is so much better. 
Then it was finally time to make it back to the dorm for the night. 
I am so incredibly thankful to finally relax. It has been a long and stressful two days!
Tomorrow is a walking tour of London and I can't wait to tell you guys about it!

Goodbyes and Hellos

The time has finally come. 
I cannot believe that I left for London yesterday! 
I am writing this from my dorm room and I have so much to say, so let's start with the goodbyes. 

The goodbyes were the hardest yet wonderful. 
I am so lucky to have so many great people on my life to support me and encourage me. 
Thank you to anyone who has given me support and well wishes for this trip. It means the world to me. 
Saturday I said goodbye and was finally on my own to make this journey, it was hard but I was so ready to make it. 

Here's the fun part. 
I had the WORST flight ever. 
First off, I had a delayed flight from STL to Chicago because of low visibility due to snow. My flight was delayed almost 3 hours! By this point I was a frustrated and panicking mess. 
Anyone who knows me knows that I don't do well with chaos and delays. 
I seriously thought about giving up and coming home. I'm glad I didn't. 
Let me just tell you about this oh so wonderful flying experience. Here's the condensed version.
1. Flight from STL to Chicago delayed 3 hours.
2. Miss my flight from Chicago to London because of delay. 
3. Almost miss the second flight from Chicago to London because of the first flight being slow and stupid. 
4. Finally get on a plane to London. 
5. Crying baby on this plane, so cliche!
6. Cannot sleep because of terrible seat. 
7. Worst meals EVER. I ordered pasta, not sure what it was they gave me. 
8. Almost missed my meet time with the KEI group because of late London flight. 

Now those are all my complaints of my interesting experience, but it wasn't all bad. I happen to meet some really interesting people on my flights. 
Most of you know that I'm kind of shy in nature and won't talk to strangers. 
But you put 60 people all upset because they're missing their flights and they start to talk. 
The first person I encountered was an elderly gentleman who sat next to me from St. Louis to Chicago. 
He was the sweetest man ever. 
He asked me questions about my destination and told me about the places he has traveled. 
I returned the favor and asked him where he was headed. 
He had a flight the next day to Shanghai!
This was his 29th trip to China since he has retired!
I thought that was incredible!
Plus there were quite a few other people who swapped stories with me and then wished me good luck. 
Most of them helped me make my flights on time by letting me go ahead of them in some sort of line. 
You have to love that American hospitality. 

Then we get to my London flight. 
My seatmate was an elderly woman who did not say a single word to me until we were outside of London and about to land.
When she did she started asking me questions about my trip and telling me about hers.
She and her sister were renting a flat for 10 days to spend time away in London. 
They go for tea and shop the entire time they are here. 
Basically I make friends with elderly people and I cannot wait to get their age. 

Finally I arrive!
At this point I was ready to drop to my knees and kiss the ground. 
Except, there was no time for that! 
I had to book myself to customs and get through the UK border. 
My agent terrified me and made it seem like I wasn't going to get in.
Sir, if you ever read this. . . HOW RUDE!
I did get through and I finally met up with my group. 
It was a big round of hellos and who are yous. 

I just thank God that he got me here safely and soundly!
It was an interesting trip that I will always have to tell about. 
Thanks for reading!
Check out my next post to learn about the rest of my first day in London!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Post Numero Uno

Hi all!
So as most of you know in a week I am embarking on a great journey abroad.
I have been wanting to do this for a very long time and am so happy that I have finally gotten the opportunity.
In the midst of preparing for my trip I have also been thinking of how I am going to stay in contact with everyone I know.
There are so many people and I can't sit down and call everyone every night to give them updates.
Then it hit me!
Why not have a blog that all your friends and fam can access to follow along with your trip?
It's brilliant.
I also cannot take credit because my advisor at WWU suggested it, but that's our little secret.
So this is my first post telling everyone to check my blog.
I am going to try and keep weekly updates about my experiences and life while over the pond.
I hope you stay tuned for what is to come!
I am incredibly excited for this trip and thankful every day to God for giving me the chance to follow my dream.
Until next time,
Sam a.k.a the broad abroad