Snow!

It may come as some surprise to those down in Tucson, but snow is real. It's not just some white paint they've thrown over the top of Mount Lemmon... No! It's a real, genuine thing and it is COLD.

Three or four nights ago, I woke up (well, okay, I hadn't gone to bed yet) in the middle of the night to some strange noise. Sleet, actually, as I was told later. It left a white frost over everything, which was kind of cool, but it wasn't really what I was expecting snow to be.

That came later.

The next night it snowed. It actually snowed, and it snowed, and it snowed... and in a couple hours, everything was covered. In fact, that same night, my flatmates and I went out about two a.m. and made a snowman - my FIRST snowman in my FIRST real snow! It was incredibly exciting and finger-numbingly beautiful. Ice does, in fact, twinkle, and snow does, in fact, glitter.


But it's cold. It's -3C here, which is something like 21F... that is an unheard of temperature in Tucson. I'm learning to layer - today I went out in a turtleneck, then a hoodie, with a fur-lined jacket on top, along with two pairs of leggings and what I call my "Ice Princess" skirt.

I did have to find appropriate footwear. That was probably the most difficult thing. I have strangely muscular calves (I blame waitressing), so most boots do not fit me. But boots are sort a necessity here... so, I used up all of my Mum's Hannukah gift, plus a little bit of my own money, to get the most amazing pair of Rocket Dogs EVER. They are warm (yes!), waterproof (yesss!), and lace-up... so they fit my calves (triple yes!!!). Plus, they're kind of adorable. And now I can literally JUMP into the snow and kick it about without worrying about cold toes or wet jeans!

Don't forget to take a look at my Norwich in Winter album on Facebook (link at the side)! There are some fun photos of our snowman, plus some images of what Norwich looks like covered in white.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Sorry about the delay here - weekend in London distracted me from finishing the Thanksgiving story!

Arriving with the turkey brought on a huge cheer from the hungry flatmates. After unwrapping her from the towels and foil, I think there was a moment of shock for people at how big it was. Finally done with my contribution (someone else was given the job to carve!), I was able to take some time and see what the other flatmates had made. There was everything! Of course, Lois and I had done the cranberries, but there was stuffing, gravy, rolls, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, broccoli salad, and more.

As Liam carved the turkey, I patted myself, Lois, and Lochlainn on the back. It was beautiful. Moist, delicious, and an incredible attempt for a first Thanksgiving. I think we were all sort of shocked at how perfect it came out, but that was okay. =D Better to be shocked that it was good than the other direction!

We gorged. We thanked. And then came dessert and we gorged again (as I told the story of Thanksgiving and two of the drama students acted it out). No pumpkin pie, unfortunately, but apple cobbler, fruit crisp, mince pies, and a special surprise of See's Candies chocolate turkeys (yum!). It was a perfect Thanksgiving, though I admit it was hard without having my family around.

France photos are posted (link on the sidebar to the Facebook album!), and I'll be talking about my trip to Camden Market/Covent Garden soon!

Tallulah in the Oven

It was a very, very busy day. The story critique went quite well, actually! I was pleasantly surprised at some of the incredibly insightful comments made by other students. Usually there are only three or four students whose opinions I truly respect, but this time, it was pretty clear everyone understood where I was going and how to make it work better.

After that, it was Turkey Time. Lois and I hopped a bus with our giant shopping bag full of cooking supplies. But unfortunately, due to unclear directions and a clueless bus driver, we got off at the wrong stop. Calling the Irish friend (alright, he can have a name! It's Lochlainn. No, really, it is...) didn't help much. In fact, it was sort of a shock to hear we were "miles away!"

Luckily, Lois and I both possess a great sense of humour, which comes in handy when dragging around a too-heavy bag in a part of town we'd NEVER EVER seen. It was such a relief to finally see Lochlainn and his house. I think we'd walked for over an hour looking for it!

But alas, there was no rest for the weary. It was immediately time to get to work. Tallulah was defrosted and ready to get dressed and hot - Lochlainn took care of the dirty work of the giblets and the 'other bits', while Lois and I prepared a butter, olive oil, and herb rub. And then we got our hands dirty! We buttered poor Tallulah all over (even inside her skin!), stuffed her full of onion, and popped her in the oven.

And began to wait.

And wait some more.

We watched some YouTube videos... and waited even longer. The bird smelled nice at least! Absolutely delicious, actually. Lois snuck some veg into the oven and we sat down to wait again.

Being so behind, it seemed like we were never going to make it. Text messages and calls from the flatmates back at the dorm made us a little skittish. What if it didn't cook all the way? It was a huge turkey! What if everyone was so hungry and we were so late? What if, what if, what if?!

It was epic taking that turkey out of the oven. It was such a feeling of accomplishment - mostly browned on the outside (we left the foil cover on too long, I suspect), the perfect temperature, and just beautiful looking and smelling. We high-fived about ten times in the kitchen, Lois squealing, Lochlainn grinning, and me giggling like a schoolgirl.

"But how," Lochlainn said, "Are we going to get it into the taxi?" We went quiet. The aluminum roasting pan was not sturdy enough, and we had no platter. The end attempt (which was surprisingly successful) involved a wrapping of foil around Tallulah, then a towel around that, more foil, then a final towel. I think the idea was to keep the heat in, but despite the silliness, we got the turkey to flat in one (or two) pieces. Oh, and the cab driver loved the smell.

To be continued...

Today's the Day!

Today is the day!

Tallulah is hanging out at the Irish friend's house while I think I've finally settled on a roast recipe. The cranberries are in the fridge and the rest of the flatmates are busy cooking (and going to class, since we clearly did not get Thanksgiving off!). I have a large bin full of Turkey Roast stuff - herbs (pronounced with an "h" in this country), olive oil, a meat thermometer, string, measuring cups/spoons, salt, pepper... It's one of those situations where I'd rather have EVERYTHING rather than forget something, so, yes, most of my cabinet is in there.

