Life lessons

On the eve of my last day of studying abroad, I would like to say that even though this experience was almost nothing like I expected, I think it may have been exactly what I needed.

Operation: Seduce a British Prince

This may or may not be the last time I write (in England, at least). The countdown is in the single digits...

When I got back from spring break, I was thinking about planning another international trip, and this past weekend is the weekend I would have done it. However, I ended up having a perfect British weekend, so I'm very glad I stayed.

On Friday afternoon I left Brighton to go to London and visit my friend Kristen, who is interning there this summer. It was my last trip to the city and I couldn't have asked for better company or weather. On Friday we explored Kensington Gardens, including the Peter Pan statue, which was the last thing remaining on my must-see in London list. We also saw the Princess Diana memorial fountain, which is less like a fountain and more like a small river contained in concrete. After the gardens we had dinner at a pub, where I introduced Kristen to Pimm's. It was a proud British moment for me. We went out to a bar/club (we thought it was a club, but people weren't really dancing in the room we were in) with her flatmates, who also go to Purdue and were all really friendly.

On Saturday morning we got up fairly early so that we could get a good spot to see the Trouping of the Color, the Queen's birthday parade. There were lots of guards and you could tell what was going to happen based on their positions ("attention," "at ease," and our personal favorite, "royal salute"). After a lot of soldiers playing instruments, a carriage came by and it was only in the midst of furiously taking pictures that we realized, "OHMYGOD IT'S PRINCE WILLIAM AND HARRY!!!" (which then resulted in taking even more pictures, of course). We were all hyperventilating and missed the majority of whatever happened in the parade between the princes and the Queen's arrival (who didn't even smile, sheesh!). Standing that close to them is enough to make any girl go weak in the knees, I think.

After the parade we walked around, ate lunch and looked in some shops. Then Kristen and I went to Regent's Park, which is right across from her flat, and ended up walking from one end to the other! There was an open area with plenty of space for pickup football matches, then a river framed with more trees, and then Queen Mary's Rose Garden, which had tons of gorgeous flowers and at least two wedding receptions. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, even by non-British standards, so it was great to just be outside.

Next stop: Brighton. :o) We ate dinner at a cute Italian restaurant and saw the Pier lit up, but we were tired from the late night/early morning, so we went to bed and saved most of our adventure for the next day.

Sunday was the perfect day in Brighton. Weather: unbelievable. (I wore shorts!) Company: fabulous, of course. ;-) We went to a restaurant called the Mock Turtle for cream tea, Kristen's first and my last. :o)/:-( It was delicious, naturally, and I was so sad to consume my last bite of scone with clotted cream and jam. Kristen and I are already planning to have tea parties in Indianapolis when we're both back and missing England. I was really glad she liked it so much.

Then we spent the rest of our day on the pier/at the beach. There were lots of people but it still didn't feel overly crowded, which was nice. We rode the Crazy Mouse on the pier, which gave a good view of the ocean (at least, when it wasn't whipping you around corners), had ice cream on the beach and fish and chips for dinner, and generally basked in the amazing sunshine and warmth. I wish Brighton Beach could always be so close.

A few study abroad students had birthdays this week, so I went to a cocktail party Monday night and a birthday dinner on Tuesday. They were fun, but in general I feel more connected to my flatmates than most of the international students here.

This week: replication of psych experiment: finished (at least, my portion). Final paper: will be finished tonight and handed in tomorrow or Monday, depending on what time the psychology office opens. This weekend: road trip to Dover and Canterbury with Aoife (so excited!!), last visit to church and traditional Sunday roast with my flatmates. Next week: Drusilla's, Komedia, beach, and surely lots of delicious food and time spent with friends. And, uh, packing?? So much to do, so little time... where did the last six months go!?

A side note for Mom and Dad: when I come back to the States, I want pancakes for dinner. :o)

18 days!?

Well. It's been awhile. I should number things so that this entry is less overwhelming.

1) Cambridge! I went to Cambridge for a day. Our tour guide was entertaining but questionable. It was graduation day, which made me think of being at Yale for my brother's graduation two years ago. Except Cambridge is 800 YEARS OLD.

2) Eurovision! When I got back from Cambridge I watched Eurovision, which is sort of like a condensed European American Idol. Basically all of the European countries who want to have a participant, who sings a song that is unique to that country. There are three rounds, but we just watched the finals because otherwise you see a lot of repeats. All of the countries performed (there were over 30!), and then there was a sort of intermission while they waited for all of the countries to call in with their votes, during which Cirque du Soleil did a weird performance in some sort of plastic portable swimming pool, but it was flexible so as they jumped in it morphed to shape their bodies and the audience could "touch" them as it was lowered down. Yeah, it was weird. Then representatives from all the countries call in to award points to their favorite performers, and it's basically political, like oh surprise, Cyprus voted for Greece! If you want a taste of Eurovision, search for "Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak on YouTube. He was the winner and that song was the theme song in my flat for awhile.

3) Summer term = death! I had three papers and an exam in the past month. Now, I've gotten through this amount of work and more at Wash U, but the difference here is that the material was stuff I hadn't looked at since March, and in all cases it was either the only or one of two grades in the class. It was easy to get out of my good study habits, and I pretty much went through academic culture shock because I have always cared too much about school. I just didn't handle the situation well and it was an ugly time. But I got through it and regardless of what marks I get they can't say I didn't try. Moving on to happier things...

4) Visitors! My good friend Katherine came to visit after she finished her program in Rome. Though she came at a time when I had to study a lot for my exam, we still got to hang out in Brighton and Rottingdean. She got GORGEOUS, completely uncharacteristic English weather - sunny, in the 70s, and no rain until she was getting on the train to Gatwick. In Rottingdean we had cream tea (obligatory), crashed a wedding (aka people-watched outside of a church), and sunned on the beach. Glorious. In Brighton we sunned by the Pavilion, finally (for me) sang karaoke at the King & Queen, and discovered RedVeg and Lick. RedVeg is a vegetarian fast food place (hamburgers, hot dogs & falafel) which has pictures of Communist leaders on the menu and fat potato wedges covered in spices which are perfect with their accompanying sweet sauce. Vegetarian food + Communism = delicious. Lick is next door and has natural frozen yogurt. Literally, it just tastes like cold yogurt, but you cover it in toppings like honey and fruit. mmm. We also discovered a delicious Indian restaurant, saw a production of My Fair Lady, and sampled doughnuts on the pier (thanks for the tip, Mom and Dad!). 'Twas a good visit.

5) The final countdown! Now I am balancing writing my last paper with enjoying my last days in England. I have a "Sussex/Brighton To-Do List" that is posted in my flat's kitchen. You will probably not be surprised to know that many of the things on this list involve food. Successes so far include a visit to Stanmer Park, a nearby nature preserve with a cafe that sells DELICIOUS scones (these scones might be better than the ones in Rottingdean. I'm not kidding.) and dinner at La Tosca, where we used a 50% off coupon to get drinks, bread, tapas (about four each to share) and dessert for 15 pounds! yummy. My flatmates are determined to help me accomplish at least most things on my list, so that's exciting. This includes day trips to Canterbury, Dover and Drusilla's, a zoo mostly housing small, adorable, furry animals.

6) Babies! We have a birds' nest outside the front door of our flat. Somehow, even though we just noticed the babies two days ago, they have all already flown the nest. One of them flew the nest a little too early and was hopping around the entryway for awhile looking and sounding thoroughly confused. SO adorable. Now most of the others have followed suit but the rest of them were better at flying.

7) London! I am taking my final (!) trip to London this weekend, to visit a friend from home who is interning there this summer. The Queen's birthday is on Saturday, so she gets a proper celebration with a parade. We're mostly hoping to seduce Prince Harry and William. Wish us luck. ;-) Then she'll be coming back with me to lovely Brighton on Saturday night and Sunday. The weather is supposed to be pretty again, yay! I'll be introducing her to cream tea - I know you're surprised.

In short, please explain to me why I have to leave. It's not that I don't love my home in Indiana. But if you could figure out how to bring my house, my family and Wash U here instead, that'd be fab. 

It's official:

Either I'm never going back, or I'm taking Brighton with me.

Just picture me breathing.

A quick note to say that I will probably not be doing another big update for awhile. Sussex decided that it was a good idea to have all assessments due during summer term (I'm not a big fan of the British educational system), so I'll be cramming for the next month and then I still have another paper due at the end of June. It's been much more stressful than I anticipated juggling all of this work and dealing with a different educational system that is much more research-based and where grades for entire courses depend on one assignment.

That's not to say I'll only be working. I'm going to Cambridge on Saturday, and Eurovision (think European American Idol, with a contestant from each country, or at least each country that made it through the semifinals) is on TV on Saturday night. Katherine, one of my closest friends (we've known each other since middle school and now go to Wash U together) is coming to visit at the end of May/beginning of June when she finishes her program in Italy. However, I do have a lot of work and it's hard to just keep pushing, stay focused and not panic. In other words, putting the "study" back into "study abroad" is not fun. Positive vibes appreciated.

"I don't read your books, but I think you're a cool guy."

