Last weekend, I basically did nothing the whole weekend. In my nothingness, it made me realize how much I not only miss Bethany, but I miss home a lot. I miss being at Bethany my second home. I miss all my friends and being able to hang out with them. I think that is what I miss the most and it’s not just my friends, but it’s all the faculty and staff at Bethany who are so amazing. I’ve grown accustom to seeing them every day. The flatness of Kansas…well maybe not so much…even though this might sound weird I do miss my five hour drive from Missouri to Kansas, and just being able to drive. I feel when I come back that I might not know how to drive anymore…but that’s just crazy…I hope.
Since fall is my favorite season I do miss all the different colors of the leaves when they change. The leaves are staring to change here…and I love it! Another thing I realize is that I didn’t know how much I would miss my dog. Everywhere I go I see a dog and it makes me miss my dog so much. Then, I’m tempted to go out and buy a dog and hide it in our room….but since I’m on the fifth floor that’s not very logical. I was telling my roommate all this the other day and she ask me if I regretted coming. I told her kind of, but not because I miss home, but because of my classes.
In my marketing and management class, I have the same teacher who reads directly from the PowerPoint which is available online. So I feel like I’m not learning anything yet, I mean it has been a month so I should have been able to retain something by now right? But I do hear that there are other professors here that are worse. My roommate is taking a class titled God, Suffering, and Evil (which I consider taking) and she told me that he came to class and told the class that he had a dream. God told him that he had to kill one student and started to reach into a basket. He was trying to prove a some sort of point, just not a good one. You don’t mess around with something like that. I don’t really regret coming here, I just wish I would have chosen different classes.
Tomorrow, I have my first test for British studies, I’m kind of nervous. They are giving us a two hour time limit though, which seems a little long. Then, it’s off to Ireland! It’s going to be a crazy adventure! We drive down to Wales to jump on a ferry at 2 am and get to Ireland at 6 am. It’s going to be fun and I’m ready for it!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Scotland
Last Thursday night was the mandatory meet-a-family reception. Everyone dressed up and we had a very nice meal. When the family’s arrived, they would meet up with their studies and then get their food and eat in the Long Gallery. My family wasn’t there that night, so they sat me with another family whose students weren’t able to make it, because they had left for an independent travel.
Friday, I got up early for a six hour bus ride to Edinburgh, Scotland. We did make one stop to eat our sacked lunches provided by the school, but those consist of butter and cheese sandwiches so we opted for fast food. When we arrived in Edinburgh, we went on a whisky tour. The first part of it is a ride in a plastic barrel were you learned about the making process, and then it was off to a room to learn about different whiskies from different regions of the country. We were able to choose which kind of whisky from various regions we wanted to try. I don’t remember the name of the kind I had, but it was really nasty and I ended up pouring the rest out! Oh, we also received a free whisky glass. After the tour, we stopped to eat at a Mexican food place, which was amazing! Then it was back to the hotel to figure out what we would do that night. A lot of people wanted to go on a ghost tour, and I really wanted to do it, too…but I just felt like I couldn’t put myself in that position to be attacked, or to have anything follow me back. So I stayed behind with a few other girls, and watched TV.
The next morning, we got up early to climb Arthur’s seat which is a really steep hill/mountain. Then, it was off to Edinburgh Castle, which was overpriced. Anyways, Edinburgh Castle is where Queen Mary of Scots lived until the reformation. As the story goes… Mary was forced to leave the country after her one year old son was kidnapped, so he could be raised as protestant instead of Roman Catholic. She fled to England to live with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Mary plotted to kill Queen Elizabeth, so that she could be Queen of England. Elizabeth found out about Mary’s plans had her exiled to a tower in Scotland and then Mary was beheaded.
After a couple hours at the castle we went shopping near our hotel. For dinner we went to Pizza Hut. Yes, they have Pizza Hut in Scotland! After dinner we were going to go on a literary pub tour, but the man selling tickets wouldn’t let one of the girls in because her only form of ID was a student ID. Plan B - we would go to a comedy club, but it was a little pricey. So we went back to the hotel, and ordered a bottle of wine.
The next morning it was back to Harlaxton. On our return trip, we stopped at the border to get a group photo. After that, we went to Hadrian’s Wall, built by the Romans. Our next stop, Durham. By this point in the trip, none of us were too excited about going. We just wanted to get back to the manor. I walked around and got something to eat.
