So...
A lot of people told me when I got back to the States how much they missed my updates. And they really wanted to know what happened for the rest of the time I was over there. So, this will be my attempt to:
A) Update to the best of my memory and,
B) Use as a transition to whatever happens this year in my journey to post-SNC years.
Enjoy!
Preview: The next trip was Paris! Oh la la!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
"But I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
Dublin. My last stop. My first night in Dublin was rather uneventful, but I started off my first full day in Dublin with a bang—nice and early. After having a quick breakfast I switched hostels to one closer to the river and by the Temple Bar/Christchurch area. This was probably my second favorite hostel I stayed at, after Edinburgh. I then headed out on a walking tour that was filled with Spaniards on break (there were a TON of Spaniards in Dublin). The tour was all right, but I could tell the guide was new and wasn’t nearly informative as the one in Dublin. Needless to say, I still managed to see a lot of the sights as well get a pretty good lay out of the city where there were things I wanted to see. I have to say, I was pretty lazy in Dublin compared to how jam packed my days were in London and in Edinburgh; the traveling was beginning to catch up with me. Later that night, I watched the France versus Wales game of the 6 Nations Rugby Cup. Let me tell you, rugby was a serious business this weekend in Dublin and I totally get it. I think I might actually (gasp) prefer it to American football. Dublin proved to me how small of a world it really is since while watching the game I met a couple of people from the States that were studying in Spain. They happened to be at the UVA program in Valencia and first, knew several St. Norbert people, as well as a couple of them were from Michigan State (but from Detroit… I kept telling them I was from East Grand Rapids, not East Kentwood. There’s a difference). And finally the end of my night was translating between the two British girls in the hostel room, Jess and Sarah, to the several other French in the room trying to figure out if anyone had a cigarette (no one did). I was pretty glad to be speaking in French and actually holding a conversation. And (bonus), the French guy was very impressed that I had driven a manual car and that I could (attempt) to speak a second language.
My second day in Dublin is really nothing to write home about for the day. It was mostly me recapping what I saw the day before and that was it. That evening, the English played the Irish in the Six Nations Cup so I decided this would be the best time to go down to a local pub for a pint or two of Guinness, because… I just had to support the Irish team over the English. Ireland ended up winning the game and I have to say the reaction was a bit of a let down as there was more excitement during the game rather than afterwards. Even more later that night, I joined the two British girls and we went out to Temple Bar. Temple Bar is an area of Dublin that has a cultural center (the “birthplace” of U2 they claim) to it but it is also very well known for the bars around this area. The three of us ended up going out to several bars this night and what interesting people we met. I don’t know if I really preferred that to my relaxed, calm other bars, but it was sure an experience. There was some good music played, some horrible music played as well as a bit of Christmas music for some reason. Finally, the night ended around 4 AM when the girls of the room found our other Swiss roommates in the middle of Temple Bar Square and stumbled back to the room (them, not me… don’t worry).
I almost wish the two Swiss guys didn’t come simply because the lack of hostel etiquette. I mean, I think it’s basic knowledge that you don’t set your alarm for 7:45 AM and then allow it to have a snooze button all the way till 10 AM. One that just goes off every 15 minutes and almost made me want to chuck a shoe across the room. Not cool. My day ended up getting dramatically better when Kelsey, Alyssa and Mike arrived in Dublin. Yes, the same people from London. No, we didn’t know this when we planned our separate trips. We went around Temple Bar where we met up before heading over to St. Stephen’s Green (looked at a ton of sculptures), Gaffton Street, Irish Parliament and the Irish Natural History Museum before hitting O’Connell Street to walk past Trinity College and the glorious souvenirs shop. Later that night, we went out to dinner in Temple Bar in hopes of trying to find some traditional music in at least one of the bars. No such luck really, but there was some pretty good musicians in the streets. Always seems to be the case, I’ve found. After saying goodbye, I went back to my hostel for my last night there. I ended up spending a lot of time in the room talking to two other guys that were staying there—an ex-priest from Chicago who lived in Italy and now lives in Cork and a guy from Minnesota (it was a Midwest reunion). The ex-priest and I were talking about a lot of the cultural difference but also things that you don’t realize that you would miss, but actually do. Me: Ranch dressing and Dr. Pepper (which I found in the UK!) to name a few. Him: root beer and a bureaucracy that is understandable. I then mentioned that I went to St. Norbert and (surprise, surprise) he started jabbering on and on about how beautiful the campus is and about the old friends he had that taught there. If you can’t tell, the guy liked to talk.
On Monday, I war ready to leave. I made sure that I actually got a breakfast of something other than toast (a bagel with cream cheese and bacon) and headed to the Dublin airport. This is where things started to go downhill. I was forced to check my bag in with IKEA Airlines (aka RyanAir). I got in line early, so I manage to snag a window seat where I can lean my head against (bonus). And then… Brussels airport. So it says we arrive in Charles le Roi airport, but they’re missing “Sud” on the end. And I didn’t realize how far south we were. And there is only an hourly bus ride that comes to pick up stranded travelers at the airport to actually bring them into the city (never mind the sign that says there’s a bus to Lille… there isn’t). So I wait for the damn bus for a good half an hour before getting on the bus and driving another 45 minutes or so to get to Brussels-Midi. Now, I know it’s kind of late after waiting for the bus and then the bus ride but it doesn’t quite hit me how late it is until the ticket man tells me that there are no more trains back to Lille for tonight and the ticket window is closed for the night. I’d have to stay the night in the train station until the ticket window opened and I could buy the ticket and catch the change. Oh, but the Catch-22 here was that I might be kicked out since to stay in the train station I’d have to have a ticket…but they weren’t going to sell me a ticket. It was a risk I was going to have to take. So I called Dan to let him know to email my mom telling her I wouldn’t be home that night. And what a long night I thought it was going to be! Luckily (and THANK YOU soooo much, Dan and Barb!), Dan and Barb booked me a room at a hotel for the night so there was no chance of getting kicked out of the Brussels train station in the middle of the night. Sure, I got more than lost on the way to the hotel. I might have been crying my eyes out because once I got to the hotel, I couldn’t get the (side) doors to open and the fact that I didn’t know how to work the elevator at first freaked me out… but by this time I was tired and sick of traveling. That bed (a big, nice, fluffy hotel bed) never looked so good and I thoroughly enjoyed my last night away from Lille. Thanks again, Dan and Barb! Relatives in Europe = Total Blessing
The trip back to Lille from Brussels the next day was relatively painless, carefree and quick. Thank goodness.
Why, Yes It Does!: Guinness in Ireland does taste different...better. You choose the better adjective.
My second day in Dublin is really nothing to write home about for the day. It was mostly me recapping what I saw the day before and that was it. That evening, the English played the Irish in the Six Nations Cup so I decided this would be the best time to go down to a local pub for a pint or two of Guinness, because… I just had to support the Irish team over the English. Ireland ended up winning the game and I have to say the reaction was a bit of a let down as there was more excitement during the game rather than afterwards. Even more later that night, I joined the two British girls and we went out to Temple Bar. Temple Bar is an area of Dublin that has a cultural center (the “birthplace” of U2 they claim) to it but it is also very well known for the bars around this area. The three of us ended up going out to several bars this night and what interesting people we met. I don’t know if I really preferred that to my relaxed, calm other bars, but it was sure an experience. There was some good music played, some horrible music played as well as a bit of Christmas music for some reason. Finally, the night ended around 4 AM when the girls of the room found our other Swiss roommates in the middle of Temple Bar Square and stumbled back to the room (them, not me… don’t worry).
I almost wish the two Swiss guys didn’t come simply because the lack of hostel etiquette. I mean, I think it’s basic knowledge that you don’t set your alarm for 7:45 AM and then allow it to have a snooze button all the way till 10 AM. One that just goes off every 15 minutes and almost made me want to chuck a shoe across the room. Not cool. My day ended up getting dramatically better when Kelsey, Alyssa and Mike arrived in Dublin. Yes, the same people from London. No, we didn’t know this when we planned our separate trips. We went around Temple Bar where we met up before heading over to St. Stephen’s Green (looked at a ton of sculptures), Gaffton Street, Irish Parliament and the Irish Natural History Museum before hitting O’Connell Street to walk past Trinity College and the glorious souvenirs shop. Later that night, we went out to dinner in Temple Bar in hopes of trying to find some traditional music in at least one of the bars. No such luck really, but there was some pretty good musicians in the streets. Always seems to be the case, I’ve found. After saying goodbye, I went back to my hostel for my last night there. I ended up spending a lot of time in the room talking to two other guys that were staying there—an ex-priest from Chicago who lived in Italy and now lives in Cork and a guy from Minnesota (it was a Midwest reunion). The ex-priest and I were talking about a lot of the cultural difference but also things that you don’t realize that you would miss, but actually do. Me: Ranch dressing and Dr. Pepper (which I found in the UK!) to name a few. Him: root beer and a bureaucracy that is understandable. I then mentioned that I went to St. Norbert and (surprise, surprise) he started jabbering on and on about how beautiful the campus is and about the old friends he had that taught there. If you can’t tell, the guy liked to talk.
