UPDATE! First Week O'Classes!!!

Soooo, it's been one week since my last post! Time for an update!

Last time we spoke was at the end of Fresher's Week here on campus! I'd have to say this was the longest week ever! I was so anxious for classes to begin and I was meeting tons of new people, getting to know the party-schedule on the other side of the ocean and I was trying to get accustomed to campus life out here. It's weird because, the more I interact and get to know better the students here on campus, the more I believe that there really is a "college culture" that connects students all around the globe to certain interests and needs. Even 3,000 miles away from North Central, I couldn't help but notice that activities, events and interactions here reminded me of things at North Central that I've encountered over the past 3, going on 4 years . . . it really does make the experience a more profitable, enjoyable experience to know that I am connected to home through these common interests :)

One thing I am thrilled to say I had the opportunity to do was visit Cambridge this past Sunday. What a humbling experience let me tell you. The enormity of the campus and multiple histories engrained in its being makes new visitors marvel - I felt inferior in every way, yet welcomed at the same time. I was able to walk through King's College (erected c. 1441), famous for its architectural link to King Henry VI and King Henry VIII. I visited Trinity College of Cambridge where people such as Sir Isaac Newton and the royal family have studied. I even saw an apple tree (same genetic family as the one responsible for Newton's discovery) which stands on the sight Newton once used for his laboratory. I also visited the college where Deoxyribonucleic acid was discovered in the late 1950s :) Every fiber of my being wanted to be a part of this university with its unique and rich cultural history. I watched students ride their bicycles from class to class, store to store and I wondered how proud they must be to be amongst such brilliant and exciting company, both historically and at the present time.

My favorite part of my visit to Cambridge I must say, though, was the small market in the center square that resembled what I think would be an old fashioned marketplace exchange. Little vending booths were laid out next to each other for patrons to visit and hopefully purchase goods. (It was almost like an arts and crafts fair to the extreme :P) -- There was one cart specifically that was selling used books, books worn with age and discolored. I rummaged through and found myself a 3rd generation copy of Jane Eyre published in 1926. This and, frankly, the entire setting at Cambridge was that of pure intellect. As Brigit said, it was "quintessentially England, quintessentially university life." I never wanted to leave and, hopefully, with the help of the university travelling club here on campus, I hope to revisit Cambridge before my return home.

On Monday this past week I attended my first lecture here at Essex. I was so nervous that I wouldn't fit in. I was worried that my college experience hadn't prepared me for what was to come, that the students here were going to far surpass my individual cognitive abilities. I was worried that I'd give American education a bad rep . . . after my first class, however, I began to feel a little more at ease. The classroom was very similar to those I was used to back home, at North Central, and I even met another American girl from Virginia who was feeling just as anxious as I had been.

As the professor began speaking, I noticed that although she had an accent comparable to a British accent, it wasn't the same. Turns out that my professor is Russian and moved to Britain shortly before the Berlin Wall came down to be with her husband - in fact, they were actually married the day it came down, 1989 :) Now, my class is called "Clash of the Superpowers" and deals only with the Cold War. Naturally as an American, I haven't had many opportunities to speak frankly about the Cold War with a person of Russian decent. This class I think will afford me that opportunity in a safe atmosphere where I need not worry about individuals taking offense. It isn't often that this kind of exchange occurs and therefore I think this experience will be very useful to my studies in history.

