it is weird how I can have a great day yesterday and then have a completely horrible day today. I didn't have class until 2 so I just hung around. I had to meet with a professor around 12 so I did that and talked with him about what he expected from me and his course. after that i ordered some books off of amazon.com so lets hope they get here. books are so expensive here! it is ridiculous.
I went to my realism and the novel class where i met a guy named Justin who is also an exchange student. We walked back to my dorm together and said that they were going out later tonight if I wanted to come. I gave him my number and told him to give me a ring. On the way to the dorm, we were talking about payments for accommodation. I told him about my little mishap and said how no one was e-mailing me back. He gave me directions to residential services so I could work it out with them in person. I think I may do that tomorrow.
I came home and had all these e-mails from amazon.com telling me about my order which made me panic because I don't know when they will get here and I need them by a specific time. One of the orders didn't go through due to my credit card and me putting down wrong information, which doesn't make sense because all the other ones went through. Anyway, I am just going to wait until the books that did go through get here, and if that one doesn't show up I will just go to waterstones on campus and by it there.
I e-mailed the webpayments people yet again and just started crying. I still am crying. i know i have no control over it, but i don't want to be charged twice and they are not e-mailing me back. this is the 4th time i have emailed them and i would just appreciate an e-mail back saying something. but APPARENTLY that is far too much to ask for.
I remember going to a meeting about study abroad that everyone doing it had to attend saying that the first month was going to be a down slope but eventually i was going to make it back up and then hit a down slope again once i realize that i have to leave. well, let me tell you, i am for sure in a down slope today. my emotions are on high and all i do is cry (and rhyme too). Sometimes i think i just need to hear a familiar voice or get a god damn hug. This is ridiculous. i am being such a baby, but this is sooooo hard. plus, the time difference with all my family doesnt help either so when i am up, everyone is still asleep so it is a few hours before i get in contact with anyone. i just really hope that i start feeling up soon. because i am miserable right now. which is so strange because yesterday was such a good day for me.
my friend samantha is helping me... she said she had a difficult time too, but my program was far more difficult when it comes to meeting people and making friends because i am not in any classes with people i know. granted, i know a whole 6 or 8 people now, but still. samantha told me i was brave and that i can do it, but right now i feel so weak and not brave.
I plan on going out later tonight in about 2 hours to the student union where they have bars and stuff for students to go to. Perhaps i will have a drink to calm me down, but i dont know. I have class tomorrow morning. at least i am going. i have been telling myself i shouldnt go for the past hour or two, but i know i need to go. so god damn it, i am going. plus, the stupid shower isnt working, so that sucks.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
here we go...
Yesterday I didn't have any class so I took it as an opportunity to do some things that needed to be done. I woke up and walked to the International Office where I talked with my academic advisor here to see what classes I can take to replace my German class. All the classes I wrote down work, and I picked The Story of English. I will get credit for it back home, but it will not go with my major, soooo it is just an easy credit, which is a-ok with me. I then decided I needed to go into town and see some things. Now, I don't like to explore too much at first because I don't want to get lost, so I just walked up and down Lichfield street. Lots of little stores and cafe's around. Also dropped some things at the post which was a 15 minute wait. oi. After that, I went into the City Centre where all the shopping malls and more shops are. Walked into a few stores, but a pair of shoes was like 60 pounds, which is 120 dollars. No, thank you. I will keep my 60 pounds. I did find a TK Maxx, which must be the same as TJ Max in states. I found a wicked cute bag there for only 7.99 (in pounds, not US money. i cant figure out how to make the pound sign yet). After that I went into St. Peters church just so I could get away from the construction that is going on right next to my bedroom and have a quiet thinking place. It smells old... I love that smell. Dunsmuir smelt like that too. Something about old wood makes me smile. I sat in there for about 10 minutes, just looking around and thinking to myself, giving myself an ego boost to help me with the rest of the day.