First, an apology for not updating my placeholders yet. The fact that people have mentioned that they are actually waiting for them to be filled, though, is encouraging. It's nice to know that I have faithful readers. ;-)

In the meantime, let's talk about what I like to call "parental units abroad." On Friday afternoon I left Sussex and took the train to London, where I then took a bus and walked to the hotel without getting lost and met my parents at the British Museum down the street. I'd been to the British Museum before, but since it's massive I went to exhibits that I hadn't seen before. Then I met up with the other Wash U students at Pizza Express for our "farewell dinner." The bill was on Wash U, so we got appetizers, mains and desserts. Unfortunately having about 25 people order pizzas at the same time meant that we had to wait awhile for our food, but it was delicious. For dessert I had banoffee pie, a British delicacy I had been wanting to try. (Banoffee is bananas and toffee, in case you were wondering.) Afterwards Deepa, Audrey and I met up with Maryse, who was visiting from Paris, and Stephanie, another Wash U-er who has been in London for the year, to go to a bar in SoHo.

On Saturday morning we went to Borough Market. I love markets in London. This one was outdoors and had pretty much any kind of food or drink you could want. We wandered around getting as many free samples as we could before deciding on our purchases. I got a veggie fajita, sweet potato and butternut squash fritter, and chocolate and banana muffin. Then we lounged around in the grass in front of the church next to the market and enjoyed our food, the glorious sun and each other's company. The rest of the day I spent with my parents, who had been at Westminster Abbey in the morning. We went to the Globe to see Romeo & Juliet, which was wonderful. My dad had bought seats so that we didn't have to stand for the whole performance, but he and I wanted to get some of the experience of being a "groundling" so we stood for the second half. I got pretty close to the front and was completely swept into the story, even though I'd seen the play. It was incredible to have the actors so close - they carried out Juliet almost right next to me -  and I got such a rush during the curtain call. I have seen some amazing theatre this semester. It probably also helped that Romeo and Benvolio were attractive. I mean... what?

On Sunday we took the train to Stratford-upon-Avon, which is actually a lot bigger than I expected. We went to Willy's (William Shakespeare, for those of you who have a less personal relationship with the man) birthplace, gravesite, wife's house and... uncle's house? Actually, I don't know if the last guy had any direct relation, he was just a doctor and a lot richer. I think my favorite part was Anne Hathaway's house, because 1) it was beautiful and romantic, with a thatched roof and huge garden and 2) my middle name is after her! So, I have an entirely Shakespearean name (Olivia is after the character in Twelfth Night). There was a giant birthday card that people had signed for the Bard, and some of the comments people wrote were just hilarious, hence the title of this entry. (Note to person who wrote the title: Shakespeare didn't actually write any books, per se...) Unfortunately I was a little distracted and ended up dropping my camera and breaking the lens. Oops. Luckily, since my parents were there we just used their camera and then they left theirs with me when they went back to the States. Looks like I've now gotten my parents two new cameras. ;-) I also realized that if I can't be happy in a place without taking pictures of it, then it probably isn't worth going there, right? You can't capture everything in a photograph.

When we got back to London we had dinner in an awesome pub called (I think?) the Duchess of York. I tried Pimms for the first time, which is a popular summer drink here, and it was delicious. I also had VEGETARIAN bangers and mash, which was very exciting.

On Monday we explored London: Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, and Platform 9 3/4. There were some important-looking people processing out of Buckingham, but unfortunately none of them looked like Prince William. Covent Garden had some great street performers: a "wizard" who let you "make a wish" if you gave him money, another human statue who gave people bunny ears when they posed for pictures in front of him, a Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean look-alike, and a guy who rode a unicycle while juggling knives and eating an apple. What crazy lives those people must lead. Platform 9 3/4 was on my list of must-see things in London, so I'm glad I finally got there. For those who don't know, this is the site where Harry Potter and friends take the train to Hogwarts. Kings Cross Station is an actual train station in London, and in homage to the books they have "created" a Platform 9 3/4 - basically a plaque on the wall and a luggage cart that looks like it is "disappearing" into the wall. There were a surprising amount of people there taking pictures - as one guy declared, "It's irresistible!" If only it actually went to Hogwarts...

On Tuesday I did some work during the day and met my parents for dinner. We went to Wagamama, an Asian fusion restaurant that is really popular in the UK. We all really liked our food, and I would definitely go back. Afterwards I sang at an open mic night on campus, which was also on my study abroad to-do list. I sang a song that I had done for voice lessons called "Meadowlark," from a musical called "The Baker's Wife." I thought I did pretty well, and it was well received even though there weren't a lot of people there. Two of my flatmates came, which meant a lot to me. I feel like my flatmates are some of my closest friends here.

On Wednesday I took my parents to Rottingdean, where I insist on taking all of my guests. We rode on the top of the double-decker bus for the scenic ride there and then had cream tea, which was scrumptious as usual. We also walked around the town for a little while and sat by the beach, which was really nice though a little cold. Also, if you think I take a lot of pictures you should meet my parents. I'm pretty sure they could have put together a coffee table book about Rottingdean after just the few hours we spent there. We came back to Brighton and relaxed at their hotel for a little while before eating dinner at a pub and saying goodbye. :-(

Now it is work, work, work (I have three papers due in May and an exam the first week of June), coming to grips with the fact that I don't have a lot of time left here, and trying to decide how I want to spend that time, which is a LOT harder than it sounds especially given that I have to spend a significant chunk of time writing papers and studying. Please keep your fingers crossed for me that I trust myself enough to make decisions and know that they will be the right ones instead of just feeling in limbo all the time. Here we go...

"Summer term" is a deceiving phrase.

I would first like to say that I am alive and well, and I apologize for taking a ridiculously long time to update. As you can see, I plan to write about my spring break trip... sometime. But rather than just keep waiting and try to write everything all at once, I thought I would keep up with writing about what has happened recently and then go back and write about my trip whenever I get a chance.

I'm halfway through the second week of "summer term," which is really not a phrase I think should exist. It's very deceiving. Personally, I got back from my trip feeling revived and really wanting to experience more of Brighton and life on campus in general, especially now that the weather is great (apart from the occasional rainy day - it wouldn't be Britain without them!). I realized that there were still a lot of things I hadn't gotten a chance to do - going to certain clubs and restaurants, singing karaoke at a pub and at an open mic night on campus - that I definitely wanted to do before I left. I knew that people would have work, but I figured that the phrase "work hard, play hard" would come in handy.

The problem is just that, however - everyone has work. A lot of it. Sussex somehow decided that it was a good idea to have 99% of assessments during summer term, and for the British students this includes assessments from courses they took in the fall. One of my flatmates has six exams in June. Making social plans is proving much more difficult because everyone has different assessments and different schedules, so it seems on any night of the week you'll encounter a friend saying, "I'VE BEEN IN THE LIBRARY ALL DAY BUT I STILL CAN'T GO OUT AAAHHH!" It's rather depressing. And people are going to start going home in May. I just really hope that I can cross off all of the things on my to-do list, and I don't want to do them alone. I don't want to feel like this experience passed me by in many ways. I think I'm going to make a list of all the clubs and restaurants I want to go to and other things I want to do and post it in the kitchen so that my flatmates and I can make plans together.

On a lighter note, I went to Isle of Wight on Saturday and it was lovely. Brighton is a popular vacation spot, but it really only feels beachy when you're at the beach itself. Isle of Wight felt like a beach resort on the entire island, with the quintessential fudge and postcard shops, outdoor cafes/tea rooms, and a relaxed, breezy feel in the air. The only unfortunate part was climbing up and across some hills to get the view of the whole island. It was pretty, but incredibly windy and a long walk, so I was exhausted and not really paying attention to the view by the end. It would be nice if panoramic views didn't always involve climbing. We also lucked out weather-wise - it was raining when I got up, which almost prevented me from going, but I'm glad I decided to risk it because it stopped raining as soon as we boarded the bus and didn't rain for the rest of the day.

As you probably guessed, I also have lots of work during summer term. I've been working on a 4,000-word essay (they only do word count here, so I've tried to wean myself from page numbers, but if you're wondering that's about 11-12 pages double-spaced) that's due on the 18th so that I can relax when my parents are here (and because I have a 3,000-word essay due three days after that which I haven't started writing... but I've been researching, at least! one at a time!). Before I started writing this I was up to 3500 words without a conclusion. yay!

Yes, as I mentioned, my parents are coming this weekend! Actually, their flight leaves the U.S. at 8:00 tonight, so they'll be in London tomorrow morning. ACCENT, the company that does programs for all of the Wash U students studying in and around London, is hosting a "farewell dinner" for all of us on Friday night, so I'll either go with my parents after that or on Saturday morning. We have tickets to see Romeo & Juliet at the Globe on Saturday night, and on Sunday we're going to Stratford-upon-Avon. Then they'll come back with me to Brighton for a few days. I CANNOT wait. This is the longest I've gone without going home or seeing my parents. As much as I love traveling and my independence, there's also something really comforting about familiarity, and nothing is more familiar than home.

All right, back to the grindstone. Friday, come quickly please!

The safest place in the world

Thank goodness I write in a regular journal, too, or else I would never remember all the details about my break.