The plan is to go to class, have my story obliterated by the teacher and my peers during workshop, leave straight after, grab my bin and Lois, get the bus, and START THE TURKEY. Wish me luck!

Nearly There

The turkey dilemma seems to have been solved - mostly. We have an Irish friend with an oven and a 17 lb. bird we named Tallulah (bought frozen, currently thawing at said friend's house). Now comes the most difficult part - cooking the turkey. No one here has done it. Somehow, I am the one signed up... But it's a challenge I can meet. I hope.

It is so strange to go to the grocery store and not have the things you need available in one neat and tidy "Thanksgiving" section. Instead, it's been a mad dash around TWO separate supermarkets, looking for cranberries, yams, turkey, a meat thermometer, kitchen string... In fact, cranberries were the most difficult to find. I had seen them fresh at Morrison's last week, but yesterday they were gone. And no one seemed to know when they were scheduled to get more. At Sainsbury's, good luck! They didn't even have fresh cranberries yet, citing that it wasn't yet "that season."

Finally, in a moment of desperation, someone suggested we look in the frozen aisle. And voila! They had frozen cranberries - a new item for that parcticular store, even, and just in time for the Americans to reminisce about the holiday back home. It made cooking them a little different, but not by much. In fact, the kitchen still smells like absolute November heaven - oranges, cranberries, and cinnamon just wafting around and teasing our noses.

I'm excited for tomorrow (we're having Thanksgiving a day early for scheduling reasons), but nervous about the turkey... Wish me luck!

T-Minus Not Enough Days

It's a week and a half before we attempt the biggest feast of the year.

In the wrong country.

Without an oven.

The Americans have banded together - four of us - to create Thanksgiving Dinner. Already the task seems impossible. We have a multitude of barriers - can we find Thanksgiving fare like cranberries and pumpkins? Can we feed three flats worth of people? And most importantly... HOW will we cook a Thanksgiving Turkey without an oven? That's right. They don't trust University students with ovens. None of the flats is equipped with one. And at this rate, with perhaps 25+ people if *everyone* comes, we'll probably need two turkeys...

I've volunteered my services for cranberries and pumpkin pie. Luckily, with that many people, everyone can sort of pitch in and make the easy stuff (like mashed potatoes). But this may be a feat beyond our ovenless flat. We have four or five microwaves, but, ew, who wants microwaved bird?

Pre-ordering one online has been fruitless so far. I've looked on every grocery store's website and can only seem to find advance orders for uncooked turkeys.

Well... if it happens, it will be a Thanksgiving Miracle.

Paris, Paris, Paris! - Part Two

Saturday morning we woke up, determined this time to make it to the tour we had missed the day before. By the way, these are AWESOME. The company is called Sandeman's New Europe and they offer free tours in over ten countries and then more specialized tours for a fee (for example, there was one for Montmartre that we didn't get to, but I'll probably try and do it next time I'm in Paris). They also do Pub Crawls so that youth get a chance to go out in a new city despite not knowing where the 'good' places are. If I see these anywhere, I will definitely take the chance to take them.

The tour took up a good portion of our day, herding us all over Paris. While all the tour guides seem to have incredible and hilarious personalities, I think ours may have been one of the most funny. He kept us laughing and entertained the entire time... while giving us a slew of historical and useful facts!

One of my favorite things we saw on the tour was this octagonal pool-pond-thing. It contains a work of contemporary art by Kader Attia consisting of a number of cymbals. The idea is that raindrops will pound onto the cymbals, creating music across the pond, but there was a moment of discovery as people realized you could throw stones from all around the pond to create the same, interactive effect. Unfortunately, when we were there, no one was really stone-throwing except us (and we missed most of the time), but I've heard the pond is often surrounded by stone-throwers, creating a cacophony of percussion - the viewer as part of the performance, the sound as part of the art.

After the tour, we decided we needed some hot chocolate and cheese to boost our spirits. With cafes everywhere, it was sort of a quest to find one that wasn't too expensive. Luckily, we managed, and we enjoyed emmental, camembert, and a blue cheese (of which I've forgotten its name) spread over delicious French baguettes. Rachael and I also shared a tiny box of expensive chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat and it was heavenly.

Energized from our midday snack, it was time for shopping. French lingerie for the girls (just to say we have some!) and a smart new coat for Alfie. I also found an interesting and very pretty overnight bag while Rachael bought some gorgeous heels (in fact, I'm totally jealous, because she can now say, "Do you like these? I bought them in Paris!").

Then we ate again. I know, I know, but we actually shopped for hours, so we were hungry and exhausted and had our stomachs set on fondue. Three cheese fondue with mushrooms and goat cheese fondue, actually, in a little restaurant by San Michel. The restaurant had a beautiful atmosphere, low lit and red, and we sipped sangria as we devoured dinner. It was the perfect cap to our evening. In fact, we thought we were going to go out clubbing, but in the end, we were so blitzed from walking the entire day, we thought it best just to go back to the hostel and relish what we had done.

The next day was incredibly subdued - our Eurostar left in the afternoon, so we took the morning to sleep in, buy more French bread and French cheese, and just eat crepes in a cafe until it was time to go.

I'm so glad I gave Paris a second chance.

