Week Four: Roaring into my 20s

20th Birthday Celebrations

Man-U Match

Haslam Park

From the guitar strumming and “Kumbayah” currently echoing through my window, the not so melodious chorus of roommates singing “Happy Birthday”, to the rowdy chants of “Glory, glory Man- United!”, this week has been filled with not only music, but busy days and busier nights. I continued my school week with Poetry on Wednesday that did not fall short the stereotype by hair: holding class in the upstairs of a café with a professor that borders a cross between Johnny Depp in both Pirates of the Caribbean and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… I think he will grow on me. Friday’s Renaissance Literature course was just about as dull as it sounds, and lasted the full three hours even on the first day, lovely. Now for the fun stuff…

The festivities began on Thursday with another trip to (big shocker here) the school club, 53 Degrees. It was UV Rave themed, but continued to produce the same people, music, and general vibe as always (which is not bad, just nothing out of the ordinary). I actually think I may have had more fun beforehand. The usual group all came up to our room for a bit of pre-gaming and the question game where you have a celebrity stuck to your forehead and have to ask “yes” or “no” questions to figure out who you are. I ended up being Obama and then Megan Fox (I think they were trying to think American for my benefit). Surprisingly enough, Friday nights are the “quiet” night (if there is such a thing) here at Uni (what they call university). Therefore, I welcomed my 20^th birthday in at midnight on skype with Danny (very presh, I am aware). The good news is that earlier on in the day I officially booked a ticket to France! My fellow travelers will include, Bri, Reka, Michelle, Noah, and Josh, all other exchange students. All we have is the tickets booked for the first weekend in November so far, but we will plan more in depth as the date approaches. Now onto my big bad birthday…

After a much needed skype date with Kristen and my other Nookers, I started getting ready for what the night had in store. My roommates and I took Jessica’s car to ASDA (owned by Walmart) in hopes to find some Mexican food, which is near impossible to find here. The car ride alone felt like I was on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland, fearing that we would get into a head on collision at every twist, turn, and inevitable roundabout. It’s safe to say that where I have grown accustom to everyone calling me “Love” or saying “Ta” or “cheers” instead of  “thanks”, I have most definitely not gotten used to driving in bumper-cart sized cars that drive on the left side of the road. Anyways, the trip was successful; we were set for the night’s fiesta. Everyone from flat 62 came up around 7:00 for tea (dinner) and we had a great time thanks to some tasty tacos, cakes, and even some good ole flip cup. Eventually we headed over to, you guessed it, 53 Degrees for the final official night of Freshers, the paint glow party. To make a long night seem short, the club was the same as always but with giant guns spraying the dancing crowd with UV glow paint periodically throughout the night. Use your imagination.

Don’t worry, I am almost done… pinky promise. Last but definitely not least, Tori, Dan, and I went to the Manchester United game Tuesday night. We caught the train from Preston down to Manchester and took a tram to the Old Trafford stadium from there. When we first arrived I could not figure out why numerous police on foot and horseback were escorting a large group of rowdy guests, and was later informed that they were the away fans who flew in all the way from Switzerland. Talk about dedication. The police escort them for both their safety, and the safety of the Man-U fans. Scary? In the spirit of tourism, Tori and I bought scarves and some traditional fish and chips while waiting for the game. Inside the stadium was amazing: grass more perfect than a country club’s, red seats from floor to ceiling, and seas of fans filing into every seat.

The game started with the “Glory, glory Man- Uniteddd!” anthem and the noise did not stop from there. At every pass, possession change, kick, and call, the crowd would clap, lean forward, boo, or yell as appropriate. To save you the reading (I know it’s getting a bit excessive), the game ended in a tie in the last 30 seconds; however, I was far from disappointed. It was a great experience going to a match where everyone is so passionate about the sport, getting to know the transportation system a little more, and spending a good amount of time reminiscing on the California sunshine with Tori and Dan. All the reminiscing must have done some good because the last two days have seen temperatures of 70 degrees (record heat for September here), and I am soaking up every second of it: doing homework outside and taking walks in the park. Congratulations if you made it to the end of this very winded blog! I will try to blog more often and be less wordy in the future.. Cheers! Xxx 

Week Three: Fancy a bit of “Freshers” Fun?