In terms of schoolwork, I don't really feel very intimidated anymore. I understand what has been asked of me - for each class I'm in I am expected to completed 2 essays. One to be submitted as coursework and one to take the place of the exam I will be missing because of my early departure. I currently have 8 hours of scheduled class time a week - 4 hours for lecture, 4 hours for seminar. I am expected to read immensely at all other times :) Each professor has given me a reading list extending to about 3 pages each - of this list I am expected to read some required text, but mostly I am to explore on my own to contribute to discussion and to prepare for the essay. I have to say - I AM SO BORED this week. I'm so used to doing so much more that I'm not really sure what I should be doing with my time right now. I understand that the English education system prides itself on "independent" study but I'm used to doing at least 3 5-page papers per class per term back home with reading and other coursework and assessments in between. What I don't like about this "independent" study is the lack of feedback. Each student turns in one written assignment at the end of the course. If the student has failed to fully grasp course concepts, they really aren't aware until the course is over. I am trying to keep an open mind, but experiencing this system makes me grateful for my own back home. In my opinion, our constant assessment isn't an indicator of "dependent" study. It's more of a reflection of the American perception of time and its elements. For students back home, this constant assessment ensures that one doesn't sit through 10 weeks of lectures just to find out they need to repeat the course. Not to mention, we really don't have all that many tests to begin with. We just try to tackle misunderstandings right away. Here, it seems that the only way to find out about your progress is to harrass the professor each week or every other week regarding your ideas because they can't look over anything (except for outlines) until the submission of your final paper :) We'll have to see if my opinion changes.

So that's really what I've been up to this week - securing my books, attending lectures and seminars, etc. I don't know what I'm planning to do this weekend, maybe go into town for the first time :) See what's going on over there!

I MISS EVERYONE BACK HOME!!!

Kisses,

Brittany

Up To The Present: FRESHER'S WEEK!

Fresher's Week at the University of Essex is a time when the University hosts several lectures (talks) during the day for students to attend either at their will or because it's compulsory (mandatory). In addition to this, the Student Union on campus (award-winning for it's massive size, organization and student venues) fully stretches its legs so that the newbies know what their campus has to offer, specifically, booze.

Let me explain the building in which I live. It's called Eddington Tower. There are currently 5 towers on campus, all at least 14 stories tall or greater. Each is either comprised of all freshman and international students, or 2nd years, freshman and international students. Each floor (corresponding as the flat of the floor number) has ceiling to floor windows, specifically in the kitchen which lies in the center of each flat and has a wall that literally is just windows, and each flat has students stripping, dancing, drinking and screaming in these windows from the hours after 6pm and before 6am. I'll just watch . . . Oh the joys of Fresher's Week!

On Monday, the 5th of October, I finished my shopping at Tesco's where I spent ENTIRELY way too much money, I attended the Intro to the University talk and the International Students Welcome. One was comparable to the convocation ceremony North Central holds for freshman when they first move in, so it really didn't apply much to me, and the other pretty much told us NOT to break International Law or we would be reported . . . . greatttttt. So, needless to say a visit to Flat 3 was in order. We spent the night talking to the residents of Flat 3 and we exchanged questions, beers, jokes, etc. Even started teaching them American alcohol games such as Beer Pong, Flippy Cup and Circle of Death.

Tuesday, October 6th was registration day! I finally got my University of Essex ID! I attended the Accomodation Induction talk (DO NOT START FIRES!) and I attended the Orientation for Study Abroad where I had my first real, genuine, English cup of tea! Haha! American refreshments at a school function = pop and pizza: in England = tea and biscuits (cookies)! Another night in Flat 3 after all of the formalities, lol. More joking, drinking and pizza!

Wednesday, October 7th was quite possibly the worst day I'll have here (let's hope)! My new laptop that I purchased specifically for this trip crashed. I called Dell and wasted 2 international calling cards for them to tell me my hard drive had crashed and they can't do anything until I get home (it took 11 transfered calls for this). In addition to this, I still had no internet connection in my room because I needed to register my netbook and you're only allowed one registered computer per each room. Because of my lack of internet, Matt and I were still talking on the phone at a rate of 99 cents a minute so my phone bill was racking up INSANE charges, my university access codes weren't working and I realized that this trip is going to be more than I can afford if the exchange rate remains so poor. Because my day was turning out so shitty, Brigit came down and canceled her plans (we were supposed to visit the local town, Wivenhoe Park, and go on two campus tours). She sat with me and waited while I got things straightened out. I paid my phone bill, credit card bill from Tescos (ick) and recharged my international phone card. Brigit made me a cup of tea (because it's what the English do to make someone feel better and to lend a listening ear) and I fell asleep on Brigit's bed. I slept a total of 18 hours that day. I was exhausted both emotionally and physically. This experience does take a tremendous toll on the body.

