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!

            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 to 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 coach, were picked up

by a lovely man named Peter who drove us to Stratford, and finally stopped off at Green Gables Bed

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, I went ahead

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 and the U.S. Plus, their accents are just so much fun to listen to.

            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 and then through Coventry. Seriously, we walked for what felt like miles 

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 (which she missed, and had to

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. Since meeting them, we’ve all been exploring

 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.

The Final Countdown

Well, this is it: the last few days before I leave home and head off to England for a whole semester. I’ve been counting down the days since before I even got accepted into the study abroad program, and now it’s finally here! I’m so excited that lately I’ve been bursting into spontaneous dance, which probably looks like a seizure to most people since I have absolutely zero dance skills. But who cares—I’m going to 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 in a prestigious Masters Program, for which everyone is extremely proud of her. Luckily for me, Jamie’s school term starts the same day as mine so we’re going to be traveling to England together. And even more luckily, Birmingham University happens to be about 20 miles from Coventry University, where I’ll be studying. So basically we’ll be able to visit each other whenever we want, like if we get homesick or when Thanksgiving rolls around and we have to go on an adventure to track down a turkey dinner (I have a feeling we’ll probably just end up at a pub eating good ol’ fish n’ chips). Knowing that I’m going to be traveling with and staying near Jamie makes me feel completely at ease... and it probably makes my parents feel a lot better, too. 

      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 since its right next door to Birmingham, so Barbara has been the best resource for her. She’s even got a phone ready for me to use when I get there, as well as a taxi driver set up to take Jamie and me where we need to go when we arrive in Stratford. She’s supplied us with the best travel information, phone numbers for any type of emergency, and back-up plans. I’ve known Barbara most of my life, and she’s always been extremely kind and thoughtful, but I feel so blessed that she’s done so much for Jamie and me and really treats us like family. I can’t wait to get there and see her so I can give her her “thank you” present (which isn’t very much, but it’s something she can’t buy in England so I think she’ll be happy!).

      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!