Week Three

So I’ve been in England for about three weeks now. It has been flying by, as to be expected. I’ve already seen and learned a lot in my short time here, and it’ll be difficult to remember all of what I’ve done, but of course I have to give it a shot.

My first week here went by at a lightning fast pace. The plane was delayed two hours, which caused everything to be a bit rushed. As soon as I arrived in Heathrow Airport we were whisked away into a coach bus and made way on a 3 hour journey to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. On the bus we were told what the plans for the week were and we were handed our keys and our first week stipend (70 pounds). Upon arrival we had the rest of the evening day to ourselves (we arrived at about 10 30 am), except for a few meetings. We were then given Friday as well to recover from jet lag, which I’m still not sure if I’ve even gotten over yet. Then Saturday we left for Cornwall.

We spent the weekend in Cornwall taking in the sights and sounds of the area. We visited St. Michaels Mount, which is a castle on a patch of land right off the coast. We took a boat over and explored the castle and its surroundings while on a guided tour. We also visited a Tudor house in Cothele. This turned out to be quite interesting as had been around for ages and contained a lot of history. Throughout the weekend we stayed in a beachfront hotel in Perranpourth which offered amazing views from the rooms. Here I bought some of my first drinks by taking advantage of the more liberal drinking age (I’ve determined my favorite beer so far to be Stella Artois).

On our visit we also stopped at St. Ives, a small fishing village, and The Eden Project, which is a sustainable environmental area that contains biodomes that recreate a small rainforest as well as other environmentally conscious projects. I found these places to be quite interesting, although I was hurting for some relaxation and time to sleep in my own room in Cheltenham.

Upon out return, the other british students moved into Regency Hall, and I spent most of the following week getting to know them. They have turned out to be quite wonderful. There’s Stephen, a purple-haired, boisterous happy-go-lucky guy,  Munya a jolly but competitive Zimbabwean, Ellie, a timid girl with a love of punk rock, Georgia, an outgoing film officienado and Ryan a suave yet mischievous football player. Honestly I don’t think I could come up with such a unique cast of characters. The best thing is that they are all so nice.

I’m now in my second week of classes and have been getting closer and closer to fully adjusting to British life. There have already been ups and downs, as I’ve learned some cultural differences, and have been working towards making friends. Cheltenham is beautiful and offers so much to do in comparison to my old homelife. There are plenty of shops and nightlife, and it is quite refreshing. Luckily it isn’t as busy as cities like London, which can sometime be overwhelming.

Personally, I am absolutely thrilled to be where I am. I am finding people with common interests and I have been eating up the music scene out here. I haven’t met one mean-spirited person yet. As to be expected, some things are different. Bonds will take longer to form as cultural gaps are surmounted. Some expectations have to be changed. But overall, I couldn’t be happier.

For those interested in my journey, keep a look out for future posts.

Oh and my favorite british phrases so far have to be:

“Sorted” (which is used when plans have been finalized) and “Can’t be bothered” (which would be said when you are uninterested in something.)