I haven't done a very good job at keeping up with this blog, I'll admit. When I sit here and focus on the fact that I'll be leaving Coventry in just a few days and going back home next week, it really makes me wish I had written more. Actually, it makes me wish I had done more. But maybe saying that I wish I had done more makes me selfish. I mean, I've experienced more things, learned more lessons, traveled more places, seen more incredible sights, and met more amazing people in these last three months than I have in my entire life. I didn't even know it was possible to fit so many things into such a short amount of time. (And believe me, three months is very short-- too short, in fact. It goes by faster than you can say "Sultan's Kebab Shop.")
In John Green's novel, Looking for Alaska, he writes how one event can split our lives down the middle. There's the Before and the After. In the Before, everything's peachy keen, and you carry on with your normal routine never knowing, or even looking, for anything more. You may not be the happiest person in the world, but you're content, and that's good enough.
And then there's the After. In between the Before and the After, something big happens. In Looking for Alaska, it's tragedy. Death happens. But for me, these three incredible months have been my inbetween. Going back home will mark the After part of my life, because I don't feel the same anymore. I feel like a better version of myself. I'm more confident, I'm not afraid of asking questions (even if they sound stupid), I'm more independent, more outgoing... and happier. The happiest I've ever been in my life, really. I miss my family and friends like crazy, but I'm happy here. It's strange, but this feels like home. My tiny room in this mental institution in the middle of a dingy city is my home. And the only reason for that is the people who live here with me.
God, I'm going to miss these people. I'm going to miss the amazingly good breakfasts and horribly bad dinners at the Hub. I'm going to miss passing by the familiar smokers standing outside on the steps of Priory, and pulling out my ID card to get inside. I'm going to miss my stupid, squeaky trainers on the tiled floor as I walk towards the one working elevator to go upstairs. I'm going to miss having to open nine doors and passing through China Town just to get to my room. I'm going to miss the stupid fire drills, and complaining outside in the cold with everyone else, standing around in various stages of dress- everything from pajamas and slippers to wet hair and bare feet. I'm going to miss the sounds of music and shouting and banging on other people's doors. I'm going to miss sitting and gossipping with Rieneke. I'm going to miss Inge's hilarious sayings. I'm going to miss Jill calling out everyone's names at the top of her lungs ("Frida! Inge! Mariano!"). I'm going to miss Alice and her wonderful Belgian accent. I'm going to miss Frida and Peter and David, the three friendliest Swedish people I think I'll ever meet. I'm going to miss Nico and his awesome dance moves. I'm going to miss Dirk and his funny Dutch songs. I'm going to miss Mariano and his faithful dog, Alex. I'm going to miss Selma's infectious laughter. I'm going to miss giving Edgar high-fives, and speaking with Bernat. I'm going to miss Martín and his alter-ego, Fernando. I'm going to miss seeing the always-smiley Jéssica. I'm going to miss Alessandro and giving him a hard time about being older than the rest of us. I'm going to miss Andy and his deep questions. I'm going to miss Krys being right across the hall from me. I'm going to miss Wednesdays at the cinema and eating hotdogs and donuts at Ikea with Edward. And I'm going to miss Rieneke and Krys especially, because they were the first people I met, and the first people who made me feel like everything was going to be okay while I was here.
It's strange to think that I've only known these people for three months; I feel like I could call them my international family. And for as much as I complain about this city, if I was given the chance to go back and choose another place to study, I'd still pick Coventry every time. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, because it's the friends you make who matter the most. They're the ones who have helped to shape my After.
When I leave on Friday, I don't want to just tell everyone "Goodbye." I want to say, "See you next time." Do I know when next time is? No. But do I fully intend on traveling to other people's home countries, or having them come to mine, so that we can see each other again? Indubitably, I do.
But I can't promise I won't cry.
Cheers, my American friends-- I'll be seeing you at Christmas.
P.S. I just want to say a really big thank you to my parents, the two most amazing people in the world. Without you guys, this trip would never have been possible. I owe you everything, and I can only hope to repay you one day for all the opportunities you've afforded me. Can't wait to see you again and tell you all my stories!! XX
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
So It's Been Awhile...
Ok, first off, my sincerest apologies to everyone back home. I know you've been asking me to write a new entry for awhile, and it's taken me forever. But that's only because I've been so busy having fun and traveling-- and doing school work, of course-- that I literally just couldn't find the time. And it's better to be going out and doing new things rather than just sitting in my room.... right? Right. So I'm just going to take a leap here and assume that all is forgiven.
Alright, moving on. So in my Short Story Workshop, we've been focusing on something called flash fiction, which is basically any story under 1000 words. Typically, they're only about 250 words, with mini-sagas coming in at just 50. I know it sounds a little weird, but writing a 50 word story is a lot harder than it seems considering you have to create a scene, develop a character, progress a plot point, resolve a conflict, and come to some sort of conclusion all within the span of a paragraph. But I thought that as a bit of a practice run, I might tell you what I've been up to flash-blog style and sum everything up in 250 words or less. So here goes:
Halloween was fun, party was good, still lots of candy in my room. Classes getting better, although not easier. I'm getting to know my classmates better since we're left alone to talk a lot during our seminars, and I'm realizing that they're not so different from American students-- well, except for their awesome accents. My mom and Jean visited, and I got to go to London for a weekend (AMAZING), visited Oxford to have a drink at a pub where C.S. Lewis and Tolkien used to meet up and discuss their writing (also AMAZING), and spent another weekend in the beautiful Stratford-Upon-Avon (needless to say, AMAZING). I met a lot of Cassidy's that week, and they're all extremely entertaining. Spent last weekend in Dublin with some friends and found the city basically disgusting but still a lot of fun. It was a bit of a nightmare actually flying there, but that's a story for a another (longer) entry. Saw Jamie perform as a Beatrice-Joanna in Milton & Rowley's production of The Changeling which was phenomenal (and she was, wait for it... AMAZING!). Had more crappy Hub food, and usually tried to follow it up with good pub food or kebabs. Ate more Nutella sandwiches than is medically advisable. Watched a lot of The Office. Went to the cinema nearly every week. Aaaaand had my worst Thanksgiving ever (it's just not the same without your family, even when you're using Skype).
