NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST...

INACTIVE

2010-12-01T08:21:00.001-08:00

Note to Readers, this blog is inactive. Please contact me I'll send you my new blog :)

NEW BLOGGG

2010-09-26T21:09:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
Just FYI I got a new blog :) send a comment with your email address if you want it, I'd LOVE to share!
Amy

2010-03-06T23:35:00.000-08:00

Hey all, I've decided to start a new blog which really really SUCKSSSSSSSSS BUT I really don't want one person to be able to locate me and so unfortunately I feel I can't update you all on life through this blog anymore, I'll still keep it to have pictures backed up, etc. PLEASE PLEASE message me for my new blog address! I want to share it with you! How frustrating...grrr!!
Regards,
Amy

Blogiggitygog

2009-09-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Sorry about the delay in blogging. I am goign to attempt to get on top of this one, as well as one Dani and I are starting to document our 20 something girl singledom lives. So updates with me you ask for?
1). Moved back to MN halfway through August. After not getting a paycheck for a while, I decided to get a job at a restaurant. It is hard business! It is a well known restaurant around here, and it gets crazy. I'm told its crazier on weekends, and I have yet to experience this! Well it will be an adventure. And really good motivation for me to find another job I suppose. Its only my second week so I'm really hoping it goes better.
2). Making new friends in MN, its on its way! I have two great new neighbors that moved in two doors down. They are fun to hang out with. I also am starting to view work as more social than anything. Hopefully I'll be able to make more friends, and understand the food waitressing better. I am also nannying on the side.
3). Routine. I have none :)Attempting to work out occasionally, doing the grocery whopping and keeping up with the grandpa! Got his house cleaned the way it used to be. That's nice!

As for now, I'm just looking for some grown up job stuff and nannying stuff so I can hopefully get a place of my own soon!!

Oh Hai

2009-08-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hi hi! Well I haven't updated in quite some time, so here I go!
Sian came to visit me, and, as anticipated, it was crazy fun. We were two busy girls. We went to the water park (apparently its too cold in the UK for outdoor water parks), the Mall of America 4 times, Sculpture Gardens, the different lakes complete with a Trolley Ride, Watching the Twins beat the White Sox (always fun), went to Northfield (Jesse James Gang Raid) baked Krumkake and cake, ate out tons, and had lots of girl time. It was a crazy fun week. After that I came back to good ole IC and found out I'm here until the 15th of August. Much more opportunity for friend time...and to try to find a job. Yeah about that job thing...I figure I have to move home for a while to put some money aside and can move to where I can get a job, IC area, chicago, the UK... :)

As far as life goes, not sure what I'm doin. I am attempting to take up new hobbies: painting, writing (I really am starting with a children's book so we all know I'm like an 8 year old anyway).

:)

2009-07-06T21:29:00.001-07:00

I don't think I could be in a better mood. Sian and her grandpa are coming in T-36 hours. AHHH!!!!! Her grandpa will then continue on to Boston, and Sian and I get to hang out all week in the big MN. I'll update with what we end up doing, and with fun pictures for the former flat 63 mates :) Tomorrow night is the drive home after work, then up to MN, then pick up the friend and her gpa! WOOOOOOO
<3
Amy

My so called life...

2009-06-20T23:05:00.001-07:00

Hi :)

1). Sian comes to see me in about three weeks. I can't WAIT for the grounding of a good friend, and a touch of Britain to come see me in the MN. Her visiting me is one of the best gifts I could ever ask for.

2). The job hunt is...well...meh. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to be doing in 6 weeks and its kinda scary. But liberating in a way. More so scary than anything... Although I am thinking of in a year grad school for a). Health Administration, b). Environmental Health c). Environmental Law. Not sure of any of them though. Tonight when I was visiting some family friends, Siri, the youngest, said, "I never know where you are. Its like you go one place and then go to another, and I just never know!" She is 10. And she made me realize that my dream of being a wanderer has kind of already come true (although I plan on wandering the rest of my life).

3). I've recently realized how much I want to be in Britain with my friends I met there. Although I know that if I went back, it just wouldn't be the same. And that makes me sad. I can't believe it was a year ago that I was preparing to move to another country where I knew no one. And I wasn't nervous at all about it. I would trade a ridiculous amount of (almost) anything to go back and relive it. All of it. And wouldn't change a thing. The people, the flats, the school, everything. I often describe my time abroad as "going to another country instead of class." Never did I think my time abroad would be on my mind every day, multiple times a day, six months after I got back.

4). It makes me sad to know that in six weeks, I will probably be thinking these same thoughts about Iowa City. The little liberal dot in Iowa. Yup. I lived in Iowa for four years. And I loved it. I drove my first tractor here, met the closest friends I will ever have, and managed to graduate with a double B.A. major in 8 semesters. Sweetness.

Driving that John Deer....

I did it just cuz I could...

I'm not sure how I feel about this transitioning time in my life. I definitely feel 15 still, not almost 23. But not. When you are 15, you think when you're 23 you'll have a job, potential husband or marriage, house, etc. However, if I had most of these at my age, I would not be a happy camper. The job would be helpful however :P I suppose if someone walked into my life right now who would like to wander with me, I would be ok with it. But for now, I am pretty content where I am at. The only thing is job search, I have NO idea what I want to do with my life. I think I had a better idea when I was 18 than I have now.

But for now my friends, I am going to bed. Doing some laundry, folding THEN bed. I want to know what's new in your lives, so give me a skype buzz (amy.ferguson4) or email or fb or something.

<3,>

2009-06-12T12:44:00.001-07:00

Dear British Friends,
I miss you.
Love,

Me

New pictures!

2009-05-20T19:34:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, here are a few pics from graduation!

Me and my brother in law and sister at lunch after...

The graduating seniors from the house

Me by a tree...

the 1500+ people just walking...not sure how many actually graduated though...the ceremony was 3 hours long...

2009-05-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

WOOOOO! I PASSED MY HORRIBLE CLASS!! And with a C, not even a D-! Score. I am officially graduated :)

2009-05-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all!! Well, its been a couple weeks of adventure. I graduated from college! (pending I didn't fail one communication class that I'm ultra nervous about) but other than that, I am good to go! I walked Saturday, and then went out to a great dinner with my family...sushi, and lots of other good japanese food.

The second exciting thing I did in the past week was buy a MAC! My gateway was declared a junker by best buy, so I got credit for it and upgraded to the MacBook with the titanium body (I chose this one over plastic casing...pretty much b/c I'm the clumsiest person alive and fall on a regular basis, often with electronic devices in my hands. I am so excited about it, and I love it so far. I still am learning about it, as I'm sure I will be for a long time. So far I have played around with iphotos, which is fun. Its a pretty good editing program. I am pumped to learn more.

I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to lay around and learn new things about it. It will be a week of vanilla yogurt and pudding and Jello. Woo!

amy

I'm almost a grown up!

2009-05-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Sorry for the absence, like has, as usual, gotten crazy! Last weekend was pretty fun, as it was our senior weekend for the sorority. As usual, shennanigans were upon us all. Wayyyyyy fun weekend. This week is finals, and this weekend I graduate from University! Craziness! It seems like just yesterday when I moved all my stuff in the minivan and moved into Mayflower hall. This finals week shouldn't be too horrible, I have definitely had worse. Although one of my courses is really difficult and giving me a hard time, but who cares because as long as I pass it, I will never have to go back to it again! YIPPEEE!!! I can't really think of anything else to write about. I don't have a grown up job yet, we'll see if I get one right away or whats in store for me. I get to see the family this weekend which will be a blast. And two months until Sian comes to see me! I can't wait to see her! I have missed you all so much! Atlanta crew: send me the dates you are going to be there again. I will try to see if I can score a cheap flight. Well, back to my 15 page paper on the forces that shaped the African American sporting experience from 1890 to 1945. Fun times let me tell you!
<3<3<3<3
Amy

<3

2009-04-08T18:21:00.001-07:00

Life's much better and the family is all on the mend :)...Except the cat. Maybe we'll get a new one though.

My sorority's formal was this weekend...way fun...here are a few pics! Miss all who are overseas loads! (Ashley we missed you lots:) )

Barrett and I thought this move was fly...

This is my baby diamond sister :)

Some of the seniors...and our hot burger king crowns. SHWING!

Me and Lindsey at the pink palace. <3 this house and the girls...

All of the seniors except Barnes, Zawada, Kristy and Ashley

It was a great night!

For REAL?

2009-04-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well its true, when it rains it pours. Friday night Grandpa was in a car accident, and is still hospitalized for 4 broken ribs. Thank goodness he wasn't the cause of the accident, and is completely fine minus the rib situation.

Saturday mom broke her large bone in her Right arm. Could have been way worse considering osteoperosis is in the picture, but glad its wasn't.

Brother needs open heart surgery.

Dad had hand surgery today.

And the thing that made me saddest was my cat, who we've had since I was 5, died today. After we left the old house a few years ago, Maggie went a little bit crazy. However, she was still a good cuddle bug and would frequently curl up in a ball on my lap. She hated the dog until recently. She wasn't sick or anything, but probably had a heart attack. Stupid getting old. Hard to believe that a few weeks ago she stole an entire pork chop off my brother's plate, and ran away with it. She was only 5-6 pounds, so it must have been as large as her face.

Keep the Ferg family in your thoughts and prayers please...its been a long week.

