The Last Post :(

Well, I’m back! And I really miss England. The flight back was smooth, no problems. It’s weird to be back in the U.S. but I’m not having any problem adjusting, except for the missing England part. I thought I would be experiencing “reverse culture shock” or something but it’s been fine, so that’s good.

So here’s some basic tips about studying abroad in England:

1. Decide how long you want to go. I have no idea how people could only go for one semester—I went for a year and I still wish I had had more time. But it all depends on personal preference. If you have all your major/school requirements in order then I’d suggest going for a year, but if you’re homesick easily then just one semester should do.

2. Learn about the money. Yes, there are a lot of coins. Be prepared for this. I went to the store the other day and was surprised when I was handed back five one dollar bills. It looked like so much; I had gotten used to getting coins back as change.

3. The metro in London is really easy to use. Utilize it.

4. If you’re planning on travelling while overseas, make sure you have all necessary visas/travel documents. Some countries require a separate visa.

5. Packing is rough. I’d suggest bringing a bunch of old clothes you don’t want, and then when you buy new clothes you can just donate the old clothes to charity or something. That way you won’t have extra weight in your luggage—the new clothes will replace the old ones. I thought the problem would be fitting everything into two suitcases—the actual problem was the excess weight.

6. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind going to the library, I think I’d recommend getting your schoolbooks from the library instead of buying them. The main reason for this is, again, luggage. Books are HEAVY. I bought one book for a class that’s like 5 pounds (weight, not money)…not fun. And there’s no guarantee you can sell them back to the store, so just take that into consideration. The library would save you money as well. Of course, if the books aren’t available at the library then you’d have to buy them.

7. If you’re into musical theatre, or even just regular theatre, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE utilize the West End in London. I discovered it too late unfortunately. The prices for shows there are cheaper than they are in the U.S. (for the most part) and they have tons of discounts for students. Check the tkts booths for lower prices (yes I spelled it right, Google is your friend), and check each box office for dayseats (Wicked has a thing where if you show up on the day of the performance and you have proof that you’re a student, they’ll give you the best available seat for 25 pounds. I got a premium seat for 25 pounds, it was awesome). Plus, the shows are amazing. I only saw Wicked but from what I saw at West End Live the other shows are incredible as well.

8. If you’re planning on travelling in England, look into National Express coaches. They have funfares where you can go from Brighton to London and back for two pounds. TWO POUNDS. The thing is, you have to book early enough to get that price. Also, you have to click on the funfare section—otherwise when you search for buses the site will give you regular prices.

9. The food is different. Prepare for this. Beans on toast, tons of curry, etc. There’s a very big Indian influence when it comes to English food.

10. Leave the stuff close to home for last. That is, if you want to go travelling and you’re living in London, go travelling elsewhere and leave the London stuff for last. The reason I say this is because if you run out of time or money, at least you’re already there in London (it won’t take much effort to explore), whereas if you want to go to, say, Germany, but you don’t have any money, you just can’t go. Of course, I’d suggest spreading it all out, but it’s very common for people to say oh, I’ll do this eventually, I have plenty of time…plenty of time left…a whole five months…four months…one month…TWO DAYS?!? So just make sure you plan your time wisely.

11. Beware about certain words. “Pants” means “underwear” in…er, English. So if you say “I have to change my pants” be prepared for some odd looks.

12. Have an open mind.

13. HAVE FUN!

So…this is it. My last entry. I can’t believe it’s over! I hope this blog has helped someone. It’s been fun writing and hopefully other people have gotten some useful information in all of my ramblings and such.

And well…that’s that. Have a great year everybody!

Noooooooo!

I'm leaving tomorrow. I'M LEAVING TOMORROW.

I don't want to go. Not now. Can't I have another month? Argh, whyyyyyy?

My exams are over, I'm in the process of packing. I've accumulated far too much stuff so now I have to figure out how to get it all back.

Since I have "leaving the country stuff" to do, let me give a quick summary of other stuff I should have written about but haven't:

1. Basically my last couple of days in Rome were boring. There was an interesting procession type thing going down the road on Sunday, but other than that I just stayed in the hostel waiting for some sort of information. Eventually I got a flight back here.

