Easter Holiday

Welcome to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

       Even though I have not blogged for a while, I have been rather busy the past few weeks.  The University of Manchester has a 3-week holiday (vacation) for Easter, during which time I flew back to the States.  After numerous failed attempts at finding a buddy to travel around continental Europe with, I was fortunate enough to be able to come back to Michigan and see family and friends.  Most international students had already made Easter vacation plans with family and friends from back home, or they were visiting and staying with their friends who are studying abroad in other countries.  This gave me the chance to surprise everyone from back home, and also gave me motivation to come back to Europe in the future to visit the places I didn’t get a chance to see.

     At first I will admit that I was a little disappointed that I would not be able to see the likes of Paris, Rome, and Barcelona, but after coming home, I realized something much more.  The reason places like France and Italy are special is because when you go there, you are able to visit different places with people that you enjoy being with.  Many people told me that I should have gone by myself, but I do not regret my decision at all.  Truth be told, I am glad I came home and didn’t travel around Europe.  I was able to spend quality time with the people I care about the most, and in the future I can go back to Europe and enjoy it with friends and family.  Even if I had gone alone, it wouldn’t have been the same without friends.  It is the people that truly make life experiences special, and travelling is no exception. 

     When I surprised my brothers at Sigma Chi, it was the most welcomed feeling I have ever had.  Seeing the pure shock and excitement when they saw me is an experience that can never be duplicated.  After many double-takes and convincing that it was actually me and not a ghost, it will go down as one of the best weekends in my entire life.  Like I did with my brothers at Sigma Chi, I also surprised my other friends, and they had no idea what “Mike” could possibly be calling them.

     On the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam, among the complimentary drinks were beer with options such as Heineken and Corona.  I took advantage of this opportunity, but the person sitting next to me took this advantage to a whole new level.  I had one, but he ended up having 6 or 7 beers and 2 glasses of wine.  He even went to the back of the plane and talked with the flight attendants, presumably in order to have a casual chat and another drink.  Smart man.

"Domestic" Heineken

     Since both of my flights there and back had 4 hour layovers in Amsterdam Schipol’s Airport, I had enough downtime to experience some local Amsterdam culture within the airport.  The person that says you cannot experience a splash of Dutch culture within the confines of the airport has obviously not tried a McKroket.  It is a Dutch sandwich at McDonald’s, based on the popular Dutch food, the croquette.  The best way I can describe the McKroket is a deep-fried roll containing minced meat and mashed potatoes.  At the halfway point I was almost gagging, and made it a personal challenge to finish it, which I did (barely).  I was also able to experience a “domestic Heineken” at the airport, both normal and “Super-chilled”.  I asked what the difference was, and the bartender simply replied, “It is the same thing just colder”.  For someone who has studied a semester abroad to experience a new culture, I was obliged to try both. 

Not so green?

Views of Greenland

     The last two cool parts about the way there and back was first; how travel-savvy I felt with my laptop plugged into an adapter and into a European outlet, and the amazing view of Greenland from my window seat.  We flew over Greenland for a bit, and the view was jaw-dropping.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

European Outlet

     From now until the end of the term, I will be studying for exams.  The education/grading system is very different from the States, with a much bigger emphasis on the final exam.  I will get more into that in my next blog post, along with more of the cultural differences I have been able to experience.

    Cheers!

Belfast and Dublin

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

 View the photo album of Belfast and Dublin here.

Me in front of where Titanic was built

My latest adventure has taken me across the Irish Sea to two cities in two countries on the island of Ireland: Belfast, Northern Ireland and Dublin, Ireland.  For a little background information, Northern Ireland is part of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" (commonly known as the United Kingdom), and Ireland is officially known as the Republic of Ireland.

Belfast Big Fish

My Australian friend, Yoni, came with me on the trip, which started with our flight from Manchester to Belfast.  The view from the airplane of Northern Ireland was beautiful, only to be marred by a giant IKEA store by the airport.  Swedish furniture stores aside, Belfast was very nice city, even if it does not garner as much attention as Dublin.  Belfast is derived from the Irish "Béal Feirsde" which translates to "mouth of the sandbar".

