Time, Olympics, and Rugby

Who would have believed that time would go so fast? Oh, wait. That would be me. This is exactly why I chose to insist upon studying abroad for an entire year versus a semester. I now have about three months left here in England. I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday was still in September. I would have been gutted if I would have had to leave after first term and I'm pretty sure in thinking I would have been miserable back home. I think that after this term, however, I will be more accepting to the fact that I'm going home. I miss everyone, but I know I will miss it here once I am back in the States.

I recently watched the Super Bowl. Talk about different. It was on the BBC which meant no Super Bowl commercials. A bit disappointing especially because where there should have been commercials (or advertisments) there was a couple of guys talking about extremely nonimportant things. The halftime show was good I thought. My company to watch the game was interesting. I was with two people from Canada and 3 people from England. Strange experience to watch the game with people who don't know the game and/or don't really care about what's going on.

Currently I'm trying to keep track of the Winter Olympics. There isn't too much hype about them really. My Canadian flatmate and I are keeping up, but I'm not sure how interested the rest of Uni is. To be fair, Six Nations is going on right now and that's a huge huge event here. Six Nations is a rugby tournament between England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy. Rugby is interesting and the environment of going to see a game at the Student Union is phenomenal. Everyone is gathered around the screen with a beer and their friends cheering for their team. The spirit of the game is amazing.

I think part of the reason that there isn't much hype about the Winter Olympics is because the Summer Olympics are being held in London in 2012. Some people also believe that the Winter Olympics aren't as important, which of course isn't true. There may be fewer events and fewer teams and fewer atheletes, but the spirit of the Games is there and the competition is there and the need for the World to support it's own people is there. This time, since I'm in England, all the coverage is biased towards England. I almost find myself rooting for England (which wouldn't be a terrible thing) but I'm also terribly biased towards the American team and of course I want them to do their best!

Good Luck to all the Olympians!!!!!!

and

Happy February!!!!!

And, We're Back

Well, it's definately a nice feeling, being back. Nice to not be living out of a suitcase. Nice to have your own fridge so you can buy your own groceries and make your own food. Just nice. Well, laundry isn't nice, but I suppose it is nice to have clean clothes.

The first week of classes is over. It's looking like it might be a good term. Not overboard, but not bored to death either. A lot of reading perhaps, but that isn't new. This term is already different than last term. New classes, new faces, a few faces I don't see.

I'm starting to feel like I'm to the point where I could go home. Not that I'm ready at this very moment in time, but I'm going to be ready to see everyone when May rolls around. Its just an inevitable thing. Spend nine-ish months away from everyone, you will miss them.

I do love it in Plymouth though. Its a great experience. I'm really excited to get this new term rolling, catch up with friends, and make new ones. It's going to be brilliant. Here's to this term!

Oh and by the way:

Happy Christmas (a bit late, okay, really really late)

and

Merry New Year!! <--still a valid statement as it is still 2010

:D

To Be in Barcelona

Barcelona, for me, was more of a relaxed section of break. However, that does not mean that I did nothing at all. It was a shorter stay by far, but the company was good and the sights were there for our viewing. I stayed in two different hostels, the first of which was not very good. But, I only stayed there one night and then I moved on to the next to find myself coincidentally in the same room as my two friends. We spent a good few days in Barcelona.

Barcelona (Sparknotes version) ;) :

Day 0: Arrived. It was nighttime, so I basically took the metro to the hostel, checked in, did a bit of online chatting, and went to bed.

Day 1: Arrived at the new hostel, checked in and sat updating and uploading pictures all day. Not too exciting, but like I said, this was the more relaxing bit of my travelling.

Day 2: We took the free walking tour of the city. We got to see the old Roman walls, view the Cathedral (which is still being built on the outside), view the governmental houses, and hear a lot of history about the city itself. Following the tour, we continued on to the Picasso Museum. We tried to take advantage of every possible money saving opportunity and it just so happened that this museum was free on that day.

Day 3: Working our way down towards the sea, we made our way to the Maritime Museum. We saw submarines, model ships, parts from ships, a real ship, and some of the first scuba gear. It was pretty interesting. Its funny though when you travel without people you know really well from home because you find yourself thinking, "Oh, so-and-so would really like this museum." Not something you really get used to I don't think. Afterwards, we carried on to the Columbus Monument. We posed with the lions and then made our way through the city back towards the Modern Art Museum. I'm not sure we quite knew what to expect with this museum, but it was . . . interesting to say the least.