2. I went on a trip to the Isle of Wight. It was basically a really long walk up a really big cliff. I wish I had known how steep it was before going, as I'm terrified of heights. Going up wasn't the problem though, it was going down. Still, it was a nice little outing. I'd never been on a ferry before, I wasn't expecting it to be so nice.

3. I also went on a trip...uh...somewhere. Yeah, I don't really remember where it was...it was some castle in England. There's tons of them so I can't remember what the name was. It was nice, but it rained that day so it was really cold.

4. I got my Nano book in the mail! It's awesome to actually hold something you've written.

5. I'm officially obsessed with Wicked. I've seen it two more times. There was a massive cast change so it was interesting seeing different interpretations of the characters.

6. I went to West End Live in London on June 19th. I got up ridiculously early, got a bus to London, queued for 2 and a half hours, and had a great view. West End Live is basically like a concert of West End shows, where the cast members perform a couple of songs from their shows in full costume and makeup (with a few exceptions; the woman playing Elphaba hadn't been greenified). It's amazing, and it's free. Does America have one of those? If not, we need to start doing it.




7. I went to the Brighton Pier today. It was really nice, and fattening. I got these delicious donuts that were loaded with grease and sugar...mmmm. I also had fish and chips for the first time here (I was determined to eat that meal before I left). So I think I've gotten all my English stuff out of the way.

8. When I went to see Wicked the other day I spent most of the day in Green Park and St. James Park. They were both really serene, though packed with people. London has some really amazing parks. I haven't been to Hyde Park though.

9. On the way to those parks I passed Buckingham Palace (not sure why I'm writing this backwards but oh well). I think it was the changing of the guard, but there were so many people crowded around the gates that I gave up trying to see what was happening.

So, that's that! I can't believe it's almost over...I mean seriously, I can't believe it. I don't want it to be true. I actually kind of love London, and I definitely love Brighton. I don't want to go back yet :(

I'll be on my way to the airport this time tomorrow...argh...I want to put off packing because it just reminds me that I'm leaving, but I should probably get on that so...

When I get back I think I'll post one more time, and that'll be it for this blog. It was a great year, and I hope anyone reading this has found it informative, or at least entertaining.

Well, I'm off to (convince myself to) pack! See you soon!

The Roman Adventure, p.2

Right into it:

Day 3

I woke up early to go to Vatican City. I got lost, again, but got directions from a really nice guy walking by. I eventually made my way to the line, which was extremely long. However, I think waiting times are slightly exaggerated online. People make it out like you're waiting for hours. It was maybe 20 minutes max, and since I got there early I didn't really care how much time it took.

Once I got inside I...well, walked around. The statues were cool--there's this one hall filled with them, most of them representing Roman gods. I also really liked looking at the ceilings when I reached the painting/art type areas. For some reason I didn't expect it to look like a museum, but it did...only it was extremely massive, way bigger than an average one. I don't think it's as big as the Louvre in Paris (or...hm, maybe it is), but it's still huge.

Er...that's all I suppose. I mean, it's a museum, so I don't know what else to say.

I went into the Sistine Chapel next. I have to say, not impressed. It pretty much looked exactly like all the other rooms in the Vatican museums.

After that I went back to the hostel because I was tired. I know it doesn't seem like I did much, but all the walking got to me. A bit of rest gave me some energy, so I got up and went to Circo Massimo, this place that use to be a race track. It's a long, long track that tourists love to wander around. I'm not sure if they still use it for anything, but it was cool to look at.

Then I tried finding the entrance to the Baths of Caracalla. To make a long story short, I found it, but by the time I did I had already walked around the entire thing trying to figure out how to get in, and I was so tired of walking up hills I decided not to bother. It was basically like, I was maybe 20 feet to the right of the entrance, but I didn't see it so I went right instead, and walked around the entire thing only to realize if I had just gone left instead I would have found it in seconds. UGH.


But the area was so nice that I didn't really mind walking around, because you could still see inside it pretty well. There were only a few people walking around inside, I think it's a pretty well-kept secret.