Ha! I did it-- 240, according to word count. I came in just under the limit. Not too shabby, I think I mentioned all the important parts. Ok, well I hope this was enough to suffice for the time being. I promise to write more later on, maybe fill you all in on my horrible Ryanair experience. But for now, there's coursework to attend to.
Alright, to be honest, I'll probably go on Facebook for awhile, check my email, maybe skype my family. But eventually, I will start on my coursework. I has to be done. It's just so hard to find the motivation sometimes....
Cheers, my American peeps.
P.S. I'm really missing home today, for some reason. I mean, really missing home. Why can't I be chilling in the living room, watching football with my dad, wearing my big, comfy Cowboy's sweatshirt, eating fresh la brea bread and prosciutto di parma from the Italian deli and Dubliner cheese, making fun of Tom Brady's stupid hair, and laughing at the new Troy Polamalu commercials?? That is what I should be doing on a Sunday afternoon. Not coursework. Just saying.
Alright, moving on. So in my Short Story Workshop, we've been focusing on something called flash fiction, which is basically any story under 1000 words. Typically, they're only about 250 words, with mini-sagas coming in at just 50. I know it sounds a little weird, but writing a 50 word story is a lot harder than it seems considering you have to create a scene, develop a character, progress a plot point, resolve a conflict, and come to some sort of conclusion all within the span of a paragraph. But I thought that as a bit of a practice run, I might tell you what I've been up to flash-blog style and sum everything up in 250 words or less. So here goes:
Halloween was fun, party was good, still lots of candy in my room. Classes getting better, although not easier. I'm getting to know my classmates better since we're left alone to talk a lot during our seminars, and I'm realizing that they're not so different from American students-- well, except for their awesome accents. My mom and Jean visited, and I got to go to London for a weekend (AMAZING), visited Oxford to have a drink at a pub where C.S. Lewis and Tolkien used to meet up and discuss their writing (also AMAZING), and spent another weekend in the beautiful Stratford-Upon-Avon (needless to say, AMAZING). I met a lot of Cassidy's that week, and they're all extremely entertaining. Spent last weekend in Dublin with some friends and found the city basically disgusting but still a lot of fun. It was a bit of a nightmare actually flying there, but that's a story for a another (longer) entry. Saw Jamie perform as a Beatrice-Joanna in Milton & Rowley's production of The Changeling which was phenomenal (and she was, wait for it... AMAZING!). Had more crappy Hub food, and usually tried to follow it up with good pub food or kebabs. Ate more Nutella sandwiches than is medically advisable. Watched a lot of The Office. Went to the cinema nearly every week. Aaaaand had my worst Thanksgiving ever (it's just not the same without your family, even when you're using Skype).
Ha! I did it-- 240, according to word count. I came in just under the limit. Not too shabby, I think I mentioned all the important parts. Ok, well I hope this was enough to suffice for the time being. I promise to write more later on, maybe fill you all in on my horrible Ryanair experience. But for now, there's coursework to attend to.
Alright, to be honest, I'll probably go on Facebook for awhile, check my email, maybe skype my family. But eventually, I will start on my coursework. I has to be done. It's just so hard to find the motivation sometimes....
Cheers, my American peeps.
P.S. I'm really missing home today, for some reason. I mean, really missing home. Why can't I be chilling in the living room, watching football with my dad, wearing my big, comfy Cowboy's sweatshirt, eating fresh la brea bread and prosciutto di parma from the Italian deli and Dubliner cheese, making fun of Tom Brady's stupid hair, and laughing at the new Troy Polamalu commercials?? That is what I should be doing on a Sunday afternoon. Not coursework. Just saying.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Halloween and Other Scary Things
I can't believe I've officially been living in England for a month now. In a weird way, it feels like I've been here for much longer than that. I'm starting to realize, though, that the three months I'm studying abroad are probably going to turn out to be the shortest three months of my life. I'm going to exercise my poetic license and hope that you all forgive me for the cliche, but time really does fly when you're having fun. Actually, that's not entirely true: time gets distorted. Things that happened just yesterday feel like they happened a week ago, and things that you were planning on doing next month are suddenly coming up tomorrow.
Speaking of yesterday and tomorrow, exciting news! We celebrated Alessandro's 25th birthday on Saturday by throwing him a surprise party in the TV lounge in the basement (he was in fact thoroughly surprised, considering we had sort of ignored all his texts and calls during the day trying to keep him uninformed) and then headed over to Platinum where they were having a one pound night. I think everyone had a pretty good time, myself included.
So lots planned for the upcoming weeks and weekends! Halloween is next Monday, and I really want to go on a scary castle tour or something like that; my Mom and Jean will be arriving in London the first weekend of November and I'll be meeting them there for a lot of sightseeing and shopping and pub crawling; then they'll be traveling around for the next week and I'm going to join them whenever I can (planning to make it to Oxford, Warwick, and then staying at Barbara's house in Stratford with them for their last weekend here); and finally I'm hoping to make it to Ireland with some friends the third weekend of November!!! We want to go and explore Dublin for a few days, which would be so awesome since Ireland has always been number three on my list of countries to visit. (England was number one--check-- and Scotland was number two. Wales and New Zealand came in at numbers 4 and 5, but my list has grown considerably longer since meeting everyone here. Now I also want to visit Holland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, France... I need to win the lottery so I can just go whenever I like.)
