Hey all!

So, basically at the end of last term and definitely the very beginning of this term, the Sussex freshmen (or first-years as they call them here) have been in somewhat of a stressed out mode, as now is the time when they must decide who to live with next year and where.   Since they would be living in the surrounding area (Brighton, Moulsecoomb, Hove or other surroundings), they would generally get a house for 4-7 people.   Deciding how many people and just who they would be has been quite a difficult decision for my flatmates, but thankfully they have come to their decisions (sort of).  My flatmates Jason and Danielle will be living in a really nice house near Sainsbury’s supermarket, which is centrally located in Brighton.  The only problem for them is finding 3 more people to fill up the other bedrooms in the house.  My flatmates Harry, Charlotte and Josh will be living with 3 of our current neighbors, but they have yet to even start viewing houses! 

So, with all of this chaos going on, it definitely makes me appreciate Holy Cross housing.  Even though that day when you find out your appointment time for housing and pick where you will be living can be incredibly stressful, at least you will be living near or with your friends and within the Holy Cross community.  I know that it is a rare thing for college students in general to live on campus all 4 years (or 3 if you are abroad).   However, after seeing our block at Sussex get split up into different houses in different neighborhoods for next year, it definitely makes me appreciate more than ever the closeness and community at Holy Cross, and the ability to get to know people from all 4 years because you all generally live about a 5 minute walk from each other!

Anyways, on a random note, I’m posting a few pictures below of where the other HC Crusaders at Sussex are living this year, in case anyone reading this blog may be interested in studying abroad here in the future!  For the most part, the Sussex accomodation is really nice, and there are lots of options to choose from when you make your list, listing your preferences from 1-10 of where you want to live.  Anyways, talk to you soon!

Lewes Court, where I live

Brighthelm, where past Crusaders at Sussex have lived

East Slope, 2 from HC currently there

Park Village, 1 from HC currently there

Swanborough, 1 from HC currently there

Ok friends, time for a life update!

For starters, it is week 4!  out of a 10 week term!  where, oh where, did weeks 1-3 go?!  i am amazed, shocked really, at how quickly this spring term is going in comparison to the fall term (not that the fall term went slowly necessarily, there just seemed to be a lot more daily hassles and frustrations last term, causing me to be more stressed while now I am more relaxed).  My classes are absolutely great so far – nothing is due in them for a few weeks still, but the content in the lectures is really fascinating.  Also, I have gotten used to the fact that classes only meet once or twice a week here, leaving me with 8 hours of class time per week.  There are also different lecturers in each class all of the time.  While this keeps things interesting, you do not get to build relationships and get to know professors in the same way you would at Holy Cross, which is something I miss.

Anyways, moving on!  This past weekend was certainly one of my study abroad highlights, as I celebrated my 21st birthday!  One of my best friends from Holy Cross, Nora, who is also abroad (and blogging) in Spain, visited me!!!  It was such a great weekend, as one of the hardest things about being abroad is being away from your best friends, family, familiar routine and Holy Cross.  She got here on Friday, and I showed her all around the Sussex campus and city of Brighton.  We had so much to catch up on, and when people visit you they point out things about your daily life that you become blind to, which is refreshing.  Saturday, my actual birthday, we took the train and bus up to London, toured around all of the tourist stuff, and celebrated my birthday!  Unfortunately, Nora had to go to the airport early Sunday morning, but I was beyond thankful that she came, and I had such a great time!!!!

I know I have mentioned this before, but this term is completely different from last.  Study abroad is different for every person who experiences it, so there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ expectations to have or things to experience – it is all a journey, both physically and personally.  I think that last term I realized that while I was still enjoying this experience, it was not what I thought it would be, and I continually found myself getting frustrated that my original plans and ideas were not working out.  This term, aware of the limited time I have left, I am trying to just enjoy myself, soak up Brighton and British culture while I can, travel, and see where this experience leads me.  One of my favorite sayings, I don’t know where it is from, is “It’s not what you have in life that matters, but rather what you appreciate,”.  So, I am trying to focus on the quality over the quantity of things I do, and am appreciative of the good times as well as the lessons learned from the tougher times.  I have also never appreciated my family and friends more!  And Nora, I am very appreciative that you came here and tried to surprise me for my birthday – it was such an amazing present!!!

on my birthday, at primrose bakery in covent garden in london, about to eat a chocolate cupcake!

about to go on the London Eye, for some of the city's best views!

