On Nottingham's campus there are fourteen bars. That fact alone is a bit mind boggling hailing from a Bible belt state where a campus is more likely to be dry than not.
Of course, give students somewhere to drink and we'll figure out a way to take it a few steps further than humanly healthy. It was through that mindset that the Campus 14 was born.
The rules are simple: One pint or two shots at every bar.
The time constraints and location of all the bars are where things get tricky. The hall bars do not open until 7:30 pm and all of them close at 11:00pm. Considering there is a good bit of walking between some halls, there tends to be a lot of to-go drinking and chugging to finish on time.
When Jason was in town, we attempted it with Gen and only got five bars in before we got distracted.
Last night however, Gen and I completed our first full Campus 14 with some Rutlanders and I don't know whether to be proud of myself or a little disgusted that there was so much alcohol consumed in one night by everyone present. I think I'll just go with pride.

So, I just realized that I had a slightly wrong idea about being truly involved in a study abroad experience. Gen and I recently hung out with a bunch of other exchange students from all over and we had such an amazing time! This whole trip I've been trying to get really integrated into the British culture and hanging out with people from here, but this past weekend made me realize how great meeting people from my own country and others while I'm here. Not only was it great fun to hang out with people from other countries than the UK, but it was incredible being able to associate with kids going through the same situation as myself. We all understand the confusion of a different grading, miss food from home (good sushi and nachos... I could not be more excited), and our mixed emotions about leaving Nottingham for home.

I might be getting a little too deep about meeting all of these kids, but I was shocked how much I realized I miss American humor and company (my sarcasm does not translate as well over here, sadly). I'm a bit bummed I didn't start hanging out with these guys before now, but am so glad I got to meet them at all.

Here's most of the group on our way to a bonfire in a cave next to the lake.
Partying outside in the woods really took me back to high school.

So exams are in full swing at uni right now... even though I haven't had a single one yet. Everything is pretty quiet though and will be until the 5th of June. Gen and I have had a lot of time on our hands and we have taken advantage of it to the fullest degree. By fullest degree, I of course mean that I have now watched a ridiculous amount of downloaded television and films, along with rereading the Harry Potter series.
I have also taken to running and walking in Wollaton Park a lot in the evenings. Below is documented proof:

It's going to be weird leaving Nottingham and possibly never seeing the people I met ever again. I'm not usually one for nostalgia, but leaving this place may do the trick.
Anyway, next up on the agenda is planning the trip to Spain before I head back to the states. I'll leave you with this link that I'm sure will fill the 'rents with confidence about me traveling there.

AHHHHHHHH! So I'm almost done with my essays for this semester... one more to go for my Viking Age class.
I've pulled waaaaay too many all nighters lately and I'm really excited to be done with this semester. After the last essay, I have two exams (June 2 and 4) and then I will be done... finally. And I'll be a senior... wow, getting old, yeah?
Oh, yet another reason I feel old, Tricia and Bryce are now engaged. (Parents, you remember them right? Tricia was the tall, bubbly blonde, went to prom with Mark senior year, went to UGA for Chemistry & Bryce was the tall one with shaggy hair (: hah.) Anyway, they've been dating for three years and he proposed about two nights ago. They are incredibly happy together and I just am in awe that I have friends that are planning a wedding.
So yeah, I'll talk to you soon family and I hope everything is going swimmingly.

I heard something very British today: "It's called Great Britain for a reason, everything here is great... Except the weather."
Granted, it's a bit pompous, but even the last part of that opinion was proved wrong the past few days. The weather here has been amazing... like, Spring in Georgia without the humidity amazing. I actually smelled fresh cut grass yesterday. I haven't experienced these things in months! Some friends and I laid about on the Downs in the sun this afternoon after lectures.
Speaking of lectures, I looked up my timetable and I think my lectures are ending soon. I only have one week of Philosophy of Religion lectures left and my others seem to be winding down too. I have about four essays due between next week and May and then two exams in early June.
It's nice to have the semester coming to a close and summer getting closer.
Fewer classes means more free time to lounge around and bask in this beautiful weather... I can definitely see myself enjoying these next few months.

