Home at Last!

It's May 6th, 8 days after my arrival back in the USA.  Over the past week, I have spent time in Indy and Evansville reacquainting with my family and friends that I left behind.  But now as I finally begin the unpacking process, its very easy to become nostalgic and reflect upon my semester abroad.  It seems like yesterday when I was arriving in London, and catching my first glimpses of my new and giant home.  And here, four months later exactly, I am sitting in my bed remembering the moment that had to come with arriving, which was leaving.     First, I had to leave my host family.  Our final dinner, giving of going away presents, the final game of farkle, and the last hugs to say goodbye that were met with tears was difficult.  It is amazing how blessed I was to be given these two special parents who made me feel like Grantham, England truly could be home because I had people who loved me there.  The next day, I battled the next "goodbye" task by saying goodbye to my new friends from other schools (who I may never see again) as well as those from UE.  After I finished my British Studies final, I walked around the manor, catching my last glimpses of the elaborate state rooms that had become home.  The cab ride when we watched Harlaxton Manor fade finally out of vision along with the entire we spent there brought with it many emotions.  It was a moment to realize that my study abroad at experience that I had so long looked forward to was fading away and coming to a close.  Truly, it was this cab ride that made me realize how much I would actually miss Harlaxton and the experiences I was so fortunate to have.  While I am thrilled to be back home with family and friends, I truly will miss the four special months that I was able to spend in England and traveling beyond.  It has shown me truly what is important in life, to be gutsy,  and how I can do anything if I put my mind to it.  The memories I have and the friends I have made during this experience I know will be cherished for the rest of my life.

Italy

blog coming soon

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.

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.

Capsized in the Lake District!

Yes, Karen, Katie, and I climbed a tree...

View from my Run on the First Morning

There were LOTS of sheep! I spoke to them, and they ran to me!

This past week, I have been very busy with school work, lots of paper writing, and studying.  Each assignment seems to make the week busy and fly by even faster!  This week, I also went to my host family's and spent time with their grandson Harry!  I got to read him bedtime stories, and we sang Old McDonald had a farm repetitively, which was ADORABLE.  This weekend, my travels stayed in England, but we moved northwest to the Lake District.  We stayed in a small town called Ambleside in a hostel that was right on a lake with a beautiful mountain background.  Activities of the weekend included shopping, eating great food (which included an amazing hostel breakfast as well as Katie, Karen, Albert, and I doing some cooking), scenic runs, hiking up the mountains, kayaking, and ghyll scrambling. The atmosphere of the town was very fun because it was very outdoorsy.  Almost all of the shops sold gear for about any sort of outdoor adventure you could ever dream of.  It was VERY tempting to buy a backpack for backpacking; however, I was able to resist!  The kayaking on the lake was also very beautiful!  It, however, ended up being a very wet experience, as I fell in the lake after about ten minutes of being in my kayak while we were playing a competitive game.  What a shocker....me, competitive? NEVER!  I was attempting to steal a rock off the back of Dr. Taylor's kayak, and I was leaning towards his boat, he paddled away, and I fell in, camera in my pocket and all.  Fortunately, my camera was in a plastic bag within my waterproof jacket, so it survived being submerged!  After the previous evening having already jumped into the lake for kicks and giggles and "because we are only in the lake district once," I truly felt that I had gotten my fill of the chilly lake in the overcast, 50 degree weather!  Ghyll scrambling was a very interesting experience, at points fun, but at others terrifying.  If you can imagine a large creek in the smoking mountains with waterfalls and trying to climb up them through the water, that is precisely what we did.  When there wasn't a large falls area and we were just climbing over rocks and wading through the water, it was a very cold, yet fun experience.  When they harnessed me and told me to scale a 40 foot waterfall, right through the middle of the "slippy" (slippery) falls, it became quite scary.  About two thirds of the way up, I got stuck and was unable to find a place to put my feet, which left me stuck in the cold current for about five minutes, I literally froze in place, may or may not have shed a few tears of panic, and had to be rescued by one of the guides.  Needless to say, ghyll scrambling was not quite my favorite activity, but it was still overall a very positive experience prior to climbing the waterfall.  To conclude the trip, we spent Sunday afternoon in Keswick, where I visited Hope Park, saw more beautiful views, and enjoyed a nice lunch out.  Overall, the lake district trip was wonderful, and beautiful.  I also enjoyed it because it was a large school sponsored trip, so it allowed me to spend time with a lot of different classmates throughout the weekend and get to know some people better.  It was nice to enjoy the nature and get away for a relaxing, laid back weekend!