Nora and I on the London Eye (the way up was making me nervous...just a bit)

view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

recreating a moment from the tv series "Friends" and keeping warm!

The famous Harry Potter cart (which was hard to find in King's Cross Station!)

celebrating my birthday!

Hey all!

I can’t believe how quickly last week flew by!  It was definitely one of the best weeks here so far.  The first week of the spring term is called ‘refreshers’, just like the first week of the autumn term (orientation week)  is called ‘Freshers Week’.  Unlike in Freshers, when you were trying to get to know everyone, figure out where things are and put your best foot forward, refreshers was relaxing because you already know people and could just jump back into a familiar routine. 

I generally do not see the others from Holy Cross here much at all, but it was really nice to see them after the winter break and catch up on how our breaks were.  As I mentioned in the last blog, I really needed those 4 weeks at home, and thoroughly enjoyed them.  While at the end of last term I was really burnt out at Sussex (probably due to the increased work load and extreme disappointment over not being able to see my friends in Ireland), I can’t believe how refreshed and relaxed I am now.  Seriously, if I had to end my abroad experience after last term, it would have been incomplete.  Getting many hassles straightened out last term, I have decided that I’m really going to embrace and enjoy this term, and live it up in England!

To re-cap last week, I had classes from Monday-Thursday, and I must say that the classes I am taking this term seem really interesting so far!  I am in two art classes – Communicating Art and Art of the Modern Era, which are both really fascinating (until recently I really wasn’t that interested in art, but we looked at many Italian Renaissance paintings in my Italian class last year at Holy Cross, and that sparked somewhat of an interest).  My other two classes are Philosophy of Mind (a confusing class but at least philosophy is my last common area requirement to fulfill!), and Health Psychology, which is awesome!   Seriously, I am in love with that class, and it is really structured so far, which is good in my opinion.  I will still have to take at least 3 psychology classes next year at Holy Cross to complete the major, but I love psychology so it’s not a problem.

Beyond academics, there were a few social things going on last week, and unfortunately, lots of rain (the rain sadly caused the cell phones on the vodaphone network, which I am on, to not work on campus for nearly 3 days!).  Monday night, the campus pub, East Slope Bar, had a Dubslope Night, which played Dubstep music (really popular here, and one of my flatmates plays the music all the time in our flat) and was a great night to see the other Holy Cross people.  Another night there was a student band playing at East Slope, which was also very good.  When you get bored of East Slope, you can always head out for a night in Brighton (which I do occasionally) or chill in the flat (which I do a lot!).  Also, I have now started buying the weekly bus pass into Brighton, which really motivates me to explore the city more (yesterday I just walked the seafront for awhile, seeing all the vendors selling stuff, people exercising, music playing – seriously it felt like a mini-vacation!).

OK, I know this post is a bit long but it was a good week last week, and now that we are in Week 2 already, I need to finish up an essay that is due for Wednesday (it is actually from my Social Cognitive Development class last term, but they gave us from October to January to work on the essay, a bit too long in my opinion but whatever).  Anyways, I hope the rain stops soon.  Talk to you all soon!

Hello and Happy Holidays!

Spending the last 4 weeks at home has been absolutely amazing.  Although I was a little ill in the beginning, it was great to catch up with family and friends, whom I haven’t seen in months.  I was able to meet up with a lot of friends from Holy Cross, including bloggers Amanda and Nora, in New York City.  It was so fun and a great chance to compare how everyone’s semesters went, whether they were abroad, doing semester away, or at Holy Cross.

The holidays were very relaxing for me this year, with a nice Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s.  I was very lucky to have made it home when I did, as the week after I came home, Heathrow closed for 3 days due to snow, causing massive delays and cancellations for holiday travellers.  New York was not short on snow by any means, however, with our ‘holiday blizzard’  that brought approximately 2 feet of snow to the New York City area.

