Writtings from England

Alright, it's been a few days, sorry for the delay. Nothing really has been going on except from the typical daily drama and school.

Friday abunch of our group is going to Whistable, it's about 15 minutes outside of Canterbury. Then that night we're having a 'girls night out' and going to a local pub on high street called 'The Cuban' they play salsa music, it seems like it should be a fun time. Then we're hitting up Chicago's which is about a 10 minute walk away. The guys are staying in and having some weird mocho man thing...whatever. They wern't invited anyway.

Saturday we're leaving at 8am and taking a train to Brighton, it's a city about 4 hours away from Canterbury and seems interesting! I'll have to post pictures. Then...this weekend, as everyone should be aware, it's Superbowl Sunday. What better way to spend a Sunday night until 4am watching the football game in England?!! So that's the plan, should be an eventful evening!

Ok So the pictures...They are just pics of the group, and one of the local scenery. I hope everyone enjoys!!

ok just kidding, it's not letting me. I hope I can still upload pics!! That would be such a bummer.

Cheers!

p.s. love everyone, and i hope everyone is safe and healthy.

So not a lot has been going on really. Everyone is starting to bounce back and we're having fun again!! Haha. Friday we went to Dover Castle and the secret wartime tunnels. It was sooooo awesome! The castle was cool, a huge old stone building. But the most amazing part was the wartime tunnels. Just hearing all the history behind them was awesome. We went through where the barraks were, the hospital, the offices. It was so neat! I couldn't take pictures of the tunnels but I bought a book about it and it shows a ton of pictures. I did take pictures of the castle though, so I'll post a few of those for all to see!

Last night we just went to a friends house for her 'suprise' party that she found out about. So it wasn't a suprise, but it was a lot of fun. We met somemore locals.

I bought a pair of boots, everyone here wears boots with their pants tucked in. I thought it was just a fashion thing, but no they actually have logic! All of my pants are going to get ruined from the mud and rain! They are really cute and I got them on sale. I got a new hate to that covers my ears and is really cute. Makes me feel like I don't stick out as much like a crazy American.

Granny- your last comment made me tear up. Thank you. I'm less homesick now, it's easier when you get regular correspondance and updates from home. I feel like Im missing out but still kind of included I guess. And it helps to know I'm missed back home as much as I miss you guys. Were going to Ediboughor (sp?) and York. There's a huge itinerary that I'll have to post later. There's ghost walks too that we want to do. It should be a lot of fun!

Aunt Dot, please tell uncle Jim that I've been trying all sorts of beers, but my favorite is their cider. Budweiser is all I can find from back home and they compare it to Natural Light...hahaha. Mostly everyone drinks Fosters. They sell two liter bottles of beer too, weird! The cider is the best, I'll have to somehow bring some home for you to try.

Uncle Robbie- You're a hoot. I love your messages and I always read them outloud for everyone to hear. You are crazy. I will most def send my love to Hermoine.

OH THAT REMINDS ME! My school is right next to the Kings School. It's this really ritzy private school and it reminds me exactly of Harry Potter. They even dress like it!!!! It's so awesome. I want to ask one of them if they know Harry Potter, but I don't want to offend anyone.

Well all, I have to be going. It's a beautiful day outside and I need to soak it in, next week could be dreadful.

Cheers!

Well it's official, I'm going to Scotland the weekend of my birthday. That's pretty much the best birthday present ever. We booked yesturday, February 15-17.

The last couple of days everyone in our group have all been pretty bummed. I'm not really sure of the reason, but I think homesickness is playing a big part. We've all been sulking around being lame and sad. Today on my walk to school (like two miles by the way, so much so I'm loosing weight and my pants don't fit anymore!!) I was thinking to myself about how freakin real this is! Sometimes I forget I'm not back at home, I'm in ENGLAND! I wake up every morning forgetting where I am, and usually sad when I realize I'm not in my bed, but then I think about how I'm in England and well, bounce back. It's a lot harder to be away from home for three months than I ever imagined it to be. There's a lot of adjusting to there way of life, but I'm a lot less stressed with not having to work for three months!

School is going well. I love Modern Britain and our Films studies class. British History is a bore, and World Religion is kind of interesting. We took Eastern Traditions...so we're learning abut Buddhism and Hinduism, it's interesting but hard to follow sometimes. The guy who teaches it is deffinatly German and hard to understand sometimes.

