Hey guys!
So my computer has decided it's going to pack it in. Good timing hey? Over the past two weeks it's had two major crashes that have required a forced shutdown. I'm not sure what caused the crashes but ever since, my computer has been getting slower and slower with responding and overheating quite quickly. I can really only have one program running at a time, which isn't really an option when you have multiple readings to do for classes. My parents are LOVELY people though and I am going to be able to replace the darned thing at the end of October when I go up to London for the day. We have a student reading week from the 27th of October to the 3rd of November and I have to start my major essays that week so I'm going to go up on the Saturday. I think I might call ahead and get the computer put aside for me just so I know I'm not wasting a trip to the store.
Why wait until then you ask? Well I visited the computer provider in town here but the don't carry the model I'm looking for, nor will the order it in. I CAN order one myself from the website but I really worry about making that kind of order over here. I'd rather pick it up in person.
Other than that, it's been a busy week. My roommates all moved in on Sunday! Harriet, Evie and Hayley are a lovely bunch of girls so I think we're going to have a good year together. I'm the oldest in the house which makes sense as Uni housing is only given to first year students and internationals. It's been pretty loud on the block with a lot of parties but I guess that's to be expected. It's called "Freshers Week" right now, which is basically a University organized party week. The rest of the year is going to be boring comparatively. (I hope!) I feel a bit bad because I'm really not a drinking/partying kind of person so I don't go to the parties at the bar. I DO visit with the neighbors though, who are all nice people so far. During these visits, I've somehow ended up looking after the rather drunk people. They're all quite happy for the company while they either vomit or sit outside but I find it a bit funny. I honestly don't mind making sure they're doing okay, I'm the only sober one so it makes sense.
Tonight will be interesting. It's the biggest party at the bar so I'll most likely end up holding someones hair again. I'm not going to the bar, I'm going to try and get my reading done for class tomorrow. As long as I get that done before people start stumbling back to the housing block I'm happy. I have earplugs too so hopefully sleep won't be too much of an issue.
As a last little note, I've started running finally! There is a gorgeous little gravel trail through the park right by my house and it's frequented by dog walkers, other runners and people walking to class. It's very misty in the morning so the light through the trees makes for a very pretty run.
See you next Wednesday!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Name That Brand
It's Wednesday, so hello again!
This week my battle has been with brands. Shopping back home is a breeze because I know where things are and I know what I like and what I don't like when it comes to the products I'm buying. Here? Nope. No clue.
I have to shop twice a week because my fridge/freezer/cupboard storage is nil. As much as I'd love to buy a 1kg bag of brown rice that would last me all semester, I can't because I don't have the room for it. I have found some things like cheerios, frosted flakes etc. but for the most part North American brands can't be found. I nearly had a breakdown in trying to buy laundry soap yesterday, because I had no clue what I was buying! I read so much fine print on those boxes and bottles my head nearly popped. My kingdom for a bottle of Tide!
Honestly though, even when you find a brand from back home it can prove disappointing. Pop, juice and a few candies that I loved back home I hate here. Pops and juices are too sweet for my liking and candies like skittles are flavored differently so they're not what I think a Skittle should taste like. Lucky for me it was a very small pack of Skittles or I would have thrown them out. I found a bottle of "American Style Ginger Ale" in the Marks & Spenser grocery store today and while I was quite excited to try it, I knew it would be the British equivalent of what American ginger ale tastes like. It's not bad to be honest, but it's a tad more gingery than I'm used to. Still, it's comforting to have around, especially because I have a slight cold right now. Peanut-butter is another disappointing product. It's very dry and without much peanutty flavour. Mind you, it may just have been the brand I bought. We'll see when I run out and get more. Margarine is a no no here. I knew Becel was called Flora over here so without thinking, I got a light tub to go with my english muffins (so hard to find by the way) in the morning. Big mistake. The stuff is so salty it's like I've spread a bit of some cow's salt lick on my muffin! I guess I'll be using unsalted butter when I use up this tub.
Fruit and veg in store is fairly pricey, but I've discovered that the farmers markets that pop up are the best and cheapest way of getting the fresh stuff. A pound of apples in the store might be 2 pounds but at the markets you can get them for half that. Same goes for assorted peppers, cucumbers, bananas, grapes. I'm making sure I eat some sort of fruit or veg at breakfast and lunch and two types at dinner. I didn't have to think about it at home because it was just done but here I really have to make sure I'm eating that stuff.