Back to School

So I'm back safely in Nottingham. The visit home was fantastic, but I kind of wish I had left more time to hang out with people. Some visits were sacrificed and others were cut short, so that was unfortunate. I did get to meet and hang out with some cool new people from the Grille House though and Becky and I got some good quality time together.
Working back at the Grille House was interesting... I've gotten used to being unemployed here and being thrown back into a job where your interests and well-being are not the main concern was a little exhausting. The money should be pretty good though.
Classes start back next Monday and I have two papers due next week that I haven't started, but hopefully will tomorrow after Gen leaves for a few days.
Thanks again for hosting and feeding me, family, I had a fun time and will see you all again in July.

Ireland & Scotland

Dublin, Wicklow, Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, Edinburgh, and back to Nottingham via London.

Pictures from Paris and Versailles

Back in Nott'm for a day and a half and using the time to pack and keep you guys in the loop of my past whereabouts.
Here are about 220 pictures from our weekend in France. Enjoy...

I'm in love with Dublin. Fosho.

Ireland is amazing! I cannot wait to upload pictures of the Wicklow tour we went on... the scenery was ridiculously breathtaking.
Limerick's cliffs should be pretty amazing tomorrow. As soon as I'm back in Nott'm on Tuesday I'll get some links to pictures.
Love you all mucho.

Week-end à Paris

So Gen and I had an amazing time in Paris this past weekend. We saw so much: Eiffel Tower at night, Musee d'Orsay and all the priceless art from Rodin, Van Gogh, & Monet, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge and a fantastic metro vent outside of it, and finally the palace at Versaille's gardins, Hall of Mirrors, and the royal apartments.
The overall experience was pretty fabulous because of a combination of beautiful weather, really fun hostel, friendly new people, and of course, Gen's wonderful company.
I'm attempting to upload pictures, but Picasa is being tempermental. I'll get them up as soon as possible... though considering our flight leaves for Dublin at half six tomorrow morning, they may not be posted until I'm almost on my way home.
I must go shower and pack now, but I will update more extensively after our trip.

Easter Break

So class is over for the first half of this term and I am packing, or rather, supposed to be packing, to clear out my room. The hall hosts conferences over Easter Break and they use our rooms for guests.
Basically that means that I have to pack up my life from the last two months and live out of a suitcase again. Definitely not fun.
However, tomorrow morning Gen, Syb, and I leave for Paris! Gen and I booked a hostel near the city centre and it looks pretty legit and cool. I will definitely be taking at least a few pictures, but I can't make many promises, as I am lacking a fundamental desire to ever take pictures.
This is the beginning of a pretty whirlwind travelling month for me, so here's the schedule (DAD):

19 March-Thursday: AM flight from East Midlands Airport to Paris, France
23 March-Monday: PM flight from Paris to EMA
24 March-Tuesday: AM flight from EMA to Dublin, Ireland
27 March-Friday: Coach from Dublin to Limerick, Ireland
*28 March-Saturday: All day tour of the cliffs of Limerick
29 March-Sunday: PM flight from Shannon, Ireland to Edinburgh, Scotland
31 March-Tuesday: AM flight from Edinburgh to London, UK; Coach from London to Nottingham
2 April-Thursday: AM Coach from Nottingham to London; PM Flight from London to Atlanta, GA
14 April-Tuesday: PM Flight from Atlanta to London
15 April- Wednesday: PM Coach from London to Nottingham

Between the 15th and the 19th of April, I'm not sure what I will be doing. I may crash at Gen's or possibly meet up with other students and go somewhere in the UK until the dorms open back up on the following Sunday.
Hope you're all doing swimmingly and I can't wait to get to the warm weather of Georgia!

Me in my sad empty room

Well, nothing terribly exciting has happened lately, but I figured I would keep you guys updated on the lack of anything notable occurring... EXCEPT THAT I FOUND A SUPER SECRET TUNNEL TODAY.
Yes. Between the two main buildings there is an underground tunnel that links them. I'm pretty excited.
This should be the first of many tunnel excursions for me. A lot of the Nottingham tunnel portals have been covered with earth, rubbish, bricks, locks, ect., but I think I can figure out a way to infiltrate and explore.