Spppringggggggggg Break

2009-03-22T01:20:00.000-07:00

Well, spring break was a blast. Last Saturday, one of my best guy friends Allen and I flew to San Diego, California to meet one of my best girl friends, Chantel. Over the course of a week, we moved Chantel out of her apartment, went up to Hollywood (a blast!!) went to three different beaches, and went to the San Diego Zoo, one of the best in the nation. The weather was perfect, except a bit chilly by the beach. Chantel has a pool outside of her patio in her apartment complex, so we got to spend a lot of time in the sunshine. AND I got to see my pal Nikki from Wales. BOMB! Brits, you should get out to the west coast if you get the chance. Pretty perfect! Here's some pics

The view from Chantel's Apartment

We made Allen into a Merman

Playing in the sand

Kareoke....

St. Patty's day

Elephant!!! They were so cute and playful.

Koalas!! Look so cuddly....

Lemers? I think? Meekrats? I don't remember, but they were very focused.

RHINOOOOOS

Giraffe...

I could be a polar bear...eat all day and lay on rocks. I could handle it.

And this is what a camel looks like.
....And his name was Creeper Seal.

Flashin the peace sign at the top of the rock at La Jolla Beach

Endangered birds...the only birds we liked. The rest were boring.

I wanted to hug him...
Chantel and me
Again, I wanted to snuggle.

Oh hi Mr. Tiger.

Umm, we matched. Precious.

Seal Colony at La Jolla

More endangered not boring birds.

Proud Daughter

2009-02-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

:)
http://www.thisweeklive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6906&Itemid=44

This young man has gone through thick and thin, enduring more physical battles than most of us will in a lifetime. The article doesn't do him justice regarding how much his body has been put through. Makes you want to celebrate being alive every day :)

Things which make me go Hmmm #1

2009-02-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

So...one thing I have noticed over the past 4 months, is the increase of annoying Facebook statuses. I am not quite sure what the nostalgia is among displaying your emotions allowing your best friend (from 1st grade whom you haven't talked to since 2nd grade and for SURE wouldn't acknowledge on the street but are still facebook friends with them) too see your utmost inner feelings, or if your newborn has an innie or outtie.

Among the list of things which make me go, "Hmmm..."

So and So is "SOO excited because my daughter's umbilical cord fell off and she has an innie..."
"SOOO angry because baby daddy brought son home and he is soo tired and all I
wanted was for him to be well rested for tomorrow."
"Fed up with being ignored and taken for granted"
"SOOOOOOOOOOOOoo excited cuz the BF told me he LOVED me" (for realsies?)
**The now ever so common FML- meaning F* my life.**
Your life is so bad you have to say it in a facebook status? I just don't get it.

ANNNNNNND my ever so favorite republican statuses (dude, get over it already. McCain lost)
"i cant actually finish my soc109 reading b/c i am so enraged by its factual errors and pathetic assualt on democracy that i have actually become physically ill."
" is awaiting the corrination of our new king...er. wait i mean inaguration of a president?"
*note to self...always spell check your fb status...
"millions of americans are suffering under the economy and this auguration is going to be the most expensive of all time. 150 million. nice job dems. nice job."
*Note to self...auguration isn't a word...
*Another note to self: perhaps the INauguration was expensive because of security measures taken for angry republicans such as yourself?

Be happy peeps! Facebook just perpetuates wallowing. Lamesauce. Stop using it as a means of telling the world your emotions. That's what journals, art, and poetry are for...

Skype Usernames

2009-02-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

Yo pals,
If you have a skype username will you be a doll and please send it to me? And your addresses? Thanks dears :)

Spring Break/Thankful/Miss you All

2009-02-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

Yo peeps
Wohoo!! I booked my flight to see one of my oldest and dearest friends over Spring Break. SO PUMPED about it. My best guy friend in the world is going too, so that should be a blast. EEEP!! We're looking into skydiving, and for sure going to the Zoo there. Yay!! So lately, as I have been hearing about the crazy amounts of jobs being lost (Macy's just cut 7000 jobs...) and about the people in the economy who are severely suffering, I have felt an immense amount of gratitude for all of you close friends and for the blessings in my life I have been granted. Good friends, a roof over my head, a steady, flexible job, the gift of school (even though student loans are killin me...) food, and the ability to feed my appetite for adventure, and an abundance of other blessings all have made me thankful for everything. My heart hurts for the members of the small community affected by the DHL closeout in Ohio, and for the masses nationwide laid off by retail and small buisnesses. Hopefully our economy will get better with the exit of He Who Shall Not Be Named...

Finally, a giant WOHOO for all of the snow falling in the UK! I can just imagine how much fun it would be to sled anywhere in the village...(Sian...perhaps the hill I fell down numerous times...?). Rachel...your snowman was LOVELY. Kudos to you! Wish I was there hiding behind the flat and pelting you all with snowballs when you leave :) Nate put up a pic of flat 63 all snowy...I see the toilet paper rolls pasted onto the window have increased...

Miss you all SO much, and wish you were here
<3<3<3
Amy

ps-Sooo, heads up peeps I'll probably be discontinuing this blog and making a private new one only a select few of you will know about because someone is really, really lurkin on this page (40 something times since the end of January...). If you are that person, please stop. This blog is for people who I can't be around while I am at school. Your IP address ends with 22, from the residence halls of the University of Iowa. I really don't want to have to change sites, as I have an established amount of friends out of state or overseas who have access to this site. I have a good idea of who ya are, so knock it off.

Tazor city?

2009-01-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

Hmm, well my British friends, it has been an interesting few weeks here in the good old Iowa City. Adjusting to living with boys is going well, although sometimes results in this:

Or this (would someone please tell me how my face got into that formation?):

But for real, I am really lucky to live with good people. Definitely a good living situation, and MUCH better than random girls would have been. I'm sure living with a girl isn't an easy transition, seeing as I hate espn. But I've almost started liking Pardon the Interruption on ESPN...boys, arn't you proud? And they are extremely clean for guys (flat 63...they do not leave food chunks in the sink...infact I am the foodchunk leaver now. Ooops).

Work is going great! I'll bring my camera tomorrow and take some pics of my new project at the library. Its a big task, but job insurance for me :) I am in the process of applying for an additional job at a local fitness center for a fitness assistant, which I would LOVE to do. We'll see.

Since I've been back I've been running and working out like a crazy woman in hopes of maybe, possibly, we'll see running a half marathon in October. We'll see how that one plays out.

Today was a rather interesting day. It started out with my water bottle leaking in my purse (this is a trend...however, it did not result in an explosion of my telephone this time...shocking for me!). Then I forgot my scarf which was SOOO chilly walking to the fieldhouse. Then to cap off the day of amazingness, I got to file a police report about a stalkerish situation. FAB. I've had problems with this person in the past, but never dreamed I would have to file a police report for them physically following me, and potentially inflicing physical harm upon me and my co-workers. Scary times. Good thing my roommate is 6'7". My dad wanted me to get a tazor gun. I think that is a poor life decision for me. I'd probably tazor myself accidentally. The minivan will protect me for now.

School is going well, good classes which is sweet. Psychology of Sport might kick my butt though. I am also taking a few communication classes, but mostly Health and Sports Studies ones, which is fun. I like most of the people and teachers in the courses, so it should be a fun semester. Race Ethnicity and Sport, 20th century sport, Sport to 1900, Rhetoric of Public Advocacy, and Gender, sex, and Media are my school schedule. Followed up by 20 hours of work (hopefully soon to be a bit more) a week and I am a busy girl!

Sorry this post isn't very depthful, next one will be about my sweet stuff I'm doing at work. Maybe I'll get motivated and put up some pictures around the apartment finally. Miss you all so much! I got my computer back, still not 100% fixed, but I have skype back. Email me your usernames, or facebook them to me if I don't have them already.

<3<3<3
Amy

Ddddunzo!

2009-01-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

It is 1235 am, and I just turned in my last essay. Shabouya. I am sad that my swansea time is now officially over though :( Good luck to all you with finals this week and next week! I will be thinking good thoughts your way. PS- Pals, could you FB me your email addresses? Thanks a ton dears. Miss you all! Plow through your finals so you can go have fun again. <3<3<3

Spring Break Plans

2009-01-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

Hopefully, if all goes as plans, the 16-20th of March, my best guy friend Allen and I are going to San Diego, CA to see Chantel (one of my best girlfriends). Plans are in the making for skydiving, parasailing, and maybe driving down to Mexico. I already am itching for an adventure :)

Christmas, New Years, Photoshoot for friend, and Moving

2009-01-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Tree and Dog

Hi guys! So sorry I've been MIA on here.

1). The holidays were fantastic. A year ago my grandma passed away. We always had a big Christmas Eve dinner and presents at their house. The next day we would have a large dinner again and do stockings at their house. Needless to say this Christmas was full of new traditions this year, which was really fun. Christmas Eve morning we had Christmas at my sister's apartment with my dad and a great breakfast, which was fun. We went to the candle light service at church which was gorgeous as usual. Christmas Eve, we had a buffet of hour de vours (umm...spelling on that?). I made Swedish meatballs, salami pickle roll ups, and mini pizzas. We also had mini bbq hotdogs, amazing dips and crackers, cocktail shrimps, and a million other things I can't remember. Yum. Staying in lines with our Scandinavian traditions (my mom is 50% Norweigan and 50% Swedish. Us kids are about 75% Scandinavian when you factor in my dad's genes), we had potato Lefse (they kind of look like tortillas except they are made out of potatoes. My grandparents told me they are traditionally eaten with sugar and butter on them, but that could just be them) and Krumkaker (pronounced Kroom.kah.kah with the accent on the Kroom). These are Scandinavian cookie like things that look kind of like waffle cones. My mom's is the best for numerous reasons: she uses whipping cream in them, and doesn't use cardamom in them. We made up a batch before Christmas Eve

Recipe

Step one with the batter on the Krumkaker Iron
CookRoll

Allow to cool

Christmas Day we had a traditional dinner. My sister and I pulled off making a standing, prime rib roast (best meat EVER) cooked enough to be safe but still really pink inside, green bean casserole, yorkshire pudding (my mom looked it up, wohoo!), green jello (jelly I suppose you call it) made with half water and half applesauce, more lefse, and a mound of mashed potatoes and gravy (mashed potatoes are my FAVORITE). After dinner my grandpa and I passed out for 3 hours in the living room with the fireplace on. We woke up and watched "A Christmas Story". British friends: if you have not seen this, watch it. Hilariousness.