On Monday, I war ready to leave. I made sure that I actually got a breakfast of something other than toast (a bagel with cream cheese and bacon) and headed to the Dublin airport. This is where things started to go downhill. I was forced to check my bag in with IKEA Airlines (aka RyanAir). I got in line early, so I manage to snag a window seat where I can lean my head against (bonus). And then… Brussels airport. So it says we arrive in Charles le Roi airport, but they’re missing “Sud” on the end. And I didn’t realize how far south we were. And there is only an hourly bus ride that comes to pick up stranded travelers at the airport to actually bring them into the city (never mind the sign that says there’s a bus to Lille… there isn’t). So I wait for the damn bus for a good half an hour before getting on the bus and driving another 45 minutes or so to get to Brussels-Midi. Now, I know it’s kind of late after waiting for the bus and then the bus ride but it doesn’t quite hit me how late it is until the ticket man tells me that there are no more trains back to Lille for tonight and the ticket window is closed for the night. I’d have to stay the night in the train station until the ticket window opened and I could buy the ticket and catch the change. Oh, but the Catch-22 here was that I might be kicked out since to stay in the train station I’d have to have a ticket…but they weren’t going to sell me a ticket. It was a risk I was going to have to take. So I called Dan to let him know to email my mom telling her I wouldn’t be home that night. And what a long night I thought it was going to be! Luckily (and THANK YOU soooo much, Dan and Barb!), Dan and Barb booked me a room at a hotel for the night so there was no chance of getting kicked out of the Brussels train station in the middle of the night. Sure, I got more than lost on the way to the hotel. I might have been crying my eyes out because once I got to the hotel, I couldn’t get the (side) doors to open and the fact that I didn’t know how to work the elevator at first freaked me out… but by this time I was tired and sick of traveling. That bed (a big, nice, fluffy hotel bed) never looked so good and I thoroughly enjoyed my last night away from Lille. Thanks again, Dan and Barb! Relatives in Europe = Total Blessing
The trip back to Lille from Brussels the next day was relatively painless, carefree and quick. Thank goodness.
Why, Yes It Does!: Guinness in Ireland does taste different...better. You choose the better adjective.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
"And We Live in a Beautiful World, Yeah We Do"
High-ho, high-ho, it’s off to Scotland I go! I left London on Monday the 23rd for Edinburgh. Now, when I originally planned this trip I didn’t included Scotland in my intinerary but I am so glad that I did. I love this city no matter what. Getting to Edinburgh was a bit more difficult than getting to London despite taking the same method of transportation. Just outside Newcastle, England the train’s brakes began to fail so the train sat on the rails for a while to get some makeshift solution together. After about 40 minutes of just sitting there, we started cruising along at about a speed comparable to American trains (aka not very fast). So we pulled into a small town right over the border on the coast called Alnmouth and I ended up getting into Edinburgh about 2 to 3 hours late with no idea of where I was going… luckily the hostel gave excellent directions and I managed to find it without a hitch. That night, I hunted out a pub for dinner and watched for the first time a complete soccer game on TV. It was Hull City vs. Tottenham (Tottenham was the winner, 2-1, if anyone cares). My seeming relatively easy day of traveling up to Edinburgh was complete.
My hostel was right off of the Royal Mile: The Place To Be. Yes, it deserves all those capital letters because it was such a central part of Edinburgh in the revitalized Old Town. I decided to go on the free walking tour of the city despite my aversion to tours in foreign cities, which was probably the best decision I made this trip. The entire tour took over three hours walking around most of Old Town as well as part of New Town. The city of Edinburgh wasn’t anything what I was expecting. People had told me how beautiful it was, but I didn’t fully believe them. I mean, everyone has their own opinions. It seems the majority opinion is more than correct when it comes to the city. On the tour, I had met up with several other people that were traveling alone, which was very nice. We ended up all grabbing a bite to eat for dinner. Someone ordered a side of haggis for all of us to share and I swear… I was going to try it. But if anyone knows my eating pickiness, haggis would definitely go on my “No Way in Hell”. It’s still there. However, I did manage to successfully cross off another local specialty off my list—fried Mars bar. It was quite interesting, very good and I could definitely eat one again… just give me about a year to get this one through my system. Later that night, an Australian girl (that I met on the tour) and I took a night/ghost tour of Edinburgh. It was okay… I’m sure there are better ones out there, but I still saw a lot more of Edinburgh and ended the night with a free pint… not a bad end to my first day.
My second full day in Scotland was when I decided to actually “do” some of the sites. My first major site was Edinburgh Castle, which just dominates the landscape of the city. It sits at the beginning of the Royal Mile. You just have to respect it because it has an amazing view and is basically on the edge of a cliff. I looked over the side of the railing and it was just a straight drop down. I did end up going into the Castle and it was even more impressive. The way they showcase the Scottish Royal Jewels is really interesting because they tell you their history. I definitely noticed a difference over the British (anally protecting them in the Tower of London) or the French (showcasing them in the Louvre), but in Scotland there’s just a reverence in between the two. And it’s probably best I compare them between the French and the British because they Scots always seem to be stuck in between them in history—as learned in class and reinforced by the history in Edinburgh. I went into the Writer’s Museum also, which was kind of special for me. Now, I’m not THAT interested in Scottish writers, but the actual museum is through an alley and faces Wardrop’s Court. It’s very weird seeing a name that is so familiar to me on a sign in Scotland, but I’m so glad I found it. The actual museum itself was dedicated to Burns, Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. I know who all the authors are and what they wrote, but I’m ashamed to say that when I was going through the museum I kept going back to the versions I had seen of the books done by Wishbone or The Muppets.
My second day probably included one of the most memorable moments for me. I was hiking up to the top of Carlton Hill, which was said to be the closest point between the faerie realm and the mortal realm for the Celts. This is where they have the Beltane flame and all that. Anyways, when I got to the top of the hill, it really began to get windy and rain pretty hard. All of the sudden, a huge and bright rainbow broke out of the sky right over the hill. It was pretty and it lasted forever. All I could do is just sit and watch it because it was so beautiful I feel like I’ll keep repeating myself, but you gotta wonder if the Celts maybe knew something that we don’t… After I climbed down, I was feeling adventurous so I decided to hike up the dead volcano at the edge of Old Town, close to the Scottish Parliament and the Queen’s Residence. It was such a long walk and it felt like I was totally out of the city. I mean completely. And the weather got worse when I was out but I still enjoyed every moment of it and I realized that I don’t actually mind hiking (I’m keeping that in my memory box for future usage or when my feet get tired).
And now what most of the people have been waiting for… this is also the night where my beloved Coach wristlet was stolen. Looking back, I think I’m most mad at the fact that it was that wristlet. I bought that thing with my graduation money almost four years ago now. A moment of silence, please… Anyways, that night I had gone down to the bar in the hostel and ended up talking about cultural differences with two guys, one from Argentina and another from New Zealand. However, when I left I also left my wristlet. I got up to my room (maybe like 1.4 minutes later) and realize I had left my wristlet, so I go back and check and it’s gone… this is when my trip really starts to get interesting.
The next day all I had was the money in my pocket, my passport, copies of my credit cards, my ipod, and my camera. And the money in my pocket amounted to 2 pounds, 30 pence. The bus to the airport costs a lovely 2 pounds, 50 pence. Luckily, everyone in the hostel was very, very nice and helpful, but especially the guy from New Zealand who lent me money and even offered to buy me breakfast that morning. I took him up on the money for the bus, but just stuck to the toast the hostel gave me. However, his niceness now makes me want to go to New Zealand (after Canada)! When I got to the airport, it was go time to try and figure out what I was going to do. I ended up calling up American Express and talking to a lovely woman who ended helping me out tremendously. She found a place to wire me money and made sure I’d be fine for the rest of my trip (which at this point I still had 4 days, okay 5 but I didn’t know that at the time, to go). Then came the security questions. The most bogus part of the day and the only thing that really drove me up the wall, I mean, seriously…
I’ll Be Back: Edinburgh was by far my favorite city and I cannot wait to go back (whenever that is). There’s so much more I want to do in the city and in the countryside
My hostel was right off of the Royal Mile: The Place To Be. Yes, it deserves all those capital letters because it was such a central part of Edinburgh in the revitalized Old Town. I decided to go on the free walking tour of the city despite my aversion to tours in foreign cities, which was probably the best decision I made this trip. The entire tour took over three hours walking around most of Old Town as well as part of New Town. The city of Edinburgh wasn’t anything what I was expecting. People had told me how beautiful it was, but I didn’t fully believe them. I mean, everyone has their own opinions. It seems the majority opinion is more than correct when it comes to the city. On the tour, I had met up with several other people that were traveling alone, which was very nice. We ended up all grabbing a bite to eat for dinner. Someone ordered a side of haggis for all of us to share and I swear… I was going to try it. But if anyone knows my eating pickiness, haggis would definitely go on my “No Way in Hell”. It’s still there. However, I did manage to successfully cross off another local specialty off my list—fried Mars bar. It was quite interesting, very good and I could definitely eat one again… just give me about a year to get this one through my system. Later that night, an Australian girl (that I met on the tour) and I took a night/ghost tour of Edinburgh. It was okay… I’m sure there are better ones out there, but I still saw a lot more of Edinburgh and ended the night with a free pint… not a bad end to my first day.
My second full day in Scotland was when I decided to actually “do” some of the sites. My first major site was Edinburgh Castle, which just dominates the landscape of the city. It sits at the beginning of the Royal Mile. You just have to respect it because it has an amazing view and is basically on the edge of a cliff. I looked over the side of the railing and it was just a straight drop down. I did end up going into the Castle and it was even more impressive. The way they showcase the Scottish Royal Jewels is really interesting because they tell you their history. I definitely noticed a difference over the British (anally protecting them in the Tower of London) or the French (showcasing them in the Louvre), but in Scotland there’s just a reverence in between the two. And it’s probably best I compare them between the French and the British because they Scots always seem to be stuck in between them in history—as learned in class and reinforced by the history in Edinburgh. I went into the Writer’s Museum also, which was kind of special for me. Now, I’m not THAT interested in Scottish writers, but the actual museum is through an alley and faces Wardrop’s Court. It’s very weird seeing a name that is so familiar to me on a sign in Scotland, but I’m so glad I found it. The actual museum itself was dedicated to Burns, Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. I know who all the authors are and what they wrote, but I’m ashamed to say that when I was going through the museum I kept going back to the versions I had seen of the books done by Wishbone or The Muppets.
