A Boring Sunday

Today I was soar from that run yesterday so i had no motivation to run again...  I spent the day putting together my schedule from the separate pieces of paper my advisor gave me.  It looks like i have class Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.  I end friday at noon so that leaves plenty of weekend time for fun activities ;)...

Im really looking forward to the start of classes tomorrow.  Im excited about the classes I'm taking and the club meetings this week.

ttfn

Very nice sunset today since its there's no clouds :)

The First Saturday

A wise man once told me that simply replying "good" when someone asks you how your day was, does no justice to life and the entire day that you just spent.  Sure its our culture in the US to do that and frankly i have noticed no different over here.  But, I am going to try my best to give each day justice and make everyday a new adventure in one way or another.  Why waste this time we do have eh?

SO, Saturday started with a check of the temperature and a desire to go for a run.  The temp was around 35 deg F so it was not terrible weather to run in.  I started up the main street and entered into the Southampton Common which is a huge park right next to the Uni.  I had plotted a general route before i left so I wouldn't make a huge detour like i did on my way home from the Uni on friday.  Well i took a different path than i had planned so from then on i was going north east when i thought i was going North and that screwed me up for the rest of the run...  I found this really amazing pond that was set into the park, didn't see any fish but its ok. I ended up running for about 1 hr 30 min because i was going north when exiting the park instead of south like i thought i was going...  i found this really cool sports complex with a cycling path, a running track, tennis courts, and other things that a sports park would have.   I continued on to find the hospital and then broke down and asked for directions, which were terrible i might add.  I wound my way through some neighborhoods and finally found my way back to a street name that i recognized.  Then found my way home that way.  It was roughly 7 miles...

Later I picked up some groceries at ASDA, a walmart esque supermarket.

That night was a big football game (soccer) for Southampton!  They were playing Manchester United.  The downtown area was packed with people walking to the game and the pubs were all filled.  Me and the PSU kids met up with the UNCW kids again at the pub by their accommodation.  It was crazy.  Brits get very worked up over football yelling at the tv and such... I suppose americans are the same way with our football, but i feel like it is only a similar amount of rage for a playoff game for us.  Southampton struck first with a goal, then Man U scored 2 in a row and Southampton couldn't score another to tie it so it ended 2-1 Man U.  After the game was over the pub cleared out so we left too and headed home

Ajeeth and I were hungry so we got Chunky Chips, a fish and chips place across the street from where I live.  This was an interesting place hard to describe really...  Two guys working total and it was pretty crowded... they specialize in everything fried.  Fried Chicken, fried fish, chips (french fries), chicken fingers etc.  They were out of fish and chicken. lol.  I got a burger and wings.  The burger as good enough to eat but the wings were really good.  I would describe them as mom's messy chicken but spicier.  

We ate and went to bed.

I saw the sky today!

Today walking back from the NOC I finally saw the sky and it was blue!  haha  if you dont get it.. well its been overcast both days so far but it finally cleared up for the better part of today.  Its about 30 deg F here right now and its dark... the rest of the week looks to be a little warmer.

Lol...

I walked everywhere today.  At 3 pounds a day the bus was getting expensive.  Maybe ill get a bus pass... maybe.  I walked from the NOC stopped and got groceries, dropped em off, and attempeted to make the frisbee practice today up at the main campus (Highfield).  Well i got turned around in the developments right before the Uni (University) and ended up on a path through a very large park.  Eventually i found my way on to campus but i was 30 min late at this point.  Then i could not find the gym they were practicing in for the life of me.  Yes, i was in the right building.  So instead, i got my ID card problem resolved ( i didnt have one so i got one) and got my self a southampton sweatshirt.  I swear people cant understand me...  i dunno what they sweatshirts but it surely is not that.  I really need to work on my slang.
Anyways, i left the Uni and headed home.  I made a wrong turn somewhere about halfway home which took me back up near the Uni.  I was standing puzzeled on a street corner when some nice guy on a bike pointed me in the right direction...180 deg the way i had just come...  Lovely.  So i eventually made it back around 630 after having been walking since about 230...  I made moms not so famous spaghetti which was delicious and maybe a nap now...  Might be going out with some other Marine Science people tonight who knows.
ttfn

First Day at the NOC

Today was just an intro day to help us international students with everything academic at the National Oceanographic Centere.  I finally have classes and trying to add another!  Im taking Physical Oceanography 2, Estuaries, Phytoplankton and primary production, and Ecological Processes in Marine Benthos.  Im trying to pick up a class in remote sensing and gis.

