Cheers!

It was a rather lazy day- went to the gym, went for coffee, had a philosophical conversation with Steph about whether we should be doctors or move to the mountains in India and medidate. Seriously, it's just a metaphor for the fact that I haven't a clue what to do with my life (aka should I bother with chemistry). I finally got into my lit book in the beautiful Brotherton library with natural sunlight piercing through the ceiling windows, and tonight I headed out to a really fun upper year party thrown by these really sweet guys who went on exchange to Canada last year.

On the way home, while a friend stopped for some late night munchies, some 8 year old kid (no older) was sitting on the steps with some young kids smoking pot and telling me to "fook off", which absolutely breaks my heart. But I didn't have much sympathy for him when he started throwing food at us. Another interesting point, I asked at least 4 British people today about where I'd be able to find the stonehedge, and it seems that none of them have a clue! I just think it is funny how most exchange students who study in Canada will have seen more of North America than I ever will, and of course, vice versa, I intend to see a whole lot of Europe and the UK!

As well, the Fresher's Ball (first year big party) was tonight which I didn't go to, but all the people we saw walking back looked like they had just stepped out of the shower. One guy was walking home shirtless because it was too "disgusting" to wear. I'm still waiting for my flatmates to come home so I can take a photo that reminds me of the time Amy walked in absolutely soaked and yelled "it's not raining at all!" xoxo.

The Beauty of Science

Gravity. It seems that certain things, no matter how hard we try, always revert to some form of natural order. It's not necessarily an advocacy for determinism, but more reflective of Newton's third law that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, which is the basis of gravity- a mysterious force that pulls us towards the earth, and restores some degree of balance in our physical lives.

Demonstration number one: In these past two days, it has become rather clear to me that I, am somehow, (lol somehow), addicted to coffee. Although this dependency started years ago thanks to all the essays I've had to write in high school and the first couple years of university, I never realized the full extent of its restorative force until yesterday. Heading off to my first seminar, which by the way, consist of only ten, count them, ten people- meaning if you haven't read the book, then the professor is bound to notice, anyways, heading to my first literature seminar, I was running late and didn't have time to grab a coffee because amongst the organized chaos of my room I couldn't find my cell phone. Anyways, it was an hour of torture as I felt that I was only half awake and half aware of what was being said. As well, this morning, I found THE best coffee shop right across from the university where they have won awards for the 2nd best coffee in the UK, and have a really nice and posh atmosphere to offer as well. It's a bit expensive, but in my opinion, well worth the splurge. If it isn't yet clear, I have been drinking coffee it seems every day for the past couple of years, and now isn't the greatest time to stop- or else I'll have that horrible reaction again.

Second Example- It was almost, absolutely, incredulously inevitable. It seems that despite having taken my Vitamin C on a religious basis, I, yes I, have been infected with the horrible, the dreaded, but alas the inevitable, fresher's flu. This is what the people here call the after-affects of two weeks of uninterrupted fun- the untimely, miserable, but once again, the inevitable, fresher's flu- an equal and opposite, and horrid reaction. So tonight I decided to head down to the Hillel house for a Friday night Shabbat dinner. Let me just say, that Leeds Hillel has sooo many Jewish students, far more than at McMaster, but certainly far more than I expected here. Most of them seem to go to Leeds Metropolitain, which is just a short walk away en route to the city center. I had a nice time and met a "bunch" (for you Steph) of cool and nice people, and of course a very nice Shabbat dinner, at least better than I can cook myself. What I found really interesting and striking, is how similar Leeds Jews seem to Toronto Jews- maybe it's "jap appeal", but it just doesn't surprise me at all that it seems easy to pick out Jews amongst the crowd (excuse me if I sound a bit racist), but there definitely are some similarities. Anyways, it is also quite ironic that while services were going on in one room, other people were playing pool in the other. Oh, and about the muslim scarf I mentioned previously in another posting, I have seen soo many people wearing them around their neck here that I don't know if it is an act of rebellion or sheer ignorance that I find quite puzzling. Anyways, I spent the rest of the night hanging out in my flat as well as in Steph's flat with a crowd of people. I met a post-graduate from Barbados, and a fresher from Poland. They all headed out to redeem Anna's free drinks, but I decided to call it a night. Ahem. cough. Fresher's flu.

Third Example- Not having enough sleep leads to dire consequences. Fortunately, mine did not involve the operation of heavy machinery. Being so busy, I admit I have been skimping on sleep (don't worry Brooke, I have been catching up!). This clearly manifested itself when I tried to read Conrad's Secret Agent. First lesson, don't read in bed, it's a rather bad idea unless you want to fall asleep, which is what happened. After attempt one, and a 20 minute nap, I figured it best to have a Red Bull energy drink and get back to work. Attempt two and 20 minutes later, another 20 minute nap. whoops.