Paris, Paris, Paris! - Part One

I went to Paris thinking, "Oh man, I've already been here, I've already done this, and I'm just going to hate it again." I admit it was a bit pessimistic, but to be fair, my first journey to Paris hadn't gone very well. The first time was characterized by jetlag, miserably cold weather, a tragically comical series of dragging huge suitcases up and down the Metro steps, and the stereotypical rude locals. While I found the architecture and the Louvre beautiful, I had been so put off by the rest of the experience that I was simply not very excited to go to Paris again.

And then I got there. Six hours by train - the same amount of time it takes to get from Tucson to L.A. by car - and we were stepping out of Gard du Nord and into one of the best weekends I've had since I arrived overseas.

After checking into our hostel, my travel companions (Rachael, another American, and Alfie, an English flatmate with near-fluent French skills) and I decided to wander around, find some food for dinner, and see the Eiffel Tower at night. We braved a late-night Japanese restaurant, needing to try things out based on how they looked in the glass case since Alfie's French didn't reach as far as Japanese cuisine. Luckily, everything was quite good (except some strange shrimp dumplings).

The Eiffel Tower at night is beautiful. It's actually kind of beautiful all the time, and I probably snapped over a hundred photos of it in the end. But at night, it is especially beautiful. Glittering on the hour, changing colour... We admired it, sidestepping the "bling bling?" vendors and craning our necks to get a better look. It became, for the weekend, our monument. It was our geographical landmark, our stop every night before going home, and, every night we were there, it offered us something different.

The next morning, we had to go up it. After croissants for breakfast (of course!) and a short walk to the Tower, we stood in a surprisingly short queue and bought tickets to the summit. Breath-taking. Absolutely breath-taking. It's the entirety of Paris shrunk down to a panoramic view by the miracle of upright steel. You can see everything. I couldn't believe how 'worth it' the experience was and how much it wasn't just a tourist attraction, but a necessity in visiting Paris.

After leaving the Tower, we tried to book it to a free walking tour. Unfortunately, we missed the tour by fifteen minutes. But in the spirit of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants travel, we renovated our day's plans and decided to hop over to the nearby Louvre to spend the afternoon in there.
Three and a half hours in there flies by too quickly. We wandered the corridors, forcing Alfie to translate the placards when we wanted to know more about a certain painting (which was often). It was nice - perhaps not enough time, but I felt like I was able to sit and really absorb the paintings which spoke to me without being rushed by a big group (ala the last time I was in the Louvre).

If it hadn't closed, I don't know that we would have left. Instead, we were back out on the streets of Paris. And this time, we were hungry. There was no question - we wanted French food and we wanted lots of it.
It seemed like we wandered forever, gazing into designer shop windows and salivating over impossible heels and more-expensive-than-my-car gowns and handbags. Finally, there was a place we wanted to eat at. We started with a miniature tower of mozzarella and tomato, accompanied by foie gras on toast. And in the end, foie gras isn't really my thing (though mozzarella and tomato on a baguette is always delicious). It isn't a bad flavour, just... different.

And as for other things that 'aren't really my thing', I took a risk and tried steak tartare. I love to try new food, and I knew it was going to be raw steak, but I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought perhaps it would be marinated strips or... well, I'm not sure, but I wasn't expecting something which looked like grocery store mince. It tasted okay - cold, understandably - but in the end, I think I prefer my meat cooked. Fortunately, we'd had the good sense to order a bottle of red wine to go with our red meat and it was a delicious addition to the meal (better than the meal, in my humble opinion). And to do the restaurant justice, Alfie's meal (cooked beouf) and Rachael's (scallops! yum!) were very tasty.

But dessert. Oh, dessert! It came with a demitasse of espresso and, for each of us, a miniature crème brûlée, a small slice of pound cake, and the most delectable little cup of chocolate mousse. Divine.

We walked back to the hostel, stuffed to the brim, and what do you know? It's the 120th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower and, to honor it, there was a really cool light show put to some fun music. I told you our journey revolved around the Tower! We stood and watched it until the end, marveling once more at the glory of the building. Then it was back to the hostel to sleep for the next day.



Part Two will follow shortly. =)

No One Calls It the Chunnel

Off to Paris today!

That's it, I just wanted to gloat.

Making Myself at Home

[Just a quick update - I have three essays due next week (well, two essays and one short story). Having so much crammed into my head and trying to sort it out into three concrete ideas is stressful!]

While the cozy familiarity of my dorm room has lulled me into a daily sense of 'home', I hadn't really thought of Norwich as such. When my "charming rogue" of a friend came from London to come visit me, I realized I knew more - and less - about this city than I thought.

The things I did know were where to get fresh vegetables at the market and how to find my way around the city centre. I knew how to use the bus system inside and out and where to go clubbing. But I didn't know where the movie theatre ("cinema") was, or how to tell a cabbie what street I lived on, or where to eat at lunchtime (eventually we found the English equivalent of The Olive Garden). And in a larger sense, I still have to study my coins to see what they are, I sometimes use "line" instead of "queue", and I can't justify calling carbonated citrus drink "lemonade". And I'm still fascinated by the concept of the school uniform...


It's so strange to think I'm only a tenth of the way through my time here. I still flip through my mobile phone looking for the numbers of my best friends from home and I haven't yet experienced "cold" despite feeling chilled every time I walk outside. But I'm used to the accent now, I remember to check drink labels for aspartame (seriously, I can taste it in everything!), and I even bought a pair of slippers. Pink ones.

Water, Water, Everywhere - And Not a Drop for Showers

Today marked the first dreary weather I've experienced since I got here. I'd had gray skies, sure, all the time, and sometimes a light drizzle, but today it was rain. From morning to night. And I certainly wore the wrong shoes for it. My toes are so cold!

