Julie-KeeleU

Euro Trip

2009-05-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

Hello All!
I am sorry it has been so long since I last wrote but I have been traveling (as I wrote before) for the last four weeks and just got back! This past month has been amazing. I met so many new people, saw so many new places, and even the unexpected twists and turns ended up well. In the end we added a few stops in like an added trip to Germany at the last minute and then about ten minutes in Brussles :) (That was not by choice).
My favorite places that we went were Certaldo (Tuscany, Italy). We stayed in a hostel that was an old monestary and it was so relaxing. We had been running around in big cities for about 2 weeks at that point and we finally got to sleep in, read a little, and just enjoy the sun. Greece in general was very nice. However, we only went to Athens and then a little island called Corfu. I loved how nice everyone was in Corfu and Athens was just so rich in history. We expected the entire trip to be warm once we got past Paris (ooops, we were just a little wrong). We were layering clothes for the majority of the time but in the end we had a lot of fun beach time in Corfu. We also got to rent 4 wheelers in Corfu to go and explore the island. I highly recommend that!
Traveling for a month was amazing and to be one hundred percent honest, I don't think that it has hit me how unique and important this experience was. Once I get removed from it a little I think it will sink in. For now, I am just happy to be back at Keele, see some familiar faces, and finish up my course work. There are some rather large assignments due soon before our next
big trip tp Egypt.
Stay tuned for more!

World Traveler!

2009-04-03T03:31:00.000-07:00

This is the last time that I will get the chance to blog before I leave for my Europe trip! We leave tomorrow morning and begin with The Netherlands! I am beyond excited but it was really hard to get all packed up. We are living out of backpacks for the next month and let me tell you....mind is CRAMMED right now! I also didn't realize how much stuff I have accumulated in my room since I have arrived at Keele. We have to move out of our rooms as well because we only have 34 week rooms and they use our rooms for conferences while we are gone on holiday.

Traveling is going to be a great experience. We are going to The Netherlands, France, Italy, and Greece. (I think I said that in an earlier blog) We don't have every single detail worked out but we do have all of our transportation (minus one ferry to Greece) and our hostels/hotels booked. Those are the important things. When we get to a new place we have some ideas of what we want to do but other than that we are going to go off of what people suggest and what we find there! It's nice to have a flexible schedule.

Well, that is all for now....EUROPE HERE WE COME!

::Edinburgh::

2009-03-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a blast! We went to Edinburgh, Scotland. We left Friday morning around 11am and got there around 6pm. We stayed until Monday evening which was the perfect amount of time. Here is what we did while we were there

Friday
-Travel
-Dinner at a Pub (50% off!)
-Arrived at our hostel The Globetrotter Inn (I highly recommend it! Very clean, nice, provides -breakfast, and a shuttle....all for 6 Quid!)

Saturday
-Early Morning
-Took a taxi to Calton Hill (very pretty)
-Climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat (best view of all of Edinburgh)
-Saw Holyrood Castle (where the Queen stays in Edinburgh)
-Grabbed a well deserved carmel frap at Starbucks
-Shopping at souvenir shops on the Royal Mile
-Met up with my older sister and her friend!
-Back to the same pub as Friday night for another great 50% off meal!
-Early to bed night!

Sunday
-Edinburgh Castle
-Free 3 hour tour (they run them for tips only and they are very interesting)
-Deacons Cafe (This is where the man who Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was based off of worked)
-Walked to Maggie Dickson's (a bar). This was named after a woman who (long story short) was hung, being taken to be buried when they heard her scratching inside the casket, she was actually alive and since she was declared dead she began her life all over again and remarried.
-Ghost Tour of Edinburgh.

Monday
-No formal plans
-Went to the National Museum
-Wandered the Royal Mile
-Shopped in Princes Mall
-Spent a lot of time relaxing in Costa
-Travel Home

It was a great trip and I am very glad that we decided to go! Edinburgh is beautiful and I can't even begin to describe the view from the top of Arthur's Seat. I definitely recommend visiting here. The people there were also incredibly helpful and nice. One day we were just standing taking a break and looking around and a nice old man walked up and asked us if we needed directions anywhere. In any other city we would have to chase someone down for help!

