Today I came up to London to stay the night before I go to Windsor tomorrow morning. I was so proud of myself getting on the right trains to London, then finding the right tube line (Underground train) and then finding my way to the right Hostel. =) I checked in, and unfortunately they never got my reservation email, but they luckily still had room for me. I went to the room. Its a big room with 4 sets of bunk beds (each numbered) and lockers. I walked into the room to find it dark, and some angry girls that I had walked in while they were sleeping. I found my bed and locked my bag in my locker. Then I explored the hostel. Its very funky with lots of bright colors and music. Then I read the newspaper and now I'm just doing this and checking email, before dinner. I have a feeling it will be very strange sleeping here tonight. I'm sure something interesting is bound to happen. Well, We shall see how the night goes and I'll write again after Windsor and when I'm back in Brighton. CHEERIO!
-Cam
"England and America are two countries seperated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Differences between US and England
This one will always be updated.
Driving- The British think that THEIR way of driving is the right way, and that American way is stupid. They drove on the left side of the road and the driver sits on the right side of the car. I refuse to drive over here, but I have been in the front passenger seat and its SCARY!!!
Drinking- In England the legal drinking age is 18, so people start drinking alot younger and that means that pretty much everyone on campus is legal. On my campus there are even two pubs that serve alchool till 11 at night. Drinking is part of the culture and everyone does it, in alot higher numbers than the US. In the US 4 out of 5 teens don't drink, while here 2 out of 5 don't. Also everyone drinks, EVERY NIGHT!
Cooking- The other night when I was making dinner for myself I was trying to boil water but when I turned the knobs on the stove, nothing happened. After about 10 minutes of searching I guessed and switched a red switch, which happened to turn on the stove.
Sandwiches-British people have very STRANGE sandwiches. The ones I have heard of (not tried) are Vegemite and Cheese (Vegemite is a bunch of vegetables pureed together)and Fluff and Cheese (Fluff is like a marshmellow spread).
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
Driving- The British think that THEIR way of driving is the right way, and that American way is stupid. They drove on the left side of the road and the driver sits on the right side of the car. I refuse to drive over here, but I have been in the front passenger seat and its SCARY!!!
Drinking- In England the legal drinking age is 18, so people start drinking alot younger and that means that pretty much everyone on campus is legal. On my campus there are even two pubs that serve alchool till 11 at night. Drinking is part of the culture and everyone does it, in alot higher numbers than the US. In the US 4 out of 5 teens don't drink, while here 2 out of 5 don't. Also everyone drinks, EVERY NIGHT!
Cooking- The other night when I was making dinner for myself I was trying to boil water but when I turned the knobs on the stove, nothing happened. After about 10 minutes of searching I guessed and switched a red switch, which happened to turn on the stove.
Sandwiches-British people have very STRANGE sandwiches. The ones I have heard of (not tried) are Vegemite and Cheese (Vegemite is a bunch of vegetables pureed together)and Fluff and Cheese (Fluff is like a marshmellow spread).
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
British Word Dictionary
This Post will be changing alot, so watch it! I have heard a bunch of new/different words here. Here are some
Cheers: Can be a toast or a way to say thank you.
Rubbish: Trash
Single: One way for travel
Return: Round Trip for travel
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
Cheers: Can be a toast or a way to say thank you.
Rubbish: Trash
Single: One way for travel
Return: Round Trip for travel
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
First Weeks of Classes
One of the biggest differences than I'm noticing between England and the US is the University System.
In the US we take around 5-6 classes, 2 or 3 days a week, and are graded on participation, quizzes/tests, essays, and final exams.
In England, they take 2-3 classes once a week for lecture and once a week for seminar (some only just for lecture) and are graded on PERHAPS a few essays throughout the semester but in some cases just a final essay.
There is also less structured, assigned reading. Students are expected to keep up with core reading and do as much secondary reading as possible. In many classes, a book a week is read. With so much free time students are expected to use it wisely.