As of Thursday, October 8th, I was officially enrolled in all of my classes. I went to each department found my seminars and lecture times and made a timetable for my days here at Essex. I have class a total of 8 hours a week! THAT'S IT! I mean, of course I'll have oodles of writing and reading to do, but structured, pre-determined class time is at an all-time-low for me! AND, I don't have class on Fridays :) I also ate at a restaurant on campus called Mondo's -- realllllly good pasta and pizza. It's telling of just how bad The Cage really is ;) In addition to this, I also officially purchased my University of Essex hoodie (jumper) which is something I've been looking forward to doing since acceptance last spring! It's orange. Weird, right? Not what I would have thought, but I really like it :) I went to bed early this night after talking online to Matt via Skype for the first time. I missed his beautiful face :)

So that brings me to today. Tonight, October 9th, is supposed to be the Fresher's Ball. I'm not sure if I'm going to attend this or if I'm going to make a return trip to London to see a play at the Globe theater. We'll have to see what the day brings.

Now we're all caught up! Hopefully I can post daily or every other day from this point on. I miss everyone back home, I miss North Central! This blog is supposed to help! Write to me! I love anyone who's actually reading this!

KISSES,
Brittany

(Pic is of my dorm room so ya'll can picture where I am -- I'll get some campus pictures up soon -- Brigit, Katie and I had a photo shoot yesterday!)

October 4th! Leaving London, Off To Essex!

On Sunday I woke up at around 6:30am but had experienced a really restless night due to my excitement regarding my upcoming move to Essex. This was the breaking point -- I either would love Essex and my trip would be enhanced by it, or I'd hate it and the next few months were going to suck . . . After waking Brigit and Katie up, several times, we all finally made it downstairs for breakfast at the hostel. We still had about two hours until the taxi cab came to pick us up so we decided to walk to Tower Bridge and visit London Bridge on the way. Both display amazing architecture and are humbling to walk across but there really isn't much to do beside just that . . . walk. We decided to catch the Tube back to our hostel and we arrived just in time because the taxi was waiting. We checked out of the hostel and told the cabby where we needed to go.

The ride to Colchester took an amazing hour and a half. The entire time I was fascinated by the incorrect manner in which everyone was driving. Not only was everyone on the LEFT side of the road, but they were straddling lanes, there were little to no posted speed signs, ramps were marked .2mi before the exit and "roundabouts" are about the most dangerous thing I've ever seen . . . especially for pedestrians.

The cabby generally asked questions of us and what it's like for blah blah blah in America -- but what I found funny is his initial converstaion starter . . . George Bush. YES! Just what I wanted to talk about, perhaps the most embarrasing thing you can talk about with the English! So I cracked a joke and evaded the question . . . One thing interesting about the cab driver is that he demonstrates perfectly the immense difference between America and England. In America someone is considered diverse if they or their immediate family have traveled to America from a different country, plain and simple. In England, however, diversity takes on a whole new persona. The cab driver spoke 3 or 4 different languages (my guess) and was born in Pakistan, moved to Germany where he lived his childhood, has lived in various other parts of Europe during adulthood, and has finally settled in London. WOW! And this seems to be quite typical of many people living in England, specifically, London.

When we got to the University, it resembled much of what we had just passed along the side of the road on our travels. It was full of residencies but had so many hints of deep rural roots - the designs of houses, the grassy spaces between occupied houses, horses, etc. The cab driver dropped us off at the end of a large hill and wished us luck. It was at this point that I was nostalgic for my mom, my grandma . . . I remembered my first day of college back at North Central. My mom, grandma and my aunts/cousins were all there to help me move-in, to get lunch with us, to support us. But here at the University we were alone. Thank God for Katie and Brigit because I don't know what I would have done if I were standing there by myself knowing nothing about my surroundings, how to get home, how to communicate with a familiar voice, see a familiar face. Nothing. The only thing we knew we needed to do at that point was find a certain lecture hall to collect our keys.

