stumbling through

going home

2009-06-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

I've only got five days left before I go home. I'm so excited to get to see my family and friends again! I'm going to be picked up at the airport by my parents, my sister, and my fiance. I can't wait! My friends and I have been talking about all the things we're going to do together when I finally get home, and I'm just so happy to be able to go and see everyone again!

Of course, I am going to miss Swansea. It's been my home for the past six months, and I've had the time of my life here. It's been the most amazing experience, to get to travel so much like I have. I feel like I've learned so much about the world. I've been to some of the most amazing places and seen some of the most beautiful sights. I feel like I've become so much more self-sufficient, too.

Now that I've experienced all this, I feel like I can be even more of a traveler now. I've seen so much of the world now, but there's so much more to see! If I could, I'd love to visit every country in the world!

2009-06-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun in London, especially at Wicked. I got third row seats, and it was so amazing! I could see the expressions on the actor's faces! It made the experience so much more awesome. I also went to a few places that I hadn't visited on my last trip to London. One of those places was Piccadilly Circus. It was pretty cool to see all those lights and advertisements. I didn't really do much there, besides take some pictures and go into a few stores, but it was fun nonetheless. I also went into the National Portrait Gallery. Entrance was free, but I like those little audio tours, so I bought one for £2. It was an awesome place. I think I spent about two hours there.

I went into the National Gallery, too. The best part of that was the wall of paintings by Monet. He's my favorite artist. I didn't realize it, but one of my favorite paintings by him, Waterlily Pond, is in the National Gallery. That was exciting. I also ended up taking the free tour again on the last day.

Today, Cassie and I went out for a photo shoot. She had agreed to be my model. I love photography, and I love it when someone is willing to let me photograph them! We had a lot of fun. We went to the park first, and found some beautiful places for pictures. We also went to the beach for a bit, but it started looking like bad weather might set it, so we left. We're going to do some more on another day when the weather is nice again. Right now, I'm photoshopping the ones we've done. So far I have one done that I'm kind of proud of.

2009-06-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for London today, so I decided to post now. Otherwise, I would be doing it on Saturday when I got back around midnight. This week, I've been doing a lot of work on my foreign studies project. I've been on a lot of forums for teachers, asking questions about their students and the media they use. I'm trying to focus on Children ages 7-9.

On Tuesday night, I went to a private party at a club in town called Sin City. My friend Lauren thought it was funny that we could now say that we've been to a private party in Europe. It was a going away party for all the Americans. It was so much fun, but I had a little too many double vodka and red bulls (they had a special). Oh well. Sometimes, you've got to go wild, and I did a lot of dancing. It's really sad that everyone's going to be leaving so soon. I'm going to miss all of this. I've had the time of my life here, and I think I've learned a lot about the world and myself.

Next week I need to look up what time my plane leaves for home and book a coach ticket to Heathrow. I'm not leaving till the 24th, but it's probably better to book a ticket now instead of later. I should also probably see about getting another suitcase. I've acquired quite a bit of stuff since I've been here. I don't think it will all fit in my two suitcases. I should also get some bubble wrap for my camera tripod. Last time, part of it got broken.

2009-05-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

"Something has changed within me.
Something is not the same.
I'm through with playing by the rules
of someone else's game.
Too late for second guessing.
Too late to go back to sleep.
It's time to trust my instincts
close my eyes and leap.
It's time to try defying gravity!"

That's a line from the song Defying Gravity in the Broadway musical Wicked. I love that song and the musical, but I'm quoting it because next week, I'm going to see it in London! I'm so excited. After I graduated high school, my family and I went to see it in Chicago, and now I'm going to see it again.

I'm going to London on the fourth for three days, because I enjoyed it so much when I went over Easter Break. This time I don't have to worry about people yelling at me for snoring. I've booked a single room at a hostel. It was a little more expensive, but I think it will be worth it.

Yesterday, my little sister, Sami graduated from Jr. High. I wish I could have been there, but mom got some good pictures of her. Next year she'll be in high school, and I just can't believe it. My baby sister isn't a baby anymore. She'll be 15 this September. I still remember when my dad called me at school to tell me I had a little sister. It's amazing how fast time has gone by. It feels pretty weird that I'm going to be a senior in College this year, too. it still feels like my senior year in High school was only last year, even though so many things have happened since then.

Ok I think that's enough reminiscing for one post.

2009-05-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

My first and last exam of the semester is tomorrow. I'm very nervous, because it's going to be three hours long and in the morning. I'd much rather it be in the afternoon. It's also going to be three essays. yikes. Luckily, I've been studying and the subject is something I'm familiar with and very interested in. Hopefully that means I'll do ok. Afterwards, I'm going to town to get groceries.

The other day, Cassie and I went shopping at some charity shops to find outfits for a photo shoot. She has agreed to be my model sometime when the weather is nice. I've got a bunch of ideas for what I want to do, because I don't usually get someone willing to let me photograph them a lot. I want to get some photos on the beach, at a castle, and in the park among others.

I've also been thinking about a trip some time in June after my exam. I looked up how much a trip to Greece for a couple of days would be, and it's not too bad. I found some pretty cheap tickets through Easyjet to Cyprus. I also found a good price for some hotels too. But I'm not exactly sure where I want to go yet. There are some other possibilities, like Ireland or Paris. I'm still looking into it.

Pembrokeshire and the HP set

2009-05-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

This Monday I decided I was going to head down to Pembrokeshire for the night. But Jeanette, Why would you go to Pembrokeshire? What's there? Well, my dear invisible internet person, it just so happens that the filming of the Shell Cottage scene in the last Harry Potter movie is there. I ended up being very lucky in finding a place to stay. All the inns were full, but the Penfro Bed and Breakfast had one room because a woman had decided not to come. I ended up only paying 45 pounds when the room is usually 80 pounds, and it was beautiful. I felt like a princess in that room!

In the morning I took a taxi to Freshwater West Beach where the filming was going on. Before I noticed the cottage and film crew, I noticed the beach. It was absolutely breath-taking. I got some really nice pictures. Then I headed over to where Shell Cottage was. It only took a couple of days to build but it looks so realistic! I would live there.