 Pre-Schoolies Festivities 

 Avenham Park

53 Degrees 

Good news everyone: I survived the first week of “Freshers Fortnight” with only a few rough mornings and a little cold to pay for them. The week really kicked off on Tuesday with the legendary Schoolies party. It was hosted in the school club, 53 degrees. With over 2,600 students in attendance (a new record), the club was packed with schoolgirl and boy clones. Everyone was decked out in bow ties, painted on freckles, knee-highs, and white shirts courtesy of previous school uniforms and Wal-Mart’s clothing equivalent: Primark. With a wide array of upbeat music ranging everywhere from dubstep to Journey remixes, bottles of VK (which taste like otter pops) for a quid, and everyone in the party mindset… a great time would be an understatement. The week continued in the same fashion with another wild night at 53 on Thursday, a night at our favorite pub: Roper Hall on Friday, and the official Freshers Ball on Saturday. Needless to say my ears, feet, and immune system were thankful that this Monday school finally rolled around.

After countless meeting, emails, and frustrated hours spent in front of computer, I finally got my modules (classes) settled… I hope. At UCLan students take three modules a semester, or more according to their course. Unfortunately, this will probably set me back a bit at CSUSM, but if I took more it would be overwhelming because their course loads are much heavier. I am enrolled in British Children’s Literature (with a booklist ranging from The Secret Garden to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone obsessed!), Creative Writing Poetry, and Renaissance Literature. Due to my horrific schedule (Monday, Thursday, and Friday) I have not yet had Renaissance Literature or Poetry, but the Children’s Literature module went very well. The class size was about twenty or thirty students seated at round tables around the room. The modules are broken up into lecture and seminar sections, which are very interactive. Being the nerd that I am, I am very excited to go to my next modules and see how they are.

My roommates could not be more ideal. I live with three girls: Jess, Becca, and Hannah. They are all very nice, clean, and a lot of fun. We have also already formed a little group of friends composed of my roommates (flat 67) and Tori’s roommates (62).  We all do pretty much everything together from the gym to pre-gaming, which is a word they have all adopted now J. They all tease Tori and I about our accents, which Calvin constantly attempts to imitate quite terribly, and we are always asking them what on earth they are talking about. But don’t worry friends at home; I won’t be replacing all of you anytime soon! I hope everything is going well at home and hope (doubt… jk J) that I am missing out on too much! Xxx (the UK version of xoxo)

Week Two: testing the waters… and a few pints as well

Move in Day Entertainment

City Center in Preston

Poster at The Adelphi

It is officially move in day for all of the UK students here and it is literally a circus. I’m not just talking students and parents running around everywhere looking like kids in a candy store. No, there is a marching band, clowns, and a man on stilts… I kid you not. I don’t know if that is UCLan’s idea of a welcome party, but it has definitely been an interesting day. I have two roommates moved in, Hannah and Jessica, and they both seem like a lot of fun. Tonight we are going to “The Opener” party at the campus club (yes, there is a club on campus) called 53 Degrees for the start of “Freshers”. Freshers is the first two weeks of school where apparently everyone just goes insane. All of the clubs, pubs, and flats are supposed to have huge parties and everyone, regardless of what year they are, partakes in the action. It seems a bit insane but I think if I can handle Havasu I can handle anything.