Day 4

Well, time to leave! The bags are packed, I just have to get up and...huh? Mom just sent me a text...something about a volcano...what on earth is she talking about? Ugh, whatever, it's too early for this...time for a shower...okay I'm awake now, what was she talking about? Meh, whatever, I'll just go print my boarding pass now...this was a really nice trip...enter passenger information, awesome...MY FLIGHT IS CANCELLED???!!?!?

That was pretty much what happened when I woke up that morning. I thought my mom was making the volcano up to be honest, mainly because it was so random. The panic didn't fully set in until the next day when no information was being given to anyone. I spent half the day on the phone with my mother trying to figure out what was happening, and the rest sitting in the hostel room listening to music, not wanting to be too far away from a computer. I did get some straciatella gelato for the first time though--it was delicious.

Day 5

I had to check out of my hostel and go to another one because Ciak was already full for the night. Of course, as soon as I checked out I was told that oh, by the way, someone cancelled, but it was too late, I'd already booked another place. I'm not going to say what the name of it was, but it was kind of shady. I wasn't that comfortable, but luckily I only stayed for one night.

I checked in early but the room wasn't ready so I decided to go to the zoo. I was actually that bored. I'm glad I did, because it was such a nice area. It was really wooded and quiet and...I dunno, forest-y. When you look at a tourist map of Rome, you'll notice it because the entire area is green. The zoo itself is a long walk (what a shock) from the metro station, but it's a good place for a walk anyway. There's also this park next to it, which I kind of wanted to sit in, but I wanted
to reach the zoo even more.

It was alright. I mean, it's a zoo. The monkeys were fun to watch, but most of the animals were either asleep or just lying down, not caring about the people watching them. I thought one of the lions was sleeping and took a picture, and then when I moved my camera his eye had opened. It scared half to death, but it was pretty funny.

So that was the end of day 5. I'm still not done! More to come later...I also have some trips I went on here in England to write about...I'm getting backlogged, but I have exams to study for, so it'll have to wait for another day. Bye guys :)

The Roman Adventure, p.1

This is long, long overdue, but I’ve been doing a lot of work for school. So, two essays and two presentations later, a summary of my adventures in Rome:

Day One (starting in Brighton)

I woke up. I caught the bus to the coach station where I got the bus to Heathrow. I missed my stop, not realizing I was supposed to get off at Terminal 5. I had to catch a bus back to terminal 5. It was funny because I had to pay 50p to get the bus, but all I had was a 10 pound note, and the driver didn’t have change, so the three people who were also on the bus immediately started going through their change and one of them paid for me. Old people are so sweet :)

Anyway, after that I got to the proper terminal and got on the plane. It was a really smooth ride, pretty much no turbulence except towards the end when we went through some clouds. Once I arrived in Rome I caught the train to Termini station, then I took the metro to Viale Manzoni. The hostel was a short walk away, around 4 minutes. I stayed at Ciak Hostel, a nice, cozy little hostel, which I’d definitely recommend. (No, they aren’t paying me to say this, I just found their staff to be amazing. They’re all really nice there.)

And then after I checked in, I wandered around to find somewhere to eat. That’s when I had my first issue with the language barrier. The guys who worked at the pizza place didn’t speak a word of English. They kept asking me if I spoke any other languages and I felt really stupid for only speaking one. I eventually got my message across, got some pizza, and went back to the hostel, hoping the next few days would be less awkward.

Day Two

I decided to start early and went to the Coliseum. Unfortunately my sense of direction is terrible, so pretty much whenever I wanted to go somewhere I went the direct opposite way. (Eventually I spent so much time there that I did learn how to read the map properly, so yay for entrapment by volcano?) I walked the wrong way for ten minutes, then walked back the right way. It was pretty much a straight line from the hostel to the Coliseum. I walked around the entire thing trying to figure out how to get inside. Upon walking around a second time I realized the entrance was extremely obvious, and that I still sucked at directions.

It was really cool. There’s a little museum type thing on the second floor, and you can walk around the inside (but not on the ground on the inside). I had already downloaded a free thing about the Coliseum before I left, so I listened to that while I walked around. They had gladiator fights in there and everything.