Grocery shopping isn't all doom and gloom though, there have been a few nice brand surprises! Weight Watchers has way more products here! I've found W.W. yogurts and three different kinds of bread! Big grocery stores like Sainsbury have products like W.W. soup, candies and ready meals in types you don't see back home, cheese, cooking sauces and even wine! The only thing I've tried so far is the yogurts and they're really good. Oh! Speaking of yogurt, they're quite fond of making yogurt flavors it shouldn't be. I have so far seen aero bar yogurt, smarties yogurt and rolo yogurt. Ew.
On a less food related note, I bought a pair of rubber boots! They're by the brand Hunter, so they were pricey little buggers. Lucky for me I bought them at a store that gives a 20% discount to students. Woohoo discounts! I wondered if I should just get a cheap pair of rubber boots like a few other girls did but when I asked around, all the lovely people who have lived through a Chichester winter said "NO! GET THE HUNTERS OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!" Needless to say I took their advice.
This week my battle has been with brands. Shopping back home is a breeze because I know where things are and I know what I like and what I don't like when it comes to the products I'm buying. Here? Nope. No clue.
I have to shop twice a week because my fridge/freezer/cupboard storage is nil. As much as I'd love to buy a 1kg bag of brown rice that would last me all semester, I can't because I don't have the room for it. I have found some things like cheerios, frosted flakes etc. but for the most part North American brands can't be found. I nearly had a breakdown in trying to buy laundry soap yesterday, because I had no clue what I was buying! I read so much fine print on those boxes and bottles my head nearly popped. My kingdom for a bottle of Tide!
Honestly though, even when you find a brand from back home it can prove disappointing. Pop, juice and a few candies that I loved back home I hate here. Pops and juices are too sweet for my liking and candies like skittles are flavored differently so they're not what I think a Skittle should taste like. Lucky for me it was a very small pack of Skittles or I would have thrown them out. I found a bottle of "American Style Ginger Ale" in the Marks & Spenser grocery store today and while I was quite excited to try it, I knew it would be the British equivalent of what American ginger ale tastes like. It's not bad to be honest, but it's a tad more gingery than I'm used to. Still, it's comforting to have around, especially because I have a slight cold right now. Peanut-butter is another disappointing product. It's very dry and without much peanutty flavour. Mind you, it may just have been the brand I bought. We'll see when I run out and get more. Margarine is a no no here. I knew Becel was called Flora over here so without thinking, I got a light tub to go with my english muffins (so hard to find by the way) in the morning. Big mistake. The stuff is so salty it's like I've spread a bit of some cow's salt lick on my muffin! I guess I'll be using unsalted butter when I use up this tub.
Fruit and veg in store is fairly pricey, but I've discovered that the farmers markets that pop up are the best and cheapest way of getting the fresh stuff. A pound of apples in the store might be 2 pounds but at the markets you can get them for half that. Same goes for assorted peppers, cucumbers, bananas, grapes. I'm making sure I eat some sort of fruit or veg at breakfast and lunch and two types at dinner. I didn't have to think about it at home because it was just done but here I really have to make sure I'm eating that stuff.
Grocery shopping isn't all doom and gloom though, there have been a few nice brand surprises! Weight Watchers has way more products here! I've found W.W. yogurts and three different kinds of bread! Big grocery stores like Sainsbury have products like W.W. soup, candies and ready meals in types you don't see back home, cheese, cooking sauces and even wine! The only thing I've tried so far is the yogurts and they're really good. Oh! Speaking of yogurt, they're quite fond of making yogurt flavors it shouldn't be. I have so far seen aero bar yogurt, smarties yogurt and rolo yogurt. Ew.
On a less food related note, I bought a pair of rubber boots! They're by the brand Hunter, so they were pricey little buggers. Lucky for me I bought them at a store that gives a 20% discount to students. Woohoo discounts! I wondered if I should just get a cheap pair of rubber boots like a few other girls did but when I asked around, all the lovely people who have lived through a Chichester winter said "NO! GET THE HUNTERS OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!" Needless to say I took their advice.
Pretty spiffy!
The lovely fuzzy white bit at the top is actually a wellie sock. I bought a pair for my boots because apparently your toes go numb in the winter without them. I know from experience that numb toes is one of the worst side effects of winter and contributes to my clumsiness. Thus, socks.
I'm hoping by Christmas I'll be done with my brand trial and error and know what to get when I need it.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Settling In and First Classes
Hello again,
So I'm finally starting to settle into life here in England. I know the layout a bit more and my routine is mostly set, even if I haven't quite lived it yet. My classes are all chosen and binders have been purchased. You would not believe how hard it was finding binders and binder paper! Students really seem to prefer notebooks here. The paper that goes into binders is all in notebook form, no loose leaf paper to be found! Lucky for me the book of paper I bought easily pulls out so I am just tearing out sheets as I need it and clipping it all into my binder.