Once I was done there, I decided I should do my laundry. Well, first off, when I went to buy laundry soap it took me about 10 minutes to figure out which one was soap and which one was conditioner. I went down into the laundry room (laundry is FREE! WOOHOO) and looked at the machine and told it "I will conquer you and figure you out. you will not fool me!" Oi, their machines are weird. You don't open it from the top, but the side... and then you have to pull out a little tray thing and there are three holes that have specific purposes. I just put my stuff in the biggest one. There is also weird buttons for water or something? It says like 20, 30 then 30 with a line under it, 60, 60 with a line under it and 90. I just pushed the one the machine had already highlighted. I sat there for about 10 minutes, hoping I did it right. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, so I went back into my room. 20 minutes later, I put them in the dryer (those were just like ours) and 30 minutes later I had fresh smelling clothes.
That was pretty much my whole day. I read a bit and wrote a little bit, but nothing to brag about.
I got invited to a birthday party for one of the ladies here in the dorm where I had cheese pie? It was ok... I wouldn't eat it all the time, but jesus christ they were persistent on me eating like 4 servings. I had one serving of the cheese pie and one serving of this cake thing that they made. It was nice because I met some of the other girls in this section, but I am so shy I just stood there and watched everyone. A few girls did come up to me and talk with me, so that was nice. They are all really nice and I felt bad for being shy, but they understood... I am new and it will take me awhile to bust out of my shell.
Soon after that, I went to bed. I was awoken at 3 in the morning to the dood next to me SNORING LIKE A FREAKIN LAWNMOWER. OH. MY. GOD. how miserable. Since he was snoozing so well, I called my mom since it was only 7pm there. After we got off the phone I tried so hard to sleep. I pounded on the wall a couple times but he was OUT. so I got my ipod and gave that a shot. I usually can't sleep with music in my ears because I always end up singing or listening to the lyrics. But, I guess it worked because I only got through the 4th song and then don't remember anything. I am going to run to the store to see if I can find ear plugs. Hopefully they will have some there.
I only have one class today and that is not until 2. But I need to meet with my professor from Monday night at 12 to discuss with him about his class and the difficulty of it because when he was talking, I was like... "oh crap. what have I gotten myself into"
The sun is out today, and it is a nice change. Maybe it will warm up a bit. I doubt it seeing as there are clouds coming at a rapid pace to hide the sun yet again.
Once I was done there, I decided I should do my laundry. Well, first off, when I went to buy laundry soap it took me about 10 minutes to figure out which one was soap and which one was conditioner. I went down into the laundry room (laundry is FREE! WOOHOO) and looked at the machine and told it "I will conquer you and figure you out. you will not fool me!" Oi, their machines are weird. You don't open it from the top, but the side... and then you have to pull out a little tray thing and there are three holes that have specific purposes. I just put my stuff in the biggest one. There is also weird buttons for water or something? It says like 20, 30 then 30 with a line under it, 60, 60 with a line under it and 90. I just pushed the one the machine had already highlighted. I sat there for about 10 minutes, hoping I did it right. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, so I went back into my room. 20 minutes later, I put them in the dryer (those were just like ours) and 30 minutes later I had fresh smelling clothes.
That was pretty much my whole day. I read a bit and wrote a little bit, but nothing to brag about.
I got invited to a birthday party for one of the ladies here in the dorm where I had cheese pie? It was ok... I wouldn't eat it all the time, but jesus christ they were persistent on me eating like 4 servings. I had one serving of the cheese pie and one serving of this cake thing that they made. It was nice because I met some of the other girls in this section, but I am so shy I just stood there and watched everyone. A few girls did come up to me and talk with me, so that was nice. They are all really nice and I felt bad for being shy, but they understood... I am new and it will take me awhile to bust out of my shell.
Soon after that, I went to bed. I was awoken at 3 in the morning to the dood next to me SNORING LIKE A FREAKIN LAWNMOWER. OH. MY. GOD. how miserable. Since he was snoozing so well, I called my mom since it was only 7pm there. After we got off the phone I tried so hard to sleep. I pounded on the wall a couple times but he was OUT. so I got my ipod and gave that a shot. I usually can't sleep with music in my ears because I always end up singing or listening to the lyrics. But, I guess it worked because I only got through the 4th song and then don't remember anything. I am going to run to the store to see if I can find ear plugs. Hopefully they will have some there.
