7am came early that morning [I am not a morning person]! A lot of the group went out the night before, to the pubs for Vana's Birthday! She turned 20! She's really nice and super funny [awww, very true!]. I went to a pub for her birthday, as well. I went to the Hairy Lemon for a short while with Rhea, Lindsay and Amanda. It was very smokey [I hate smoke] and we had to be up at 6am, so we didn't stay long.
Our bus left at 7am to go to Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a 2 1/2 hour bus ride! The bus ride was long and tiring. Everyone fell asleep at one point or another. My friend, Matt, took an awesome picture of a rainbow along the way. There were only a handful of people that got to see it, because everyone was sleeping. It was amazing to be in another country, in a green field and see a perfect rainbow! It was only for about 2 minutes, if that! [That may be a dumb thing to write about - seeing a rainbow, but it really was a moment that I will remember forever. As soon as I saw the entry about Scotland, I instantly thought about that rainbow!] Our British Professor, Christine, was giving us information about what type of events occurred in the areas we were driving by. It was interesting for the parts I was awake to hear [one of many times I may not have been awake to hear her]! We finally got into Edinburgh, Scotland and stopped on a hill/lookout over the city. It had a lot of architecture around, including the Scots version of the Grecian Coliseum [I want to go to Greece]. It was amazing to see an old, but extremely large city! Never in my life have I seen anything like it! Alnwick, England, which is where I live [oooohh, I wish I could still say that!], isn't the same kind of "old city." Yes, they are both very old, Alnwick is over 1,000 years old (or at least the castle is) and Edinburgh Castle was present in 600 AD!!! [Both of which, still amaze me!]
We arrived late, so we only had 15 minutes to walk around this hill. I was so shocked at how gorgeous the view was. It really hit home then, that I was in a foreign country, seeing things I had never seen before and would never see in the United States - buildings that were hundreds to thousands of years old, brick and stone streets and statues and monuments everywhere you look [ok, you can see the last ones in DC]. It was hard to take everything in. Everywhere you turned, you'd see something else new and wonderful!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Newcastle, England - Beer and Malls! June 1, 2005 - 3:40pm
Newcastle, England - June 1, 2005 - 3:40pm
Now I've been here for a little over a week. [Hahaha, oh man, I wrote about a drama I can't write publicly. I will write around it]. On Saturday, May 28th, we all had a day trip to Newcastle [yup, the beer place], England. It hosts the largest mall in Europe and is second in the world next to the Mall of America [I guess I can say I've been to the two largest malls in the world!]. I spent the day with my two roommates, Rhea and Lindsay and one other person (unnamed).
Due to someone being unwilling to look at a map, she (unnamed) ended up taking us through a highway where there were no shoulder and definitely no sidewalk! We had a fence and a tiny ledge you could barely put one foot on. She said she had a sixth sense for directions. Ha! We were out on the highway for about 20 minutes. At one point, a Double Decker bus [yeah, they do have them!] was 5 inches away from hitting us, so that did not make me a happy camper. She tried to pull a "I know where I'm going" again, and I put a stop to that quick, by stopping in my tracks and saying I was going to look at a map because I didn't want to get stuck on the highway again [you go, girl!]! [I ended up saying some other things about the unnamed, which lead into my next discussion point].
I have been sick with the "castle cold" since the first day I got here. Luckily, my sore throat is gone. The "castle cold" is from the mold spores, that I am not used to. I mean, this is a castle that is over 1,000 years old [still amazes me]!
[I keep reading more about what I wrote about this unnamed person and it is sooo funny. I wish I could write about it. I did cry on this day for the first time in front of my roommate, Rhea. I was embarrassed, but the unnamed person really hurt my feelings.] I told the academic director, Wade, why I didn't want this person traveling with us that next weekend and he said to say the following, "The other day you really pissed me off and I can't forgive you right now, so you can't come with us!" [sound advice, haha]. That is just Wade. He has a little attitude problems sometimes, haha. Then, Roy Todd, my Contemporary Britain teacher told me not to do that [he must have been there when I was talking to Wade?]. Roy is British, so he felt it wasn't proper. The Wade said in his best British accent [Wade's American] to mock what Roy would say, "Pardon me, but my feelings were hurt the other day and if you would modify your actions, I would be pleased to offer you a second try." It was really funny!
Enough about that though [sorry you guys don't have the real scoop], yesterday, Rhea, Lindsey and I were talking about Rhea's goats and she said the funniest thing! She was talking about how goats don't like it when you touch their feet! She says this, "They're goats, ya know, they don't know why you're grabbing their feet!" It was really funny! I don't know if it really was, or if I was really tired, but either way we laughed a long time [it was funny, because as I read that I cackled and woke my dog up, I'm a little teary eyed right now, you just have to know Rhea]!