My second day probably included one of the most memorable moments for me. I was hiking up to the top of Carlton Hill, which was said to be the closest point between the faerie realm and the mortal realm for the Celts. This is where they have the Beltane flame and all that. Anyways, when I got to the top of the hill, it really began to get windy and rain pretty hard. All of the sudden, a huge and bright rainbow broke out of the sky right over the hill. It was pretty and it lasted forever. All I could do is just sit and watch it because it was so beautiful I feel like I’ll keep repeating myself, but you gotta wonder if the Celts maybe knew something that we don’t… After I climbed down, I was feeling adventurous so I decided to hike up the dead volcano at the edge of Old Town, close to the Scottish Parliament and the Queen’s Residence. It was such a long walk and it felt like I was totally out of the city. I mean completely. And the weather got worse when I was out but I still enjoyed every moment of it and I realized that I don’t actually mind hiking (I’m keeping that in my memory box for future usage or when my feet get tired).
And now what most of the people have been waiting for… this is also the night where my beloved Coach wristlet was stolen. Looking back, I think I’m most mad at the fact that it was that wristlet. I bought that thing with my graduation money almost four years ago now. A moment of silence, please… Anyways, that night I had gone down to the bar in the hostel and ended up talking about cultural differences with two guys, one from Argentina and another from New Zealand. However, when I left I also left my wristlet. I got up to my room (maybe like 1.4 minutes later) and realize I had left my wristlet, so I go back and check and it’s gone… this is when my trip really starts to get interesting.
The next day all I had was the money in my pocket, my passport, copies of my credit cards, my ipod, and my camera. And the money in my pocket amounted to 2 pounds, 30 pence. The bus to the airport costs a lovely 2 pounds, 50 pence. Luckily, everyone in the hostel was very, very nice and helpful, but especially the guy from New Zealand who lent me money and even offered to buy me breakfast that morning. I took him up on the money for the bus, but just stuck to the toast the hostel gave me. However, his niceness now makes me want to go to New Zealand (after Canada)! When I got to the airport, it was go time to try and figure out what I was going to do. I ended up calling up American Express and talking to a lovely woman who ended helping me out tremendously. She found a place to wire me money and made sure I’d be fine for the rest of my trip (which at this point I still had 4 days, okay 5 but I didn’t know that at the time, to go). Then came the security questions. The most bogus part of the day and the only thing that really drove me up the wall, I mean, seriously…
• What are all the make/model/year of the vehicles registered at your address? I’m suppose to know the year? We’ve had some of those cars since I was in elementary school!
• What’s the name of the subdivision you live in? I live in a subdivision? No, I don’t! (I almost had a nervous breakdown over this question)
• What’s your driver’s license number? The easiest question… thank God I had a copy of my license.
I eventually ended up boarding the IKEA-esque plane (serious, RyanAir made me feel like I was flying IKEA Airlines) and landed in Dublin where I had Euros awaiting me. A quick stop at customs (along with a joke at the Scots expense) and I was off to my hostel where I had no idea where it was… and apparently no one else did. I walked in wrong directions in the dark, but I managed to find it and couldn’t have been happier. I was in Dublin, finally.• What’s the name of the subdivision you live in? I live in a subdivision? No, I don’t! (I almost had a nervous breakdown over this question)
• What’s your driver’s license number? The easiest question… thank God I had a copy of my license.
I’ll Be Back: Edinburgh was by far my favorite city and I cannot wait to go back (whenever that is). There’s so much more I want to do in the city and in the countryside
"Let Me Take You by the Hand and Lead You Through the Streets of London"
Oh where, oh where, oh where to begin. I suppose the beginning would probably be the best starting place. I left Lille on the 20th to go on my UK/Ireland adventure and I think that the beginning of the trip reflected a lot on the trip overall—lots of ups and downs even at the train station. I have never been grilled so much as I was going through UK customs. I was seriously shocked at the questions the officer was asking me, so I was very nervous when answering them. I’m sure that made me look more suspicious and it probably wasn’t as bad as I remember, but in comparison to the Dutch customs it was like I was entering a country unfriendly to the US. However, once I got through customs it was smooth sailing. A girl from my Lille program was on the same train as me and we end up realizing that we both needed to go to around the same place in London. The train to London was very fast and it was like almost every other train ride I’ve been on, minus the fact that I went under the English Channel. No big deal, going under water like that.
Once I got into London, the first thing was I did was find the hostel out in the Hammersmith area. For a hostel, it was pretty nice, but nothing to write home about. Since I had an all-day metro pass and several hours before meeting up with my fellow SNC-ers, I decided to head out to Westminister to do a little site seeing. I ended up doing a ton of walking that day because it was simply gorgeous out in London, people were wearing t-shirts with no jackets and shorts if that gives you some clue. I walked past Parliament, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey and then I headed towards Trafalger Square and the British National Gallery. As you can probably imagine, it was packed full of people. After hanging around the Square for a bit, I wondered over to Leicester Square and then to the British Museum. Since it was a Friday, everything was packed. The only real notable thing I saw was the Rosetta Stone, but mostly I was practicing the art of people watching. That night I met of up Kelsey and we went back to her dorm where she cooked an amazing stir-fry and I got to see Kelsey, Alyssa, and Mike (all people from SNC)> It was nice to just be around people I knew and we compared our experiences studying abroad versus De Pere. That night we went out to Gloucester Arms—a hang out just a short distance down the road from the dorm. Over all, the first day of the trip started off without any real big hitches and it was very weird (and exciting) to be back in an Anglo-phone country.
My second day in London was probably one of my favorites because Kelsey introduced me to Portabella Road market in Notting Hill. Now, we have markets in Lille but it was nothing like Portabella Road… this was huge with almost anything you could want. And it just went on and on and on. Kelsey and I ended up spending a good portion of the day here. I did make a purchase or two… turns out the London is filled with lots of old records. Now, I’m not someone who plays old records or even collects them—I’m probably the worst of the people, I like them for the sleeves alone. I have one in my room but have always wanted more. Well, I found two more to add on to my collection, an old Bob Dylan and an old Rolling Stones to balance out my Pink Elephant Records that is in my room. The other highlight of the day was the singing falafel owner. Now, we had to wait for a super long time for our falafel, but it was totally worth it as there was more than enough entertainment. The shopping day continued on Carnaby Street where I finally found my walking shoes I had been looking for! It was a very successful shopping day over all and I had an amazing time just being in the city. For that night, Kelsey and I met up with Alyssa and Mike and went to get Indian food. We ended up going to Brick Lane, which reminded me of Little Italy in New York. All these owners were out in the street yelling deals at us to get more customers and we tried to find the best deal that we could. I have to say that the meal was excellent and I definitely had my fill of spicy food. Now, if I could just get some Chinese food…
My last day in London, Kelsey and I went sightseeing some more. We went to all the big sites (St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminister, Parliament, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus), but the best thing of the day was at the end when we voyaged out to Wimbledon. Okay, I play tennis, I’m assuming that’s pretty basic knowledge, but I’m not a huge fan of watching it on TV. Just am not. I have to say Wimbledon blew me away. I was able to get so close to some of the lower courts and I was actually eye-level with the grass on the courts. They still had the brackets up from the last tournament and were selling strawberries and cream! I didn’t have any, but glad to know they’re keeping up their standards year-long. I can now say that I have made it to Wimbledon, never mind the slight technicality that I visited as a tourist and not a player in the actual tournament. That night, Kelsey made an excellent dinner of chicken fajitas before Kelsey, Alyssa and I went on a mad search for frozen yogurt. This is something that is not common in Europe, it’s either ice cream or regular yogurt… there is nothing in between. After wondering around trying to find the place, Snog (don’t you love British slang/humor?), we ended up stumbling upon it and had a lovely treat. Overall, it was a great ending to my first city of the trip.
Overall, London was a great start to my trip and I loved seeing all the Norbs people (thanks again!).
Excuse My Americanness: I think I had Starbucks everyday in London. I needed American-sized proportions and not a dinky little cup of coffee. And it was delicious.
Once I got into London, the first thing was I did was find the hostel out in the Hammersmith area. For a hostel, it was pretty nice, but nothing to write home about. Since I had an all-day metro pass and several hours before meeting up with my fellow SNC-ers, I decided to head out to Westminister to do a little site seeing. I ended up doing a ton of walking that day because it was simply gorgeous out in London, people were wearing t-shirts with no jackets and shorts if that gives you some clue. I walked past Parliament, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey and then I headed towards Trafalger Square and the British National Gallery. As you can probably imagine, it was packed full of people. After hanging around the Square for a bit, I wondered over to Leicester Square and then to the British Museum. Since it was a Friday, everything was packed. The only real notable thing I saw was the Rosetta Stone, but mostly I was practicing the art of people watching. That night I met of up Kelsey and we went back to her dorm where she cooked an amazing stir-fry and I got to see Kelsey, Alyssa, and Mike (all people from SNC)> It was nice to just be around people I knew and we compared our experiences studying abroad versus De Pere. That night we went out to Gloucester Arms—a hang out just a short distance down the road from the dorm. Over all, the first day of the trip started off without any real big hitches and it was very weird (and exciting) to be back in an Anglo-phone country.