On Friday, April 10th, I took an early train (the Eurostar) from Paris to London. There were no direct trains from St. Pancras (the train station where the Eurostar goes in London) to Brighton, so I had to take the tube to the London Bridge station instead. That was a little frustrating, but it was also good to be "home" where I understood the language, knew how the subway and train worked, and I saw several posters for Spring Awakening, which was exciting.

On Easter Sunday I decided to go to church, since Kara and I had found a Unitarian church in Brighton when she visited. The service was at 11:00 and I got there fairly early since I wasn't sure how long the bus ride would take. It's a very small and, unsurprisingly, old building - there is a stained glass window from 1888 and another to commemorate members' service in WWI. There weren't many people there, and only one person was even close to my age, but people were friendly and I liked the service. I hadn't been to church since I was home in December. I've been back a couple times since then and plan to go more in June once I don't have so much work to do.

When I got back Aoife made hot cross bun pudding, which is a traditional British Easter treat. You basically take hot cross buns, slice them, spread them with marmalade (which is what the Brits use as a general term for jam & jelly, so you can use any flavor you want), cover them with custard, and bake. Yum. I also ate some of the Sour Patch Kids my parents sent me. All in all, a good British Easter.

On Wednesday morning I had an early flight to Copenhagen to visit Kara. She met me at the airport and we took the train to drop my stuff off at her host family's house. Then we went to Christiania, Copenhagen's very own hippie commune. They've literally declared themselves independent from the EU (the sign at the entrance says "Christiana" on one side and "You are now leaving the EU" on the other), made their own "laws," etc. It's a funky place, with tons of very artistic graffiti, shops selling homemade clothing and antiques, and cafes. We had coffee at "the safest cafe in Copenhagen," which is actually called that because there have been 6,000 armed police raids there since 2004. haha

After Christiana we met the other students in one of Kara's classes at Tivoli Gardens, a really old amusement park. The layout was very classy for an amusement park, nicely landscaped with lots of pretty lights that lit up once it got dark. I rode the roller coaster, which was a short but fun ride since I hadn't been on one in a long time. Kara, one of her friends, and I ate dinner while waiting for the lights to come on and then Kara and I walked around taking pictures. At one point we asked a passer-by to take a picture of the two of us, and he happened to be British. When I explained that I was at Sussex, he said he had just been in Spain having drinks with some girls who said that they were also from Sussex. Turns out they were some other American students, friends of mine, who had planned a trip to Spain! Small world!

Thursday was the Queen's birthday, so we went to the celebration. On the way we stopped at Nyhavn, which is a picturesque harbor, and I got a Danish, for which I forget the real word in Danish. People had made a big circle around where the Queen was supposed to come out and wave to the crowd, and Kara and I snagged places near the front. A band played and then the Queen and her family came out three different times and waved to the crowd. The Queen of Copenhagen is really cool - she even designs opera sets! The country obviously loves her, too (or at least they do a really good job of pretending on her birthday). There were lots of people there waving Danish flags. It was a neat experience and I'm glad that the occasion happened to coincide with my trip.

Our next stop was Rosenborg, where the crown jewels are held. There were a lot of other fancy artifacts, too, like intricate ivory carvings and a Colt revolver given to the king by Abraham Lincoln. The jewels themselves were very impressive, though I can't imagine wearing something like that on my head. There was also a humongous purple diamond on display - I imagine it was a necklace, though your head would probably fall off if you wore it for too long.

We spent the night with Kara's host family, though her host mother was having a "clothes party" (like Tupperware but with clothes, so their house sort of looked like a shopping mall) so it was an atypical dinner. We sat downstairs with her host father and brother, watched TV and got the leftovers from the dinner party. Though I met them only briefly, her host family seemed really nice, and of course I was grateful that they let me stay with them.

On Friday we took the train to see Helsingor, aka Elsinore, aka Hamlet's castle. There was an exhibit about the history of Hamlet - I had no idea that it was originally a Danish story and that there was another version staged even before Shakespeare wrote his. We wandered around the castle and the chapel and saw the plaque of Shakespeare himself near the entrance. They still hold open-air performances of Hamlet on the grounds every summer, which would be really cool to see.

Then it was time for me to leave to catch my 8:00 PM flight back to London. It was odd because the last time that I had an 8 PM flight to Gatwick was when I came here in January, so it made me think about how much had changed and happened since then, which is a LOT. It was also hard to believe that my trip was over, after all the planning that it took, but I think I was ready to stay settled in one place for awhile again.

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I'm baaack!

Three weeks ago today I left on what would end up being the most adventurous, incredible, unbelievable trip of my life. Four countries later, I am back in Brighton for a few days before ending my break in Copenhagen.

There is no way I can possibly begin to tell you about my trip. Brief summaries would not do it justice, and trying to tell every detail would result in marathon entries that still probably wouldn't do it justice. So, I am going to attempt neither, and this is where you, dear readers, come in.

There must be a reason that you have been faithfully reading my blog, or at least skimming an entry or two, for the past three months. There must be specific things that you want to know about. Therefore, I am going to base my writing about my trip on your questions. Feel free to leave a comment, send me an e-mail, etc. with your questions about what I have experienced over the past three weeks. To get you started, here's a summary of my travels:

-I started with a trip to Greece and Italy with four other study abroad students at Sussex, Rachael, Deepa, Jill and Reva, three of whom also go to Wash U. We spent a day in Athens, about two and a half days in Santorini, four days in Rome, three days in Florence (with a brief trip to Pisa), and a soggy day in Venice.

-from Venice, I became my own travel buddy and went to Germany. There I stayed in Hamburg for four days with Marieke, German girl who was an exchange student at my high school for a year and her family. From Hamburg I went to Darmstadt, which is close to Frankfurt, to visit Jennifer, a friend from elementary/middle/high school who is studying there for the semester. She and I took a day trip with a few of her friends to Heidelberg.

-After Germany I flew to Paris, where I stayed with Maryse, a friend from Wash U and her host family. I took the Eurostar from Paris to London and another train from London to Brighton this morning/afternoon.

I took 542 pictures, which my dad will be amused to know actually does average out to a little more than 25 pictures a day. For those of you who have Facebook, the pictures will be up soon. Now it's your turn. Ask away about my adventures, and depending on how soon I hear from you/how many questions you ask, I'll start writing in the next few days.

The world is not enough

Having Kara visit was so much fun! She arrived Friday night and we spent awhile talking before resting up for our big day in Brighton on Saturday. We admired the Pavilion and walked all along Brighton Pier, which is bigger than I realized. There are a couple of restaurants, lots of stands selling snacks and souvenirs, carnival game booths, an arcade/casino, and a midway at the end with rides (including one that swings you over the ocean. I haven't decided whether I would enjoy this or not.). It was fun to see the whole thing. We had fish and chips for lunch, which was delicious of course, and explored/window-shopped in Brighton for awhile. We also discovered a Unitarian church! It's at a really easy place to get to by bus, so I think I'm going to try it over Easter weekend, since I'll be back in Brighton briefly. I'm excited! Anyway, we were debating whether or not to go to Rottingdean for cream tea (we wanted to be back in time to go to a comedy show in Brighton at 7) because the bus we were planning to take was late, and then lo and behold, another bus appeared! It took the long route, but that's the one I prefer because you get great views of the English countryside, especially if you sit up top. Cream tea was food bliss as usual, even better than the first time I went to Rottingdean. I just don't know what I'm going to do with myself when I can't have clotted cream anymore.

After cream tea we went back to Brighton and poked around in some shops before going to Komedia, the comedy club. There was a huge line and it turned out that the stand-up show we wanted to see was sold out. However, there were (cheaper) tickets still available for something called The Treason Show, which was basically political satire (it was a British clone of Second City, for those of you who are familiar with that group). We had about an hour to kill before the show, and shops were mostly closed, so we just sat in the club and drank Strongbow blacks (cider with blackcurrant juice, aka delicious) and played Hangman to keep ourselves entertained. I got more of the British pop culture references in the show than Kara did, but we both enjoyed it, especially when the actors made each other laugh during the skits.

Kara had to leave fairly early on Sunday to meet another friend in London, so we didn't stay up too late after the show, but we did talk awhile and share some good YouTube videos. Needless to say, I laughed a lot that day. It was great to see Kara. I've made friends here, but there's nothing like having history with someone, and Kara and I have known each other since about middle school.

Well, after my seminar tomorrow I will be done with spring term! Next term I will only have one class (The Look of America), but I technically pick up another class and I have four assessments. The "technical" other class is Independent Research, so there's no lectures or seminars but we're expected to spend a chunk of time writing a critical response to a journal article in psychology (we can choose from three articles, all of which are very meaty - one is 80 pages long, but that's because it includes a couple dozen critical responses and the bibliography for the original article and all of the responses, so the actual article is about 20 pages long). Then I have papers for Art as Psychology and The Look of America, and an exam for Social Psychology. All of this will be done by June 4th, and then I have until June 24th to write the report for my research internship. In other words, I'm going to be doing a LOT of writing in April and May - about 21 pages, to be exact (though they assign papers here by word count, not page numbers). At first I had visions of spending the entire month cooped up in the library, which was enough to make me despair, but after doing some calculations I figured out that I'll be okay as long as I just work hard during the day and do some reading over break.