But it does make me happy. "English weather!" I thought, a cheerful converse feeling to the day's grim darkness. I even donned my rabbit fur jacket (not needed until now), a multitude of layers, and my pink-and-black umbrella. I did feel sort of bad when I saw one of the UEA rabbits hop by with its cousin 'round my neck, but I also felt warm, which sort of evened it all out.

My room has a skylight and it was just comforting to watch the rain fall this afternoon, listening to the steady rhythm. But I was right in a prediction I made two months ago: rain doesn't smell like it does in Arizona. There's no deep breath of creosote and wet, dusty, desert dirt - there is wet earth and the nearly undetectable scent of water, but Arizona rain trumps Norwich rain in scent(though not in amount).

In other watery news, half the halls on campus have lost access to the main waterline (since about seven a.m. this morning). We've just been given a reserve water tank, which is awesome (you should have seen the load of dishes in the sink!), but showers are still unadvised. I plan on taking a shower tomorrow no matter what (sorry, reservoir tank, but I have things to do and don't intend on doing them without a shower!), but I hope it's fixed incredibly soon. It's a flashback to the horrible apartment (flat) that Brittany and I lived in two years ago. The water used to just stop working all the time!

Finally, I wanted to direct you guys to my current photography project. It's sort of silly, but I love it and hope you'll think it's at least interesting. It's called The Photographer Photographer (or Photog-Squared) and the idea is that instead of always getting the tourist photo, I get a photo of the tourists getting the photos! Well, anyway, I'm hoping to do a photo a day for at least a year. It may just end up being a personal goal instead of a public blog thing, but if you like it, drop some comments on your favorite photographer photographs. There's only one up currently, but they are set to auto-post every day. Tomorrow you'll get one of my favorites.

As always, my travel photos are available through my Facebook (link on the sidebar), where my London photos have FINALLY been uploaded. I swear it wasn't my fault, Facebook has been an unreliable lover as of late. Can't live with it, can't live without it...

A Marvelous Time

It's been almost a week since I went to London, but I hope you'll forgive me for not posting - there was actually a huge amount of homework I had to do! I had two five hundred word flash fiction stories due in one class (plus two short stories to read, Rushdie and Hemingway), four huge packets to read for Words and Music, and I have my next class in forty-five minutes! Luckily, I'm all caught up for that one and so I have some time to write up a blog post.

Last Thursday, my travel buddy (Diana) and I met up, caught a bus to the train station, and then hopped a train to London! I was initially quite nervous about the travel situation. Not the train or the bus (which I'm quite comfortable one compared to Tucson buses), but I knew that once we got to London, we'd have to take the Tube. My one experience with London Underground was two winters ago when, even in a group of five other girls, we managed to get lost and looked like silly, silly tourists. So, to avoid what I thought might give me a tragic panic attack, I mapped out our entire journey. And you know what? Not a single mishap the entire weekend Tube-wise!

We arrived at the hostel quite late and the place was chaos. Luckily, it was the good kind of chaos - they have a really popular pub and music venue right underneath the hostel rooms! It made for a loud night, but us college kids weren't bothered by the noise. We even went to bed early, but that was mostly so we could get a good start on Friday morning.

One thing that's really cool about London tourism is that there are a bunch of programs called London 2-4-1. It's exactly what it sounds like! You buy a train ticket, then fill out an online form to receive vouchers for two-for-one tickets all over London. Our first 2-4-1 adventure was Friday morning, when we joined up with a group of people to go on a "London Walks" tour. It was amazing! The theme of the tour was "Eccentric London" and it was all about eccentrics who have lived in London - Oscar Wilde, of course, but also the man who designed the Sphinxes who guard the Egyptian obelisk near the Thames, the Duke of Buckingham who less than humble about his incredibly shapely legs, and about ten other useless but interesting stories about London's eccentric history. All I could think was that my parents and a number of their close friends would have absolutely LOVED that tour!

It was great to start with the tour because it really gave us an idea of where we wanted to go next - we backtracked to Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery, then to Leicester Square for some lunch. We had just come up to Big Ben when it began to rain, and we had a 2-4-1 for the Salvador Dali exhibit, so we ducked in there to shield ourselves from England's wet weather. This exhibit was amazing. I had no idea about all of Dali's work (of course, I only picture melting watches when I thought of him!). But he has some wild sculptures and even wilder paintings/drawings. It was so cool to see past the initial impression you get of Dali from his more famous works and to see into the really, really strange workings of his mind.

Back at the hostel, we ate some delicious Thai food (that's right, Thai food, at a hostel with a Scottish name and bagpipes on the sign, in London. What's up with that?), and played pool with our awesome Irish roommates (two hefty, but jovial, fellas who were there for a whole month). We then headed out to Old Street to find some clubs... and I'll leave the rest of that night there. ;P I will say that Leicester Square looks AMAZING at night. All the colours and lights - it's like Times Square, honestly.

Next day was the Globe and Tate Modern (amazing! Such a cool gallery), then to St. Paul's and back home for some more Thai food. We were so tired from the night before that it was honestly just a "Let's get it done" sort of day. We did have lunch at a fairly classic pub and we tried some delicious new craft beers and ciders that they have on special there, but otherwise, it was a rather relaxing day. The night was calmer as well - we just walked around and watched the buskers and laughed at the drunken revelers instead of joining in the party.

My favourite day though had to be Sunday. It was ZOO DAY! =D The ZSL London Zoo is absolutely the coolest thing. It's a fairly interactive zoo with a lot of exhibits, including a gorgeous humidified butterfly garden, a walk-through where you can be IN the spider-monkey enclosure, and an exhibition of animals doing tricks (a giant macaw flew right over my head in that! Its feathers were in my hair, it was really cool!). But one of the most amazing things was the lion exhibit. The lions had just had two babies this summer and as we walked up to the enclosure, Papa Lion let out a mighty roar and called his cubs up to play with him! They were SO cute.