It was so fascinating to see the film crew working. I saw a lot of stunt doubles. You can tell they aren't the actors when you're close to them, but from far away, they look so much like the real thing. It was also kind of difficult to get a good look, because there were barriers everywhere, but I had a lot of fun. I met a lot of Harry Potter fans, too. I was talking to someone about the set, when a girl turned around and asked if I had come all the way from America just to see the set! I sort of wanted to say yes, but I told the truth about studying in Swansea. After a while I decided to head up into the dunes on a little pathway. The path ended up leading to where all the behind the scenes equipment and tents were. I sat for a while watching, when none other than Emma Watson came over to sign autographs. I got some great pictures of her, and I got her autograph! It was a pretty amazing day.

2009-05-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went on a camping adventure with some friends to celebrate the beginning of may. I had a really great time. We had a nice fire, some wine, and there was even a maypole! We did get some unexpected guests right as we were trying to sleep, though. Some drunk guys started being extremely loud and bothersome. It seemed like they just wanted to start a fight. Eventually we had to call the police. When they came we could hear the men yelling at them, too. We did eventually get to sleep, though, and in the morning we had bacon and eggs for breakfast. It was a fun time all in all.

This week, I've been studying and trying to get my paper done. I finally turned it in on Thursday. Now I just have to study for my exam in a few weeks and work on my project. On Thursday night, I went to see the New England Contemporary Ballet at the University's theater. There were some wonderful performances. I really loved it. I couldn't help but to notice that the dancers were extremely physically fit. I did competition dance in high school, so I know that dancers use pretty much every muscle in their bodies. It's really amazing that they could put on a whole 2 hour show. I remember being completely out of breath after performing a three minute choreographed routine.

Tonight, Cassie and I went to a going away party for our friend, Davis. He's finished with all his work, so he's going back home to America on Sunday. It's crazy that our time here is coming close to an end. Cassie and I will still be here about another month and a half, but I know it will pass by so quickly. I've had such a great time. but, it's not over yet. I still have plenty of time for more great experiences.

Tomorrow I'm going to see the new Star Trek movie, and I am extremely excited about this. I've heard it's amazing. I just can't wait!

2009-04-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of May, and I'm going camping! I'm pretty excited about that. I've wanted to go camping for a while now. I hope the weather turns out alright. Even if it doesn't, at least I have a tent to keep out any rain.

My paper is coming along. I still have quite a lot of editing to do, but I think it will turn out ok. I'm also working on a project for an extra foreign studies credit. Since I'm pretty much obsessed with media and communications, I'm doing it on the differences between media for British children and American children. I've been doing a lot of research for that, too. I've narrowed it down to a certain age group, from seven to nine. For this project, I'd really like to do something besides just a paper. I'm not exactly sure what to do yet, but I'll think of something.

Last week I was going over what jobs I might like for my last year at school, but this week I'm proud to report that I now have a job for next semester! I'm going to be working on the recycling crew! I'm so glad I found a job, and that I get the chance to help keep the campus clean (and green!).

Yesterday, Cassie, Lindsay and I went to see Wolverine. I've actually only seen the first X-men movie, but after watching that, I want to see the rest of them. It was great! There was so much action, and the effects were amazing.

2009-04-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Shakespeare! If he was alive today, he would be almost 400 years old.

Today has been a beautiful warm sunny day, and I found out that I'm not going to be rehired into the Public Relations office next semester when I go back to school. Lovely. But that's ok. I'm looking into other jobs on campus. I just wish they had told me sooner, so I could have applied for some different jobs before they all get filled. I don't want to be working in food services. I've been thinking about a few places that I would like to work. Alumni/development has some openings. If I got one of those, I would still be in the Administration department, and the public relations department has worked a lot with that department, so it would be familiar. On the other hand there are some openings in Technology Services, and that sounds very interesting too. Computers have always fascinated me, and I like to think I know one or two things about them. Not nearly as much as my dad, but he gave me the computer bug...no pun intended. I'm also trying to get in touch with the head of the communications department to see if he may have any more openings for a communications assistant. Since my major is communications, that could be a good choice for me. I think he hires someone every year to work on the school newspaper. I've worked on yearbooks for four and a half years, so I could be useful in putting together layouts. All in all I'm sure things will turn out ok.

Besides that, it's been a great day. I went to my seminar, and we talked about how our papers are coming and what we can do to make them better. We also spent a lot of time just chatting. That class never really seems like a class. It's always so much fun just to talk about technology and media. Wow. I definitely sounded like a geek there. I think my paper's coming along pretty nicely. I should get it done in time. It's due the seventh, and then I'm going to be spending the rest of the month studying for my essay exam on the study of the English Language. After the exam, I'll have a whole month with nothing to do, so I don't know what I'll do. I have come up with a book idea, so I'll probably spend a lot of time at the beach writing. I might also go through Swansea Mumbles and get as many pictures as I can. I'd like to go back to Worm's Head and Three Cliff's bay sometime.

2009-04-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

A few interesting things have happened this week. first, I've been kind of miserable. My nose is stuffy, my eyes are itchy, and I have an earache. Along with that, I must have pulled a muscle in my leg because my knee hurts everytime I put pressure on it. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. Hopefully, that will solve some of these problems.

Now that I've complained about my ailments, I'll move on. Yesterday, I was working on my paper, when I heard a knock at the window. I thought it was Cassie, becuase she does that sometimes, so i went to see what she wanted. It turns out it was two boys who saw me look out my window, and now knew that I was home. that was all they needed to start harrassing me. I heard another knock at the window, and I decided to ignore it, but after three more, I couldn't stand it. I opened my curtains to see that the boys had been throwing mud. I opened my window, and politely asked them to please, stop and leave me alone, but the older boy just laughed and they ran behind the building where I couldn't see them. After a few choice words I shut my window and tried to focus on working. They did not make it easy. Eventually, I called Cassie, to see if she could do anything about it. She came over, and told the boys that she was from the administration and if they didn't stop she would have to get their parents involved!