Fourth Example- This summer I fell in love with the gym. It wasn't just the allure of the luxurious Extreme Fitness facilities, but exercise seems to have therapeutic effects on me. With all the craziness going on, and my recent illness, I hadn't gone to the gym in quite a while and it was beginning to take its toll on me in the form of really adverse effects of me not feeling my best. I think this was most evident when Steph and I had to run from one end of campus to another to make back to back lectures; we arrived 15 minutes late... So I've decided to pick up another good habit again, but I suppose it could be worse.

That about sums it up. I am finally starting to relax a little and settle in, hopefully getting a LOT more travel in. Sophie pinkie swore to take me to Lake District and maybe London, so I'm going to hold her to that. I also applied to be a sub-warden (aka CA or RA) because people apparently seemed to have quit- perfect for me, so I hope that I get it. Oh, I joined the debate team!!!! I think I could use the practise. I've also decided to keep science/chemistry in the mix, at least for now, while McMaster gets back to me (I had to hunt them down by telephone). And if my postings remind you of Meredith on Grey's Anatomy, or Carrie from Sex and the City, it's probably because I've been watching a couple of episodes here and there ;)

Life in a Pound

Ah, a brand new day, brand new news, brand new stories!!! Let me recap.

Steph and I thought we'd head out early to our very first modern literature class. Yes, this is VERY exciting. We arrived at the English department because we were informed to pick up our courseware there. After waiting for a while for someone to arrive, we were told that the professor had taken them all. While we were waiting, we were talking with Kirstin, from South Africa about, what else, English of course. Steph and I were talking about how we realized that we were going to be taking a third year class with students who were concentrating solely on literature and already had two years of writing and studying for a literature class. Steph, of course, LOVES essays (sarcasm intended), and some man who overheard us smiled at us very intently at the doorway. If you haven't already guessed, he was the professor, hehe. I hope he likes our accents at least. The rest of the story goes, the three of us had coffee, spoke about the unmentionable horrors of living in Leodis (steep, steeeeeep hill to class, muggings, sketchy neighbourhood and such), while Kirstin told us about the joys of living 4 miles away in Boddington. It takes anywhere from 15 mins to an hour to bus to campus depending on the time. It's gorgeous with its own pubs and sport fields, and I was considering staying there, except I felt it was much too far away!

Literature class was definitely an experience. First of all the lecture theatre resembles one of those amusement park rides where each row can only be accessed from one doorway on eachside. Basically, each row has its own doorway on each side. To get to the front of the room you have to go outside the room and go around to another doorway. Very economical/practical.... Anyways, the subject is Modern Literature. At first glance, it seems like a really vague and obscure title. The three themes we will be discussing (in the Modern period/mostly 20th century) are Sexuality/Identity, which is related to Freud's theory, the feminist/sufferage movement etc, War and Revolution- the two world wars, the idea and intentions of war and revolution, and finally, Modernism- what is modernism. We will be reading a book a week, from Yeats, to Conrad, to T.S. Elliot, Auden, Lawrence, etc. In case you can't tell, I'm very excited! I have my first seminar/tutorial tomorrow.

Following my one class, I headed out to meet Anna and Sophie at the Parkinson steps to head into town. Having fresher's flu, I haven't been feeling too well, but couldn't pass up the opportunity. Shopping/browsing has become my after-school-extracurricular activity. We looked around, Sophie picked up some adorable pictures she developed. When she left for rock climbing with Amy, Anna and I went to Starbucks for coffee and conversation about what it's like to live in Denmark and the contrast between Europe and North America. Like I said before, everyone here has their own individual style. The stores here are tailored to inviduality. There are always some very distinct pieces to be found, as opposed to the one shirt in every colour at the GAP. As well, I believe that people have been wearing the muslim scarf as, what I BELIEVE (not entirely sure), is a fashion statement. Again, I am assuming it is the muslim scarf or headress, and I find it interesting that people can transcend religion in the name of fashion. I think it's sort of a satire, mockery at the same time- but this is just my assumption. Anyways the European lifestyle is quite different when you consider its vast, rich history and the fact that all these countries live in such direct contact with eachother versus the Canadian/American isolation in North America.

I headed back for a powernap and then a hitchike meeting. There is a campus organization by the name of RAG, accronym for raise and give- they run various charity events on campus. One of the main events is the Morocco hitchike over Easter break. In teams of three, we actually, you guess it, hitchike to Morocco- and don't worry they advocate no accidents or incidents in 15 years (so don't worry mom!). In order to participate we have to raise 300pounds so any contributions from anyone would be very much appreciated. Once again, please please let me know if you are willing to make a donation in the name of a charity soon to be announced!!!!!!

TOnight there was a Leodis dinner- basically free food, and because it is England, free drinks for the residence. So few people showed up I think we could have each had 6 drinks each. I only had one and a half, (thanks to fresher's flu and not to mention, common sense for my 10 AM class) but they let us take home some bottles (one which Sophie kind of broke by walking into a pole, hehe....) as well as a ton of food!!! That was pretty fun considering some friends of ours raided the party, which was pretty dull anyways, for some free food. Afterwards, the flat headed out to the Terrace, campus pub, and I returned to my room to sleep and write to you!

