Transition Shock

It’s my second full day here in Bath, and so far it’s mostly been orientation. This morning we got a lecture about culture shock, or as Andy, one of the ASE staff members likes to call it “Transition Shock.” He said, “When you go back you may have a friend who went to China (he seriously used China as the example) and everyone will crowd around them saying, ‘Oooo China! How was that? It’s so different! Eh, you just went to England, whatever, ooo China!’” Then he went on to explain that Britain was different from America, and that our culture shock, when it sets in, will probably be far more traumatic because we aren’t expecting England to be very different, whereas those in China are more prepared for difference. This made some sense, but I still think that I’d rather have someone misunderstand me for three minutes when I say “water” instead of “wahta” than not be able to understand anyone at all EVER.

Still, he’s right in a lot of ways. For example, the flat I live in is transition shock. It’s also pretty crappy, comparatively speaking, with the other flats. It’s on the fourth floor and up a shit-ton of stairs (which I’m planning on counting later today, so I’ll let you know exactly how many) and it’s got low ceilings and an “attic garrett” feel, whereas the other flats have high ceilings, soaring windows, and dining rooms. The whole house gets along well, though, so we are going to use the boys in flat 4’s dining room and the girl’s in flat 3’s dining room whenever we cook big meals. Also for studying. But more than that, the flat has quirks that are apparently just English. For example, the kitchen sink has one faucet with two holes and hot water comes out of one hole and cold out of the other and they don’t mix so you have one extremely hot stream of water that burns and one that freezes. The same in the bathroom, but there are two faucets so there’s no chance of mixing at all. The microwaves and cooking directions on microwavable food are very different, too. Everything goes by watts here.

The bedroom that Shea and I live in.

View from our kitchen window.

View of our flat from the door.

There are other differences, too. The food, for one. Yes, we can get Pizza Hut and KFC, but in the grocery stores there is frozen Indian food instead of frozen enchiladas, and you can buy packets of naan bread in a thousand different brands but only one kind of tortilla chip—grocery store brand. They sell hard liquor in the grocery store—aisles full of rum, whiskey (there was some Glenlivit 12, Mike!), and vodka. They also sell different vodka brands that I’ve never heard of, Russian and Polish stuff. They don’t have 1% milk or 2% milk, but whole milk, skimmed milk, and something called “semi-skimmed milk” which we aren’t quite sure what the hell percentage it is. Furthermore, they don’t have pizza mixes or huge packs of sodas, but just six packs and two litres (notice the spelling). They don’t sell gallons of ice cream or milk, but litres and half litres. Plus, you can buy bigger bottles of hard cider than soda. And there are these great little oatmeal cookies called McVities HobNobs that I’ve become addicted to. Oh, and you have to pay for a shopping cart, so we all carried around baskets instead. I’m sure I’ll find more differences as I continue to go to the grocery store looking for more food.

Frozen Indian Food, grocery store brand.

The nighttime culture is entirely different, too, though I’ve yet to experience much of that. It seems, however, that students go out on Mondays and Thursdays. Our ASE staff—including our student liason, Mark, a British grad student at Bath Uni—says that Mondays and Thursdays are the best nights to go clubbing. Also, last night my flatmates and I, and the boys from the flat downstairs, went out to a pub to watch a football match (soccer game) and the pub food serving hours were 12:00 pm-8:00 p.m Fridays-Sundays and 12:00 p.m-9:00 p.m Mondays-Thursdays. ANNNNND on Thursday nights at this pub called The Huntsman there’s karaoke!

The oddest thing, especially for me, is how lax they are with schedules. Other than getting to class on time, nothing seems to run on a tight schedule within the programme. Things just happen on their accord. I don’t even feel strange without having a watch or cell phone with me at all times to check the time. Well, a little strange, because I’m somewhat obsessed with knowing what time it is, but none of that seems very important here. Andy told us that we would be even more shocked in France at their lack of punctuality. Andy, by the way, looks so British in a typical Monty Python way and sometimes sounds like Eddie Izzard; watching his presentation on culture today was somewhat like watching a stand-up comedian.

The worst thing today is that we have to write two diagnostic papers so our professors will be able to evaluate us before the class starts. We have to write another tomorrow. So far I’ve only written the Tudors and Stuarts one… I think it went ok. Seriously, though, papers before class? And they are timed and have to be handwritten in Nelson House (the programme’s main building).

Alright, time to finish eating lunch and then back over to the Nelson House for paper number two of the day—Irish Literature! I'm in England!

Jolly Old England!

This is my first post from England!

1-27-08
All I desired was to walk upon such an earth that had no maps. ~The English Patient

Around three o’clock EST Kay, Jacob, my parents, and I began the trek to the airport. First, we dropped Jake by the metro so he could catch his train back to Williamsburg, then it was on to the airport! Check-in went smoothly, I nearly began crying as I started through security, then I got to my gate and waited around to board the plane. The ride was pretty uneventful. I finished reading The Alchemist (which was a great book, everyone should read it), then watched part of The Jane Austen Book Club, which was ok, but I wouldn’t advise spending money on it. The characters weren’t all that lovable, but I mean, it was cute for what it was. After the movie ended I watched the map they provide for awhile. I watched as we flew past Boston, over Newfoundland, past St. John’s, over part of Iceland, and then I fell asleep for about an hour or so. I woke up with the worst leg cramps in the world, because I had fallen asleep in a little ball on the airplane chair. My legs still hurt and it’s been nearly a day! Anyways, I woke up with about another hour and a half to go. There was more map-watching involved. There was also some serious thinking, since it was quiet and dark with that nice airplane noise going on, and the tiredness beginning to really set in. Soon we were descending from the sky over London. There was fog over the city in patches, and the lights shown through in orange and white swirls. It was silly, but I felt like I might be Peter Pan flying over London at night going to Neverland. I was tired. At long last the flight ended, and somehow it had become six o’clock in the morning, Greenwich Mean Time.

