Remember, Remember the Day at the Shore

I didn't post yesterday, so I felt obligated to post today, even though it will be small. Rest assured, I have been very busy the last couple of days, but I was honestly not in the mood to update.

Yesterday I took a guided tour of London, navigating the train and Tube systems quite successfully, I might add. The tour was two hours, outdoors, and freakin' cold! We visited Westminster Abbey, saw the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Downey Street, Buckingham Palace, and other sights. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the little nuggets of history imparted by our tour guide, especially regarding the scandalous reign of Henry VIII, as well as the Gunpowder Treason Plot. For those of you who have seen V for Vendetta, which I love, you know that the Gunpowder Treason Plot was an attempt by a Catholic resistance group to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Guy Fawkes was one of these resistance leaders, and definitely the most famous. I particularly enjoyed when our tour guide recited the famous lines: Remember, remember the fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot; I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot. I was less thrilled, however, when the tour guide proceeded to describe, in distrubingly descriptive terms, the form of execution that Guy Fawkes and the other resistance members faced. That was not something that I wanted to be picturing in my head all day.

Today was the field trip to Brighton for the British Life and Culture class. Now, I knew very little about Brighton beforehand. All I really knew was what I'd picked up from Pride and Prejudice: it was a town on the coast, very popular for sea bathing, British regiments would sometimes encamp there, and Lydia Bennett ran away with Mr. Wickham from...oh right, that's delving a little too far into the fictional parts. Anyway, the history of Brighton is pretty fascinating, but what I truly enjoyed was...my first meal of fish and chips! I don't think you could find it at any better place than by the sea. It was in a newspaper and everything, and I put both malt vinegar and ketchup on it and it tasted SOOOO GOOD! I was able to explore the pier boardwalk, and some friends and I took some beach pictures reminiscent of Across the Universe.

I was disappointed by one thing, though...I forgot Dodo! I've let you all down, because now you'll never see Dodo standing on the Brighton beach, and you'll have to content yourself with this boring picture of me instead.

Orientation, Enrollment, and the Slug and Lettuce

Today (or rather yesterday, as it's after midnight right now) was my first full day at Kingston. As in, I woke up in Kingston and spent nearly the entire day on or near the university campus. It was Orientation for International Students, so I received the opportunity to meet everyone who was studying abroad or exchanging from a different country. There were many countries represented--Finland, Sweden, Spain, Camaroon, Venezuela, and India, to name some--but oddly, most of the people that I got a chance to talk to were American. It wasn't for lack of trying; rather, I would introduce myself to someone, then inwardly snap my fingers when he or she responded with an American accent.

Besides two informative lectures that we had to attend, we were given guided tours around Kingston, treated to a bagged lunch, officially enrolled in the college, and received our class schedules--or "timetables," as they are called here. I am taking all the courses that I wanted, which I am incredibly pleased about, and am planning to go shopping around Kingston tomorrow (later today) after I get finished with a guided tour around London. I'll make sure to post details.

The highlight of the day was definitely the welcome reception, which took place in a pub on the riverfront called the Slug and Lettuce. Yes, odd name, isn't it? The pub was crowded, what with so many international students squeezed inside, but we were all given the chance to relax, mingle, and learn more about one another. I've already befriended quite a few, and hoping to add more come tomorrow (later today). Admittedly, some took advantage of the lower drinking age (you're allowed to drink at age 18) and imbibed a little too much, but I was not one of them. I was a little too concerned with trying to find my way home on the bus system afterwards (for the first time), and there was no way I was going to try navigation under the influence, even slightly.

Sorry I'm not in the picture, but as I said, it was a little crazy in the pub. To compensate, maybe tomorrow (today) I'll post a one-time picture of the waist-high pole that I ran into my first full day at Kingston! Yes, it was a momentous event. I tell you, you take your eyes away for one moment, and before you know it, you're tripping over an obviously visible post in front of fifty other people.

And the Adventure Begins!

Does it surprise anyone that when my plane landed in London early this morning, it was raining? It seems that English weather has a nasty propensity to precipitate, and I just happened to forget my umbrella in my room back in the States.