OH! We also booked a trip to Dublin!! Steph, Anna Brazil, Renata, and many others, apparently 20 others, have booked Dublin for November 10th! With Ryanair, ticket there cost 1 pound and ticket back cost only a pence!!! With taxes it's about 24 pounds round trip- very nice!!! exciting!!!!!!

My mission for the rest of this week is to decide on chemistry. As much as I'd like to go into psychiatry, I'm more inspired by the arts but I don't know what I'd do with it. BUt like Anna says, everything will work out in the end. But in the meantime.... hmm I don't know! It's been a good day- with Dublin on a pence, and chemistry on the fence :S

side note for mom: that is a freebee I am holding in my hand, the blue bag that says vodka- one of millions of promotions from the numerous clubs around here that kill too many trees a day with their excessive flyers.

More Randomness

I am knackered!!! (p.s. that means tired, not drunk..) I think I have fresher's flu, like everyone else around here. Anyways, like my sentences, today felt so absolutely random!!! Went to chem class this morning, ran around running errands on the university very inefficiently, handed out some resumes (or CV's) around the city center. Oh, bought the nicest flats (shoes) for 10pounds! They were actually 28 something but they accidently marked them off and gave them to me on sale anyways! Yom kippur crisis averted.

I went to a meeting today about all the hitchike trips available for charity- one to Morocco and one to Paris! More meetings to follow. What else? Went to JSoc pancake party- apparently everyone in 2 blocks of Montague Burton residence is Jewish. Came back here and the girls across the hall asked for a tennis ball and made a game out of throwing it into a wastebin- I call it waste ball for 2 reasons, but I inevitably joined in. Then Anna decided to take my deodorizer and spray it eeeeeverrrywhere. Yes eeeeeevverywhere...cough. cough. Oh ya, we think Anna won some sort of free cruise to Spain- details to follow. Yep, that was pretty random. Like I said, I'm knackered. NIght!

Nerd at Heart

Here's what I learned on my first day of school:

(1) No one, and I mean no one here types lecture notes on a laptop. I brought mine with today and ended up making a trip home just to drop it off. Not only is it heavy and annoying, people here warn you about theft every time you take your wallet out.

(2) Classes are self-monitering- most don't have quizes or biweekly tests to make sure you are keeping up. Environment and Society has an essay worth 25% and an exam worth 75% in its grades breakdown accompanied by a recommended reading list 2 pages long.... gulp...

(3) The British are tremendously fashionable (not that I just noticed this today, but I can't help myself). So many people wear nice shoes. I know that's a shallow comment, but being British is all about wearing tight pants (yes, guys included), having a styled mane, and of course, stripes. An alinternation friend of mine even had a "British Party" to make fun of them (maybe I'll snap you pictures tomorrow)

(4) After riding the bus today, it's hard to get used to driving on the other side of the road. Every time the bus makes a right turn I feel my heart drop. But I've gotten better at knowing which way to look before crossing the road (don't worry, I always look both ways anyway)

(5) I am such a nerd. I think I actually missed learning. My Environment and Society class is soo interesting and is such an artsci course. The professor describes it as examining the middle ground between the the science and politics/sociological issues concerning the environment. Prof seems nice and very engaging, class is interesting, and interdisciplinary.

(6) Chemistry here is nuts. If I choose to remain in this course, I will have FIVE, yes FIVE hours of chemistry lectures a week in addition to some form of a tutorial. I just signed out 3 giant textbooks from the library for chem (yes, you can do that for most classes here) and they resemble a telephone book. oy. I am still thinking of dropping it- it's not as inspiring as my other classes and I can still get into some med schools without it... hmm

(7) Plan, plan, plan. Organization is key (okay so I didn't exactly just stumble up on this lesson today). I need to organize better. I need a job (I had an interview today, the guy wants me to canvass door to door and work 25 hours a week- I told him I'm only legally allowed to work 20 hours a week because I'm here on a student visa, but I'll likely be turning down this job- no more door to door for me.)THe saga continues.

The Grass is Always Greener In Someone Else's Field

Now that I have had my first homemade latte, I am all caffiened up and ready to go!

In the past three years that I have lived on my own away from home, I cannot help but unite all my troubles under one common enemy: ENTROPY. Yes, entropy. According to what I was taught in Mrs. Silverberg's grade 12 chemistry class, all matter in the universe proceeds towards entropy, towards randomness and disorder. In personal terms, what this translates into is that without any outside force or intervention, my entire world will proceed towards chaos. Here is how I have been combating it:

First example: today I actually cleaned my room, vacuumed the floor, folded my clothes cleaned the sink and the bathroom floor. However untypical of me this may sound, I blame entropy. In just two weeks my room had already proceeded towards maximum disorder.

Second example: It just seems like there is so much to do that I have to write it all down or else I will forget it. I have to keep an academic journal and write down all my classes, meetings, tryouts, etc. I tried out for the ultimate frisbee team looking like sporty spice, but it's more of a club as they will only cut and recruit for tournaments. I'm thinking of joining the rugby team instead.