Let's see, what else... Oh yeah, I found out some interesting information about Priory Hall. Are you ready for this? Are you sitting down? Are you holding onto something? Because apparently, Priory Hall used to be a mental institution. That's why it was built like a maze, so that the crazy people couldn't find their way out. I am literally living in a loony bin. Although, it does explain why I'm constantly hearing voices and some people's idea of "good music."
But that could just be the paper-thin walls.
Cheers, my sane American friends!
P.S. Playing Mad Libs with people who have never done them before? Priceless.
Speaking of yesterday and tomorrow, exciting news! We celebrated Alessandro's 25th birthday on Saturday by throwing him a surprise party in the TV lounge in the basement (he was in fact thoroughly surprised, considering we had sort of ignored all his texts and calls during the day trying to keep him uninformed) and then headed over to Platinum where they were having a one pound night. I think everyone had a pretty good time, myself included.
So lots planned for the upcoming weeks and weekends! Halloween is next Monday, and I really want to go on a scary castle tour or something like that; my Mom and Jean will be arriving in London the first weekend of November and I'll be meeting them there for a lot of sightseeing and shopping and pub crawling; then they'll be traveling around for the next week and I'm going to join them whenever I can (planning to make it to Oxford, Warwick, and then staying at Barbara's house in Stratford with them for their last weekend here); and finally I'm hoping to make it to Ireland with some friends the third weekend of November!!! We want to go and explore Dublin for a few days, which would be so awesome since Ireland has always been number three on my list of countries to visit. (England was number one--check-- and Scotland was number two. Wales and New Zealand came in at numbers 4 and 5, but my list has grown considerably longer since meeting everyone here. Now I also want to visit Holland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, France... I need to win the lottery so I can just go whenever I like.)
Let's see, what else... Oh yeah, I found out some interesting information about Priory Hall. Are you ready for this? Are you sitting down? Are you holding onto something? Because apparently, Priory Hall used to be a mental institution. That's why it was built like a maze, so that the crazy people couldn't find their way out. I am literally living in a loony bin. Although, it does explain why I'm constantly hearing voices and some people's idea of "good music."
But that could just be the paper-thin walls.
Cheers, my sane American friends!
P.S. Playing Mad Libs with people who have never done them before? Priceless.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
I'm an Idiot.
Okay, I CANNOT believe that I forgot to mention that I received an awesome care package from the Cassidy family last week. How could that have slipped my mind?? I've only been staring at the awesomeness of my fully-stocked food shelves for the past 6 days now, since it arrived. Although, in my defense, I'm starting to get sick and colds always make me a little thick-headed. Example: just yesterday, I thought I lost my room key three times. Three times! And I never lose anything, let alone something as important as a room key! But still, that's no excuse for me forgetting to say something.
Jean and Chelsea were wonderful and kind enough to send me all sorts of delicious things, including Cheerios, cup-o-noodles, instant Kraft mac n' cheese, dark chocolate M&Ms, oreos, Quaker chewy bars, hand warmers, a tropical-scented air freshener, and Mad Libs. I've been living like a queen in my room, and most nights I'd rather just stay in and eat what I have stocked on my shelves than the stuff they try to serve us at the Hub. My cup-o-noodles is practically a feast compared to their mystery pasta and caggabe that more closely resembles saurkraut.
Anyways, I really wanted to apologize for neglecting to mention you guys in my last blog entry-- THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!! I truly appreciate the gifts!
Cheers :)
Jean and Chelsea were wonderful and kind enough to send me all sorts of delicious things, including Cheerios, cup-o-noodles, instant Kraft mac n' cheese, dark chocolate M&Ms, oreos, Quaker chewy bars, hand warmers, a tropical-scented air freshener, and Mad Libs. I've been living like a queen in my room, and most nights I'd rather just stay in and eat what I have stocked on my shelves than the stuff they try to serve us at the Hub. My cup-o-noodles is practically a feast compared to their mystery pasta and caggabe that more closely resembles saurkraut.
Anyways, I really wanted to apologize for neglecting to mention you guys in my last blog entry-- THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!! I truly appreciate the gifts!
Cheers :)
Monday, October 17, 2011
Paella and Chocolate Ice Cream and Other Unexpected Things
So today I promised myself (and my Mom) that I'd write a new blog post, mostly because it's been over a week since my last one and also because it means I can momentarily ignore the homework that I need to do. Procrastination, thy name is Jessy.
Unfortunately for all of you back home, I haven't really got anything too exciting to report. My classes were good, the food was sub-par, and the weather was chilly- all as usual. There were a few parties that I declined to attend, which probably turned out to be a good thing because everyone else seemed to have hangovers the day after. On Tuesday though, there was a football match between Sweden and Holland that a bunch of us wanted to see. We had planned on watching it at the Phoenix, a pub that we've been frequenting, but the owners wouldn't put on the game. So everyone piled into Dean's room to watch it as a live-stream on his massive TV. Seriously, I think the TV in his room is bigger than the one I have at home in my living room! I'm very jealous. Anyway, the game was a big upset because Sweden won, 3-2. Peter, David and Frida were just about the happiest Swedish people in Coventry that night.
I felt the need to celebrate afterward (even though I wasn't in any way Swedish or Dutch) and went to Quids with Krys, Alessandro, Jill and Mariano for drinks. We ended up talking for a really long time, and eventually I got hungry so we went to this place called Benny's for a late-night snack before heading back to Priory. The food was exactly the kind that you'd want late at night after a drink: hot and greasy and artery-clogging.