Our trip last Saturday was a fun one! We went many places while we were there [Newcastle]. We went to the Baltic Museum where they had an exhibit called: For every minute you are sad, you lose 60 seconds of happiness. It was about a man who lost his wife. It was photographs of her and his memories of her. It was so sweet. The exhibition upstairs was interesting because it was all based on America. Specifically, Abe Lincoln and the Civil War. It was very interesting. We also walked on the Newcastle Millennium Bridge (Gateshead). It is newer than the London Millennium Bridge and apparently, a lot nicer! It was a little scary walking on it because the entire bridge would shake. [I said something dorky here, so I am leaving it out, ha!].
This was a long post, the next one looks even longer. I am going to have to break these next ones up, I think!
Now I've been here for a little over a week. [Hahaha, oh man, I wrote about a drama I can't write publicly. I will write around it]. On Saturday, May 28th, we all had a day trip to Newcastle [yup, the beer place], England. It hosts the largest mall in Europe and is second in the world next to the Mall of America [I guess I can say I've been to the two largest malls in the world!]. I spent the day with my two roommates, Rhea and Lindsay and one other person (unnamed).
Due to someone being unwilling to look at a map, she (unnamed) ended up taking us through a highway where there were no shoulder and definitely no sidewalk! We had a fence and a tiny ledge you could barely put one foot on. She said she had a sixth sense for directions. Ha! We were out on the highway for about 20 minutes. At one point, a Double Decker bus [yeah, they do have them!] was 5 inches away from hitting us, so that did not make me a happy camper. She tried to pull a "I know where I'm going" again, and I put a stop to that quick, by stopping in my tracks and saying I was going to look at a map because I didn't want to get stuck on the highway again [you go, girl!]! [I ended up saying some other things about the unnamed, which lead into my next discussion point].
I have been sick with the "castle cold" since the first day I got here. Luckily, my sore throat is gone. The "castle cold" is from the mold spores, that I am not used to. I mean, this is a castle that is over 1,000 years old [still amazes me]!
[I keep reading more about what I wrote about this unnamed person and it is sooo funny. I wish I could write about it. I did cry on this day for the first time in front of my roommate, Rhea. I was embarrassed, but the unnamed person really hurt my feelings.] I told the academic director, Wade, why I didn't want this person traveling with us that next weekend and he said to say the following, "The other day you really pissed me off and I can't forgive you right now, so you can't come with us!" [sound advice, haha]. That is just Wade. He has a little attitude problems sometimes, haha. Then, Roy Todd, my Contemporary Britain teacher told me not to do that [he must have been there when I was talking to Wade?]. Roy is British, so he felt it wasn't proper. The Wade said in his best British accent [Wade's American] to mock what Roy would say, "Pardon me, but my feelings were hurt the other day and if you would modify your actions, I would be pleased to offer you a second try." It was really funny!
Enough about that though [sorry you guys don't have the real scoop], yesterday, Rhea, Lindsey and I were talking about Rhea's goats and she said the funniest thing! She was talking about how goats don't like it when you touch their feet! She says this, "They're goats, ya know, they don't know why you're grabbing their feet!" It was really funny! I don't know if it really was, or if I was really tired, but either way we laughed a long time [it was funny, because as I read that I cackled and woke my dog up, I'm a little teary eyed right now, you just have to know Rhea]!
Our trip last Saturday was a fun one! We went many places while we were there [Newcastle]. We went to the Baltic Museum where they had an exhibit called: For every minute you are sad, you lose 60 seconds of happiness. It was about a man who lost his wife. It was photographs of her and his memories of her. It was so sweet. The exhibition upstairs was interesting because it was all based on America. Specifically, Abe Lincoln and the Civil War. It was very interesting. We also walked on the Newcastle Millennium Bridge (Gateshead). It is newer than the London Millennium Bridge and apparently, a lot nicer! It was a little scary walking on it because the entire bridge would shake. [I said something dorky here, so I am leaving it out, ha!].
This was a long post, the next one looks even longer. I am going to have to break these next ones up, I think!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Internationally on my own...May 23, 2005 - 10:01PM (Atlantic Ocean)
Alright, so this is my first Journal entry...sorry if it seems rambling, I do that. I also might add my own present-day commentary in [brackets].
I am currently on Iceland Air flying to Reykjavik, Iceland. My trip so far has been relatively good. I came here not knowing anyone and now I know about 7 girls. I met one of my roommates, Rhea, she seems really nice and will be a fun roommate [she was]! I am not nervous anymore, which is good. I was a little nervous at the airport, because I didn't know anyone and everyone seemed to know each other. I asked a group of 4 girls if I could hang out with them because I didn't know anyone on the trip. They said, "of course," and I was relieved. We walked around the Lindbergh Terminal (Mpls) and ate together. Their names are Vana, Amanda B, Ashley and Nikki.