After that, we decided to go for a walk by the beach, because the weather was so nice. We had been walking for about ten minutes before it started to rain. The weather seems to change so quickly here! We were planning to go to see the Boat that Rocked, so we took a bus back to campus to get ready. As I was going down the pathway to my flat, a glob of mud the side of my shirt. The boys were at it again. I walked the rest of the way to my flat, and saw my window smeared with mud. I tried not to let it get to me, as I got ready and found a thai restaurant to eat at before we went to the movie. As I left my flat, I gathered some mud, ready for slinging if I needed to, but when I got to the main area of the student village I found that someone else had called the police, and the two boys were in big trouble. Looks like I didn't need the mud after all. This is why I would never become a teacher.

Anyway, Cassie and I went to the movie and it was great. We both loved the sixties rock music, so we decided to go to Tesco and see if they had the soundtrack. They did, but we decided not to get it. We did however, end up buying some very cheap movies that were on sale.

a long one

2009-04-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

I wrote everyday in a travel journal while I was away, so I'll just post what I wrote here.

29/03/09-London
I slept most of the bus trip here. When we finally arrived at Victoria coach station, I had to ask someone where to find the "Tube" (the underground). It was just a short walk away, and after much shuffling around and trying to figure out what I was doing, I found myself on the underground headed for Russel Square. The hostel I'm staying at is in a back alley off Tavistock Place, and I'm rooming with three guys. When I walked into the room, I woke up one of my roomates. I apolagized and then tried to make as little noise as possible while putting my things in the little locker provided. I have a feeling the others in the room will hate my snoring. After getting everything settled, I headed towards King's Cross Station to cross off the first thing on my list of sights. I had some trouble finding what I was looking for, so I stopped a girl who was walking. "Excuse me," I said, "This is kind of a weird question, but do you know where I can find platform 9 3/4?" She laughed and said, "That's not a weird question! I know where it is." She showed me how to get there, and I got my picture taken.

I plan on doing tours and more sightseeing tomorrow and tuesday so today I ended up going into a cafe and getting some hot chocolate and internet time. I spent a leisurely hour talking to my mom online. After that I went to dinner. I plan on spending the rest of the evening reading for my studying the english language class. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about that class, but I really enjoy learning about the English language. I'm really liking the book that the teacher wrote for the class. I'd like to read some more about it.

30/03/09-London
Today has been wonderful. I woke up at 8am after not getting much good sleep at all because one of my roomates kept going "Shhh" to wake me up. jeez, I can't help it if I snore. At least I wasn't trying to wake him up. Anyway, I got ready and had breakfast, then I met up with some other people who were going on the free tour. When everyone arrived we made our way to the starting point of the tour at Hyde Park corner. The tour was great, and a lot of interesting things happened the Mexican president came to visit the queen and there was a huge procession of soldiers on horses. Also, there were guards outside a house and we got to see a changing of the guard.

I think it would hurt to stomp my feet so hard like they did. We also saw number ten Downing Street, where the prime minister lives, Westminster Abbey, and the houses of parliament, among other things. After the free tour I wandered around on my own. I saw Harrods, Portobello road, and Fleet street, and I had some great Pad Thai for dinner. As I looked around Portobello road, I couldn't help thinking about the movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks. After dinner, I headed to covent Garden where I explored a market at the Royal Opera House, and listened to a street performer for a while. At 7:20, I went to the Fortune Theater and saw "The woman in Black." It was so scary! I loved the ending. I've seen horror movies, but I've never seen a horror play until today. I got tickets for half the regular price! I've been sitting in the lobby writing this. Before I started to write, I talked to a girl from Brazil about the things we've been seeing and doing. She's traveling alone, and we talked about how it can be fun to travel by yourself but you miss being able to share the sights with a friend. Now I'm about to go up to bed. I don't know what to do about the "shh" guy. It really is not a good idea to wake me up on purpose. I turn into a monster, especially if it's done in such a mean way. I understand that it must annoy him to have to listen to me and not be able to sleep, but couldn't he just plug his ears with something. If he doesn't, I will.

31/03/09-London and Barcelona
I had an interesting time today. I ate breakfast then checked out of the hostel around nine. I had bought another all-day underground ticket, so I took the tube to Victoria station and bought my ticket to Stansted airport. I was pretty tired because the boy kept me up again, so I decided to take it easy until the bus came. I went to an outdoor market near London Bridge and I sat and watched the boats on the river for a while. After that, I went back to Victoria station and had lunch and waited for my coach to arrive. When it did come, I slept the entire two hours it took to get to Stansted airport. I checked in and eventually found myself on the plane to Barcelona. I sat next to a woman named Judith who is from Barcelona and she told me all the great things about the city. We talked the whole way there, and when we landed, she gave me her email address in case I needed any help with anything. As soon as the plane landed I could see that it was raining. Lovely. I brought the British weather with me. I had to take a bus to Barcelona, because the plane I took landed in Girona. after finally arriving in Barvelona, and trying to find my hostel, I fount myslf lost, and my map wasn't really helping much. All the streets were close together, it was dark, and there was trash and graffiti everywhere. I asked a few people, and no one had even heard of the hostel and there were four streets apparently with the same name as the street my ostel was on. So, eventually I was just asking if anyone knew where any hostel may be. I got led in so many different directions and I still couldn't find one. After a while I was soaked through and very hungry, so I stopped into the nearest restaurant. I had no idea what I had ordered but I didn't like it. Later when I asked a waiter who spoke english, I found out it was ham, but not like any ham I had ever had. After that, I left and searched around some more. Around one am, I finally found a hostel called sun and moon. They don't have blankets but I'll cover up with the fitted sheet. I am so ready for sleep!

01/04/09-Barcelona
Today, I explored Barcelona. All the closed in streets that seemed kind of scary last night were nice today. It definitely felt foreign. At first, I just sort of wandered the streets, watching people come and go. The first thing I went to see was the Catedral De Barcelona, but it was under a lot of construction, and was hard to get a good look at. After that, I went to the Iglesia de Santa Maria Del Mar, WHish is spanish for the church of St. mary of the sea. It was beautiful. The stained glass was amazing and there was a man singing. I sat listening for a long time.

After that, I went to Las Ramblas. It's a long street full of vendors and street performers. There was a human statue, a crazy looking monster guy, and a woman dressed and painted in gold. I gave her some change, and she gave me a little heart charm. She told me it would help make all my dreams come true! For dinner I had Paella, which is rice with fish or meat and some kind of sauce. It was delicious. The last place I went to see was the Arc De Triomf.