After that, we headed to Regent's Park, where my camera promptly ran out of battery. Too bad, because the gardens there were gorgeous. I loved the huge variety of roses they had and all the interesting names there were for each kind! But it was getting dark, and cold, so after a quick trip to the boating pond, we found a tube station and headed back to Liverpool Street Station to catch our train to Norwich.

I can't wait to go back! I didn't make it to the science museum or the British Music Experience, so I'll have to make it soon. Plus, I now have some Londoner friends that have promised to give me the insider guide! It's going to be jokes. ;P Photos will be up on my Facebook tomorrow!

Daytrip to Cromer

New, unexpected differences keep popping up every day - the way you pronounce "risotto", the measurement of a "shot" of alcohol, and the reliance of the English on their amazing rail system.

Taking a train in the States is nearly unheard of, but here, it's so easy to go to the rail station and book a ticket to anywhere in the UK. Greyhound buses got NOTHIN' on trains here! And plus, who doesn't want a chance to see more of the English countryside? It shocks me sometimes that this place really looks like this and a train journey makes it incredibly easy to drink it in.

So where did I take the train? Well, my flatmate Lois and I both have free days on Fridays and have declared them our Day-Trip Days! Destination One was the beach at Cromer, a seaside town which we decided to visit now before it was really too cold. It was gorgeous, though a bit chilly. The town is really quaint - lots of older folks about this time of year, but Lois reckons it gets pretty busy in the summertime!


The sea was very pretty and I went in up to my ankles, which was pretty brave for an Arizona girl. But the sun came out for a little while and warmed us up! It was actually a lovely afternoon. And when it got too cold, we went down to the end of the pier where they have a theatre (nothing good was playing) and a Lifeboat viewing center (sort of interesting, but in the end, it was just a boat. We thought we'd get to see it launched when an alarm went off, but the alarm might have just been a phone ringing).

We had lunch on the pier at Tides, and we were pretty excited for it because Cromer is supposed to be really known for its crabs and we'd never really had proper crab before. Unfortunately, the pier restaurant didn't even sell crab. Boo! I consoled myself with my second English fish'n'chips, while Lois had a classic - beans on chips. Beans are on everything here (except in tortillas, which confuses the Mexican food lover I am)! Most notable, and strange for me, is beans on toast. Beans on toast! Ugh, everyone eats it and I cannot wrap my head around it. There was even a Tides menu item called "Things on Toast" and several options (including, of course, beans). Maybe when it gets colder and I need something warm and hearty, I'll give in to this crazy notion of beans on toast, but for now, I'll just have toast and jam.

Some other highlights include - a proper English sweets shop, brightly coloured English dressing tents (I'm not sure what they're really called!), and more of Norfolk's beautiful churches (amazing, amazing architecture here!).

Don't forget to look at all the new photos I've put up on my Facebook! There's a link on the sidebar. There are photos of the Uni campus and the town of Norwich, plus some silly things like a nice picture of my cat, Yaya (who I miss dearly).

Beginning the Real Life

This is my new home, my dorm at UEA! I've been here a week now - it feels as if it's been much longer, since I've done so much! I've been to two of three classes, traveled into town again, did some grocery shopping (not really a proper shop yet, as I have a lot of microwave soup and that's about it... But the raspberries here are delicious!), and been out nearly every night except one! That one night was a case of "Freshers' Flu" - a.k.a. too much partying and not enough sleeping. I'm all better now, but a flatmate downstairs has now got it!

My classes are pretty much amazing. I have one more tomorrow, but the first two have been just great. Words and Music is exactly what I thought it would be - only better! The teacher is incredibly smart but also creative. We've got a project where we're required to write a 20-30 word entry about music every single day for forty days, using either our own words or someone else's or a combination of the two. It's really clever.

I have picked up two new slang words, though I don't use them as much as I thought I would (I suppose I just really like hearing real Brits use them): 'Mint' and 'Jokes.' Both are used for things you think are cool. Another word is "more-ish" - for example, if you really liked grapes (as someone in my flat does), you can't eat just one grape out of the bunch, you'd eat a lot in succession because you think grapes are so more-ish!

Here are a few silly photos I've taken - the infamous packeted condiments from our lunch at the pub:



Proper Fish'N'Chips (from a pub and not a stand):



My pet Cacti!



And that's it for today! Meeting with the flatmates in a bit for some beers. Should be jokes. =D

A State of Disbelief

And so here I am. In my dorm. At UEA. In Norwich. In England.

Tuesday morning I woke up at 5:00 a.m. with the most excited feeling I've ever had. In fact, I was so excited I threw up.
Yeah. Gross.
Luckily, I felt much better after and I was ready to get on the darn plane already! It was a long trek to get here - and not easy, carrying 120+ lbs of luggage! But I am here, safe and sound. My dorm room is adorable, though small. It's probably a similar amount of space to what I was allotted in my first dorm, but without a second half and a second person. I do have a nifty slanted ceiling and a skylight, though! Also, all the UEA dorms give you a giant corkboard to decorate. It took me until today to get thumbtacks, so it's fairly bare.

I met up with some very fun International students and after a night drinking in the pub, we all decided to go shopping in the Norwich City Centre the next day. It was really great to visit a pub (Gardeners Arms) and eat the stereotypical fish'n'chips meal for the first time overseas! It was delicious, and there were tons of little tiny condiments packets. Everyone laughed at me when I took a picture, but I knew I needed to prove it for my blog - tiny packs of ketchup are to be expected, but tartar? Salad cream? The mucky sounding 'brown sauce'? All packaged in miniature single servings! I'm such a girl, but I thought they were very cute.