But oh well. Who wants to hear about that anyway? I'll back up to yesterday, when I was preparing to leave. I should warn you, this is probably going to be a long post. I packed as thoroughly as I could on Monday, but still found myself rushing every which way trying to get everything done and make sure I had everything I needed (and as you can tell, I still forgot something important). Among the chaos, Grandma showed up to say good-bye, during which both she and Mom let the cat out of the bag as the the real surprise: Michele and Avery drove down to see me off at the airport!

I lost it, I'm not ashamed to admit it. I was definitely tearing up in the terminal, especially after Dad started getting emotional, too. Before we knew it, everyone was equally weepy, even Mom. But come on--can you blame us? I'm going to be gone for five months, and Jenn is leaving soon after me! I had no idea how hard it would be to say goodbye, especially to Jenn. I'm thinking that we might have to get together in France or England sooner than we'd planned...

The flight was uneventful...no, wait, it was worse than uneventful. It was boring! I couldn't see a thing down on the ground, and everyone knows that's the best part. What's worse, I couldn't get comfortable. I doubt that I slept for even three hours last night. On the bright side, however, the plane that I was on was very technologically advanced, so it periodically showed the passengers the status of the flight, as well as offering us a wide range of games, movies, and music from the screen on the back of every seat. Modern technology has really taken us far. The airplane food was still disgusting, though; at least some things never change.

Though we were delayed half an hour before leaving the airport, the flight landed nearly an hour ahead of the original schedule. When I met the cabman who was to take me to my destination, I discovered that he was taking me to Kingston instead of my accomodations because "she [my landlady] wasn't there." So I spent two hours hanging out in the international students' office, learning a lot about the program and what to expect from orientation. When I was finally taken to my residence, the jet lag had started to catch up with me; it's wearing on me even now, to tell you the truth....zzz...zzz...zzz--oh, right...I met my landlady and the other study abroad student who's staying with her, both of whom I like very much. I've taken pictures and will post them along with this thread.

I've still got a lot to write about, but I'll get to it in my next post. Right now, I think I'm about to head to bed. It is nearly eight in Great Britain, which is rather earlier than my usual bedtime, but I need to catch up with this jet lag. Dodo and I are settling in for a good night's sleep. Sweet dreams!

Meet Dodo, My Roaming Gnome

Has anyone ever seen those Travelocity commercials with the gnome? Or better yet, has anyone seen the French movie Amelie, where the idea really originated? The title character tries to encourage her father into traveling the world by stealing his Santa-like garden gnome. She has a flight attendant friend take pictures of the gnome in front of various landmarks and famous places, which are then sent to Amelie's father. I watched the movie this past year in my French class, and on my visit to Grand Valley a couple weeks ago, some friends from my class suggested that I "borrow" the idea. Brilliant, Emily and Nikki, thank you! So I've been on the lookout for a companion and have finally found him: Dodo.

Okay, so he's not really a gnome. In fact, I don't really know what he is, besides a handily available, completely adorable pen. I received him as a prize in a library program during my junior year of high school (which also explains the "Joust Read" motto tattooed across his body). I used to tease and annoy my twin with him all the time, even going so far as to take pictures of him in sunglasses and using him to prop up my hair on "Crazy Hair Day" during Spirit Week. In short, this cute little pen has a bit of sentimental value for me. He's a bit hard to photograph, since he reflects the flash, but I'm sure I'll figure something out.

So among many of my regular updates, be on the lookout for pictures of Dodo on occasion whenever I visit a new place. He'll also be accompanying me on my flight, which leaves tomorrow at 6:05 pm. This time tomorrow, I will be off to England! Wish me luck...and Dodo too!

Another Weekend Update...

It's Sunday night and another weekend's gone by, seemingly in a flash. Last weekend was my time to spend with my college friends, while this weekend was my family time, the last I'll have before I leave for England on Tuesday.

This last week, the tedium was somewhat alleviated because of some free passes that my sister and I got for the local athletic center. I've been going every day to work out and yesterday Jenn and I brought our niece to the pool in the early afternoon. It was awesome; Avery's a spitfire, no doubt about that. Even though she's only two, she kept trying to swim on her own in the deeper water. It took a lot of persuasion to get her to play in the kids' area.

