Across the Pond: 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.