It has been quite a while since I posted my last blog, but it's time to change that! I need to step up my game- it will be worth I'm sure. Now the hard part, where to begin?
I have been in Leeds for over a month, can you believe it? And I have finished 5 weeks of classes out of 11! I am settled in now and my life is becoming routine during the week but the weekends I spend traveling and exploring. A couple weekends ago I went to York with a group of my friends. I LOVED it! There was so much to do and see, I hope to go back in the near future. We went to the York Castle Museum which was amazing and filled with random things from England (including toilets, washing machines, carriages, clothes, etc). We ended up spending hours there! It was freezing that day so we made a few pit stops at small cafes. The first cafe we went to was for breakfast and I ordered a bacon roll. I had no idea what it was going to be but I was pleasantly surprised. It was simply bacon on a long baguette. English bacon is different than American, it is thick and more like ham. Pretty delicious I must add. At the second cafe (several hours later) I had the BEST hot chocolate of my LIFE... need I say more?
The city centre of York was all hustle and bustle... full of shoppers! We stopped to listen to a band in the main square, then we watched a crazy comedian that juggled and ate fire, then we ate lunch at a sausage stand! I have never heard people rave about English food but it is fantastic! Also on our trip we visited The Shambles, Newgate Market, and passed by York Minister. My trip was about 5 hours shorter than everyone else because I took the bus to York while the others road the train. With my student bus pass I was able to go to York for free instead of paying 10 pounds!
I am in England to "study" so I supposed I should talk about that! School is going great and I enjoy all of my classes except for Differential Equations. Its just not my thing, I prefer Algebra. One class that I surprisingly enjoy is Logic. NC State students say they HATE logic and it is hard class (it must be the teacher). It does get confusing but I find it quite interesting. Every week I have some sort of math homework due, a logic worksheet due, and sometimes an assignment in poetry. I turned in a 1500 word essay (which is a lot for me) this week and I am relieved to know it's only 1 of 2 I have to write this semester. I basically have NO work compared to the load I would have at State.
It's pretty nice having a lot of free time on my hands. Lately I've been going to the gym (conveniently placed in my dorm) and researching my traveling plans for Easter break! The first week of break I will be spending in a villa in Sorrento, Italy. Possibly followed by more traveling in Italy up through Rome and Florence. Then at the beginning of April MEGAN IS COMING! We are spending 3 nights in Leeds, 3 nights in London, and then 3 in Paris!!! That's a pretty sweet package, eh? I don't have any other plans set in stone thus far but hopefully I will make it to Spain!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Liverpool Trip
Last Saturday, January 30, I went on a day trip to Liverpool. The trip was organized by the International Centre at my school. There were six buses that held about 45 students each, that's around 270+ international students! It took about 2 hours to get to Liverpool from Leeds, so what I did I do on the bus ride there? SLEEP of course!
When we first arrived (Cat, Courtney, and I) to the Albert Docks we scattered around to find our friends amongst the couple hundred students. It wasn't hard because Americans seem to travel in packs and are easily spotted. On the bus we were given a booklet that listed touristy sites in Liverpool and a map. Our first stop was the Liverpool Cathedral. This Church had amazing architecture and detail and it is the largest Cathedral in England. When you go inside you would assume the entire structure was ages old but it took from year 1901-1978 to finish it. So most of it is only 30 years old. We could have gone up in the Cathedral's tower but it cost 3 pounds. Nathan, a guy from New York, was the only one to go to the top so I let him take my camera (the pictures came out great!).
After our tour of the Liverpool Cathedral we went on a search for food. It is always difficult to agree on a place to eat with a group of 10 college students. We ended up going to an Irish pub that was pretty delicious. Speaking of pubs, it is ridiculous how many pubs are in England, it seems like every other restaurant is a bar!
Once our tummies were full we headed to the main attraction of the day... the Beatles Story Museum! To tell you the truth, I wasn't too thrilled about paying 7.50 pounds to learn about a band I had very little interest in. Luckily I came to my senses and went for the experience... honestly what is Liverpool without the Beatles? I was definitely impressed by the museum. Each person had a headset and a MP3 player that guided them through the Beatles Story. I thought it was a great concept because you could listen, look, and read at the same time!
Soon after the Beatles, we walked around the Albert Docks and went to the Tate Art Museum. It was full of modern art and therefore pretty strange. Eh, it was just another learning experience to add to my list.
It was great to venture outside of Leeds but I don't plan on going back to Liverpool anytime soon. Been there, done that.
When we first arrived (Cat, Courtney, and I) to the Albert Docks we scattered around to find our friends amongst the couple hundred students. It wasn't hard because Americans seem to travel in packs and are easily spotted. On the bus we were given a booklet that listed touristy sites in Liverpool and a map. Our first stop was the Liverpool Cathedral. This Church had amazing architecture and detail and it is the largest Cathedral in England. When you go inside you would assume the entire structure was ages old but it took from year 1901-1978 to finish it. So most of it is only 30 years old. We could have gone up in the Cathedral's tower but it cost 3 pounds. Nathan, a guy from New York, was the only one to go to the top so I let him take my camera (the pictures came out great!).
After our tour of the Liverpool Cathedral we went on a search for food. It is always difficult to agree on a place to eat with a group of 10 college students. We ended up going to an Irish pub that was pretty delicious. Speaking of pubs, it is ridiculous how many pubs are in England, it seems like every other restaurant is a bar!
Once our tummies were full we headed to the main attraction of the day... the Beatles Story Museum! To tell you the truth, I wasn't too thrilled about paying 7.50 pounds to learn about a band I had very little interest in. Luckily I came to my senses and went for the experience... honestly what is Liverpool without the Beatles? I was definitely impressed by the museum. Each person had a headset and a MP3 player that guided them through the Beatles Story. I thought it was a great concept because you could listen, look, and read at the same time!
Soon after the Beatles, we walked around the Albert Docks and went to the Tate Art Museum. It was full of modern art and therefore pretty strange. Eh, it was just another learning experience to add to my list.
It was great to venture outside of Leeds but I don't plan on going back to Liverpool anytime soon. Been there, done that.
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