On Wednesday, I went ahead and booked my ticket for the Manchester day trip that the school was sponsoring. The university actually offers some really cheap day trips throughout the term to different cities, and we're all trying to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, when Krys, Alessandro and Inge tried to book their tickets the next day, they were sold out. I was pretty bummed at first 'cause I didn't want to go and spend the day there by myself so I was all ready to just call it off and try for the next trip. But then Krys did some super-sleuthing and found really cheap bus tickets to Manchester for the three of them to go and meet me there. I can't tell you how nice it was to know that they were willing to catch a bus at 6 in the morning on a Saturday so we could spend the day together in Manchester. I gotta say, Dutch people are awesome!
As a matter of fact, all of the people here are awesome. You're probably going to get tired of hearing me say this, but its honestly the people who have made this whole experience so amazing. Being able to sit down with them and share stories and ideas and jokes makes me feel like Eliza Doolittle at the end of "My Fair Lady" when she's finally refined and cultured and classy, minus the accent. I mean, I have international friends-- I've never been able to say that before! (With the exception of the brilliant Laura Rorato, who is in fact an international friend, but who I technically met through Madde.)
When I was filling out my application to come here, I had to include an essay explaining why I wanted to study at Coventry and what I thought I would gain from it. I was mostly honest in my answer, saying that I had always wanted to travel to England and that I hoped to gain from it's rich literary history (all that stuff that college administrators like to hear). What I didn't write though, and what I hadn't expected, was that it would give me the opportunity to meet so many new and wonderful people. They've even given me the confidence to think about traveling to other countries where English isn't the national language, which is something that I've always been a little leery of. Four weeks ago, I would've never thought of going to Holland, or Sweden, or Belgium, or Spain, but now I've been invited to all those countries and I'd go in a heartbeat!
Or at least, I'd go as soon as I had the money.
Cheers, my American friends!
P.S. Manchester was awesome! We went to all the free tourist attractions and took a bunch of pictures. There was also a food festival going on and I got to have paella for the first time in my life. Plus, they were handing out free samples of chocolate ice cream, so bonus!
Unfortunately for all of you back home, I haven't really got anything too exciting to report. My classes were good, the food was sub-par, and the weather was chilly- all as usual. There were a few parties that I declined to attend, which probably turned out to be a good thing because everyone else seemed to have hangovers the day after. On Tuesday though, there was a football match between Sweden and Holland that a bunch of us wanted to see. We had planned on watching it at the Phoenix, a pub that we've been frequenting, but the owners wouldn't put on the game. So everyone piled into Dean's room to watch it as a live-stream on his massive TV. Seriously, I think the TV in his room is bigger than the one I have at home in my living room! I'm very jealous. Anyway, the game was a big upset because Sweden won, 3-2. Peter, David and Frida were just about the happiest Swedish people in Coventry that night.
I felt the need to celebrate afterward (even though I wasn't in any way Swedish or Dutch) and went to Quids with Krys, Alessandro, Jill and Mariano for drinks. We ended up talking for a really long time, and eventually I got hungry so we went to this place called Benny's for a late-night snack before heading back to Priory. The food was exactly the kind that you'd want late at night after a drink: hot and greasy and artery-clogging.
On Wednesday, I went ahead and booked my ticket for the Manchester day trip that the school was sponsoring. The university actually offers some really cheap day trips throughout the term to different cities, and we're all trying to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, when Krys, Alessandro and Inge tried to book their tickets the next day, they were sold out. I was pretty bummed at first 'cause I didn't want to go and spend the day there by myself so I was all ready to just call it off and try for the next trip. But then Krys did some super-sleuthing and found really cheap bus tickets to Manchester for the three of them to go and meet me there. I can't tell you how nice it was to know that they were willing to catch a bus at 6 in the morning on a Saturday so we could spend the day together in Manchester. I gotta say, Dutch people are awesome!
As a matter of fact, all of the people here are awesome. You're probably going to get tired of hearing me say this, but its honestly the people who have made this whole experience so amazing. Being able to sit down with them and share stories and ideas and jokes makes me feel like Eliza Doolittle at the end of "My Fair Lady" when she's finally refined and cultured and classy, minus the accent. I mean, I have international friends-- I've never been able to say that before! (With the exception of the brilliant Laura Rorato, who is in fact an international friend, but who I technically met through Madde.)
When I was filling out my application to come here, I had to include an essay explaining why I wanted to study at Coventry and what I thought I would gain from it. I was mostly honest in my answer, saying that I had always wanted to travel to England and that I hoped to gain from it's rich literary history (all that stuff that college administrators like to hear). What I didn't write though, and what I hadn't expected, was that it would give me the opportunity to meet so many new and wonderful people. They've even given me the confidence to think about traveling to other countries where English isn't the national language, which is something that I've always been a little leery of. Four weeks ago, I would've never thought of going to Holland, or Sweden, or Belgium, or Spain, but now I've been invited to all those countries and I'd go in a heartbeat!
Or at least, I'd go as soon as I had the money.
Cheers, my American friends!
P.S. Manchester was awesome! We went to all the free tourist attractions and took a bunch of pictures. There was also a food festival going on and I got to have paella for the first time in my life. Plus, they were handing out free samples of chocolate ice cream, so bonus!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Thoughts From Places: Stratford-Upon Avon
I don't know if any of you are familiar with the author John Green, or his Youtube channel that he shares with his brother Hank Green called Vlogbrothers. My wonderful cousin Lauren is the one who actually introduced me to the Vlogbrothers over the summer, and I remember that one of the first segments she ever showed me was a "Thoughts From Places" video where John sort of talks about his experiences when he's traveling abroad somewhere. He does an amazing job at connecting different historical and modern concepts together and he always comes off as amusing and thoughtful, which is a hard combination.