02/04/09-Rome
Last night I couldn't find my hostel for Rome either, so I found a different one. It cost me 24 euros for the night, and I wanted to pay less so the next morning I used some internet time to look up a cheaper hostel. I found one called the navigator hostel. It's great! It's a lot like someone's home, and the bed is so comfortable! They don't any lockers for my stuff, but I'm taking all my valuables with me, so I don't mind. After I put my stuff in the room, I went to explore the city of Rome. I walked to the Colosseum first. It was amazing! I could just imagine all the crazy bloody things that had happened there. After that, I went to the Roman forums. I saw so many ruins. It was absolutely wonderful. I love all the architecture here. It's beautiful!

The pantheon was the third place I went to see. There were people everywhere, and so many of them were selling something! It was almost overwhelming. The building was great. I love the ceiling! After seeing the Pantheon, I got some gelato (Italian ice cream). I don't know what flavor it was, but it was amazing. I sat outside the pantheon and ate it while watching everyone come and go. The last place I went today was the Trevi fountain. It was very crowded also. I had an quarter, so I threw it in to make a wish. After that, I went back to the hostel. It was only about five in the afternoon, but I was so exhausted from all the traveling, that I took a nap and didn't wake up until 7:30, when some new roomates showed up. While they were being shown around, I found out that the hostel includes a free dinner as well as breakfast! While waiting for dinner, the two new roomates, and a guy from a different room and I all sat around and talked. The guy was from Boston, and the two girls were from Britain. We all talked about how it felt a bit like we were in the beginning of a scary movie at the part where everyone arrives at the house. I made the observation that we hadn't actually met any of the people who had stayed there before. Their things were there, but the people were no where to be found. Around that time, the tv that was on started playing the music from psycho and we all laughed hysterically. It was perfect timing! The dinner was authentic Italian home-made pasta. We all had two helpings, it was so good. When dinner was over, I went to the room and read some more of my book. I'm going to go to bed soon. I think I'll be able to sleep even though I slept today.

03/04/09-Rome
Ok so It's actually the fourth of April right now, but I'm going to write about the third mostly. I annoyed another boy with my snoring. He was much more rude than the the other boy. He yelled at me to shut the fuck up! Why can't people be polite and just walk over to me, shake me awake and nicely tell me that my snoring is bothering them. I can't help it! grrrr. anyway, when I woke up, I ate breakfast, and quickly made my way out of the hostel. I caught a bus to the vatican and explored there for a bit. Unfortunately I didn't have the money to go into the sistine chapel, but I did see the Basilica Di San Pietro. All the people there had to be roped off because someone very important drove through. I don't know who it was, but it was really neat to see it. I explored the vatican for most of the rest of the day, and then caught a bus back to the train station to wait for my coach to the airport at Ciampino. After much traveling, I arrived at Victoria coach station at around 2am. Guess what. It was closed until 4am. So I sat outside and read some more for two hours. When it finally opened, I went to find out what the earliest coach to Swansea was. It was 9:30am. So, I found a nice hard metalic chair next to a wall and did my best to sleep for a few hours. Eventually, I did make it onto the coach where I am now, and now I'm going to try to get some sleep.

I had a great time, but I'm so glad to be back in Swansea, which has been my home for the past few months.

2009-03-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't done much this week. Easter break started and the student village is like a ghost town. Everybody's either gone home or on vacation, so I've just been biding my time until I leave. I've worked a bit on my project for school and my paper, and I've been doing whatever else comes to mind. It's kind of lonely right now. I got tired of sitting in the flat the other day so I went to the theater and saw Slumdog Millionaire. It was a pretty good movie. I really liked the music too.

I'm pretty excited about Sunday. I leave for London at eight am. I just need to remember that that's the day we move the clocks forward here. If I forget, I'll be a whole hour late! that would not be good. I'm going to have to be very tight with my money. I have very little, but that's ok. I made sure that I got hostels that include free breakfast, so I'll have at least one meal free (and maybe two if I take enough for lunch!). I've been reading tips about traveling alone, and I think I'm ready. If we time it right, I might be able to meet Cassie in Rome. She's spending two weeks in Italy with her boyfriend. It would be nice to have someone to see the sights with, but if not, I'll be ok by myself.

I took a break from my homework today and had a bit of a Wizard of Oz day. A few years ago I bought a special edition with two DVD's of special features that have everything involving the Wizard of Oz. It's been my favorite movie for as long as I can remember. I don't even remember the first time I watched it. I just know that I've always loved anything that has anything to do with the Wizard of Oz. I guess you could say it was my first obsession! Anyway, I also did a search of the actors from the movie, because I'm weird like that. I found a movie with Margaret Hamilton in it made in 1938 called Mother Carey's Chickens. It was so great! Every once in a while, It's nice to watch old movies.

2009-03-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

I love Edinburgh. It's a beautiful city, and the trip was great. We were all separated into two groups to stay in two different hostels. I was in the Globetrotters inn. It was kind of annoying because it was so far away from the royal mile and I had to pat a pound fifty to take a shuttle there. Other than that, it was great. Cassie was staying in the other hostel which happened to be right off the royal mile (lucky). Anyway she, our friend Lindsay, and I bought bus tour tickets for only thirty pounds. We could take the double decker bus tour at any time for two days, and it gave us admission into Edinburgh castle, the palace of Holyroodhouse, and the Brittania yacht.

On the first day we took a guided tour of Edinburgh castle. It was very fascinating, and I got to see some of the crown jewels. After that, we walked down the royal mile, going into the different shops. I bought a cashmere scarf with my family clan's tartan. It was only twenty pounds! I also got Doug (my fiance) a kilt. My mom says I should make him wear it at the wedding, but I don't think I'll go that far. For dinner, we went to a thai restaurant. It was my first time trying thai food, but I enjoyed it. It was kind of funny that we had oriental food on our first night in Scotland. Then we decided to find a pub to have a few drinks before going on the ghost tour we had decided to take at ten pm. We found a place that was having an open mike night. I always love to hear live music. It was fun.