We found a place to stash our luggage (near a Student Union member - you've got to hear about this Student Union - It's AMAZING!) and we made the treck to the longest "queue" (line) EVER! So many new students were checking in. I started to feel a little better at this point, however, because not only was a majority of the line nervous and fresh-faced, there were several more Student Union members smiling and checking-in on all the newbies. FINALLY, after we retrieved our keys and went back to our luggage and made it to our dorm down the largest hill ever . . . I got to my flat. I got off the elevator (lift) went to open my door with what looks like a hotel swipe key AND . . . the door didn't open. My key wasn't working very well. I went all the way back downstairs, grabbed a member of staff and she fixed my key, showed me to my room, tried to open my door to the single I'd be occupying AND . . . the key didn't work. The battery was dying in my key deck . . . finally she opened the door and I saw my space. It was cold and unwelcoming so I got right to unloading my stuff. I needed to make it my own before I could get any more depressed.

After I managed to unpack all of my things, I started to feel a little better about my situation. Things were going wrong left and right but I was so in over my head with new culture and excitement that I kept my head up as much as I could trying to make the most of my experience. Up to this point, not only did I feel lost and confused but my door was broken, my power was out because my adapter blew the main fuse, I had no bedding, no pans, no dishes, no food, etc. AND, the kicker is that the 24-hour superstore at the bottom of the hill (about a 20-minute walk) was not in-fact a 24-hour superstore on Sundays. I had one hour to get there, get all of my stuff and check-out.

Tesco, the superstore, is the most chaotic place on the face of the planet. Especially on move-in day when at least 3,000 "freshers" are preparing for Fresher's Week at the University of Essex. I'm not even going to elaborate on the experience but I'm surprised I didn't have a stroke right there in the middle of the store. After pushing our way through crowds and crowds of people, us North Centralites managed to grab the basics needed for the night and a few extras. We checked out, called a taxi, managed to get our stuff to the dorm with the help of the Christian Union on campus and started preparing for our first night at the University of Essex!

The University of Essex has several stores, restaurants, bars and even a club on campus so, naturally, all the freshman who had just moved in went F*CKING CRAZY! Now, having gone through freshman year myself, and several college years thereafter, I was not completely enthused by the behavior but I was also anxious to experience "Fresher's Week" in the UK. So Katie, Brigit, Amanda and I decided to go to the Student Union Bar to check out the scene . . . yep, just as we thought, a whole bunch of 18-year olds getting drunk . . . I still can't wait until more people my own age move-in! The most fun I've had has actually been in the flats in Eddington Towers. Katie and Amanda live on Flat 3, I live on Flat 5 and Brigit lives on Flat 11 -- since two people live on Flat 3, we've all been hanging out down there and we've made a few new friends this way. It's a more relaxed way to drink and make conversation without completely flying off the handle. Don't get me wrong, the flats are still a BIG party. No joke -- people generally don't stop screaming and laughing and throwing themselves from flat to flat until 4am or so, BUT it remains, nonetheless, more relaxing than Square 3 and the Student Union venues. ONE HAS NOT EXPERIENCED PARTYING UNTIL ONE HAS LIVED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX - OMG! I've NEVER been to a school that operates like this EVER! Because the school condones and even expects this massive consumption of alcohol by it's newest class, students feel even freer to do as they wish! I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it's definately NOT something students in the US see . . .

We'll have to see how the partying dissipates as classes start - I hope by a factor of 10 or more :)

KISSES,
Brittany

October 3rd! London Tourism!

On October 3rd, my second day in England, I woke up at 6am still feeling jet-lagged but also excited to see what London had to offer. After getting dressed and ready, Brigit, Katie and I ate breakfast at our hostel around 7:30am. I just have to note that the Youth Hostel that we stayed in had the most attentive and welcoming staff on planet Earth. When you're in a new country that has it's own set of cultural standards and a currency system unlike the one you're used to with little access to information or communication, it makes a big difference to have a warm, home-cooked meal served by people truly interested in your well-being :) Breakfast at the Youth Hostel was a full meal, very satisfying but also very different from breakfast in the US. Proportions were smaller, juice cups were about 3 ounces large, the scrambled eggs were fresh (not processed and packaged!), the milk came from a glass, opened-top container indicating it was fresh and the toast was laid in a wicker basket with foil at the bottom. Not something you see in breakfast buffets back home :)

