Week Six

Day 36 (20.10.13)

I met up with Katie in the afternoon and we went sweater shopping before our plans to go grocery shopping for dinner with Max. We got lunch at the Pasta to Go cart, and usually this wouldn't be blog post-worthy, but the guy who was working looked like Chad Michael Murray. So that was cool. ;)

After grocery shopping at Tesco, the three of us headed back to my place in the rain. Max gets to stay in a dorm really close to SU and High St, so he had no idea how out of the way the home stays are. He said he'd never complain about walking again...ha ha.

To start our evening off right, we introduced Max to "The IT Crowd" and then we watched one of Max and Katie's favorites, "Singin in the Rain". While I knew some of the music from it, I hadn't ever seen the whole thing, which I now realize is a crime. It's a classic. 

Also, Debbie Reynolds, who played Kathy, looks like my paternal grandmother when she was young. She was (and is) beautiful.

After the movie, it was crepe time. Max was very interested in learning how to make crepes, so we had fun cooking. Katie was even able to successfully flip a crepe with just the pan. 

We made around 30 crepes, and we finished them all (Max ate the most). They were absolutely fantastic. So very good.

After devouring our smorgasbord and cleaning up, we watched the "House of Wax" (the one from the 1950's with Vincent Prince, not the one with Paris Hilton).

We ended up talking until 4:30 am, just about random stuff. I think that's the latest I've been up since coming to England. It was fun, though.

Day 38 (22.10.13)

As I believe I've mentioned before, Katie loves soccer. So I joined her at the SU to watch Arsenal (who I've become a fan of) vs. Borussia Dortmund (BVB). While I have an appreciation for soccer, I wouldn't spend the money to go to a game. I still feel a bit like Moss from The IT Crowd when watching soccer...

I was routing for Arsenal, Kat for BVB. I don't remember the final score, (2-1, maybe?) but BVB won. 

"The problem with Arsenal is they always try to walk it in." -The IT Crowd

Day 39 (23.10.13)

For reasons unknown, there is a full size electric keyboard in my Modern Britain classroom. As there is a two hour break between the class before ours, I decided to print off some of my favorite pieces and play it. I've really missed playing the piano, so it was nice to play even for a little while.

Day 42 (26.10.13)

To end our week, Katie and I made Mac n Cheese pizza at her home stay and watched "When Harry Met Sally" and "What to Expect When You're Expecting". A good way to end the week, for sure.

Thanks for reading!

Week Five: One Month In

Day 30 (14.10.13)

Today Katie turned 20! So naturally we spent the day shopping and hanging out.

While shopping, we discovered the upstairs to HMV, a movie, music, and videogame store in the city centre. We had been missing out!

Katie had been hoping to go out for sushi for her birthday, as it was tradition for her. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find any sushi places in Canterbury. We ended up at a Japanese restaurant called Wagamama. The main course was pretty good, but the dessert was fantastic. We ordered three different plates! Courtesy of Donna, Katie's awesome mom.

After dinner, I went to the first meeting with the cast of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Liley, the writer and director of the show, read us the tales that inspired the show. Her adaption includes three of the tales; "The Warlock's Hairy Heart", "The Fountain of Fair Fourtune", and the tale featured in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", "The Tale of Three Brothers". We haven't seen the script yet, but it sounds promising.

Some rather disturbing news surfaced that night. Apparently, there was a guy walking around Canterbury wearing a Guy Fawkes mask who was targeting female college students. No one had been harmed, but he had stalked a few women and grabbed one (she got away). Images surfaced of him on security cameras around campus, and it was reported that he was creeping around my neighborhood... Comforting.

Day 31 (15.10.13)

I have officially been living in England for a month. It feels longer...I think. My sense of time is all screwed up. Either way the fact is crazy.

The girls and I had dinner at my place and afterward we watched Bend It like Beckham. I bought it for Katie for her birthday as she hadn't seen it even though she loves soccer. Granted, she isn't a huge fan of Beckham or Manchester United, but still!

And my room is cold, I guess :P

Day 32 (16.10.13)

The newest Nancy Drew computer game came out the day after Katie's birthday, so we started playing it today. 

Max, Katie, Mariel, and I had dinner at the Student Union. There was a really weird show on TV, called The Chase. It's some kind of trivial game show. So we got sucked in...