Only a week and a half until the big Spring Break traveling month! I am so unbelievably excited!

Rugby!!!

2009-03-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

It has almost been a week since Varsity and I am still madly in love with rugby. It was the first mens rugby game that I had ever seen and it is amazing. I typically drift off during athletic events and just socialize but this had me trapped! After a group of about 6 guys explained the rules to us about 6 times, my friends and I finally understood what was going on. These guys just rip on each other! They have basically no padding and when they tackle they are all digging their cleats into anyone that they can! It's so brutal! But, its really neat when they are bringing the ball in from the side line and throw the guys up in the air almost like cheerleading lifts. What can I say...I fell in love in England!

This weekend we are going to Edinburgh, Scotland. I am really excited because my older sister and her friend are coming from the States to go with us and then come back to Keele for three days. In Scotland we are planning on going to Edinburgh Castle, on a Ghost hunt thingy (ha), climbing Arthurs Seat, the Royal Mile and so on! Stay tuned to next week to see what my favorites are!

Spring break is only a few weeks away! I can't wait!!!

Varsity, Budgeting, and Randomness

2009-03-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Varsity here for Keele U. It is when every sports team at Keele goes andcompetes against their rival Staffordshire There are buses that go back and forth all day and we are going to go at 2 pm so we can watch rugby and then go later to the football (soccer) game at New Castle. We went out and bought Keele sweatshirts to wear! I am so excited to go!

Budgeting, budgeting, budgeting. That is all that is constantly running through my head. It is really important to keep track of all money when studying abroad. Creating a weekly budget, spring break budget, extra travel budget, and so on. This way you can't just wake up one morning and realize that all of your money has vanished. With spring break, a trip to Scotland, and Egypt rapidly approaching I find myself redoing budgets and moving money around on a daily basis.

I have been in the library even more than usual recently. I am trying to get all of my major papers done before my older sister gets here next Saturday. It is really hard because I have to make sure that it is quality work because most papers count for at least 80% of my final grade.

I'm sorry that there isn't anything very exciting to write about! I have just spending a lot of time in the library researching. I discovered my favorite section of the library in the "LC" stacks where all of the books on special education are located. I go and just sit on the floor for an hour each day going through books and trying to find useful ones. Well, that is all that I have for now!

Ta Duck!

Livin' it up!

2009-03-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Hello All!
Things are finally settling in around here. We no longer consider our trips to the grocery stores these "great adventures" that they were before. They are not just something we have to do to go get food. But, we definitely find ways to keep ourselves entertained. We go the the cinema once in a while on Tuesday nights, hang out in the Student's Union, travel, and our favorite thing to do right now is plan our spring break trip! We officially booked all of our hostels and main transportation for the entire month of April. We are going to Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Tuscany/Florence, Rome, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii, Athens, and Corfu. So, we are hitting The Netherlands, France, Italy, and Greece with the bulk of our time in Italy. To help be prepared we have been studying language tapes from iTunes to know some of the kew phrases. We also added a little "bonus" trip to Egypt! We are going there a week and a half after we get back from our spring break traveling.
School is going well even though it can be a little overwhelming. Balencing independent studies and classes here is difficult because they are structured so differently. Plus, we are all trying to finish all of out work for class before we leave for spring break. Well, that is all for now folks!
Cheers, Julie

London!

2009-02-23T10:52:00.001-08:00

Hello all!
I am sorry that is has been so long since my last blog. I spent the last few weeks preparing to go to London and I just got back last night! I was one of the most amazing cities that I have ever seen. All of the history mixed with the beauty of the buildings was overwhelming. We did basically everything in two days.
We took a national express bus on Friday to London and got in at about 9pm. We then checked into our hostel in Hyde Park and went out to explore the area around there.
The next morning we woke up early and headed out. That day we saw
-Portebello Market
-Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard
-St. James Park
-The London Eye
-Westminster Abbey
-Big Ben
-Parliament
-The Thames River
-Trafalgar's Square
-The British Museum
It was a pretty crammed day so at the end we had a nice dinner and headed back to the area where our hostel via the tube (subway).