Speaking of break, I leave at the crack of dawn (literally... our flight is at 6:30, so we're getting a cab at 4:15... ouch) on Friday for Greece! Easter break is a month long, so I'll be traveling most of the time. Here's my schedule:

March 20-23 - Greece (Athens & Santorini)

March 23-29 - Italy (Rome, Florence & Venice)

March 29-April 6 - Germany (Hamburg & Darmstadt)

April 6-April 10 - Paris

April 10-April 14 - Brighton (taking a break from break, haha)

April 15-April 17 - Copenhagen

I'm very excited but I'm also getting nervous. After Greece and Italy I'm basically traveling by myself, meeting friends in the different cities, so I just hope everything goes smoothly. This time to travel was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Sussex, and though planning the trip was MUCH more stressful and took MUCH more time than I had anticipated, I think it will be worth it. It still hasn't really hit me that at this time on Friday I'll be in GREECE!

I really have no idea if/when I'll be able to update this blog while traveling, so you can just imagine me taking lots of pictures and eating lots of food wherever I am. :o) See you in April!

I found him!

I have a lot to catch up on, don't I?

Last weekend was sleepy but great. I say sleepy because it involved two early mornings: the bus left at 7:30 from Sussex for Stonehenge, and on Sunday we had to meet the rest of the Wash U group in London at 9:00, which meant another early train. I think I slept more during the week than I did that weekend.

On Saturday the International & Study Abroad Office sponsored a trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge is both frustrating and intriguing for its mystery. The audio tour went something like this: "These rocks are really old [they were abandoned the first time over 3000 years ago]. They're really heavy [some weigh as much as 45 tons]. We think they may have been used for worship or practical purposes [sundial]... but we don't really know. We think hundreds of men transported them over land and sea... but we're not really sure. OOH MYSTERIOUS." You listen to this audio tour while walking around Stonehenge in a large circle, all the while taking pictures of the exact same stones from several different angles because you think that they will, in fact, look like different pictures.

From Stonehenge we went to the city of Bath, aptly named as it is the site of the Roman baths. We toured the baths and then had a few hours to explore. The baths were a holy place for the Romans because they didn't understand hot springs and thought that only the gods could have created something like that. The hot springs are still operational - they heat the gift shop (Mom, you would have liked it). My favorite part was learning about the "curses" that have been uncovered during excavations. Disgruntled Romans would scratch their grievances on pieces of metal and offer them to Athena in hopes that she would take care of whoever had wronged them. The Romans must have had a lot of anger and not many problems to take them out on, because the curses included things like, "So-and-so stole my cloak. Please make sure that he loses an eye and an ear." Really, guys?

Bath is a lovely city that felt much older than Brighton, probably because it was. One of my group's last stops of the day was the Sally Lunn House, the oldest house in Bath, built in 1482. Yes, this house was built before America was discovered (ok, "discovered"). Apparently Sally Lunn makes famously good buns, but we didn't try any. We did, however, go into a chocolate shop that felt and smelled like you were walking into a mug of hot chocolate. I also resisted buying anything here. I did not resist buying a Nutella milkshake at Shakeaway later on. Nutella wins every time. Anyway, back to Bath being old and pretty. We walked along the river, passed a rugby team, and climbed up to the bridge to meet another group only to discover that they had climbed down at the same time. The area around the river was pretty well landscaped, and it was especially scenic with the abbey in the distance.

The next day Wash U sent us to Blenheim Palace and Oxford (thanks, Wash U!). Blenheim Palace was where Winston Churchill was born and spent a lot of his boyhood. It was also ridiculously large and elegant. There are three "entrances" before you go into the actual house (if you could even call it a house), and the very first entrance was covered in gold. Every room had intricate carvings in the walls and ceilings, sculptures, tapestries, the occasional organ, the largest private library in England, its own chapel, you name it. The grounds were gorgeous - there was a view of the river with a bridge over it as we first drove in that made me gasp. There were also some awesome gardens a la Versailles (but smaller) in the back, but unfortunately it started to rain around the time that I would have gone to explore them.

After Blenheim Palace we continued to Oxford. First we had lunch at a pub where CS Lewis and some other authors used to write, and then we took a walking tour of Oxford College. Oxford College is actually made up of 3o-something colleges (Harry Potter-style) and most of them are not open to the public, so we only actually saw about five and went into one, Christ Church. Christ Church is where portions of the Harry Potter films, including the Sorting Hat scene, were filmed. We visited the dining hall where it was filmed, and it looks pretty different because there are portraits on the walls of all the famous people who have graduated from Christ Church, including several Prime Ministers. However, the staircase leading up to the hall looks exactly the same. I swear I would have recognized it even if Angie hadn't pointed it out to us. The Harry Potter geek in me freaked out a little bit. OK, maybe more than a little bit. Not gonna lie, one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Oxford was to see this. (Some of you will be amused to know that I was really tempted to start reciting Harry Potter's lines from the Potter Puppet Pals "Mysterious Ticking Noise": "I'm Harry Potter, Harry Harry Potter...")

The courtyards or quads that we saw at Oxford were somewhat reminiscent of Brookings, though significantly older (as everything in Britain is compared to in America) and, well, more impressive. (Sorry, Wash U. I still love you!) The place inspires prestige... or would inspire me to just sit in the courtyard and stare at the pretty views. Oops. Oxford is pretty formal - at least at Christ Church, students have to dine in their caps and gowns!

I decided to stay in Oxford after the tour group left for two reasons. Well, three. One, a couple other people decided to stay (I wouldn't have wanted to make the journey back by myself). Two, a Wash U friend of mine who is studying at Oxford and I had been talking about meeting up at some point, and I figured I might as well seize the opportunity when I'd already had my train and one bus paid for. Three, one of my closest friends at Wash U studied at Oxford for a summer in high school and suggested places for me to go, none of which I had been able to see on the tour. Unfortunately St. Michael's Tower was closed, but I did make the most important stop: G&D's, an ice cream store. ;-) Believe it or not, it was the first time I'd had ice cream (other than store-bought stuff once or twice) in England, and it was delicious. The place was packed, even though it was still fairly cold outside (luckily it did stop raining for our tour). Then I met up with the rest of the Wash U group and we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was a fun night, but getting back was a pain because the trains are less consistent on Sundays, which means longer train rides, so after a bus, two trains and a taxi I didn't get back to my flat until about 1:30 in the morning.

I have my first assignment (yes, first... the stories I've heard of Wash U students readjusting to "work" abroad would make you laugh) due on Wednesday, so this week has felt a little more like I'm back at Wash U. ;-) (Ironic, perhaps, since they're on spring break.) I was also working ahead because I have a friend from home coming to visit tomorrow (she actually arrives late tonight) and a choir concert on Monday night. I also originally thought the assignment was due on Tuesday.

Random thoughts: my parents are officially coming to visit in May! and we're going to Stratford-upon-Avon and seeing Romeo & Juliet at the Globe. I can't wait! They also sent me a care package including some American candy (Sour Patch Kids and fruit snacks... gummies here include gelatin because the Brits don't have corn syrup, which is tragic for a vegetarian like me), which I'm excited to share with my flatmates. Yesterday in my Look of America seminar my professor announced that next week we're having a party to celebrate the end of term... with alcohol. I just had to laugh. Never again will I drink in an academic setting. "I'll bring cookies... I'll bring chips... I'll bring some BEER!" ALL of my flights and trains are booked for my sure-to-be-epic EUROTRIP 2009, which commences a week from today with a flight at the crack of dawn to Athens! I'll put my full itinerary up later. I'm doing mostly homestays, so hopefully I'll be able to update my blog as I go instead of writing multiple entries to catch up when I get back (because there's no way that I'll be able to describe four weeks of traveling in one entry).

Spring Awakening, indeed

I had been waiting for this weekend since mid-January, so it's hard to believe it's over. I must say it was worth the wait and every penny I spent for it.

Let's see, where to start. Audrey and I left campus on Friday at 11, met with beautiful, spring-like weather both in Brighton and London. We bought our lunch in the train station in London and ate outside in a park. I couldn't help drawing a comparison between the fact that we were seeing a musical called Spring Awakening and the fact that it felt like spring really was awakening in London. We walked to Trafalgar Square to take pictures and explore the National Portrait Gallery. My favorite part was a small gallery of striking (tasteful) nude portraits of Olympic athletes. It was a benefit for an AIDS foundation, and their nudity was representative of the fact that everyone is vulnerable to getting HIV/AIDS, regardless of the shape they are in. I decided to take a break and get a Coke in the cafe, and it came in a glass bottle and with a straw! Classy.

After the museum we went to check in at the hostel, which was in a residential area about 20 minutes outside of central London. We roomed with girls from Australia and France who seemed to be there more long-term - either that or they just traveled with a LOT of stuff. We dropped off our backpacks, changed into nicer clothes for the night, and then went to Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately we were too late to get into the Evensong service, but it was all right because there would be another service on Saturday afternoon. We took pictures in the sunset and had a leisurely dinner at a cheap Chinese buffet nearby. Then we went to Spring Awakening!