My first class was a Women's Lit class and went quite well. It's from 12-2pm on wednesdays though so I was starving all the way through class. Next time I'll bring my lunch to eat at the break rather than waiting until two. There looks to be a lot of reading for this course. I will most likely have to buy the books I need to read off Amazon but I'll see if I can get away with library copies for the first little bit.
I promised last post that I'd give you guys pictures of my housing so here they are:
So I'm finally starting to settle into life here in England. I know the layout a bit more and my routine is mostly set, even if I haven't quite lived it yet. My classes are all chosen and binders have been purchased. You would not believe how hard it was finding binders and binder paper! Students really seem to prefer notebooks here. The paper that goes into binders is all in notebook form, no loose leaf paper to be found! Lucky for me the book of paper I bought easily pulls out so I am just tearing out sheets as I need it and clipping it all into my binder.
My first class was a Women's Lit class and went quite well. It's from 12-2pm on wednesdays though so I was starving all the way through class. Next time I'll bring my lunch to eat at the break rather than waiting until two. There looks to be a lot of reading for this course. I will most likely have to buy the books I need to read off Amazon but I'll see if I can get away with library copies for the first little bit.
I promised last post that I'd give you guys pictures of my housing so here they are:
Bed and desk. Bed sucks, will need extra blankets, it's
freezing in the nights/mornings.
Sink and wardrobe. I have enough space for
clothing but no storage space for make up etc.
The kitchen! The stove is confusing, and it'll be cramped when the
other students arrive. I will probably do pre-cooking Sundays
and then just heat my dinner meals in the microwave
the rest of the week.
I didn't snap photos of the bathroom because it just looks like a bathroom. The water pressure in the shower is AWFUL so showers are a bit of a chore. I might just switch to baths, time will tell. In any case, that's Havenstoke! At least on the inside. It's been too rainy to snap decent photos of the outside. Havenstoke is a bit of a walk from the actual campus and buildings and since I was to be there for two and a half weeks by myself, the accommodation office was nice and allowed me to temporarily move to a room on campus with another student in the room next to me. This way I'm not alone! When I move back, I will call security to walk me back during my evening class/after pub nights. It's not safe to walk alone along the field path at night, especially since the lighting is crap.
What else is happening? OH! I went for my first fish and chips! It wasn't bad, but too battered/greasy for my tastes. I'll have to try other places to find the good stuff.
As far as making my own food goes, I'm doing fine. I am making sure I eat veg and fruit. I'm eating salad at dinner, even though I am really not a fan of lettuce. I'm slowly getting staple items and I found a really cheap grocery store that works, so I haven't had to order from Sainsbury's or Tesco yet. When I need things like flour or what have you, I'll order it. There is a fresh fruit/veg/bread market every Wednesday and Saturday 8am-2pm that I want to go to. Apparently its much cheaper to get your fresh stuff there. Fridays some farmers set up in the middle of the shopping streets too.
I've been spending time with the other international girls on campus most days. We set up a Facebook group to keep in touch and I have the two German girls (Lisa and Ronja) I met on my first day in my Women's Lit course.
That's all I have for now. Updates will mostly happen on WEDNESDAYS!
Now, if you'll excuse me I am going to enjoy a cuppa in my (free) University of Chichester mug!
Friday, September 6, 2013
Arrival And The First Few Days
I will admit, I didn't expect the first days to be this tough. Saying goodbye to my parents at the airport was as sad as I thought it would be. I didn't cry until I got through the security gates though, so I consider that an accomplishment. The flight was fine but I didn't sleep at all, so I was a bit out of sorts for a good long time afterward. The train ride was cool, and I actually saw my first castle! Thanks to some very nice tourists, getting my bag off and on the train was easy. Had I been doing it by myself I'm not sure what I would have done, the baggage area was so crowded.
My first full day was done on no sleep so that didn't help my mood. I was hit with homesickness right away. I wasn't expecting that until maybe a week from now! Nope, first day and I was so homesick if I could have gotten on an airplane back home I would have done. That wasn't an option however, so I just went on with my day. I met two German girls getting off at the Chichester stop with big suitcases so I introduced myself and we ended up all taking a taxi together to the university. We got our accommodation easily but while they were on campus, my housing is about a 10 minute walk from the campus so I had to lug my suitcase to my place. No one else is in this block of housing yet so I'm alone and rather far away from anyone. It makes me nervous to be honest. The room itself is nice but the bed is really awful. You can feel every spring in the darned mattress. Nothing I can do about it though, a bed is a bed. I have a sink in my room and the bathroom is about five steps from my door. I have to share the (small) kitchen and (even smaller) bathroom with the three other people when they move in, but that won't be until the 22nd.