My second day in London was probably one of my favorites because Kelsey introduced me to Portabella Road market in Notting Hill. Now, we have markets in Lille but it was nothing like Portabella Road… this was huge with almost anything you could want. And it just went on and on and on. Kelsey and I ended up spending a good portion of the day here. I did make a purchase or two… turns out the London is filled with lots of old records. Now, I’m not someone who plays old records or even collects them—I’m probably the worst of the people, I like them for the sleeves alone. I have one in my room but have always wanted more. Well, I found two more to add on to my collection, an old Bob Dylan and an old Rolling Stones to balance out my Pink Elephant Records that is in my room. The other highlight of the day was the singing falafel owner. Now, we had to wait for a super long time for our falafel, but it was totally worth it as there was more than enough entertainment. The shopping day continued on Carnaby Street where I finally found my walking shoes I had been looking for! It was a very successful shopping day over all and I had an amazing time just being in the city. For that night, Kelsey and I met up with Alyssa and Mike and went to get Indian food. We ended up going to Brick Lane, which reminded me of Little Italy in New York. All these owners were out in the street yelling deals at us to get more customers and we tried to find the best deal that we could. I have to say that the meal was excellent and I definitely had my fill of spicy food. Now, if I could just get some Chinese food…
My last day in London, Kelsey and I went sightseeing some more. We went to all the big sites (St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminister, Parliament, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus), but the best thing of the day was at the end when we voyaged out to Wimbledon. Okay, I play tennis, I’m assuming that’s pretty basic knowledge, but I’m not a huge fan of watching it on TV. Just am not. I have to say Wimbledon blew me away. I was able to get so close to some of the lower courts and I was actually eye-level with the grass on the courts. They still had the brackets up from the last tournament and were selling strawberries and cream! I didn’t have any, but glad to know they’re keeping up their standards year-long. I can now say that I have made it to Wimbledon, never mind the slight technicality that I visited as a tourist and not a player in the actual tournament. That night, Kelsey made an excellent dinner of chicken fajitas before Kelsey, Alyssa and I went on a mad search for frozen yogurt. This is something that is not common in Europe, it’s either ice cream or regular yogurt… there is nothing in between. After wondering around trying to find the place, Snog (don’t you love British slang/humor?), we ended up stumbling upon it and had a lovely treat. Overall, it was a great ending to my first city of the trip.
Overall, London was a great start to my trip and I loved seeing all the Norbs people (thanks again!).
Excuse My Americanness: I think I had Starbucks everyday in London. I needed American-sized proportions and not a dinky little cup of coffee. And it was delicious.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig
I am FINALLY back in Lille after spending the last week and a half living out of a bag and at hostels in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. I have never looked forward so much to a dorm room as I did this afternoon. This trip was definitely a growing experience for me and I will always remember it for certain reasons more so than others.
The actual posts on the cities will probably come individually at a later time. There's so much I have to just process and look over my notes. I saw a ton and there's more than enough that I want to share. This is more or less just to let certain people know that I am back home, (basically) safe and sound.
And in case anyone was wondering, Edinburgh was my favorite city on the tour. Nothing could change that.
The actual posts on the cities will probably come individually at a later time. There's so much I have to just process and look over my notes. I saw a ton and there's more than enough that I want to share. This is more or less just to let certain people know that I am back home, (basically) safe and sound.
And in case anyone was wondering, Edinburgh was my favorite city on the tour. Nothing could change that.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Vive La Revolution
Well, Tuesday is over. I've managed to survive (barely). I swear my brain hurts so much and I'm shocked that I didn't get my histories mixed up, considering I was learning both of them at the same time in French. One minute I'd be in 7th Century France and the next minute it'd be a revolution in Paris.
By the way, I noticed a large pattern of revolutions in my French history (not History of France) class. I think we covered and/or referenced a grand total of three revolutions (La Revolution, La Revolution de 1830 and La Revolution de 1848) in five class periods. Something seems fishy here to me because I'm pretty sure just because there's rioting and barricades up in Paris does not mean there's a full-blown revolution. However, I'm not going to bust their bubble about it... I'll keep it to myself.
Alors... vive la revolution! I mean, the vacation. Close enough.
Post Script: This will probably/most likely/100% be my last post before my UK trip. Hopefully when I get back I'll have loads and loads of stories... and then promptly forget them all.
By the way, I noticed a large pattern of revolutions in my French history (not History of France) class. I think we covered and/or referenced a grand total of three revolutions (La Revolution, La Revolution de 1830 and La Revolution de 1848) in five class periods. Something seems fishy here to me because I'm pretty sure just because there's rioting and barricades up in Paris does not mean there's a full-blown revolution. However, I'm not going to bust their bubble about it... I'll keep it to myself.
Alors... vive la revolution! I mean, the vacation. Close enough.
Post Script: This will probably/most likely/100% be my last post before my UK trip. Hopefully when I get back I'll have loads and loads of stories... and then promptly forget them all.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Are There Any Flotation Devices Available?
You know the saying “sink or swim”, well I’ve reached that point in my academic career at La Catho. On Tuesday it’s sink or swim, it's do or die, it’s whatever clever analogy you want to place in here, I have not one but two history tests (midterms, perhaps? This was not explained, surprise, surprise) back-to-back with the same prof. I have already offered her my apologies on butchering the French language. Why am I dwelling on this? Because for the past two days I have been doing nothing but copying notes from her classes. One class, the notes are basic and a smattering of French and English mushed together on a single page. No problem. The other class, oh, that other class. I like it, I honestly love it because it combines not only history but political history. The only problem is that I have two sets of notes for that class one set mainly (98%) in English while the other set is completely in French. And despite only having the class once a week, there are a ton of notes. Times two. I suppose this is mostly hanging over my head because this is the week before our two-week break before March Midterms, rather than March Madness. There could be a little madness going on, but it will have nothing to do with basketball. I’m just concentrating on my two-week vacation.
I have decided to due a 10-day tour of the English speaking countries to my west—thus referred to as the Accent Trifecta—England, Scotland and Ireland. I’m visiting some lovely people from St. Norbert in London for a long weekend. I’m really not sure exactly what I’m going to be doing, it will partially depend where my hostel is, how much things cost and whether or not I feel like revisiting some sites or go to new ones. I’m pretty much playing the entire trip by ear and London is no exception. After the long weekend, I’m taking a train trip up to Edinburgh. I have never been to Scotland and didn’t really think about going until I realized when I was planning this trip that I had that second week off. So, Scotland here I come. It was between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and I choose Edinburgh partially because enough people have told me Edinburgh was gorgeous especially compared to Glasgow. We’ll see if they’re right. Finally, it’s off to Dublin. I really don’t know what city I’m more excited for, Edinburgh or Dublin. There’s a couple of things I want to do in Dublin and tomorrow I’m talking with an American who studied there last semester and who is currently studying in Lille. I at least know she’s marking off the “stay out after dark” parts of towns as well as things she learned over the semester she was there. And yes, Grandma, I will have a pint of Harp while I’m there especially for you.
This week was pretty non-eventful in classes despite the fact that the week went so quickly! I have no idea where these weeks are going and I’m almost panicked to think once I get back from my vacation I will have been in Europe for two months. Out of a grand total of five months… almost half way. As much as I bitch (excuse the language) about school and classes and the French bureaucracy, I love just hanging out here. I don’t know if my language skills are improving that much, but I think I’ve reached a disillusionment with the language. I maintain I should have stuck with the Spanish way back in 7th grade at East middle. But then I would have missed making those crazy videos… oh the choices.
Anyways, I do have one story from my history class, the one not for international students but rather the one where I am the only international student in the class. We were discussing changes made during the 2nd République de la France and one of those changes just happened to be outlawing slavery in their colonies in 1848. Good, glad for you France. Glad you could be so perceptive and then mention that the United States was one of the last countries to outlaw slavery. Way to put me on the defensive. And then the big question came “What’s the War of Secession?” (Also known as the Civil War to us Americans). And the prof came to explain it was it was a war over slavery on big plantations with house that had Greco-Roman columns à la Terra in Gone With the Wind. Oh, prof, I really like you and you’re super nice to me, but you cannot boil the Civil War down to slavery and then compare it to a movie. So then when I try to explain, in my limited French, that one, slaves just weren’t found on huge plantations and two, the Civil War wasn’t just about slavery… well, I don’t think it translated very well. And then my limited attempt to explain Dred Scott and the Connecticut Compromise, well I think I’ve had too much constitutional law, American history, and political science classes. Or I should just learn to let it slide in this history class and focus it more on my upcoming presentation in Question Politique where I have to explain the differences of American federalism and European federalism all within 20 minutes. But that’s not until April and I have other stuff much before that to concentrate on…
Side note, Americans + Canadians = Decent North American brunch. It wasn’t fully complete as there was no toast or any type of meat, but it probably the best breakfast I’ve had since… not including last weekend at Dan and Barb’s…leaving. There were eggs, pancakes, grits (there were Southerners at the meal), and hashbrowns (I would be more tempted to call them American fries). I did not venture and try to grits or the eggs. Sorry, not my cup of tea, but I did have an amazing big old cup of coffee that is unheard of in France. It was a wonderful end to the weekend and a good study break since I had been up since 6:30 copying notes. Fun times.
It’s Called Productivity: A lunch break in France is two hours. Two hours to eat a sandwich. I do not see the need for two hours to eat said sandwich when all I need to do is make a bank appointment. Or find shoes. Or pay 195 E for national health insurance, which I do not need but have to get because it’s illegal for me to be here without it. A half an hour should suffice to eat the sandwich and it’s not necessary for everyone to go on lunch break at the same time. At least please do not close the entire bank/store/office to me. Please?