My adorable Grandpa on Christmas Day

Dog trying to get food

Playing with his "Build your own Stonehenge..." He was a watchmaker for decades, so Stonehenge has always fascinated him.
New Years is interesting and you can ask me about that one...

2). I moved down to Iowa City this weekend. I only chilled with one roommate but he's fun. The apartment is coming together with the addition of a loveseat and some throws and some throw pillows around. We also have two fabulous recliners that are ridiculously comfortable. My room is a tornado (crazy...I know) because my dad has my bed, and until I get it I'm sleeping on a super comfy but GIGANTOR air mattress which takes up 3/4 of the bedroom so I can't organize. But the dad is coming with my bed this weekend and then I can start to play around with printing off things and hanging up stuff. Exciting!!!

3). While I was home, an old friend wanted to do a photoshoot to build up her photography portfolio. She is pretty awesome at what she does, and just got some new filters for her camera (which is AWESOME) so out we went. In a cocktail dress and heels. BRRRRR. It was 5 degrees farenheit that day. -15 C. Brrtown. But really fun. One of my best girlfriends was there as well, so it was a fun experience. She made me giggle.

I think that is all for now. This week is full of going back to work (I'll blog about that one later). They were awesome enough to make up a job for me, which is a huge project to be explained at a later date :) I am also finishing up papers for Swansea. I'm ready to start the new term and graduate in 5 months!!!

Miss all you British Pals. I'm looking into coming for the 2012 Olympics. But of course Rachel's wedding is first :)

<3<3Loves<3<3

Amy

Nothing like the smell of beef to get your motor running...

2008-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

I already practice a lot of self constraint to not want steak and hamburgers every day. I don't need my man (you know...if I were to have one...) to smell like a slab of meat too...

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28284679?GT1=43001

Hi friends

2008-12-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
So this blog is now transforming into one for my pals across seas that I miss terribly (of course you all can read it too...) cuz they wanted me to keep it going for them to read. So people here, if you read this you probably will get bored. Or know way too much about my life. You have been warned. So Brits, here are a couple of things about being back in the states:

1). Target. You will never know the true appreciation of this packrat's mecca. It is entirely possible to live in that store. Imagine Tesco plus Primark plus Wilkinson's plus Mountainlife. Together. Going for one thing is entirely impossible.
2). So remember how I was excited for Mountain Dew? I came home and tried it and it tastes like Battery Acid (you know, if anyone was to try battery acid)...
3). SNOW!!! I love snow. The best is when you have a couple feet, and its not freezing cold outside. The dog now has to kind of worm her way through the snow or bound through it because there is so much of it. Its a freaking Winter Wonderland out there. There are plans formulating for innertubing. Funtown. The coldness has gotten better, its between freezing and zero now (Farenheit) so thats a heck of a lot better than the -17 I woke up to the other day.
4). I do like being home, although its temporary. Roomates: being able to go outside my bedroom in my underwear ROCKS. Thought I'd let you know :)
5). Driving. So, I drive a minivan. Better than nothing. At least its a pimp minivan with a bomb stereo. Talk about lookin like a MILF...
6). I saw one of my best friends two nights ago. I miss her!! Plans formulating to go to San Diego for a visit Spring Break. Shabouya.
7). Last Saturday, my sister and I went to the Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker performance. I love Tchaikovsky. The music from "The Nutcracker" and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" are two of my favorite musical compilations. I haven't seen "The Nutcracker" since I was four, and my mom told me I wanted to dance along. Apparently I stood up in my seat and started dancing along. This doesn't suprise me.
8). Sunday my dad called me and told me he got tickets to "Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey." Yup, Disney on Ice. Now, I LOVE all that cultured stuff, Tchaikovsky, museums, art, etc. But being around four year olds is totally my element. My dad and I have been going to Disney Ice shows since I was 3 and its just kind of turned into a "once every couple years tradition." Immature, childish and silly? Totally.

Well, our house has turned into Grand Central (Paddington?) station. In addition to the last minute craziness before Christmas, Sister and Brother in Law's small apartment flooded (a week before Chrsitmas...talk about sucky). Sister has surgery today as well, so they're hunkering down here for a while, which is fun. Yesterday I had to go to the doc and now have a sinus infection, inflamed ear drums, and increased asthma symptoms. Happy happy joy joy. But I got antibiotics. WOHOO!!!!!!!!! So I suppose today our house is an infermery. It will be full of movies and eating mushy food im sure :)

Well, I'm off to walk the dog in the snow. She's sprawled out on the floor right now dreaming, woofing and yelping in her sleep, and moving her paws. Precoius.

Love and Miss you all! Thinking about coming out to London for the 2012 Olympics...
Amy

The Last Week

2008-12-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

Well, after 26 hours of straight traveling, I am home. Bittersweet. I will not lie, chilling with my dog and family (and seeing my 20 pairs of high heels...) has been fabulous, but I already miss some buds from Swansea. Despite the sad goodbyes, I am able to look back and appreciate the opportunities that were placed in my hands while I was there. The last week was full of going out, good food, good wine, good company, numerous girly sleepovers where we didn't sleep, doing no homework, and fitting my life into 3 suitcases. Oh the adventures. I came home and it is now WinterWonderland. MN, along with the East coast, has been hit with lots of snow which I LOVE! But the subzero temps (today it was -4 when I woke up with a -27 windchill....British friends that was -22 C and -33 windchill). Not even the golden retriever wants to go outside. It is fabulous weather for beef stew, endless cups of tea and wrapping Christmas presents by the fire. British friends: you no longer have to post me PG Tips. My mom (who wins mom of the year for this) went to the grocery store and found it. BOUYA. Love to you all and miss you :) Here are pics.

Ospreys game vs some Italian team. Ospreys won 68-8!

My lovely roommates for Snowball

Dancing it up...
Bus stop...so chilly
Me and my bud Mike

The neighbor flat...We became really close
Angharad...and Justin being entertaining
Me and Mike again

Fun at Gower...Nikki Frolicking

Shipwreck

Melissa in her elementMe and Rach before the holiday dinner

Me and Sian
Drunk Christmas Caroling in our flat

Gracie singing her heart out
This is just one of many dance parties me and Angharad had. People walking by were amused I'm sure
Being supermodels?
Busride

Gower again

Singing at Play

I got pretty close to this group of girls on the trip

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2008-12-10T05:16:00.001-08:00

Well, as I was sitting on the BOB (bright orange bus...) this morning, Leaving on a Jetplane came onto my ipod. Crap. Two days and I will have to leave some people that I have gotten really close to, travel for 26 hours (oh fun) and come home at 6am my time (midnight MN time). Blech. I have grown to LOVE traveling, but not accross giant oceans. Long flights=ew. BUT luckily someone cancelled a window seat on the plane, so I scored big on that one. On the flip end, I have some amazing things to come back to: family, dog, grandpa, good friends, fun roommates. Cons: I graduate in 6 months. Crap. I have to be an adult? What?

London Adventure!

2008-12-08T02:17:00.000-08:00

Two posts in a day! Whoa! Thursday night, me and Melissa went home to Essex/Southend with a friend of mine named Sian. We stayed with her family Thursday night and went into London on Friday. It was a whirlwind tour of the city, but so fun! I am so glad we went! We started out with the Tower of London and saw all the Crown Jewels, the towers where people were tortured, and the prisons where they were held. We then headed to Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye. We were so lucky to have gone on a weekday, as we didn't have to wait in line for anything. We walked right onto the London Eye, which was fun! Not as high up as the Eiffel Tower was, but still fun. I then got to go to Westminster Abby, which was incredible! Sir Isaac Newton, Darwin, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are all buried there, as well as many Kings and Queens such as Mary Queen of Scots. Awesomeness. Then we hopped on the Underground, and went to Buckingham Palace, and then found Abbey Road where I proceeded to stop traffic 7 times to get a decent picture walking across the darned crosswalk. This is no easy task at 3pm, as Abbey Road is quite busy and there is no place to stand. I finally got an ok one, after getting honked and laughed at numerous times by locals. We then went to Harrod's which was fun to see! Of course I had to buy some things there! Then we went to the underground Kingscross station to see the Harry Potter thing, and I got UBER excited to see the bridge they stood on with Hagrid and to push the cart into platform 9 3/4. We then went to meet Sian's brother and went to see the show Avenue Q. Oh how I love politically incorrect things. This was hilarious! I highly recommend you see it. We then got on the train back to Sian's house, where her mom had prepared us a proper English roast (YUM) and crashed. We got up the next day, and her mom had prepared us a proper English breakfast (could we be any luckier?!) Fried bread, bacon (its more like ham here instead of strips) toast, black pudding, and fried eggs. We went back to Swansea and then went to the Ospreys Rugby game where Ospreys (basically the Wales rugby team) dominated an Italian team, 68-8. Fun stuff! Here are pictures!

Me and an Ave. Q character

Clear Day...

Abbey Road :)

London Eye at night

HARRY POTTER!!

Atop the London Eye

Look at that perfect sky!

London Eye

Big Ben

Hi Harry...

Crown Jewels are in here...