Tonight the Drama Society had the first script reading of this year's production. The script followed true to the tales and Liley accurately channeled Rowling's style. It should be a really good show.

Day 34 (18.10.13)

Field Trip Friday! Today's destination was The Cabinet War Rooms and the National Gallery. 

The Cabinet War Rooms were neat, and I've always thought PM Winston Churchill to be a swell guy, but we spent too much time there that ended up taking away from our time at Trafalgar Square and the gallery.

For lunch, Katie, Max, Mariel, and I went to this Chipotle-like burrito place that was almost as tasty as Chipotle. Max told us it was refreshing to eat with girls who weren't afraid to eat. I suppose that's a compliment... Thanks for pointing out that we just go for it when we eat and don't care how ridiculous and not feminine we look, bud. ;)

The National Gallery is phenomenal. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to have seen such famous works of art by numerous fantastic artists, including Van Gogh, Monet, Gainsborough, Botticelli, da Cortona... I really wish I had already taken Art History so I could appreciate everything even more.

I really liked Saint Cecilia by Pietro da Cortona

Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh

And as a Whovian and Richard Curtis fan (as he wrote the episode, "Vincent and the Doctor"), it was even more amazing to see Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" in person.

So many feels.

We weren't allowed to take photos, which was too bad. I plan on going back at least once before I head back to the U.S. 

Thanks for reading!

Week Four

Day 24: Good to be Home (8.10.13)

After having gotten home so late from my weekend in Ireland, I spent the day recuperating... i.e. Netflix. Katie got me hooked on Arrested Development. I decided I'd be productive the next day.

And it was also my kitty Simba's 16th birthday! Happy Birthday, Simba!

His love for me shows, doesn't it? ;P

Day 25 (9.10.13)

Today I auditioned for the Drama Society's original production of The Tales of Beedle the Bard (of the wizarding world of Harry Potter). I wasn't sure what to do for a monologue so I stuck with my tried but true Curley's Wife Monologue from Of Mice and Men. I was way more nervous than I usually am when auditioning, but I think I did alright. 

Day 26 (10.10.13)

Our (the ICISP girls') mentor, Pat, had us over for dinner at his flat to catch up and give us a home cooked meal. The food was delicious and the company was fun.

Day 27 (11.10.13)

Field Trip Friday! Today's destination was Windsor Castle and Runnymede.

Windsor Castle is beautiful. THIS IS THE KIND OF CASTLE I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SEE! It is so regally decorated and has so much history, it's no wonder the Queen still visits. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside...

It was a really enjoyable visit. The usual three of us invited a guy named Max to hang out with us. He's pretty shy and quiet initially, but he ended up being a cool, fun guy to hang out with. It made our time that much more fun. :)

After we had explored Windsor Castle thoroughly, we got cream teas at a cafe nearby. It wasn't as good as the one at The Queen of Tarts, but I don't think any place will compare. 

Unlike in my photos above, the weather made a turn for the worse suddenly. Soon it was windy, cold, and rainy. Our next destination, Runnymede, was an outdoor walking tour. Sixty Americans reluctantly got off the bus, umbrellas in hand. Even though our tour was shortened, we all managed to get soaked during the half hour we were there. 

The struggle was too real.

Day 28 (12.10.13)

Being dutiful students, Mariel, Katie, and I spent the day at Augustine House working on our essays for Modern Britain and British Literature...that happened to be due in three days. I guess we forgot that we're going to school here and thus have to complete assignments... We did get a lot of work done, though.

We had a pub lunch/dinner at the Student Union as a break/reward for working so hard. 

And as the week started, the week ended: watching Arrested Development. This time in an empty Augustine House with Katie. We party hard.

Thanks for reading about my rather uneventful week! Next week will be more interesting, I promise. ;)

Dublin, Ireland

Ireland, Day 1 (Saturday, 5 October)

We arrived in Ireland around 8 am and got through customs much quicker than we had at Heathrow when we first arrived in the UK. Unsure of how to get to our hostel, we took a rather expensive cab. At least we got where we needed to go.

We arrived at our Hostel, Spire Hostel, around 9 am, with check in being at 2 pm. This proved a disappointment as we were all exhausted and hoping to rest. But, after we put our bags in the luggage room, we headed down to the city centre. 