After breakfast, we made a trip back to St. Paul's Cathedral and wandered through the inner corridors (without paying for the official tour). After St. Paul's, we headed across Millenium Bridge (featured in the 6th Harry Potter film), passed the Tate Museum and visited Shakespear's Globe Theatre. After this, we boarded the Underground and made 2 transfers to visit Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament! All magnificently beautiful with it's ancient architecture and gold-plated rooftops. From this point we viewed the London Eye which is a large ferris wheel operated for the purposes of better viewing the London skyline. From this point we walked over to Westminster Abbey and then walked onto Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards. Funny thing, we actually thought we were at Buckingham Palace at one point and stopped to view the guards preparing for duty. Turns out, we were down the road from Buckingham Palace and had completely missed the ceremony - this explains why we were less-than-impressed by the building's grandeur . . . it was NOT Buckingham Palace . . . someone should have put a sign up or something :P

As if this weren't enough to fill my day, I returned to the hostel for a quick nap and was back on the Underground on my way to King's Cross Station - the railroad station featured in each Harry Potter film (so many HP references!). We visited Platform 9 and 3/4, got back on the Underground and were off to Picadilly Circus (don't you love the word "Picadilly??" - a line on the Tube is called "Picadilly," haha) - this is a major shopping district in London comparable to Times Square. It's all lit up at night and is full of shops and pubs and theaters. I'd really like to go back before my time in England is up!

After all of this, let's just say I slept EXTREMELY well when we got back to the hostel -- I prepared for our trip to Essex the next morning and laid my head on my pillow . . . I fell instantly to sleep.

ON TO DAY 4!

KISSES,
Brittany

October 1st! The Initial Break :s

October 1st had to be one of the most emotional days of my life! To start the day off, I woke up at Matt's apartment around 4:30am, right before Matt had to leave for work. When we both woke up Matt jumped in the shower and came back and sat on the bed, the room was completely silent. We both knew I was leaving but neither of us said anything. We just sat there on the bed until I broke down and started crying. I hugged him for the longest time but was finally forced to let go when his ride to work called to notify him she was downstairs. I was almost positive I wasn't going to get on the plane at that point. It was the most heartbreaking thing to walk away from him knowing I wasn't going to see him for months - we've never been apart more than 14 days since we began going out 5 and a half years ago. I just sat in my car after he left and cried for a good half hour.

As if that wasn't enough to stop my heart right there, I still had to say my good-byes to my family. My mom and my grandma drove Brigit and I to O'Hare Airport. We left the house around 10am and got to the airport around 11. Mom and Gram came inside to see us off and to help us check our luggage. As we waited for Katie and her family to meet us, we all sat and joked around deliberately ignoring the blatant, hindering presence of Brigit's and my impending departure. The time finally came, however, and I remember sneaking one last peak of my mom before we passed through security. I bet the TSA handling my identification thought I was mentally disturbed but I couldnt' stop crying when I left. It was like I was leaving for years! But standing in the airport after that, I couldn't help but feel like the journey was going to take forever, that I would never get back home! I'm such a homebody naturally so taking a humongous step like this was just too much to bear . . . my reaction? I ate the first Big Mac I've had in over two years. I'm normally not the type to eat fast food, especially since I was a vegetarian for over two years before this but I needed something heavy in my stomach! Something meaty! lol.