At about 9:45 we headed for the starting point of the ghost tour. The guide, dressed in an old-fashioned costume, took us around the city and told us about some of Edinburgh's gruesome history. On the steps of the St. Giles Cathedral, he told us about witch burnings and he picked on Lindsay to play the part of the witch! The last part of the tour was in the underground vaults. it was so creepy. They were lit by only candle light and it was eerie standing in the different rooms as the guide told us why they were believed to be haunted. I enjoyed seeing the Wiccan temple that's still in use, and the room where the temple used to be. It's not considered safe for them to practice their rituals there anymore because of something that happened in the room. We ended the tour in the most haunted pub in Edinburgh, Nicol Edwards, where we got a free vodka mixer. After that, I had to take a cab back to the hostel because the shuttle stopped running at 11.

The next day, we took the double decker bus tour and we went to the palace of Holyroodhouse and the Brittania. My favorite part was the tour of the palace. When the queen goes to Scotland, that's where she stays. It's also the same place that Mary, Queen of Scots lived. That night we decided to take the literary pub tour, but before that we went to a nice little cafe called the Elephant House. I couldn't go to Edinburgh and not see the cafe where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter! I didn't get any sudden inspiration, but I did get a very delicious brownie. That's just as good I guess. On the Literary pub tour, two actors took us to some different pubs and told us all about the famous poets and authors who lived in Edinburgh. It was a fun little tour. One of the guides played the part of a snooty guy who told all about the wonderful accomplishments of the different literary figures. The other guide pretended to be more of a crass drinker who told the darker sides of these authors. They did a very good job, and it was nice to hear about all the authors who had once lived in the famous city.

All in all, I had a wonderful time. Edinburgh is definitely a city I would like to see more of. Next Sunday I'm off to London, Rome, and Barcelona!

2009-03-11T12:11:00.001-07:00

I'm off to Edinburgh tonight! I signed up to go with a group of people at the travel shop, and Cassie is going too. We're planning on taking a ghost tour! I'm very excited to see Scotland. It's where my family comes from. I've been looking up information on all the Wallaces (my last name) throughout history. The most famous is of course William Wallace portrayed by Mel Gibson in the movie "Braveheart". Another Wallace, Robert, was a brave soldier who fought during the first world war. Then there was the famous Jeanette Wallace who traveled all over the world and wrote about her adventures...well...not yet but I will.

I've also been looking up my family crest and tartan. Our motto is Pro Libertate which means "For liberty," and our tartan is black, red, and yellow. While I was doing this quest into the history of my family, I also looked up my fiance's history. I found out that his clan and my clan came from right beside each other! He and I are both very interested in our family histories. I'm so glad to be having this experience, but I miss him like crazy.

I have my Easter vacation completely booked now. I'm taking a bus to London at 8am on the 29th and I'm staying at a hostel there for two days. After that, I'm flying to Barcelona where I will spend one fantastic day seeing as much as I can. Then I will go to Rome for two days. After Rome, I fly back to London and take a bus or train back to Swansea, and spend the rest of the vacation working on my paper due on May 7th. Yay!

2009-03-05T12:32:00.001-08:00

This week I decided that I would go to the gym once every week. I don't have the money for a membership, but I can handle going once a week. Cassie has started to act as my personal trainer sort of. She is my motivator. I have trouble making myself do things like exercise, so she is helping by telling me to do it. We went yesterday, and I was very sore today. We started out on the treadmills for 40 minutes, then did weight lifting, and then pilates.

Last night Cassie, Gemma, and I went out to a club called Play. I hadn't gone out since the first week here and it Wednesdays are student nights here. I had so much fun. Usually my problem with going out at night is that I get so tired early, so I made sure I had a nap before we left. It was a lot of fun. I got dressed up, and we danced all night. We were there till three! There were so many people at one point you couldn't stand still without running into someone. It was fun, but it was a little annoying when some guy grabbed my butt.

A lot of people were dressed up, too. I've noticed that groups of friends just decide to dress up in themed costumes a lot when they go out. There was a group of people dressed as smurfs, and another group dressed as ninja turtles. I think it would be fun to dress up some night to go out.

I've finally started booking my trip! I'm officially going to London, Barcelona, and Rome. I still have to get a hostel in London and a plane ticket back to London from Rome. I bought a pocket guide and map of Barcelona and one of London today. They were out of ones for Rome, so I will have to back. I'm going to go through them and decide what sites I want to see before I go, because I'll only have a short time in each place. I know I say this in just about every post, but I am so excited! I'm really doing this!

2009-02-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

I went on a hike on Sunday. I joined the hiking club at school, and we went to a place called three cliffs bay. I definitely realized how out of shape I am. I've been on hikes before, but only in Illinois. Illinois is very flat, and Wales is not. Especially on the coast. The hills were not fun, but the rest was. The scenery was beautiful the whole way, but my favorite part was when we actually got to the bay. We ended up being so high above the ocean and the beach. It was beyond words, really. It kind of reminded me of the movie Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley when she stands on the cliff. As I stood looking out over the ocean, I had the sudden urge to jump. It was kind of a shock to me really, but it wasn't a suicidal urge. I don't really know what it was. I just wanted to jump off that huge rock and soar through the sky. Maybe I just wanted to be a part of all that beauty.

After we rested for a while, we continued our trek, and saw an old castle from the dark ages. As we walked towards it, I imagined myself a pilgrim on a long and tiring journey trying to reach the castle. I guess I have a vivid imagination. After the castle, it only took us about a mile to reach the end of our hike at the pub and we all had a late lunch. I was very hungry. It was such an amazing day, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. I would love to go back to Three cliffs bay sometime.

On an entirely different note, my refund check came in yesterday. Now I can start actually booking my trip to Europe! I'm so excited, because I got more than I expected. I'm going to visit the travel shop in town and seek their help on booking everything. I think I want to spend about two days in London before I leave. I'll probably take about three outfits and do laundry at one of the hostels if I need to. On the website I've been looking at, I can pay for the hostels in dollars, so I don't have to worry about exchange rates. I have to pay for the flights in Euros, but that's ok. I'm so happy to be doing this!