There, we looked around at shops and wandered along the sidewalks, beyond tired. When 2 pm finally came around, we headed back to the Spire and checked in.

For our first time staying in a hostel, the Spire Hostel was quite nice. We were in a female dorm with 4 bunk-beds. The beds were comfy enough that we each fell asleep and didn't wake up until 7 pm.

With our sleep schedule thrown off, we headed down to the Temple Bar Area for dinner. I really enjoyed the vibrant night life that the area offered. While I don't enjoy drinking, it was nice to see the street performers, families, and travelers enjoying the food and drink available along the festively lit street. This was a nice change from Canterbury's High St, where the shops close at 5:30 pm...

We got dinner at a nice restaurant, sharing dishes to save money. Gotta love poor, traveling student life. After dinner, we returned to the hostel and relaxed until we went to sleep again.

Ireland, Day 2 (Sunday, 6 October)

We started our day off beautifully by locating a restaurant recommended by Katie's aunt. The restaurant?  The Queen of Tarts. If you're ever in Dublin, your trip will not be complete unless you go there. It was so delicious. I ordered a cream tea, which consisted of a fresh blueberry scone with raspberry preserve, a fresh squeezed glass of orange juice, and a pot of chai tea. So good. So so good. And the restaurant/cafe is adorable as well. Great atmosphere. If I lived in Dublin I would go there at least once a week.

Delicious and pretty

After reluctantly leaving The Queen of Tarts (we decided we'd go again the next morning), we went into shops around the Temple Bar area and took random photos along the way.

I don't even know who this guy is supposed to be...

...but we had to get some cheesy tourist photos.

Continuing to wander, we decided to visit Trinity College. On our way, however, we passed by the National Wax Museum and decided to check it out.

This was the first wax museum I'd ever been to, and it was pretty neat. Even though I didn't know who half of the figures were, as they were Irish figures. Also, it was the first chamber of horrors I'd been in. Katie, Mariel and I all ran out screaming when the Ed Gein character turned towards us. Katie didn't go back in, I didn't stick around too long, but Mariel got lots of gory photos. What a nut. ;)

Mariel's new pal

Cadet Kat

I should've made a creepier face. I could've done so much better.

We eventually made our way to Trinity College, which was beautiful. We were going to go see the Book of Kells, but the line was long and we weren't feeling the admission fee. It was really very touristy.

Going along with the trend of SO MUCH WALKING, we headed to the Archaeology Museum of Ireland. We wandered around there for an hour or so.

The entrance had all the zodiac signs, but I'm Aquarius, so...

As it was nearby, we went to the Natural Museum of Ireland afterwards. As soon as we stepped inside, however, we understood why it has the nickname "Dead Zoo". Ultimately, it was a taxidermist's dream. I have never seen so many stuffed animals in one room in my life. It wasn't very enjoyable.

With sore feet, two miles away from our hostel, we started our trek back. When we finally got back to the Spire, we decided to make dinner in the kitchen to save money. Katie and I picked up the groceries and together we made a delicious little meal of tortellini, garlic bread, and apple mango juice.

Ireland, Day 3 (Monday, 7 October)

After checking out of the Spire Hostel, we journeyed to The Queen of Tarts for round two. I ordered a cream tea again, but this time with a raspberry scone. Delicious, yet again. I also bought an adorable mug as a souvenir (I also happen to have something of a mug collection back home). 

For the rest of the day we shopped for souvenirs/gifts for family and friends back home. I got my maternal grandmother, who is part Irish, the most things. (She's really easy and fun to shop for.) 

Tired of carrying our heavy backpacks around and sore from the endless walking the day before, we decided to head to the airport early. Once there, we all agreed that McDonald's had never sounded like a better idea for lunch. How American... It was good though. ;)

We spent the next few hours writing postcards until we could go through security. It was after this that we discovered how massive Dublin Airport is. The place might as well be a mall! However, even the numerous stores didn't make the hours before our flight go by any faster.

After finally boarding the plane and returning to Stansted Airport, we ran into a big problem. It was around 11:30 pm when we arrived, so the train to Canterbury wouldn't be running until 6 am. We had been told that a taxi from Stansted to Canterbury would be around £60, and not wanting to spend even more time in Stansted, we figured that would be the best option. The taxi was not £60. It was £170. Ouch. Needless to say, we were all shocked by the price, but paid it anyway as we wanted to get home ASAP. At least we learned something...at a cost that would've been nice to avoid...