H&W Crane

One of Belfast's popular tourist images is the Big Fish, which is a ten-metre ceramic fish.  Very close to the Big Fish is Belfast's oldest building, McHugh's Bar dating back to 1711.  Since Belfast is a seaport, a major part of Belfast's history and industry is it's shipbuilding industry, which played a major part in the Industrial Revolution.  Iconic city landmarks include two giant gantry cranes, named Samson and Goliath.  These are yellow, with a black "H&W" on them for the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff, who happen to be the makers of many famous ships, including the Titanic.  While they also have made many other famous ships such as the Brittanic and the Olympic, none are as recognizable as the Titanic.  Speaking of the Titanic, we were able to see the Titanic Dock and Pump House, which is where the Titanic was built and released into the harbour.  Although it is not the biggest ship by today's standards, back in 1911 when it was built, this ship was massive.  It is still big for today, but I cannot imagine what the other ships of its time would compare to side by side.

Kitchen Bar Paddy Pizza

Another cool place we stumbled upon in Belfast was St. George's Market, Northern Ireland's largest indoor market filled with food stands and other small crafts and clothing.  For dinner, we ate at one of the most historic bars in Belfast, the Kitchen Bar.  The Kitchen Bar is known for its Famous Kitchen Bar Paddy Pizza, which is chicken served on homemade soda bread with onion, tomato, peppers & cheddar cheese.  Of course we had to try it, and it was surprisingly delicious!  We also stopped at the Crown Bar, which was listed on a Yahoo! featured story as one of the top 10 bars in the UK.

Wall of some of the Political Murals

Perhaps one of the things that Belfast is most famous for (or infamous for that matter) are the Belfast Political Murals.  Northern Ireland is divided by many groups; Republican and Loyalist, Catholic and Protestant, Nationalist and Unionist.  These murals are painted on brick walls, and even on the sides of houses.  They used to be very political, but recently they have changed into showing pride and culture of their own views instead of hate and discrimination towards the other groups.

After Belfast, we continued our adventure to Dublin via train.  We started things off with a three-hour tour (how long? a three-hour tour) around Dublin, and we had a great tour guide named Peter, who didn't have quite as thick of an Irish accent as I would have expected.  The tour gave us a great overview of the city, and during the tour we saw many landmarks such as the Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, 'The Famine' (a memorial to the all of the people who died in the famine a while back) and many other important buildings that I have forgotten the names of.  We also went to a popular area called Temple Bar, known for its many pubs.  We stopped at one of the restaurants in Temple Bar after the tour and tried some proper Irish Beef and Guinness stew.  It wasn't as great as it sounds and it wasn't as bad as it sounds at the same time, if that makes sense.  We also decided to make a quick stop at the Brazen Head, Ireland's oldest pub.

Before I came to Ireland, I did some research and found that supposedly Shamrock Shakes at McDonald's are sold year-round.  I am not sure if that is true or not, but they had them in the beginning of April when we went, and I took full advantage of the opportunity.  I drank not one, but TWO Shamrock Shakes because they do not have them in the UK and I did not want to miss out this year!  Another difference between the UK and Ireland: in the UK, the post boxes (or mail boxes for you Yankees) to drop mail into are painted red, while in Dublin, they are painted green.

Liffey River and O'Connell Bridge

The Liffey River divides Dublin between North and South, and while there are many bridges to get from one side to the other, the most interesting one is the O'Connell Bridge, which is wider than it is long.  On the North side of Dublin on the same road as the O'Connell Bridge stands a very tall, cone-shaped stainless steel structure called the Spire of Dublin.  The tour guide told us it was also called the Millennium Spire, but ironically it wasn't finished until 2003. One of the coolest places in Dublin was Trinity College (founded in 1592) because the buildings were very historic and beautiful.

Jameson Irish Whiskey Taste Test:
Left: Johnnie Walker's Scotch Whiskey
Center: Jameson Irish Whiskey
Right: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

Finally, my two favorite parts of Dublin.  I'll start in the order that we went to them, and first is the Old Jameson Distillery.  While they do not currently make Jameson Irish Whiskey at that distillery anymore, we were able to learn how Irish whiskey is made.  In the beginning of the tour, they asked for volunteers, and I am very glad I did even though at the time I did not know what it was for.  At the end of the tour, everyone got a small glass of Jameson Irish Whiskey to drink and taste.  The volunteers got that, as well as a chance to taste test Jameson Irish Whiskey against other kinds.  Normally you would think they would give you samples of a cheap or bad tasting brand; however I was lucky enough to be able to taste test Johnnie Walker's Black Label Scottish Whiskey, Jack Daniel's American (Tennessee) Whiskey, and of course, Jameson Irish Whiskey.  With a little encouragement from the distillery tour guide, I chose the Jameson as my favorite, but not before a little fake-out "Sco...Jameson!"  I enjoyed all three!  The Johnnie Walker's was smokey, the Jack Daniel's was sweet, and the Jameson was very smooth, and I wouldn't say no to any of them.  After the taste-testing session, I was given a certificate that proves I am a Certified Irish Whiskey Taste Tester.