Like I said earlier, it really was so great to have 4 weeks home for Christmas, as not everyone who is abroad this year is able to do that.  I was actually so busy during the time off that it completely flew by!   I flew back to England the night of January 8th, getting here Sunday the 9th and starting classes today (the 10th).  Coming back, like the start of any semester I have experienced so far, I am much more refreshed and relaxed.  So I hope everyone had a very nice holiday season, and I hope everyone has an enjoyable and rewarding semester ahead!

Hey all!

Sorry for the lateness in posting this blog.  The last 2 weeks have been quite busy, getting ready to come home from England, flying home, and getting sick once again (nothing against England, but I have caught 3 colds there in the past 2 and a half months, and also now have an ear infection).

Anyways, on Sunday, December 5th, the 6 flats in Lewes Court Block 2 got together for a holiday Christmas dinner and gift giving event!  It was definitely one of my highlights of the term so far!  To fit nearly 30 people in one flat required carrying dining room tables from the second and third floors down to the first, which was a bit chaotic, but we created a nice big table and had a fun time, kinda reminding me of Thanksgiving in a way.

The food was absolutely delicious and we had quite a feast!  For dinner there was roast chicken, stuffing, yorkshire pudding, sausages wrapped in bacon, mashed potatoes, and so many kinds of vegetables, including carrots, roasted peppers and onions, broccoli, peas, brussel sprouts,  and butternut squash.  For dessert there was a creamy berry thing and a very delicious chocolate thing (clearly I don’t remember what things were called), as well as the famous mince pies that England loves so much (I learned that mince pies can come in puff pastry form…didn’t know that before!).

Another nice thing about the Christmas party was that we did Secret Santa and all put our gifts under the little Christmas tree.  Exchanging them was so nice and it really was a nice event and chance to see all of the neighbors before our month-long Christmas break!

After the party, Week 10 (the final week of the Autumn Term) continued, much as any last week of a semester would, with people working endlessly to finish all their work and studying before going home.  Thankfully, no weather issues that week, and I was able to fly out of Heathrow and get home safely! 

Hello all,

This has been one strange week.  Well, first of all, on Monday we got a new flatmate named Danielle, who is very nice and her moving into the flat has been a positive experience so far!  Secondly, on Tuesday it snowed for the first time (late November snow was definitely a shock to the Brits, who usually dont experience snow until about January).  The snowfall, in my opinion, was a dusting – you could still see the grass through the snow and it looked like a heavy flurry.  By the time there were 2 inches on the ground on Wednesday, many people who live here thought they were experiencing a blizzard. 

Because England generally does not experience much snow, they really have no clue how to clean it up.  Basically, our campus closed down, classes were cancelled and all transportation stopped (again, there really was hardly any snow out there!).  This was extremely frustrating for me, as Wednesday I was supposed to fly to Dublin, Ireland to visit fellow bloggers Amanda and Nora, as well as our friend Kelsey.  Needless to say, Gatwick airport in England closed, thus cancelling my flight.  I rescheduled the flgiht for Thursday, which was also cancelled, and then for Friday, which for the third time, was cancelled. 

I guess I was not meant to go to Ireland this weekend, and the idea of not seeing my good friends completely crushed me.  However, hopefully I can reschedule the trip for when it is nicer weather out.  Anyways, although this has been an emotionally draining week, I am now looking forward to coming home on Friday, just 6 days from now (so long as the weather permits!).

Hello all,

I hope everyone had a very nice Thanksgiving, whether abroad or in the US.  This past week (Week 8) was a great one, as my dad flew in from NY to visit me in Brighton from Monday-Friday.  This week really pushed me to get the majority of my work for the term done in weeks 6 & 7 so that I could really enjoy my time when my Dad visited (and other than going to class, I really did not spend much time on campus at all last week, which was a nice break).

My dad and I spent a lot of time exploring Brighton (there was still a lot for me to see, even having been here 2 months) and even went to London for a day trip, which was very fun.  We did a few errands at ASDA (British version of Wal-Mart), as I needed some random things like glasses and utensils, as well as a bedspread.  Thanksgiving we took the bus down the coast to Eastbourne, which is a cute seaside city but it was extremely freezing there.