It was too bad that our trip had to end that way, but our taxi driver was nice and we arrived home to Canterbury by 1:30 am. I was able to Skype my mom and my boyfriend to lift my spirits before crashing after a hectic weekend.

I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of Dublin, save The Queen of Tarts. The next time I go to Ireland, I'd much rather see more of the countryside. Dublin was too much like London, and I wish I had known that beforehand. Another lesson learned. 

Thanks for reading!

Week Three

Day Fifteen (29.9.13)

Katie, Mariel and I decided to spend the day at Dover Castle. After an entertaining train ride followed by a ridiculous trek up numerous hills, we arrived. 

While the castle was beautiful, I was a bit disappointed by its museums and set up. Some of the rooms had children's room style furniture painted in very unlikely colors (for a castle). There were also actors playing as royal figures and it all just seemed a bit hokey. I was hoping to see more original furniture and a more regal castle. I suppose my expectations were set too high.

However, while at Dover, there was also a group of German students visiting. Until then, I hadn't realized how German I look. They looked like my cousins! I'm only around 30% or so German, but I do take after my paternal grandmother, who is full German. So that was an interesting discovery.

When we got back to Canterbury, we went to the Student Union for dinner and enjoyed some burgers after our long day.

**I would later learn that the Americans that went to Dover Castle the day before we did got to see Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, and Chris Pine shooting for Into the Woods. I can't believe I missed that by a day! I was the Baker's Wife in a production of Into the Woods! Come on! And Chris Pine! Man...

I wish I could take credit for this photo... :'(

Day Sixteen (30.9.13)

Today I received my first care package from home!  

My amazing, wonderful mom sent me the best stuff. And Cade contributed his favorite shirt for me to wear to sleep. :)

Day Nineteen (3.10.13)

CCCU along with shops on High St sponsored a student shopping night tonight from 6 pm - 9 pm which was really awesome as there was 20% off on select stores. Also, it was cool to go shopping after 5:30 pm, which is when most shops close on High St (not a fan.) I got some clothes at H&M (shocker) and my first pair of black Converse from Office.

After shopping night, Katie, Mariel, and I went to a student dinner hosted by my host mom, Muriel's church. The students there were really nice and the food was very good – home cooked meals are a bit of a rarity for us. For dessert we had a traditional English dish - Spotted Dick. The name is terrible, but the dish is very good. It's kind of like fruit cake, but actually good. They served it warm with custard. Delicious!

Day Twenty: Field Trip Friday (4.10.13)

This Friday was our first trip to London. From what I've seen of the city, I really like it. I do prefer it to Canterbury, as there is so much more to do there. 

We arrived for our tour of the Houses of Parliament in the morning. Took the mandatory photo of Big Ben...

The Houses of Parliament are fantastic. The architecture and decor were all beautiful. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take any photos. That tends to be a common theme in London buildings... Oh well. I'm glad I got to see it. I've been in the same room as the Queen of England now! ;) (And many other royals and political figures)

After our tour of Parliament, we had a quick lunch break before going to the Royal Courts of Justice for a tour. No pictures, yet again. But it was a neat place to see, in particular because my mom went to Ann Arbor Law School and I've visited there too. There were even barristers walking around wearing the robes and the wigs!

As the majority of the Americans returned to Canterbury, Katie, Mariel, and I decided to head straight to Stansted Airport where our flight to Dublin would be departing at 6 am the next morning. Mind you, we got to the airport at 7 pm...

We were able to make our 11 hours in the airport relatively fun by spending the time on our phones, playing cards, getting tarot readings from Katie, sleeping, and reading in the airport's Costa Cafe. It was still a long wait. Probably won't do that again unless absolutely necessary...

I'm saving the Ireland trip for it's own separate post, so I'm ending this week at Friday the 4th! Thanks for reading!

Week Two

Day Eight (22.9.13)

The best part of the day? Watching the series four premier of Downton Abbey with my host mom, Muriel. 

Day Nine (23.9.13)

Mondays are my favorite day of the week. The stress of finding something to do over the weekend or spend money traveling is gone. Also, I get to Skype my boyfriend :) And this Monday night, Kat spent the night. We watched movies and shows on Netflix and played some Nancy Drew. Great night.