Me pouring a Perfect Pint of Guinness

Me at Guinness Brewery in Dublin

Saving the best for last was the Guinness Storehouse at St. James Gate in Dublin.  The place was gigantic, and it was a self-guided tour that took us a few hours.  We were able to learn how Guinness was made, and they had some really cool displays.  About half-way through, they gave us a half-pint of Guinness along with the ways to appreciate it, such as smell, taste, sound (oddly enough, there was a cool hissing noise when you put your ear in the glass), and more.  A bit further along I was able to pour my own pint of Guinness.  There was a station called "Pour the Perfect Pint of Guinness", where they taught us the proper way to fill a pint glass with Guinness.  First you tilt the glass at a 45-degree angle, putting the nozzle of the draught on the harp.  Then you fill up to the word Guinness on the pint glass by pulling the draught lever towards you, and set it down for it to settle.  When you are pouring the Guinness it is mixed with Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide, and that is what is moving throughout the glass if you have ever seen Guinness poured from a draught.  Finally you fill the rest up with pure Guinness by pushing the draught lever forward until your glass is full.  If you have done it right, it should take 119.5 seconds to fill up a pint of Guinness.  I also received a certificate declaring that I poured a perfect pint of Guinness, and it was by far the best one I have ever tasted.  At the top of the Guinness storehouse was the Gravity Bar, in which you can redeem the stub at the end of your ticket for a pint of Guinness.  You could either use this stub at the Pour the Perfect Pint or the Gravity Bar.  When I printed the receipt for the ticket in the lobby, the machine gave me an extra stub, so I was able to enjoy the pleasures of both (must be the Luck of the Irish!).  The Gravity Bar was really cool, as you could see Dublin 360-degrees around you.  The bartender even put a Shamrock in the head of my Guinness, a skill done by moving the glass around at the very end of filling the glass up.  One more fun fact: the harp was an unofficial symbol of Ireland, and when Guinness was getting started they began using the harp to signify that it was made in Ireland.  Guinness officially adopted the harp as its logo, and the Republic of Ireland had to flip their harp logo around in order not to interfere with violating Guinness' copyrights.  In other words, even though the harp was the symbol of Ireland, Guinness had legal rights over the logo first, thereby causing Ireland to flip the harp the other way.

Cheers!

Liverpool, England

 

The Beatles Story

Liverbird, on top of Royal Liver Building

L
   I
     V
        E
           R
              P
                 O
                    O
                        L


View the Liverpool Photo Album here.


My latest adventure has taken me to the west side of England to the city of Liverpool, home of the worst accent in England.  Their accent/dialect is more commonly known as Scouse, with Liverpudlians also referred to as Scousers.  Liverpool is only a 45 minute train ride from Manchester, and it was an excellent day trip.

Liverpool Cathedral, Largest in the UK, 5th Largest in the World

The symbol of Liverpool, called Liverbirds (pictured above), sit atop the Royal Liver Building.  They are the most recognisable symbol of Liverpool, and there are two them facing opposite directions on top of the building.  Another cool building was the Liverpool Cathedral, which is the largest in the UK and 5th largest in the world.  There were also other buildings that had the "old English" feel, although I cannot remember specifically what each of them were.  The Liverpool ONE is a huge shopping center, but part of it is outside and uncovered, while the stores are obviously covered.  I walked by the Apple store, which had a very long queue due to the fact it was the day the iPad 2 came out.

A popular area of Liverpool is Albert Dock, which is one of many docks in Liverpool.  There are many shops and restaurants in Albert Dock, where I got a few souvenirs, cherry fudge, and strawberries and cream fudge.  Albert Dock is also home to the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum, and more famously, The Beatles Story.  In case you didn't know, Liverpool is the Birthplace of the The Beatles.  The Beatles Story was a very cool museum that was Beatles, Beatles, and more Beatles.  To put it lightly, I think the appropriate term is "Beatlemania".  I learned about the history, got to take pictures, and listen to the music.  My favourite part was an area that had a yellow submarine you could walk through, with a certain catchy tune playing on repeat.  After the tour, I went to Cavern Club, which is the place that The Beatles had their first gig, which is pretty cool if you ask me.