Monday felt like it went really slow. Tuesday a fire alarm went off in the Carriage House, because someone left their curling iron on. Then it was off to volleyball practice, and toward the end of that, the fire alarm went off again.
Today I met with my family and we went to the Belton House. It was really pretty, and parts of the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice were shot there. This weekend I don’t have much of anything planned. The next weekend though is our long weekend to Ireland!!!
Friday, I got up early for a six hour bus ride to Edinburgh, Scotland. We did make one stop to eat our sacked lunches provided by the school, but those consist of butter and cheese sandwiches so we opted for fast food. When we arrived in Edinburgh, we went on a whisky tour. The first part of it is a ride in a plastic barrel were you learned about the making process, and then it was off to a room to learn about different whiskies from different regions of the country. We were able to choose which kind of whisky from various regions we wanted to try. I don’t remember the name of the kind I had, but it was really nasty and I ended up pouring the rest out! Oh, we also received a free whisky glass. After the tour, we stopped to eat at a Mexican food place, which was amazing! Then it was back to the hotel to figure out what we would do that night. A lot of people wanted to go on a ghost tour, and I really wanted to do it, too…but I just felt like I couldn’t put myself in that position to be attacked, or to have anything follow me back. So I stayed behind with a few other girls, and watched TV.
The next morning, we got up early to climb Arthur’s seat which is a really steep hill/mountain. Then, it was off to Edinburgh Castle, which was overpriced. Anyways, Edinburgh Castle is where Queen Mary of Scots lived until the reformation. As the story goes… Mary was forced to leave the country after her one year old son was kidnapped, so he could be raised as protestant instead of Roman Catholic. She fled to England to live with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Mary plotted to kill Queen Elizabeth, so that she could be Queen of England. Elizabeth found out about Mary’s plans had her exiled to a tower in Scotland and then Mary was beheaded.
After a couple hours at the castle we went shopping near our hotel. For dinner we went to Pizza Hut. Yes, they have Pizza Hut in Scotland! After dinner we were going to go on a literary pub tour, but the man selling tickets wouldn’t let one of the girls in because her only form of ID was a student ID. Plan B - we would go to a comedy club, but it was a little pricey. So we went back to the hotel, and ordered a bottle of wine.
The next morning it was back to Harlaxton. On our return trip, we stopped at the border to get a group photo. After that, we went to Hadrian’s Wall, built by the Romans. Our next stop, Durham. By this point in the trip, none of us were too excited about going. We just wanted to get back to the manor. I walked around and got something to eat.
Monday felt like it went really slow. Tuesday a fire alarm went off in the Carriage House, because someone left their curling iron on. Then it was off to volleyball practice, and toward the end of that, the fire alarm went off again.
Today I met with my family and we went to the Belton House. It was really pretty, and parts of the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice were shot there. This weekend I don’t have much of anything planned. The next weekend though is our long weekend to Ireland!!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Long Weekend...Lincoln!
This weekend was really nice because I was able to relax. Thursday, I had volleyball practice and after that I was starving! Have I mentioned that the food here is not the best? Well, it’s not getting any better! So my roommate and I ordered pizza and watched The Wedding Date.
On Friday, we had a mandatory trip for our British Studies class. We went to Lincoln, which is only 30 minutes from Harlaxton Village. In Lincoln, there is the Lincoln Cathedral and the Lincoln Castle. Both were built in the time period that we are currently studying in British studies. We spent the whole day there and towards the end, we were able to visit all the little shops. Most of them are down a street called Steep Hill. Let me tell you, walking down Steep Hill is the easiest part; coming back up not as much!
Saturday, most of the students who didn’t go on the day trip to Cambridge had a lot of reading to do. So, during the morning, I went into town to buy my Meet-A-Family some flowers. Then, I skyped with my mom before working on my homework. In the afternoon, my roommate and I decided that we would watch another movie. Afterwards, we decided to go out to Grantham to see the nightlife.
Short recap of the beginning of my week…Sunday we reserved for more studying and some lounging around. Oh how I despise Mondays morning lectures at 8:30! Tuesday, I meet with my Meet-A-Family. They picked me up for dinner at their house. It was probably one of the best meals I’ve had since I’ve been here!