Matt was upset, I was upset so naturally we started arguing as I waited in the terminal for my flight:( My flight plan included one stop in Detroit - my first visit to Michigan . . . the plane ride to Detroit killed me. I hated it. I wanted to go home. I wanted to chicken out. I wanted so badly for the whole thing to be over. But I forced myself to sit still. I distracted myself. I even managed to crack a few jokes, such as . . . when the plane was on the runway, Brigit, Katie and I couldn't help but notice that it was taking forever to lift off the ground so as we neared the end of the runway, I exclaimed "Wingardium Leviosa!" I then discovered that I do, in fact, have magical powers -- Harry Potter has taught me a thing or two ;)

When we got to Detroit, all 3 of us, Katie, Brigit and I, just sat there, somewhat anxious, somewhat scared, confused, excited, surprised at ourselves for being so brave :) I got a call from Matt and he managed to calm me down and make me feel more secure. He got the gift I had left on his bed before my departure (a PS3 with Madden 2010 because I'm the best girlfriend ever :) ) and we talked about the days to come.

It was a total of 8 and a half more hours after we departed from Detroit that we arrived in London at Heathrow Airport. The plane had televisions on the back of each seat and although mine didn't work for the first half, by the second half of the flight I had figured out how to watch movies and television shows. (I watched Sunshine Cleaing which was very good and I watched Will and Grace which is always good!) I was tracking the exact location of the plane on one of the applications also, so I watched as we neared England growing more and more antsy as we flew over Dublin, then northwest England, central England, LONDON!

When we made our way out of the terminal, Brigit, Katie and I then had to go through customs and that took a longgggg time - and all that paperwork I had prepared for it? I needed two letters, one from NCC, one from Essex. From there we collected our luggage and took the Underground to our Hostel. NEVER, EVER do what we did! NEVER, EVER take 3 months worth of luggage on the Underground! We encountered AT LEAST 15 sets of stairs as we made our way to St. Paul's Cathedral (our hostel was around the corner)! Thank God for the nice gentlemen who all stopped to help - it was completely humiliating stumbling through like dumb tourists . . . but also memorable I guess :)

When I finally made it to the hostel I was completely relieved we had arrived with everything we'd brought in tact! I had a small breakdown when I realized we had to put our luggage in a public place with no security until our room was ready (a staggering two hours away!) and when I realized there was no turning back, but I managed to pull it together in time for lunch! We ate at a small restaurant down the street from our hostel called "Fuzzy's Grub"! (haha!) I used pounds for the first time and bought myself a grilled cheese ("toasted cheese") . . . the ultimate comfort food! We went back to the hostel and settled in and I had the most glorious nap of my life! This was the longest day ever! Actually, it was October 2nd due to the time change - we arrived at Heathrow at 8:30am London time!

After our nap, Brigit, Katie and I walked in the area immediately surrounding our hostel. We got a closer look at St. Paul's Cathedral (the place where Princess Diana was wed), we wandered through random convenience stores looking for phone cards and finally stumbled on a place to eat. Some place with a French name . . . "Le Pain Qu..." something or other. We each had bread and soup, paid the bill, returned to the hostel, showered and slept. I remember falling asleep listening to the bells of St. Paul's just after talking to Matt in a room full of girl's from all over the world with the encouraging words of my family still rolling around in my head. The room was dark and somewhat chilled but my bed was warm and comfortable and I had my sister and best friend on this adventure with me, they were just laying in the beds below me . . . I couldn't help but mentally note how wonderful I felt and I wondered if life got any better than this . . .

So that was day 1/day 2! I think I grew more as a person that day than any other of my life . . . It really was a test of strength to push myself to go . . . but at the same time, it felt like I was on some sort of tram moving me forward without my knowing where to get off . . . that was probably one of the hardest yet most rewarding experiences of my life :)

KISSES POODLE!

Brittany

(Pic from the airport in Detroit after I talked to Matt :) )

OH! To Be Without The Internet!

Alright! So it's been over a week since I've posted anything new. This lack of supplied updates is due to several reasons, one being that I've been without internet since I left! AND without cell phone usage (except for those calls to Matt . . .)! It's actually kind of liberating once you make the initial break :)

There has been ALOT that has happened since my last post so I'm going to make several posts after this one in a retrospective sort of fashion to recap what's been going on in my newly adventurous life :) One week really has had a great affect on me! I'll start from October 1st (or as they'd put in the UK "01/10/09") and work my way forward!!!!

KISSES!
Brittany

I MISS ANDI AND MEL . . . so I had to include the pic, it was a good night ;)