A Summer to Remember..: Let's Start This.

I have been waiting to be in England since the day I found out I was allowed to go. Although now it still seems surreal, what I see around me is beautiful. When we arrived at Heathrow and began our journey to our flats, everything seemed to remind me a bit of being in Ireland. While studying here I have a room with a view of the many green hills of England. Here there are flowers that grow in the grass, and grass all around.

The days since arrival have been filled with orientations, class and shopping for groceries. Here, there are no preservatives and while I'm sure that is much more healthy than what we have in the states, it happens to be inconvenient for a student on a budget. It's difficult to find something that will last more than two weeks (even some frozen food), and if you leave bread out it will go bad after two days. This leaves for many small trips to the store. Here, I will be mostly cooking food for myself but it hasn't been much more than semi-homemade for the most part. One great thing about the markets here is the fresh bread. If you happen to be a fan of carbs, you would be in heaven because pasta and bread are plenty available and either easy to make or use as a meal of its own. Reading nutritional labels can sometimes be hard since they aren't aways in serving sizes and use a different measuring system than in the states.

Our first real lecture today, and it was quickly apparent that this will not be just an easy summer class. Whoever said physics was easy at this school was clearly mistaken. However, we are told if we stay on top of our work that we should have plenty time to travel, which they greatly encourage.

Our professors are quite intriguing with their ascents and few remarks about the differences between the English language of the states and of England. Here, quite good means poor, and a few remarks means they wish to change all of your work. Also, don't call trousers pants or you will be left with awkward faces since pants here are underpants.

Yesterday I had my first Kopparberg, my first cider since arriving here. And it is quite apparent that the cost of drinks in pubs is not cheap. Since now I have finally finished all my unpacking and seem to have a fridge full of food enough for a week the next few days will be spent studying and for workshops and labs.

I recently went on the tour of Brighton. Here space is lacking, but not the utilization of it. There are buildings and shops everywhere and even walkways that are about three feet wide. The next event planned for us is the Pub Tour, and you can be sure that many students are looking forward to that.

Until tomorrow...
Here are some recent pictures.