Anfield, home of Liverpool F.C.

Goodison Park, home of Everton F.C.

Tourist attractions aside, my favourite part of Liverpool were the two football (soccer) stadiums: Anfield, home of Liverpool F.C. (left), and Goodison Park, home of Everton F.C. (right). Both stadiums were built in the late 1800's, and each hold approximately 40,000 people.  There wasn't anything earth-shattering about them, but any stadium you get to see up close and in person for a sports fan like me is always a great moment.  I was able to walk from one to the other in about twenty minutes, which shows how close they are.

Liverpool is a great city, and it would be even better if I could understand what they were saying through that Scouse accent of theirs.  Cheers!

Edinburgh, Scotland

View the photo album of Edinburgh here.

My most recent trip has taken me to the northernmost country of the UK: Scotland.  That's right, Scotland, also known as the Birthplace of Golf, and also home to Scotch Whiskey and the Edinburgh Castle.  First of all, Edinburgh does not rhyme with Pittsburgh, rather it is pronounced "Edinburrah".  With that confusion past us, I can move on to the good stuff.

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a very nice city.  Edinburgh has two parts, Old Town and New Town.  The Old Town has all of the older architecture (including the Edinburgh Castle), while the New Town has the more modern buildings.  We walked around the city, and there were a quite a few monuments.  I am not sure of the significance of the Scott Monument, but it sure was one of the most spectacular I have seen.  I was also able to see George Heriots School, which is the school that Hogwart's (from Harry Potter) is based on.  The city was filled with many nice buildings, especially on the Royal Mile.  The Royal Mile leads to the Edinburgh Castle, and as the name suggests, it is one Scots mile long (approximately 1.1 miles).  Here lies many small shops, a church, and other old buildings.  The Bank of Scotland is very close, and it is lit up beautifully in the night sky.  On the street I saw a street performer; however, it was a man in a kilt and proper Scottish attire playing a bagpipe.  He was actually pretty good!  For lunch we went to a restaurant and had the famous Scotland dish, haggis (pictured above).  The wikipedia definition of haggis is a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock.  Can you say delicious??  It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds, and it tasted even better with cranberry sauce.  That being said, I don't see haggis coming into my normal eating regimen anytime soon.

The Edinburgh Castle was very cool, and some of the building inside the castle have been there since the 12th century.  I couldn't believe when I walked inside it that there was a tiny village inside it!  I was even able to see the actual crown worn by the Scottish King back in the 1600's.  The view from the castle was extraordinary.  I was able to see the whole city of Edinburgh from the castle, and it was breathtaking.  I am unsure as to what else I can say about a castle, but you can't say you have visited Edinburgh until you have visited the Edinburgh Castle.

Scotch Whiskey.  Notice that I did not say "imported" Scotch Whiskey.  That's because I went to the Scotch Whiskey Experience!  Here, we were able to learn how Scotch Whiskey is made, how to appreciate it, and to actually try it.  There were 5 different kinds, each with its own flavor based on the region of Scotland where it is made: Lowland, Highland, Speyside, Islay, and Blended (a mix).  My favorite was the Lowland, which had a citrus taste with a dry finish.  There are also 5 steps to appreciating Scotch Whiskey: Color, Body, Nose, Palate, and Finish.  One of the coolest things in the Scotch Whiskey Experience was a chess set filled with Scoth Whiskey, and each piece in the set was proportional to the weight of the respective royalty (i.e. The King piece was filled to the proportionality of the King's weight).

Above all of the touristy things to do in Edinburgh, my favorite experience did not take place downtown, or the city centre as it is called in the UK.  Rather it took place on the golf course, Braid Hills Golf Course to be exact.  Can you imagine golfing in the country of its origin?  Neither could I, but I couldn't pass on the opportunity.  The course was absolutely astonishing, and had the most amazing view from a golf course that I have ever seen (view from the golf course, can see Arthur's Seat in background).  I was able to see the city centre, past the city centre and the bay/ocean, as well as a beautiful view of Arthur's Seat, a very popular and recognizable mountain in Edinburgh.  Golfing was very relaxing, as they did not pair me up with anyone, so I was free to golf at my own leisure, where I stopped often and took lots of pictures.  It was a tremendous experience, and now I can say that I have golfed in the country where the game started.