The new bridge between England and Wales

Greece

2008-12-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

Hi all, Well I got back from Athens a week ago today. It was a very cultural trip, with many adventures! The city is pretty large, so there was lots to do! One day we went to a huge mall and did some Christmas shopping which was fun, and the rest of the trip was filled with site seeing. Here are pics!

Stadium from the 1896 Olympics

Acropolis from the stadium

Theater of Dionysis

Up top the Acroplois

Odeon

Hadrian's Arch

Acropolis

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Agora

Happy Thanksgiving from Athens, Greece!

2008-11-27T04:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally arrived here in Athens last night at about 6:30. After being on a train from 10:30-4:30 am, having a 4 hour delayed flight (...the Athens airport was on strike ...) and wandering a bit around Athens to meet Ashley, I was stoked to get settled in. As usual, it has already been a blast to be with one of my closest friends. Upon arriving, I walked down a huge street in Athens, and found the stadium from the 1896 Olympics. Seeing this was AMAZING for numerous reasons. A year ago I took an ancient/modern Olympics course from a classics professor at Iowa. This stadium is the first stadium of the modern Olympics, when Coubertin was the IOC president. Yeah, freaking AMAZING to see this part of sporting history. The stadium was originally built in 4th century B.C. Obviously, it has been through restoration throughout time, (including massive reconstruction previous to the 1896 games) but it is still pretty sweet to see it. It is the only stadium to be made out of 100% white marble. During the 2004 Athens summer Olympics, it was where the archery competition was held, and where the Marathon finished. Sweetness.

This morning, I woke up early to go with Ashley and her roommates to class at the Agora. Walking through the museum there was really neat, as well as seeing the actual remains of the site. I was standing on and near things that were built in the B.C. era. Crazy. Agora is an ancient site that to my understanding, was a pretty important part of ancient Athens. It was a marketplace, in addition to a social and political gathering spot. Additionally, numerous roads intersected at the Agora. 87 B.C., the Romans destroyed it (shocking...the Romans destroy something?!) and it was rebuilt again in the 3rd or 4th century A.D. (I think those dates are right...). It is in a really neat location. When you walk in, you look up and see the Acroplis perched upon the huge hill, and to the right is the temple of Hephaistos, which was AWESOME to see as well.

Tonight, we are cooking a huge Turkey and having a feast here, after doing more exploring. I am pretty fortunate to have a friend here who is a classics major because she knows all the history of everything we see, plus knows the fun spots. Tomorrow, we are going to a huge mall and the 2004 Olympic Football stadium. Sweetness. Saturday and Sunday are going to be the extreme tourist days, going to museums, the Acropolis , going up and around the stadium, down to the beach (its not super warm here but its sunny and a lot warmer than the UK) and going out for some dinners. In addition to pretty outstanding Greek remains, there are also numerous Roman remains here. Looking forward to the adventures ahead!

As usual, I miss you all a ton and have an amazing Thanksgiving :)

Paris

2008-11-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I am back safe from Paris. We drove in a coach bus about 3 or 4 hours to Dover, where we ferried over to France. Then we drove for another few hours to Paris on Thursday night/Friday morning. We arrived at our hotel around 10am on Friday...early enough to get a full day's worth of adventuring done. We were located about a mile south-east of Basilique Du Sacre Coeur. In fact, I could see the incredible structure from my hotel window. Sweet! Then we took the metro down to see the Eiffel Tower...Incredible. We didn't even see it sparkle the first night and it was still outstanding. It is a structure you truly have to go see in person to realize how incredibly large it is. We then went on an hour long tour down the Seine River. It pointed out all of the main buildings and monuments, and also described the history of the numerous bridges crossing the Seine. We wandered around the city a bit, and ate dinner. We saw the Eiffel Tower lit up, but not sparkle. It was lit up blue with the stars on the front of it, like the EU flag. We thought this might be specifically for Christmas, but we weren't sure about that. Comment if you know why it was lit up blue! We crashed in our beds at 845 because we were so tired from being up all night.

The next day we woke up early and got to the Louvre right when it opened. I couldn't believe I saw the paintings I have only seen in text books. I don't care what anyone else says, the Mona Lisa in person is NOT overrated. It wasn't as small as I had expected it to be. It had an entire wall to itself, and you couldn't stand within 10 feet of it. But it was still insane to be in the presence of DaVinci's masterpiece, and yes, her eyes DO follow you wherever you go. Creepy. The Last Supper, unfortunately, isn't in the Louvre. If I thought the Mona Lisa was amazing, I can't imagine what I would have thought about the Last Supper.

After the Louvre, we walked down the street and across the river about a mile to Notre Dame. Fabulous. We'll leave it at that.

We then braved the cold weather, and waited in line for 45 minutes to go to the 3rd level (the very tip top) of the Eiffel Tower. The view from up at the top was nothing anyone can describe, but one you have to experience before you die. Crazy. I had no idea Paris was so HUGE. On all sides of the tower, the city continued as far as I could see. It was crazy windy and FREEZING up at the top, so we walked to get some hot chocolate.

We then walked back to the Eiffel Tower, and saw it light up and sparkle for 5 minutes. At 5 to every hour, it literally sparkles. You know at the World Series how there are constant bulb flashes from cameras? It was like that times a million. The background was lit up blue, and there were 12 stars on it, so we think it was for the EU. The sparkling Eiffel Tower was possibly my favorite part of the entire trip.

After the Eiffel Tower, we went to see the Arc de Triomphe. So cool. This is located in the center of the buisiest round-a-bout in Europe, on the Champs-Elysees-fun shopping area. 5 story Louis Vitton, Cartier, etc.

Here are a few highlight photos, more later

Wanting time to stop...

2008-11-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

The world needs to simply just stop turning , on account of I don't want to go back home. Simple as that. Not much is new here. Bronchitis/chest infections are going around my flat. I am on day two of my antibiotics and am starting to come back to life! At least I showered and put on clean clothes today...that's a step up from the last two days! Other than that I am just writing lots of papers and hanging around Swansea.

Since I still have almost a month here, I have some great travels planned:
November 20-23: Paris, France with University
November 26-December 1: Athens, Greece, where I will be staying with one of my best friends, Ashley
December 4-5: London, England: I am going to my friend Sian's (pronounced Shawn) home, located right out side of London. She invited me and my other friend to stay the night at her house and then go do all of the touristy things, and see London decorated for Christmas. Fun! Abbey Road (gotta get a picture walking across....) London Eye, Harrod's, and Big Ben....here I come!
December 12: As of 11:55 pm, I am back in MN.

Blah to being back, but yay to seeing my whole family and my good friends again. And consuming Trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup at Applebees. Yum. Actually, one of the really nice things about being here is not having to worry so much about high fructose corn syrup in EVERYTHING. They don't have it here. It is so nice not having to compare peanut butter and yogurt cartons trying to find the one with the least amount of chemicals. I've noticed organic food here isn't much more expensive than non-organic either.

I'm trying to think what the first thing I will want to do when I get home is (besides give my family a hug and sleep). Believe it or not people, I think I may have kicked my Diet Soda habit. I still drink it, but not nearly the massive quantity that I did in the states. And Diet Mountain Dew is illegal here... So drinking a soda isn't going to be the first thing. It will probably be to go out for appetizers at Applebees. Lame, I know. I will definitely be getting sushi when I get back. There is a place here somewhere, but I can't seem to find it. I really do have a lot to look forward to when I get back though. Good friends, my dog, great family, new roommates (I'm living with two boys who seem really nice), snow, and blue skies. Sure they're not blue all the time at home, but they are certainly more blue than here! I haven't yet decided when I am moving back to Iowa, we will see how that all plays out. Well, time to take antibiotic number FOUR of the day (yeah...I'm on four a days. Ugh) and go to bed. Early class tomorrow! I hope all is well with you. Keep me posted on all your lives, as I miss you terribly :)

Viva Barcelona!

2008-11-13T06:22:00.001-08:00

Hey hey. So I returned safely from Barcelona, Spain on Monday night. It was definitely my favorite trip so far. It was just me, and my two friends who went. It was a pretty chilled out trip. Not nearly as intense as Dublin was, as we had three full days there. We stayed right in las Ramblas, kind of the center of town. We saw all of the big sights, including: Temple de La Sagrada Familia, jPort Olimpic, The Gothic Quarter with la Catedral de Barcelona, the church of Santa Maria del Mar (incredible!), the Picasso museum (I wandered for a good 2.5 hours. SO cool to see all of Picasso's originals, and non-cubism pieces that we didn't study in Spanish class), Parc de La Ciutadella, and my favorite thing: un Partido de Futbol!!!! ( A soccer game...). But ok, soccer here is NOT soccer in the states. It is outstanding to watch the footwork and talent these players have. Incedible!! So we bought tickets to go to the game, and bought jerseys of course. Way fun night! We unfortunately couldn't find an authentic Spanish resturaunt because the area we were in was so touristy, and lived off of sandwiches for 4 days. But there was chocolate....lots of chocolate, and chocolate shops. Unfortunately, most cool buildings we saw were under construction. Temple de La Sagrada Familia isn't complete yet. The construction started in 1882, and in 1926 the project director died. 8 out of the 12 towers are built. Right now they are focusing on the transepts and the apse. The entire temple has always been and remains entirely funded by private donations. All weekend long I spoke broken Spanish which was fun, usually I'd just get a response in English though....It was still fun to try! I still have Paris and Athens left on my trips before I leave. Thinking about going home makes me really sad. Studying over here, and living in Europe has given me a whole new outlook on a lot of aspects of life. If I were to do it again, I would definitely pick another country. The UK is very similar to the US, which is nice in some ways. When I went to Spain though, it was so different. EVERYTHING. Flamenco guitarists on the street. Enormous cathedrals, larger than I have seen or could have imagined. A live culture. Just SO different than anything I've seen before. I am really looking forward to experiencing the same sense of nostalgia in France and Greece.

