Life Across The Pond

'Ello all!  This is a warning that, from now on, there is absolutely no way I can cover everything that happens in a day in one post.  My schedule has been "mental" (I'm going to attempt to drop as many British phrases as possible in this entry)  and I haven't even begun classes yet.  Yesterday, my first full day in Canterbury, was much fuller and more successful than I had anticipated.  I began the day early, 7:30 a.m. their time... 2:30 a.m. for most of yours.  Fortunately, the jet lag hasn't proven to be too horrible, perhaps it's the excitement. 

Anyway, I had a "college" meeting straight away in the morning.  Each student here is a University of Kent student, but they break everyone into separate "colleges" so that there are smaller groups wherein we are able to seek advice easier and have access to certain places and people on campus.  I was placed in Eliot College... named after one of my favorite poets, T.S. Eliot!  Quite exciting.  I left about a half hour early and made it just on time.  I thought I had been to the central campus already, but alas, I had not.  After crossing a main road and stopping at every post to read the maps and signs, I decided the meeting probably wasn't too important and decided to wander... my attention was caught by a unique building with a courtyard in the middle, and in the middle of the courtyard, a palm tree - which I found rather out of place, so of course I went to explore and luckily, this was the very building I was supposed to be in!  Kent does an excellent job of directing you through maps and signs, but only one side of their buildings are marked, so sometimes it's not clear whether you're in the right place.  The meeting was short and to the point, but not very helpful.  I'm glad I went, though, because again I was able to meet lots of people.  A girl from Denmark asked where I was from and after my response said she's met three others from Indiana!  I've yet to run into them.

After that I stopped to register with the police and get a bus map.  I came terrified of public transportation because in Indiana you either drive to your destination or have someone else to drive you to your destination... buses and taxis exist, yes, but it's most common to have a car.  Walking and biking are difficult too, depending on where you are.  I was most lucky that Leigh Anne, a girl I'd been speaking with through Facebook, had already taken the bus several times, and was kind enough to come along with me to town as I needed to get groceries and a phone.  She also informed me that a bus pass for the entire year costs 150 pounds and takes you not only to Canterbury but also nearby cities - and the beach!  I'll certainly be picking up one of those today.  Before we left for town, we stopped at a poster sale on campus, with another American student, Nicole, where I picked up 3 posters for only 10 pounds... which most definitely gives my room a bit more character.

So, we hopped the bus and made our way to the center of town, which is "lush" and BEAUTIFUL beyond words, where we browsed the phone shops and I decided on a plan.  I have to get the phone today though, because they were out of the cheapest models (only 9 pounds!) yesterday.

We then met up with Catherine... an amazingly helpful and friendly student who is English and has been at "uni" for 3 years  - and studied abroad in the states last year!  She showed us one of her favorite stores, which I forget the name of, but is reasonably priced and reminds me of Forever 21.

After walking around a bit, we made our way to the Cathedral, which I plan to go back to several times because there is so much to see and students get in for free!  It was huge and gorgeous.  I took several pictures inside, but need to go back with my better camera so they turn out and do it justice!

After the visit to the Cathedral, we were quite hungry and Catherine introduced us to Wetherspoon's... an affordable (veggie burger, "chips" - which are french fries - and a pint for 3.99 pounds) PUB! Yes, my first meal out in England was at a genuine pub.  Oddly, they serve chip salsa instead of ketchup with your french fries.  I made myself try a Guiness which was manageable, with food anyway! 

With our bellies already full, Catherine asked if we'd be interested in trying out the best milkshakes in town... to which we delightfully agreed!  The place was called "Shake Shed" and they have absolutely ANY candy/candy bar/sweet you can imagine and crush it up into a shake... Of course, I had to try one of the many Cadbury selections and she was not lying, it was delicious.

When I found out I was able to bring my own bag (I have a huge military bag Deme let me borrow and they are very green here) to pack groceries in, I decided I could wait to get food and whatnot for another day and not have to deal with so many sacks on the ride home, so we headed back to the bus station... we were both thoroughly exhausted!

Once we returned, we took a quick break before heading to the Gulbenkian Theatre (please don't ask me to pronounce this) on campus for a Bar Quiz, which we thought would be a short, fun event but lasted nearly 3 hours!  It was fun, even though our group likely came in last!  I came back to the flat and felt like I could pass out cold, but instead sat online looking at upcoming events in the area for an hour or so before crashing.

I woke today (my 22nd birthday!) early and have another full day of meetings/inductions/shopping... I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow and explore campus, especially so I can get pictures for all of you!

Additional new-found knowledge includes: even adapters to electronics sometimes aren't enough, as I discovered this morning when my hairdryer began spitting flames, public transportation is perhaps one of my new favorite things, to call someone a "knob" is an insult that most people in the states would not get, "Snooker" is a popular pool-like sport across the pond, and as much of a music junkie as I am, there seems to be a growing list of English artists I have not heard of.

I'm so fortunate to have met up with Leigh Anne, it's great to have someone to get about campus with and makes it easier to meet other people as well... besides, we are both anxious to travel to some of the same places, and she enjoys the fact that we'll be here for Harry Potter just as much as I do :)

That's all for now... I've lots to do yet today!

Ta!
Aly