I have decided to due a 10-day tour of the English speaking countries to my west—thus referred to as the Accent Trifecta—England, Scotland and Ireland. I’m visiting some lovely people from St. Norbert in London for a long weekend. I’m really not sure exactly what I’m going to be doing, it will partially depend where my hostel is, how much things cost and whether or not I feel like revisiting some sites or go to new ones. I’m pretty much playing the entire trip by ear and London is no exception. After the long weekend, I’m taking a train trip up to Edinburgh. I have never been to Scotland and didn’t really think about going until I realized when I was planning this trip that I had that second week off. So, Scotland here I come. It was between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and I choose Edinburgh partially because enough people have told me Edinburgh was gorgeous especially compared to Glasgow. We’ll see if they’re right. Finally, it’s off to Dublin. I really don’t know what city I’m more excited for, Edinburgh or Dublin. There’s a couple of things I want to do in Dublin and tomorrow I’m talking with an American who studied there last semester and who is currently studying in Lille. I at least know she’s marking off the “stay out after dark” parts of towns as well as things she learned over the semester she was there. And yes, Grandma, I will have a pint of Harp while I’m there especially for you.
This week was pretty non-eventful in classes despite the fact that the week went so quickly! I have no idea where these weeks are going and I’m almost panicked to think once I get back from my vacation I will have been in Europe for two months. Out of a grand total of five months… almost half way. As much as I bitch (excuse the language) about school and classes and the French bureaucracy, I love just hanging out here. I don’t know if my language skills are improving that much, but I think I’ve reached a disillusionment with the language. I maintain I should have stuck with the Spanish way back in 7th grade at East middle. But then I would have missed making those crazy videos… oh the choices.
Anyways, I do have one story from my history class, the one not for international students but rather the one where I am the only international student in the class. We were discussing changes made during the 2nd République de la France and one of those changes just happened to be outlawing slavery in their colonies in 1848. Good, glad for you France. Glad you could be so perceptive and then mention that the United States was one of the last countries to outlaw slavery. Way to put me on the defensive. And then the big question came “What’s the War of Secession?” (Also known as the Civil War to us Americans). And the prof came to explain it was it was a war over slavery on big plantations with house that had Greco-Roman columns à la Terra in Gone With the Wind. Oh, prof, I really like you and you’re super nice to me, but you cannot boil the Civil War down to slavery and then compare it to a movie. So then when I try to explain, in my limited French, that one, slaves just weren’t found on huge plantations and two, the Civil War wasn’t just about slavery… well, I don’t think it translated very well. And then my limited attempt to explain Dred Scott and the Connecticut Compromise, well I think I’ve had too much constitutional law, American history, and political science classes. Or I should just learn to let it slide in this history class and focus it more on my upcoming presentation in Question Politique where I have to explain the differences of American federalism and European federalism all within 20 minutes. But that’s not until April and I have other stuff much before that to concentrate on…
Side note, Americans + Canadians = Decent North American brunch. It wasn’t fully complete as there was no toast or any type of meat, but it probably the best breakfast I’ve had since… not including last weekend at Dan and Barb’s…leaving. There were eggs, pancakes, grits (there were Southerners at the meal), and hashbrowns (I would be more tempted to call them American fries). I did not venture and try to grits or the eggs. Sorry, not my cup of tea, but I did have an amazing big old cup of coffee that is unheard of in France. It was a wonderful end to the weekend and a good study break since I had been up since 6:30 copying notes. Fun times.
It’s Called Productivity: A lunch break in France is two hours. Two hours to eat a sandwich. I do not see the need for two hours to eat said sandwich when all I need to do is make a bank appointment. Or find shoes. Or pay 195 E for national health insurance, which I do not need but have to get because it’s illegal for me to be here without it. A half an hour should suffice to eat the sandwich and it’s not necessary for everyone to go on lunch break at the same time. At least please do not close the entire bank/store/office to me. Please?
Monday, February 9, 2009
I Thought France Was Industrialized?
I have to say that living over here is one of the most unusual experiences and I don’t know if that’s just because I am in France or what. Earlier this evening we experience a blackout… the electricity just simply shuts off for several minutes up to an hour plus. There is no reason for the electricity to shut off, especially since this is not something I have ever had to experience or thought that I would experience. To me, electricity only shuts off during storms. Oh well, it provides a good study break as well as time to catch up… unless you’re one of the unlucky ones showering or cooking.
This past weekend I visited family in the Netherlands and had a wonderful time (thanks Dan and Barb)! I have to say that I’m quite lucky to have family close to me here, probably closer than I have when I’m at St. Norbert. The train ride going to and from The Hague was much less stressful this time even with the delay on Friday afternoon. For starters, I didn’t have to worry about the train cars separating and not carrying around my life on a train is a stress reducer. I came back a lot happier and in a much better mood than when I left Lille. Traveling alone helped too, I think. It’s much easier to people-watch or simply look out the window when you travel by yourself. The train ride back home was especially entertaining as I was sitting next to an Indian man who was looking at videos from a wedding he was coming back from. It was kind of like watching my own Bollywood video on the camera next to me. Very entertaining.
I think I’m starting to get a hang of the school thing, just in time for the February break! Basically I’m not worrying too much about getting anything done and am making sure that not only do the profs realize that I’m an international student but that I print in all capitals on the tops of my papers “INTERNATIONAL”. I’m hoping that it will be helpful. As for the February break, I may have reached a final decision on at least one of the weeks. I will be spending the first weekend in London (hopefully seeing some other SNC people) before going to Dublin for a couple days. I’m not sure if I’ll end up venturing outside of Dublin, but a girl in my British Pop Culture class studied abroad the previous semester in Dublin said she’d give me all the big stops to go to. Not to worry, I’m meeting up with a couple of people from Lille that I went with to Brussels so I won’t be totally alone in Ireland.
Good Memories: It’s nice to know that Eastpack backpacks haven’t gone out of style here. Still seems to be the brand of choice…. Eaaaaastpack (especially for you, Dad)!
This past weekend I visited family in the Netherlands and had a wonderful time (thanks Dan and Barb)! I have to say that I’m quite lucky to have family close to me here, probably closer than I have when I’m at St. Norbert. The train ride going to and from The Hague was much less stressful this time even with the delay on Friday afternoon. For starters, I didn’t have to worry about the train cars separating and not carrying around my life on a train is a stress reducer. I came back a lot happier and in a much better mood than when I left Lille. Traveling alone helped too, I think. It’s much easier to people-watch or simply look out the window when you travel by yourself. The train ride back home was especially entertaining as I was sitting next to an Indian man who was looking at videos from a wedding he was coming back from. It was kind of like watching my own Bollywood video on the camera next to me. Very entertaining.
I think I’m starting to get a hang of the school thing, just in time for the February break! Basically I’m not worrying too much about getting anything done and am making sure that not only do the profs realize that I’m an international student but that I print in all capitals on the tops of my papers “INTERNATIONAL”. I’m hoping that it will be helpful. As for the February break, I may have reached a final decision on at least one of the weeks. I will be spending the first weekend in London (hopefully seeing some other SNC people) before going to Dublin for a couple days. I’m not sure if I’ll end up venturing outside of Dublin, but a girl in my British Pop Culture class studied abroad the previous semester in Dublin said she’d give me all the big stops to go to. Not to worry, I’m meeting up with a couple of people from Lille that I went with to Brussels so I won’t be totally alone in Ireland.
Good Memories: It’s nice to know that Eastpack backpacks haven’t gone out of style here. Still seems to be the brand of choice…. Eaaaaastpack (especially for you, Dad)!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Class? What Class?
I have officially been in Europe for over a month and I feel like time is going so fast that I won’t be able to do everything that I want to. I can blame school for that, especially my Question Politique, which always is moving from Thursday to Friday. The prof is from Paris and commutes in for the day, but two weeks ago his son was sick and then last week he accidently mixed up which classes should be taught when so I sat through an entire pointless (but interesting) lecture and had to miss my actual class because I had other classes when he did the make-up that same day. This week, I’ll have that class twice and I can only hope he doesn’t make the same mistake again. If there’s one thing I’ve gathered from my time in France it’s that I cannot wait to get back to the American education system. It makes sense to me and it makes sense to a lot of people. Even a couple of the French people living in the residence think that the French are just being… French. That seems to be the joke of the century around here since I hear it about once a day from both international students and French people alike.
I haven’t yet dropped a course, but I sure am tempted to do so. I knew coming over here that there would be a steep learning curve, but I don’t think my French can improve that fast to deal with political philosophy in Western Democracy since that’s the class that has been giving me the most trouble. I thought Hobbes was confusing in English and now he’s ten times as confusing in French. It’s very odd for me to actually dread going to my political science classes since those are generally the ones I prefer the most back at St. Norbert. Two of them, Western Democracies and Question Politique, are pretty over my head in both content as well as language. Today I was so happy in Western Democracies that I could actually understand about 60% of the lecture. And then my one English political science class, American foreign policy, is more like a very basic history class. As in domestic history that I haven’t even covered before because it’s basically assumed that you don’t need two hours to cover Affluence and Conformity in the 1950s—especially in a foreign policy class. Never mind the fact that the prof would rather lecture about that over the Bay of Pigs… go figure. This class has, however, given me lots and lots of evidence of how certain stereotypes about America and American culture can take base with the French.
My favorite classes would have to be the two serious history classes—British history and French history. The British history is really interesting, it’s in English, and it’s pretty basic information and nothing too new. The French history is a bit more challenging as it’s all in French for two hours but the subject more than makes up for it. We’re covering the political history of France from about 1814 onward. I’m really not sure how far we’re going, but I hope at least to the Vichy government. Besides the fact, the prof of that class is a wonderful, wonderful person who said that she’ll never grade me on my French (I can use a dictionary and an occasional English word in my tests) but rather on did I understand the lecture and material covered in class. I officially love that woman.