Third example: my hair. My hair and this weather just do not get along. I mean, without any gel or mousse, I have the world's largest and unruly afro. In this crazy English weather, and I do mean crazy (it was damp and foggy and mucky this morning, then the afternoon was filled with bright sunshine and sporadic rain in some spots on the frisbee field), now in this crazy English weather, my hair is just hopeless. btw- look at the picture of me and Amy, just the two of us. We are long lost- recently reunited conjoined hair twins (except hers seems to have evolved to better adapt to this rainy English weather). Although mine doesn't seem that bad from the pictures, just remember that pictures are edited and sorted and posted according to maximum aesthetic quality. So just remember that the pictures you see are selected from a formidable selection. That is my 'daily defense' against entropy.

Fourth example: Culture Shock. Now, all the international advisors have warned us against the torments and ails of culture shock. They describe it in several stages: the honeymoon stage, the depressed/sad/bad stage, the anger stage or rage against England, and the acceptance stage. Now maybe I'm still in the honeymoon stage but I personally feel that the idea of culture shock is directly related to your previous conceptions or perceptions about that other culture in relation to yours. I've been to Israel, and now I've seen England, and I somehow assumed that I would feel different, and I think the shock in clash/contrast of cultures comes from finding how similar the two respective cultures actually are. I don't mean that Israeli and Canadian culture or British and Canadian culture are both very similar; what I mean is that every culture is intrinsically similar in a sociological sense. It's the realization that although other cultures may be founded on different values or principles, the underlying framework is essentially identical. So although you have been geographically displaced, your sensory interactions with the environment do not change. Although your surroundings have changed, you have not changed. And I think the moment of impact for me is when I realized that I will eventually settle into the same seemingly mundane routine of the typical university student. The people may have changed, the hangouts may have changed, the campus may have changed, but the system, the inner workings, the lifestyle is still one and the same. All is still intact. So many Israelis and one British guy I met today all discuss how much they'd like to move to North America. And here enters the age old cliche: the grass is always greener on the other side. The impact of culture shock occurs when you realize that just maybe it is not. It's an appreciation of the diversity of culture and the acceptance of each for what it is. Although England may have lush sports fields of healthy green grass that remind me of Harry Potter, metaphorically speaking, how one personally interprets it is solely a matter of choice.

Now, tomorrow marks our first day of school. I believe I have literature at 10 am and will have to sort out chemistry before then as I was not assigned to a lecture or tutorial. I have a couple of other classes after lit, a job interview at 2 (I forgot what the interview was for and asked Anna to phone in for an interview on my behalf, because I can't hear too well on my mobile, to discover that ironically it was an interview for telemarketing... oy) I begin work as a residence advisor at 6 and I think there's a JSoc pancake event squeezed in there somewhere. Oh, and probably a workout at the gym. It's going to be a busy day!

p.s. the pix are from a couple nights ago- my last hurrah before my retirement from the party scene, just to explain/justify the pictures. p.p.s. those are the fab 6, my posh, awesome, adorable flatmates!

If the shoe fits....

Ok story time.

So I, at the last minute, yes shamelessly at the last minute, decided that I was fully going to attend services for the Jewish New Year. The reason for my tardy decision had to do with the fact that I just signed on for the Jewish society the day before and inquired only then about these services. I called the rabbi the next day and he was so amazingly welcoming and hospitable. He arranged everything, as I stayed with a family down the street and attended services with other students.

Despite my personal views on religion, which I won't delve into, the one thing that I do appreciate about it is the fact that no matter where in the world you are, you are always welcome and always feel at home in the Jewish community, as you are met by the familiarity of customs and traditions. Although this is an exclusive community, it is a comforting feeling to be made at home.

Having said that, I missed Friday night services because I somehow set my watch an hour backwards, but I joined them in time for dinner. I met other students in first year, mostly from Britain, and one from Brazil and had a nice time. I stayed overnight with the family down the street and met up with the students the next morning to attend a reform synagogue. The prayers were nice, although not quite what I am used to as some sections were skipped, and others were read quite differently. I was accompanied by two gentlemen, Ash and Jack who were so nice.

The story here is that the arrangements were such last minute that I had to work out clothing last minute. Sophie and Anna, my flatmates were kind enough to come shopping with me in the city center. I love Primark, let me say, best deal I have ever seen even with the currency exchange. After some coffee and Anna trying to give me convlusions and seizures from so much coffee in one day, I rushed homne to realize that I did not have any shoes- Jo saved my arse and lent me hers, and although they were painful to walk in, as I had to stuff them with kleenex, they held me over.