Anyway, the reason I'm telling you all of this is because when I was visiting Stratford-Upon Avon yesterday with my friends, I sort of had a "Thoughts From Places" moment where all the pieces of the puzzle came together and I realized what an incredibly huge deal it was to be standing where Shakespeare himself once stood. (Interesting tidbit: did you know that the average height of a man in Shakespeare's time was only 5'2"? I'm starting to think there really are hobbits in England, just hiding out somewhere in their hobbit holes...)
Which got me to thinking about all the other amazingly influential writers that came out of England, everyone from Wordsworth, to Keats, to Byron, to Austen, to C.S. Lewis, to Tolkien, to Chesterton. I am literally milling about in a country where these people lived and breathed and slept and ate and most importantly, where they wrote some of the greatest literature of all time. Literature that I read in school and admired, and never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be able to come here and maybe catch a glance at what inspired them.
And I don't know why it took me until yesterday to realize that I shouldn't be spending my free time worrying about getting things done for school or missing home- I should be out there traveling, trying to soak in as much culture and history as I possibly can!
I always had this idealized view of England growing up, because it's weather and landscape and funny accents fascinated me. And I think there was an aspect of mystery that also made me want to come here. Because no matter how much I could try to learn about this country or it's famous writers, no matter how many months or years of lifetimes I could spend tracking down and memorizing information, I would never know it all. There's just too much, and there's too much that was forgotten or never recorded.
Even yesterday, when we were walking through the garden's at Nash's House, I overheard a woman saying, "Everywhere you go, it's all speculation. Like, 'Shakespeare might have gone here, or he might have done that.' It's all a bit vague, isn't it?"
But that's what makes it so intriguing! That's what leaves tourists and students and even the most learned of scholars coming back, to solve the mystery and turn a "maybe" into a "definitely."
Right now, my life is full of "maybes." Maybe I'll become a successful writer. Maybe I'll get a job straight out of college, maybe I'll get married and have kids, maybe I'll win the lottery. Maybe I'll end up doing exactly what God has planned for me to do.
Or maybe one day, people will go walking through the house that I grew up in, trying to piece together my life, and what it might have influenced me in the year 2011. Maybe they'll even be surprised to find out that I was a whopping 5'8" tall.
Until next time, my American friends.
Cheers!
P.S. Here's a link to one of John Green's "Thoughts From Places" videos. I highly recommend you watch it, for it's entertainment value if nothing else!
http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?blend=1&ob=4#p/search/8/tVvAE8ZM24o
Anyway, the reason I'm telling you all of this is because when I was visiting Stratford-Upon Avon yesterday with my friends, I sort of had a "Thoughts From Places" moment where all the pieces of the puzzle came together and I realized what an incredibly huge deal it was to be standing where Shakespeare himself once stood. (Interesting tidbit: did you know that the average height of a man in Shakespeare's time was only 5'2"? I'm starting to think there really are hobbits in England, just hiding out somewhere in their hobbit holes...)
Which got me to thinking about all the other amazingly influential writers that came out of England, everyone from Wordsworth, to Keats, to Byron, to Austen, to C.S. Lewis, to Tolkien, to Chesterton. I am literally milling about in a country where these people lived and breathed and slept and ate and most importantly, where they wrote some of the greatest literature of all time. Literature that I read in school and admired, and never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be able to come here and maybe catch a glance at what inspired them.
And I don't know why it took me until yesterday to realize that I shouldn't be spending my free time worrying about getting things done for school or missing home- I should be out there traveling, trying to soak in as much culture and history as I possibly can!
I always had this idealized view of England growing up, because it's weather and landscape and funny accents fascinated me. And I think there was an aspect of mystery that also made me want to come here. Because no matter how much I could try to learn about this country or it's famous writers, no matter how many months or years of lifetimes I could spend tracking down and memorizing information, I would never know it all. There's just too much, and there's too much that was forgotten or never recorded.
Even yesterday, when we were walking through the garden's at Nash's House, I overheard a woman saying, "Everywhere you go, it's all speculation. Like, 'Shakespeare might have gone here, or he might have done that.' It's all a bit vague, isn't it?"
But that's what makes it so intriguing! That's what leaves tourists and students and even the most learned of scholars coming back, to solve the mystery and turn a "maybe" into a "definitely."
Right now, my life is full of "maybes." Maybe I'll become a successful writer. Maybe I'll get a job straight out of college, maybe I'll get married and have kids, maybe I'll win the lottery. Maybe I'll end up doing exactly what God has planned for me to do.
Or maybe one day, people will go walking through the house that I grew up in, trying to piece together my life, and what it might have influenced me in the year 2011. Maybe they'll even be surprised to find out that I was a whopping 5'8" tall.
Until next time, my American friends.
Cheers!
P.S. Here's a link to one of John Green's "Thoughts From Places" videos. I highly recommend you watch it, for it's entertainment value if nothing else!
http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?blend=1&ob=4#p/search/8/tVvAE8ZM24o
Thursday, October 6, 2011
In A State Of Confusion
Classes have officially started this week, which means I have officially begun to panic and stress. I think I hinted in my last entry that everything here at Coventry is pretty much as dysfunctional and disorganized as it can be, but I really need to give you folks at home a better idea of just how crazy the system is.
