Umm what did you just say?

Today was not a good day. There were a number of reasons for this, but I'll cut it down to the only one that is entertaining enough to rehash.


I finally found a bookstore in city center. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy it because of the author of a certain book...

It's probably important to mention here that the author was a Middle Eastern Islamic man and the book was about a man who tries to escape from his arranged marriage by trying to flee the country wearing a burka.


Basically, he asked me to buy it. I said no. He asked me again, I again said no. We went back and forth, and our conversation evolved into a discussion of America (this frequently happens here when people hear my accent), where he told me he lived in Kansas City for awhile, but had to leave because "people there were just so awful after 9/11"...I told him I didn't think the evil that occurred on that day was a reflection of the true Islamic faith, and I apologized for Americans who are ignorant enough to believe otherwise. I also told him that most people I know don't believe otherwise, and are very accepting of other religions.

He then thanked me for my open mindedness, told me I was a lovely girl, "so unlike other Americans" and continued to trash the US until he finally offered to let me make amends for "the terrible actions of George Bush" by buying his book.

Not. Even. Kidding.

Pre-Conceived Notions and Misconceptions

I'm pretty sure my tutor thinks that American "states" are just like European "states" in the sense that they're soveriegn, only voluntarily banding together as a union.

Also, a lot of people here think that we refer to our language as "American" instead of "English"


....These are just two of so many misconceptions I've encountered while I've been in England. Don't even get me started on the things they think about Kansas.

Then again, we're just as bad. Americans all claim that English people have bad teeth, when in fact the majority of them have very nice, straight teeth, thanks to their wonderful health care system. Also, they don't have tea and scones everyday at 4.

SNOW!!!

It's funny how it snows almost everyday here, and yet everyday it all completely melts. These pictures were taken within a half hour of each other. This country can't decide if it wants to be freezing or not.

This crazy weather makes me feel a little less homesick.

Absence

You may be wondering why I haven't written in four days.

Well, I have no news that would really be interesting to anyone.

I will say though, that the bathrooms are so nice here compared to the US. However, they are lacking in paper towels and soap dispensers. That's been a pain.

Also, I miss having a productive life. I should have gotten a work visa.


I'm sorry that this is the best I can do right now.

Mardi Gras in the UK

Mardi Gras in Leicester was a total bust. The only people who were wearing beads were in the group I came with, and everyone else at Red Leicester was either wearing campaign tshirts (student elections are this week), or was pretending to be pregnant.


Apparently, Mardi Gras is more of an American thing.

Eating Properly

Last night we made pancakes in my block. They came out more like crepes, but were still very delicious. It aways astounds me how properly English people eat. They use silverware....for everything. They even eat chips (french fries) with a fork! And the way they do it is so neat, so formal...not anything like my technique, where I stab my fork down and wrap my whole hand around my knife, sawing feverishly until I break apart my food.

I kind of feel like a neanderthal when I eat here.

Last night I asked one of my friends about this and they said proper dining etiquette was something they learn in grammar school here.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of jealous.

I'm also kind of confused, because although they all have perfect table etiquette, the dining hall doesn't have any napkins.



I'm feeling much better! This nasty flu has evolved into a tolerable cold. Yippee!
.

The Most Romantic Day of the Year

Valentine's Day.

Hmmm
Not so much.


Try
"Laundry Day"

Coupled with some
"Sick Day"


And there you go!

It Takes My Breath Away

Every Austen or Bronte film I have seen has remarkable scenes of the English countryside that knocks the wind out of my lungs. It always looks as though it is so much greener in England, and so much more dramatic. I have spent so many of my nights falling asleep dreaming about the stunning English moors, abrasive cliffs, and romantic villages. It hasn't quite sunk in that I live in this beautiful place now, but there are moments where it hits me and I realize the reality of this vivid beauty.




Around 6:30am Friday morning I heard the familiar soft noise of rain falling on the roof. As I watched the water glide across the glass, I couldn't resist opening the window to the damp world outside. The sound of the rain, so gentle without thunder or lightening, and the birds singing songs in the early days of February took my breath away. I stayed there for several minutes, absorbing this unusual beauty of daybreak that I am so unaccustomed to. With no cars in the background, and no students awake to be heard, it felt as if I looking out on a scene described only in novels written long ago.