Everyone always says 'cheer' here, like as a good bye or thank you. My homestay mom always calls everyone darling, I find it kind of cute! She has three weeks left of work and then 11 more weeks before the baby is due. I guess I forgot to mention she's pregnant?! Wayyyy pregnant. She looks as though she's growing a small toddler in her stomach!
Tomorrow we're going to the Dover castle on the coast, I'm so excited to see a castle!!! I love it here, with all the history. However, it's way more expensive than at home. Everyone is very nice and understanding, but sometimes I just don't talk so that they don't ask me where I'm from. I get that atleast a few times a day.

Well guys and gals...I have to be going now. Cheers!

I'm sitting here, writting a paper on why Archbishop Thomas Becket's death was so important to England and Canterbury. I'm not coming up with anything so I thought I would start with a little creative writting here on this very blog.

Yesturday...nothing significant happened. I have now 4 blisters on my feet, and yet again another ice cold shower. Showering is almost a chore now. Last night we went to the Student Union after metting up with some friends at the Penny. I got some envelopes so I can write home, but still waiting on those stamps. The line was ridiculously long so I decided against it. Hopefully today we'll have better luck.
At the Student Union it was 80s for 80p. Which means they played 80s music and the bar served all drinks for 80p (pence/cents)My new favorite beer is Blackhorn. It's fruity. All the Illinois group came too. They are an interesting bunch.
Tonight we'll probably go to the Student Union for the annual comedy night, but then almost all of us have papers due tomorrow...so that will be occupying our evening.

Well I owe a thank you to everyone who helped me come here, it's been awesome so far and can only get better. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm so glad that everyone could help! I hope that these blogs are sufficient, if anyone has any queries just type them up. I learn new things everyday.

Well have to go get started on that paper. I'll write again soon!

Alright fellow Americans:

Schmitty is my friend Jessica. She was sitting her while I was contemplating a name for this entry. She's much like myself and extremely witty.

Ok so the other night we went to our Mentor's house for dinner, it was a riot. When we all get together it's like we've known each other all our lives. We were eating spaghetti with our white wine and afterwards we started a round of "row, row, row your boat" it was a hoot. Then Schmitty took me on a tour of the house, including the cabnet under the stairs where Arry Potter is kept (Harry Potter to those of you who are not British!) It's halarious. I'll have to figure out a way to put videos on here.

Then we went to a local pub and decided to just make it a pub crawl (literal). I swear we wern't even drinking that much, me just thought it would be halarious if we were crawling on the ground. Then we went to the Penny Theatre (another local pub) and hung out with some local Brits. They are very nice and interesting people. Then we got kicked out becuase they closed at midnight and everyone just went home. It was a great time.

Ok, so remember mom how you got me that converter?! I finally used it for my straightner...I tried to look decent for a night and guess what happened...there was a little pop and then smoke. I blew up the converter. Oops. The outlet is fine, but the converter blew up. So I guess I have two options, either I deal with nasty windblown curly hair, or I just go buy a straightner. I have to figure out what is more important to me.

Well I have to go to class, Vietnam. Yay. Lets hope it's interesting about about the war...and not the country. I'll write more later!

xoxo

If anyone would like to write traditionally...

Jessica Harrington
Ag46
Canterbury Christ Church
North Holme Rd.
Canterbury Kent CT1 1QU

(write on the package that it's for a full time student at christ church university...this is only if you want to send a package. It goes to the International Students Office...so no suprise packages or I wont know I got it. Just write me an email, or on here and I'll look out for it.)

Jessica Harrington
85 Cherry Drive
Canterbury Kent CT2 8ER

(that's to write letters)

Ok it's Saturday and my family left. I don't really have anything to do today so I just met up with my friend Jill and we went to the Royal Museum/library on High Street. It was kind of cool, nothing super spectacular though. We did eat at this amazing pub about a 10min walk from my house called the Unicorn. The food was delicious and extremely reasonable.

Last night was fun, we went the the Penny Theatre for Kellyanne's birthday bash where tons of people showed up. We had some great/halarious conversations with the Brits. (some regarding the better superhero between Batman and Superman...we all know Superman is better.)
Then we decided to go to this local club called Baabars, it was interesting. The people are just like Americans and like to skank it up at the clubs. I left early and just went home to bed. The club was pretty small and by the time I left I could barely even walk around there were so many people!!