I only have one class today and that is not until 2. But I need to meet with my professor from Monday night at 12 to discuss with him about his class and the difficulty of it because when he was talking, I was like... "oh crap. what have I gotten myself into"
The sun is out today, and it is a nice change. Maybe it will warm up a bit. I doubt it seeing as there are clouds coming at a rapid pace to hide the sun yet again.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Things that are different here
- the elevators talk to you. i have become quite good at sounding exactly like it. "4th floor" "Doors closing" "Going down" "ground level" "Mind the doors" i am already annoyed with our elevator here.
- NO SPEED LIMITS! i didnt notice until aunt dolores said something about it while we were in london.
- people are actually nice on the roads. they let people go in front of them, and everyone waves a thank you. also, they don't use their horns! very different than the US
- no tax on stuff! when it says 7.99 i pay exactly 7.99. amazing.
- text messaging is cheaper and more common here. i thought my friends were bad, everywhere i go people are on their phone sending messages to their friends.
- the vendors selling sandwiches and stuff on the street are the friendliest of people. always adding "love" or "sweetheart" to end of everything. feels like they are more genuine than people in US.
- the food i wouldn't eat in the US that are sold from a little box thing in the middle or side of the road is actually really good. i had an extremely good pork sandwich today.
- people who are selling stuff on the street get the fact that when i say "no" i mean no, and not to bother me anymore.
- smart cars. i saw one parked weird today. there were two cars that had parallel parked, and then this smart car just backed in with the end of the car towards the curb and the front of the car facing the street. if you were to get into a crash with that, you would die.
Monday, January 29, 2007
First day of class
This is when I wish I was still at NAU going to class. The two classes I have had today have proven to be far more advanced than I had hoped. My german class was a no go... she only spoke with us in German, so I have to drop it. She said it wouldn't get easier, just more complicated. This last class that I went to is Contemporary literature and I went and talked to the professor during the break and told him I was an exchange student and that the class seemed to be more difficult that I expected. I told him I was going to e-mail my advisor in the states and asked if it was ok to stop by his office Wednesday. He said that would be fine, but also that the course shouldn't be too hard. We'll see. I don't want to take hard classes, although that sounds lame, but I need to get good grades, and I am in England for goshsakes! I don't want to be stuck doing a ton of essays. So I have a list of classes I would like to take, but I need to meet with my advisor here at Wolverhampton to make sure the times will work out and all that other stuff. I am still not registered!! This is just proving to be difficult and I am not liking it. I just need to remember to breathe, but when I do that, I seem to cry. How lame is this. I am already getting all emotional over my classes and it is only the first day.
Other than that, I went shopping for food and got some fruit and stuff. Tomorrow I need to meet with the advisor over here as well as go to the post and do some laundry. Tomorrow should be better I am hoping.
Cheers.
Other than that, I went shopping for food and got some fruit and stuff. Tomorrow I need to meet with the advisor over here as well as go to the post and do some laundry. Tomorrow should be better I am hoping.
Cheers.
pictures
Here is my page where you will be able to look at my albums! I don't have many up right now, but give me some time. :0)
http://community.webshots.com/user/Kyrielynn6
http://community.webshots.com/user/Kyrielynn6
Oh, and here is a picture of my room!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
the first week
The first week is over, and although I didn’t spend too much time in Wolverhampton, I got to see a bit of it. Oh my, what a long and awesome weekend I had!! Let me start with Wednesday.
Wednesday: Welcome weekend for international students. They basically gave us an overview. Much like they did at NAU about our experiences and stuff. That was at 10 am and then we had a little break. There are two other girls here from NAU that are here in the same hall as me. So after the first meeting, we went into the town centre, and wow. It is really nice, and big. There are like two shopping malls and then LOADS of little shops everywhere else. It is cute. After that, we had another meeting for classes. I had to change one class, but it will still count for the same credit back home. I have an 11am class on Monday, then nothing till 6pm. Tuesday I have 0 classes, Wednesday I have class at 9 then at 2, Thursday I have one class at 6pm and Friday, I have no classes as well. I finally got a hold of grandma and auntie here and made arrangements to meet them at their hotel on Thursday so we can catch a bus to LONDON! I couldn’t sleep Tuesday or Wednesday because I was worrying about stuff 4 months from now about how to get to the airport with all my shit. And I starting thinking that I was getting meningitis and die while I was over here. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. But I cant help but worry about things, which blows, but I think once school starts I will have other things to occupy my mind. So I didn’t sleep that well.