Now, I was supposed to leave Saturday afternoon to come back here, but my hosts were no where to be found. I trecked back and forth down the street 3 times hoping they'd be home, to no avail. THey arrived back at 6 and I took a taxi (yes shame on me, on rosh hashana), back to residence with Jack and Ash, who waited for me this whole time :S

So I think the moral of this story concerns the fact that hardly anything ever works out the way you expect it to. So if the shoe fits, all is well, and if it doesn't, then I guess you just make it fit and make it work for you. So despite my religious beliefs, however unorthodox and incompatible they may be, I was able to enjoy a religious, customary experience with a rabbi, his pregnant wife, and their 3 crazy children (not to sound stereotypical at all..).

Now walking a mile in my sore moccassins, I have another story- I went to a club a couple nights ago and some guy asked me if I'd buy him a drink. What makes it worse is that drinks were 50 pence (1$).... very impressive. I basically turned to him and said that he should be buying me a drink. Well I had a very nice night with me, Anna, the Americans and Sophie! My flatmates are adorable and posh and I adore them more and more everyday. Life is absolutely crazy and all over the place at the moment. And to all those at home, I have pictures of all of you all over my wall! I love and miss you dearly and please keep in touch if I haven't been doing a good job of it.

All in all, I think my friends and I have basically decided that we have had enough of the party scene. It's been a great couple of weeks but I think I am hearby announcing my retirement. It's beginning to seem mundane and I am taken back to first year back to my residence room where I had an amazing night sitting around and talking and I realized that a night in with quality people is far nicer and more meaningful than a night of crazy partying.

THis is my two pence for the past couple of days, as I am excited to begin classes! (I know I am a nerd, thank you). p.s. this weather realllly hates my hair and vice versa. I mean, even the locals are telling me that England is the best country ever, yet they hate the miserable weather. At first I thought I just needed better hair products, but I took my flatmate Amy and Sophie's advice and I'm left looking like a frizzball with more afro than carrot top..... sheesh. peace luvs!

btw. settings have been changed so that anyone can comment, so let me know if you are reading!

Leeds, Living it, Loving it.

Wow. I can't believe I've only been here for about two weeks. It's gone by so fast, but at the same time, I feel like I've been here for two months. So fast, in fact, that I have trouble remembering what I did yesterday (no, it's not because of alcohol). I ran a whole bunch of errands yesterday, from signing up for sports, to signing up for societies, including JSoc (Jewish Society), of course. There are a whole bunch of clubs that take a bunch of trips and I will definitely be joining those. There is a hitchhike or two to Amsterdam, Paris, and Morocco and I can't wait to learn more about that. I had my training yesterday for computer advisor, and although I felt slightly out of place, I think I managed to just slide by- I start next Monday and I hope that I can fix people's computers. I've also been applying for a whole bunch of other jobs and see what comes up. So far I've gotten a call back from a real estate agent but I seem to have forgotten what it was for. Steph and I also switched our environment class for efficiency reasons. I basically have at least 2 of 3 classes with Steph each semester, so we'll be seeing a lot of eachother, and maybe I'll swap her with Ash for Katy ;) of course I am just kidding (I promise).

As horrible as this may sound, I haven't really felt homesick yet but I think that's just because I've made so many good friends already with the other international students, as well as my flatmates who are absolutely fun and adorable.

I wanted to go to London today or tomorrow but it just seems that we all have soo much to do before school starts on Monday that it just may not work out.

After a night out on the town last night, I am very happy to report that I had my first sleep in today since I've gotten here, and perhaps even longer than that. For some reason, I still feel pretty tired still. I think it will be nice to settle in a routine and have a little order and structure to my days. Oh another thing, it's been maybe a week since I've had my mobile, and already I have used up maybe 7 pounds, or 15$. oops. Text messaging is really big here so I may switch to a pay as you go plan with cheaper texts and more expensive minutes- I've been mostly texting anyways. For the most part it seems like a rather non-invasive form of communication that can get really annoying when you have to type so many of them on a number dial.

If you are reading these postings please feel free to comment and let me know- as I have no idea who is actually reading these things. One thing I will say, is that it is very interesting and provoking to see how our culture is viewed by British, and say Brazilian, or European culture- particularly with regards to American culture (which is probably so similar to ours). In a sense, the contrast between North American and Overseas culture becomes really apparent when you compare their respective behaviours. At the risk of sounding rude, and politically incorrect, I will just say that I have developed quite a different opinion of American and North American culture since I have arrived. It's been a broadening of perspectives, but at the same time, a narrowing of one in the sense that it's easy to see how similar we all our despite our apparent differences (I think they say that humans of all races and ethnicities and cultures share 98% or 99% of their DNA with eachother).

In another interesting mention, Anna was telling me about how there is less economic disparity in Denmark than in most other surrounding countries, and on a separate occassion mentioned that there really are no prevailing religions in Denmark. I don't think that this is coincidental, and as the high holy days approach, I begin to question/contemplate the nature and extent of my faith in Judaism. It just seems to me that the religious aspects of relgion stem from the cultural and traditional aspects and practises that have positive social outcomes. As Karl Marx said, "religion is the opiate of the masses". I shall probably continue this conversation when I get to take some philosophy courses hopefully next semester, and maybe even this one if I overload- because we really do have much less class here- but not if I apparently have chem 5 days a week :S

Well I am off to go gather my laundry (which is REDICULOUSLY expensive here in these residence facilities) and shall soon return! P.S. it is offensive here to give a peace sign with your palms facing inward towards you, so peace on the outside!