Thanksgiving was strange to not be home for.  On the one hand, I had to keep reminding myself that it was Thanksgiving, because it really didn’t feel real that I was missing such an important holiday in the US.  On the other hand, my dad and I called home and searched for a restaurant that served turkey (a search that strongly failed, as turkeys are being saved up for Christmas dinners, and plus many people here really do not care or known much about Thanksgiving), so it was a weird Thanksgiving.

Friday morning I had a seminar at 11:00 so I said goodbye to my dad in the morning and headed back to campus (I had been staying in the hotel all week, and it was really nice to watch some tv for a change, as we do not get channels in the flat).  Speaking of the flat, later on on Friday we learned that we are getting a new flat mate, a girl named Danielle, as our Chinese flat mate, Su, would be moving out.  This made everyone in the flat feel bad for a variety of reasons.  First, we never ever saw Su because she doesn’t speak hardly any English and was always off with friends, but we all felt guilty if she had a bad time living with us.  Second, since we always hang out as a gorup of 5 people (3 guys – Harry, Josh, and Jason, and 2 girls – Charlotte and myself), and we all get along, we worried if this new girl, Danielle, will fit in well with the dynamics we have had for the past 2 months now.  She should move in soon so we will see what happens.

OK, well since it is the middle of the day on Sunday now, I think I am gonna make some lunch and go shopping in Brighton for a bit (yesterday I attempted some shopping as well, but it was so incredibly crowded).  It has been freezing here the last couple days, but the Christmas spirit in England is so high.  There is even a huge Christmas tree (reminds me of the Boston tree) in front of the library, where they had to take tiles out of the ground for the tree’s trunk.  It’s not lit yet, but it should be exciting to see!

OK, that is all for now.  I fly home next week already!  Talk to you all soon!!

2 weekends in a row?!

OK, well while last weekend I was visiting a friend from home, this weekend I was with one of my only American friends from Sussex, on our last tour together (this was yet again another tour through the international office at sussex).  Anyways, the culture in Oxford is so amazing, I can’t get enough!  So I wonder if this was my last visit or not.

So yesterday morning I got on the bus from Sussex around 8:30 AM with my friend Anna for the 2 hour ride to Sussex (this was better than the 3 hour train ride of last weekend).  When we got to Oxford, it was incredibly damp and freezing out, with everyone on the bus realizing that they wore the wrong clothes.  We had about 20 minutes to kill before we met our tour guides, so we warmed up in Tesco, a supermarket chain that is found throughout England.

At 11:00 AM we met our tour guide, who gave us a tour of Christ Church college, which is absolutely beautiful.  Since several scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed there (it is the sight of the Hogwart’s dining hall!), Christ Church College is also very touristy.  It was hard to remember that there were actually students living and studying there as we walked around and explored. 

The Cathedral at Christ Church college was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, with stunning architechture and some of the most impressive stained glass windows I have ever seen as well.  Later in the day we came back to the College to explore the dining hall from Hogwart’s in Harry Potter, which surprisingly looked a lot smaller in person.  The Christ Church meadow is also worth walking through.

After that morning exploration, Anna and I walked to the Eagle and Child, a famous and popular pub in Oxford which I had really wanted to go to!  I ordered some fish and chips, which were delicious and definitely warmed me up from the cold temperatures outside.  It was also beautiful in there as well, with good music!

After lunch we explored through many of the shops on High Street and walked around the city even more.  We walked up to Mansfield College, where many students from Holy Cross study abroad.  We stopped to get a cookie and coffee before the bus ride back.  Leaving Oxford at 5:00 PM we got back to Sussex at 7:00, and had a thoroughly enjoyable day!

It is sad that this is my last weekend trip with Anna, as she is from Oregon State University and only here for the term.  However, I am definitely grateful for the opportunities to soak up the culture in England, whether it is by travelling on weekend trips or just living everyday life. 

At Christ Church College

Famous dining hall from Harry Potter

Mansfield College

Hello all!