Bath and Stonehenge

 

This past weekend I went to Bath, UK as well as the world-famous Stonehenge.  Click here to view the web album.

Simply put, Bath is a beautiful city.  In case you didn't know, Bath is 4 hours south of Manchester by bus.  Fortunately, the weather was perfect and sunny in Bath on Saturday, while the weather on Sunday went as follows: Sunny, Rain, Sunny, Rain, Sunny; All in the same day!  I was able to see everything I wanted to see in Bath, as I had done some reason the day before.  We started off the day by walking around and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery and architecture.  The Pulteney Bridge (right) was the first stop, and it was the first of many places that I couldn't stop taking pictures of.  We then walked around the main area of town, which included the famous Roman Baths (top left), as well as the cathedral known as the Bath Abbey (top right).  These were my two favorite parts of Bath, which comes at no surprise that they are also the most popular places to visit in Bath.  There is actually more than one bath, and the one I am pictured with is The Great Bath, which is the biggest and most photographed bath.  I knew I couldn't come to the Roman Baths without touching the water, and when I did I was shocked to feel that the water was very warm!  There are also other baths inside, but I spent the majority of the time outdoors walking around and talking pictures of the the Great Bath, as well as the Bath Abbey which you can see from inside the Great Bath since it is actually outdoors.  The Bath Abbey was marvelous.  It is much smaller and less detailed than the York Minster, but has a very similar style to the architecture and stained glass.  Although the Abbey said it has closed at half 5 (5:30), the door was open so we decided to walk in and see how far we could get.  It is amazing how far a little ambitious instinct will take you.  Apparently there was a proper choir practicing in the Abbey, and it was truly a jaw-dropping experience.  Some may call that lucky, but I like to think of luck as being what happens when preparation meets opportunity, and I just went with it.  Other attractions in Bath that we saw were the Royal Crescent (huge building in the shape of almost a semi-circle), The Circus (not clowns, but rather 3 big buildings wrapped around a rotary/roundabout separated by little streets), and eating a famous Sally Lunn Bun (a sweet bread, about the size of a large cereal bowl).  Sally Lunn buns are usually eaten with toppings such as cinnamon butter or raspberry topping, but I had mine plain, and it was still delicious.

As for Stonehenge, what can I say.  There are two approaches to Stonehenge: one is that they are just a pile of rocks, and the other being it is a marvel and wonder of the world.  I fit in the second category, as I was awestruck about the rocks.  While they had an audio thing to listen to facts about Stonehenge, I was too focused on taking as many pictures as I could.  I learned that they are positioned in a special way with the months, and I was also impressed about how they were able to lay the stones on top of each other.  While it may not be as exciting as a roller coaster ride, Stonehenge is a must-see attraction if you are in the UK.  And yes, in case you were wondering, I did feel the need to bust out a "Heisman pose" at Stonehenge.  Go Blue!

Cultural Differences Part II

You alright?

That is a very common expression in Manchester, basically a way of saying "Hi how are you".  There are many other words that differ from America and England.  I know most of these words are very common, but I thought I would make a list of the most common words that are used that differ from the States: 

Key: England = American

Chips = Fries               Football = Soccer
Crisps = Chips             Cheers = Thank You/Goodbye
Jumper = Sweater        Fit = Good Looking
Lift = Elevator              Petrol = Gasoline
Bin = Trash Can           Pavement = Sidewalk
Trousers = Pants          Queue = Line
Post = Mail                  Postal Code = Zip Code
Pull = Make Out          Shopping Trolley = Shopping Cart

I guess you pick up on some things when you hang out with English kids.  For me, I am glad I am hanging out with and spending more time with English students than with other Study Abroad students.  I like to hang out with both English and Study Abroad students, but I am getting a better cultural experience than the other study abroad students since they hang out with each other all of the time, while I am immersing myself in the culture as much as I can.  I have noticed the other Americans that I hang out with do not even try to adapt to the English culture.  Instead of saying chips they will still say fries, as well as saying thank you instead of cheers.  While there is nothing wrong about being proud to be an American, it is also important to realize (realise) that we are in a foreign country and should do things their way, as I would like foreigners in America to do things our way.  