Fresher Twice Removed

You know, I've yet to understand the functional purpose of fresher's (frosh/orientation/welcome/intro) week. Not only does the residence not plan any organized or formal events (with minor exception), the university itself is so very quite unorganized. The social scene is mainly organized by bars, clubs (which there are soooooooo many of), and of course, parties everywhere. Today I went to the electives fair as I thought I was supposed to sign up for my courses there. Here they expect you to take courses mainly within your own department. HOwever, since Steph and I are from arts and science, and therefor don't really have much use for a parent faculty, we hopped around between departments trying to sign up for our courses. After we realized that the fair was only for first year electives (probably because there are no prerequisite issues, we signed up for buddhism through eastern thought, and literature through the gorgeous English department. I tried to sign up for creative writing next semester but it is full as there are 40 spots, and only 3 of these for international students. I will attend the class anyways and hope/intend to convince the professor to let me in. I am as well considering taking basic chemistry (just in case...here we go again- just to see what it's like, maybe then I'll decide about potentially going to medical school), and will probably sign up for it in the meantime. I may only have three courses this semester (a full year of chem is compressed into a semester here), chem, literature, and environment and society- not bad.

I went on a trek again today with Steph and David trying to find staples which ended up being sooooo far away, while walking on my bad foot. I didn't buy much because I found the store to be rather expensive. Otherwise, despite the currency conversion rates (it's about 2.1 pounds to the American dollar), I find that things aren't that considerably more expensive here. If you shop reasonably, things are only slightly more expensive if you keep an eye out for what you buy.

I bought a phone card today, made some calls, of course no one picked up hehe, but that's ok I'll call again. We missed our residence meeting which was "mandatory" because of our staples escapades but apparently it wasn't all that relevant.

Tonight I invited a couple of people over to my flat to make some dinner. Somehow our kitchen became standing room only and when the party moved to my own room I fell asleep on my bed. I am not all that surprised considering that I intended to go home early last night and instead went to the pub for a couple drinks (we got 2 pitchers for 8 dollars or so, Canadian- wow), don't worry mom I didn't drink it all myself. Instead of going home then, I hung out at Steph's flat with the international's and ended up going to bed after 2 to wake up for 7 today when we intended to survey and organize our courses. But alas, all that is well ends well and once again, these 2 days have proved themsleves absent of any true course or direction; they have been full of spontanaeity (excuse the spelling if it's wrong), which is nice for a change, especially when school comes around next week.

I am hoping to head out to London Thursday and Friday before things get hectic, and maybe get a handle on the British accent and perhaps do a better job of impressing my flatmates with my phony accent, hehe.

By the way, I must give Anna a special mention. She read my blog and was not too impressed that I referred to her in the context of "we get along quite well", so I am making amends for one of my best friends here!

Quote of the Day: "THe mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one"
- J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye

And now marks my exit and my cue to go pass out!! Good night!

Slap Happy Canadian Slapstick

After getting home at 2:30 am last night, I rose at 7 am to board the bus to the REAL Scarborough here in England. Ola, Anna, Anna, Steph and I slept for the two hour bus ride there this morning like a bunch of bobblehead dolls with our heads swaying back and forth. We arrived and woke up to a cappuchino, walked along the streets of Scarborough, which is a cross between an old fashioned carnival and a waterfront pioneer village, and hiked up a mountain to visit Scarborough castle. I took over 200 pictures today and diligently documented my trek. I then rode my very first double decker past the mountains and the water and enjoyed my very first taste of British cuisine: fish and chips. The view from the top is absolutely gorgeous. At this point, I was so tired that I simply could not stop laughing, aka, slap happy.

Tonight, on the otherhand, was entirely random. We intended to hang out at Montague Burton, one of the residences, and instead ran into a bunch of Canadians that we had met earlier in the week who were hanging out with some international students. We meant to head out to a campus pub and instead ended up at HiFi club until 2:30 AM. We would have been home sooner than 3:30 AM had the Swede not insisted on stopping for food along the way home.

Upon reflection, I have been socializing mostly with other international students, mostly by coincidence, and on occassion, convenience. I would really like to meet more Brits and intend to join a whole bunch of clubs and intramural teams. There are points where I have begun to miss home a little bit, but I think that many of us are finding that we are too busy having fun to even have a moment alone to think. I feel quite fortunate that there are a handful of people with which I already feel a strong, enduring and genuine bond.

The Talented Mr. Whippy's

Oh My God! These past few days have been so fun, that I absolutely don't know where to begin! I'm even beginning to think with a British accent (so just imagine me typing with one)! Where shall I begin?

