Mind the Gap. And the Sheep.

Last week I got my first taste of football here in England. We went to a pub and watched Real Madrid vs. Barcelona but in reality I was probably enjoying watching the reactions of the fans more than the match. I was rooting for Barcelona, mainly because one man in the pub was so into the game that I didn't want anything or anyone getting hurt if they lost. But when Barcelona scored, the man showed his true colors and gave out hugs like they were stickers. 

People watching the football game at The George and Dragon pub

In regards to sports, I have joined the basketball club here at the University. College athletics over here are pretty much limited to clubs. You don't have scholarship athletics or university teams nor do you have intramural sports, it's a hybrid of the two. We have training (practices) three times a week for 1.5 to 2 hours and then on Wednesday there are no classes in the afternoon for the University. so that clubs can play their games. This Wednesday is a home game for us but we will take buses to Liverpool, Manchester, etc. to play other universities. I've found the team to be a lot of fun practicing and decently self-disciplining. I didn't do a lot of running in my high school basketball career but we run a fair share at practice. Water bottles are a must if you want to stay hydrated. I've discovered only one water fountain on campus which hardly works and no fountains in town. Who knew easily accessible water was such a luxury?!

My first train ride!

Sometimes I reminisce about the stress-free times in grade school when we got to go on field trips. Although I can't say college is stress-free, I was able to go on a field trip last week! I found out the day before the trip with about as much information as "Hey, meet me in the Liverpool train station at 1:30." Unaware of where the train station was or how I go about getting a ticket, I was able to have another international student help show me the ropes. So I got my first train ride and met up with the class in Liverpool where we went in their University archaeology museum. Best part of the £4.20 that I payed for my train ticket.. the University will reimburse me.

I have encountered a phenomenon that I would like to call independence eggs. I define it as the natural growth of an individual that results in them having to buy their own eggs, instead of mooching off of their family or friends. So basically I have found much higher level of independence, now that I actually have to buy eggs (and other essential food products to survive). On a tangent, they have a milk here that you can buy that just sits on shelves and does not have to be refrigerated. It has a life of about four months and thought I'd try it out. There's a reason it was about half the cost as normal milk and after trying it, my taste buds have a guess as to why that could be. 

Last Sunday I took a bus tour with about 25 other international students to North Wales. Our first stop was at a marble chapel on some hills which was more of an opportunity for us to climb the hills in Kansas-like winds. Then just down the road we saw the Victorian seaside resort Llandudno where we looked around and walked out onto a pier before boarding the bus again. Next we drove to the Medieval town of Conwy and grabbed fish and chips at Fisherman's and ate along the water. In Conwy we got to see the smallest house in the UK and a castle built in the 1200's! Our next stop on the tour was Snowdonia national park which reminded me of the Lord of the Rings setting in New Zealand but I'll let you be the judge of that. Finally, we stopped in Llangollen to walk over a man made aquaduct that rises 126 feet into the air and has about a 3 foot wide walkway across it. But if I were asked to describe Wales in one word, sheep would probably come to mind. They were everywhere but I guess that's to be expected when sheep outnumber humans in Wales 3 to 1. 

The Grand Hotel in Llandudno

Conwy Castle

Marvin, me, and lots of sheep in Snowdonia National Park 

Lord of the Rings: Wales Edition

In all, I'm getting along really well and have been enjoying my experience so far. I've learned a few things in the classrooms but I've found myself learning 10 times as much in everyday happenings. I'll finish with a couple of things I've learned recently...

Making food out of packages and boxes is a rarity. It's nearly always made from scratch.

Trains don't look like they do in Harry Potter movies. They're actually pretty comfortable and have new technology.

No one has televisions in their rooms. In the residence halls back home everyone has their own but here you must have a licence to own one which is approximately 100 dollars a year.

Libraries have books in them. I know. It's a novel idea. But if you want to pass your classes over here, you'll do most of your research and work in the library not out of a textbook.

Last, when in the Liverpool train station and in other places throughout the country, you may have to pay a "P" to take a pee. The train station charged 30 pence, about 47 cents, to use their restroom. Charging people to use a toilet in a public place, sounds like a brilliant business plan to me. 

Starting to Settle In

This past week I experienced vacation like symptoms such as snapping pictures at every Kodak moment, trying new things, making new friends, and walking aimlessly. Inevitably the next step for a vacation feeling would probably be to pack up and head home. The last few days I've caught myself thinking it's about to end and it will be time to go home but in reality this past week has not been a time to just vacation and leave, rather a time to acclimate and settle in.

I've done just that. I have found my room to be a peaceful place to just sit and relax. I have explored the City Centre multiple times and much more has yet to be discovered. I have my class schedule and have walked around the Chester main campus dozens of times. In order to stay in shape and meet some English lads I am in the process of joining the University's basketball club. Then yesterday I was able to go to church which was a nice piece of home to have. 

Lewis and Clark never made it to Chester did they?