Ok, also one thing I noticed was that they don't have speed limit signs! This would have saved me plenty back in the states (they call it the states, or just America) They are all speed demons here, I would so fit in. Only the streets are really confusing and they also don't have street signs. If you're asking for directions they say to walk about 5min then turn right then make a left at some landmark. These people are extremely directionally challenged. I fit in great!

Tonight our mentor is having us over for dinner, spaghetti!!!! It's free and simple, the best kind of meal!

Oh and no Chris I did not look for a fanny pack, that's something they told us incase we wanted one. However, why would I ever want to look like an idiot and ruin my great fashion sense?! Just Kidding, they were saving us embarrassement I guess...people have asked for one.

Alrighty everyone...here you go with another long post.

Last night we all went to the Student Union again for Open Mic Night after we had dinner with our mentor. He's a riot, he's german and crazy. We all have pay as you go phones now and he finally got one, so he was calling us while we were at open mic night. Obviously is was loud and he was calling all of us so we would have his number, but since we figured that out we just kept answering and messing with him. It was pretty halarious.

I've been sick the past couple of days in this god forsaken country...just kidding, but the weather really does suck sometimes. Walking around in the wind and raid is a bummer...and well, as given me a bit of a nasty cold. I'm getting better now, probably because I passed it to my friend Sarah.

(While I'm writting this in the student center, there is this really nice and cool british guy that we hung out with one night who has a very thick cockney accent...therefore I only understand when he's cursing. Today he wasn't very happy with something, so I understood him quite well.)

Anyway, it's so much fun here, today we took a tour of Canterbury to the St.Augestine's Abbey ruins and the Canterbury Cathedral (I have so many pictures, I'll have to sort through them and figure out which ones to post.) The cathedral is gorgeous and some of the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen. Tonight we're 'pub hopping' for our new friend Kellyann's birthday. She's really a student here, but kind of another one of our mentors. She's really nice and always goes out with us.

Mom- they drop our post off at the house in a little slot...kind of like old town st. charles.

Granny- there keyboards are different at school...just the placement of buttons, like the at button isn't on top, it's by the enter button...but yes I can use my laptop (and have quite a bit, thank god I brought it) and yes I use my regular email, I forget about the school email address. No one sends me anything there anyway.

Uncle Robbie- I read everyone your message and they think you're crazy, yes...you are in fact my fav. uncle, but don't you dare tell anyone else that (even if I did post this for the whole world to see.)

Ok well I'll have to post more later. I'm getting tired of typing, and I'm on the school computers so I can't upload the pictures. That will have to be later.

Love everyone and I enjoy recieving your messages on here, I hope this makes it easier for everyone to know what's going on and to be updated!!

So I thought making a blog would be simpler than writting e-mails, and then everyone can see what's going on, along with pictures!

School is ok, obviously it's school...so there's a lot of studying involved. The professors are all really nice, but you don't actually call them professors here. You call them lectures. There are so many differences that you wouldn't even think about.
1)The call bandaids plasters, this would have been useful and saved myself many weird and awkward looks had I known. Everyone was very confused.
2)Don't ever ask for a fanny pack or they will direct you to the feminine product area.
3)You don't have to tip here, which means what you pay is what you pay...nothing extra!!
4)A fag is a cigarette, not necessarily a dorogitory term for queer or gay person. We found that out at the pub last night.
5)Don't ask for sweatpants or they will think you have some weird fungal infection on your bum and direct you to the fungal creams.

Basically, the country is different. The keyboards are slightly different, they have a bar on campus, the main night for going out is on Wednesdays, everyone walks everywhere. They are very style conscious here which is pretty neat. It was incredibly difficult to figure out how to flush the toilet. There showers are different and have much lower water pressure. The country has made a huge push towards going green so there is significantly less water used, and hand dryers everywhere and no papertowels. Everyone recycles. Also...they don't have mailboxes, it's just a little red postbox at street corners.

The town is very small and compact, everyone walks for course, and it's extremely safe. The people are very nice, but they don't say 'excuse me' if they need to get passed, they just go for it. Also...the doors are on opposite sides, it mimics the streets. People drive on the opposite side of the street than we do, and their in and out doors are switched to mimic that, weird right?! It's very confusing sometimes.

The funniest thing so far is that all of us Americans have noticed that we are all picking up an english accent and some of their words. We're surrounded by it, so sometimes things just slip out. It's really funny.

I better be going, I'll write more soon...this is just an intro!

Love everyone and I hope everyone is safe and doing well.