Yesterday is all somewhat of a blur. I recall that it entailed walking all over the place as usual. Also, as usual, we lost Anna quite a few times yesterday. Steph and I began the process of setting up our bank accounts, went out for lunch with the Brazilians and American- I absolutely love the Brazilians, and walked around some more. You can't even bike properly in this city because there are so many hills- getting to campus everyday will give my legs more exercise than the stairmaster. Last night, we went to the international student orientation where we enjoyed an hour or two of schmoozing up the internationals, followed by a cafeteria dinner (yum....once again glad I did not opt for a meal plan), which was then followed by "British dancing", which I cannot even begin to describe (thank you David). It was quite fun, but I'm sure it was just as entertaining for others to watch us. Shortly after, we headed to the campus pub (there are quite a few of them) which was literally across the hall and had a beer with an American grad student, Allan, and a frenchman, James, who claimed to hate both wine and beer. We were all supposed to meet up at Halo, a club, but it was closed (but was very very lively tonight- more on that in a second). David, Steph, I, and others headed to The Library- no not to study, but to drink (it was a bar), and then to a club- Baja- oh what a fun night that was with the three of us and Chris, who was honestly the strangest jokester I've ever seen. To explain it would not even remotely do his comic disposition any justice. I mean, this guy would point, stop, pause, pause, pause, and pause again, and then laugh genuinely and uncontrollably, pause, and repeat. That night, I don't know what hurt more, my mouth from smiling so much, or my feet from all that walking and dancing.

I want to note that the British are actually a rather social bunch. Another gentleman approached a group of us today and suddenly started arm wrestling with Steph. Just now, a security guard approached a group of us and began joking with us. When he stepped away, one of the girls turned on his windshield wipers and ran away. The British have a wonderfully refreshing sense of humour that I can't help but appreciate.

Today was mainly spent on an exodus for a phone. David, Steph and I signed up for T-Mobile because they have billing by the second (pay as you go), and the overall cheapest rates as well. I spent the majority of the day looking for a phone that didn't give my hearing aid feedback. I spent at least an hour and some in a store, only to realize the complexity and rediculousness of the rate (in order to get the proposed price of the phone, I had to purchase from a certain network, but then use another to make calls- not so practical) so I ended up signing on T-Mobile. All in all it cose me 90 pounds for a nice phone, 25 pounds worth of pay as you go at 12 pence per minute, an extra 5 minutes, as well as insurance- even if the phone gets wet or I drop it (they're big on that here because of all the rain). Basically if my phone gets really scratched up, I may as well drop it and step on it and redeem it for a new one. Not bad. We also met the culinarily talented Mr. Whippy's and had the yummiest but weirdest ice cream concoction- hard ice cream, with soft ice cream and a chocolate stick in it-mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I met the rest of my flatmates today- Amy, Amy, Sophia, and Jo, and I of course had slight trouble understanding their accent. It's so strange because to them I'm the one with the accent, and apparently I sound cool and weird. That is weird to me but I don't mind- somewhat of a novelty. Anyways, I convinced everyone to head out to the pubs, as I met up with a friend- there ended up being too many of us to count. I had lotsa fun- let me note that Steph can take a chugging contest on anyone any day (I tied her last night). Tomorrow we head of to Scarborough, the real one, just on the coast of England, the first tourist town- which I am rather excited for, and also for which I should rest up!! (not getting much of that anyways). We should be heading out to London next weekend (I really really hope and I can't wait!). p.s. their H and M is nicer than our Gap. tsk tsk. Cheers! ~Rach.

Oh What a Bloody Long Day!!!