The theatre, the Lyric Hammersmith, was very non-descript. It just said "Lyric" on the side, and there was no sign for Spring Awakening or anything. I actually doubted we were at the right place until I saw people with programs inside. It took a couple of elevator rides to get to the actual theatre space, so I had no idea what to expect. The theatre itself was beautiful, and our seats were unbelievably good. Fifth row, close enough to have an unobstructed view but not so close that we had to crane our necks. I seriously could have died happy as soon as we sat down. Good thing I didn't, though, because the show was FABULOUS. It's impossible for me to actually express in words how much I loved it. I laughed, I cried a little, I smiled so much my face hurt, I got goosebumps, basically everything you'd want from a musical. The girl who played Wendla (the female lead) looked exactly like Emma Watson from the Harry Potter movies, and the guy who played Melchior (the male lead) looked like Elijah Wood and was, well, attractive. Very attractive. But the entire cast was excellent, even though for several of them it was their Broadway debut. I loved seeing the songs come to life after listening to them so many times and discovering things about the plot that you don't get until you see them.

After the show two fantastic things happened. 1) As we were walking out, Audrey realized that we were walking next to Jake Shears, one of the lead singers of the Scissor Sisters, one of her favorite bands. She was able to strike up a conversation with him, and he turned out to be one of the most casual celebrities I have ever met. I mean, he was wearing a hoodie and he talked to Audrey about what she was majoring in. We took pictures before he left. 2) I convinced Audrey to wait to see if we could meet some of the members of the cast (luckily she didn't take much convincing). A woman at the ticket counter said that the Lyric didn't really have a stage door so that the actors would probably just leave through the front door. After we waited by the front door for awhile, a security guard came to tell us that some of the cast members were having drinks in the bar upstairs. This security guard wins for nicest security guard ever. Also, that would NEVER happen in the U.S. Anyway, we went upstairs and there, indeed, was the cast having drinks. As I told Audrey, "Inside, I'm fainting right now." I just missed meeting the guy who played Hanschen, but I did meet Aneurin Barnard, the guy who played Melchior, who I plan to marry someday soon. It's been awhile since I felt that starstruck. I tried to explain my story to him of how I was studying abroad and I was upset about missing the tour at home until I found out that there would be a London version and so I made it my mission to come while I was abroad. I don't know how coherent I was, but he was super sweet and modest and took a picture with me. Yes, I'm in love. Needless to say, Audrey and I both left with big smiles on our faces.

So that was just Friday, and we were planning to stay in London through Sunday! We basically passed out at the hostel on Friday night, got up in time for breakfast (there were French guys sitting next to us who traveled with their own personal jar of Nutella), and set off for day two of our London adventure. Problem: London transit sucks on the weekends. There were entire lines on the tube that were shut down, and of course they were the most direct routes for where we wanted to go. After a little negotiating we made it to Tower Bridge, which we were able to tour for free (yay disabled prices!). You can go into observation decks inside the bridge and then the engine rooms underneath. My favorite part was reading about the bus that didn't stop in time when the bridge was being raised and had to make a 3-foot "jump," and the time when the bridge was painted red, white and blue for the Queen's jubilee. I don't know if I necessarily would have paid for it, though.

We took a bus to Westminster, which took an unfortunately long time due to traffic. We finally had a late but cheap lunch at a pub before going to the Evensong service. Being raised Unitarian, it was definitely a different experience to go to an Anglican/Episcopalian church service, but I was mainly there to hear the choir anyway. If you remember from one of my past entries, the choir is made entirely of men and boys, and the boys actually go to school at the Abbey. In other words, they lead incredible lives and sing beautifully, but seeing them made me realize that they are still normal, fidgety little boys. My favorite part was a blessing/recitation done by the reverend - it was like a Gregorian chant, but it was just him saying it. We also passed the gravestones of Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin, and the British equivalent of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on the way out. What an incredible place.

Next on our schedule was riding the London Eye. The Eye is basically a giant Ferris wheel made up of glassed-in pods that people ride in to get a birds-eye view of London. We rode around sunset, so it was lovely, and it was fun to take advantage of photo opportunities that arise when things look smaller than they really are (ie. "squishing" Big Ben with your thumb). The only problem is that everything else in the London skyline pales in comparison to Big Ben and Parliament. They're just beautiful, especially lit up.

When we got off the Eye we met Eric Reif, another Wash U-er studying in London, for dinner on Brick Lane (Brick Alley? I don't remember), Indian food central in London. The restaurant owners were literally standing outside of their restaurants, calling out different deals that they would offer us if we gave us their business. We went with the place that offered complimentary drinks. ;-) The naan was better than the curry, but overall it was decent and cheap. We went to a bakery for dessert, where I bought a traditional Indian dessert that has the consistency of fudge but tastes a little cheesy. I think it's made out of condensed milk, and then you can add flavors to it like almond, pistachio and mango. Audrey and I were feeling pretty tired again, so we briefly met some other people in the hostel while planning our Sunday and then went to bed.

On Sunday we started at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is pretty dazzling. To give you an idea, they have a Chihuly sculpture hanging in the main lobby. I saw lots of sculptures, a photography exhibit and a fashion exhibit where I fell in love with a Parisian flowered dress (but not to the same degree that I fell in love with Melchior Gabor, mind you). Audrey adored this museum, so we ended up spending some extra time there. Then we met Ruth Howe, yet another Wash U-er, at my new favorite place in London, Covent Garden. There is so much to love about Covent Garden. First there are the street performers - someone dressed in a gorilla suit, opera singers, and a man who ate a balloon and then involved a woman and a little boy in some elaborate knot-tying trick that we didn't stay to see the end of. Then there is the food - my jacket potato (baked potato) with tuna and sweetcorn (I know this sounds like an odd combination, especially on a jacket potato, but it's good!), and the smell of gaufre, and Ben's Cookies, where you can get a cookie for about a pound that has huge chunks of nuts and chocolate. And of course there are the shops, like the old-fashioned toy store that we spent most of our time in. In short, Covent Garden is wonderful, and we only saw a portion of it. I definitely plan to go back.

Our last stop of the day/weekend was Harrods, a department store that I am convinced is actually Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in disguise. Yes, it has everything you'd expect at a fancy department store - clothes, jewelry, perfume. But then it has the food rooms, where you can not only get sushi or sample several other kinds of cuisine, but you can shop for produce under chandeliers decorated with fruits and vegetables (yes, chandeliers), admire display after display of elegant looking chocolates, and buy a sugary cornucopia of a cake for only 10,000 pounds. I don't think you can truly understand the ridiculousness of this place until you see it with your own eyes. I was a little speechless.

Two train rides later, we were back in Brighton. My body was completely exhausted after running around London for three days straight, but I was very happy. Seeing Spring Awakening, and the weekend in general, will undoubtedly go down as one of my favorite study abroad memories.

ps. congratulations to everyone who made it through this marathon of an entry. your prize is a hug, redeemable next time we see each other. preferably somewhere in Europe. ;-)

Ending on a high note

Not too much has happened since I last wrote, but I thought that after the slightly depressing tone of my last entry you deserved something happier to top off what has been a mostly fantastic month.

First: Happy (belated) Pancake Day! My flatmates and I had friends over for a pancake party complete with homemade pancakes and LOTS of toppings (I think we had four different types of chocolate topping alone). Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the pancakes were delicious (no, I will not tell you how many I ate). I think I mentioned this before, but here pancakes are crepes. American-style pancakes are called Scottish pancakes, but the English don't seem to be big fans of them. I have to admit that nothing beats crepes, but I don't know if I can go six months without American pancakes.

Three Wash U students studying in Paris arrived yesterday or the day before to visit friends here at Sussex, so they left the land of crepes only to come to England on the one day a year when it, too, becomes a land of crepes. They didn't seem to mind. It was fun to see some familiar faces, though I don't know any of them that well, and it was a cool study abroad moment to realize that the last time we all saw each other was at Wash U and now we're traveling the world together.

Tomorrow I only have one class, so I'm hoping to get a decent night's sleep tonight and spend most of the day working. Yes, I will be the first to admit that I wanted to take a break from Wash U academics, but I think I've been taking too much of a break and will actually be happier if I can go back to my original goal of finding and living a balance between work and play. Plus I have a feeling that these big essays due during summer term will come back to bite me if I don't at least start them now.

I also need to work tomorrow because I will be in LONDON this weekend! You may be wondering, "Why are you going to London again, Olivia? Haven't you been there three times already?" Well, yes, I have. But London is huge and they were all structured trips, so as much as I loved the things I saw and did, I haven't had a chance yet to go on a trip that I planned myself (or with a friend, in this case)... until this weekend. In other words, this trip will be different in that it involves going to a choral service at Westminster Abbey and SPRING AWAKENING on Friday night (the music/choir/musical lover in me is already starting to hyperventilate), riding the London Eye at sunset on Saturday, and taking advantage of the photo opportunity at Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station on Sunday, among other things. SO. EXCITED.

Oh, and to top it all off, my parents are planning a trip here in May, including a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon (so I get to go after all!) and seeing a Shakespearean play at the Globe! My dad is already threatening to bombard me with Shakespearean trivia during the trip. I'm counting on it and can't wait, Pops.