Day 4: Day 4 introduced possibly our favorite museum that we went to in Barcelona: Mus. d'Historia Ciutat, or the History of the City. The ancient Roman city was on display in a covered, slightly underground building. It was incredible. The amount of history in one place is staggering. Even though you are on a raised surface a few feet above the actual city, you can see where the people made wine, where they walked, and where they washed clothes. I think being a part of something like that, even if its only visiting for a while, makes a huge impression on the mind. To continue our day, we headed off to the Palau de la Musica. Its a music hall that is pretty reknown. The accoustics are phenominal and sitting in the hall, you just wonder what it would feel like to perform on that stage. We got a tour of the building, and we got to hear the organ play. We also were able to admire the architecture. We continued on to the Jewish Synagogue, thought to be one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. It was fairly small, but there was a lot of history in that small space. To end the day, we attended the Three Kings Parade. I'd never been to a parade at night before and it was pretty spectacular. There were lots of lights and the Three Kings made their appearance, and there were real camels! I couldn't believe how many they had, or that there were even real camels in the parade at all! The things you see when you travel.

Day 5: Gaudi. One of Barcelona's famous architects. Possibly the orgin of the word gaudy (though not likely). But, in being a beloved citizen of Barcelona, of course his touch is going to be all over. So, we devoted the morning of Day 5 to Gaudi's handiworks. First, we saw Sagrada Familia, a church which Gaudi originally designed, but they are still building it even though Gaudi is now dead. We then saw an apartment building of his design and then headed over to Casa Batllo. Its a large house that can be toured. It did cost quite a bit, but it was well worth it. Its Gaudi at his best. After Gaudi, we made our way to the Gaudi Park and then onwards and upwards, literally. We climbed a mountain. The view from the top was breath-taking. We got to the top just as the sun was beginning to set. That meant that it was getting dark as we made our way back down the mountain, which was a beautiful view as well. The surprise of the day was that on the way back down the mountain we saw a wild pig. It was really big and covered in fur. It was a bit nerve-wracking, because you never know how a wild animal will react, but it passed calmly and we continued on.

Day 6: I stayed in this day. I collected my thoughts, began packing and organizing, and relaxed.
Later we went out to dinner at a Spanish Vegan Restuarant. It was a really nice change after only eating pasta and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a week.

Day 7: Packed the rest and headed out to the airport. THe view out the airport window was spectacular. There were snow-capped mountains in the near distance and the sun was shining through the clouds. Waiting for the plane ride home wasn't bad. It was odd to me how much I missed being in Plymouth. Maybe more missing my friends here, but it was just weird how I was ready to come back.

However, all in all, I'd say Barcelona was a very good installment to my travels! :)

The City of Light

I'm not sure, but I don't think it's possible to sum up Paris in one blog. It follows the trend of the city really: not enough time to get everything done. Spending eleven days in Paris? You need more. A day in the Louvre? You need at least two. Versailles in five hours? You need six. So, one blog? You need at least two, but we'll try for just the one.

I've really enjoyed my stay in Paris. The hostel is not bad. It's got a decent location and its easily accessible to the Metro. I spent the first five days in a six bed mixed dorm. Then my friend and I moved into a room where we each had a single bed but it was just me and her. The six person dorm was a good way to meet new people. I made a few good friends on this trip.

My basic rundown of Paris is this:
Day 0: Arrived :) We settled in and found out that we were the first in our room. Two sisters from South Korea arrived later, followed by a guy from Indonesia, and finally a guy from the States. Eventually, the two Korean girls and the Indonesian guy moved out and we got three Austrailian guys to add to our international room.

Day 1: We visited Gare du Nord and Gare l'Est which are both really big beautiful train stations. We spent our time walking around our area and down the canal as well.

Day 2: We went on a free walking tour of Paris. It was three hours long and well worth it. We were able to see Jardin des Tuileries (a beautiful garden with a lot of statues and some fountains), the Obelisque (a 'gift' from Egypt according to the French . . . the Egyptians aren't so sure), and St. Michel's fountain in the Latin Quarter among other things which we were then able to go back and visit later. After the tour, we explored the Petit Palais, the Christmas Market, the Champs-Elysees (the most distinguished shopping street in Paris), and finally the Arc de Triomphe. As we were walking back, we were able to watch as they turned on all the Christmas lights after dark. It was beautiful.