Today, I had a test in my British studies class. (It wasn’t super hard like everyone thought it was going to be). And I’ve gone into town to get some food for my room. This weekend I’m excited to go to Edinburgh, Scotland, and to also hang out with some new friends.
On Friday, we had a mandatory trip for our British Studies class. We went to Lincoln, which is only 30 minutes from Harlaxton Village. In Lincoln, there is the Lincoln Cathedral and the Lincoln Castle. Both were built in the time period that we are currently studying in British studies. We spent the whole day there and towards the end, we were able to visit all the little shops. Most of them are down a street called Steep Hill. Let me tell you, walking down Steep Hill is the easiest part; coming back up not as much!
Saturday, most of the students who didn’t go on the day trip to Cambridge had a lot of reading to do. So, during the morning, I went into town to buy my Meet-A-Family some flowers. Then, I skyped with my mom before working on my homework. In the afternoon, my roommate and I decided that we would watch another movie. Afterwards, we decided to go out to Grantham to see the nightlife.
Short recap of the beginning of my week…Sunday we reserved for more studying and some lounging around. Oh how I despise Mondays morning lectures at 8:30! Tuesday, I meet with my Meet-A-Family. They picked me up for dinner at their house. It was probably one of the best meals I’ve had since I’ve been here!
Today, I had a test in my British studies class. (It wasn’t super hard like everyone thought it was going to be). And I’ve gone into town to get some food for my room. This weekend I’m excited to go to Edinburgh, Scotland, and to also hang out with some new friends.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Pictures of my trip to London
Me in London!
The Eye - too bad the line was so long!
Parliament - so much history!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
London Calling
I left for London on Friday morning to embark on an almost three hour ride on a coach. On the way there, we stopped at a huge truck stop to eat lunch and then it was back on the coach where we remained to a tour around the city. When the tour ended, we were free to do whatever we wanted. Katherine, Jennifer and I went up to our room to unpack, and then decided to find our way to Leicester Square to buy tickets to see Wicked! It took us about thirty minutes just to walk there because of the numerous stops to ask people how to get where we were going. We bought tickets for Friday night. We knew it would take almost an hour to find our way to the theatre, so had to basically run back to the hotel to get ready for the musical. It was amazing! I would go see it again if I had the chance. Afterwards, we went to an Italian restaurant and they had some pretty great food.
The next morning we got up early to see the sights. Our first (intended) stop was Buckingham Palace, but we didn’t know how we were going to get there. We didn’t want to take a cab because we knew it would cost too much, so we bought a bus pass and jumped on a bus. Later, we found out that the bus we got on was not the bus we wanted. However, we didn’t realize this until we were sitting on the bus for almost an hour when it started to go to the suburbs of London. So we got off and jumped on a bus that took us back into town.
Our first stop was in front of the British Museum. We decided to get a hotdog from a vendor and eat it on the steps of the museum. We also fed the pigeons while we there, but got in trouble so we had to stop. The day was getting long so we finally broke down and decided to take a cab and walk the rest of the way. The cab ended up being £10 ($17) so it wasn’t that bad between the three of us.
Finally, we arrived at Buckingham Palace. We walked down to the London Eye, which we were going to go up in, but there was a super long line. Down by the Eye are a lot of street performers - some of them were good and others were not. Then, we took a quick walk across the bridge to see Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey.
By dinner time, we were all tired. We headed to the hotel to take a nap and then we went out to eat Indian food. It was my first time experiencing Indian food and I didn’t really like what I had. A lot of the students were going out to some clubs down by Leicester Square, but we were all really tired so we decided to stay in.
On Sunday, we stopped at Hampton Court where King Henry VIII and also William and Mary lived. It was in London but it took us an hour just to get there! We spent some time roaming through the castle and grounds. Then it was back to the manor, which was nice because I was ready to relax!
When Monday’s classes rolled around, I was so tired and glad when I had a chance to take a nap before my last class. Tuesday, I started volleyball practice. I’m excited to play a sport; I miss it. Today, I have a briefing for a trip to Lincoln this Friday, which is required for my British Studies class. I also plan on watching a soccer game at a local pub with some friends; but who knows I have an all floor meeting and there was a fire drill at seven this morning…it was rough.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Pictures!!!