So in England, the classes are called "modules," and you must take 6 in order to be considered a full time student. Before I left to come here, I was told I would only need to take 4. So it was a little bit of a scramble to pick out two extra classes (mind you, the dean of the English department back home only gave me a list of 7 possible classes that I could take here that would count as transferrable units, so basically I just eliminated the one class out of the list that I really didn't want to take and BAM- there was my schedule). Then you're given a timetable according to what department you belong to (English for me), and this timetable contains all the class times and classroom numbers of each of your modules. Given the chance, I'd like to strangle whoever came up with the timetable idea. There is one allotted time slot for each module. That means you don't get to go online and see all the available times that the classes you need are offered. Nope- they're offered at one time, and one time only. And if that time coincides with the time of another class you need to take, well my friend.... you're screwed.
The biggest reason why this doesn't work is because there are a lot of English majors, who are all trying to take the same classes at the same time. So what the module tutors (who we normally call "professors") do is tell students to sign up for different seminar times, and then you only end up going to classes alternate weeks. My Short Story Workshop, for example, was so large that the module tutor had to break us up into four different groups: two that meet on Mondays, and two that meet on Fridays. This means that I only have to go to class on Monday every other week. And when you break that down and do the math, it means that I'm only going to be attending this class five times before I go back home. I already went to the first class, so now there's just four left. Can you imagine trying to pass a class and only showing up five times the whole semester? Thank God there's no exam, we just have to turn in two pieces of flash fiction with a commentary attached.
I don't blame the teachers for this at all, because they seem just as frustrated as the students. But then shouldn't they start complaining to the higher-ups? I mean, what maniac came up with this demented system???
I got a chance to chat with a third year student on Tuesday when I went in to my Shakespeare Today class (which technically meets on Wednesdays, but the first class was on a Tuesday.... yet another example of their stupid timetable system). Her name was Sam, and she was very kind and assured me that everyone here is confused all the time. She asked if the system back in California is any better, and I told her that it is-- it's infinitely better. Cal State Long Beach couldn't look more appealing at this point.
Am I complaining too much? I should be appreciating all the amazing things that I get to do and see while I'm here, and instead I'm complaining! Shame on me.
Alright, so let me focus on the good things, like the fact that I get to read Hamlet again this semester! Hamlet has always been my favorite Shakespeare play. Whenever I think of it, I'm transported back to 12th grade when my best friend Sarah and I started composing our own version of Hamlet, set to the awesome music of Queen. I miss those days.
Another cool thing is that I get to wake up every morning and see a beautiful Cathedral outside my window. Not many people can say they have that kind of view!
Well, I think that's it for now. I need to finish getting ready for my Contemporary Novel class at 2, and I think I might grab some lunch before I go. The food at the Hub sucks most nights, but the other little restaurants and pubs around here are great! Still miss my dad's cooking, though :(
Cheers!
P.S. If you'd like to send me a nice hand-written (or typed) letter, please do! My address is: Priory Hall J Block Room 03.50, Priory Street, Coventry, West Midlands CV1 5FB
P.P.S. If you'd rather send a little care package or something bigger than a letter, you can still use that same address.
So in England, the classes are called "modules," and you must take 6 in order to be considered a full time student. Before I left to come here, I was told I would only need to take 4. So it was a little bit of a scramble to pick out two extra classes (mind you, the dean of the English department back home only gave me a list of 7 possible classes that I could take here that would count as transferrable units, so basically I just eliminated the one class out of the list that I really didn't want to take and BAM- there was my schedule). Then you're given a timetable according to what department you belong to (English for me), and this timetable contains all the class times and classroom numbers of each of your modules. Given the chance, I'd like to strangle whoever came up with the timetable idea. There is one allotted time slot for each module. That means you don't get to go online and see all the available times that the classes you need are offered. Nope- they're offered at one time, and one time only. And if that time coincides with the time of another class you need to take, well my friend.... you're screwed.
The biggest reason why this doesn't work is because there are a lot of English majors, who are all trying to take the same classes at the same time. So what the module tutors (who we normally call "professors") do is tell students to sign up for different seminar times, and then you only end up going to classes alternate weeks. My Short Story Workshop, for example, was so large that the module tutor had to break us up into four different groups: two that meet on Mondays, and two that meet on Fridays. This means that I only have to go to class on Monday every other week. And when you break that down and do the math, it means that I'm only going to be attending this class five times before I go back home. I already went to the first class, so now there's just four left. Can you imagine trying to pass a class and only showing up five times the whole semester? Thank God there's no exam, we just have to turn in two pieces of flash fiction with a commentary attached.
I don't blame the teachers for this at all, because they seem just as frustrated as the students. But then shouldn't they start complaining to the higher-ups? I mean, what maniac came up with this demented system???
I got a chance to chat with a third year student on Tuesday when I went in to my Shakespeare Today class (which technically meets on Wednesdays, but the first class was on a Tuesday.... yet another example of their stupid timetable system). Her name was Sam, and she was very kind and assured me that everyone here is confused all the time. She asked if the system back in California is any better, and I told her that it is-- it's infinitely better. Cal State Long Beach couldn't look more appealing at this point.
Am I complaining too much? I should be appreciating all the amazing things that I get to do and see while I'm here, and instead I'm complaining! Shame on me.
Alright, so let me focus on the good things, like the fact that I get to read Hamlet again this semester! Hamlet has always been my favorite Shakespeare play. Whenever I think of it, I'm transported back to 12th grade when my best friend Sarah and I started composing our own version of Hamlet, set to the awesome music of Queen. I miss those days.
Another cool thing is that I get to wake up every morning and see a beautiful Cathedral outside my window. Not many people can say they have that kind of view!
Well, I think that's it for now. I need to finish getting ready for my Contemporary Novel class at 2, and I think I might grab some lunch before I go. The food at the Hub sucks most nights, but the other little restaurants and pubs around here are great! Still miss my dad's cooking, though :(
Cheers!