I took this picture later. It ended up being a beautiful day.

Day Four: No Improvements

I'm still really sick.
The walls are closing in on me. This is really starting to suck.


Thank God for friends and Skype.
It's so nice to have the support from back home and new friends here.

I'd give you more of an update, but unfortunately, I really don't know whats interesting about being miserable and in bed 24 hours a day.

Fever Pitch

...And the saga continues.

No sleep tonight...I've got the chills, body aches, and a sore throat with a bad cough. No medicine for now...I don't feel like walking to ASDA in this cold rainy weather.


I have never missed my electric blanket and space heater so much. I'm also concerned because I'm about to run out of bottled water and I can't drink the tap without getting sick.


Crap.

New movies to add to my list:
Up in the Air
Paper Heart

The Sick Saga Continues

I feel worse today. Thank God I don't have any class tomorrow. I may not even get out of bed to eat.

No other news...I've spent all my sick time in bed watching documentaries. So far I've gotten through Food Inc, Voices from the World Trade Center, Loose Change, National Geographic's analysis of Loose Change, Grey Gardens (the original 1975 version), and Grey Gardens (the HBO movie made based off of the original).

AND I've almost finished Nickle and Dimed, which is a book describing one reporters quest to survive on low paying jobs like serving, cleaning, and selling retail products.


Wow I feel lame. Very informed, but incredibly lame.

Feeling Icky

Last night I had an awful dream that I missed my flight to England...I thought it was strange because, while I do worry a lot it's usually about things that haven't happened yet.

I woke up with a horrible feeling at the base of my throat and itchy eyes. I couldn't get out of bed.

My plans to visit the library for a few hours before European Politics officially canceled, I laid in bed until I was forced to go to lecture. The first thing I felt as I left the comfort of my cozy home was the stinging of sleet on my face. This continued as I waited for the bus to come, and unfortunately not even my umbrella could successfully battle the harsh wind and snow.

Dinner required another cold walk from Digby to the dining hall and back again. I just got home and I feel beat. I guess all I can do now is drink water and sleep.

Sigh*

Last time I felt sick, during winter break, I had my wonderful parents to cook for me and a cute boy that made me warm tea. I miss that all so much right now.

God willing, this will pass before I leave for London on Friday with the girls.

Learning how to Act my Age

Last night I went out with some people from my hall. It was a lot of fun, but I definitely think I need to train myself to be able to last all night long. Bars don't close at 2 here on Friday nights, and a lot of students stay up until 6 dancing and drinking IN HEELS!!! They definitely know how to have fun. I feel like an old lady wanting to call it a night at 1:30am.

Mexican Food!!!!

Today the girls and I decided to hunt down a Mexican restaurant in Leicester. Trust me when I say this is more difficult than it sounds.




We ended up at Las Iguanas. They didn't have tacos, and they didn't have beans inside their burritos, but it was still delicious.

The Definition of Innapropriate Dinner Conversation

Tonight at dinner I was told by a student from South Africa that America is to blame for the majority of the problems in the world, and that we deserved to be bombed during Pearl Harbor because we had been "choking" Japan economically.

Yeah, I was offended. But I wanted to understand why he feels this way, so I did a little research.

From our discussion I gathered that he was particularly upset about things like this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4678592.stm
http://lite.alertnet.org/db/blogs/58388/2010/00/29-185031-1.htm

Reading this, it's pretty clear that hunger is a terrible issue plaguing Africa. I also think it's clear that there are a number of factors to take into consideration when determining the cause of the hunger, and the obstacles they face in trying to overcome the food shortage. Intergovernmental conflict, corruption, land locked states, multi-national actors, and countries like the US have all either contributed to this problem or not done enough to improve the situation.

Tonight I encountered someone from that area of the world. I think he had a very normal emotional reaction-point fingers, place blame, etc.. I just don't think it's that simple.

We do give aid. Compared to the rest of the world, we give an awful lot of aid. HOWEVER, percentage wise we are not giving enough. We don't allot nearly as much in our federal budget as other Western countries. Much of our aid comes with a price. We are willing to give to states who can benefit us in some sort of way. We aren't altruistic.