It’s now 2:08 AM and the day is looong over, and what a long day it has been! I awoke early, at 7:45 or so to leave Charles Morris Hall and move into Leodis. Well, that’s not entirely true. I set my alarm for a quarter to 8, but it went off at 4 am instead, even though it read 7:45 on the alarm clock. Feeling rather groggy, I pulled myself out of bed into the shower, which by the way, had a toilet inside it that was shared between the two rooms, and began my morning. After showering, I realized it was still pretty dark outside, and when I glanced at my watch, I realized it was only 4 AM. Thinking that maybe I set the clock wrong, I set it again, with the alarm, put my pajamas back on and stumbled back into bed. 6 AM, same thing, minus the shower. I guess with my converters this alarm clock runs twice as fast, and is twice as annoying and reminds me of physics lectures that suggest possible reasons for why clocks run faster- it’s not like I’ve gone to the moon or anything. Well after a rather annoying start to my day, Steph and I gave back our keys, waited in the rain for the van and off we were to Leodis. Our residence accommodates about 700 students, but is split up into about 8 different blocks. While Steph was placed with other international students from the U.S. as well as Brazil, I have been placed with 4 ‘freshers’, or frosh. The only one that is here so far is Anna, from Denmark, and I am both happy and relieved to say that we get along quite well. Steph, Anna, and I proceeded soon to registration, where we quickly lost Anna, as I left for my interview to be a student computer advisor for any internet problems in res. Now, when I applied to be a ‘student advisor’, I did not realize that I’d be working with computers. Somehow, the interview went quite well, and I somehow got the position that will grant me a 600 pound deductible from residence. This should be very interesting. After that, I believe we found Anna magically and went for lunch at some yummy sandwich place where I have reclaimed my long-lost love for Fanta orange pop. For some reason, international students have to sit through some odd registration process online which is basically a waste of time since I had the forms printed out already. They told us we’d have to wait until Monday to get our student cards- which was absolutely absurd because we just went and got them ourselves next door. Here we lose Anna again, and somehow, magically find her outside. Strike 2. Actually, more like 3 but I can’t remember the other one- I’m such a bad flatmate. At this point I begin to notice how temperamental British weather is. One minute its slightly cloudy, then it pours and storms and thunders, and 5 minutes later we are outside strolling in the sunshine. A typical day. We took a bus to the Leeds City Center where we looked into cell phones (but didn’t buy just yet) and bought some stuff from Argo’s where you look through catalogues (think Ikea, Home Depot all rolled into one) and order what you want from the back. Crazy, and then walked to Morrison’s for groceries and lost Anna again (Steph and I spent a good couple hours in the store) and then cabbed home. Loooong day. Anna and I couldn’t find bottle openers for our beers so we walked across to Steph’s flat and asked around. We basically stayed there the rest of the night having a jolly old time where I learned that Stella Artois is actually known in Belgium as wife beater beer- aka cheap Lakeport beer. My room is set up, internet set up, and I have my own bathroom and toilet! Whew. I still have to set up a bank account- they closed early today because of a ‘fire alarm’- just like the warden left early… well it’s 2:25 and this girl is exhausted!!!!!

The Ladies Have Arrived in the Motherland!!

Steph and I have arrived safely in England! Our flight left last night at 11:40 from Toronto after some tearful goodbyes. We arrived in Manchester at 11:30 AM, purchased a ticket and then boarded a train to Leeds. The scenery was absolutely beautiful- rolling hills and scenic countryside. We arrived at the train, found our meet and greet team and then were transported in a van with other exchange students to the university. We were told that a bus would be taking us to our residence at 630. at 6:15 we received word that the warden of our residence had left for some reason and decided to call it a day so we are stuck sleeping at another residence nearby. We had dinner in the cafeteria and were very glad that we both did not purchase meal plans for the year. enough said. We plan to move in tomorrow and register, grocery shop, get mobile phones within the next couple of days. We have met students from Canada, Denmark, Germany, USA, and I'm sure there will be much more to follow. We are exhausted and will either pass out shortly or take our own walking tour of the city. I apologize if this entry is somewhat incoherent- I did not sleep too well on the plane- jet lag. I am so far absolutely in love with this country, as the British are tremendously polite, as gentlemen have been helping Steph and I with our bags all day long!! I shall update very soon and more thoroughly as soon as we settle in! Regards.

THE Day

It is now midnight. I am at the threshold of today/yesterday. I officially leave today. Yesterday/ Today was spent running all over the place getting appointments over with, buying a digital camera and webcam, as well as seeing some more friends, and a little bit of birthday cake. Well, I'm almost entirely packed, just a few touch ups/ purchases left. Everyone keeps asking me if I am excited. Of course I am so excited, but at the same time, I'm just beginning to feel sad about leaving. The past week has made me realize how much I am leaving behind, and how lucky I am to be so blessed. It's bittersweet, and the two extremes have left me feeling almost indifferent, although I'm sure that will change as soon as I step off of the plane. I am still in disbelief that the day is finally here. This amazing journey is about to begin, and on this 20th birthday, I celebrate new beginnings in appreciation of the old

Pre-Departure: 4 Days To Go

Well, Steph and I officially leave for England in 4 days, and I have sooo much left to do! I've spent the last couple weeks, month, who knows, running around all over the place. I spent the last few days in Hamilton (with the exception of Wednesday) just bumming around, mooching beds and couches off of friends. I've run into so many people who reminded me just how much I'm going to miss the steeltown. I had to come back to Toronto this morning for an appointment, but I'm seriously contemplating going back for another night. Since I left so early this morning, there wasn't much time for emotional goodbyes, but apparently some good friends of Steph and I are coming to send us off at the airport. Save the waterworks. I left Hamilton this morning realizing that I'd be gone for an entire year, and now I'm in withdrawal. Saying goodbye to Ash, Eric, Alex, Jess Rosheen, Katy and all these other people is a lot harder than I thought it would be because I miss them already!! These past few days have been soooo fun and reminded me of all the good times we've had, and of course the ones that lie ahead when I come back, or maybe tonight.

I've got so much more shopping to do, but like Erin said, you don't go grocery shopping before a vacation- I can't wait to check out the British fashion! I met a British guy from Leeds on exchange at Mac. So far I can kind of understand the accent, but he seemed pretty excited about how cheap things were here (and of course, there comes the expensive flip side for me).

So many people have asked me why I am going. Truthfully, I don't know myself, but finding out is going to be quite the adventure! - Stay Tuned!