Other than that, I’ve had a pretty low-key week. Last weekend I went to a concert as well as a party to celebrate the anniversary of one of the guy’s here announcement of coming out. If that makes sense. The concert I went to was of a band called “of Montreal”. I had no idea what to expect but the music wasn’t bad and it was one of the oddest experiences of my life. The band loves to “create” art on stage to go along with their music using human props… and they had everything including chicken and pig costumes. Go figure. Lille actually has decent concerts coming through and Joseph Arthur and his band is coming through soon so I’m going to try and check that out. The anniversary party was amazing. We all dressed up in colors of the rainbow (I was purple) and headed out on the town. I’m sure we were quite the sight. One, we were speaking English and two, we were wearing colors. Unheard of. I love the fact that all the international students hang out together in a large group, it really makes it easier to be over here plus there are some really interesting people and you never know what’s going to be the topic du jour.
One thing that is so hard to get used to here is that everything is up in the air constantly. Last week I was looking at plane tickets to Barcelona and this weekend I think I’m going to look into hostels in Dublin. Everything changes so quickly and everything moves so quickly. I honestly hope that I get to do everything I want to, but am afraid that I’m going to miss out on something eventually. There’s always some suggestion or some place that I remember I want to visit/re-visit, it makes me wish I had more time to just travel and see. Wonder what side will win out… travel or study?
Yum: Forget Erbs and Gerbs or even Yesterdog, kebabs is where it's at for late night food. Crazy Food is developing into a late night treat and I can now smell them from a kilometer away.
I haven’t yet dropped a course, but I sure am tempted to do so. I knew coming over here that there would be a steep learning curve, but I don’t think my French can improve that fast to deal with political philosophy in Western Democracy since that’s the class that has been giving me the most trouble. I thought Hobbes was confusing in English and now he’s ten times as confusing in French. It’s very odd for me to actually dread going to my political science classes since those are generally the ones I prefer the most back at St. Norbert. Two of them, Western Democracies and Question Politique, are pretty over my head in both content as well as language. Today I was so happy in Western Democracies that I could actually understand about 60% of the lecture. And then my one English political science class, American foreign policy, is more like a very basic history class. As in domestic history that I haven’t even covered before because it’s basically assumed that you don’t need two hours to cover Affluence and Conformity in the 1950s—especially in a foreign policy class. Never mind the fact that the prof would rather lecture about that over the Bay of Pigs… go figure. This class has, however, given me lots and lots of evidence of how certain stereotypes about America and American culture can take base with the French.
My favorite classes would have to be the two serious history classes—British history and French history. The British history is really interesting, it’s in English, and it’s pretty basic information and nothing too new. The French history is a bit more challenging as it’s all in French for two hours but the subject more than makes up for it. We’re covering the political history of France from about 1814 onward. I’m really not sure how far we’re going, but I hope at least to the Vichy government. Besides the fact, the prof of that class is a wonderful, wonderful person who said that she’ll never grade me on my French (I can use a dictionary and an occasional English word in my tests) but rather on did I understand the lecture and material covered in class. I officially love that woman.
Other than that, I’ve had a pretty low-key week. Last weekend I went to a concert as well as a party to celebrate the anniversary of one of the guy’s here announcement of coming out. If that makes sense. The concert I went to was of a band called “of Montreal”. I had no idea what to expect but the music wasn’t bad and it was one of the oddest experiences of my life. The band loves to “create” art on stage to go along with their music using human props… and they had everything including chicken and pig costumes. Go figure. Lille actually has decent concerts coming through and Joseph Arthur and his band is coming through soon so I’m going to try and check that out. The anniversary party was amazing. We all dressed up in colors of the rainbow (I was purple) and headed out on the town. I’m sure we were quite the sight. One, we were speaking English and two, we were wearing colors. Unheard of. I love the fact that all the international students hang out together in a large group, it really makes it easier to be over here plus there are some really interesting people and you never know what’s going to be the topic du jour.
One thing that is so hard to get used to here is that everything is up in the air constantly. Last week I was looking at plane tickets to Barcelona and this weekend I think I’m going to look into hostels in Dublin. Everything changes so quickly and everything moves so quickly. I honestly hope that I get to do everything I want to, but am afraid that I’m going to miss out on something eventually. There’s always some suggestion or some place that I remember I want to visit/re-visit, it makes me wish I had more time to just travel and see. Wonder what side will win out… travel or study?
Yum: Forget Erbs and Gerbs or even Yesterdog, kebabs is where it's at for late night food. Crazy Food is developing into a late night treat and I can now smell them from a kilometer away.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Waffles and Fries and Chocolate... Oh My!
I don’t even know where to begin with how the last week, specifically how the last weekend was. I was part of a group of about eight (7 when we went to Brugges) international students who ventured up to Belgium. Careful, this post could be a long one.
The venture to Belgium started early Friday morning, a little too early for me. Anyways, arriving in Brussels train station it was cold, wet, and pretty much miserable. This did not look like anything resembling any European city should look like in any of our minds. In fact, it reminded most of us of a set from a Cold War-era movie and we felt like we were in Soviet Russia. Pretty depressing. After walking around for about an hour we somehow made it to Grand Place, which is absolutely stunning. This was the Brussels I had wanted to see. This is what the “Capital of Europe” should look like. The rest of that day was spent mostly wandering around the Grand Place area and seeing the major sites before going and trying to find out hostel in the freezing rain and strong winds. It was not fun— we were all cold, wet and cranky, but the hostel was pretty nice and exactly what was needed.
The following day was the complete opposite of the first day in Brussels, pretty warm (for winter), blue skies and sunshine. This was the day where we tried to go see the city and the sites as much as possible. I did so much walking on Saturday, I’m still sore from it. There may not be as many well-known sites as like Paris, Rome or London but there is plenty to see. Since a decent majority of us are political science majors, we all decided to visit the EU headquarters, but we manage to stumble across some fairly large monuments within the city. One of the most impressive was La Palais de Justice. It is this absolutely huge building sitting on top of a hill overlooking the city. It was such a powerful site to see and very symbolic. Of course the entire time we were there it was hard not to mention why Belgium had the money to build this staggering building. Most of the larger buildings of the 19th century and early 20th are tied in very closely with wealth gathered from the Belgian colonies in Africa. It was always in the back of my mind. This was such a good day, exploring the city and actually getting to be tourists.
On that Sunday, we all left for Brugge (Bruges). This was such a beautiful city and there really isn’t any other way to describe it. It is very easy to see that the residents take pride in the city because of the lack of graffiti as well as lack of litter on the ground, even in the large tourist areas. The highlight of the day was climbing the winding staircase of the clock tower. The view from the top was magnificent and you could see all around. We even got the treat of having to hear the bells go off for what seemed too long. I can definitely tell you it was working. This was then completed by the very “Belgian” meal of fries with mayonnaise and a Bicky burger. The vendor was actually shocked that I ordered it when he realized I was an American. I think he may have thought I would have gone for the more “safe” choice, but I’m glad I didn’t. We ended up discussing politics and it seems like many people (or at least those who know I’m an American) love mentioning the fact that they approve of Obama or are glad he was elected. They definitely love him over here. (You can even buy a shirt in Brussels that says ‘Brussels’ with a picture of Obama on it—go figure).
Now for a quick (and more boring subject). I have managed to survive my classes. My political science classes are going to be my hardest ones since they are mostly in French and are dealing with some pretty difficult subjects in the fact that we’re discussing philosophies and questions of politics. It’ll be interesting to see if I can keep pace with all that is going on. It is very weird not having any reading or syllabus to follow and only meeting once a week—very, very weird. I won’t even complain about not having classes on Fridays. One of my favorite classes is shaping out to be American Foreign Policy (surprise, surprise), which is filled with a lot of French students, two of whom were exchange students at SNC last semester. We’re not covering anything too new to me so it’ll be my “fun” class. The history classes, either in French or in English, are just basic history classes though the one that’s for regular French students is way more interesting than the one for international students.
That was only a summary, and not a very brief one at that, but this week is shaping up to be a lot less busy. I’m starting to plan out my winter break trip to Barcelona and Rome (I think) as well as a couple of other shorter trips for the weekends.
Yum Yum: Belgian waffles DO taste better, in my opinion
The venture to Belgium started early Friday morning, a little too early for me. Anyways, arriving in Brussels train station it was cold, wet, and pretty much miserable. This did not look like anything resembling any European city should look like in any of our minds. In fact, it reminded most of us of a set from a Cold War-era movie and we felt like we were in Soviet Russia. Pretty depressing. After walking around for about an hour we somehow made it to Grand Place, which is absolutely stunning. This was the Brussels I had wanted to see. This is what the “Capital of Europe” should look like. The rest of that day was spent mostly wandering around the Grand Place area and seeing the major sites before going and trying to find out hostel in the freezing rain and strong winds. It was not fun— we were all cold, wet and cranky, but the hostel was pretty nice and exactly what was needed.
The following day was the complete opposite of the first day in Brussels, pretty warm (for winter), blue skies and sunshine. This was the day where we tried to go see the city and the sites as much as possible. I did so much walking on Saturday, I’m still sore from it. There may not be as many well-known sites as like Paris, Rome or London but there is plenty to see. Since a decent majority of us are political science majors, we all decided to visit the EU headquarters, but we manage to stumble across some fairly large monuments within the city. One of the most impressive was La Palais de Justice. It is this absolutely huge building sitting on top of a hill overlooking the city. It was such a powerful site to see and very symbolic. Of course the entire time we were there it was hard not to mention why Belgium had the money to build this staggering building. Most of the larger buildings of the 19th century and early 20th are tied in very closely with wealth gathered from the Belgian colonies in Africa. It was always in the back of my mind. This was such a good day, exploring the city and actually getting to be tourists.