Group from Bethany at President's Dinner 
Me with my roommate, Katherine
For the next few months, my home!My First Week in England
I’ve made it!! I’m here in England, and the past couple of days have been crazy. Last Thursday seemed like the longest ever and that continued into Friday morning when we were suppose to land thirty minutes early, but the pilot had to circle for that time, so I arrived into London at 7 a.m.
It took me an hour to get through customs. Then, it was off to get my bags and make my way towards terminal 3, which I had to take a train to reach. I met with my group and it was about a two hour ride to the manor.
When I arrived, I found my room...on the top floor so that means a lot of stairs! At lunch, I quickly came to the realization that the food in the refectory is very bland. Dare I say I miss the caf!
I wondered the grounds and the manor with Tim, Emily and Nicole, and eventually made my way back to my room to meet my roommate for the first time. Her name is Katherine and she goes to Texas Women’s University (TWU) in Denton, Texas. She had a friend named Jenifer who came with her from TWU and she went to high school with someone from Bethany College. It’s crazy! It shows you how small the world really is. We realized that we have many things in common and we were both glad that we got someone we clicked with to make this experience even more memorable.
After dinner, we had a class with our British Studies professor in which we just talked about the articles we were assigned before we even arrived. On Saturday, we had more orientation activities, but we were able to go shopping in Grantham in the afternoon. Then, we had the president's high dinner! Everyone dressed up for the lavish event. Soon after the dinner, Katherine and I and a few other friends went into Grantham to see what the nightlife was like, and had a fun time. There is a bar on campus called The Bistro and a lot of the faculty are there, so it’s weird to go and to see your professor having a drink. Sunday, we participated in more orientation events and bought books.
On Monday, like Bethany students, we started classes. All students begin their Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the great hall where we have lecture for our British Studies class. Then, I have British Studies class at 11-noon and my next class isn’t until 4:10.
Sickness is flying around here and it seems to have found me and my roommate. We bought a box of tissues on Saturday and we finished them on Monday. We are thinking about going to the nurse tomorrow to get some medicine.
I Skyped with my mom today, but I had to wait up until 11 so she could be home from work. I’m not that homesick though, I think it’s because I’m use to it. When I go to Bethany, I am five hours from my house. I don’t think I have really adjusted to time yet though.
This weekend is I am headed to London. I am excited! My adventure has officially begun...
It took me an hour to get through customs. Then, it was off to get my bags and make my way towards terminal 3, which I had to take a train to reach. I met with my group and it was about a two hour ride to the manor.
When I arrived, I found my room...on the top floor so that means a lot of stairs! At lunch, I quickly came to the realization that the food in the refectory is very bland. Dare I say I miss the caf!
I wondered the grounds and the manor with Tim, Emily and Nicole, and eventually made my way back to my room to meet my roommate for the first time. Her name is Katherine and she goes to Texas Women’s University (TWU) in Denton, Texas. She had a friend named Jenifer who came with her from TWU and she went to high school with someone from Bethany College. It’s crazy! It shows you how small the world really is. We realized that we have many things in common and we were both glad that we got someone we clicked with to make this experience even more memorable.
After dinner, we had a class with our British Studies professor in which we just talked about the articles we were assigned before we even arrived. On Saturday, we had more orientation activities, but we were able to go shopping in Grantham in the afternoon. Then, we had the president's high dinner! Everyone dressed up for the lavish event. Soon after the dinner, Katherine and I and a few other friends went into Grantham to see what the nightlife was like, and had a fun time. There is a bar on campus called The Bistro and a lot of the faculty are there, so it’s weird to go and to see your professor having a drink. Sunday, we participated in more orientation events and bought books.
On Monday, like Bethany students, we started classes. All students begin their Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the great hall where we have lecture for our British Studies class. Then, I have British Studies class at 11-noon and my next class isn’t until 4:10.
Sickness is flying around here and it seems to have found me and my roommate. We bought a box of tissues on Saturday and we finished them on Monday. We are thinking about going to the nurse tomorrow to get some medicine.
I Skyped with my mom today, but I had to wait up until 11 so she could be home from work. I’m not that homesick though, I think it’s because I’m use to it. When I go to Bethany, I am five hours from my house. I don’t think I have really adjusted to time yet though.
This weekend is I am headed to London. I am excited! My adventure has officially begun...
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