Thursday: Wake up at 6.30 in the bloody morning, get dressed, pack, etc. Go down stairs ask where the train station is… guy explains it to me and I have no idea. He said he would drop me off near the train station, but I would have to walk a bit. So, I got on the school bus and he dropped me off just down the road. Got to the train station, caught a train at 7.58 and arrived in Birmingham a little later. I got a taxi to their hotel and talked while they got ready. We then went to the coach station to catch our bus to London! It was a three hour journey, which I slept most of the time, so I didn’t get too see too much of the country side. Got into London and tried to catch a taxi to our hotel, and the cab driver said it was just down the street. UHHH! No. He totally refused to give us a ride because there was a bigger crowd wanting a taxi. So we walked at least a half mile, if not more to our hotel with luggage, mind you. It was pretty interesting… Luckily, I only had my backpack but grandma and auntie had their luggage. We made it to our hotel and unpacked. We went to a local pub and ate some dinner then I decided we should go to Westminster Cathedral even though we had no idea where it was. Well, it took us awhile, but we found it! It was so beautiful. I don’t know what it is, but something about churches with amazing architecture is amazing. Even though I am not religious myself, I love it. Something about it made me feel calm. Soon after that, we had to find a cab to take us to Waterloo Station so we could buy tickets to Paris the next day. We got there, and the travel man said it would be cheaper to go on Saturday, so we booked it then. We went back to the hotel and decided to take a grand tour of London all day on Friday. Shortly after that, we were all in bed. Sore and tired.
Friday: Woke up at 5 in the morning so we could get ready then go to the coach station to catch our bus for our tour! Our tour lady, Karen, was fabulous. She told us so much about the places and about the history. Very animated and friendly. We went to all the popular spots; Buckingham Palace, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, and then Tea at Harrods. It was amazing. We got to see the changing of the guards parade and got a tour of Tower of London, saw the Crown Jewels, saw the tower bridge, got a private tour of Westminster Abbey where some of the most famous people are buried. Jane Austen has a memorial there as well as Shakespeare, Darwin, etc. etc. And of course the royalty of England. Never in my life have I been totally blown away with how these buildings were. I am sure the people in London think nothing of it, but the architecture, meaning, places, is just amazing to me. I had a lot of fun and took a lot of pictures. After our tour that lasted all day, we went back to the hotel and crashed.
Saturday: Woke up at 4 in the bloody morning and went to Waterloo station to catch the eurostar to Paris. The man I was sitting next to decided to sleep… and he snored. And his breath smelled like asshole. A lot of people on our little coach was looking back at him in disbelief, I am sure. After that, we arrived in Paris, and realized everything was in French. We walked around not knowing what to do for awhile, and then Aunt Dolores went to buy a map and we had to ask directions to the Eiffel tower, where I was supposed to meet my friend Katie at 12. He wrote it down, but French handwriting is chicken scratch, so I took the piece of paper and went to a metro map and figured out how to get there. We bought tickets and started on our journey. Three stops later, we have made it to the tower. You can see the tower, obviously in that vicinity. I have seen many pictures, but it still shocked me how big it was. About 10 minutes after we got there, I saw my soul mate and of course, we freakin’ run to each other!! It was so great seeing her. And, we were in Paris! How many people can answer with, “Oh, I just went to Paris.” when asked what they did for the weekend?! Katie took us to a place where you can view the entire tower, and it was stunning. We went and had some lunch and then Katie took us to Arc de Triomphe as well as Notre Dam. God, these places are amazing. I can’t describe them, they are just so breath taking and enchanting. You really need to experience yourself, because everyone will have a different reaction to it. Anyway, after that we went to the train station again to go back home. It was sad saying goodbye to my friend, but she will come visit me, and I am sure I will go back. It sucked that we only had 5 hours, but we got to see a lot thanks to Katie. After that, we were right across from the London Eye by Waterloo and I wanted to ride it, but we just missed it. Oh well, I am in England for the next four months, I am sure I will be able to eventually. Got a taxi back and went to the same Italian restaurant we went to the night previous because there was nothing else. I shoved my face filled with food because I had just a salad for lunch and didn’t eat much of it anyway. After that, we went to the hotel, I changed into my pajamas and the last thing I remember was grandma getting out of the shower.