Beautiful Views!

Hiking! 

Chicken Curry, Rice, Fried Bananas, Salad, and Bread=YUMMY! 

Yes, My Idea of Paradise is Scout Camp...in the ALPS!

This past week has been yet another crazy week of manor life.  With approximately 5,000 words of essays (roughly 18 typed pages….), leading my Christian fellowship group, choir, visiting my host family, and participating in my school “variety show” (a talent show), I have once again been very busy!  The talent show was definitely one of the highlights of the week, and I really enjoyed singing with my friend Nicole while another friend Jesse played guitar for us!  I hope to post a video on here soon of the performance!  We also had a field trip this Tuesday to an old workhouse for half a day, while the other half of the day was spent learning more about the history of the Harlaxton manor.  The workhouse was a very unique and interesting experience.  In Victorian times, these workhouses were used for the poor who could not find work and needed a way to survive.  The living conditions were not pleasant, families were split apart, and members were split into groups based on gender, age, and work ability.  It was not an option that anyone would desire, but it could be chosen out of desperation.  It was a very unique way of dealing with the poor and was very intriguing.  At the manor, we learned all about what different parts of the manor used to be used for as well as how issues of the times affected the design of the manor.  For example, servants have various secret passageways and stairwells so that they would not be seen by the high class of the manor, and corridors were constructed in a way that males and females could not sneak to each other during the late evening hours.  Learning the previous uses for the manor was also a very interesting experience. The weekend prior, I also did a day trip visit to Cambridge, which was beautiful, as well as an overnight trip to Surbiton to visit my high schol best friend Rachel Milne!  It was a great time, and I enjoyed catching up with her.

THE Swiss Alps

This past weekend, I went to see one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen, the Swiss Alps.  After a very long transport to Kandersteg, a thirty minute walk to the scout base, and a bit of guessing at where reception was in the dark, Ellyn and I finally arrived at our destination for a good night’s rest. Unfortunately, this was the start of a weekend of illness for me.  On a positive note, Ellyn brought some ibuprofen with us, so I managed to make it through the weekend and enjoy most of the weekend activities!  The first day, we explored the scout base, took lots of pictures, and then spent the afternoon doing what I like to refer to as “extreme sledding”.  We walked into town to the gondola, sleds on our backs like backpacks, and went to the top for what was the most thrilling sledding I am sure I will ever do in my life.  It was like being on a very wild inner tube water slide.  At first, we laid on our stomachs on the sleds, but we quickly realized this resulted in lack of control and ourselves and the sleds flying multiple feet into snow banks.  Sitting on the sleds and steering with our feet was just as thrilling, just with a lot more control!  It was amazing flying down the mountain, with the beautiful mountain views of snow, rock, trees, and streams.  We even saw an small "avalanche" as we called it!  I also was able to try some authentic Swiss cheese on the walk back to the Scout Centre!  That evening, the other girls went into town to listen to some live Swiss music, but I stayed behind to work on some homework and get to bed early to rest for a full day of skiing the following day. 

Avalanche!!

Ellyn and I

Down the Sledding Trail!

Group Shot!

Conquering the Alps on Skis!

The next morning, we headed into town to get our gear, then went up to the top of the mountain on the gondola for a beautiful day of skiing in the Alps.  It was around 60 degrees, so I skied in just a long sleeve shirt and ski pants!  We had a few interesting experiences with the new type of “ski lift” that was not the normal chair lift we were used to, but we managed to make due, and even did a difficult run that went from the top of the mountain to the bottom. Unfortunately, I eventually was defeated by my fever, and had to sit out for a bit at the top of the mountain, but I sure had a great view to enjoy up at the lodge!  I got to see lots of paragliders too!  Over an hour later, I was starting to wonder where they were, and eventually I got the news that Ali had been rushed to the doctor because she had torn her ACL!! But outside of that, the skiing experience was amazing and absolutely breath taking in the heart of the Alps!