I am finally settled in here. I am sleeping through the night without it feeling like it is the middle of the day, I have all my necessities, and now I have roommates as of just a few hours ago. I am starting to learn the various phrases and words (que=line, chips= fries, crisps= chips, quid= pound etc.), and am becoming more accustomed to everyone’s accents. The little town of Preston is exactly what you would picture a stereotypical English town to look like. There are both little shops and bigger stores lining the streets, plenty of cafés and pubs as well. The streets are very small and people ride around in little hatchback smart cars. Everyone I’ve met is really kind and helpful. If you look lost on the street, people will just stop and ask if you need help and go on their way. Maybe they all just seem so nice since I’m still in awe of the adorable accents.

Well, I’m off to prepare for my first night of Freshers, and if it is anything like move in day, I am definitely in for a surprise. Wish me luck! 

Week One: getting settled

 Full English Breakfast

Scream Pub

Whitendale Halls 

Disclaimer: For all of you who have been pestering me about not writing, here it is. Just a heads up the style and general messages of the blog will probably be geared more toward my activities now that I am actually in the UK, opposed to my opinions and insights.

After a few tough goodbyes and bothersome lines I boarded a plane on its way to Chicago. The flight went smoothly, but took longer than expected during the landing. Unfortunately for me, that meant sprinting across the O’Hare airport full speed only to find an empty terminal and a closed gate. The attendant was still there, and in my state of panic I explained that I needed to get on that plane no matter what. I was fortunate enough to have the gate reopened for me and I was able to board. Regardless of whether I was last on the plan or not, I was on. A little shaken up from the nearly missed flight and some questionable lasagna I did not sleep the entire way to Manchester. 

After customs I headed down to baggage claim only to watch the belt spin round and round until I was the last one in the room besides the attendant. I filed a missing baggage claim and he assured me that my luggage would arrive at the “Uni” (my school, University of Central Lancashire) by 4:00pm (written here as 16:00). Before heading to the bus station where my school was picking me up, I attempted to take out 100 pounds ($160) out of the ATM. Although the transaction said it was completed, no money was dispensed. And if I thought that was bad, I had no idea what I had coming.

To make a long story short I had no luggage, no Internet connection, no roommates, no sun, no cell phone, no hot water, no money, and no idea what I was supposed to do with myself. All I could think was why on earth did I go through all this hassle for this dingy little flat and large dose of homesick. Needless to say, the first day or two were pretty rough, but my situation has only been improving from there. I managed to get an Ethernet connection, a nice brick style phone, some money, and a few friends too. I bought a couple necessities and my luggage will hopefully arrive today!

I don’t even think its necessary to buy a gym pass with the amount of walking I have been doing. We walk everywhere: to school, to the shops, to pubs, to restaurants, you name it. The weather is cold, rainy, and windy, but the sun does manage to peak out for about five minutes here and there. I have been very busy trying to get a situated getting a phone, Internet, groceries, enrolling in school, finding my way around, and meeting all the other international students.

The other exchange students are all so nice and friendly. There are probably about thirty of us and people come from all over the world: various states (a lot from CT), Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Argentina, China, and more. A handful of us went out to the pub the other night and got to know each other a little better over a few pints of Stella and a bit of White Zinfandel, it was a ton of fun. On Monday nights at Scream (the pub) a pint of beer is only about one or two pounds (also called a “quid”) which is good for students on a budget and a crappy exchange rate. We have tried a few local restaurants and the food is different… but not bad. I really want to try Indian food because it is supposed to be very good here (and has a lot of vegetarian options).  Basically, I’m starting to get settled in and things are definitely looking up.

Although at times I do feel homesick and miss my friends, family, and routine back home, its easy to remember just how lucky I am to be given the opportunity to study and live in another country for a few months: opening up my comfort zone, exposing me to many new cultures, and making great new memories and friends along the way. This coming weekend all the UK students move in so I will have roommates and even more people to hang out with. It is also “Freshers” week where apparently all the students and recent alumni all go out to the pubs and clubs. My international student mentor told me “its absolutely mad” and a lot of fun! I’ll keep everyone posted on how that goes!

Cheers.