2009-02-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing time in Amsterdam. It wasn't at all what I expected it would be, but that's ok. Things rarely are. The bus ride there was not fun at all. It was crouded and uncomfortable, and I probably only got about two hours of sleep. The ferry was neat. It was called the Pride of Kent. It was my first time on the ocean, but it was dark so I couldn't really see anything. When we finally got to Amsterdam we couldn't check into our rooms until 2pm so Cassie, our new friend Andrea (she prefers to be called Andie), and I went to the Van Gogh museum. We were there for about two hours. His work is very interesting. I got two postcards that had my favorite paintings from the museum on them.

when we left the museum, we explored a bit. We took some pictures and then went back to the hostel in Vondelpark. I ended up taking a nap, and when I woke up, Cassie wasn't there. We had made our plans to see the city over the weekend together, so I waited for her a while. I got bored after a bit (patience has never been one of my virtues) and decided to find someone else to hang out with for the night. I met up with Abdul and his friend Penny and we decided to find Will and KK in the red light district. We ended up walking around looking for it for about an hour. Eventually, we gave up and took a taxi to the coffeeshop where Will and KK were. The red light district was...different. It was so weird seeing prostitutes in the windows and sex shops everywhere.

On Saturday, Cassie, Andie, and I rented bikes.

We had noticed right away that bikes are a big part of the culture in Amsterdam, and we wanted to experience the city the way the locals do. We rode all over the city, and I had so much fun! Cassie bought 20 roses and ended up passing them out to 20 different people for valentines day. I thought that was pretty clever. We went to the zoo, but it was way too expensive, so we found some other places to see, including an outdoor market, a huge windmill, and some people dressed up like superheroes. Around three we decided we should eat something, so we went to a place called Wok to Walk. I had rice noodles with beef and teriyaki sauce, and it was delicious.

The bus ride back was just as bad as the one there, but we stopped in Belgium, and I bought some chocolates! I had a great time, and I'm so glad I went. I've been thinking about what I want to do for spring break, and I think I'm going to go places on my own. A lot of people have advised against this, but I think I can protect myself. I've always been a bit of a loner, and I know how to have fun on my own.

2009-02-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

I haven't really been doing anything very exciting this week. I went to the library on Monday and I had classes yesterday. I've actually been spending a lot of time online. I know. "You go to Wales...and you spend your time online?" That's what your thinking isn't it? well, I've been so tired lately, and I have been spending time looking up places I want to go over spring break. Oh, and I'm going to Amsterdam tomorrow, so I've been planning what I want to do while there.

Of course I've also been reading webcomics. I just can't get enough of those lately. I have this weird habit. I get interested in something, and I become obsessed with it for a while. Then I get interested and obsessed with something new. It doesn't mean I stop being interested in the other things, though. Oh well. I guess that's just me. I've also been trying to learn HTML on my own. It's going pretty well, actually. I found a great website that teaches it. I'm really enjoying it. Maybe, I will be able to create my own website soon. I guess technically I could now, but it would be a very dull website. I can do quite a few cool things now, though. I can post a link. I can also

change the style of my type

.

I'm very excited to go to Amsterdam tomorrow. I signed up to go through the travel shop, so I will be there with a bunch of other people. Cassie is going, and my flat-mate Will. We have been trying to find places to go while we are there. I want to see the Anne Frank museum and the royal palace. I think it would be kind of interesting to see the red light district, too. Anyway, I hope to have a much more interesting post next Wednesday.

2009-02-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

So I leave Illinois, and the snow follows me. Yesterday, I woke up to snow covering the ground. It was very beautiful and untouched, but that didn't last long. apparently, it was the first snow in quite a while. People were so excited. It was funny, because I'm so used to snow. Everyone was running around making snow men and throwing snowballs through people's open windows! Classes were canceled for the day and the buses didn't run. I was kind of disappointed, because Tuesday is the only day I have lectures. I slept a lot of the day and, then Cassie and I watched movies. it was just a cozy day in. Today, we went to the library and did some reading and homework for classes, and then we went into town. I tried to find a planner to write my assignments and meetings down, but I didn't see one anywhere. There seems to be a lack of school supplies in Wales.

I finally got my essay for the precessional course done. I turned it in on Monday, and it felt like a big weight was lifted off my shoulders. I've also set myself a bit of a schedule for the reading and studying for my classes. Our teachers say that for every 20 credit course, we should dedicate about five hours of study, and for every 10 credit course, we should dedicate about three hours. I have two 20 credits and one 10 credit. It works out quite well. I'll probably be spending a lot of my weekdays in the library on campus. there is a library in the student village too, but it's much smaller. It is nice for studying in silence, but I have to walk quite a ways to get to it, and there's a huge hill. I don't really mind that too much. I keep meaning to get some exercising into my schedule.

I've been talking to my family on skype, and I'm a bit worried about them. They all seem to be sick! My sister has been out of school all week, and the doctor said to keep her out till monday. My mom has had an ear infection, and my dad is feeling poorly also. I hope they get better soon. I hate when People I love are sick. I can't wait for the weather to get better. I want to take my tripod and camera out so badly and get pictures of everything! I'm not super at it yet, but I love photography. I only have a point and shoot digital camera, but I've been reading up on how to take very professional pictures with them. I've been practicing as much as I can. I know I'll get the hang of it eventually. I do wish I had a Nikon D80, like in the public relations office at my home school, but oh well. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, or so they say.

2009-01-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

Today has been a very relaxed day for me. I didn't have any classes, so I spent the day in the flat working on my essay for the precessional class and listening to mugglecast. Excuse me for being a fangirl right now but...I am SO Excited that I am in the same country as JK Rowling! ok, enough of that. I can't bring myself to actually get into writing an essay, but I know that once I start it won't be as bad as it seems. I went to my classes yesterday. It turns out that all my lectures are on tuesdays. I think I'm going to enjoy them all, but I think my favorite is going to be the class on new screen technologies. What can I say? I'm a communications major. It's also interesting that my coursebooks in all of my classes are written by the professors who teach the course. That's never happened to me before.