I also like to ask the English people what their stereotypes of Americans are, which gives me a new perspective to look at.  I know I have stereotypes of other countries and places, but I have never heard a stereotype about the United States from someone who has not lived in the U.S.  The most common stereotype by far was that all American are fat.  Other stereotypes I have heard is that everyone in America has guns, have really big smiles, and are loud.  It is also entertaining to hear Brits try their hand at an American accent, which doesn't sound nearly as good when they do it.

Other cultural differences include: No tipping at bars (very rarely at restaurants, hotels, cabs), Dates are dd/mm/yyyy as opposed to mm/dd/yyyy (Bouncer took over 20 seconds staring at my I.D. before he asked where my date of birth was because he couldn't find/understand it), the letter Z is pronounced "Zed", the first floor in America is known as the Ground floor in England, so in England you have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the "first floor", and so on.

Most Awkward Moment:  My American friend and I (along with other Americans) were at a bar having a drink or two, and we noticed a girl with American spandex pants on, one leg was blue with white stars, the other with red and white stripes.  I pointed to my American friend and told him I liked her pants (for some strange reason stars and stripes stand out more here) in which he turned around, saw them, and told the girl "We like your pants" which is a very harmless compliment.  The girl glared at us and turned the other way to laugh with her friends about what we said.  The English person that was with us then told us that "pants" actually means "underwear".  Oops. Won't make that mistake again!

I'm Back! Classes

Hey I'm back!

I apologize (or apologise in the UK) for taking so long to update my blog, but I have been very busy since school has started.  Classes are going well, and the presentation of the material is the same as back in America.  We have big lecture halls for lectures, and smaller groups for discussion which they refer to as tutorials.  The grades, however, are a completely different story.  In the States, I am used to either multiple papers or exams, with the final exam never being worth more than 40% of the final grade.  Here, the class with the lowest weight for the final exam is 66% of the final grade, and I have another class in which the final exam is worth 100% of the final mark.  Additionally, there are no textbooks for each class, rather a large reading list for students to pick and read whichever books interest them within the subject.  It is very different to say the least.

Cultural Differences Part I

I have now been in the UK for ten days, and I have witnessed and experienced many cultural differences between the UK and "The States".

First of all, let's start with safety.  One way to stick out as a tourist in the UK is to look left first when you are looking to cross the street; and be careful: they will not stop.  Plenty of times I have looked left, saw it was clear to walk, then feel a breeze as the car flew by me coming the other way.  Thankfully I look both ways but it is very hard to adjust to cars driving on the opposite side of the road.  It is also hard to not be confused when it looks like there is no one in the driver's seat, but that is because the driver's seat is on the right side of the car instead of the left.  One stereotype I have heard about America is that everyone owns a gun.  While that is obviously untrue, I was shocked to see that policemen do not even carry guns!  They wear a vest; it is not bulletproof, however it is used to protect them from getting stabbed.  It is even illegal to carry pepper spray!

In terms of music, there is not a big difference between the USA and the UK, as most of the music Brits listen to comes from the states.  I was surprised to hear so many songs I recognized at various bars/clubs, but I'm not complaining about that!

Something I might have a reason to complain about is the food.  Someone told me that "It [the food] doesn't taste very good, but it's enough to keep you alive" and I couldn't agree more.  My first meal was Steak and Kidney Pie, which tastes about as good as it sounds.  In the cafeteria, I learned the hard way that it is not all-you-can-eat like in the States.  When I said I wanted both chicken and fish, the cafeteria lady said I could only have one.  I also got yelled at for trying to grab a fruit salad, an apple and a banana in the same meal.  No wonder they are so skinny here... they eat smaller portions of everything.  To my delight, the beer is and always has been chilled, which is the perfect temperature in my opinion.  I am not sure who said they drink warm beer over here, because that is not true unless you consider anything less than frigid American beer as warm. I did find one excellent food in England, and yes, you guessed it. Fish and chips are amazing.  They are even better with Salad Cream, a mayonnaise-like condiment that goes excellent with chips or burgers.  I hope I remember to bring some back to the States!

I will be making a Cultural Differences Part II soon!
Cheers!

York

Click on this link to view the entire York album.