Dealing with disappointment, UK-style

Well, I was supposed to be in Stratford-upon-Avon right now. That is, until I woke up at 9:30 this morning... after the bus left at 8:00. I have no idea if my alarm never went off or I just slept through it. Regardless, I'm upset. Shakespeare has played an interesting role in my life (including creating my namesake, Olivia from Twelfth Night) and there's a chance that I may not go there with my parents over spring break after all. It's been a teary morning.

In other news... I had a fun Valentine's Day. My flatmates and I went to Brighton and painted pottery (I did a cereal bowl with pastel stripes. I also managed to explode a black paint pen but not get it on my clothes or the outside of my bowl. skills, I know.), had an early dinner at Pompoko's, a delicious and cheap Japanese restaurant, and went to see He's Just Not That Into You, which we all really liked. Afterwards we walked to the ASDA (like Walmart with more groceries) and bought wine, crisps and chocolate to enjoy once we got home. After all, what Valentine's Day is complete without chocolate?

I had some good nights out this week. On Wednesday night I went to see Fame, the musical put on by SMuTS (Sussex Musical Theatre Society). It made me miss Wash U theatre. Not that it was bad, but if you go to Wash U and are involved in theatre in any way, PAD or student-run productions, please don't take for granted the talent, enthusiasm and dedication of the people you get to work with. We are lucky. On Thursday I went out for curry (I did have curry, but I've also found that British people tend to refer to Indian food in general as "curry"), which was delicious. Ooh, and that just reminded me that I have a leftover piece of paneer naan in the fridge. Mmm. On Friday Audrey and I went to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which really makes you want to go to Barcelona. I would really like to organize a weekend trip there during summer term.

Yesterday Wash U sent us to Greenwich for the day - thanks, Wash U! It was fun to also hang out with Wash U students who are at other schools in London. We started with a boat tour on the River Thames in order to get to Greenwich, which is just outside of London. It was a lovely day, cool but sunny and clear. At Greenwich we toured the Painted Room and the Chapel, beautiful rooms which were originally part of a king's home but now make up part of the University of Greenwich campus. The Painted Room had a ceiling reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel (in style, if not content) and the Chapel had all Grecian-inspired architecture and design.

After lunch my group got a little lost, but we eventually made it up the hill to the Royal Observatory, where we saw impressive panoramic views of London and stood in two hemispheres at once! Yes, Greenwich is the location of the Prime Meridian, which divides the world into time zones. I learned that 15 degrees of longitude equals an hour time difference, so if you know either between two locations, you can figure out the other. We had free time for the rest of the day, so I went with a few other Wash U girls to Greenwich Market, which was fantastic! A feast for the senses. There were booths with vendors selling everything from jewelry made out of silver spoons to puppets to paintings. Then there was an entire food section with vendors selling food from France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, and the U.S., to name a few. I bought some mini Turkish doughnuts, which were crispy on the outside but melted in your mouth on the inside and were completely soaked in honey; banana chips; and clotted cream fudge, which has a fudgelike consistency but tastes more like caramel. Delicious!

My food bliss experience for the week came from yogurt. Organic Greek-style yogurt with honey, to be exact. I don't think I've ever tasted anything creamier, and I will probably be buying a lot of this from now on. Scratch that, I WILL be buying a lot of this from now on.

Unfortunately I will not be doing anything exciting today after all, but I've been needing to do laundry anyway. Oh well. Goes to show that no study abroad experience is perfect, and hopefully I will be able to go to Stratford with my parents over break anyway. I'm upset, but there's nothing I can do. Time to move on.

The moment you've all been waiting for...

Before I write anything else, I have to announce that I had (veggie) bangers and mash for dinner on Tuesday and it was DELICIOUS. British comfort food at its best. For all the complaints I heard about British food before I got here, they know how to do some dishes (and drinks) pretty darn well. Admittedly, one of my American friends made the dish, but still, I credit the Brits with the original idea.

OK, back to chronological order. :o) I had a really wonderful time on the trip to Battle and Hastings, despite almost missing the bus in the morning (oops. now I'm sure that all of my clocks are coordinated!). Our first stop was at Battle Abbey, which was built next to the battlefield where the Battle of Hastings took place (I apologize in advance for the excessive use of the word "battle"). The Battle of Hastings ended Anglo-Saxon rule in England and also introduced castles and feudalism to the country. The abbey wasn't there when the battle actually took place but was built as a sort of memorial. We took a guided tour of the area and then had free time, during which a group of us explored a little museum in/about the abbey.

Then we were off to Hastings, a seaside town about a half-hour away. It reminded me of Brighton but not as modernized - no brand name stores or bus system. We had lunch at a pub with an odd music selection - all American, but everything from rap to Pearl Jam to Frank Sinatra. We all wanted to see the clifftop views of the ocean, so we split into two groups. Another girl and I went to find the funicular railroad to take us to the top, but discovered that it was closed for renovations. I was really disappointed until we talked to a friend who had already made it to the top and said that the climb wasn't bad. It really wasn't, and the views were worth it! I'm sure I've said this before, but England has this amazing combination of sea and green, green hills. It's just lovely. After admiring the view we walked to Hastings Castle, which is basically a small area of ruins at this point. Good thing it was small because we got there as it was closing, so we only had a few minutes to explore. The sun was just starting to go down and you could watch it glinting off the water and the stones in the castle ruins.

After walking back down we decided that we had just enough time for tea. I also tried crumpets, which were exactly as they had been described to me: like inside-out English muffins... except better, because the crumpet I had was probably soaked in butter. mmm.

(A side note about Hastings: the restaurant next to the pub where we had lunch had a sign in the window advertising bangers and mash. Did I take a picture with said sign? Of course I did.)

As the bus pulled away from Hastings and I watched the sun set over the ocean while listening to Spring Awakening on my iPod, I couldn't help but feel perfectly content. This is why I wanted to study abroad. The exploring, the views that take my breath away, trying new foods, weekends that I could never recreate at Wash U.

On Sunday I went on a hike through Devil's Dyke with a few other international students. The legend is that Devil's Dyke was literally formed by the Devil when he was disappointed by the decline of Paganism and wanted to destroy all the churches in the area. Because of all the rain and snow we've had lately, Devil's Dyke was also made almost exclusively of mud. I consider it a small miracle I didn't lose a crutch tip or fall more than I did. After walking for an hour and a half through the dyke and to a pub I was exhausted, so another guy and I called a taxi to take us back to the top. Unfortunately the taxi was late and we missed the bus, so we ended up waiting in another pub and meeting the rest of the group who had hiked back to take the next bus about an hour later. Then I had to take the train back to Brighton. Did I mention it was raining? Needless to say, it was an adventure and the first thing I did when I got back to my flat was take a long, hot shower. I don't think I'll be going on anymore major hikes, but I'm glad I tried, anyway.

My Easter break plans are starting to fall into place - four other girls and I will be going to Greece and Italy for the first nine days! We'll be in Athens for a day, Santorini for two days, Rome for three days, Florence for two days and Venice for a day. I booked my flights today. Greece and Italy were the two places I REALLY wanted to visit while I'm here, so I'm thrilled. Then Mom and Dad are planning to visit near the end and go to France, London, and Brighton with me. This just means that I have to figure out the middle two weeks or so. I have a couple of friends in Germany so I may go there for awhile, and I have e-mails/Facebook messages out to a few friends who are studying in other places as well. Cross your fingers for me! I don't want to waste a single day of this break.

I finally went to choir rehearsal on Monday night. It's a small group - only three tenors! - but people were pretty friendly. We're singing a version of the Magnificat and the Chichester Psalms, which are in Hebrew. I'm rusty because I haven't sung in a choir since freshman year and I haven't sung anything to test my range since last semester, but I think after a rehearsal or two I'll get back into the swing of things.

The Students' Union elections ended today, and I was struck by how different they were from SU elections. No one runs as part of a slate, so there were six candidates for president alone. Campaigning is also much more aggressive. When my friends and I were cooking bangers and mash we had no less than three candidates come to the flat to give their shpiel (I have no idea how to spell this word), and even more candidates came to my lectures to speak. There have been teams of people running around campus all week handing out fliers and wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the name and slogan of the candidate of their choice. When I voted today the guy manning the table suggested that I take a "I voted" sticker (it actually says "just voted... and not for you!") so that I wouldn't be harassed in Library Square, and though I thought he was kidding candidates and their teams were actually running around making sure people had voted.

Anyway, I hope you all survive Friday the 13th and have a lovely Valentine's Day. I have a hot date planned with my flatmates. ;-)

Marry, Merry, Mary

I discovered this week that Brits have distinct pronunciations for each of the words listed above, while most Americans, including myself, do not. This is Aoife's favorite game to play with American students, and I'm now practicing my pronunciation so I can tell my parents the "correct" way on Sunday night.