I went to Bath on Saturday. It's a very beautiful place, but it's definitely a tourist location. I really enjoyed learning about the Roman Baths. There were so many street performers. One was singing about Barack Obama! He's pretty popular all over the world.After we toured the Baths, we went to a place called Sally Lunn's. It's a tea house, but it's the oldest building in Bath. The owners found an original recipe for the "Bath Bun" in the walls of the building, and they still use it today. We had one, and it was amazing. I've never had clotted cream before, but it went very well with the jam.After that, we went to the Jane Austin center. I got a copy of Northanger Abbey for a pound and a canvas bag that says I love Mr. Darcy. I'm about halfway through Northanger Abbey, and I quite like it so far. I'm a big fan of Jane Austin, and it's amazing to have seen the place that the book takes place in.

On Sunday, I went into town by myself for a while. I went to a 99 pence store and bought some essentials. I also got some posters for my room. It looks a little better now with something on the plain white walls. After that I just walked around and did some people watching. I did end up going into a sports store and getting some camping gear. I found a place where I can go camping close to Swansea, and I can also use the gear when I travel in Europe. I found an amazing website that has incredibly cheap flights from London to just about anywhere you could think of in Europe. It's called www.ryanair.com. There is a flight from London to Barcelona for just five pounds, and from there I can get to Rome very cheaply also. I'm so excited. I knew I was going to be on a tight budget when I got here. I never thought that I'd be able to go so many places so cheaply. I've always wanted to see Italy.

Anyway, after I had done some shopping, I wandered out of the places I had been before, and did some exploring. I didn't go too far, but it was fun. I had dinner at an italian restaurant, and then I went back to my flat. I want to do more exploring of Swansea on another day sometime soon. Sunday isn't the best day for that because the busses don't run as much. I think it would be fun to go to the Quadrant and get on a random bus and just get sort of lost in Swansea. I wouldn't really be lost, because there are plenty of bus stops everywhere in the city. I just want to see more of the city I'm living in for the semester.

2009-01-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

I've officially been in Wales for two weeks now, but it feels like so much longer. I miss everyone at home; my friends, my family, and my Fiancée, but I am having fun. I'm slowly starting to form a group of friends. I've never really had a lot of friends to begin with, just a few intimate mates. And that's fine with me, really. I'd rather have only a few people that I know I can trust rather than a lot of friends for the sake of being popular. Before I came I was afraid I wouldn't make any friends, because I'm really a very introverted person. I have to force myself to be social. I'm glad that I have made friends, though.

I'd like to explain a little bit more about what the place I'm staying is like. It's called Hendrefoelan student village. It's off campus, so I have to take the bus everyday to get to classes. That's ok though, because it gives me time to read. The student village has a lot of buildings. Each building has a number of flats, and each flat has about 7 bedrooms. Does this sound a bit like a Dr. Seuss book yet? My flat is on the first floor to the left. It's really just a long hallway. At the very end of the hallway is the kitchen. It's kind of funny that all the British students are on the right side of the hall, and all the American students are on the left side, but we all come together in the kitchen. It's kind of like our common room. Cassie told me the other day that she never see's anyone in her kitchen, but not so in ours. Our flat is very social, and I get along pretty well with all of my flat-mates. The four British students are Libby, Beth, Becky, and Sam, and the two other American students are Eric and Will. I was surprised when I found out that our flat was co-ed. I don't mind, but it's very different from the college I go to in America. Well, I think that's enough description for today.

Today all the American students signed up for classes. I am taking an English language class (or module as they call them over here), a class called Transforming Fictions, and a media studies class called New Screen Technologies. I'm very excited to get started with classes, and get into more of a routine. On a last note, tomorrow the American students go to Bath for a day trip. I hope to get a lot of pictures. I might take my tripod. I've been meaning to take it into town and get some good photographs of the markets.

Some pictures

2009-01-19T04:48:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from my time here so far. I've also just signed up in the student travel shop to go to Amsterdam for two days in February. That should be very exciting. I hope to get a lot of good pictures there.

My first post in Wales!

2009-01-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

I'm finally in Swansea! I've been hoping for this for years, and it feels so surreal. The two girls I came with, Cassie and Ana, and I arrived at the airport at about nine or nine thirty a.m. When we got to Customs we had a problem. Well...Ana had a problem. Apparently she didn't have the proper documentation and she had a Filipino passport, so they stopped her from coming into the country. Cassie and I waited for a while, but eventually the people in customs told us we should go on. I recently found out that they sent her all the way back to America. I can imagine how scary it must have been for her. I was pretty shaken up by the customs guy myself and he stamped my passport. They seem so mean.

Anyway, Cassie and I took a coach to Swansea (That's a bus for you Americans). It was quite a long drive. We both slept most of the way, but we did meet another girl named Jess going to the University. By the time we got to Swansea, it was past the time we were supposed to register. We thought we'd have to sleep at a hotel for the night, but we called the school, and they told us we could come and sign in. Now we had to find our way to the student village. The coach driver told us where to find a bus, so we made our way in that direction. When we got there we found out that the bus to the village was not running. A Welsh student, Steve, told us about a different bus that would take us very close. He was going to the same place, so we spent the entire bus ride asking him questions and learning new things about our new home for six months.

When we finally got to the student village and got a little settled in, Cassie and I were both starving. We hadn't eaten since dinner the night before on the plane, so Steve helped us order pizza from dominos. In Wales they put a lot of sweet corn on their pizza. I never thought of doing that, but it's actually really good.

The next day all the American students took a tour to Rhossilli Bay. I had never seen the ocean before, and it was amazing. The beach looked so untouched. We only stayed for a half an hour, because it was so cold that day. After that, the bus took us all to the Quadrant, which is kind of like a big outdoor mall. Cassie and I went shopping together for essentials like food and toilet paper at Tesco. That’s the main supermarket in town, and it's actually pretty cheap, if you don’t take into account how many dollars equals a pound! After arriving back at the student village and putting our groceries up, Cassie and I watched movies for a while. It’s interesting that she and I never really spoke much at school in the U.S. but now that we are here together, we are becoming friends.

On Monday I went to our orientation, where things about the University and Swansea were explained to us. I learned that there is a travel shop, and it organizes quite a few trips during the school year. I want to get in on the ones to Amsterdam and Edinburgh. Those are two places I definitely wanted to go, and they are pretty cheap through the school. Angela, the American studies director, also organizes some day trips. I want to go to Stone Henge. I’m pretty excited about all that traveling. It’s more than I was thinking I would get to do, with the little money I have.

