I said I'd try to do this blog once a week, and of course I haven't... oh well. Last week I mostly went to my pre-sessional class and hung out with my classmates. We try to go out and explore as much as we can because we realize we don't have all the time in the world. We're still planning trips to do later because it is so easy to travel once you are here because everything is so close. The only thing that sucks is trying to get to places that are only a couple of hours away because at home I would just drive while here I have to figure out trains or buses or taxis and those cost money.
This past weekend, as you can probably see by the pictures I posted, I went to Bath and to the Roman Baths, and I got to check something off of my bucket list... Stonehenge. Both places were amazing and beautiful, but Stonehenge was breathtaking. When we arrived and could finally see it in the distance, I couldn't believe that we were actually there it was mind blowing. The pictures I posted on here aren't half of the pictures I actually took. We couldn't walk between the stones; we could only walk outside of them, because of the architecture that remains uncovered beneath the ground, but it was still amazing nonetheless. I also bought my first two snow globes here because I collect them, and they will keep these memories for me.
I also finally moved into the room that I will be living in for the remainder of my time here. I have seven flat mates, and half of us are American, three are from England, and only one is actually Welsh, but everyone is great. This room is much bigger than the dorm rooms at RIC which is nice, and it has a sink in it, which is kind of awesome. We've all been hanging out a lot and asking each other about our homes which is great because we all want to learn, especially us Americans because we want to integrate into the culture here so it's great to learn about both the similarities and differences between the US and the UK. A whole bunch of us also went to a "football" game last night, because we figured that while we are here we really should. While I enjoyed the game, it did not change my opinions about soccer/football in that it isn't the most entertaining to watch and I like my baseball and American football much better, both of which I miss dearly. However, being at the game and listening to the chants, even when I could not decipher what they were saying, was a great experience and a great look into the culture here. We now need to go to a rugby game and we are all set.
One last thing, I finally have my classes all figured out, and classes finally start next week here. There are so many great things here, but the way they schedule classes is incredibly inefficient. They are just now starting to put things online, but most things are still done on paper, and every class needs to be signed off on by the appropriate academic department. It's actually crazy how inefficient it is and I do miss having a course catalog a month in advance and simply doing everything online, but the system here does work in its own funky way, and the professors and personal tutors that are assigned to us really do care about us, so it all works out in the end. So I am taking a class about the Heirs of Rome which talks about the rise of Christendom, Islam, and Byzantium in the pre-medieval times, and I am taking a class called The Making of Transatlantic America which covers colonial and revolutionary America. I am only taking these two classes but they are each 5 credits, in addition to my pre-sessional which was 3 credits, it is a very light course load for me, but it is a good schedule for travelling plans. and I am very excited about taking these two courses, especially the American one, and I can't wait to start them next week.
Well, that's all I have to say for now. I'll keep posting pictures and writing when I can. Until next time!!! Adios!
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