The next day we had to check out of our hostel so we carried our backpacks around all day (very heavy!). We went to my favorite place out of the whole trip the Tower of London. This is where the Crown Jewels are kept, and many historic events took place like the beheading of Anne Boleyn. We took the free tour and the tour guides were hilarious and very informative. IN this day we also saw-
-Tower Bridge
-London Bridge
-The Globe Theater
-St. Paul's Cathedral

This trip went incredibly fast but I loved every second of it and hope to go back in May!

Cinema

2009-02-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

Just a really quick note! We went to the cinema (movies) tonight and it was quite the experience! They look just like American theaters BUT British people are hilarious while watching movies at the theater. Anytime something cute would happen during the movie everyone would "awww" at the same time or if something shocking happened you would hear everyone gasp in unison. It was so much fun!
Also, I think that it is a great cure for a little bit of homesickness that may occur when being away from home. At the end of the movie I looked at my friends and we all forgot that we were even in England for a little while. It's just a great taste from home!

Busy, BUSY Week

2009-02-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

Hello All!
Classes are just starting to get into full swing here. It is very different than in the United States. There are only typically two grades for the course, two papers, or a paper and a presentation. This puts a lot of pressure onto those two pieces to it is important to start early, so I am!
This weekend we took a day trip on Saturday to Manchester. It was so much fun! We left at 7 and took a bus to Handley to take a train to Manchester. (Public transportation is amazing here!) When we got there we stopped by a shopping center to kick things off. After that we ventured to a free art gallery around the corner. Of course we completely stood out because we were taking pictures every few steps, but everything was just amazing. The city is filled with older buildings but then placed right next to new/ straight cut buildings, very interesting! My favorite place that we went was The John Ryland Library. It was absolutely stunning inside and filled with books. It looked like the library out of Beauty and the Beast.
One of my favorite things to do is to go into little deli's and bakeries on my way places. We stopped in this small deli on the corner of one of the streets on the way to a museum and the food was phenomenal. The key in trying new foods is to always pick a friend to split it with. My friend and I always get something that we know we will like and then something completely new. This way we have something that we know we will eat and then something adventurous.
Next week we are going on a trip with our class on Sunday! I just love all of the traveling that we are doing!

One Week In!

2009-01-31T15:45:00.000-08:00

This has been an amazing week! After traveling for 21 hours and staying awake for about 35 we got to Keele, slept, and were up refreshed and ready to explore! There are nearly 65 international/study abroad students here from all over the place. It is so much fun to go around and mingle, meeting people from South Africa, Spain, France, ect...

The weekend was filled with meetings about our course work, policies, and introductions to staff but I really got to know the group that I came here with throughout all of that. We have all gotten very close and it is so nice to have a solid group to rely on when Im so far away from home.

The dorms here are very quiet (most of the time). But, the people that I have met have all been very friendly. The one thing that really suprised me was that we have cleaning ladies who come and sweep our rooms for us! (How nice!) The kitchen in my dorm is downstairs and there is a lot of space to prepare meals. However, I can not cook so I find myself buying a lot of premade meals, or just eating little snacks all day. I am sure that my cooking skills will improve over time.

A few of us have taken some day trips over the last week. Twice we have taken a bus into New Castle to do some shopping. They have clothes shops, pastry shops, grocery stores, and very importantly cell phone stores. The cell phones here work very differently and we could not figure them out so we made another trip to New Castle the next day for more help (and more shopping). Today we went into Handley in Stoke-on-Trent. This is once again another place to shop and we also had a very well balenced/warm meal which was VERY nice.

This next week I am looking forward to diving more into my studies and really getting a feel for the academic stand point now that I am all settled in. And possibly joining a society (organization) on campus!

Ready to Go!

2009-01-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

I leave for England tomorrow! It is all finally coming together. I am all packed (somehow!) into my two suitcases, I found out my housing placement (Lindsay Hall), and just waiting around! It is fun/a little nerve wrecking to sit around and not really know what is coming next. It will all get better when I meet up with the other students tomorrow.
I am studying at Keele University in Strattforshire, England. I am one of 10 students going and there is a BGSU professor going with us. We take two of our classes through Keele and then at last two through BGSU as well. It is all going to be very different but definitely eye opening.
I am really looking forward to getting to the campus, meeting new people, starting classes, and exploring England and other parts of Europe!