Princess Street....of couse I'd take a pic of that one
Parliament

Santa Maria del Mar

Catedral de Barcelona

Partido de Futbol!

La Familia Sagrada

Back from Spain

2008-11-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Well, I went to Barcelona, and had an amazing time. I'm writing papers like crazy this week, but will update with stories and pictures soon. Just wanted you all to know I'm alive! Love and miss you all
Amy

Holla Holla Woop!

2008-11-05T04:42:00.000-08:00

I woke up after a little nap (I didn't go to bed till 7am!) and got excited again! HOLLA!!! Last night I watched the election in a bar which stayed open all night for those who wanted to watch the election. So nice of them! They catered pizza, and had tea and water out all night for us. I won't lie, I fell asleep for a while. But it was totally worth it to hear McCain concede, and Obama make his speech. Go America!!

Yes We Can

2008-11-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Soo, yup, another political blog. Just what you wanted to see I'm sure. But this is the first time in my memory that I can honestly say I believe our president knows what it is like to be NORMAL. To not be born with a silver spoon in his mouth from day one. To understand what it is like to not know how you are going to pay for college. Or a place to live. Or food for your family. Or a backpack and pencils every September.

I am the third child of divorced parents, both liberal arts/music teachers. Both have worked 2-4 jobs for as long as I can remember. One was on disability due to extreme health conditions. I fully trust our future president can sympathize, and relate to these all too common circumstances. I fully trust that his contributions and changes to our government will help the common families who struggle on a day to day basis.

Financially, we have always squeaked by, but only on account that my parents raised us to be three extremely independent, hard working, and driven individuals. All different in personalities, but with the same core values. We have been encouraged and nurtured to take any path we choose: a youth and family of ministries director, a translator (to put it in simple terms...) and a wanderer waiting to get her feet wet. We have been encouraged to follow our hearts. Yet, as a whole, our generation has been denied this opportunity. We live in a world where twenty-somethings choose a job based on who will provide health insurance, and what will pay the bills. We are forced to choose a path at the age of 18 years old. Ask buisness majors, actuaries, accountant majors, etc. WHY they chose their major. The most common answer I've heard is because you can make a lot of money. I would be an art major, or musical performance major if I thought I could make a living doing anything but teaching. But, Communication Studies and Health and Sports Studies are "diverse" majors....hopefully providing me with the resources to find a substantial job, and become a productive member of society.

I graduate in six months. My largest goal in life is to find something I love to do for income. If health insurance is affordable, my doors open to a whole different shade of blue sky. Furthermore, there is no reason on earth for children in the United States of America not to have the healthcare they need. Healthcare is an extremely important platform for me, coming from a family who has needed it. Cancer, bone diseases, etc. down to me having strep throat or an ear infection once every 6 weeks until I was 12 years old. I can't imagine how my parents dealt with the constant co-pays, let alone how they would have dealt with it had I not been covered.

Words cannot describe the pride I felt for my country tonight (this morning...) when Obama made his heartfelt speech. Michelle and their two daughters' hands linked, swinging in tandum with each other as they exited the stage aloft a cheering crowd, chanting "Yes We Can." The tremendous pride I felt for the women in my chapter who have volunteered countless hours encouraging people to register to vote, setting up chairs at conventions, and doing anything that needed doing to help elect who will turn our country around. I was at Obama's first speech after he announced his running for president. I set up chairs. I held his microphone (scariest moment of my life) and I took down chairs. Nothing huge. But the heartfelt, genuine thanks I got from him, and his wife, was enough to convince me that this is a man who is honestly thankful for volunteers. I am not naive enough to believe that politicians don't realize they need to thank their volunteers, and all who helped them. But where was McCain's thanks to his commitee, individual volunteers, and those who donated five dollars to his campaign? There was none. Yet Obama realizes the reality that some people might not have $5 to give.

After the speech I volunteered at, Barack took time to talk to each individual volunteer about any questions we may have. I spoke to Michelle for a decent amount of time about teachers in our nation, and what she thought about the current pay scale. I'm sure there were days when they didn't want to get up in the morning and do anything more. But you could never tell it. Leading me to my next point:

I love how there is a THEY. Michelle Obama is an extraordinary woman. The Obamas are an extraordinary couple. Michelle has a way about speaking to the public which makes you want to speak back, and give her a hug. She isn't overbearing. She doesn't throw her children into the spotlight. I feel as if Cindy McCain does not have the poise, graciousness, and ability to relate to the public that Michelle Obama does.

In this election, I have witnessed more core, family values within the democratic party than the traditional family values of the conservative party. A month after Joe Biden was elected as the youngest U.S. Senate in the 20th century, the 5th youngest senator in history, his wife and daughter were killed in a car wreck by a drunk driver. Joe Biden rode in a train from Delaware to Washington D.C. every day in order to be at home to raise his sons. These are people with core, family values.

John McCain left his wife after she was disfigured in a car accident. After she had stood by him when he was a POW. He then married the political, money making machine, Cindy.

Sarah Palin has 5 children, and a grandchild on the way. All of them are under the age of 25, the youngest just a few months old, with special needs. What angers me is the fact that someone who supposedly has family values has thrust her children into the spotlight: The son who is deployed, the pregnant daughter, the down-syndrome baby. She has tried to use these antics as a way to "relate" to the common public. But all I see when I listen to her "personal" stories is that she has a BABY who would be raised by its father and a nanny the first four years of its life. She has a grandchild on the way, who she would see for family photographs, and in a frame on her desk, and that's it. Family Values?

It is with confidence, and trust that I welcome this breath of fresh air to America. To all who don't share my political views: I respect the hard work McCain and Palin have accomplished. I hope, as McCain spoke of, that there is middle ground which can be found between the two parties. I hope that we can work together to make this country stronger.

2008-11-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

My friend made this today:

I'm done slandering now. Off to write a paper and then WATCH THE ELECTION. It will either end with whiskey for breakfast, or champagne. California polls close at 11 pm...which is 7 am here.... oh man.

I hope I don't have to jump off the Bridge to Nowhere...

2008-11-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the election, watch these:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iiJbs-JS3XQ
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TRWmEmxkGDM&NR=1

I hate when people write kids off.

Toe Update!

2008-11-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

Just to update you all family, my toe is now vertical again because I splinted it to my other toes. I have a wicked bruise on the bottom but can walk fine when its splinted :)

2008-11-02T09:50:00.001-08:00

This makes me laugh

http://palinaspresident.com/

Fun Week

2008-11-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

I don't think I could have asked for a more amazing week. It started out with the 12 mile hike from last Sunday. Monday was a really fun circuit training class which made me sweat and feel productive. Late Tuesday night I got to pick up Ashley from the train station...Needless to say her visit pretty much made me the happiest person in the world. For those of you who don't know, she is one of my best friends. She is a Classics major, and studying in Athens. Last year we were pretty much joined at the hip. We went to a Halloween party on Wednesday night. I was Sarah Palin, and had a McCain to go with. For actual Halloween, I was Palin again, but Ashley was Bristol. It was pretty much amazing.

It astounds me how aware British citizens are of American politics. Most everyone I have met over here is pro-Obama. I have only spoken to two Brits who support McCain, and sadly enough, they only support him because he is white. I Baracked the vote this week. Most Americans studying here are planning on staying up all night to watch the election. Sweet! So back to the week...

Tuesday night was spent staying up until 6:30 am on Wednesday morning catching up. Wednesday was a fantastic Halloween night out. Thursday, Ash and I just hung around town. It must have been a monumentous day because I don't remember anything we did on Thursday.
Friday was just a fantastic day in general. We walked from campus to Mumbles. It was chilly and windy, but there was a blue sky, which completely makes up for the lack of warmth. We played on the pier (yup, we of course went down the dinosaur slide), ate a great lunch, went to the castle, and just had fun girl catch up time. Friday night we went out for Halloween. Fun times!
Today we just bummed around the city and around the flat. We ordered Chinese.

Typical Amy story: The Chinese delivery guy was banging on the door. I, in a typical Amy fashion, got extremely excited at the prospect of food (shocking!) and sprinted out my room door to welcome the delivery man. Mid-flight I caught my baby toe in the door. It hurt, but food outweighed pain. Enter kitchen: I look down and see my baby toe pointing at an almost 90 degree angle away from my body. Pretty sure I broke it.

Yes, my toes look gross. This is after the toe got pushed back a little. In my roommate's words, "It looks like a fat sausage..."

I've always been amazed at people who say they haven't broken anything before. This is coming from the mouth of the girl who has accomplished all of the following:

Age 1.5: Scene: Shoots and Ladders, a huge jungle gym complex with a 3 story tall metal slide. My dad takes me down on wax paper. It resulted in him doing a flip off the end and me breaking his rib. I was not hurt, but I like to think of this as the start of my injuries.

Age 3: "Dad, rememer when I was little and used to do flips off of the couch like this?" Flip. Scream. Broken elbow.

Age 8: I was a chubby child, resulting in my lack of excellence in gymnastics (the lack of excellence in gymnastics continues). When practicing cartwheels in the front yard I land wrong and roll my wrist. I remember my mom saying it wasn't broken, but I also remember it being pretty sore for a long time.

Age 12: When hanging off the end off of my then best friend's bed, the bed fell on my face. Broken nose, broken ego.