P.S. If you'd like to send me a nice hand-written (or typed) letter, please do! My address is: Priory Hall J Block Room 03.50, Priory Street, Coventry, West Midlands CV1 5FB
P.P.S. If you'd rather send a little care package or something bigger than a letter, you can still use that same address.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The Dryer Ate My Pound
I have to apologize for taking so long to write something new. I've literally been busy every morning, day and night with induction meetings, sightseeing, getting to know all my new international friends, eating the sometimes "shitey" food at the Hub, and going to Fresher's week parties. I've also been a little preoccupied with composing a letter to Folgers (To whom it may concern: "the best part of waking up" is not, in fact, "Folgers in your cup." It's actually waking up at home in your own bed that's big enough to accommodate the whole length of your body and in a room that doesn't smell like cigarettes.)
But Sunday being a day of rest and all, I figured I'd take the time now to fill everyone in on how my first official week in Coventry went. And if I had to sum it up in a word, it would have to be hyphenated: amazing-and-eye-opening-and-exhausting-and-exciting-but-slightly-confusing. Don't worry folks, I'm an English major so I'm fully accredited to hyphenate sentences and call them a single word.
Let's start with the confusing bits. I don't know if it's because I've got three years of college at CSULB under my belt, so I know their system really well and how to sign up for classes and find information and all that, but compared to my home university, Coventry is just infuriating. Nothing, I repeat, nothing is ever made completely clear. Even the people who ran the meetings and were supposed to be able to answer all our questions were confused and lost at times. Which begs the question: if the people in charge don't always know what they're doing, how are the students expected to know? I tend to panic and get stressed when things aren't organized or planned out thoughtfully, so this is going to be a hard learned lesson for me in going with the flow. I also don't like to ask a lot of questions for fear of looking stupid, and I'm going to need to get over that as well.
On the plus side, there has been an endless amount of fun things to do to overshadow my confusion and frustration. I've been writing down what I do everyday in a little journal that one of my best friends back home made me (shout-out to Sam!!) so that I'll remember all my experiences when I leave. I'm glad I started doing that the first day I got here, because so much has happened that everything starts to blur together in my mind. So far this week, I've been to my first English football match (Coventry City vs. Blackpool- we tied, 2 to 2), gone out to pubs with my friends and had my first English beer, been to several parties, took a train to Birmingham to do some sightseeing and shopping (where I bought a gift for a certain someone who shall remain nameless), celebrated Jill's 20th birthday on Wednesday night & Thursday (wooo-hoooo, Jill!!!), and met so many amazing international students living on the same floor at Priory Hall.
I'd have to say that the best part of this experience so far has been the people. Before I'd left to come here, I'd never really met more than a handful of people who came from other countries. And in just one week I've had the pleasure of getting to know people from Holland, Sweden, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and England (of course!). I'm constantly astounded at how well everyone speaks English, and it makes me feel a little ashamed that I never really took French too seriously in school. Maybe if I had, I'd be bilingual like everyone else here! Rieneke and Krys have been trying to teach me how to say "Good morning" in Dutch, but I definitely need more lessons.
Classes officially start tomorrow, and I think we all might take a little break from the constant parties and hang-outs to start focusing on studying. I'm going to be having classes every day of the week, with two on Fridays (bummer), so don't be surprised if it takes me another week to post something new again. On the other hand, this blog might turn into a procrastination method later on in the semester if I don't want to do my homework, so there's also the possibilty that you might be hearing a lot from me.
Either way, cheers my American friends!
P.S. Did you know that it costs three pounds to do a load of laundry here at Priory?? Two pounds to wash, one pound to dry. Ridiculous. And the washers & dryers don't give change, so they only take coins. And they don't have a change machine in the building, so if one of the dryers eats your last pound, you're sort of SOL.
P.P.S. The dryer ate my pound.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
I Have Internet Access!!!
Hallelujah and praise the Lord- I have internet access! I've been trying to figure this out for
awhile now, so it's been frustrating. Yesterday, I was able to get online for a few minutes, and then it stopped working. But now I'm connected, so yay!
awhile now, so it's been frustrating. Yesterday, I was able to get online for a few minutes, and then it stopped working. But now I'm connected, so yay!
Alright, so a lot has happened so far. I’ll be honest, I started to write an entry that basically
detailed everything that Jamie and I had done up to this point, from the airport to Stratford Coventry
but I had to give up once I realized I was writing something of a 20-page story. And knowing that some people’s attention spans don’t really amount to much more than a gnat’s, I figured I’d just stick to the
basics.
So the plane ride was pretty uneventful, but going through immigration was just horrible—
I got yelled and barked at for things that were not at all my fault, and then I was interrogated for a few minutes even though Jamie went through smoothly. We made it to Warwick
by a lovely man named Peter who drove us to Stratford
and Breakfast. Jean, the woman who owns the B&B, was absolutely the nicest person, and Jamie and
I even got to see Barbara for a bit before we wandered into town for some sightseeing. We met up
with Jude, Jamie’s new roommate, to check out their flat (which was great, and very safe) and then
Jude suggested The Dirty Duck for dinner. Since it was my first official meal in England
and ordered the hand-battered cod and chips. Let me tell you, there’s a lot to be said for authenticity, because they were absolutely the best fish n’ chips I’ve ever had in my life.