While we were sitting at the Terminal, I met my roommate Rhea. She is very similar to me, so I am glad [so true]! Now I'm sitting on a Boeing 747; it's so tiny [I like to remember details]. It's extremely hot and I have a headache. Luckily, I am sitting next to two nice girls! Molly and Amanda B. We've been talking the whole time about tons of stuff. Actually, we are all trying to write in our journals, but we can't because someone always says something else. In fact, it took me 30 minutes to write that sentence! I'm feeling pretty sick and I am so extremely hot [I mentally blocked that out]. [I said some mushy stuff here, that I am opting to leave out].
Oh, I guess that's my first entry. It's pretty lame. I better post another one so you guys don't stop reading with that boring post...haha.
I am currently on Iceland Air flying to Reykjavik, Iceland. My trip so far has been relatively good. I came here not knowing anyone and now I know about 7 girls. I met one of my roommates, Rhea, she seems really nice and will be a fun roommate [she was]! I am not nervous anymore, which is good. I was a little nervous at the airport, because I didn't know anyone and everyone seemed to know each other. I asked a group of 4 girls if I could hang out with them because I didn't know anyone on the trip. They said, "of course," and I was relieved. We walked around the Lindbergh Terminal (Mpls) and ate together. Their names are Vana, Amanda B, Ashley and Nikki.
While we were sitting at the Terminal, I met my roommate Rhea. She is very similar to me, so I am glad [so true]! Now I'm sitting on a Boeing 747; it's so tiny [I like to remember details]. It's extremely hot and I have a headache. Luckily, I am sitting next to two nice girls! Molly and Amanda B. We've been talking the whole time about tons of stuff. Actually, we are all trying to write in our journals, but we can't because someone always says something else. In fact, it took me 30 minutes to write that sentence! I'm feeling pretty sick and I am so extremely hot [I mentally blocked that out]. [I said some mushy stuff here, that I am opting to leave out].
Oh, I guess that's my first entry. It's pretty lame. I better post another one so you guys don't stop reading with that boring post...haha.
Learning the castle grounds...May 26, 2005 (Thursday): 1:15pm
Ok, don't forget anything in [brackets] are my present-time commentary!
May 26, 2005 (Thursday): 1:15pm
It's been a couple of days since I've had a chance to have any free time. Right now I am sitting on the grounds of Alnwick Castle. It is a beautiful day! The sun is out and there aren't a lot of clouds. I'm sitting right next to the Diana Tower [yes, there were towers], where I am currently living! I, unfortunately, live on the top level, also called "Upper Diana." My roommates, Lindsay, Rhea and I counted how many stairs we had to climb to get to our room. IT'S 95!!! This is a lot! My legs burn all the way up and trying to get our luggage up there was a feat! We had the hardest time. Our bags were about 50lbs each and of course we all had 2! [We were going to be living there for several months, after all!]
Since I've been here, I've made a lot of new friends. I can point out cliques, but no one has been really mean [not at that point...but haha, I hope I wrote about one drama later on]. Today, Nikki and I went walking around the parts of the grounds. It was fun and a gorgeous day! There were a lot of kids and tourists out there. We took pictures of the castle, then we sat around on the hill surrounding the castle and did our homework [yes, I had A LOT of homework]. Vana and Emily joined us for a while, sitting outside our tower and then Nikki and I headed out to town, Alnwick [pronounced Ann-ick].
I fear my journaling is boring the first few weeks...but you'll stick with me until I get to the exciting stuff, like going to Paris, the London bombings, being in an Italian prison and staying in a Villa in Rome, right!?
May 26, 2005 (Thursday): 1:15pm
It's been a couple of days since I've had a chance to have any free time. Right now I am sitting on the grounds of Alnwick Castle. It is a beautiful day! The sun is out and there aren't a lot of clouds. I'm sitting right next to the Diana Tower [yes, there were towers], where I am currently living! I, unfortunately, live on the top level, also called "Upper Diana." My roommates, Lindsay, Rhea and I counted how many stairs we had to climb to get to our room. IT'S 95!!! This is a lot! My legs burn all the way up and trying to get our luggage up there was a feat! We had the hardest time. Our bags were about 50lbs each and of course we all had 2! [We were going to be living there for several months, after all!]
Since I've been here, I've made a lot of new friends. I can point out cliques, but no one has been really mean [not at that point...but haha, I hope I wrote about one drama later on]. Today, Nikki and I went walking around the parts of the grounds. It was fun and a gorgeous day! There were a lot of kids and tourists out there. We took pictures of the castle, then we sat around on the hill surrounding the castle and did our homework [yes, I had A LOT of homework]. Vana and Emily joined us for a while, sitting outside our tower and then Nikki and I headed out to town, Alnwick [pronounced Ann-ick].