Next was Palatine Hill, which is

a short walk from the Coliseum (there are signs; the Roman Forum is next to it too). It was really pretty, though very uphill. I was tired after only a few minutes. I’m not sure what else to say about it, but it was impressive to see.

I went to the Roman Forum next. I really, really wish I had had a tour guide, because I had no idea what I was looking at. There were no signs that I could see. I wasn’t even sure if I was in the right place. It was a bunch of broken down stone buildings, and while it was cool to look at, I didn’t actually know what it was. Tour guides are expensive though, and considering all the extra money I spent while I was later trapped there, I’m glad I didn’t waste any more money on a guide. (Overall, you don’t need a guide for the Coliseum, or necessarily Palatine Hill, but I’d definitely recommend one for the

Forum.)

I was very tired after the Forum, but the day wasn’t done yet. I tried to go to the Pantheon and somehow ended up at Trevi Fountain. I’m laughing as I write this because that’s completely ridiculous. I have no idea how I ended up there…I thought I was following the map. Fail.

I bought some souvenirs and sat down and got a picture and through a coin in…you know, all the touristy stuff. I

checked the time on my phone and decided to get some gelato too—fragola, or strawberry in English. It was good but to be honest nothing special. I decided to sit down again right before searching for the Pantheon, just to

rest a bit more. After a few minutes I got up and tried going to the Pantheon. Five minutes later I want to check the time again. But I couldn’t. Why? Because my phone was gone.

Yeah, that second time I sat down is when it happened. I got up and the phone fell out of my pocket. I know, because I remember thinking something felt odd, but figured I was just being paranoid. Good job me.

So I immediately turned around to go back to the Trevi Fountain. After all, there was still a chance it was there, right? Only not really, because it’s probably the biggest tourist trap in Rome, and there’s a gagillion people sitting and standing around there. And what made it worse is that I SUCK AT DIRECTIONS, so even though I’d just come from there, when I tried to go back I ended up lost, and it took maybe 15 minutes to find it again. Of course, the phone wasn’t there anymore.

Really irritated, I decided to just go to the Pantheon, and thanked my lucky stars I had brought a spare phone just in case. It ended up being extremely useful, what with the volcano and all.

You know, I feel really bad for contributing to the whole “women are horrible at directions” stereotype, but I really am horrible at it. Sigh.

And the Pantheon wasn’t even that impressive. There was this massive scaffold covering half of it, and there wasn’t really anything inside. I made my way back to the hostel for the day.

Even though it kind of sounds like I had a bad day, I actually really enjoyed it, and I talked to some nice girls when I got back, so it was a decent day. It sounds kind of negative reading it back, but it really wasn’t. I guess I just figured I only have 2 more months in England anyway, so losing the phone wasn’t that big of a deal. I mean, in 5 years when I look back at my life, I seriously doubt losing that phone will even matter in the grand scheme of things.

It’s all about perspective people. That’s my bit of optimism for the day—enjoy it, it’s rare.

This is getting really long actually so I’ll continue this another day. I’ve used the word “really” a lot in this entry, sorry about that. I’m really, really sorry about that ;)

The Roman Dilemma...is OVER!

Really quick, really short update. I'm back in Brighton! I got back a few days ago and I've basically been to lazy to post, but I just wanted to give an update. I managed to get a flight back. Thank goodness this nightmare is over. I guess it'll be a cool story for the kids one day.

Anyway I have a bunch of stuff to do this current week so I'll post again soon.

The Roman Dilemma of 2010, p. 1

Hello there. Well, there's a ton of drama going on right now so I may as well make it interesting.

And now, a first look into the mind of one of the thousands of stranded people due to the Icelandic volcanic eruption.

Yeah, that's right. I'm stuck in a foreign country with pretty much no hope of getting back any time soon. I'm in Rome right now. I got here last Tuesday and was set to leave on Friday. Only what happened? A volcano, that's what happened. And of course, it happened to me.

I'll update more another time, mainly because right now there are only two computers in the hostel and everyone is in freak out mode trying to figure out how to get back home. School starts this week. I have two essays due next week. I'm a student, which means I only have so much money. This is a nightmare come true, and you're getting a first look!