My schedule is English Literature, Language Acquistion (how children learn first and second languages), and Narrative and Culture (how British Culture has an influence on narrative and vice versa). I have no class Monday. No class Tuesday untill my English Lit. lecture at 5. No class Wednesday. Language Acquistion lecture 9-10 and Narrative and Culture Lecture 2-4 on Thursday. 9-11 English Lit. Seminar and 3-4 Language Acquisiton Seminar.
I am very happy with it because it means I have a long weekend for travel. But it also means that I must PUSH MYSELF ALOT, to keep up with the work.
In my first week of classes, I could understand what words my professors were saying, but I couldnt always understand the meanings in them. They also used words in different contexts than I am used to so that threw me off.
After week one, I survived and took alot of what I learned into this week of classes. I have learned to listen for things I understand, and that which I dont understand, its ok because I probably dont need it anyway. Its alot of work but Im loving it.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
In the US we take around 5-6 classes, 2 or 3 days a week, and are graded on participation, quizzes/tests, essays, and final exams.
In England, they take 2-3 classes once a week for lecture and once a week for seminar (some only just for lecture) and are graded on PERHAPS a few essays throughout the semester but in some cases just a final essay.
There is also less structured, assigned reading. Students are expected to keep up with core reading and do as much secondary reading as possible. In many classes, a book a week is read. With so much free time students are expected to use it wisely.
My schedule is English Literature, Language Acquistion (how children learn first and second languages), and Narrative and Culture (how British Culture has an influence on narrative and vice versa). I have no class Monday. No class Tuesday untill my English Lit. lecture at 5. No class Wednesday. Language Acquistion lecture 9-10 and Narrative and Culture Lecture 2-4 on Thursday. 9-11 English Lit. Seminar and 3-4 Language Acquisiton Seminar.
I am very happy with it because it means I have a long weekend for travel. But it also means that I must PUSH MYSELF ALOT, to keep up with the work.
In my first week of classes, I could understand what words my professors were saying, but I couldnt always understand the meanings in them. They also used words in different contexts than I am used to so that threw me off.
After week one, I survived and took alot of what I learned into this week of classes. I have learned to listen for things I understand, and that which I dont understand, its ok because I probably dont need it anyway. Its alot of work but Im loving it.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
SUSSEX!!
I was so so excited to get down to Brighton. I was sick of orientations, different schedules everyday, and especially living out of my suitcases.
To get here we took a train from London to Brighton and then a second short train to Falmer, which is right across from my campus. When we got here I was amazed at the size of Campus. ITS HUGE!!
My litle room is in York House on the 1st floor (which is actually the second floor for all us Americans).
That first day the four of us from Arcadia just wandered around Brighton. It is such a cute town with lots of stores, restaurants, and confusing little lanes.
I also tried fish and chips that night. Not quite what I was expecting but tasty none the less. It was also a good time to meet some new people.
Finally I got to unpack and make my room my own. I was worried about it feeling too Dormy but its deffinetly starting to feel homey. Put up some pictures, my own stuff on the shelves, and even bought a pretty comforter cover.
Over the first 2 days we had more orientation talking alot about stuff we had covered in London. BLAH BLAH BLAH.
It was great to be here but I was also ready to start classes and get into a normal schedule.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
To get here we took a train from London to Brighton and then a second short train to Falmer, which is right across from my campus. When we got here I was amazed at the size of Campus. ITS HUGE!!
My litle room is in York House on the 1st floor (which is actually the second floor for all us Americans).
That first day the four of us from Arcadia just wandered around Brighton. It is such a cute town with lots of stores, restaurants, and confusing little lanes.
I also tried fish and chips that night. Not quite what I was expecting but tasty none the less. It was also a good time to meet some new people.
Finally I got to unpack and make my room my own. I was worried about it feeling too Dormy but its deffinetly starting to feel homey. Put up some pictures, my own stuff on the shelves, and even bought a pretty comforter cover.
Over the first 2 days we had more orientation talking alot about stuff we had covered in London. BLAH BLAH BLAH.