Day 3: Christmas day we spent around the hostel because not much would have been open. We had Christmas dinner at the hostel which consisted of Fois Gras, Roast turkey, dessert, and champagne. Then, we got together with some of our roommates and hung out in the lounge for a social Christmas drink.

Day 4: On our way to the Eiffel Tower, we came across a giant golden dome. We found Napolean's final resting place. Along with that, there is a French military museum. We wandered through that for a few hours before going to visit Napolean. We finally made it to the Eiffel Tower, but as it was Boxing Day the queue took about two hours to get into the tower. It was really cold in the queue, but the wait was worth the effort, because the view from the Eiffel Tower at night is breath-taking.

Day 5: Notre Dame is a giant Cathedral that is actually located on an island where the Seine splits and surrounds it. It has beautiful stained glass windows and the accustics are phenominal. Later we returned to the Eiffel Tower (which only took 45 minutes in the queue) and we were able to go all the way to the very top. It was very cold and extremely windy at the top but the view was still worth the trouble. We were also able to see the light show that the Eiffel Tower is currently putting on for their 120th year celebration.

Day 6: The Louvre. The size of the Louvre is unbelievable! There is so much to see that it literally cannot be seen all in one day. There is more than paintings in the Louvre. There are sculptures and ancient artifacts. The Egyptian display is very well organized and the vast collection of items that they have is great. A lot of emphasis is placed on the paintings of course. Especially the Mona Lisa. The crowd in front of her was massive. There are so many other famous paintings as well. It is worth seeing and spending as much time as possible in. Thanks to one of our friends, we got there early and were able to avoid the infamous queues that are spoken of about the Louvre. If you get there early, chances are good that it will most definately pay off.

Day 7: This was supposed to be a museum day and then follow on to a tour of the Montmartre District. However, the weather had different plans. By the time we had gotten anywhere, my shoes were soaked. So, I opted to just go to the Musee Rodin and then go home. The Rodin Museum has a lot of famous statues. The most reknown perhaps The Thinker, followed closely by The Gates of Hell and The Kiss. There is a great manor house with a very large garden behind. There are sculptures in both the house and the gardens and both are well worth seeing. The queue to get in only took about 35 minutes. I enjoyed this museum a lot. From one side, you could see The Thinker, the Eiffel Tower, and Hotel Invalides. It was a pretty good day even though the weather tried to make it otherwise.

Day 8: We got up early and went to the Catacombs. The queue was very long and most of that had to do with the fact that the Catacombs, for safety reasons, can only allow 200 people in at one time. The Catacombs are mind-blowing. Its hard to think about how many people are buried there. The air was really heavy down there but it was amazing. Afterwards, we headed back into the day light (after 83 spiralling stairs) and made our way to Musee l'Orangerie where Monet's famous Waterlilies are kept. The paintings are huge! They also wrap around a circular room. There are two rooms that hold the Waterlily paintings and then there is an exhibition downstairs. Les Enfants was the exhibit theme and we saw artwork pertaining to children from people like Monet and Picasso among others.

Day 9: The Palace of Versailles is worth the trek out. We got our tickets online the day before which guaranteed that we only had to wait in one queue, which actually moved fairly quickly considering how long it was. We explored the gardens first. There is a canal that we walked down on our way to Marie Antoinette's house. Its all very picturesque. We then made our way back to the Palace and had lunch before going into the palace itself. The Hall of Mirrors was my favorite part of the Palace. There were so many chandeliers and the room was so light. When we got back to the Hostel we bundled up to go back out for New Years Eve. The original plan was to go to the Eiffel Tower and watch the countdown there, but halfway there the Metro station we switched trains at was really packed so we ended up walking the rest of the way. We got along the Seine and decided to just stay and watch from there. We had champagne and it was a good time. After the countdown and it was officially 2010 we made our way to the Champs-Elysees. Afterwards, we had to walk about halfway home before we could find a taxi. It was a long trek and we were all really tired, but it was a good night.

Day 10: I got up fairly early and packed all my things. I had breakfast with a couple friends and then headed out with one for a trip to Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur is in the Montmartre District. Sacre Coeur is also located on top of Paris's only hill. Its a white cathedral and it is truely beautiful. The fresco on the ceiling was gorgeous and the stained glass was breath-taking. I think that it is quite possible that Sacre Coeur is more beautiful than Notre Dame (but don't tell Notre Dame). I then made my way back to the airport and flew out to Barcelona. I was sad to leave because I feel like there is so much that I didn't have time to see. But, I figure this gives me a great excuse to come back to The City of Light.