On that Sunday, we all left for Brugge (Bruges). This was such a beautiful city and there really isn’t any other way to describe it. It is very easy to see that the residents take pride in the city because of the lack of graffiti as well as lack of litter on the ground, even in the large tourist areas. The highlight of the day was climbing the winding staircase of the clock tower. The view from the top was magnificent and you could see all around. We even got the treat of having to hear the bells go off for what seemed too long. I can definitely tell you it was working. This was then completed by the very “Belgian” meal of fries with mayonnaise and a Bicky burger. The vendor was actually shocked that I ordered it when he realized I was an American. I think he may have thought I would have gone for the more “safe” choice, but I’m glad I didn’t. We ended up discussing politics and it seems like many people (or at least those who know I’m an American) love mentioning the fact that they approve of Obama or are glad he was elected. They definitely love him over here. (You can even buy a shirt in Brussels that says ‘Brussels’ with a picture of Obama on it—go figure).
Now for a quick (and more boring subject). I have managed to survive my classes. My political science classes are going to be my hardest ones since they are mostly in French and are dealing with some pretty difficult subjects in the fact that we’re discussing philosophies and questions of politics. It’ll be interesting to see if I can keep pace with all that is going on. It is very weird not having any reading or syllabus to follow and only meeting once a week—very, very weird. I won’t even complain about not having classes on Fridays. One of my favorite classes is shaping out to be American Foreign Policy (surprise, surprise), which is filled with a lot of French students, two of whom were exchange students at SNC last semester. We’re not covering anything too new to me so it’ll be my “fun” class. The history classes, either in French or in English, are just basic history classes though the one that’s for regular French students is way more interesting than the one for international students.
That was only a summary, and not a very brief one at that, but this week is shaping up to be a lot less busy. I’m starting to plan out my winter break trip to Barcelona and Rome (I think) as well as a couple of other shorter trips for the weekends.
Yum Yum: Belgian waffles DO taste better, in my opinion
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Testing, Testing... 1,2,3.
To keep this short...
So as some and some may not know, I went to Belgium this weekend. I went with 7 other people from La Catho (again, mostly Canadians and one German) for our first weekend trip of the semester. I spent Friday and Saturday in marvelous Brussels and then Sunday in Brugges. I had an absolute blast and I don't think I can even begin to put into words what an incredible weekend this has been.
However, I don't quite have the energy to even start to write about the weekend. This is merely to inform those back home that I have managed to survive Belgium and the weekend trip with no serious injury or complaint.
To all the St. Norbert people-- have a great start to the semester!
So as some and some may not know, I went to Belgium this weekend. I went with 7 other people from La Catho (again, mostly Canadians and one German) for our first weekend trip of the semester. I spent Friday and Saturday in marvelous Brussels and then Sunday in Brugges. I had an absolute blast and I don't think I can even begin to put into words what an incredible weekend this has been.
However, I don't quite have the energy to even start to write about the weekend. This is merely to inform those back home that I have managed to survive Belgium and the weekend trip with no serious injury or complaint.
To all the St. Norbert people-- have a great start to the semester!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Ready, Set, Don't Go Too Fast!
So apparently in my last post, I spoke too soon. My classes did not go according to plan and was an entire mess by the end of the week. Basically, everything went to hell on Tuesday and it took until basically the end of Wednesday to get everything figured out. By the end of the week, it was just like… this is just the French being French. There are numerous occasions where I’ve thought that something hasn’t made any sense and there’s nothing I can do about because that’s just the way things are done here. Without sense.
I have a finalized schedule that cannot change and what a schedule it is!
Monday- 16th/17th Century British History, British Popular Culture
Tuesday- 16th/17th Century British History, Western Democracies, French History for International Students, French History
Wednesday- Translation, American/British Foreign Policy
Thursday- Political Question of the EU, Geography of France for International Students and French for International Students
That’s right, I have no classes on Friday. It makes getting through those really long days that much easier. And there’s only one class where I know no one, which is very helpful. I’m already learning to depend on people for their notes and help with homework since my French skills are very lacking. We had to take a placement test for our French class and one of the parts was listening. Let’s just say my ears are very rusty, especially when the speaker doesn’t take a breath for the entire time he was talking. I don’t think I’d even have that skill in English. Clearly, the art of pronunciation has been lost. The one class I am most looking forward to is American Foreign Policy and not just because it’s a class in English on America, but because it’s a new viewpoint of the actions of the United States abroad. I’m sure that will be most interesting. So far, I already know that I’ll have several oral finals as well as a couple projects. One of the most intimidating ones is a 20- minute presentation in Political Question about the differences between American federalism and European federalism. In French. I’m just a tad nervous. We also have to read a book on political thought for Western Democracies, but I’m choosing Democracy in America—a book that I have already supposedly read for American Political Thought last year. Maybe this time I’ll actually manage to finish the entire book.
If there’s one thing that isn’t difficult, it’s meeting people. I cannot tell you how many people I have met in such a short amount of time. And it’s just not the international students either. In my residence, there’s a decent mixture of French students along with international ones (as well as international students who I think are French) and we aren’t too divided. Never mind the fact that there are several other residences for students. I have made the long journey over to Foyer International to meet up with people. The kitchens are great tools for socialization and everything that goes along with it. The biggest adjustment is definitely trying to get used to eating at around 8 o’clock instead of around 5:30ish. But now I understand how my neighbors can stay out till 4 AM easily. But me, j’adore le sieste (I love the naps)!
Interesting Fact of the Post: The residence, Foyer Internations, used to be a hospital and the kitchen (where we hang out) was the morgue. Cool digs, eh?
I have a finalized schedule that cannot change and what a schedule it is!
Monday- 16th/17th Century British History, British Popular Culture
Tuesday- 16th/17th Century British History, Western Democracies, French History for International Students, French History
Wednesday- Translation, American/British Foreign Policy
Thursday- Political Question of the EU, Geography of France for International Students and French for International Students
That’s right, I have no classes on Friday. It makes getting through those really long days that much easier. And there’s only one class where I know no one, which is very helpful. I’m already learning to depend on people for their notes and help with homework since my French skills are very lacking. We had to take a placement test for our French class and one of the parts was listening. Let’s just say my ears are very rusty, especially when the speaker doesn’t take a breath for the entire time he was talking. I don’t think I’d even have that skill in English. Clearly, the art of pronunciation has been lost. The one class I am most looking forward to is American Foreign Policy and not just because it’s a class in English on America, but because it’s a new viewpoint of the actions of the United States abroad. I’m sure that will be most interesting. So far, I already know that I’ll have several oral finals as well as a couple projects. One of the most intimidating ones is a 20- minute presentation in Political Question about the differences between American federalism and European federalism. In French. I’m just a tad nervous. We also have to read a book on political thought for Western Democracies, but I’m choosing Democracy in America—a book that I have already supposedly read for American Political Thought last year. Maybe this time I’ll actually manage to finish the entire book.
If there’s one thing that isn’t difficult, it’s meeting people. I cannot tell you how many people I have met in such a short amount of time. And it’s just not the international students either. In my residence, there’s a decent mixture of French students along with international ones (as well as international students who I think are French) and we aren’t too divided. Never mind the fact that there are several other residences for students. I have made the long journey over to Foyer International to meet up with people. The kitchens are great tools for socialization and everything that goes along with it. The biggest adjustment is definitely trying to get used to eating at around 8 o’clock instead of around 5:30ish. But now I understand how my neighbors can stay out till 4 AM easily. But me, j’adore le sieste (I love the naps)!
Interesting Fact of the Post: The residence, Foyer Internations, used to be a hospital and the kitchen (where we hang out) was the morgue. Cool digs, eh?
Monday, January 12, 2009
Here, There and Everywhere
It’s official-- I’ve been here a full week and what a whirlwind week it has been. There’s almost too much to talk about, too many things that have happened or that are different (for better or for worse). It’s just not real. And every time I sit down and try to write what I see, it’s like there’s not enough time or words to fully describe anything and everything.
I arrived in Lille after a very long day on a train that did not disappoint me in both the other travelers as well as being much better than any American train, even with the rushed transfers and the train that had to be returned to the station. Let’s just say that my opinion that European trains are better than American trains remains true. Getting into the dorm was quite the experience. I don’t know if people haven’t thought it through or what was going on, but they don’t give you your key at the housing place, but you have to go pick it up at your dorm, which you need a key to get into. It’s a major Catch-22. And by the time I carried and dragged all my luggage through Vieux Lille (Old Lille), I was not happy to have to bang and knock on the door of my dorm. Needless to say, once I actually got into the dorm and settled in, I realized that I really am in Europe and in a pretty nice dorm. There are some things that take getting used to, but nothing that I can’t handle.
The whole of last week was basically running around during the day and then meeting up with other international students. I wish that could be like that every day because even I still don’t think I could learn to get around this city fully. It’s so much different than any city I’m really used to because of all the side streets, streets that don’t connect, and alleys that would be very helpful to know. I’m sure I’ll eventually figure out how to get around to the really important places, aka La Catho and the grocery store to give you some examples. I’m trying out a “new” way to get La Catho tomorrow… it should be interesting. My other huge excitement includes the fact that I have to cook for myself for the first time in my life. Knowing that, I think I’ve been relatively successful (though some may not believe it) cooking such a variety of dishes as chicken, grilled veggies, baked potatoes, and pasta. Pretty advanced for a learner, I’d say.