I pretty much dropped my bag in my room and then headed back out. I had to find some kind of internet to tell my parents and TRU that I arrived. It took a bit but I was able to sign up for internet early. They were going to make me wait until today but when I explained why I needed it the support services was really nice and walked me through the process early.
After I sent my emails I bumped into the two German girls again and we all decided to try to find the grocery store together because we needed food and things to make the food. We were joined by two other girls they had met in residence and the five of us spent the next four hours walking around trying to find a grocery store. We did located Sainsbury's in the end but the blisters on my feet hate me for the walking. I still need quite a few kitchen basics but for the most part I have food for the next few days.
After I got back to my place I found out I had been locked out by maintenance. Joy of joys. So I'm stuck with groceries in a block of housing with no other people and no cell phone to call for help. I was lucky and ten minutes later a man riding his bike home helped me call for help.
I wish I could say my night improved from there but it really didn't. I was so stressed over my inability to communicate with people that when I found out the campus wifi didn't cover the housing I live in I just broke down. I took a nap (bad idea) and then tried to figure out the housing internet I was given instructions for. It took a bit, and 92 pounds to set up but it works! It's money I didn't have in my budget though so that scares me.
Today wasn't much better. I went out with the same girls from yesterday to locate a phone, and while I did get one, it hasn't connected to any signal yet, and it should have connected in an hour. It's been nine. So I'm still without a phone. Greaaat. I'm going in tomorrow to see what the problem is.
Orientation was fine for the most part. A lot of information overload but that's to be expected. The annoying part was I have paid for five courses per semester at TRU and a full semester here is four. The English adviser told me to drop two of the five courses I had signed up for. So now I have to figure out how to get the credit back from TRU for the two courses I dropped. Oh and I was informed classes start on the 9th, not the 23rd. So now I need to get notebooks in a hurry for class.
I'm tired. I'm homesick. It'll get better.
Next time I'll give you guys photos of my place.
My first full day was done on no sleep so that didn't help my mood. I was hit with homesickness right away. I wasn't expecting that until maybe a week from now! Nope, first day and I was so homesick if I could have gotten on an airplane back home I would have done. That wasn't an option however, so I just went on with my day. I met two German girls getting off at the Chichester stop with big suitcases so I introduced myself and we ended up all taking a taxi together to the university. We got our accommodation easily but while they were on campus, my housing is about a 10 minute walk from the campus so I had to lug my suitcase to my place. No one else is in this block of housing yet so I'm alone and rather far away from anyone. It makes me nervous to be honest. The room itself is nice but the bed is really awful. You can feel every spring in the darned mattress. Nothing I can do about it though, a bed is a bed. I have a sink in my room and the bathroom is about five steps from my door. I have to share the (small) kitchen and (even smaller) bathroom with the three other people when they move in, but that won't be until the 22nd.
I pretty much dropped my bag in my room and then headed back out. I had to find some kind of internet to tell my parents and TRU that I arrived. It took a bit but I was able to sign up for internet early. They were going to make me wait until today but when I explained why I needed it the support services was really nice and walked me through the process early.
After I sent my emails I bumped into the two German girls again and we all decided to try to find the grocery store together because we needed food and things to make the food. We were joined by two other girls they had met in residence and the five of us spent the next four hours walking around trying to find a grocery store. We did located Sainsbury's in the end but the blisters on my feet hate me for the walking. I still need quite a few kitchen basics but for the most part I have food for the next few days.
After I got back to my place I found out I had been locked out by maintenance. Joy of joys. So I'm stuck with groceries in a block of housing with no other people and no cell phone to call for help. I was lucky and ten minutes later a man riding his bike home helped me call for help.
I wish I could say my night improved from there but it really didn't. I was so stressed over my inability to communicate with people that when I found out the campus wifi didn't cover the housing I live in I just broke down. I took a nap (bad idea) and then tried to figure out the housing internet I was given instructions for. It took a bit, and 92 pounds to set up but it works! It's money I didn't have in my budget though so that scares me.
Today wasn't much better. I went out with the same girls from yesterday to locate a phone, and while I did get one, it hasn't connected to any signal yet, and it should have connected in an hour. It's been nine. So I'm still without a phone. Greaaat. I'm going in tomorrow to see what the problem is.
Orientation was fine for the most part. A lot of information overload but that's to be expected. The annoying part was I have paid for five courses per semester at TRU and a full semester here is four. The English adviser told me to drop two of the five courses I had signed up for. So now I have to figure out how to get the credit back from TRU for the two courses I dropped. Oh and I was informed classes start on the 9th, not the 23rd. So now I need to get notebooks in a hurry for class.
I'm tired. I'm homesick. It'll get better.
Next time I'll give you guys photos of my place.
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