Day Ten (24.9.13)

Today, we got the wonderful experience of touring the impressive, awe-inspiring, center of the city: the Canterbury Cathedral.

It is truly amazing to me to be in a town with such a heritage site. The cathedral is over 1500 years old and it still stands strong and imposing. Walking on the grounds, it's incredible to think that for more than a thousand years, people from all over have made religious pilgrimages to this site. It was this cathedral that the ragtag group of pilgrims in Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" were traveling to. 

First book we read in British Literature, naturally.

Inside the Cathedral, the atmosphere creates a feeling of great faith and holiness. The architecture is remarkable. I feel as though photos could never truly capture the beauty and grandeur of this world heritage site. I will definitely go back to take more pictures, though.

I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to visit such a historical and magnificent place.

Day Eleven (25.9.13)

Today was the day of the Freshers Fair, a day when all of the sports, art, music, drama, social (and more) societies attempt to recruit as many Freshers (First Years) as they can. The Student Union and Augustine House were both packed full of students. I made sure to sign up for Drama, as I've missed having the opportunity (really, the time) to be involved in theatre. 

Day Twelve (26.9.13)

Mariel, Kat, and I decided to spend the day shopping on High St. We got some cute clothes from the fantastic H&M. 

Afterwards, we went to the Odeon cinema in town to see About Time! Richard Curtis (who wrote Love Actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, the screenplay for Bridget Jones's Diary, and much more) is one of my absolute favorite screenwriters! As mentioned in a previous post, Love Actually is my favorite movie, and About Time was fantastic. Definitely a new favorite of mine!

And Domhnall Gleeson is a cutie. ;)

Day Thirteen: Rochester Castle & Fort Amherst (27.9.13)

Field Trip Friday. 

Inside Rochester Castle

View of Rochester Cathedral from inside Rochester Castle

After touring the castle, we had free time to explore Rochester High St. and get lunch. The three of us (Mariel, Kat, and I) went to a pub and ordered a massive combo platter. The food was really good, but the pub was kind of shady. Needless to say we didn't spend too much time there.

After lunch, we went to Baggins Bookstore, which happens to be the largest used bookstore in England. The shelves went on and on, and it had multiple floors!

When we got home, Kat and Mariel came over to my home stay, where we made dinner together and waited to watch the final episode of The IT Crowd! Kat and I are huge fans of the show, so we were so stoked to see it. We had Mariel watch some of our favorite episodes before the show so she'd have a little background info. If you have Netflix and haven't seen it, watch it. Seriously. You will not be sorry.

Day Fourteen: (28.9.13)

The three of us spent our Saturday hanging out at the Student Union, talking, sipping on some milkshakes. At night we went to Augustine House and booked tickets and a hostel in Ireland for the next weekend! And we goofed around, laughing at YouTube videos and such.

This week wasn't as eventful as the last, which was a welcome change. Thanks for reading!

The First Week

Perhaps it's due to the fact that I've never had a blog before that I am so bad at keeping up with entries, or maybe it's because I've been so insanely busy ever since I arrived here! I'm going to recount the first month that I've been here through a series of posts and will hopefully catch up with myself. 

**I apologize for how scatterbrained I sound in this entry, I'm just trying to remember as much as I can!

Day One: Arrive in Britain (Sunday, 15 Sept.)

After very little sleep and a breakfast croissant, I arrived at Heathrow Airport at 8:35 am London Time (2:35 am Central Time). My excitement of finally being in the UK overpowered my exhaustion, for the time being. I met up with the three other girls from ICISP (Illinois Consortium for International Students and Programs) in the passport line. I was in awe of the people around me speaking with British accents, as I've met fewer than five people with British accents in my life. It didn't seem real. 

After getting our passports stamped, we made our way out of the international arrival gates (just like Love Actually!) and met up with the other two girls from ICISP. Shortly after, the six of us (Kat, Mariel, Ashley, Melissa, and Catherine), along with our mentor Pat, got onto the shuttle that would take us to our home stays. 

On the way to Canterbury, while exhaustion was kicking in, I realized it still hadn't hit me that I was going to be staying in this country for three months. Riding in the shuttle, it felt like my week long class trip to Washington, D.C., back in eighth grade. 