After lunch, it was off to Castle Mall. But leave it to me to get separated from the group and lost in the mall (before my new hot pink mobile was activated) and have to spend the rest of the time on my own. To be honest, I didn't mind. I got to explore the city a little, looking at the shops and taking the time I wanted to take at each one. I made it home - NOT on the bus, which my feet hated me for - with a new sheet set (red and rather luxurious looking), some new shower supplies, and groceries. Note that I have not yet bought dishes, so all my groceries are pretty much finger food. I've been living on yummy carrots, 'crisps', and bread-and-cheese sandwiches. Oh, and beer. Well, cider, to be exact. Yum.

Lots of orientation stuff today; none of it even worth mentioning except that I now have a campus card and internet access.

Oh. And the cold isn't so bad yet. Now that I've said that, I'm sure I'll be frozen tonight when I go out wearing a skirt for the first time since I've been here. =P Cheers!

Less Than 24 Hours!

The last couple days, it's been packing, packing, packing. I packed up my make-up, my clothes, and my shoes. I packed up sixteen years in the same house and twenty-one years in the same city. I packed up a flashlight, a first-aid kit, and extra hairties because I am utilitarian and I understand 'just in case.' But I am pretty much done packing now. Just the bare bones left around the house, the things I need until the last minute, that's all that's left.

It has to be all that's left, actually, because my suitcases are forty-eight pounds each and I am allowed fifty a bag. There was some panic, I admit. One of them bordered on forty-nine lbs, six oz. That was way too close for comfort. I removed a pair of heels. It broke my heart. I am such a girl.

Oh, and I make the confession that I did not actually pack my second suitcase. I couldn't get it all to fit. You can see to the side it was what I like to refer as to the 'clothesplosion.' I packed and re-packed and just as I was about to pack again, my best friend Bee called and offered to pack for me in exchange for dinner. She did it with room to spare. I don't know how; she's amazing, anyway.

I leave tomorrow morning. Oh. My. God.

A Sweet New Year - Wait, what? ALREADY?

I'm sure that nervous excitement will return soon, but for the past couple days, I've felt a little burnt out on preparing for the trip and not actually being on it. The only thing I've been worked up about lately is my brand new rolling duffel. Well, I admit, I was pretty stoked about that.

I do have one bag completely packed. At 47 pounds, it just hovers around the weight limit. Right now, it isn't really useful. It does serve as a launch pad for Yaya (my Siamese cat) to chase moths from, though! She climbs up to the top for a better aerial view, then flings herself into the air after them. It's both awkward and adorable at the same time, but that is always how Yaya has been.

In the frenzy of preparation, I totally forgot about the High Holidays. For those of you that don't know, the two most holy celebrations in Judaism usually happen about mid-September. This year? The first, the Jewish New Year, occurs two days after I arrive in Norwich. Talk about a new beginning! Rosh Hashanah is translated as "the head of the year," and is full of sweet things like apples and honey to assure a sweet year to follow. To be honest, I'll probably substitute drinking hard apple cider for the apples and honey, but it's similar!

It was a little stressful at first, realizing that before I was even settled in, I needed to begin the Days of Awe and find somewhere to pray. I was worried there wouldn't be a place on campus - after all, how many Jews are there in Norwich? I don't know! It's a little daunting to go from "Jew of A", a school where you can't take a class without a Semite sitting next to you, to a school where I just honestly have no idea about the religious make-up. Luckily, I have excellent Google-Fu and managed to find a synagogue who works through the school chaplaincy, though it seems as if there might be some travel involved to get there. I'm sure it isn't much, except that I'll have never used the bus system at this point!

But the more I think about it, the less I'm worried. I can't think of a better time for Rosh Hashanah to start. Brand new life, brand new year. And some extra blessings on my head before I take on the UK won't hurt. Mazel tov, mazel tov!

Time to get to started on my very long to-do list for the day. New glasses (after all, the ones in my "jolly good!" picture don't even belong to me! ;P), a thorough car cleaning, and some wrangling of a year's supply of prescriptions have all got to get done today! Don't forget to check out Rose Elise-In England's Facebook (link in the sidebar) for some new photos, including some of the bar scene in Tucson, more hiking, and some interesting shots I got at my own house of food (yum!) and the monsoon!

Twenty-Eight Days - Speed Up Time, Please!

Less than a month now. The anticipation is heavy - all I can think about is England, my new University, the journey there, my new dorm, my classes... Basically, if it doesn't have to do with studying abroad, it's not in my thoughts. I go to sleep every night wondering what it's going to be like. Where will I buy my bedding? Who will my roommates be? Will my teachers be amazing? What if my luggage gets lost? Will the weather shock me?

I've been poring over the students in the Facebook group for my residence hall. Students from UEA, London, Manchester, UC Davis, Australia, Vietnam, Norway... In a way, I'm extremely excited to live in a dorm again. Though living on my own was always more freeing, living in a dorm is a really special sort of experience. I was never lonely - my roommate and I got along famously and if she wasn't around, there was always another friend to talk to down the hall.
I remember my first week, sitting down in the lounge in a big circle. Someone had the idea to introduce ourselves to one another using the blues. So, someone else pulled out a guitar and began playing a blues riff, as we all told our tales through song. No one was very good at it (I think mine went - I'm Rose and I work at Starbucks/Just tryin' to make a dollar/I live on 4-Mo with Carrie/So come and give us a holler), but it was so much fun.
Of course, I don't expect my time in my dorm (Orwell Close, it's called) to mimic what I had at Manzi-Mo (the Arts dorm) at U of A. Arts majors are a special breed and we're very, very odd ducks, and so living with large groups of us results in strange pastimes. Photo shoots on the smoking patio, over-dramatic screaming and faked deaths while playing murder mysteries, dancing to musicals in the lounge... Compared to that, Orwell Close will be so normal.

