Saturday, April 14, 2012
Easter Half Marathon!
I just realized that in my last post I entirely forgot to blog about Easter and my half marathon! I attended the Easter Vigil mass in order to run my first half marathon ever on Easter morning! Shelby, Nicole, and I all three did it along with another guy from our college. Multiple others did the 4.5 mile fun run. I had done some training, but it has been fairly inconsistent due to all of my adventures, classwork, and illness. It did go pretty well! I finished in 1:53! I am not sure I would define the experience as "fun" but I was very proud of myself for completing it! Such a great accomplishment! I was very sore after and asked by many why I appeared to be limping, but I was glad to have done it.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
I FINALLY HAVE TIME TO CATCH UP ON BLOGGING!!!!
Ok! So, sorry for the delay in blogging, but school has been absolutely crazy lately, and I have been very busy in the past week due to my family being here visiting!!!! So much has happened here! The week after the Lake District trip, we had a full week of school that including taking a British Studies test. After the test, though, we were rewarded with tours of the "Secret Garden" also known as the walled garden! We also got to play with some newborn lambs that were brought to campus. They were very cute. Later that night, we also had a celebratory bonfire, which was quite large and was complete with hot chocolate and smores! Friday, I also went on a field trip to a small brewery in Grantham to see how a small brewery operates.
Over Saint Patrick's Day, I went on a short weekend trip to Manchester (aka "Cottonopolis"). Manchester was a fairly large city complete with lots of shopping, pubs, and even TACO BELL! After being away from it for so long, we really enjoyed eating some tacos! There are only three in all of England, so it was quite a treat. We spent a lot of the weekend just roaming around because there was an Irish festival going on. We heard lots of live music and just enjoyed a fairly easygoing weekend. I also got to see the Manchester United stadium, which was a fun excursion! In Manchester, I witnessed a big cultural difference as well. Not only was subway open 24 hours, but when only the drive through is open, they let people walk up and order there! I thought it was pretty funny and did it too!
The week after St. Patrick's Day, we only had three days of class. One evening, I went to my host family and my friend Shelby who has the same parents as me brought her visiting boyfriend and our teammate Brian Denny with us! It was a lot of fun and we even taught him our new favorite game of Mexican dominos! At noon Wednesday, we began our second long weekend which is like a shorter version of spring break for us. While most people headed off to warmth in Spain and Italy, I began my trip with a visit to London to see my best friend Rachel Milne. I stayed with her, and her host family, went out with some of her friends, and enjoyed catching up on some extra sleep! I was also able to see the towns of Surbiton and Kingston (suburbs of London) where she goes to school and lives, which was a lot of fun. I think our highlight was cooking a great meal with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables from the street market!
Friday began a very exciting journey! My entire family flew in from the states for their spring break! We went to Fussen, Germany for a few days and then spent the next two based in Starnsburg, just outside of Munich! It was quite the adventure, although Adam experienced a little bit of culture shock on the first day. He was so tired and jetlagged and said he felt like we were "helpless." That kid says some of the funniest cutest things, and we had trouble trying not to laugh! Highlights of the trip included going to a castle, running around the lake at our hotel in Fussen, a scenic drive in Austria, visiting Dachau concentration camp, and spending an evening in Munich. The only glitch with the trip (outside of having to ride in a car with dad driving on the audobon!!! scary!!!!) was that their luggage did not make it in time and was not returned until they hunted the luggage down when we returned to Munich.
On Tuesday, we flew back to London and traveled back to Grantham. That evening, I was able to take my family to meet my host family. Dinner with them was a lot of fun, and I think all of them, especially Adam, were convinced that I have the BEST host family in the whole program. Wednesday after classes, I was also able to show my family all around the manor, enjoy a very atypical warm spring day, and even got my first experience at the Gregory, an outstanding restaurant at the end of the manor drive, with them and my friends Alex and Karen.
The following day after classes, I caught a train to London to join the family there, which was a very unique experience. Unlike Germany, I have now visited London many times and it has become a type of second home. We first went to the science museum and then after dinner, I was able to show them some of the highlights at night. We walked a little ways along the river where Adam excitedly got to take a picture of Big Ben at night. The next morning, my college had a field trip in London, so I went to meet up with them for a tour of St. Paul's church. After, I had visited all of the checkpoints for the field trip, I met with the family and we enjoyed some souvenir shopping and a picnic in Hyde Park for dinner. That evening, I said my final goodbyes to them as I left to meet up with Karen to see the production Les Miserables. I went not having any expectations, as I had not seen it before, and I did not know the plot line. It was probably the best production that I have seen in my life (It might even beat Wicked...It was that good). Between the well cast characters, the neat revolving stage, the lighting, and the story showing the ultimate example of a father's love was just incredible. The following night, we had a costume ball at school. Ever semester, this is a night in which we wear costumes, have a formal dinner in the state rooms, and then have a dance following. Not knowing what to be, a group of my friends and I just dressed up in toga-like costumes. We made dresses out of different colored sheets, and were called all sorts of things, including decorative napkins, throughout the night, which was quite funny.