I fear my journaling is boring the first few weeks...but you'll stick with me until I get to the exciting stuff, like going to Paris, the London bombings, being in an Italian prison and staying in a Villa in Rome, right!?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
I lived in a castle...no really, I did. The Harry Potter castle...
In 2005, I lived in England. I made some amazing friends there and miss it often. I was fortunate enough to live in a castle. Alnwick Castle. Alnwick was one amazing place! My castle was home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. Of course, they have several other homes, so I never actually saw them. I lived in the Diana Tower, upper Tower, which was a coveted location! Over the next few posts (or several posts), I am going to share my experiences, via my written journal.
I am quite excited to read what happened to me as many things are fading quickly, even if it has been only 6 years. My first post, is going to be about the language differences. Yes, I know, the English speak English. However, we all know some of the differences, such as the "lou" or "sloshed," but these are ones that you may not have heard of. The cultural differences are amazingly more complex than you would think. I hope you enjoy reliving my experiences with me!
I am quite excited to read what happened to me as many things are fading quickly, even if it has been only 6 years. My first post, is going to be about the language differences. Yes, I know, the English speak English. However, we all know some of the differences, such as the "lou" or "sloshed," but these are ones that you may not have heard of. The cultural differences are amazingly more complex than you would think. I hope you enjoy reliving my experiences with me!
Language Barriers between English speaking countries!
Alright, I chose to write down the differences between American English and British English. This list is in no way exhaustive, but it is a pretty decent list. I will list them as the American English word and then the British English word. Enjoy!
US : UK
Knock on Wood : Touch Wood
Ladybugs : Ladybirds
Take out : Take away
Pool Hall : Schnooker Club
Drunk : Sloshed
Bar : Pub
Soccer : Football
Yield : Give Way
Apartments : Flats
For Lease : For Let
Kiss my @$$ : Poke my hole
Cars : Motors
Cross Walk : Zebra Walk
Call someone : Ring someone
No Pulp : No Bits
Please come again : Please call again
Shopping Cart : Trolley
Tennis Shoes : Trainers
Oatmeal : Porridge
Sweater : Jumper
Bills : Notes
Steal : Knick
Truck : Lorries
Sofa : Setea
Car Trunk : Boots
Car Hood : Bonnets
Four Wheeler : Quad
Leash : Lead
Chips : Crisps
Line : Queue
Boccie Ball : Bowls
Band-Aids : Plasters
Cotton Candy : Floss Candy
So obviously, some of those are obvious ones, but some are pretty out there! Tomorrow (or next post), I'll post about my flight to Iceland and meeting some of my flatmates.
US : UK
Knock on Wood : Touch Wood
Ladybugs : Ladybirds
Take out : Take away
Pool Hall : Schnooker Club
Drunk : Sloshed
Bar : Pub
Soccer : Football
Yield : Give Way
Apartments : Flats
For Lease : For Let
Kiss my @$$ : Poke my hole
Cars : Motors
Cross Walk : Zebra Walk
Call someone : Ring someone
No Pulp : No Bits
Please come again : Please call again
Shopping Cart : Trolley
Tennis Shoes : Trainers
Oatmeal : Porridge
Sweater : Jumper
Bills : Notes
Steal : Knick
Truck : Lorries
Sofa : Setea
Car Trunk : Boots
Car Hood : Bonnets
Four Wheeler : Quad
Leash : Lead
Chips : Crisps
Line : Queue
Boccie Ball : Bowls
Band-Aids : Plasters
Cotton Candy : Floss Candy
So obviously, some of those are obvious ones, but some are pretty out there! Tomorrow (or next post), I'll post about my flight to Iceland and meeting some of my flatmates.
Long time, no see!
Ok, so I have been too busy to post...I'm sorry! I guess I will give you an update from the past few months.
1) I walked in the American Heart Association's Start! Heart Walk. I was co-captain of a team that raised $5,641.21! I personally raised $1,163.24! It is a great cause and I encourage everyone to donate or volunteer next year!
2) I was an American Heart Association All-Star again this year, for those who raise over $1,000, so I got to walk on the track at Target Field in the pre-game ceremonies on June 9th. It was awesome, just as it was last year! Here's my post about my day -
1) I walked in the American Heart Association's Start! Heart Walk. I was co-captain of a team that raised $5,641.21! I personally raised $1,163.24! It is a great cause and I encourage everyone to donate or volunteer next year!
2) I was an American Heart Association All-Star again this year, for those who raise over $1,000, so I got to walk on the track at Target Field in the pre-game ceremonies on June 9th. It was awesome, just as it was last year! Here's my post about my day -
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| Part of my Team...we had 50 people! |
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| My buddy, TC, at the Heart Walk |
 |
| Walking on the Warning Track at Target Field |
 |
| Hey! That's me! |
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| TC tried to steal me away... |
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| Walking on the track next to Harmon's signature! |
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| The ball Mark got during batting practice! |
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