Right now I'm looking into a bus or something. It'd take forever, but all the trains are sold out. It'ds just a horrible situation. British Airways isn't doing a single thing---I'm stuck paying everything myself. Very, very not good.

I'll just write a quick summary of Rome then:

1. They drive like crazy people. Those scooters/motorcycles/whatever they are are everywhere, and they try to squeeze past you even when the "walk" sign is on.

2. There are pizza and gelato shops everywhere. It's awesome. One bad thing is that drinks are really expensive. If you plan on coming to Rome I'd suggest bringing a water bottle and just filling it up at the numerous water fountains located all around the city. That's free, and considering how expensive this city is, free is good.

Actually, that's all I'm writing for now. I have to go and try to find a bus or train or whatever. Stress galore.

Oh well. at least I didn't go all the way to the airport only to be told to go back. That would've been horrible. My WONDERFUL mother texted me the morning I was going to the airport and warned me about the volcano, saving me from a trip.

Laterrrr.

To be continued, muahaha......

Edinburgh :D

Hi! So guess what I did last weekend? I went to Edinburgh! Which I learned is not pronounced the way it is spelled. Who knew?

It was a nice trip. Of course, with my luck it started raining as soon as the train pulled into Waverley Station. Luckily the hostel was very close by.

I’d like to talk about hostels actually. I think students who’ve never done any research on hostels seem to think you’re going to end up murdered by a crazy person, due to that movie called Hostel. I’ve never seen that movie but apparently it’s gory or something. But in reality, hostels are a great place to stay. Yeah you won’t have a room to yourself (or you could if you’re willing to spend a little more) but that wasn’t an issue for me. The room held around 12 people I think. You can request a single sex room if you want (which I did), though some hostels don’t offer them. The hostel I stayed at had lockers so I felt my belongings were safe (no pun intended).

Since it was raining, the first day wasn’t amazing. I got there at around 2 in the afternoon after taking the train. I wandered down the Royal Mile after putting my stuff at the hostel. I went to a few museums like the Museum of Childhood (which had these really cool old pedal cars that kids could pretend to drive in; they only have those cheap plastic ones now). I tried going into the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but it was closed that day. Exhausted from all the traveling, I just went back to the hostel and went to sleep early.

The next day I got up and went to the castle, which was like a three minute walk from the hostel; it’s ridiculously close by. I really liked looking at all the old stuff inside (sorry, my ability to describe things properly is extremely lacking). It was a cool looking castle, and it was sunny, so that was a bonus. I had a sort of brunch at a café in the castle, and then I was off.

I went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse next. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside. That’s where the Queens stay when they visit Scotland, or something.

After that I took a free tour around the area. The guide was very entertaining and it was nice to hear a bit of Edinburgh’s history. There’s this thing called the Mercat Cross where they used to nail thieves’ ears to the wall of it, and they had to stay there for 24 hours while people threw food at them and stuff. They could rip themselves off, but then part of their ear would be missing, so people would later know they were a thief anyway.

I also visited the Elephant House, the place where J.K. Rowling first started writing Harry Potter. I didn’t like the menu though, so I didn’t eat there.

I also tried to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens. To make a long, pathetic story short, that didn’t happen, and I ended up just getting something to eat and going back to the hostel.

I left early the next day. I decided not to go to Princes Street, because it’s just a bunch of shops, and I don’t need to waste any more money. I got breakfast at a place on the Royal Mile and then got the train back to Falmer.

Overall, the trip was okay. I didn’t see the highlands, but I wasn’t planning to. I think it might’ve been nicer if I’d shelled out some more money to take a day trip to the highlands or to loch ness…but really, I just don’t have that kind of money. Maybe another time.

It was a nice little getaway. I’m still on vacation until the 19th. I’m still working on my nano (I keep coming up with new ideas, it’s so annoying…I just want it over with) and some other stuff…I also have to pick courses for next year soon. That should be fun. I’m not being sarcastic either, I like picking new courses.

That’s that then. I’ll see you soon :) Happy Easter!