Well, I hope not!

Glorious Emails

I love opening my email to find gems from UEA. This afternoon there was not one, not two, but THREE emails from my new university!

The first was the least exciting - a response to an email I sent the IT HelpDesk about being unable to upload a photo for a Campus Card. Thankfully, the issue was on their end and has now been resolved! I think it's absolutely amazing that you get to choose which photo you want as your card picture. At U of A, they click it during your orientation. As orientation is during the summertime, that usually means the pictures are full of sweaty, frustrated froshers and not very attractive. The picture I chose is alright - it had to fulfill a number of criteria.

The second email was from my housing director about a special Facebook group just for the 2009-2010 students living in my accommodations! I'm excited to peruse the profile pages of my new dormmates and get an idea of who I'll be living with. I don't know if it will live up to my exciting freshman year at U of A, in Manzanita-Mohave... ;P Just kidding! I'm sure it will be comparable, if not a million times better! After all, I'll have my own room. Loved my roommate freshman year, but I've gotten used to living in a room by myself!

But the third and most exciting email was my module enrolment confirmations! That's right, my class schedule! At UEA, students take 60 units. That sort of sounds like a lot in comparison to U of A's 18 credit limit! But each course is actually 20 units, not 3-5. So despite my busiest semester at U of A being comprised of seven classes (back when I was a music major), I'm limited to three classes at UEA. That's okay by me! More time to explore!
The classes I get to take this semester are:
Creative Writing: Prose Fiction - Standard writing class, necessary for U of A credits. I love these classes though!
The Language of Literature - I think this is just about rhetoric and craft. Can't hurt!
Words and Music - I am SO excited for this class. I can't wait! This is exactly the kind of thing I love studying; lyrics, music within literature, etc. This is the class I am most looking forward to.

I am so excited! Just about a month to go!

A Suitcase Full of Books

The packing dilemmas begin.

I have packed almost all of my sweaters and warm clothes away into one of the suitcases I'm hoisting onto the plane with me. Well, strictly speaking, airport staff will hoist it. I'll simply roll it around the airport and give it away to them (trusting I will get it back!). Weighed, this particular suitcase is at 40 lbs. I'm allowed two 50 lb. pieces of luggage! With one already at 40, will that be enough?

It's mind-boggling to me to think about how I'm going to fit my life into two suitcases. Clothes, books, shoes, make-up, things to remind me of home... I don't know how to make it happen! I feel like my life weighs more than 100 lbs. It weighs in people and places and the things you can't exactly pack into a lightweight, yet durable, suitcase (even if the zippers are shaped like little seahorses). How do I pack enough of my best friend to remember to talk with her every day? How do I pack enough of my parents to not forget their quirks? You can't fold your cat into a garment bag and just forget taking the hot Tucson sun or Southwestern flavor.


To help out and get myself a little more prepared travel-wise (as opposed to legal-wise with the visa and school-wise with accommodation application), I've been obsessed with travel books! I bought the Eyewitness Guide Europe and my parents gave me the greatest gift of Once Upon a Time in GREAT BRITAIN by Melanie Wentz. It's a travel guide which takes you around England according to famous children's stories! It also offers so much amazing history on the places from these stories AND the authors who wrote them.

But it took me until today to realize that the local library has travel books! And I don't have to buy them, I just have to read them! So I went today and came out with eight travel books and one photography book. I love eliciting the excited "Are you traveling? Where?!" reaction from people and the librarian certainly had one when my stacks of books tumbled onto his counter.


The library swag:
Fundamentals of Photography by Tom Ang - I've read some photo books, but I think I understand more about my camera now and would be better able to put some of the instructions to good use.
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor - this is the travel book of Leigh Fermor, who tramped around Europe. I don't expect to do much tramping but it looked like a great read.
Safety and Security for Women Who Travel by Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer - I picked this one up just as reiteration for everything I've been told. I don't expect to do much lonesome traveling, but that's not to say I'm not going to do any at all. Best, I think, to know some tips.
Rick Steves' England 2009 and London 2009 - Who doesn't love Rick Steves?! That's all I have to say about that!
How to Travel Practically Anywhere by Susan Stellin - This book claims to be the "Ultimate Planning Guide". I plan to use it to help me pack!
The Best American Travel Writing - No writer is worth anything if they aren't reading what others have written.
Unpacked by Lonely Planet - Lonely Planet writes some of the best travel books out there. They are witty and fun and helpful. This particular book is about travel disasters that have befallen LP writers. It was the first thing I read when I got home - luckily, I won't be in some of those situations!
The Lonely Planet Guide to Experimental Travel - This book is AMAZING. It offers ways to travel when you're tired of seeing a city as a tourist by a guidebook. My favorite one is Ero Tourism - you go to a city with a lover (or a best friend), split up, and see if fates will bring you together. I think it's a gorgeous idea! And everything in the book is whimsical and fun like that. I actually want to buy this one, but I think I'll wait until I get to the UK.

So there you are! We'll see if packing goes any easier with some literary help.

Rose Canyon Lake

As I get ready for England, I find myself seeing beauty in Arizona I've never truly looked at before.

Of course, that might be because I've never really looked at it through a camera lens, but hey, y'know. Whatever the case.

So in the midst of freaking out about how to access my UEA email (which is probably not even possible at this point because I don't have a username. I assume I will get one at orientation), I managed to pack for our camping trip to Rose Canyon Lake. I love Rose Canyon for so many reasons; it's gorgeous, cool in temperature, and free from technology, but mostly because it shares my name.