The City of Bath

Bath is an interesting city. The architecture, the stone, the views. It's a difficult thing to describe, really. In some ways, Bath could be seen as boring. The entire city is the same color built in the same style. However, this adds to Bath. Built in the Georgian style the city is designed to the maximum of presentation. While it was cold, it certainly didn't take away from the beauty of the city.

Another draw to Bath is, of course, the Roman Baths themselves. Heated by a hot spring the water flows up to the bath houses built for the Romans. Its strange to think that in the very spot a person is standing, a Roman or even a Queen could have been in that same spot hundreds of years ago. At the end of the tour at the Pump Room, a glass of water from the spring is given to each person. This water used to be consumed in large amounts for the "health" of the people, usually women, consuming it. In all truth, the water was very metallic from all the minerals in the water (not something that is easy to down quickly without pulling a face).

The trip to Bath was sponsored by the Student Union at the University. The group who went on the trip got on the coach bus and drove for a few hours. They let the students loose on the city and then we all met again to drive back. It was a good way to experience some more of England. The cost of the trip was reasonable and a good way to get to know other students from the university.

Some things never change

Well, it wasn't technically finals week here. But, it was still the last week of term. Instead of finals we got papers and assessments. Knowing that next week is break makes it very difficult to find motivation to accomplish anything. I think that the last week is possibly even more difficult while studying abroad because the lure of doing some travelling over break was dancing in front of my face. But, I needed to find some ways to focus and get these essays done! Then I could go off travelling to my heart's content.

Some things never change. A student, no matter where we are, still looks forward to break. When studying abroad it almost seems like the norm not to go home over break. Instead, go travelling. It might sound expensive, but there are methods of safe travelling suitable for all pocket books. There are reasonable airlines and places to stay. Hostels are a good way to go. It is all down to doing your homework and researching what is available where you are going to be travelling. Over winter break, I am able to go to Paris and Barcelona. I am staying in hostels and travelling with discounted airlines. The trick is to find things to do that aren't that expensive. So far I've found a couple of things that are easily accessible and free. It makes for a good holiday.

Uni

As much as we speak the same language and study the same subjects, school in England is drastically different. For one thing, there is no High School here. The order of school is Primary, Secondary, College, University.

Another difference is that each class only meets once a week. However, some classes have two parts: lecture and seminar. One of my classes has both together. So, instead of two different days my class runs from roughly 9AM until NOON with a short break in the middle. One of my other classes meets for lecture on Wednesday from 11AM until NOON and then has the seminar on Fridays from 9:30AM until 11AM.

Everyday I am done by NOON. Its nice to a certain extent, but there is a lot of down time. Most of this downtime is meant to be used to read the extensive reading list. The reading lists aren't assigned. Its for the student to do on their own, if they choose. Obviously, some students will read more than others and some may not read anything at all. Its all personal choice.

Another thing that is different is how assignments and essays are done. There really isn't that much homework aside from reading and essays. In my English class, there are two essays spread over the term. Each essay is worth 50% of the overall grade, which means no final. In another class I have a paper and an essay and then a final during the Summer Term.

There are three terms per year. The first term is from the end of September through the middle of December and then there is a break. Then from the second week of January through the end of March the second term runs, followed by another break until the middle of April. Summer term is basically finals. That's it. There is review for a week, then a week for studying some more, and then finals. There are not finals after every semester/term.

The way that essays are handled is interesting. They set the date it's due, and you have till NOON on that day to turn it in. You don't turn it in to the Professor, however. Instead, the paper has to be taken to the Faculty of Arts office. There, a form has to be filled out. All this form does is identify which student is turning in the paper and to which course the paper belongs. Then they scan it in and you get an email telling you that the paper has been turned in on time.

Aside from all the differences, its still college, or University, rather. They use different words. For example, in the States I would say, "Yeah, I'm going to college at Western." Here, I would say, "Yeah, I'm going to Uni in Plymouth." And they aren't Freshman or Freshies but "Freshers." And, there are only three years of University here. Its more concentrated and there aren't Gen. Eds.

There are both cultural differences in the education system as well as academic differences. I am learning both, and its making for a very interesting and fun experience.