Let’s just say that there isn’t a shortage of international students here and we all can pretty much recognize each other, especially if we’re in FLSH. I think the class registration was a good bonding time since everyone was so confused and you had to help each other out because we have to put together a schedule that no French student would ever have, partially because we do take classes from a variety of academic areas. This, unfortunately (or fortunately) creates havoc when making a schedule and uneven class schedules for the semester. For instance, I go basically from 10:30 AM to 9 PM on Tuesdays, but then have no classes on Fridays. Today, being the first day of classes, can honestly say I think I prefer the system I am most used to, but I guess that’s natural and partly stems from the fact that international students have totally different schedules than the French students. But honestly, would an email saying that the classroom has been changed be really that hard? I think not.
So far in my one class, I know a couple people I met over the past week. I’m not sure for all of my classes, but I at least know one or two in most of them. I think that helps out a ton, but we’ll see when I end up in a class where I know no one. It’s bound to happen with at least one or two classes since I’m taking 10 classes this semester, though it may not. Living in the dorms and away from the other two people from St. Norbert has really been helpful in getting to know people. And the fact that there is a decent mixture of people that were here last semester as well as others that are new like me is reassuring. One, I won’t die over here or be emotionally scarred by the differences, but also that I’m not the only one in the boat.
This past week has brought about a lot of new and exciting experiences and I have no doubt that this next week will be just as interesting!
Interesting Experience: Market on Sunday... talk about sensory overload!
I arrived in Lille after a very long day on a train that did not disappoint me in both the other travelers as well as being much better than any American train, even with the rushed transfers and the train that had to be returned to the station. Let’s just say that my opinion that European trains are better than American trains remains true. Getting into the dorm was quite the experience. I don’t know if people haven’t thought it through or what was going on, but they don’t give you your key at the housing place, but you have to go pick it up at your dorm, which you need a key to get into. It’s a major Catch-22. And by the time I carried and dragged all my luggage through Vieux Lille (Old Lille), I was not happy to have to bang and knock on the door of my dorm. Needless to say, once I actually got into the dorm and settled in, I realized that I really am in Europe and in a pretty nice dorm. There are some things that take getting used to, but nothing that I can’t handle.
The whole of last week was basically running around during the day and then meeting up with other international students. I wish that could be like that every day because even I still don’t think I could learn to get around this city fully. It’s so much different than any city I’m really used to because of all the side streets, streets that don’t connect, and alleys that would be very helpful to know. I’m sure I’ll eventually figure out how to get around to the really important places, aka La Catho and the grocery store to give you some examples. I’m trying out a “new” way to get La Catho tomorrow… it should be interesting. My other huge excitement includes the fact that I have to cook for myself for the first time in my life. Knowing that, I think I’ve been relatively successful (though some may not believe it) cooking such a variety of dishes as chicken, grilled veggies, baked potatoes, and pasta. Pretty advanced for a learner, I’d say.
Let’s just say that there isn’t a shortage of international students here and we all can pretty much recognize each other, especially if we’re in FLSH. I think the class registration was a good bonding time since everyone was so confused and you had to help each other out because we have to put together a schedule that no French student would ever have, partially because we do take classes from a variety of academic areas. This, unfortunately (or fortunately) creates havoc when making a schedule and uneven class schedules for the semester. For instance, I go basically from 10:30 AM to 9 PM on Tuesdays, but then have no classes on Fridays. Today, being the first day of classes, can honestly say I think I prefer the system I am most used to, but I guess that’s natural and partly stems from the fact that international students have totally different schedules than the French students. But honestly, would an email saying that the classroom has been changed be really that hard? I think not.
So far in my one class, I know a couple people I met over the past week. I’m not sure for all of my classes, but I at least know one or two in most of them. I think that helps out a ton, but we’ll see when I end up in a class where I know no one. It’s bound to happen with at least one or two classes since I’m taking 10 classes this semester, though it may not. Living in the dorms and away from the other two people from St. Norbert has really been helpful in getting to know people. And the fact that there is a decent mixture of people that were here last semester as well as others that are new like me is reassuring. One, I won’t die over here or be emotionally scarred by the differences, but also that I’m not the only one in the boat.
This past week has brought about a lot of new and exciting experiences and I have no doubt that this next week will be just as interesting!
Interesting Experience: Market on Sunday... talk about sensory overload!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year, New Continent
Happy New Year! This is quite the start to a new year for me since I was in mid-flight for the actual midnight hour (over Canada, to be exact). But 2009 didn’t look like it was going to start off quite as smooth as I wanted to. My day began earlier than I wished since I was flying internationally I would have to be at the Grand Rapids airport by 1:30 for the “three hour” rule. Well, whatever three hours they thought it would take me, didn’t. No, my check-in took a grand total of maybe three minutes. So, my parents and I had a nice long time to say good-bye and look at all the flights that were being delayed from Orlando, Denver, Columbus, but we thought that my flight would be perfectly safe. And it looked it, I said my final good-byes, went through security and was just sitting at the gate. This is where my trials and tribulations of living abroad began—in Grand Rapids. My plane was delayed, rather the actual plane was cancelled and the next flight in was in Charlotte. Perfect, there was no way short of me learning to fly that I would make my connection in Chicago for Amsterdam. Thankfully, I was relatively early in the line of panicked flyers, so the wait wasn’t too bad. Yes, while I was in line I was pissed off at the airline. But what could I do? Just hope that there was some way in hell via another city that I could get to Amsterdam. And United came through for me with a flight to Chicago, then London Heathrow and finally Amsterdam.
The flight to London was in one word: long. It didn’t start off very well either as the seat I was in had no working screen, only radio. Well, I couldn’t deal with that no matter how many drinks the guy next to me offered to buy to celebrate the New Year. No way, no how. I ended up switching seats that had a working screen but very soft volume (or I’m becoming extremely deaf). I did end up sitting next to a very interesting man from London (Uganda originally) and we ended up talking about the differences between the States and Europe slash England. This flight was no different from any of my other trans-Atlantic flights, meaning I received a tiny amount of sleep maybe fifteen minutes or a half hour if I was lucky. And I managed to get yelled at for using the wrong bathroom and I highly doubt that no one but that one flight attendant actually noticed, considering any normal person would be asleep. Towards the end of the flight, my neighbor and I started talking politics since he was reading several different magazines on Obama. He was shocked to learn that I was liberal. I, being the nerd I am, loved the conversation as he offered not only a European view of the election but also a view from an African. Though we mostly agreed on the huge difficulties that Obama has to conquer, I think he failed to understand the American political system. For instance, he didn’t understand why a “free” health care system wasn’t as welcomed in the States as it was here. Overall though, he was a much better neighbor than the original guy. But if I ever fly to London again, no way in hell am I taking United.
British Airways is by far my favorite I’ve decided at the end of the day. They don’t snap at you, they feed you somewhat reasonable food, and they don’t mess around. Once you’re in the air, you’re ready to go. The same goes with the end of the flight. This is business. All my luggage made it to Amsterdam and unharmed (yay!). That was a really big worry of mine that somewhere along the line, something would get lost. It’s just in my nature. One of my aunt’s friend slash y cousin’s friend’s mom came and picked me up from the airport (really super nice of her) so I got a late-Thanksgiving day meal and my first real food since the dinner on the United flight over. Writing this, I am exhausted as ever, but so glad that I made it. This first day might have been a little intense, but I have a feeling it’s just the beginning…
Highlights of Today: British Airways flight attendant saying “Cherrio”; Coca-cola = “A carbonated soft drink with fruit syrups”. And here I always just thought it was a way to get caffeine…
The flight to London was in one word: long. It didn’t start off very well either as the seat I was in had no working screen, only radio. Well, I couldn’t deal with that no matter how many drinks the guy next to me offered to buy to celebrate the New Year. No way, no how. I ended up switching seats that had a working screen but very soft volume (or I’m becoming extremely deaf). I did end up sitting next to a very interesting man from London (Uganda originally) and we ended up talking about the differences between the States and Europe slash England. This flight was no different from any of my other trans-Atlantic flights, meaning I received a tiny amount of sleep maybe fifteen minutes or a half hour if I was lucky. And I managed to get yelled at for using the wrong bathroom and I highly doubt that no one but that one flight attendant actually noticed, considering any normal person would be asleep. Towards the end of the flight, my neighbor and I started talking politics since he was reading several different magazines on Obama. He was shocked to learn that I was liberal. I, being the nerd I am, loved the conversation as he offered not only a European view of the election but also a view from an African. Though we mostly agreed on the huge difficulties that Obama has to conquer, I think he failed to understand the American political system. For instance, he didn’t understand why a “free” health care system wasn’t as welcomed in the States as it was here. Overall though, he was a much better neighbor than the original guy. But if I ever fly to London again, no way in hell am I taking United.
British Airways is by far my favorite I’ve decided at the end of the day. They don’t snap at you, they feed you somewhat reasonable food, and they don’t mess around. Once you’re in the air, you’re ready to go. The same goes with the end of the flight. This is business. All my luggage made it to Amsterdam and unharmed (yay!). That was a really big worry of mine that somewhere along the line, something would get lost. It’s just in my nature. One of my aunt’s friend slash y cousin’s friend’s mom came and picked me up from the airport (really super nice of her) so I got a late-Thanksgiving day meal and my first real food since the dinner on the United flight over. Writing this, I am exhausted as ever, but so glad that I made it. This first day might have been a little intense, but I have a feeling it’s just the beginning…
Highlights of Today: British Airways flight attendant saying “Cherrio”; Coca-cola = “A carbonated soft drink with fruit syrups”. And here I always just thought it was a way to get caffeine…
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