Age 12: Rollerbladed down my elementary school's loading dock on a new pair of rollerblades. Resulted in a cellulite looking like scar on my left thigh. Sometimes I blame the rest of the cellulite on rollerblading too......

Age 13: When swing dancing with the same friend, I did a flip over her back. The flip was great, the landing was rocky. Leave it to me to miss all of the pillows we had so carefully placed to ensure our safety. Strained neck muscles/tendons pulled. Neck brace for 4 weeks.

Age 15: Rollerblading injury #2. Result: 8 in abrasion on left leg, 4 inch abrasion on right leg. Scars visible still.

Age 19: Rollerblading injury #3. Result: 4 inch deep cuts/abrasions on both knees, jarred wrists. Scars still huge. This was the week before sorority recruitment at Iowa, where you wear dresses/skirts all week. I'm sure we were "The house with the girl with the bandaged knees...."

Lifelong: I fall. All the time. Anyone who knows me will tell you that gravity and I are best pals. I always have bruises from bumping into things. It is strange to me however, because I am not a very daring person physically. I enjoy the same workouts. I don't like jumping off of things. I am a very cautious person. Ironic.

In case you were wondering, the Chinese food was totally worth the pain. Yum.

Ashley left tonight, which made me sad. But, I just booked a plane ticket to Greece the last weekend in November. I can't wait to see her! We also are going to meet in Paris in a few weeks. This week is Barcelona! Hopefully during our dead week, I can get up to Edinborough (SP?) Four countries in one month....crazy.

Ashley has most of the Mumbles pictures on her camera, but here are some of Halloween.

Whoa Nelly, I am soooo ready to lead this country. You Betcha Joe Six-Pack!

I would like to clarify that Ashley is not really pregnant....

My pins read:
Look! There's Russia!
Hello: My name is Hockey Mom
A McCain/Palin pin
An American Flag

I also carried a shot gun with me...you know...in case I saw an mooses I wanted to kill.

Bristol's pins read:
Obama/Biden '08
I wouldn't be pregnant if my mom was pro-choice
Hello, my name is Bristol
And a pin with a picture of Palin and her daughter which reads, "Sorry Honey, Mommy's a little busy right now taking away your rights as a woman."

Well all, time to put some frozen peas on my foot and call it a night.
-A

Update :)

2008-10-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Well, it has been an interesting couple of weeks. Last Saturday, I hiked a 12 mile through Gower again, except this time it was through the marshland which was sweet. I saw the most gorgeous Welsh ponies who just came up and hung out with us. We also stopped at a castle we saw on our hike. The really neat thing about hiking here is that you hike through people's properties, most is farmland. I have seen mass amounts of gigantic cows, sheep, horses, and Welsh ponies. The hike was chilly. We hiked a good amount on the beach with CRAZY gusts of wind. I felt like I was going to be a kite and float away. The patterns in the sand were nothing short of astounding though.It drizzled a bit on us as well, but it wasn't too bad of weather.

I booked a flight to Barcelona, and am booking a flight to Athens later tonight. In a few hours I am going to pick up Ashley from the airport!!! Ashley is one of my best friends. Last year we were pretty much inseperable in the sorority house. She is studying Classics in Athens for the year. It is her fall break, so she is coming up to see me :) YAY!!! I can't wait to see her! This week will consist of dressing up as Sarah Palin. I even have a McCain sidekick for tomorrow night. My parents are proud. Pictures to come!

Amazement

2008-10-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today was a clear-minded, full of belly laughs day...much needed. Looking out my window at 8am and seeing a clear blue sky with perfectly placed, cotton ball puffs was enough to bring a smile to my face. Me and a close pal went to class as planned, and luck was on our side, as our t.a. stood us up, so I got to drill internship interview questions to her. I LOVE helping people plan life like I got to today. Following non-class, we went for a light yog on the beach. There is something special about finding a running partner who can run right in tandum with you, and you don't feel embarrassed by asking to slow the pace, or to stretch. We walked back in the deep sand, and I felt guilty about squishing the perfectly formed sea shells under my asics. The tide was high, making the beach perfect. We had amazing conversations about how we are firm believers that some higher up power brought us all together in Wales to become fab friends (in addition to others) who work together well. I can't describe the feeling I get when I know I have friends who accept me the way I am...even when I act my shoe size and not my age, or get type A (I'm gettin MUCH better at not being so up tight). Following this fantastic, leisurly workout, we took a bus (yeah, we were too sore to walk up the hills home...) back, where I took a shower.

You know how sometimes, some showers are just way better than others? This was one of those showers where the steam just seemed to soak into my pores, and it was just refreshing. The next class was not so hot, but meh, you can't have it all :) This was followed by my first Indian Cuisine experience, yumtown, and watching part of Harry Potter.

The night was concluded by a great conversation with my sister about how Christianity involves much interpretation, and thought. That is what is so amazing is that it requires you to think about things, develop your own beliefs, and God says its ok to do that.

So here I am, laying in my bed ready to crash, and just thinking about all of the luck in my life. I can't think of a negative thought I had today, minus being a tad crabby at my t.a. for not showing up to class at 9. The waves were perfect, the crests were even white capped. The sand squished perfectly under my feet. It was just a bubbly day :)

Comforts of Home

2008-10-19T16:48:00.001-07:00

Hi All
As much as I love it here, I must admit there are things at home I am longing for.

Now the benefits of here certainly make up for most things that I miss, but here are the irreplacables.

Target

Diet Mountain dew. I am a dew addict during finals....they should just tap it into my veins...but it is illegal here (along with Lucky Charms) b/c of too much caffeine and sugar. lame

Family

Football

Pals

My Best Bud and cuddle pal

Barnes and Noble- a weekly event for me

BLUE SKY!!! and sun

ADPizzle

I'm sure having a blast here, but every now and then something reminds me of home. I wouldn't exactly describe it as homesickness, but rather its small things, challenges. This experience of being flexible, living not knowing where I am going next weekend is an amazing feeling. Not being Type A, living a rigid and timed out schedule has allowed me to grow, and become more flexible. Well it is late here, and I am ready for bed. Goodnight all :)

Dublin!!

2008-10-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well, last week I went to Dublin. It was quite an adventure, let me tell you. I left late on Wednesday night, and took a train to Cardiff, where I missed my conjunction train to Bristol. No big deal though I just hopped on the next one, but then it turned out b/c I was delayed in my train arrivals, I had missed the last airport shuttle from the Bristol train station to the airport. Bumsville. But then the sweetest old man bus-driver went against the rules of bus-driving, made an extra route, and dropped me off at the airport. He was the nicest person, so willing to help me. After we arrived at the airport, we sat and talked about politics in the U.S. and the U.K., youth, how Europe has changed since he grew up, why on earth I would want to live in the U.K. ("You must be in love with someone because I don't know why else you would want to stay here." Don't worry family, I'm not). At the end of the conversation, he proclaimed that I should be in politics because it is clear I like to learn, am aware of what needs changing in the world, get along with people, and I am pretty. Like I said, he was a sweet old man. So I finally got to the airport, and set up camp in a subway cushy chair and slept for a few hours. I got on the plane at 8am and was in Dublin by 8:55 am, where I met Jensina and Chelsea outside of our hostel.

Our hostel was decent. It was 8 beds and had linens included so that was nice. We adventured around all day, exploring the city and not really site seeing too much. We were all exhausted from being up all night in the airport. Highlights of this day were basically just looking at all the neat buildings around the city, and enjoying being in Dublin. At the end of the night we met up with the rest of the group who took a later flight into Dublin.

The next day, Friday, we broke up into different groups. I really wanted to see EVERYTHING....and that we did. Mom you would have been so proud of me I just busted out the map of Dublin and off we went. The rest of the group were troopers, and certainly put up with my extreme tourist sight seeing behaviors. The list of things we saw includes (but is not limited to...)

-Trinity College, where you can see the book of Kells (I guess its some super old book that's worth a lot...we did not see it).

-The Bank of Ireland....
Bank of Ireland’s biggest branch, facing Trinity College, was founded in 1729 as the Parliament of Independent Ireland. With the passing of the Act of Union in 1801, this massive building was sold to the Bank of Ireland and still adheres to tradition by having a guard in a top hat and tailcoat, and a coal fire in the lobby. Hosteldublin.com (we didn't go inside).

-Dublin Castle...yeah...we spent a good hour looking for it

-Merrion Square- a gorgeous park which reminded some of Central Park. It was full of red, orange, and yellow leaves, and the water and bridges were simply pristine.

-St. Stephen's Green- another pretty park with fountains and loveliness.

-St. Patrick's Cathedral- Absolutely breathtaking. It was almost like a museum....except not because the organist was practicing. I bought a tour guide brochure which explains all of the statues, the stained glass windows, the war memorials, and the different sanctuaries of the church. It was built over 2,000 years ago. St. Patrick came to Ireland to spread Christianity against the Druids' wishes.

-The Oscar Wilde monument

-The Guinness Brewery, St. James' Gate- The Guinness in Dublin is AMAZING. It takes over 2 minutes for one pint to completely settle. Yum. The factory had so many floors of interesting facts, and fun things to look at and do. It was certainly the highlight of Dublin.

-Lots of rich architecture and interesting surroundings

Last week, I booked a ticket to fly to Barcelona the 7th-10th of November. I am so excited! I also am going to be going to Paris in about a month and a half. After term, I might extend my flight for a few weeks longer and go see Ashely in Athens, Greece. Oh the Adventures!

Here are pictures. Enjoy!

Tallest statue I have ever seen

Chantel, this is for you
Our Hostel

Giant hand that we had to play in.