The group made plans to meet up later in the afternoon and head down to High St., in the city centre where the majority of shops and restaurants are located. 

I was dropped off at my home stay around 11:40 am, where I was greeted by another exchange student, Seiya, only he was from Japan. He helped me bring my heavy suitcases upstairs (he insisted), and I began to unpack my things into my fantastic room. Shortly after, my home stay mother, Muriel, arrived. I went downstairs to greet her and she apologized profusely for not being home on time while giving me a warm hug. She is such a lovely woman. So kind and friendly. She gave me a tour of the house, and afterwards I gave her gifts; a Wisconsin mug, Wisconsin slipper socks, Wisconsin syrup, and Wisconsin honey. Notice a theme? She enjoyed each of them, which was great.

After we realized that we only lived two blocks away from one another, Mariel and I met up to meet the others at our mentor, Pat's place. On our walk, Mariel and I mused about the surreality of it all. We kept saying how it felt like we were just visiting this new place, this place that couldn't be across the ocean, thousands of miles away from home. It's crazy! We walked along the "pavement" (sidewalk) for quite a while until we realized that we were lost. Of course. Luckily we eventually ran into Kat, Catherine, and Ashley, just as we were about to turn onto High St.

High St.

High St. is absolutely amazing. It reminds me of State St. back in downtown Madison, but so much more historical and well, British! There are so many new shops in such old buildings. Centuries old. 

Mariel and I got dinner at Nando's, a delicious Portuguese chicken restaurant. I got lemon and herb wings, and I don't think I've had better chicken. So good.

Back home, I Skyped my Mom, Dad and my boyfriend, Cade. I had a hard time sleeping my first night as I was a little homesick (which came as a surprise to me). 

Day Two: Orientation (Monday, 16 Sept.)

As I had a hard time falling asleep, I had a harder time waking up in the morning. After speedily getting ready for the day, Mariel and I ran to Augustine House (Canterbury Christ Church University, CCCU's, new four story library). At orientation, I talked a lot to Kat, who I found I have a lot in common with. 

Augustine House

For our lunch break, Kat and I got delicious crepes from a crepe stand on High Street. Afterwards, Kat and I partnered up for the audio tour. However, our audio player didn't work, so we decided to just wander around Canterbury. Of course, we proceeded to get lost, but had fun along the way. 

Canterbury Castle

Day Three: Orientation Day Two (Tuesday, 17 Sept.)

Typical University orientation, part two. Afterwards went to Nando's again (seriously, their chicken is phenomenal) and went shopping for make up and face wash on High Street. While some of the Americans went to Karaoke night at the Student Union, I went home to celebrate my host mother, Muriel's, birthday, along with my roommate Seiya. She made a delicious roast dinner of chicken, vegetables and yorkshire pudding. For dessert, we all had ice cream and strawberries which was excellent. 

Day Four: First Day of British Studies Classes (Wednesday, 18 Sept.)

American Study Abroad students are required to take two British studies courses as part of our program. We have to take "Divided by a Common Language, Modern Britain" and then we have the choice to take either British History or British Literature. I chose British Literature, or rather, "Wayward Wives and Mad Men, A Survey of British Literature". Mariel and I found our way to the classroom with less difficulty than expected. In Britain, the first floor is called the ground floor, and to this day it still throws me off. 

My British Literature teacher, Steve, looks like a British version of Shaggy from Scooby Doo! He's even got this chill attitude that just adds to it. I mentioned it to Kat and Mariel and now they can't not see it. I think it's great; makes him more entertaining. He's really passionate about British Literature which is really cool, as it makes class more fun. 

After class, Mariel, Kat, Ashley and I got lunch in the Touchdown, a small cafeteria on campus. The food was reasonably priced and fresh, something that isn't always so common back home. Sorry, but it's true. 

We then went to Union House, the Student Union coffee shop, which is the nicest place to hang out. They serve Starbucks coffee at a cheaper price! Their Chai Lattes are fantastic. I'd like to see Madison College get a coffee shop like that. Although I have to remember Madison College is a community college and not a full fledged University like Christ Church. 