Jude (who, like Peter and Jean and Barbara, is a wonderfully lovely person) chatted with us
during dinner and shared some good-to-know information with Jamie and me. After awhile, another
one of the students in the program met up with us to have a drink. His name is Liam, and he brought
his girlfriend, whose name I don’t quite remember and I feel really bad about that because she was
so nice. Honestly, everyone here is so nice. I cannot emphasize that fact enough! Anyways, we all
sat and talked for a few hours over drinks. Liam was very
entertaining; he’d traveled a lot and was genuinely an energetic sort of guy. Liam, his girlfriend
and Jude are all English natives, so it was really cool talking with them about the differences and
similarities between England
On Saturday, I wouldn't have survived without Jamie and Barbara. Barbara helped us get
the coach tickets we needed to ride into Coventry at a really great price, but unfortunately Jamie and I
missed the coach by like a minute, so Barbara gave us directions on how to get to the nearest bus
station so we could catch the next bus into the city. And Jamie, God bless her, helped me schlep
my luggage all over Stratford Coventry
to get to where I needed to be with my suitcase and carry-on, and I don’t know what I would have done
without Jamie’s help!!!
Long story short, I made it to my dorm and have officially settled in. My room is pretty
decent, although kind of blank. I brought a few things from home to put up on the walls and stuff,
so that helps a little bit. But the communal kitchen, shower and bathrooms are all closet-sized. Not
even joking: I’m sharing one shower with like, 10 or 12 other people!! I’m not even sure which bathroom/shower/kitchen area is even mine, because the way the dorms are set up is like a crazy
labyrinth, and there’s no way to tell.
When Jamie left me to catch her coach back to Stratford
catch the bus instead- we’re sort of having rotten luck with the coaches), the inevitable feeling finally sank
in that I was alone. All alone. On my own. And it was the first time since I left that I felt
overwhelmed with fear, and I tried desperately to give myself a pep-talk and force myself to just
unpack and stop thinking about it.
But then my mom texted me, and I was so desperate to talk to her that I phoned her back
instead of texting. Big mistake. At the sound of her voice, I started crying. I miss my family sooo much!! But she talked me through everything
in that calm, even tone she has, and I began to feel a little bit better. When I got off the phone with her,
I pulled myself together and started to put everything away, hoping that once I was done, my puffy eyes
and red nose would go away and then I’d be able to go out and buy some food.
Around the time I was done unpacking, I could hear voices across the hall from me, and
they were speaking in English with slight accents. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to gain
the courage to open my door and give myself the excuse to say hi and maybe make some new
friends. And I did it! Rieneke and Krystian are also exchange students here for a semester,
and they both came from the same university in Holland
the city together and figuring out where we need to go and what we need to do. They’re both so
friendly and interesting, and I feel like I've already learned so much just by talking to them.
And tonight, I finally got the chance to meet most of the other people living in my block. Besides Rieneke and Krys (he lives in the room directly across from mine), there's also Jessica from CSULB
living right next door to me (which is awesome!!), a boy from London named Sean on the other side
of my room, a girl named Frida from Sweden, a guy named Maxim from France, a guy from Spain
named Mariano, as well as a few more girls and a guy (I'm not completely sure about their nationalities,
as I haven't met them properly except for a few "hellos" but I think they're from Spain, Germany, and
the Netherlands... I'm sure I'll figure everyone out eventually). I really can't stress how NICE all of these people are!! I know I've said that already, but it's true-- they're just the friendliest people!
Fresher’s Week starts tomorrow, so I’m really looking forward to finding out where things
are, and what my schedule will be, and making more new friends. I also need to find a Catholic
Church at some point, but luckily I’ve got a week to do that. There is a beautiful church and a
cathedral right next to Priory Hall, and I can see it from my window, but it’s not Catholic.
Kind of a bummer, it would’ve been a very convenient walk. Oh, and there's also a cemetery
(so Lauren, I'll take some pictures for you!).
Well, it's almost midnight here and I have to be up kind of early tomorrow, so that's all for now.
Cheers, my American friends!
P.S. For the record, no one here has called me a Yank.
P.P.S. Nutella in plastic jars versus Nutella in glass jars? Big difference. Biiiiiig difference.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Final Countdown
Well, this is it: the last few days before I leave home and head off to England England
A few people have asked me lately if I’m nervous or anxious about traveling out of the country for the first time and living on my own, but thankfully I haven’t been worried at all because I have two wonderful people that I can rely on for support: Jamie and Barbara.
I’ve known Jamie for most of my life, and she’s just about the nicest, most talented person you could ever meet. Her long years of hard work and dedication to theater have allowed her the opportunity to study at Birmingham University England Birmingham University Coventry University
Barbara is my other lifeline, and she has been the BIGGEST help for Jamie and me. Barbara is the grandmother of my oldest best friend, Chelsea, and she lives in Stratford-Upon-Avon . If you’ve never heard of Stratford-Upon-Avon , it’s where Shakespeare was born and lived (Sorry, but I just have to say that I get to study Shakespeare in Shakespeare country!! How awesome is that??) Jamie’s technically going to be living in Stratford Birmingham Stratford England
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks leading up this, and there are still a couple more things I need to do. There are a few more goodbye drinks and dinners to look forward to, and I’m also kind of excited about packing- is that weird? I don’t know if most people actually enjoy trying to pack everything they’re going to need for three months into one suitcase and carry-on, but I’ve already mock-packed awhile ago so I’ve got everything planned and organized. And believe me, I’ve been ready to go for awhile now.
I know I’m going to miss my friends and family like crazy, but I’m really not sad or worried about it. I mean, this is basically the most exciting thing I’ve ever done in my life! It’s a huge opportunity for me to learn so much and to just go and have an amazing time. Also, I’ve already promised a long list of people that I’d have a pint for them at a pub, so there’s that to look forward to.
Well, wish me luck on my trip-- I can’t wait!!
P.S. Sara, if you’re reading this, don’t go in my room while I’m gone to roll around on my bed and “borrow” things. The door will be locked for a reason. Love you!
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