Last weekend Wash U sent us back to London for a football match (soccer game). A couple of the girls and I went early so that we could go to Camden Market beforehand, basically a punk flea market (lots of stalls with funky clothes, jewelry, shoes, scarves and posters). We had a quick lunch with gaufre for dessert. Gaufre is a French dessert consisting of waffles with all sorts of sweet things smeared on them - honey, jam, fruit, Nutella, whatever you want. I had mine with Nutella and experienced another moment of knee-buckling, heart-melting food bliss. Needless to say, I was happy to discover that this food had made it beyond France. The match was Portsmouth vs. Fulham (we rooted for Fulham, the home team, and they won by two goals) and it was fun at first but then FREEZING cold. The highlight was the fans, who never stopped cheering, especially a particularly boisterous group behind us.

Sussex, believe it or not, had a snow day on Monday. After being told about how mild the weather is here, we brought the crazy St. Louis weather with us. Six inches in Brighton was enough to shut down the city almost completely, including schools, and eight inches in London was the most snow England had seen in 18 years. This country is not at all equipped to handle snow - the news reports talked about how this one day was going to cost Britain millions of pounds because of all the people who couldn't come to work. Meanwhile back at Sussex, students were perfectly happy to replace classes with snowball fights and sledding (one definite plus of having a hilly campus). People got pretty creative with impromptu sleds, including signs stolen from the grocery store in Bramber House, ironing boards and a kayak (I'm not kidding). Campus reminded me a little of a ski resort in places, especially when I saw the whole thing from the top of a sledding hill, the buildings softly lit with warm yellow lights as the sun went down. Ami made pancakes (what they call crepes) for dinner, and I discovered that to celebrate Mardi Gras the Brits have Pancake Day, aka eat crepes all day. My brother asked, "So England is your personal paradise?" My response: "On Pancake Day it is."

On Wednesday night I went to an international food party, which meant that I had to prepare some food that represented America. Aoife had told me that one of the international students from last year had left some Kraft macaroni and cheese (aka "neon food") in the flat, so I made that. This resulted in an entertaining conversation among my flatmates about the differences between American and British food, especially brand names. Apparently we stole Starburst from the Brits. Sorry, guys.

Tomorrow I'm going on a day trip to Battle & Hastings (site of the Battle of Hastings, the most important battle in English history), and Sunday there is a walking tour of Devil's Dyke sponsored by the Walking Society. I've decided that the reason I don't mind all of the extra walking here is because the scenery is so beautifully distracting. ;-)

Gonna write you a letter, gonna write you a book

I know that postage is getting more and more expensive these days, but since I miss all of you and I don't even have to walk outside to get my mail (they leave it on the kitchen table!), I would love to start getting some mail - postcards, letters, care packages, pretty much anything but a Howler. And even better, I promise to use some of my free time to write you back! (I already bought some postcards!) Here is my address:

Room 1

Kulukundis House

University of Sussex

Brighton, England

BN1 9RL

Even rain can't dampen my spirits in London.

This weekend was, in a word, unbelievable. I remember feeling so excited when I left my flat on Friday afternoon. Even after only a couple of weeks in Brighton, I was READY to travel.

The five other girls who are here from Wash U and I met Sorrel, our 100% positive and perky (but in a wonderful, not obnoxious, way) guide from ACCENT (a company that works with several schools that have study abroad programs in England) at the Brighton train station and bought our 16-25 railcards (discounted travel, woo hoo!) and tickets to London. After about a 45-minute train ride (during which we were offered drinks and snacks, just like on a plane), we were there! I was a little too tired to truly appreciate the sights during the bus ride to our hotel, but dinner at a delicious Turkish restaurant revived me. We agreed that we could have filled up on just the appetizers, including hummus and spanikopita.

On Saturday morning we had an orientation session with a British professor who teaches at USC. We talked about our reasons for coming to the UK, our goals, and any fears or concerns we had. This was helpful for me because I hadn't really gotten the chance to reflect on all of those things since I got here. We also talked about British stereotypes and a little bit of history (there are over 300 languages spoken in London - it's the most linguistically diverse city in the world!). After the orientation another ACCENT staff member took us to lunch at a gaudy Indian restaurant and told us about some other optional (but free!) events that they have planned for the rest of the semester. For example, next weekend we're going to a football (soccer) match. If I take advantage of all of the trips offered through ACCENT and the International Office at Sussex, I could potentially be going on at least a day trip almost every weekend when school is in session (and more, obviously, since I'll be traveling during Easter break). Wow.

We had the afternoon free, so we went to the British Museum, aka one of the most impressive museums I've ever been in. It seemed every corner I turned revealed something bigger and more ancient: the Rosetta Stone, a statue from Easter Island, sculptures of mythical creatures that guarded Assyrian rulers, remains from the Parthenon... amazing. Even the main entryway was impressive - you felt like you were entering some ancient Roman city. We spent three hours there and still only saw a fraction of the museum's offerings. I suspect you could live there and still not see everything.

That night was a performance of Wicked, made even better with British accents ("dahncing through life"). Two major differences between British and American theatre: 1) no free playbills (this was slightly disappointing). 2) you can eat in the theatre. As in, they sell ice cream during intermission (of course I bought some). I was much further from the stage than I was when I saw the production in St. Louis, but it gave me the same rush. Ahhh musicals.

On Sunday we awoke to rain, but that didn't stop our plans for a walking tour of central London. We met our feisty and hilarious tour guide, Angie, at the ACCENT office and continued to... everywhere. Seriously. We walked, took the Tube, and took buses to Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, Chinatown (decorated for Chinese New Year), Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, the River Thames, the London Eye, and Kensington Gardens. Main things I remember:

1) If you see something that looks like gold at Buckingham Palace, then it's gold.

2) We happened to arrive at Buckingham Palace in time to see a reenactment of the execution of King Charles I (well, minus the actual execution part), who was executed for shutting down Parliament for awhile and acting without them.

3) There is a fountain in front of Buckingham Palace with a statue of Queen Victoria on one side. Except Victoria's nose is a different color because some moron guard shot it off by accident. Way to go, sir.

4) It's dangerous to be dazzled by the uniforms (furry hats) of the guards at Buckingham because, as Angie kept insisting, "They are trained killers." Thanks Angie.

5) I don't think any place has taken my breath away more than Westminster Abbey. Seriously, just go there someday. We also happened to pass the choir room at a time when the boys' and men's choirs were rehearsing. You couldn't go in, but we stood by the door and listened. I could have stood there for hours. It was a truly magical moment.

6) I have to double-check names, but there was a king who had killed another king and built an addition to Westminster Abbey in hopes that if he had monks pray there everyday, he would be forgiven. Then his son came into power and changed the national religion. Take that, Pops.

7) There is an apartment being built near Hyde Park and the most expensive shopping district in London, and it's already been bought for 110 million pounds. A studio flat. No, I don't understand either.

8) You have not truly lived until you have had cream tea at Kensington Gardens. Cream tea refers not just to the tea but to the whole process of "having tea," aka leisurely stuffing yourself with tea (cinnamon, in my case), cucumber sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and cake (orange and chocolate fudge - two different kinds). I'm salivating right now just thinking about it. I could have died happy after that scone. Food bliss at its best.

Despite the rain, mostly gray sky, and a delayed train back to Brighton, I could not have been more satisfied with the weekend. And now back to classes... *sigh*

"America is a baby, really." - me "We're just teething." - my brother

I ended up having a good first weekend in Brighton ("first" after orientation, at least). On Saturday I went with my flatmate Amy and my friend from Wash U, Audrey, to Brighton. We explored the beach and the pier (there is a midway with rides, but I've heard they're pricey), and I am so happy to be so close to the ocean. I'm pretty sure I'll be going to the beach every free weekend I have once the weather turns warmer. We got fish and chips for lunch and then went shopping. Don't get too excited - my big purchases were postcards and socks. haha There are so many shops in Brighton, I'm pretty sure I could go there every weekend until June and not see them all. I saw Terre a Terre, a world-famous vegetarian restaurant that I'm excited to try (saving it for a special occasion though, because I've heard it's also pricey. darn exchange rate).

On Sunday I went with some Wash U girls and a couple other international students to Rottingdean, a nearby town where Rudyard Kipling lived for a few years. The scenery during the bus ride there was so quintessentially English - rolling green hills (I don't know how the grass is so green here, but it's definitely a different green than in the US), sometimes juxtaposed with views of the ocean. I don't think pictures will ever do this place justice... which just means that you all have to come visit me. ;-) We had afternoon tea complete with cake, sandwiches and scones with clotted cream and jam. yummm. There was also a little museum that told the history of Rottingdean, particularly during WWII and Rudyard Kipling's time there. Rottingdean was where I saw the pub that is nearly 200 years older than America, hence the conversation with my brother. Some of the buildings really did look medieval.

Some of us "expats" went to East Slope Bar on campus (the one near my flat) to watch the inauguration on Tuesday (the swearing-in ceremony started at 4:30 here, so most people were out of class by then). The place was packed - standing-room only - and not just with Americans! It sort of made me wish I could be in two places at once, because I bet the atmosphere was even more electrifying in the US, but it was still cool to experience it from another side. The Brits are big fans of Obama, too. The same bar stayed open until 3 AM on Election Day so that people could watch the results come in. Afterwards some of us went to a pub in Brighton called The King & Queen to celebrate. They have karaoke on Tuesdays. I didn't sing this time, but it's one of my goals for the semester. I'm also considering singing at an open mic night on campus - another one of the on-campus bars hosts one every Thursday. I went last night with my flatmates and some of the performers were really good!