Union House

At 3:00, all of the American students piled into NG07, Newton Building, Ground Floor, Room 7, home of our Modern Britain class. Our teacher, Martin, seems really knowledgeable and up to date on world news. He's also quite funny in that dry, stereotypical British way. Upon asking us about what news source we got our current events from, he asked for a show of hands as to who watches Fox News. When no one raised their hand, he said "Fox News is the greatest comedy show ever invented." Good man.

Canterbury is beautiful at night

Finally, we did the Canterbury Ghost Tour at night, which was more of a historical account of the buildings around HIgh St. Not very scary at all. But High St is beautiful at night, and I got to finally see the Canterbury Cathedral up close and all lit up. It truly is a magnificent work of architecture. It's the oldest Cathedral in England, dating back to the 1100's. (However, there was a wooden structure in its place dating as early as the 500's but it was destroyed and reconstructed many times.)

The magnificent Canterbury Cathedral

Day Five: Nothing Planned (Thursday, 19 Sept.)

After having three days in a row of planned activity, it was a weird feeling not having anything going on, especially in a new country that you know little about. Kat and I hung out around Augustine House and then at the Student Union. The Canterbury Christ Church Student Union is a great place to chill. They have TVs on each wall with a projector screen behind a stage on one wall. They also have a stocked bar. It's still so weird for me to see that, as students here will have a beer any time during the day in CCSU (Christ Church Student Union). 

Kat is really interested in Tarot, so she gave me a reading. I had to think of a question, so I wondered what I would get out of this study abroad experience. According to the cards, I'm going to have a fantastic time and will really grow as a person. I will meet many new friends and will make a really strong bond with one person in particular. Needless to say, I really liked what I heard. Here's hoping the cards tell the truth!

While we waited for Quiz Night to begin, Kat and I ordered chips (my first experience eating chips!) They're very different from the French Fries back home. Probably because they're not nearly as fatty and salted. They were really good and a great price (£1.50).

Mariel and Ashley met up with us for Quiz Night, bringing their new friend Natalie, from Cypress, along. I didn't imagine Quiz Night would go on for three and a half hours, but there were so many breaks to go smoke and get more drinks which was really foreign to me. Also, the Freshers Crew (Second and Third Year students who are here to help all the First Years, or Freshers, get acclimated to Uni life), kept punishing members who cheated by making them drink putrid shots of terribly mixed drinks. I do not envy them. All in all it was a fun experience, even if we didn't win (sixth place out of 25 is still impressive, I say). 

Day Six (Friday, 20 Sept.)

More of a relaxed day, Mariel, Kat, Natalie, and I spent some time on High St. We took a lovely canal tour on the River Stour. Afterwards, we perused the shops along High St and called it an early night due to our field trip the following morning. 

A beautiful day to be on the canal

Day Seven: First Field Trip - Richborough Roman Fort and Broadstairs

In all honesty, I couldn't get into the Richborough Roman Fort. Sure, it's neat that it's evidence that the Romans built a fort nearly 2000 years ago and that some of it is still here. But it's all rocks shoved together. And the occasional set of stairs. 

The remains of Richborough Roman Fort

The whole time I could not stop myself from thinking about Eddie Izzard's joke about archaeologists. 

"And they always find in Archaeology, a series of small walls. 

Everytime, a series of small walls."

Eddie Izzard - "Archaeology"

A series of small walls

On the plus side, Kat and I found a bridge over no troubled water. And I took a photo. It reminds me a bit of Ed Sheeran's cover for his EP, "The A Team". (Great EP...but I mean I do adore Ed Sheeran.) 

Leaving Richborough, we headed towards Broadstairs, to see a "real" Kentish beach. Real meaning sandy, in this situation.

Ashley, Mariel, me, and Kat in Broadstairs

Broadstairs was enjoyable enough, but we did A LOT of walking and I had already developed shin splints with all the walking we'd done over the course of a week. We walked two miles out and back to see the last working lighthouse in England.

But, we did get to check out an arcade – "Leisure Center" where they had a crane game with DALEKS AND TARDISES!!! I tried to win a TARDIS and was so close at least three times but gave up when I ran out of spare change. Sad.

So close...sigh...

And all of the Whovians on this trip went nuts when we saw this graffiti on our walk to the lighthouse:

The Daleks take Broadstairs

All in all, it was an interesting, busy first week abroad! Thanks for reading, and I'll try to finish catching up on the weeks I've missed! Hopefully I'll catch up with myself before I leave...