I know that it seems like from looking at my blogs that I travel quite a bit, and while I do have many weekend trips, I also spend increasing amounts of my weeks in the library and dealing with my laptop issues, which once again did not work this week, requiring two more trips back to ITS.  So yea, week 6 (last week) was incredibly busy, as I was trying to get all of my work done before going to visit my friend from high school, James, who is studying abroad at Oxford for the year. 

Oxford was such a great city, and once again it felt amazing to get off the campus bubble that is Sussex.  One thing I noticed while at Oxford is that the different colleges are really interspersed throughout the city, which gives students more access to the cultural surroundings of Oxford on a daily basis.  Sussex, on the other hand, is a half hour bus ride from Brighton, so unless you live off campus (only first-years and international students live on campus) you really do not venture into Brighton more than once or twice a week. 

The architechture in Oxford was stunning, and the fact that there are 104 different libraries in Oxford definitely gives it an academic feel.  I was there from Friday-Sunday, so it was nice to meet other Oxford students and hear their perspectives, instead of just touristy things.  Being at Oxford reminded me a bit of being at Holy Cross, as students at Oxford are much more passionate and serious about their studies than they appear to be at Sussex so far.

Fellow blogger Colleen Curran studied abroad at Oxford last year, and she gave me some tips on what to see on my weekend there.  Following her advice, I visited the Ashmolean museum, which was very impressive and went to a delicious ice cream place called G&D’s, which makes their own ice cream right on the premises.  Even walking around was exciting, as Oxford is such a beautiful city.

A final point about my trip to Oxford – it was really nice to hang around Americans!  Most people that I interact with at Sussex are British, which is great because where else in the world can I be surrounded by so many British people?  On the flip side, most people I know at Sussex are also a couple years younger than me, so it was definitely comforting to be around people my age, from my culture as well.

Anyways, that is all for now, as I need to make lunch and head off to my one and only class of the day – Stories of Art.  This class (from 12:00-1:00 on a Thursday) is actually my last class of the week.  I will blog again soon!  Hope everyone is having a good day, wherever you are!

Ashmolean Museum

Radcliffe Camera

part of Christ Church College I believe

Hello!

Last Sunday, on another tour through the International Office at Sussex, I went to Warwick Castle, stopping at a town called Bourton-on-the-Water on the way.  Basically, when we left Sussex at 8 AM, it was absolutely freezing outside (time to break out the winter coat and ear muffs).  We rode for a couple hours before stopping in this adorable little town.  Bourton-on-the-Water had many small shops, often selling arts and crafty things as well as many Christmas ornaments/decorations and chocolates.  There were many foot bridges to cross over the river, and it was definitely very quaint.  Since it was so damp out, I bought a coffee and a gingerbread cookie before getting back on the bus.

After leaving Bourton-on-the-Water, we drove another hour through the Cotswolds, which is an area in central England (South Midlands area) known for its rolling hills and outstanding beauty.  I don’t know if it was the fact that it was gray weather out or what, but the Cotswolds definitely seemed to be overrated.  Maybe if you got off of the main highway and actually explored some of the towns you could see what all the rave was about.

Anyways, we finally got to Warwick Castle about 1:00 PM.  The castle was much more family-oriented and theatrical than I expected (think Magic Kingdom at Disney minus the rides), but it was definitely fun and cool to explore.  The rooms near the Great Hall were very ornately decorated, which was cool to see.  The dungeon was interesting because every room you walked through played different music, and there were all these figures dressed up in different outfits and poses in each of the rooms to create a scene.  There was also a central courtyard area, where little girls could be seen dressed as princesses and people who worked at the Castle were dressed in medieval fashions.  It was an interesting sight.

Being able to climb up into the different towers at Warwick Castle was amazing, as the views and surrounding area were very beautiful.  After exploring the castle for a bit, my friends Anna and Ashley and I walked into town.  Since it was Sunday, most things were closing early, so we went to a pub and I had a delicious fish cake (trying to experience as much of the British culture as possible!).  Upon finishing eating we walked around for a bit and got back on the bus at 5 PM, just in time for the 3 hour drive back to Sussex.

Bourton-on-the-Water

Warwick Castle!