Sunday: woke up to the fucking FIRE ALARM GOING OFF IN OUR ROOM. It was so loud and all our eyes were still closed. I was about to tell Aunt Dolores to turn off the damn alarm, but we didn’t set it. Glad it went off though because it was 8:30 and we needed to get to the coach station to get back to Birmingham. The ride back made me want to puke. The driver was horrible and I started getting really sick. So, once again, I went to sleep!! Woke up about 20 minutes away from Birmingham. Oh, but before that, our battery died on our bus, so we were about 40 minutes late taking off. After that, we had to find the train station so I could hop on a train back to Wolverhampton. It was sad saying goodbye, but I am so glad that they could come with me. I had so much fun and it really helped having family here for the first week, only because we know how I worry. But this week has come to a close and I start school tomorrow. I am really excited. Tomorrow I have German and Contemporary Literature. I feel a little sick right now, so I don’t think I will post pictures tonight, but tomorrow I will. Hope everyone had a good weekend, I know nothing can compare to mine!!
Wednesday: Welcome weekend for international students. They basically gave us an overview. Much like they did at NAU about our experiences and stuff. That was at 10 am and then we had a little break. There are two other girls here from NAU that are here in the same hall as me. So after the first meeting, we went into the town centre, and wow. It is really nice, and big. There are like two shopping malls and then LOADS of little shops everywhere else. It is cute. After that, we had another meeting for classes. I had to change one class, but it will still count for the same credit back home. I have an 11am class on Monday, then nothing till 6pm. Tuesday I have 0 classes, Wednesday I have class at 9 then at 2, Thursday I have one class at 6pm and Friday, I have no classes as well. I finally got a hold of grandma and auntie here and made arrangements to meet them at their hotel on Thursday so we can catch a bus to LONDON! I couldn’t sleep Tuesday or Wednesday because I was worrying about stuff 4 months from now about how to get to the airport with all my shit. And I starting thinking that I was getting meningitis and die while I was over here. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. But I cant help but worry about things, which blows, but I think once school starts I will have other things to occupy my mind. So I didn’t sleep that well.
Thursday: Wake up at 6.30 in the bloody morning, get dressed, pack, etc. Go down stairs ask where the train station is… guy explains it to me and I have no idea. He said he would drop me off near the train station, but I would have to walk a bit. So, I got on the school bus and he dropped me off just down the road. Got to the train station, caught a train at 7.58 and arrived in Birmingham a little later. I got a taxi to their hotel and talked while they got ready. We then went to the coach station to catch our bus to London! It was a three hour journey, which I slept most of the time, so I didn’t get too see too much of the country side. Got into London and tried to catch a taxi to our hotel, and the cab driver said it was just down the street. UHHH! No. He totally refused to give us a ride because there was a bigger crowd wanting a taxi. So we walked at least a half mile, if not more to our hotel with luggage, mind you. It was pretty interesting… Luckily, I only had my backpack but grandma and auntie had their luggage. We made it to our hotel and unpacked. We went to a local pub and ate some dinner then I decided we should go to Westminster Cathedral even though we had no idea where it was. Well, it took us awhile, but we found it! It was so beautiful. I don’t know what it is, but something about churches with amazing architecture is amazing. Even though I am not religious myself, I love it. Something about it made me feel calm. Soon after that, we had to find a cab to take us to Waterloo Station so we could buy tickets to Paris the next day. We got there, and the travel man said it would be cheaper to go on Saturday, so we booked it then. We went back to the hotel and decided to take a grand tour of London all day on Friday. Shortly after that, we were all in bed. Sore and tired.
Friday: Woke up at 5 in the morning so we could get ready then go to the coach station to catch our bus for our tour! Our tour lady, Karen, was fabulous. She told us so much about the places and about the history. Very animated and friendly. We went to all the popular spots; Buckingham Palace, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, and then Tea at Harrods. It was amazing. We got to see the changing of the guards parade and got a tour of Tower of London, saw the Crown Jewels, saw the tower bridge, got a private tour of Westminster Abbey where some of the most famous people are buried. Jane Austen has a memorial there as well as Shakespeare, Darwin, etc. etc. And of course the royalty of England. Never in my life have I been totally blown away with how these buildings were. I am sure the people in London think nothing of it, but the architecture, meaning, places, is just amazing to me. I had a lot of fun and took a lot of pictures. After our tour that lasted all day, we went back to the hotel and crashed.