Oh, I meant to show you the ridiculous weather we are having in Notts this winter.

This is the lake in front of the Portland Building. The geese were literally walking on the frozen water.

This is what should be the walkway up the Downs, but, as you can see, it is rather hidden.

Visits

It's been a busy weekend for me! Best to outline for organizational purposes.

• Uncle Doug's visit to Nottingham: After a lot of last minute planning, Uncle Doug made the long drive from London to Notts and picked me up at my dorm. Queue a slightly unnerving first drive in a car for me over here and a quick wander around the city centre. We finally decided on visiting the "oldest inn of the UK" that I mentioned before and settled in for a pint of Old Trip ale and a meal chock full of calories and, for me, a ridiculous amount of goat cheese. I've noticed they are really freaking into cheese over here and I positively love it. We finished our cozy meal and brew and made our way back to the car. On our way though, we encountered a local hero: Robin Hood.Overall, it was a great visit and I am really glad he could make it up to Notts and treat me to a dinner that wasn't mass produced.
• Ocean: Once Uncle Doug dropped me off, I headed over to Gen's and had a Guinness at Rutland's bar and since we were both pretty knackered we had decided to stay in. However, after listening to a really upbeat dance tune, our minds were changed and we were in a taxi in less than half an hour. Things were going pretty well until we discovered a young girl completely passed out in the toilet face down in various bodily fluids. It was really attractive. Long story short, it took us and the managers of the club about an hour and a half to locate her silly drunk friends and get her conscious. It was pretty gross and ridiculous, but Gen and I got six drink vouchers out of it. After we were sure she was fine, we hit up the dance floor again and decided to save our vouchers for another night and had a pretty good sober night out.
• Coaches and Site seeing: The next morning, Gen and I caught our half eleven coach to London and spent about four hours trying to sleep off our inexplicable hangovers. We arrived at Victoria Station and began to walk around trying to get in a few sites and shops before the sun set.
• Dinner and corkscrews: Gen and I met up with her friend, Leah, who was staying at our uncle's flat and graciously let us stay there. We caught a subway and then a bus and got started making a really great dinner of cheese (I told you I've been consuming loads of it), bread and oil, ravioli, and wine. Once dinner was over we broke open a bottle of champagne and started to get ready for going out. There was a minor problem with a cork screw on the fourth bottle of wine we tried to open, but the only casualty was the top of the bottle. (:
• Night out: We caught the tube to get uptown and we met up with a few exchange students who were also visiting London, but sketched off to explore more bars. I'll leave the quantity of alcohol a mystery (for dignity's sake and the lack of memory from all parties, but I'll say we did London right). Around four we decided we were completely knackered and the bars were closing anyway. Catching a taxi proved to be impossible, but Gen took control and found the right bus line to get us home for an early breakfast of bacon, orange juice, and, the highlight, fried bread.
  
• Dorm, sweet, dorm: Needless to say, Sunday's hangovers were more easily explained and the return coach ride was borderline miserable. I am home safely now and getting some schoolwork done. It was a truly legend weekend though and I hope to visit London a bit more intensely at some point.

The True Idea of American Consumers

So, I was perusing the beer aisle in Sainsbury's today and among the delicious lagers and beautiful blonde ales was a case of Budweiser. I was slightly concerned at the fact that someone would innocently try "The King of Beers" instead of the European brews that they offer, but I almost laughed out loud when I saw the package next to the Budweiser. On a separate rack directly beside it was "AUTHENTIC BEEF JERKY."*
Now, I haven't found any true American food brands since I arrived, and the fact that the sales manager thought to himself, "Well, surely anyone that desires Budweiser would be interested in buying this terrible dehydrated beef. Best put them adjacent so the silly Americans don't get confused," was simply hilarious.
I just thought that was entertaining and wanted to share.