I have met a great deal of new people in the past week. A majority of the international students that came here in the spring are from the U.S. but there are a few Europeans as well. It's fascinating to talk to the Europeans and see how different things are for us. Take education for example, in a majority of Europe you don't pay for education all the way through college nor do you pay for medical coverage. I can hear the roars of some Americans shouting "socialists!" already. Then there's the right to bear arms. Over here all that would mean is the right to have a right arm and a left arm. People become startled when you talk about private ownership of weapons so casually. But that's just the way it is. Everyone becomes so accustomed to what they've grown up with and for the most part accepts their cultural norm. A little extra on European education... of all the men from the U.S. on exchange, not one speaks another language besides English. The Europeans all speak three. I think Rosetta Stone may be calling my name. 

We went bowling the first week

Totally not tourists at all

Transportation in the city is very different than Wichita. You can walk everywhere. For a town of around 80,000, Chester is very compact and full of tons of things to see. The Roman walls and the Cathedral have to be my favorite two things I've seen thus far. To think that the walls could still be standing nearly 2000 years after they were built and that the cathedral was constructed nearly 1000 years ago blows my mind. The Riverside area and its running/walking pathways are a recent discovery on the South side of Chester's City Centre. If you get on facebook you will find a video of me skipping along one of the Riverside pathways on my profile. I probably deserve an Oscar for it. 

Photos from the Riverside area

Marvin, Brian, and me

The morning frost

Just down the path from the iconic filming of us skipping

I do not have classes on Mondays so my first class of the week is on Tuesday. I'm taking a hodgepodge of courses or modules as they're called here. I'm taking Inclusive Practice, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Cognitive Psychology, Renaissance and Reformation History, and an archaeology of history class that I'm unsure of the title. More to come on my studies (the only reason I came here cough*) in a future blog post. 

I leave you with a quote. 

"If they give you ruled paper, write the other way." - Juan Ramon Jimenez

A New Beginning

It really hasn't sunk in all the way. I'm sitting in a room, my room, in England. It's surreal that for the next five plus months I will be living in the United Kingdom and going to school here. I'm sure it will sink in soon but for now I am filled with excitement, anticipation, and some more excitement about what's to come.

New York City at night from the plane that left Newark

I left Wichita, KS and had two connection flights, one in Chicago, IL and one in Newark, NJ. This in itself was a  step of independence. Having never flown alone before, I was quick to find my next terminal after getting off of one flight so I wouldn't miss my next flight... to sit there with a three hour layover. But the experience went quite well overall. My biggest fear was going through immigration in the UK but the process went quickly and easily. I did notice however that the ladies working immigration services liked to stamp very loudly and with a little aggression. Whether it be for speed, limited ink supply, or stress relief, I enjoyed seeing them show the papers and passports what was up. We then drove to pick up some of the other students from another terminal in Manchester but not before we went through nearly ten roundabouts. At one point, we drove through a roundabout to get to another roundabout. I would love to see a time test of roundabouts in that parking lot versus intersections. I think the U.S. might give the U.K. a run for its money there.

Speaking of money, my first British purchase was at Tesco's where we went to shop after driving from Manchester to Chester, England. Tesco's "supermarket" was about the size of the new Wal-Mart neighborhood markets. I went to a phone store after to get a pre-paid phone for emergency calls, an alarm, etc. which was a remarkably easy process for them to set you up. Ten minutes and I walked out with my own working mobile (a.k.a. cell phone) number. A group of us international students led by two current students went to eat at "George and Dragon" where I experienced my first English meal, sausage and mash. Basically it was three sausages on top of mashed potatoes with peas which turned out to be decent tasting. I ordered a glass of "tap water" to ensure I wasn't charged for a bottle of water and was given a 6 oz. glass of water. I was sure to drink slowly as not to become waterlogged. Then politely asked for a refill.

As far as where I'm staying, I live in a house with I believe 10 or 11 others. I haven't met everyone but basically my house/apartment/flat has a few bedrooms on each of its three floors and a bathroom on each floor. I live on the first floor with my flatmate Brian. There is a kitchen that is shared by everyone and a little dinning area to eat or study. The first person I met in my flat was very nice and within two minutes offered me tea or coffee. I'm all unpacked now and trying to figure out what I want to do with the room. Which leads me to the all important decorations of the room. Together, Brian and I have a grand total of one thing to put on the walls. That's right. I brought my Michael Jackson poster.

My Accommodation in One Minute

I don't have a lot planned yet besides settling in and trying to figure out what courses I will be taking. Classes started Monday but international students have an introduction period for a few days. I have yet to enroll so the enrollment process is completely different here. Nothing like Wichita State where you can enroll by yourself online in three minutes.

A street view of Chester City Centre

Today, Jan. 10, we went on a tour of the city centre and had a look around Chester. How to describe Chester in one word: old. You don't really see that many new buildings. They use and reuse buildings for different purposes over time. Some highlights of our city centre tour included the now drugstore that Charles Dickens stayed at, the cathedral, and the Roman walls that surround the city. Chester is home to the second most photographed clock in England (to Big Ben of course). Fun fact: The three major Chester clocks only have clock faces on three sides. The side facing Wales does not have a face because they didn't want to give the Welsh "the time of day". Tonight we went to a pub called "Pied Bull" where a bunch of international students from European countries met for language night which was basically time for them to practice English and at the same time be around lots of others that speak their language.

The Cathedral

The Eastgate Clock

Me pouring my first cup of English tea (I drank three cups in that sitting)

The Town Hall

Classes should start for me Thursday!