York... No, not New York, the ORIGINAL York!  York is less than two hours by train from Manchester, to the northeast.  The first thing in York I had to see was the York Minster (first picture).  Wow, was it beautiful.  It is one of the largest cathedrals in northern Europe, and there it is amazing how detailed every part of it is.  I spent a while just walking around it, taking pictures, and just enjoying its sheer beauty.  Nearby was a statue of Constantine, which was also very cool to see and be able to take a picture with.

The next picture is a picture of The Shambles, which is a tiny path in which there are a few shops.  As you can see in the picture, the buildings are leaning towards each other and almost meet at the top!  The whole area and surrounding streets were filling with cobblestone roads, many small shops, and lots of walkers.  York is a  tremendous walking city, and plus you are able to thoroughly enjoy the York culture while walking.  While in York, I had a lamb sandwich (not my favorite, but okay) and also grabbed a local beer from the pub The Last Drop Inn.  They had one of the best beers I have ever tried, fitting since it also had the coolest name...Constantine.  It was a local beer brewed in York, and it was delicious.

Lastly, I saw Clifford's Tower, which is the castle-looking building in the third picture.  Albeit small, it was very cool as I have never seen a castle before, especially one in England!  The tower was on a steep hill, even with the stairs.  I couldn't imagine what it was like for people trying to attack the tower coming up the hill while getting shot at.  I would suppose they did not have much success in those endeavors, but I may be wrong.  Anyways, York is great city to visit and walking through the city really gave me a chance to embrace and experience more of the British culture.

Cheers!

Arrival/First Day

I have arrived! After an hour and a half flight we landed in Atlanta where there was snow (snow!) on the ground, and then had a 3 hour overlay before the Manchester flight.  During the Manchester flight, I got a tiny pillow and a thin blanket to sleep, in which I was able to catch at most 5 hours of sleep on the flight.  Combine that with the 5 hour time difference, it goes without saying that I was very tired today.  That didn’t stop me from having an eventful day today, either.

            I went on a tour of the University of Manchester, and it was wonderful seeing the campus and the different buildings and architecture.  The talked to the tour guide for a few seconds before he asked me was where I was from, in which I responded, “the States”.  He responded, “I should have known from your accent”.  Here I was thinking listen to his accent, and he says I have an accent!  Definitely one of the weirdest moments of my life, but that was the moment where it hit me that I wasn’t in America anymore.  The other big thing that reminded me I’m not in America anymore are the roads.  My goodness are they confusing!  Every time I look at a car I think that no one is driving it because the steering wheel is on the other side!  Also I have to pay a lot more attention to crossing the road, because I have to look right instead of left.  I am still confused with the roads, so I just make sure I look both ways.  Anyways, there is more to talk about but I will cover that later.  Cheers!

Departure Day

Finally, the day has come!  My first flight from Detroit to Atlanta is scheduled for 3:50pm, and then a three hour layover until my flight from Atlanta to Manchester.  With no unexpected delays, I should arrive at approximately 10 or 10:30AM (Manchester time), which is 5 or 5:30AM local time.  I could not be more excited, and I am really looking forward to the flights (I love flying!). This will be my first international flight, so I will be experiencing something new even before I arrive in England!  I think it is only fitting, however, that it is raining in Michigan the day I am leaving for more rain in Manchester.  The 5 day forecast for Manchester right now has Sunny Intervals, Mist, Grey Cloud, White Cloud, and Mist, with temperatures in the 30's and 40's and humidity levels over 90% the entire 5 days, something I will have to get used to in the UK.  I am leaving for the airport soon, gotta go!!

Pre Departure Test

These are photos from 3 days before departure, getting ready to go to Manchester.  Six months worth of clothes in one suitcase is more difficult than I imagined. Darn airline restrictions!

10 Days Before Departure!

There are 10 days left until I leave for England, and it is approaching quickly.  I have started to pack, as well as get all of my documents ready.  I am very excited to get on my way, and it hasn't hit me yet that I will be leaving so soon.  It is a weird feeling saying bye to people that you won't see for almost seven months, but not knowing anyone in the UK will be an exciting challenge to meet new people.  Having gone to a high school that is 10 minutes away and a university that is 20 minutes away, I have never known what it is like to be a person coming from a different place.  While I have met many people from all over the country and the world, they were the ones who were in a totally new setting, but I am excited to experience that for myself.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Welcome to my blog, where I will be sharing my experiences this semester as I study abroad at the University of Manchester.  This is my first blog and first blog post, and I will soon writing about my thoughts before I leave for Manchester, England. 

Cheers!