O'Connell statue, you can see bullet holes in it

Trinity College

Bank of Ireland
College Green
Oscar Wilde

St. Patrick's Cathedral

A copy of Handel's Messiah, first performed in Dublin in the 1740's. This copy is from the 1700's and was hand copied.

Staircase to the bell tower

I snuck into the altar, this is the area behind it

Boy Scouts are prepared in the U.K. too

Stained Glass

Statues

Cardiff Castle

Guinness Time

Looking up into a giant pint
9,000 year lease
Barley is important to beer.

Water wall

Chillin with Arthur Guinness

That copper holds 172,800 pints of beer.
It takes two minutes for a Guinness to settle
Progression.

Patiently waiting for our Guinness.

The plaque which commemorates the 1st performance of Handel's "Messiah". HALLELUJAH!

Avebury and Stonehenge

2008-10-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
We went to Avebury and Stonehenge this weekend. It was fab! Avebury is the same concept as stonehenge, and located only about an hour away. It is the largest standing stone circle in the world...1 mile in circumference. Craziness! It was FREEZING and WINDY on Saturday when we went. BRRRRRR. Here are pictures.

Stonehenge

Fresher's Week/Gower/Rhossili

2008-09-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

'Hello!
Before I begin my post I would like everyone to know I am in my kitchen, eating potatos and veggies with loads of HP sauce, watching it pour rain while it is sunny, and there is a full double rainbow outside of my window.

Where to start? Last week was a week called Fresher's Week. Freshers are the UK equivalent of Freshman. It is a week full of getting acclimated to the University (or Uni as everyone calls it here) and of joining clubs, and playing your techno music extremely loudly and passing out glow sticks to everyone who comes into your house (as demonstrated by the boys who live behind me). I live in a "house". It is more of a condo where we share a wall with another "house". We have a HUGE kitchen (awesomeness!) and I have a really good sized bedroom with a bookshelf, desk, and a wardrobe. I love my flatmates. 5 other girls (besides myself) and I all live together with two boys. Raj is from Singapore, and Jim from Hong Kong. Two of the girls are from England. Rachel is from the Oxford area, and Jo is from the Black Country. Angharad (SWEET Welsh name) is from about 25 minutes south of Swansea. Gracie is from Tennesee, and so is Caroline. I LOVE all the girls, we get along great and all have a lot of fun together. None of them are too crazy into going out. We all have a great time, and see eye to eye on a lot of living situation things. The boys are also nice, but mostly keep to themselves.

Class: This week was my first week of class. Although I am a fulltime student, I only have class for six hours a week. Sweet. I am taking Theory of Persuasion and Argument, and Media Representations. Both of them are one, two hour lecture, and one, one hour seminar. They both seem like they will be a bit of a review course.

Social Life: I joined the Hiking Club. What a great decision! On Sunday, I hiked 8 Miles (they work on Miles and Kilometers here....its weird) through the rolling hills of the Gower, and we ended in Rhossili, a lovely town which is on the coast. It was a sunny day, so it was a BLUE ocean and sky. Perfect weather for hiking as well, about 65 and Sunny. I couldn't have asked for a better day! There are a few of us Americans who joined the club. In a couple of weeks I think we have an overnight trip, so that should be fun. This Saturday is the Fresher's Ball, which is like a homecoming dress up type of deal. Fun Stuff! I am going with all my flatmate girls.

Food: Yum. There is a sauce here that tastes like A1 sauce which they put on EVERYTHING, hence I put on EVERYTHING. It is SO yummy, its HP sauce, not sure if they have it in the states or not. The ciders here taste AMAZING. I wish they had them all in the states. Four of us (two other Americans and a Brit) have made a dinner club where we are going to rotate weeks of who cooks. We'll see how long it lasts, but for the time being its fun! Sunday, the British guy made us a full, proper English roast. Basted chicken, Yorkshire pudding, veggies, broiled potatos, and sausages. Their sausages here arn't "leftovers" such as in the states. They are AMAZING and 100% meat. This Sunday is my turn. I am either doing Breakfast dinner or Italian night- Homemade pizzas, salad, and a pasta bar.

Upcoming Plans: This Saturday I am going on a school trip to Stonehenge. Fun! Next weekend, I will be in Dublin. I am traveling alone on Wed. to Bristol, and flying into Dublin on Thursday to meet up with some friends who will already be there (I got a better flight deal than themm hence me traveling alone). So excited!

Well, I think that is all for now! Here are pictures from the Gower/Rhossili. Miss you all!

Me and a couple hiking pals (busting out the Spandex....of course)

The fog over the sea

From halfway up the hill we were climbing. It was harder than this picture looked!

From the top of the peak

Mud. FUN!!!
I found a secret garden!
The first peak we climbed
Mist rolling over the second peak we were climbing
Rhossili Beach
Looking down from the super high peak I was on.

Blue Sky!
Blue ocean and boats!
This is Worms Head. It takes a while to hike out there. This whole area is covered, minus the peak, when the tide is in. I guess there is a seal colony on the other side. The current is extremely strong, so they don't let you hike out there. They have signs that say when you can hike out there and when you can't.

Bath!

2008-09-19T09:58:00.001-07:00

Sweet Bridge to a building I have no idea about
Pretty view

Looked like a fun place

Typical streets in Bath

There are street signs like this everywhere. So neat!

Jane Austen looked creepy...

I felt right at home!

Aaaaaaaaannnnnd the church is a restaraunt...
The stairs leading up to the belltower in St. Michael's....The door was locked to the bells :(

Beautiful window with a dining table and chair.

Look, God pulled out the chair for you to sit down!

Organ (Mom and Peggy this pic is for you!)

Altar

I just thought this angel was beautiful!

Dining place again

St. Michael's Church from outside

Organ again

The Royal Crescent

Another fun sign!
The street between The Circus and Royal Crescent

The Circus- Basically it was three sections of the same types of houses as the Royal Crescent positioned around a Round About, so it was hard to get a good picture of it. I got a neat postcard with an ariel view of it!

Royal Crescent

The Circus

The Royal Crescent

This was the Sacred Spring I believe. The Romans believed it held special powers because it bubbles (to this day!) and was very warm. It bubbles because it is over a hotspring, but they obviously didn't know that. Curses and different things were thrown into this spring.

This was at one point underneath a floor in the furnace room, or the "Sweat Room". The heat from the furnace would travel and be trapped in the pillars, making the floor so hot one had to wear sandals when walking.

This is an ancient sacrifice altar. Goats were one of the animals sacrificed. I don't remember which goddess it was to.
Recovered statue

Recovered Fresco

I don't know who this was, but it was in perfect condition. Amazing!

Recovered tombs

This is taken from the 2nd floor of the unit, which looks down into the pool above.

You can see the Abbey through the Bath structure

Ancient mosaic recovered. It is on the floor, the picture just flipped

Preserved Bronze Statue of a Goddess. Not sure which one (Ashley, help me out?)

The original steps into the Altar

The outside

Inside the Roman Bath lobby

Taken from the 2nd floor again

I am on the 2nd floor of the Roman Baths unit, the Abbey is behind me

Bath Abbey

The ceiling is like this the whole way, except for the blue diamonds. Those are only over the Altar

Not sure why the picture flipped upon loading....but it shows the top of the building before it rises to the bell tower which rings every 15 or 30 minutes.

Where the organ is (Again, for Peggy and Mom...)

This only gives a glimpse at how tiny you feel in this place. It is like being in a dollhouse church!

The altar...on the screen is the picture of the organ keys. 3 Tiers!

Window above the altar
They put flowers on the lamps outside!

The windows on the bottom left are from the Roman Baths

Hi all!
It has been a really busy couple of days! On Wednesday, we went to Bath in England. Gorgeous place! The main attraction there is the ancient Roman Baths which were thought to contain healing powers among other things. It is amazing how preserved the baths are. The place was built around what remained of the bathing complex. Many men conducted business while in the baths, and showed their prestige and power by using fragrant oils. There was an automated tour which you listened to on a huge cellphone like thing. After I saw the Roman baths, I saw the inside of Bath Abbey. Unlike Tintern Abbey, this Abbey is fully functional and running. It was ruined in 1539 by Henry VIII. Three different churches have stood on this site. In 1999 it had its 500th anniversary. It currently costs over 2,000 Pounds per day to run the Abbey. Crazy! I was fortunate enough to walk in and see a sign that said, "Organ Recital: 1:10 pm." Fantastic! I only stayed for the first piece, Prelude and Fugue in B minor, by Bach. Fantastic! The organ was outstanding! After I heard some organ music, I went wandering around some more. I found a church, St. Michael's, and it was a fully functioning church on Sundays, and a restaraunt during the week! So funny! I found the Jane Austen Center (she was from Bath), the Royal Cresent (which is a group of 81 extremely expensive homes) built by John Wood the elder, and the Circus, built by John Wood II. These homes housed very important people high in prestige such as William Pitt (former MP for Bath) Dr. Livingstone, and Thomas Gainsborough. You can go to http://beehive.thisisbath.com for more info on Bath. Here are massive amounts of pictures!!