It was great to be here but I was also ready to start classes and get into a normal schedule.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
East End of London Tour
On our first day of orientation, we took a walking tour of the East End of London. First we saw where the first of five people, murdered by Jack the Ripper, was found. Then we moved on and heard about the immigrants that lived/grew in that area. Then we heard about a very old Jewish Cemetery. According to tradition, after 100 years of no one being burried in a cemetery, the land could be re used for other purposes. But because the last Barron Rothschild was burried there, the cemetery was saved.
Then we moved on to a library that had been nicknamed "The University of the Ghetto". It was called this because poor immigrants would sent their children to school to learn English and at night the children would teach their parents English. During the day, adults could go to this library to read and practice their English. In 2000, the library was converted into "The Idea Store." The library was converrted into a more modern library with more books and the internet.
Next we learned about a very historic pub. Outside of this pub the founder of the Salvation Army often stood and "preached" about how money should be spent to help others rather than at pubs. We also learned about how some murders happened outside of that same pub.
A very cool part of the tour was when we saw the Hospital. A doctor here had met the Elephant Man and had promised him a safe place to live away from all those who wanted to put him in freakshows. He lived there for many years. One night he wanted to sleep laying flat on his back, but the weight of his head cut off his wind pipe and he died. To this day his bones are still at the hospital. In 1980 Michael Jackson tried to buy these bones for $1 million, but the doctor had promised that the hospital would always be a safe place for the Elephant man and that promise is still kept today.
Also at the Hospital we learned about Queen Alexandra. She was very interested in the welfare of others and so was the orginal President of the hospital. She also donated a light that cured Lupis to the hospital. Another interesting fact about this Queen is that she set the length of a marathon. During the fourth Summer Olympics held in England, the orginal length of a maratho was 26 miles, but the queen wanted to be able to see part of the race so it was extend by 385 yards so that the race finished in front of the Royal Box.
The tour was SO Informative, and I learned alot about a part of England that I wouldnt have otherwise gone to.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
Then we moved on to a library that had been nicknamed "The University of the Ghetto". It was called this because poor immigrants would sent their children to school to learn English and at night the children would teach their parents English. During the day, adults could go to this library to read and practice their English. In 2000, the library was converted into "The Idea Store." The library was converrted into a more modern library with more books and the internet.
Next we learned about a very historic pub. Outside of this pub the founder of the Salvation Army often stood and "preached" about how money should be spent to help others rather than at pubs. We also learned about how some murders happened outside of that same pub.
A very cool part of the tour was when we saw the Hospital. A doctor here had met the Elephant Man and had promised him a safe place to live away from all those who wanted to put him in freakshows. He lived there for many years. One night he wanted to sleep laying flat on his back, but the weight of his head cut off his wind pipe and he died. To this day his bones are still at the hospital. In 1980 Michael Jackson tried to buy these bones for $1 million, but the doctor had promised that the hospital would always be a safe place for the Elephant man and that promise is still kept today.
Also at the Hospital we learned about Queen Alexandra. She was very interested in the welfare of others and so was the orginal President of the hospital. She also donated a light that cured Lupis to the hospital. Another interesting fact about this Queen is that she set the length of a marathon. During the fourth Summer Olympics held in England, the orginal length of a maratho was 26 miles, but the queen wanted to be able to see part of the race so it was extend by 385 yards so that the race finished in front of the Royal Box.
The tour was SO Informative, and I learned alot about a part of England that I wouldnt have otherwise gone to.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
Orientation in London
When I first arrived in England, I started with a 3 day orientation in London. We had this orientation to help us get over the intial jetlag, introduce us to some parts of culture shock we might experience, make sure that all details were set for our universities, and have a little fun in London.
During the days we had seminars; some were interesting while others could have put me to sleep. Of the more interesting ones was when we learned about all of the names for the part of Europe we are in: United Kingdom, Great Britain, England, etc. I thought that by the end of it I had understood all of the names, but now as I type this blog I realized that I am just as confused as before.