After procrastinating my studies due to my family's visit, I spent a considerable amount of time focused on writing papers and beginning final preparation. Mid-week, however, I did get to go on a field trip to a brewery in Bury St. Edmunds called Greene King. They are the largest brewer of ale in the UK. We were able to tour the factory, see how beer is made, taste different types of barley, and then even got to sample a few of the beers that they make. It was a short, but fun, afternoon get away amongst all of the papers being written! At the conclusion of the week, we also had our final "Meet a Family Fest" at which the two choirs in which I have participated performed. I also had to give a brief talk reflecting on my experience. It was a fun celebration, but Shelby and I are very lucky to get to go back to our host family's again before we leave! We all weren't ready to say goodbye, and I am not looking forward to doing so next week. I spent the weekend just hanging out at the manor, spending some time in town, and watching the fourth Harry Potter in the manor, which we often refer to as Hogwarts!
This week, I finished my last week of classes while here at Harlaxton. All of the "lasts" are starting to set in, and I believe everyone here at Harlaxton has begun to grow quite nostalgic. Everyone is attempting to make our last days here the best that they can be. This Wednesday, I made a various spontaneous decision to join some friends going to a Premier League Football (aka soccer) game. It was one of the few things that I had not done yet that was on my "bucket list" for Harlaxton, and I was regretting not being able to attend a game. However, I did get to go, I got to sit in third row seats, and I loved every moment of the intense action not only on the field, but within the crowd. We sat near the Arsenal fans, who were quite rambunctious. It was fun to see both sides yelling and chanting back and forth with each other. In the end, it was a 3-0 victory for Arsenal. Last night, we had our Valedictory dinner at which we had our Harlaxton graduation and received our "Writs of Achievement" for our academic work completed here. Between seeing the end of finals, this formal dinner, the picture video following, and booking my last train ticket from Grantham and having to tick the "one way" box, reality of leaving England is beginning to set in, and I wish there was a way to slow it down. As the semester is concluding, I am realizing how meaningful and unforgettable this semester has become. The new friendships, the travels, the change in coursework, and becoming fully immersed in a new culture. I can already think of all of the things that I will probably say incorrectly such as ordering chips at McDonald's instead of fries or that I need to go to ASDA instead of Walmart. I am very excited to be returning home, but leaving the place that I currently call home and many of my new friends from other universities that I now view like family will be quite sad. While I am truly happy to be returning to America and the friends, family, and food there, I truly have fallen in love with English culture and will miss it greatly.
Over Saint Patrick's Day, I went on a short weekend trip to Manchester (aka "Cottonopolis"). Manchester was a fairly large city complete with lots of shopping, pubs, and even TACO BELL! After being away from it for so long, we really enjoyed eating some tacos! There are only three in all of England, so it was quite a treat. We spent a lot of the weekend just roaming around because there was an Irish festival going on. We heard lots of live music and just enjoyed a fairly easygoing weekend. I also got to see the Manchester United stadium, which was a fun excursion! In Manchester, I witnessed a big cultural difference as well. Not only was subway open 24 hours, but when only the drive through is open, they let people walk up and order there! I thought it was pretty funny and did it too!
The week after St. Patrick's Day, we only had three days of class. One evening, I went to my host family and my friend Shelby who has the same parents as me brought her visiting boyfriend and our teammate Brian Denny with us! It was a lot of fun and we even taught him our new favorite game of Mexican dominos! At noon Wednesday, we began our second long weekend which is like a shorter version of spring break for us. While most people headed off to warmth in Spain and Italy, I began my trip with a visit to London to see my best friend Rachel Milne. I stayed with her, and her host family, went out with some of her friends, and enjoyed catching up on some extra sleep! I was also able to see the towns of Surbiton and Kingston (suburbs of London) where she goes to school and lives, which was a lot of fun. I think our highlight was cooking a great meal with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables from the street market!