*I almost wanted to buy it, but refrained on the grounds of cultural integrity. I do kind of love the jerky though.

Okay, I have more time for a proper post now.

Thus far, my study abroad has been mainly focused on becoming integrated into the social aspect of Nottingham: Pre-lashing and clubbing. I know, Daddy, you're proud.

Athens has trained me well and Pre-lashing/gaming/drinking/night is nothing new. The clubs however, those are a bit different for me. The busiest one in Nottingham is called Oceana (not to be confused with Ocean, of course, which is more 'seedy' and 'sticky') and it is freaking massive. http://www.oceanaclubs.com/nottingham/ <--- if you want to check it out, click that.

Add mediocre bar service and this picture pretty much describes the clubs in my opinion.

I've yet to go to a proper pub, but I hope to do that this weekend, no one seems too interested in just chilling out with a beer when there are clubs available. I definitely have to hit the 'oldest pub in the UK,' Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalum and drink their home brew:

It looks wicked dark and even more tasty.

I've been going out with a lot of first years and they have been a lot of fun, though more... rambunctious than I'm used to.

Good looking fellows, right?

They are really fun though... the girl in the lower left corner is Gen... She's the Australian I've been hanging out with a lot and she's a freaking blast right along with the British guys. Once I remember to take my camera around, I'll post some pictures of the campus and the town.
Hope you're all well and that you enjoyed my pictorial tour of drunkeness.

Hello all of the people that care about my trip!

It snowed here in Nottingham today... I was miserable and no one really comprehends that. I really blame my hatred on those years in Michigan wearing snowsuits, but it could be that I just am a wuss about being wet and cold.
I've been having a ball in England thus far. I'm still getting a bit settled... I've made a lot of friends in another hall, but not many in my own. I'll work on that at some point. Or not. It depends how active I'm feeling that day I suppose.
I'll update more later, but we're about to head out for a friends birthday...
Love and miss you all!

Move in day...

After spending the night gliding over the Atlantic and falling asleep to the voice of a stewardess talking about how she really did like Sarah Palin, I arrived in Heathrow around midday London time. I have been nervous at every junction of my trip expecting some missing paperwork to keep me from getting here... I even almost regretted my procrastination and lack of preparation or paperwork. Needless to say, the British woman at customs was not a huge fan of my lack of information.
Regardless, I am now sitting in my room in Fullbeck Block in Lincoln Hall of the University of Nottingham. I ate a dinner of dry turkey and a vegetable medley of bright yellow and orange cubes. It was... rather tasteless actually, but I don't mind.




















I feel like a freshman again eating by myself and sitting in my room alone, but I'll be fine. I'll hopefully meet some awesome people at orientation tomorrow. I have positively no idea when classes start or even what classes I'm going to take, but again, I'll be fine. I think.
The weather here isn't great, though there is no snow and no torrential downpours, so I'm okay with it. Okay, I hear people rummaging in the hall (ha! One of them just said "rubbish!") and I am going to go try to play nice like a good FES.
Cheers!

As usual, I have left everything to get done until the very last minute. You would think an opportunity like this would make me excited enough to prepare... nope, as I type this I'm looking at a huge open suitcase surrounded by impossibly high piles of dirty clothes. I'm sure I'll get it down in time...
Also, despite my procrastination and total failure in regards to paperwork, Mom and Dad have come to my rescue until my HOPE and loan cheques come which they are finally scheduled to do... after I arrive in England. However, the Nottingham Accomodation people seem really forgiving and I can pay for the first accomodation payment upon my arrival which is... oh, about two weeks after the deadline. That means I can send my visa requirements in on Friday, I have a place to live in Nottingham, and I will have money at some point! Yay for not being broke and homeless!

Speaking of homes... I will be living in Lincoln Hall on the Nottingham campus this spring. It appears that I'll have a single bedroom, though I will probably share a study room and/or a bathroom. Every hall on campus has its own library, bar, and dining room... What more could a girl ask for?

This is Lincoln Hall from the view of the Downs. Exciting, no?!