That being said, I don't think we should be blamed for that. We have the capabilities to do good things around the world, and we do, but we must have an agenda that puts our interests first. That's what sovereign states do. Ultimately, that's how we survive. We give, but we also take. Banks don't loan money for free, so why should we? At the end of the day, we aren't a NGO, we're a state...and just like any other state, we're fallible. The biggest priority is ourselves! It's not being selfish, because one of the main underlying functions of state is the protection of its people!

Anyways, I understand where people are coming from when they get angry at the US, but I don't think we could really do much to make it better. I'm a realist. I think anti-American sentiments will continue until we are no longer this powerful, and then it'll move on to the next super power.

British Politics 101

I began my tutorials today. Tutorials are like discussion sessions or seminars, where a group of 10 to 15 people from one lecture meet with an instructor to discuss course material. I was expecting my Current Issues in IR tutorial to be interesting, but it was actually rather dull. Surprisingly, my European Union tutorial was awesome.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've finally got a glimpse into the British political perspective. I was cracking up the whole time at the things students were saying. Here are a few examples I copied down during our discussion this afternoon:

Instructor: Why do you think Great Britain has been so hesitant to join and support EU policies?
Student: Because we're British.

Instructor: Was it a mistake not to adapt the euro as our currency?
Student: No! The pound is a part of our heritage. It cannot be given up. That would be like giving our queen over to France! Ugh France!

Instructor: It seems that on the one hand Great Britain negotiates with the rest of Europe and on the other we flirt with America.
Student: Well we have a very special relationship with America...good memories there.

Instructor: Should we support Lisbon Treaty's goal of a European Constitution?
Student: We don't need a Constitution. We have a good memory.

Foooooood

The food here is...interesting. It's definitely not as bad as people make it out to be, but it is a little confusing. Here are a few examples of why it is so different.

1. Ham and bacon are one in the same...at breakfast we have what looks like ham in the middle, but bacon around the edges. I'm not sure which one it is exactly.

2. French Fries are called "chips" and chips are called "crisps"...so when I tell my British friends I'm going to the vending machine to get some chips, they are probably a little confused.

3. I'm used to the standard sandwich toppings: Turkey, Ham, Salomi, etc...here they have many more combinations such as "Tuna and Corn", "Cheese and Onion", and "Prawn and Tomato", and "egg and coleslaw." So far I haven't been very brave. I'm eating a lot of chicken salad or chicken spinach and tomato.

4. When you order a pizza it doesn't come with marinara, ranch, or garlic sauce. Last night ours came with horseradish and barbecue sauce. Surprisingly, I thought it was quite tasty.

5. The chocolate candy here consists of brands I'm not really used to. There is a ton of Cadbury chocolate...I've pretty much been in heaven. Mom, you would love it here.

6. Dessert is usually cake, cobbler, or pie, covered with a hot pudding. It takes some getting used to, but it's starting to taste really good.

7. The standard breakfast (eggs, ham/bacon, and sausage) comes draped with baked beans. When you can't afford the beans (like in our dining hall) they use Spaghetti 0's, or as they call it here, Spaghetti hoops.

8. There are a lot of familiar products in the grocery store, but they don't look the same. For instance, they have "nutrigrain bars" and "Cheerios" just like we do back home, but with completely different labels. It would be interesting to find out why their ads and labels are made differently for the UK people





9. The tap water here makes me sick. I don't know why, but it does.

10. Fruits and vegetables are so much more affordable. There are also healthier menu options at places like McDonalds, which has a deli sandwich menu, and healthier fast food places such as "Eat" and "Pret-a-Manger" that like Panera but much less expensive. It is so easy to be healthy here...if you can avoid the wonderful chocolate.

The Shortest Semester Ever

It's official:

I'm going to be done with school by late March.

Technically, our essays are due on May 4th, but since those are my only assignments the whole semester I know I will finish them before Easter break.

I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!

I just need to work hard these next couple of months and then I'll have another 7 weeks for travel and leisure before returning to Kansas.

I'm going out with some of the English girls in my block tonight. I hope it will be fun!