Today I met the other students in my program, internationals at least.  5 people from UNC wilmington and Ia from Sweden and Rebecca from Germany.  Ia happens to be in the same flat as me and Jordan so thats convenient.

The NOC is HUGE so many hallways that all look the same.  Ill have to try my best to not get lost...  And the numbering of the rooms is absolutely insane... i'm not sure who decided that method but its more confusing than it has to be...  ex.  186/13  is a room number.  Now the first 2 numbers are the nodes... whatever that is and the 6 is the floor number and the 13 is the actual room number.

Tonight i went to Stoneham Arms Pub with the other kids from the US.  It was pretty fun just hangin out at the pub.  It wasnt nearly as crowded as any bar in State College so i talked to the bartender about english beer and such and it was really interesting.  The other US kids are only sophmores or under 21 so they're goin hog wild being able to drink legally...  I tend to just have a few drinks then call it a night or savor my beer.

Then i experianced my first ever drunk bus in southampton... i cannot imagine where these kids were going that drunk... it looked like they just came back from a frat.  But there was alot of singing and chanting random things...

And so my night has come to a close... its about midnight here 7pm EST...Gnight
cheers

View from my room

Travel Day

So let me start by saying i have basically been awake since 11 am yesterday and it is now 3 pm today.

The flight left earlier than scheduled acutally.  The flight was cool in the fact that they had select movies and tv shows for free.  I watched the Expendables before trying to catch some Zzzzs...  well i didnt catch many.  The boarder, baggage claim and customs went as flawlessly as it could have gone.  I then met up with my colleague from Penn State and waited for our ride together.  Now in her emails, my advisor had said her husband would be picking us up, and he is a short man wearing a brown coat.  Now being average height, the way people describe other peoples height is rather relative... but let me just say he is a very short man... 5'0"-2" easy.  She was right.  Also i never expected the first car I ride in in the UK to be a Ford... but it was and i was frankly delighted!

After picking up another student we started our "journey" to southampton which is about an hour from london.  The driving on the left side of the road is one of the most dangerous things ever and Brits are very "aggressive" divers.  (Yes mom worse than dad(well mostly)).  We wove through Southampton and dropped off my new friends.

I made prior plans to go exploring the city with ajeeth and luckily jordan arrived in time to go with us. Ajeeth brought along his "flatmate"to be our guide and show us downtown There are tons of shops downtown just about anything you can think of except the stuff i need....  There's a walmart owned grocery store that has cheap stuff including liqour which im still shocked by.  O and an Ikea!  But anyways... i got a phone for the UK and spent some time with that.

I got my flatmate, whose name escapes me, to show us around the Main campus (Highfield) and we had a good time figuring out the busses.  Then i got home and started unpacking and plugged my surge protector into my converter into the outlet.  It made a loud pop and a large flash of light and the entire flat lost power... whoops.  I fixed it, no worries.

So i have a fried power strip and the capability to plug 2 things in at a time.  And a list of stuff to get, which is growing more and more with every passing thought.

Bed Time
ta ta for now (ttfn)

This is what my room inside my flat looks like

To the future and back again

I went back to state this weekend for one last hangout session before going to Southampton.

Let me just say i have some truely amazing friends.

Amanda and Mollie planned an entire day of "activities" for me and Jenn

We visitied Becky and Lauren's room to celebrate Jenn's Birthday
We went to Joe T's where we took finals with Greeno which were proctored by Prince Dr. Professor
We went to Nick Towers where we were served with an amazing 4 course meal by Amanda, Mollie, and Liz courtesy of Chef Randy, to celebrate Valentines Day
and finally to the God of Sex's (Lee) Place for a bangin State Pattys Day party

You guys are Amazing!  Thanks SO much and I love you all (even you mollballz)

Intro

Hey all!

This is where ill be posting more detailed updates on my travels in Southampton England and other places in Europe.  

I leave Jan 25th at 9 pm from BWI.

Stay Tuned!