Switzerland was amazing because of seeing the Alps, but also because we got to stay in the Kandersteg International Scout Centre.  Being at the scout center, we got to see many other scouts from across the world.  I really enjoyed being in the environment of something that I have grown to become such a part of at UE.  It really made me miss Venturing Crew 365!  Overall, Switzerland was amazing, and will probably be one of my fondest memories of my entire study abroad experience, despite having to fight illness!!  It was a great change of pace from the frenzy of sightseeing in the major cities, and a great way to enjoy scouting and nature.

Scout Promise and Law!

View out my Bedroom Window

"Where the men are men, and the sheep are nervous" -Ireland

Luck of the Irish!  A Rainbow!

This past weekend, I went on a 3-day paddywagon tour of Southern Ireland with stops in Galway and Killarney.  Thursday night, we flew into Dublin, Ireland.  The first night was our only one to be spent in Dublin, so we went out briefly to walk around the river, take pictures of the infamous Temple Bar, and to stop in a couple pubs to hear some live Irish music.  The second day, we began our journey to Galway.  Throughout the day, we had various scenic stops.  We got our first glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean and the beautiful green countryside. As we drove through Connemara, we also got a lovely mountain view.  We had a stop to take photographs at Kylemore Castle, which was entirely picturesque.  Lunch was a picnic of cheese, bread, and fresh fruit.  We very quickly decided that Irish cheese was way better than what you get out of the package in the States!  We also saw LOTS of sheep, which our tour guide always pointed out by yelling “SHEEP!!!” every time he saw some.  We also saw lots of walls that had been built to divide people’s land during the potato famine.  That night, we stopped in Galway, where we did some shopping and then enjoyed a night of going to pubs, enjoying live music, and interacting with the locals.  At one pub, we were talking to a very outgoing guy who then invited us to come to his friend’s birthday party in the back of the pub in what would be their equivalent of a party room.  After, we met up with some of the other members of our paddywagon who were from New Zealand and Australia and went to a couple different clubs to finish off the night.  I LOVED Galway!! It was exactly the cute, old Irish town that I was wanting to see.

A Stop at an Old Church

The Irish Countryside

Castle!

Morning River Side Run in Galway

Our second day on the paddywagon tour, we began the journey from Galway to Killarney, but not before I got my morning run in!  I went by some old churches, the Spanish Arch, and for the most part ran on the river front.  It was absolutely beautiful.  I absolutely came to a true admiration for the quaint little Irish town.  It was sad to have to move on, but the second day was absolutely spectacular.  There is not a way that anyone could see the beauties we saw and not believe in a God.  The entire day, we drove along the coast.  We saw beautiful beaches, but most notably the Cliffs of Moher, also known as the Cliffs of Insanity.  These Cliffs were absolutely just spectacular.  It was easily comparable to the Grand Canyon.  We also stopped at a wishing well where we had to throw coins in backwards.  If we made it, our wish would come true, but if we missed, the opposite would come true!  We spent the night in the very small town of Killarney, and enjoyed some pub life at a place called The Grand. 

Castle by the Sea

Seaside Village

Cliffs of Moher

Enjoying the View!

The third day, we moved from Killarney towards Dublin.  This drive included the counties of Cork and Kerry, lots of mountain views, and a stop at the Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney stone for 7 years of eloquence of speech.  Kissing the Blarney stone was probably one of the most terrifying things I have ever done in my life because you literally dangle 300 feet above the ground almost like you are doing a backbend.  However, the grounds, castle, and cave were beautiful.  It was a sunny day and it felt and looked just like spring.  To conclude the trip, we stopped at the Rock of Castle Dunamase in the Golden Vale.  There were lots of cool old stone configurations that we enjoyed climbing on, and we got a beautiful view of the Irish countryside.  After this, we rushed back to Dublin, grabbed cabs, and raced through the airport (we had only 40 minutes from our arrival at the airport until the time the plane departed! Scary!) and were a bit rushed, but made it just in time.

Overall, Ireland was one of the most beautiful and spectacular places I have ever visited.  Again, I truly felt as though I was able to become somewhat immersed in the culture here, and I could have spent days just sitting on the paddywagon bus admiring the country, mountains, and sea.  It truly was spectacular.  I hope that in the future, I can return to do a tour of the northern part of Ireland since I was only able to tour the southern part of the country.    

Overlooking the Countryside :)



Castle Grounds

Cave Adventure!

Blarney Castle

Rock at Dunamase