Waterfront Museum--super cool

2008-09-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

I forgot to tell you in my last post about the Swansea Waterfront Museum. It was a 33 Million Lb project that was completed in 2005. Such a sweet museum. Lots about boats, exporting, importing, coal and gold mining, and laboring. It gave real insight as to how the industries were run back in the day, and how they still are. Here are some cool pictures. It is located on the Marina, so there are some sweet boat pictures too :)

Proms in the Park/Tintern Abby/Chepstow Castle

2008-09-15T06:05:00.001-07:00

Hey all
The past couple of days have been great fun. Saturday, three of us girls decided to throw on swimsuits and run into the ocean. Chilly. BUT I am glad I can say I swam in it once on my trip! Saturday night I attended the second half of the BBC's Proms in the Park. We knew there was going to be an orchestra concert, but had no idea that we were going to see the famous production! We saw the four national orchestras from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England, as well as other guests such as the Welsh National Choir (Wales is famous for its choirs). At one point, Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland were all hooked up via satellite, and played a piece composed by a 30 year old woman commissioned specifically for this event. Additionally, we found out this was the first time the event was held in Swansea. Such adventures! I have seen many orchestra concerts before, but never have I been so moved by music. Maybe it was the national pride I was surrounded by (1,000 + Welsh flags) or the atmosphere. Or maybe it was hearing thousands of drunk Welsh people singing "That's Amore" and " Que Sera Sera".

Sunday, we were kicked out of the dorms because they had to reset the electricity for the year, so the American Students Office took us on a field trip to Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey. Unfortunately, the remains of these places are mostly composed of skeletons and we can only imagine the grand splendor they at one point were.

Chepstow Castle, the first stone castle to be built in Britain (1607), was transformed from a castle, to a palace, to a fortress in its time. I learned about the different rooms of the castle, and how a castle was captured. Interesting! We had a "Monk" from the year "1409" as our tour guide. He liked to ramble. A lot. Chepstow is right on the border of England. So I suppose I can say I went to England this weekend as well. We got to eat lunch with the castle in the background!

Tintern Abbey is fantastic. The religious architeture is one you couldn't see in the states. While only the skeleton (mostly) remains, it is still breathtaking. The monks worshiped every 3 hours, ate one meal a day, and bathed 3 times per year (and that was considered to be extremely clean). I was suprised at the innovative ways in which these buildings worked. For instance, the facilities had a comprehensive draining system, and there were seperate rooms for toilets, kitchens, etc.

The highlight of the weekend was without a doubt the Proms in the Park production. To be part of that celebration was more than anyone could have expected or asked for!

Here are pictures of the castle and of the abbey

Chepstow Castle

Tintern Abbey

The Rest of the St. Fagans Pictures

2008-09-12T04:04:00.001-07:00

Animals!!

These are of The restored church and a sweet clock we saw

More photos of the grounds

These next few are of a recreated Celtic village from 2000 years ago.

Field Trips

2008-09-11T16:29:00.001-07:00

The first of the pictures are all of the scenery surrounding Big Pit National Coal Mining Museum.

'Ello! The past week has been a whirlwind of new culture, people, learning about Welsh history, and lots of beautiful scenery. My British history course is going great. It is amazing to hear about the Wars from this side of the spectrum.

Yesterday was a day of field trips. We first went into a Welsh museum which was called Big Pit Coal Mine. In 1947 (apx...) in an effort to restore the nation's economy post WWII (kinda in a nutshell...) the coal mines were all nationalized instead of privatized (parents, take note I AM learning....). We got to go into one of these coal mines. It was only about 300 feet down I believe. Some run 3,000-4,000 feet down into the ground. Anyway, it was a fantastic adventure. It was a little tight down there, but so worth it. I hit my head a couple of times...good thing I was wearing one of those sweet looking helmets with the lamp on my head. It was a very eye opening experience. The smallest coal front we went into was about three and a half feet high, and that was relatively large compared with what some men worked in. Our tour guide, who worked in the mines for 30 years, said his brother worked in a coal front which was 28 inches. Amazing! I am so grateful to never have to experience the fear of having a loved one go to work every day in such a dangerous environment. Unfortunately, because of the risk of sparks from dry cell batteries, we were not allowed to bring cameras down into the mine. But I did take some pictures of the outside. There were no lights underground. It was such small quarters, dark and dank. We got to see some trams, and we saw coal lines which was neat. Copper water flows through the mine, and we saw the system they use to pump out the water. Floods are a concern with mining, as they contribute to the danger of mining. There were horse stables underground as well. The guide told us a bit of history, and until the Children's Act, extremely young children were allowed to work in the mines. Children as young as young as 4 or 5 I believe operated the door shafts for ventillation into the mine. After we went into the mine, we went into a walk through type of center with an interactive guide on the screen, and some simulations. There was lots to do, although unfortunately we were restricted in time. You could see the blacksmith shop, the lockers where the miners kept things, and many other neat mining stops. Here are the pictures I could take from the outside!

This was the top of the mine that we went down into. So neat!

This was a mining tool

Neat building, not sure what it was

After we went to the Coal Mining Museum, we went through Cardiff to go to Saint Fagans National History Museum. So Cool! It was kind of the equivalent of Murphy's Landing in MN. There were about 35 different stops which were all either recreated or original, preserved houses, churches, and recreated ancient villages. So neat! There were tour guides to help you out and answer questions and tell you stories. Just walking on the beautifully maintained gardens was satisfactory, but being able to see the different areas such as the smithy, the farmhouse, the stables, the Church, a recreated Celtic village from 2,000 years ago, and the castle were all certainly topping on the cake. My favorite was walking the castle grounds. Such sheer beauty. Additionally, we had a LOVELY day here. It was just perfect. High 60s and even a little bit sunny. No rain! Here are the pictures from St. Fagans.

The trees were so tall!!!!

The castle grounds

If you look closely you can see the grapes growing in the green house

That's it for tonight, I will finish posting the St. Fagans pictures tomorow :) Have a great night everyone. PS- I went running today. On a path. Next to the ocean :) Yup, be jealous.

Pictures

2008-09-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

8-9-08- First Day of School

2008-09-08T04:59:00.000-07:00

L- London Train Station
R- View of the sea from my window

Me playing in the ocean!

L- On our walk to Mumbles, pictures don't justify the beauty R- Mumbles and the ocean from my window. The white areas are houses/residential

Today we have our first day of school. Wohoo! All 40 of us Americans are in one British politics course which will be interesting. We had our first session this morning, and have a 3 hour session this afternoon.

Words cannot describe the sheer beaut I see here every day. I have a window full of ocean view. To the right I see Mumbles. To the left I see Swansea. There are pristine little houses tucked into the slopes on both sides, and in the distance are beautiful slopes. We think they may be England but we're not sure.

Yesterday was a rare day, for it did not rain ONCE!! Three other kids from America and I walked in the ocean and on the beach from campus to Mumbles....what a trek!! We were COVERED in mud, but went into a pub to eat anyway. What a fantastic area Mumbles is. There is a lighthouse at the very tip, and a walking path along the coast. From just about any shoreline, you can see parasailers and sailboats dotting the distance.

I have made two trips into the City Center since arriving. This is where the marketplace is, as well as great shopping areas!! I had only been there an hour when I found some great stores, and left with a blanket and a couple scarves.

I am going to post some pictures, other than that I don't really have many updates. Tonight's project is to set up Skyppe so I can chat on the phone with you all!

First weekend in Wales!

2008-09-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

This is the first email I sent out to family when I got here. It will get you up to speed on my arrival here and whatnot.

Hello All! I arrived in London at 10am yesterday, and we took a train to Paddington Station. Then we took a train to Swansea. What a crazy 48 hours!! We arrived yesterday in time to get our keys and check in, which was a relief. When I walked into my room I was SO excited: a single room with a full, panoramic window full view of the ocean. To the right all I see is the town of Mumbles, and lots of houses placed into the side of a large slope. There is also a point with a lighthouse at the end. To the left is the city of Swansea, which is also beautiful. Unfortunately this is my temporary room until I move to my permanent place, which is about 2.5 miles away from campus. They stick us all in here until we can get a little more comfortable, and until the school buses start up for the year. After checking in, we went to a great welcoming dinner at a local pub. Fun time! We go to meet everyone else in the American Exchange program which was nice. The group of 5 from Iowa is great. We all get along really well, and we work well together. It was so nice to have people to travel with. Today, we had breakfast at a dorm, and then we headed to a brief orientation in a lecture hall. Following this we went on the most interesting bus ride of my life. The bus driver was extremely... confident, so much so that he cracked his rearview mirror (by hitting another bus...) and then we got stuck in a flooded street. They have been receiving rain straight for 2 months, so much of the country is flooded. Not quite Iowa flood equivalent, but non-the-less it was crazy. We stopped at Oxwich Beach and I frolicked barefoot in the ocean (more like full fledged ran to the water, ripped off my shoes and jumped in. Rolling up my pants did not help). We saw lots of Welsh countryside and huge homes, and quaint homes as well. The sky has been grey with lots of sun in-between showers. Think wet, early October weather. From my room, I can watch the parasailers, the sailboats, and storms blow in. Nothing short of amazing :) The tide is pretty large. I have only seen it at low-tide. It was a good 1/8-1/4 mile walk from the beachline to the actual water today. Gorgeous! Tomorrow I need to see a techie at the library to get my internet up and going, so I won't be in touch until then. Jet lag hasn't really been a huge issue. I didn't sleep much on the plane, but I took many catnaps throughout the day yesterday, and just woke up from another one. We are 6 hours ahead of you, so its about 7 pm here. Dinner time! Tomorrow, we are going into town to figure out essentials. I can't wait to explore! Campus is out of town, (think of St. Olaf's distance into town). The standard of living here isn't too expensive at all. We have found numerous restaurant deals that, when converted, equate into a 6-10 US dollar meal. We were all relieved to see those deals! I will be keeping an online blog so you can read about my adventures, and you won't have to receive mass emails, but I have to wait until the internet is started up on my computer. As soon as I start up my internet I can also call you from my computer using a program called SKYPPE. If you also sign up on your computer, we can talk for free. I hope this email finds you all well, and I look forward to keeping you posted and mailing pictures of the countryside!!

Cheers (yup, they really say that a lot),

Amy