Saturday: Woke up at 4 in the bloody morning and went to Waterloo station to catch the eurostar to Paris. The man I was sitting next to decided to sleep… and he snored. And his breath smelled like asshole. A lot of people on our little coach was looking back at him in disbelief, I am sure. After that, we arrived in Paris, and realized everything was in French. We walked around not knowing what to do for awhile, and then Aunt Dolores went to buy a map and we had to ask directions to the Eiffel tower, where I was supposed to meet my friend Katie at 12. He wrote it down, but French handwriting is chicken scratch, so I took the piece of paper and went to a metro map and figured out how to get there. We bought tickets and started on our journey. Three stops later, we have made it to the tower. You can see the tower, obviously in that vicinity. I have seen many pictures, but it still shocked me how big it was. About 10 minutes after we got there, I saw my soul mate and of course, we freakin’ run to each other!! It was so great seeing her. And, we were in Paris! How many people can answer with, “Oh, I just went to Paris.” when asked what they did for the weekend?! Katie took us to a place where you can view the entire tower, and it was stunning. We went and had some lunch and then Katie took us to Arc de Triomphe as well as Notre Dam. God, these places are amazing. I can’t describe them, they are just so breath taking and enchanting. You really need to experience yourself, because everyone will have a different reaction to it. Anyway, after that we went to the train station again to go back home. It was sad saying goodbye to my friend, but she will come visit me, and I am sure I will go back. It sucked that we only had 5 hours, but we got to see a lot thanks to Katie. After that, we were right across from the London Eye by Waterloo and I wanted to ride it, but we just missed it. Oh well, I am in England for the next four months, I am sure I will be able to eventually. Got a taxi back and went to the same Italian restaurant we went to the night previous because there was nothing else. I shoved my face filled with food because I had just a salad for lunch and didn’t eat much of it anyway. After that, we went to the hotel, I changed into my pajamas and the last thing I remember was grandma getting out of the shower.
Sunday: woke up to the fucking FIRE ALARM GOING OFF IN OUR ROOM. It was so loud and all our eyes were still closed. I was about to tell Aunt Dolores to turn off the damn alarm, but we didn’t set it. Glad it went off though because it was 8:30 and we needed to get to the coach station to get back to Birmingham. The ride back made me want to puke. The driver was horrible and I started getting really sick. So, once again, I went to sleep!! Woke up about 20 minutes away from Birmingham. Oh, but before that, our battery died on our bus, so we were about 40 minutes late taking off. After that, we had to find the train station so I could hop on a train back to Wolverhampton. It was sad saying goodbye, but I am so glad that they could come with me. I had so much fun and it really helped having family here for the first week, only because we know how I worry. But this week has come to a close and I start school tomorrow. I am really excited. Tomorrow I have German and Contemporary Literature. I feel a little sick right now, so I don’t think I will post pictures tonight, but tomorrow I will. Hope everyone had a good weekend, I know nothing can compare to mine!!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
I have made it
After a long day of traveling and figuring out where to go I have made it. Today was just basic information about classes I need to take and if I can take them. Nothing too exciting. I went into town and it is so lovely. From what I heard from Matt, my advisor, I thought it was going to be a small town, but it isn't! it is huge and old. I love it. St. Peters Church is by far my favorite sight thus far. It is about 5 minutes away, and right next to the campus, so I get to see it everyday!
I didn't take this photo, but this is what it looks like! I will start taking pictures as soon as I can. I figure this weekend will be the first load of pictures since London and Paris are this weekend. How exciting! I am not homesick yet, however, I do miss knowing where everything is. In due time I will figure it all out. I already know a lot, but there is more to this city than what i see!!
I didn't take this photo, but this is what it looks like! I will start taking pictures as soon as I can. I figure this weekend will be the first load of pictures since London and Paris are this weekend. How exciting! I am not homesick yet, however, I do miss knowing where everything is. In due time I will figure it all out. I already know a lot, but there is more to this city than what i see!!
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