Another interesting part of the orientation was a panel made up of 2 Members of Parliament (the first woman of color to be a MP and a catholic man) and 1 Member of the House of Lords. I mention that one of the MPs was Catholic because many of his positions were influenced by his relgion which is quite different from the Church of England. They answered questions and discussed their postions on many topics: Gay Unions, Abortions, the Palestine/Israel Conflict, and American Politics.
Also later that afternoon we went on a tour of the East End of London (look to my next post for more details).
But my favorite part of our time in London was seeing Billy Elliot the Musical. It was a great way to experience modern and past British Culture. The musical was a great story, with amazing singers, and an awsome soundtrack (I bought it after the show).
After orientation was over I was so excited to get to Brighton. There are 4 of us that came to the University of Sussex through Arcadia: Me, Sara, Lavinia, and Pelham. It was so nice coming down here with at least a little core group of friends (plus it made the train ride more fun). After 3 days of orientation, 2 train rides, and 1 mini-bus trip to campus, I WAS FINALLY HERE!!
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
During the days we had seminars; some were interesting while others could have put me to sleep. Of the more interesting ones was when we learned about all of the names for the part of Europe we are in: United Kingdom, Great Britain, England, etc. I thought that by the end of it I had understood all of the names, but now as I type this blog I realized that I am just as confused as before.
Another interesting part of the orientation was a panel made up of 2 Members of Parliament (the first woman of color to be a MP and a catholic man) and 1 Member of the House of Lords. I mention that one of the MPs was Catholic because many of his positions were influenced by his relgion which is quite different from the Church of England. They answered questions and discussed their postions on many topics: Gay Unions, Abortions, the Palestine/Israel Conflict, and American Politics.
Also later that afternoon we went on a tour of the East End of London (look to my next post for more details).
But my favorite part of our time in London was seeing Billy Elliot the Musical. It was a great way to experience modern and past British Culture. The musical was a great story, with amazing singers, and an awsome soundtrack (I bought it after the show).
After orientation was over I was so excited to get to Brighton. There are 4 of us that came to the University of Sussex through Arcadia: Me, Sara, Lavinia, and Pelham. It was so nice coming down here with at least a little core group of friends (plus it made the train ride more fun). After 3 days of orientation, 2 train rides, and 1 mini-bus trip to campus, I WAS FINALLY HERE!!
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
First Day in London
I left the US on the 4th of January, and after two long flights and a good nights sleep, I woke up in England. I arrived at the airport and started looking for my group. We had instructions where to meet and who to look for. I got there.... no group. Luckily I found two girls from my group and we tried to figure out our plan of action.
Unfortunately, the bus had left a half hour earlier than we had been told; leaving us stranded at the airport. "Hmmm..." I thought to myself, "what do my travel instincts, burned into my head by dad, tell me to do." I found the toll-free number for Arcadia, they told us where the hotel was, and the three of us took of in search of, first a train, but then a taxi. Later that day, one girl told me she was impressed by my TAKE-CHARGE ATTITUDE, thanks Dad.
The day passed with nothing too excitng. Orientation about no sex, no drugs, no rock and roll (not quite, but close). They mostly just reminded us, that whatever stupid things we did would be our fault and that we would have to pay the consequences.
Then I had my first British Night on the Town. A bunch of us from the group, went out to a Pub for dinner. One of the interesting things I had learned that night was that Pub was short for Public House. Anyone could go in there in the afternoon, and anyone over 18 after dark. They are usually open from 11-11. You can get food, beer, or even tea. Some people go there to study or even just to read the newspaper.
After dinner, I was tired out and still not sure what day it was as my body was getting used to the Jetlag. It was a great first day and I was ready for bed.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
Unfortunately, the bus had left a half hour earlier than we had been told; leaving us stranded at the airport. "Hmmm..." I thought to myself, "what do my travel instincts, burned into my head by dad, tell me to do." I found the toll-free number for Arcadia, they told us where the hotel was, and the three of us took of in search of, first a train, but then a taxi. Later that day, one girl told me she was impressed by my TAKE-CHARGE ATTITUDE, thanks Dad.