In our precessional, We’ve been learning about politics and culture in Britain. It’s so interesting. I loved the day we learned about WWII from the perspective of Britain. We’ve watched two British movies, also: Passport to Pimlico and Howard’s End. They were pretty interesting, but Howard’s End was long. Well, that’s about it for now.

Dreaming of Wales

2008-12-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about going to Wales, that I've been dreaming about it. Usually the dreams are bad, though. Last night, I dreamed that a few of my friends were going with me, and we were in Chicago a few hours before we had to be at my school to leave. The problem with this is that my school is about five hours away from Chicago. Anyway, we were walking around the city, and I saw an ex-boyfriend of mine and stopped to talk to him. After a while, I discovered that I was very late for the plane, and we all had to rush to get to the airport. It didn't make a lot of sense, but through the whole thing, I just felt so rushed and forgetful. I hate dreams like that, where I'm someplace I'm not supposed to be or I forget something I'm supposed to remember.

Well, enough of that. Christmas is almost here. I think it will be a nice Christmas, even though we can't afford much this year. I would write what I got my parents and my sister, but they read this so I'm not going to. I'll write that stuff after Christmas. My fiancee is spending Christmas with me. He spent Thanksgiving with me this year too. I feel a little selfish for having him both holidays, but we both agreed it would be best because I want to spend as much time with him and my family before I leave for six months.

This year, we will go through the same holiday rituals we usually do. On Christmas Eve, we go to the church service and then my cousin's house for dinner. After dinner, we all open presents from relatives. On Christmas, we wake up and open presents from the other side of the family, and then we have dinner. Most of Christmas day is spent relaxing. What do you usually do for Christmas?

2008-12-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. I've been pretty busy getting ready for the end of the semester and my trip to Wales. There's only about a month left till I go!
So I was watching tv the other day, and I saw a commercial for the Nikon D90. Of course I freaked out. For the yearbook, we have a D80, and it's absolutely amazing. I'd love to have one for myself, but their pretty expensive. The D90 records video. As far as I can tell that's the only real difference, but I hope it sells well. If so, maybe the prices for the older versions of Nikon will go down. I really want a professional digital camera. My point and shoot Kodak Easyshare works great, but It just doesn't have the features that the Nikons have. Anyway, I don't mean to sound super whiny. The D90 costs around $1000. That's a pretty expensive camera.

my "new" school

2008-11-21T22:20:00.001-08:00

This is the view of Swansea University, where I'll be studying next semester. It's really beautiful. I'm so excited! It will be my first time out of the country, and I'll get to see the ocean for the first time.

vintage car coat

2008-11-20T14:19:00.001-08:00

Here's a cute vintage coat from the 70's. You can find it on vintagetrends.com
I definitely need a new coat for the winter, but I'll probably have to make due with my old one.

field trip

2008-11-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

I went on an extra credit trip yesterday to St. Louis with my communications class. We went to the Art museum and then to the cathedral basilica. At the art museum, my teacher discussed the role of new media on art over time. It would have been interesting had he not done the exact same thing last year. All the same, I was happy to be there. I still love the art museum. There are some beautiful paintings. My favorite is called Water Lilies by Monet, but that's not a big surprise. Monet is my favorite artist.

After the art museum, we went to the cathedral basilica. It's really breathtaking. when you walk in, you're met with high ceilings covered in mosaics and portrayals of biblical stories and St. Louis himself. it is the home of the largest collection of mosaics in the world. The mosaics cover 83,000 square feet.

It was an interesting day.

2008-11-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Happy late Halloween everyone!

Right now I'm in someone else's house using their computer. I'm bored. My fiance, Doug, and his friend josh are helping some friends put up walls in their basement. I'm in one of the rooms of the basement with Josh's girlfriend, Savannah. There's nothing really to do. I finished reading a manga book. it's called Angel Sanctuary. It's pretty weird. There's a lot of incest and transvestites. Sometimes manga and anime can be pretty odd, but a lot of it's good.

So, I've been in Peoria all weekend, with my baby, but I have to go back to school tomorrow night. I don't want to but oh well. I'm paying for it so I might as well get my money's worth. Well, I'm sort of paying for it. Technically I guess the government is paying for most of it. Anyway, I'm trying to think of ways to get money for Wales. I'm working over Christmas break. That will get me about $500, but that's no where near enough. If anybody has any ideas for raising money, feel free to leave a comment. I'd really appreciate it.

Well, we're all about to leave, so I'd better get off here.

Whats this blog about, anyway?

2008-10-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

So, now that I have introduced myself a little bit, you may be wondering what ill write about. Well, there are a few things that I think would be worth my time to write about. I love photography, so Ill definitely be putting some of my own pictures on here. I also like to read, so there may be a few book or article reviews, and im a big computer geek. What I mean to say is, this will probably be a big jumble of things. Its about my life, and how Im stumbling through it like the title suggests. I just hope somebody finds it interesting.

introduction

2008-10-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hello people,

I'm Jeanette, but my friends call me Nettie. I thought it would be a good idea to start this blog, because I love to write. I want to be a journalist when I get out of college. I guess now that I've introduced myself, I should tell you all about me.

I'm a junior at a small college in Illinois, majoring in communications. I'm interested in a lot of artistic things, like photography and film. I have a problem with depression, but lately my life has been pretty nice. I applied to a program at my school to study abroad in Wales, and I got accepted! That's a big reason I started this blog. I want to write all about my experience in Wales. I'll be there for a semester starting in January. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of money. Welcome to the club, right? well, I'm trying to raise as much as I can while I'm here so I can support myself over there. My tuition is being payed for by FAFSA, and the school pays for the transportation. I just need money for food and travel. If any of my readers feel extremely generous, I've put a donation button at the bottom of the blog. I would appreciate any amount of money you may feel like giving, but I don't mind if you don't.

Another great thing that's happened in my life is my fiance. My boyfriend, Doug just proposed to me a few weeks ago! We are planning on getting married in 2010 after I graduate college.

So, those are the things that have been happening in my life. If I can think of any more, I'll post it here.