Friday began a very exciting journey! My entire family flew in from the states for their spring break! We went to Fussen, Germany for a few days and then spent the next two based in Starnsburg, just outside of Munich! It was quite the adventure, although Adam experienced a little bit of culture shock on the first day. He was so tired and jetlagged and said he felt like we were "helpless." That kid says some of the funniest cutest things, and we had trouble trying not to laugh! Highlights of the trip included going to a castle, running around the lake at our hotel in Fussen, a scenic drive in Austria, visiting Dachau concentration camp, and spending an evening in Munich. The only glitch with the trip (outside of having to ride in a car with dad driving on the audobon!!! scary!!!!) was that their luggage did not make it in time and was not returned until they hunted the luggage down when we returned to Munich.
On Tuesday, we flew back to London and traveled back to Grantham. That evening, I was able to take my family to meet my host family. Dinner with them was a lot of fun, and I think all of them, especially Adam, were convinced that I have the BEST host family in the whole program. Wednesday after classes, I was also able to show my family all around the manor, enjoy a very atypical warm spring day, and even got my first experience at the Gregory, an outstanding restaurant at the end of the manor drive, with them and my friends Alex and Karen.
The following day after classes, I caught a train to London to join the family there, which was a very unique experience. Unlike Germany, I have now visited London many times and it has become a type of second home. We first went to the science museum and then after dinner, I was able to show them some of the highlights at night. We walked a little ways along the river where Adam excitedly got to take a picture of Big Ben at night. The next morning, my college had a field trip in London, so I went to meet up with them for a tour of St. Paul's church. After, I had visited all of the checkpoints for the field trip, I met with the family and we enjoyed some souvenir shopping and a picnic in Hyde Park for dinner. That evening, I said my final goodbyes to them as I left to meet up with Karen to see the production Les Miserables. I went not having any expectations, as I had not seen it before, and I did not know the plot line. It was probably the best production that I have seen in my life (It might even beat Wicked...It was that good). Between the well cast characters, the neat revolving stage, the lighting, and the story showing the ultimate example of a father's love was just incredible. The following night, we had a costume ball at school. Ever semester, this is a night in which we wear costumes, have a formal dinner in the state rooms, and then have a dance following. Not knowing what to be, a group of my friends and I just dressed up in toga-like costumes. We made dresses out of different colored sheets, and were called all sorts of things, including decorative napkins, throughout the night, which was quite funny.
After procrastinating my studies due to my family's visit, I spent a considerable amount of time focused on writing papers and beginning final preparation. Mid-week, however, I did get to go on a field trip to a brewery in Bury St. Edmunds called Greene King. They are the largest brewer of ale in the UK. We were able to tour the factory, see how beer is made, taste different types of barley, and then even got to sample a few of the beers that they make. It was a short, but fun, afternoon get away amongst all of the papers being written! At the conclusion of the week, we also had our final "Meet a Family Fest" at which the two choirs in which I have participated performed. I also had to give a brief talk reflecting on my experience. It was a fun celebration, but Shelby and I are very lucky to get to go back to our host family's again before we leave! We all weren't ready to say goodbye, and I am not looking forward to doing so next week. I spent the weekend just hanging out at the manor, spending some time in town, and watching the fourth Harry Potter in the manor, which we often refer to as Hogwarts!
This week, I finished my last week of classes while here at Harlaxton. All of the "lasts" are starting to set in, and I believe everyone here at Harlaxton has begun to grow quite nostalgic. Everyone is attempting to make our last days here the best that they can be. This Wednesday, I made a various spontaneous decision to join some friends going to a Premier League Football (aka soccer) game. It was one of the few things that I had not done yet that was on my "bucket list" for Harlaxton, and I was regretting not being able to attend a game. However, I did get to go, I got to sit in third row seats, and I loved every moment of the intense action not only on the field, but within the crowd. We sat near the Arsenal fans, who were quite rambunctious. It was fun to see both sides yelling and chanting back and forth with each other. In the end, it was a 3-0 victory for Arsenal. Last night, we had our Valedictory dinner at which we had our Harlaxton graduation and received our "Writs of Achievement" for our academic work completed here. Between seeing the end of finals, this formal dinner, the picture video following, and booking my last train ticket from Grantham and having to tick the "one way" box, reality of leaving England is beginning to set in, and I wish there was a way to slow it down. As the semester is concluding, I am realizing how meaningful and unforgettable this semester has become. The new friendships, the travels, the change in coursework, and becoming fully immersed in a new culture. I can already think of all of the things that I will probably say incorrectly such as ordering chips at McDonald's instead of fries or that I need to go to ASDA instead of Walmart. I am very excited to be returning home, but leaving the place that I currently call home and many of my new friends from other universities that I now view like family will be quite sad. While I am truly happy to be returning to America and the friends, family, and food there, I truly have fallen in love with English culture and will miss it greatly.
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