Everyone came. When I say everyone, I *mean* everyone. Well, except Bee, my best friend, but she just moved here and needed to get more settled before leaving for any weekend trips. We had my Mom (Sharon), my Dad (Chuck), my little brother and his dog (Simon and Sasha), my Aunt (Claire), Uncle (Steve), cousin (Katherine), Mom's bandmate/friend (Dave), Dave's daughter/my friend (Erin), and finally, Katherine's foreign exchange sister from France (Maelle). Whew! That meant five full tents and one Volkswagon bus used as a sleeping chamber.


We tried to fit in all the "normal" camping activities despite being an abnormal group of people. After all, I'm sure most families who bring a guitar with them sing folky songs around the fire, but my family and its friends play traditional Irish music (I abstain, though). Still, we did manage to make s'mores, play in the stream, curl up in sleeping bags, hike up a mountain, almost get hit by lightning...

It's funny how I never did any of this after I graduated high school and started going to University of Arizona, despite Mt. Lemmon being less than an hour away. But now that I'm leaving, I want to soak it all in (while grabbing some photographic evidence). There are so many things about AZ that I'll miss - the sunsets, the cactus, prickly pear jelly (I don't actually like it, but it is a very Arizonan thing), spicy Mexican food (greasy kinds like Nico's bean and cheese burritos AND good kinds like chicken poblano)... I'll really miss monsoon season and the way the city smells like wet dirt and creosote.

It occurred to me today that rain is going to smell different in other places. Bee bought a candle which was supposed to smell like "Fresh Rain" but we both sniffed it and proclaimed how much like rain it didn't smell. So, maybe if I smell that candle long enough, I'll be ready for the smell of rain in England, but I doubt it. In all the lectures on culture shock, no one ever preps you for 'rain shock.'

As always, click the Facebook link on the sidebar to see more photos from this trip, including mine and my cousin's first forays into light painting!

Picture Access

I'm not sure if there's anyone who wasn't already my Facebook friend on this blog, but if you are, could you possibly tell me if my pictures are even visible (through FB) to those who aren't my friends? I will be embedding pictures in posts but not all of them, and I'd love for people to be able to access everything.

If it's not possible, then feel free to add me as a friend...!

Accompanied Facebook

In case you're interested in some photography from this upcoming trip that I will take or some past photos I've taken during other trips/of Arizona, you should check out my Facebook!

Rose Elise-In England

Create Your Badge

I just put up some fun photos from a camping trip I took to Patagonia Lake here in AZ with my friend Brittannie. We saw a snake, a turtle, a frog, and some attack ducks! They ran at us when we sat down to eat our lunch. We affectionately named one "Goober". Goober tried to eat my jacket and then lunged at Brittannie whose only defense was to scream! But we made it out safely in the end. I know you were worried.

Should be lots more camping photos soon - I'll be off to Rose Canyon Lake (appropo, isn't it?) with a huge number of family (and practically family) members! I only have two months left to spend time with them, so I'm excited that we're all getting together.

Approved!

Hm. I do need to remember to keep up this blog. It's mid-July and I am nearly there - at least as far as being allowed into the country! I am very, very excited because my UK visa was approved! This means I have a little over a year to legally stay in England. The process was a little frightening, actually. The study abroad office at the U of A made a really big deal out of getting it right, so I assumed that I would forget something important (I *am* a little scatterbrained). But in the end, using the checklists provided by the university and the UK government, it was easier than I thought. Lots of paperwork and then a Biometrics appointment (facial recognition photo and fingerprints). But the scariest part was mailing my passport. Paper packages are not insurable and it was a huge relief to get the confirmation email that it had arrived at the British Consulate in LA. It was an even bigger relief to receive it back with a gorgeous new VISA STAMP!

I've bought lots of new sweaters ('jumpers' as they call them across the pond). It's depressing that I can't wear them NOW! Some of them are quite cute. But Arizona is WAY too hot to even think about long sleeves. I have packed them away, along with a new pair of jeans I bought that fit perfectly. I'm afraid to wear them until I get there. I want to keep them shiny and new! I've heard a rumor that jeans are really expensive in England? Is that true? Well, no doubt I will stock up on some awesome jeans before I leave.

By the way, did I even mention last post where I'm going??? Norwich! The University of East Anglia! Heard it is gorgeous and everyone I meet who has been there says I will adore it. I can only hope!

Wish I Was Already On That Plane!

My name is Rose, I am a 21 year-old Tucson native studying creative writing at the University of Arizona, and I leave to study abroad England in exactly four months.

*deep breath*

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!


That may seem like a long way off, but with packing, planning, visa application, getting housing, and ESPECIALLY making and saving money in order to afford this trip, it isn't as far away as it sounds. And since I will be there for ten months (nearly a year! Longer if I can afford to travel after school lets out), I feel like four months is just a blip before the real adventure begins.

Things I'm doing right now to prepare:

• Trying to find a second job (daytime bank teller is an option)

• Work hard and try to get promoted from server and cocktail waitress to bartender at my current job (at an Irish Pub... isn't that a tid bit ironic/appropriate? ;P)
• Appointment with Study Abroad adviser on Tuesday - discussing visa application, plane ticket purchase (!!!), work abroad options
• Finding cheap but good quality sweaters, jackets, and other warm clothes at thrift stores/sale racks (this desert girl owns NO warm clothing except one or two long sleeve shirts and a jacket, and going from 100 degree weather to the rainy, cloudy UK is not going to be easy!)

I know there's more to be done, but that is just about all I can cram into my head right now. It's a busy weekend for the Pub, as the nearby college is having its graduation and it gets pretty darn busy with everyone in town celebrating. Crossing my fingers to make a decent chunk of money to deposit into my savings account!