The day passed with nothing too excitng. Orientation about no sex, no drugs, no rock and roll (not quite, but close). They mostly just reminded us, that whatever stupid things we did would be our fault and that we would have to pay the consequences.
Then I had my first British Night on the Town. A bunch of us from the group, went out to a Pub for dinner. One of the interesting things I had learned that night was that Pub was short for Public House. Anyone could go in there in the afternoon, and anyone over 18 after dark. They are usually open from 11-11. You can get food, beer, or even tea. Some people go there to study or even just to read the newspaper.
After dinner, I was tired out and still not sure what day it was as my body was getting used to the Jetlag. It was a great first day and I was ready for bed.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
Welcome to England and my blog
Cheerio and welcome to my blog. I'll try to post as often as possible, but also not post too many mudane blogs. For those of you who may only know a little about my adventure let me explain.
During the spring semester of my Freshman year I started thinking about studying abroad. I have always wanted to go to England, so I started my search there. I found lots, some good, some bad. Some WAY expensive and some reasonably priced. I finally found the University of Sussex. The pamphlet explained how Sussex was a very old university located in a "natural place of beauty" right outside of a city often refered to as "London-by-the-Sea." This sounded great to me.
Over the summer, I talked to counselors that I worked with that were from England about Brighton. They said it was a great city and that I would love it.
When I got home from camp, we started looking into my options. We found a direct exchange program to Ireland so I applied for that (direct exchange meant that my tuition still went to UNC but I went to Ireland). That was a very selective program so I didnt get it
=(. Next we looked into Australia. These programs looked amazing and I was so excited once my application was submitted. Within a few days, my mom started to have second thougths. "But its just SO FAR away," my mom would say, "what if my baby needs me there." With that, it was back to looking at programs.
For awhile my parents were thinking Canada, but after so many trips there, that barely seemed like studying abroad. My parents did some "behind the scenes" research and had been able to have me be allowed to submit a late application to the University of Sussex. This had always been my first choice and I was ECSTATIC to be able to apply.
After a furry of getting the application submitted in 4 days, my application was out of my hands and it was time to wait. It took 4 longs week before I heard. I HAD BEEN ACCEPTED!! I was so excited and knew I was off to England in LESS THAN A MONTH!!
I enjoyed a great Christmas at home with my family as I packed just 2 bags for my 6 month adventure. We had some ideas of what to bring but mostly we guessed.
Soon, the day came and I was off to England ready to start a new and wonderful experience.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
During the spring semester of my Freshman year I started thinking about studying abroad. I have always wanted to go to England, so I started my search there. I found lots, some good, some bad. Some WAY expensive and some reasonably priced. I finally found the University of Sussex. The pamphlet explained how Sussex was a very old university located in a "natural place of beauty" right outside of a city often refered to as "London-by-the-Sea." This sounded great to me.
Over the summer, I talked to counselors that I worked with that were from England about Brighton. They said it was a great city and that I would love it.
When I got home from camp, we started looking into my options. We found a direct exchange program to Ireland so I applied for that (direct exchange meant that my tuition still went to UNC but I went to Ireland). That was a very selective program so I didnt get it
=(. Next we looked into Australia. These programs looked amazing and I was so excited once my application was submitted. Within a few days, my mom started to have second thougths. "But its just SO FAR away," my mom would say, "what if my baby needs me there." With that, it was back to looking at programs.
For awhile my parents were thinking Canada, but after so many trips there, that barely seemed like studying abroad. My parents did some "behind the scenes" research and had been able to have me be allowed to submit a late application to the University of Sussex. This had always been my first choice and I was ECSTATIC to be able to apply.
After a furry of getting the application submitted in 4 days, my application was out of my hands and it was time to wait. It took 4 longs week before I heard. I HAD BEEN ACCEPTED!! I was so excited and knew I was off to England in LESS THAN A MONTH!!
I enjoyed a great Christmas at home with my family as I packed just 2 bags for my 6 month adventure. We had some ideas of what to bring but mostly we guessed.
Soon, the day came and I was off to England ready to start a new and wonderful experience.
-Cam
"England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
~George Bernard Shaw
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