Yesterday was just a special day in general. We had everyone over for a family dinner--Michele, Chris, Avery, my brother Sean and his girlfriend Stephanie, Grandma--needless to say, it was a blast. It always is when we get together. Jenn and I tried out two new recipes, pineapple upside down cake and cornbread, which went well with the steak and potatoes. We rounded out the evening by playing some family games and ended up in hysterics during Mad Gab. Mom wasn't all that great at the game, which I thought was good for her, since she's usually so competitive. I can pretty much guarantee that come February 14th, she'll be getting phone calls from all of us wishing her a "Happy Vowl-INtumsday." She'll not be living that down anytime soon, believe you me.

And then there was today. Jenn and I performed a "swan song" special in church, singing the first and last verses of Amazing Grace in French and English. Jenn helped me out a lot on the pronunciation, but I'm proud to say that I held my own. I only hope that I can hold my own in my French course in England.

I had to say goodbye to everyone today and I'll admit to getting a bit emotional when saying goodbye to my brothers and sister. Michele and Chris returned to Grand Rapids, so this will be the last time I see them in person for over four months. Sean doesn't live so far away, but I doubt I'll see him before I leave. If I got teary-eyed saying goodbye to them, I can only imagine how I will feel when saying goodbye to my twin. And even worse--I'm expecting Dad to succumb to major waterworks on Tuesday, too. Bring on the tissues!

Counting Down the Days

It's official...I am leaving for Kingston in less than a week's time. This time next week, I will be at my residence in England, most likely preparing for orientation and class registration. I have to admit, it still seems unreal. It felt more real at the beginning of the month, when all of my friends were returning to college and leaving me behind :(.

I had a bit of a scare this morning. Dad handed the phone to me, saying that it was someone from Northwest Airlines about my flight. Now, I am the type of person who wants every single detail planned out weeks in advance. I was terrified that the guy--who had a bit of a strong accent--was going to tell me that my flight had been cancelled or delayed a day, which would mean that I would arrive a day late, missing Kingston's meet and greet program.

Fortunately, the call was not about my flight next Tuesday, but about my return flight in June. He informed me that the flight had been moved ahead an hour, so at least it wasn't a big change. Even so, the entire idea made me apprehensive about last-minute changes before my departure. I will be very relieved when all the travel time is over with. Then, I'll probably have other things to worry about.

Even the Best-Laid Plans...

So here's the post that I promised about my trip to Grand Valley this weekend. My sister and I left on Friday and returned earlier today, managing to avoid the snow that fell all day yesterday. The weekend was, in a word, hectic. Definitely busier than either of us had originally planned. I never realized how many close college friends I've been blessed with, and of course I had to visit and say good-bye to as many as possible.

First on the list, I went to my friend Ryan's birthday party on Friday night. Most of my closest friends--our "group", I guess you could say--were at the party, including my two best friends from high school. It was a themed costume party, where everyone dressed up as their true opposite, both personality-wise and gender. We had a sorority "girl", a biker "chick", a gamer "dude", a country "cowboy", and a gay "guy", among others. I was the partying frat boy. I'll see if I can post any pictures, but I'll probably have to beg permission from some of my more self-conscious friends.

Saturday, which I had hoped to spend resting and relaxing at my sister's house, did not go as planned. I got together with my Bible study girls for an Apples to Apples game night. It was undoubtedly fun, but I have to admit to feeling a little disappointed that I wasn't able to remain at home on such a snowy night. I wouldn't have given up being able to see my friends, but the timing could have been better. Well, at least I also got a cherry Italian cream soda in the bargain, as well.

It snowed on and off all day Sunday, but the roads weren't that bad. It was a good thing, too, since I was out almost the entire day. I met with some of my friends from last semester's American Literature class and we had a Starbucks day. We just hung out at the coffeeshop for the afternoon. Unfortunately, the snow that stayed pretty slow during the day picked up for the evening, thus delaying the trip home until this morning. And so, even the best-laid plans go awry. Yet it still worked out. The time that I'd regretted on Saturday was instead replaced with Sunday night. I was able to relax with Jennifer, Chris, Michele, and Avery, which I enjoyed just as much as the busyness of the rest of the weekend.