Now my brand new, heavy duty traveling backpack is packed for London, where Wash U is sending us for a weekend orientation. I'm hoping it works well, especially after the "test runs" around the house and all the effort my parents put into buying it (including driving to Barnes & Noble to ask what color I wanted because they needed to order it by a certain time and I was too engrossed in New Moon to answer my phone... oops... thanks, Mom and Dad!). I'm leaving at 2:10 to take the train from campus to the Brighton train station, where we'll meet our guide for the weekend and continue on to London. Being the Harry Potter nerd that I am, I'm really hoping that we get off at King's Cross Station (aka home to Platform 9 3/4... yes, they actually have a photo op especially for hopeless fans like me). We're seeing Wicked tomorrow night - I'm excited to compare this cast to the one I saw in St. Louis.

Oh, one of the best parts of my week was buying tickets for Spring Awakening! Spring Awakening is a musical that I first became a fan of last spring. It's closing on Broadway this month and going on a national (US) tour that is coming to St. Louis in February. I was really upset to discover that I'd be missing it while I was abroad, until I found out that a UK version was also opening in January! I made it my mission to go, and luckily Audrey (the same girl I mentioned before, another Wash U student who is here) was interested when I told her about it. We found a weekend we can both go (February 27th) and I got 5th-row seats for 25 pounds!! SO EXCITED. Those of you who know my obsession with musicals will understand why this was on my must-do list for the semester!

I'm trying to figure out a way to share my pictures with all of you (mainly, the ones who aren't on Facebook). I'll be able to post a few on here, but I'll take way more than that. I think you have to have a Yahoo account to use Flickr. Any suggestions?

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

Reasons I am certain that I am no longer in Indianapolis/St. Louis/at Wash U:

-I have yet to see a squirrel on campus (though I've heard they exist), but I have both seen and heard seagulls

-speaking of seagulls, I am about 30 minutes away from a pebble beach by bus

-the countryside looks like something straight out of Pride & Prejudice (maybe I should have called this blog "Searching for Mr. Darcy..." ;-) )

-this campus has legit hills, and legit staircases, and at some points I have to climb both to get to class

-there is a bar on campus practically catty-corner to my flat, and one of our orientation activities was a pub crawl

-it totally threw me off to hear one of my professors speak with an American accent (and it totally throws me off to think that I have an accent)

-the library is open 24 hours a day (except Saturdays)

-you can't print double-sided - the trays on the printers are actually bolted shut in the computer lab near my flat. I guess Sussex trusts its students more with alcohol than paper?

-there are no Geico commercials with the Australian gecko, but there are Churchill commercials with the talking bulldog

-and of course, the speech - "zed" instead of z, "advert" instead of commercial, "boot" instead of trunk, "crisps" instead of chips, and dozens of other slang words that I am still learning (and which my flatmates take great delight in teaching me)

I'm taking three classes: Psychology as Art, Social Psychology and The Look of America (about visual culture in the US). Psychology as Art has one one-hour lecture and one one-hour seminar (discussion section) per week, Social Psychology has two one-hour lectures per week and the occasional seminar (I think two this term), and The Look of America has one one-hour lecture, one one-hour seminar, and the occasional film screening. In other words, I have a LOT more free time. Surprisingly the days still seem to fly by, but I think that's because I'm still getting adjusted and figuring out where everything is. I'm also working in a lab, helping a professor with a study on the effects of music on positive (aka not misogynistic) feelings towards women. I think I will enjoy that more once I figure out the schedule for the computer labs in the psychology building - I got kicked out of two different ones today for classes.

One of my flatmates, Aoife (pronounced like "Eva" with an f - it's Irish), took me grocery shopping on Wednesday, and it's nice to have food. I also auditioned for a couple student-directed plays yesterday - if I get in, great, if not, I'll go to the activities fair on Tuesday and check out the other societies (clubs). I think they have a Concert Choir here (though they have a defunct website) and there's a Games society that gets together every week to just play different kinds of games. :o)

I really like my flatmates - Aoife, Amy, and Ami (Ami is the one with the dreadlocks, and Amy only has one lung. How's that for unique!?). Amy, Ami and I went to East Slope (the bar near our flat) last night with one of Ami's friends, who asked me lots of questions about America and was dismayed to find out that Britain's biggest claims to fame in America are Harry Potter and the Spice Girls. haha Ami went home for the weekend, but Amy and I are exploring Brighton tomorrow and tomorrow night, and then I think I'm going to Rottingdean (a nearby town where Rudyard Kipling lived) with some Wash U girls on Sunday. In the meantime, it's time to conquer my laundry and catch up on my reading (like I said, I haven't been able to take very much advantage of my "free time," or time out of class).

Every day here is an adventure - lots of ups and downs, I figure some things out and get presented with new challenges. I just have to stay calm and trust that I'm making the right choices and have faith that everything will work out. Easier said than done - cross your fingers for me!!

ps. Those of you who experienced my obsession with bangers and mash will be delighted (though maybe not as much as me) to know that it is, in fact, a real food, and I even bought vegetarian sausages and frozen mashed potatoes so that I can experience this delicacy for myself sometime soon. ;-)

Cheerio!

Well, here I am in England! This trip has been nothing short of an adventure so far. I left Cincinnati at 8 PM on Wednesday night. I sat next to an older British couple who had been traveling around the western US, ending in Vegas. The guy suggested some places that I should visit and also told me that after spending six months in Britain I'll know why they spent thousands of years conquering the world trying to find sun. I watched Mamma Mia, ate dinner (pasta, salad, bread and a brownie) and attempted to sleep but didn't have much luck between the incredible amount of turbulence and a couple of screaming babies. I'm usually bad at sleeping on transportation, though.

Both of my bags arrived, customs decided to risk letting me into their country, and I found the person I was supposed to meet at the airport, aka the nicest staff member at Sussex, aka James from the International Office. It threw me off more to see the driver on the opposite side of the car than it did to drive on the opposite side of the street (maybe I would have felt differently if I were driving!).

It's odd to see Sussex as a whole campus when I'm used to seeing fragmented pictures in brochures. I swear all of the buildings look identical, even more than at Wash U. I'm in Kulukundis House with three flatmates, two of whom are named Amy. I've met two of the three so far and they're really nice and happy to have a full house again (there was no one in my room last semester). One of them (I'm going to have to figure out everyone's last names so it's not confusing when I talk about them) is thinking about studying at Purdue next semester.

The jetlag hasn't been bad (Brighton is five hours ahead), but I'm still tired. My time here has mostly been a blur of meetings and other orientation activities. It's weird to meet all of these people and not know who your friends will end up being. There are six of us here from Wash U, so it's nice to have some familiar faces even though I don't actually know any of the girls that well. Tonight there is a welcome reception, tomorrow night is dinner in Brighton (I'm actually in Falmer, which is about 20 minutes outside of Brighton), and Sunday is a guided tour of Brighton with free time afterwards. I'm glad to have Internet, and I bought some push pins and poster stickies so that I can decorate my room (I have more bulletin board space), but I still need to buy a phone that I can use for local calls and pick up a few things that I forgot at home (I was surprised to find out that there is nowhere on campus to buy a hairbrush - yes, I managed to bring BOTH sets of camera chargers but forget a hairbrush - but the more I thought about it, I don't know if they sell those at Wash U, either).

I'm somewhat overwhelmed but optimistic, and I miss you all. I'll write more after classes start.

Countdown: 6 Days!?

Hello, family and friends!

Welcome to my study abroad blog! For those of you who may not know, I am studying abroad this semester at University of Sussex in Brighton, England. Brighton is on the southeast coast, about an hour away from London by train. I will be there from January 8th to June 27th, with a month-long "Easter break" between March 20th and April 20th. One of the main reasons I chose Sussex was its proximity to the rest of Europe and this time I would have to travel. I have several friends who will be studying in other countries, and I hope to see as much of the world as I can during the next six months.

My program at Sussex is organized through the psychology department at Washington University, so I will mostly be taking classes in psychology and working in a lab. My research supervisor is interested in the possible effects of the media, particularly music and video games, on prosocial behavior in children. I'm hoping to get involved on campus, possibly joining Concert Choir and/or doing theatre.

There are no guarantees as to how often I'll be able to write, but I'll try to keep this blog as updated as possible so that you can get a taste of my European adventures. Maybe I'll be able to add pictures and videos, too! Please leave comments - I'd love to hear from you. Also, if you will be in Europe at any point during the semester, let me know - I'm always up for both visitors and traveling! 

In the meantime, however, I will be packing, packing, packing and spending as much time as possible with family and friends. Keep me updated on your lives, especially those of you at Wash U whom I would normally see on a regular basis. I now have e-mail, Skype, AIM, and this blog, so there's no reason for us not to keep in touch!

ps. In case you're wondering, yes, the URL of my blog does refer to Harry Potter. I will unfortunately not be in London for the premiere of the 6th movie, but I'm on a mission to see as many Harry Potter-related sites as I can, including the restaurant where JK Rowling began writing the books on napkins. ;-)