1-28-08
The wind spoke to Vianne of towns yet to be visited, friends in need yet to be discovered… ~Chocolat

I got off of the airplane and easily went through customs. I made my way to the train station in the basement of Heathrow airport to buy my ticket on the Heathrow Connect to Paddington. First of all, the first twenty pound bill I handed the cashier was apparently an old twenty pound bill that is no longer accepted as legal tender in the UK. That was somewhat of a shocker and I had a short, mini-freak-out that maybe all of my twenties were dead bills, but luckily it appears that it’s only the one. He told me I could just exchange it anywhere that changes money, and explain the situation.

Next, I got down to the platform and realized that I had just missed the train. I had an hour to wait in a metro-like station all alone. Plus, it was foggy in there, because it connected to the outside somewhere along the line. I began to re-read The Alchemist, then read my sea-turtle I Love You book, then sat around a bit before beginning to laugh out-loud because I remembered this old couple in the Wren Building to whom I was giving a Spotswood tour when they said, “You know, there was so much inbreeding in Britain. That’s why the British are a weak race with holes in their hearts.” And they were dead serious. I decided it would be wise not to share this anecdote with any of the Brits sitting around me.

Finally, the train came. We got to Paddington at 8:30, and I bought a ticket for the 9:30 train to Bristol Temple, which stops at Bath Spa. I literally sat and watched the seconds tick by for an hour. I felt rather numb with exhaustion and sadness and loneliness and boredom. I people watched a bit. Some British guy asked me if I knew which line to take to West Point, which I didn’t. He called me “Miss,” though, which sounded very British polite. I watched a pigeon dive-bomb the ground in front of me repeatedly. He came to a sliding stop each time. It was amusing. I saw a girl spill coffee on herself, and I saw a man eating what appeared to be a sausage link and cheese sandwich—it looked disgusting—and I noticed a Paddington Bear kiosk at Paddington Station. I was almost tempted to buy a teddy bear, just because they are nice when you are lonely, but then I decided to save my money. Plus, I never much cared for Paddington Bear. Just as my train was arriving it hit me that “Hey, I’m in London right now! I’m in my favorite city in the whole world right now!” It was kind of an exciting thought.

The train arrived and I managed to get on without problems (a first, as anyone who knew me in Italy can attest to). On the train, I met three girls also going to Bath for ASE. They seemed very nice and we sat together on the train. One of the girls, Liz, said she was going to take a nap and to wake her up if we saw anything British, which we did. There were little churches, and rolling hills, and sheep, and hedgings. We got to Bath after a rather short train-ride, though perhaps that’s just compared to the airplane ride, and stepped out into the unknown.

Bath is beautiful. It’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever been in. It has sort of an Italian feel to it, but also a jovial, kind, English feel, like London. Everyone I’ve met so far, both British and American, have been incredibly nice. We got to our building, then realized that our flat was at the top of the building, so we have to climb up a thousand stairs to get to it. It’s ok, though, because it’s an incredibly sweet little apartment, with the best views of the River Avon and the city. One by one I met my flatmates and my roommate. Shea is amazing! We hit it off right away. And our room is huge, but also cozy. The program had provided some starter food for us, but I didn’t get a chance to eat any because of unpacking, and the quick orientation to the building that ASE gave us. At long last, my housemates and I went out for dinner. We began to walk around Bath and realized that, indeed, we are right in the center of everything. We’re a two minute walk from the train-station and just down the street from the shopping and restaurant district and about five minutes from a movie theater. We ended up eating at a place called Wetherspoons/King of Wessex for supper. They had a beer and burger and chips deal for only 4.49 pounds, which seemed excellent. I got a pint of Strongbow with my burger. They IDed me though, and I swear the guy thought my driver’s license was a fake so I had to give him my ISIC card. Do I really look younger than eighteen? Really? Anyways, the four of us were happily finishing up dinner when one of the bartenders came up and said that he had just gone on break and could he sit with us to drink his latte? Well, ok? What else could we say? “No, doesn’t this place have a breakroom?” He seemed nice enough, but we were all a little weirded out, especially when he gave us his number and said to call him if we ever wanted to go clubbing…. Sure…. Maybe one of the other girls will take him up on it, but seriously?

After we left we all laughed about that for a little bit, then just marveled at how beautiful Bath is, especially at night. It really is. And from my window I can see a view of the whole city! It’s spectacular. I think I’ll be happy here. I hope I will be. Anyways, I’m still pretty jet-lagged, so I’m off to bed for now. Also, I happily have Skype up and working!!!!

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Less Than A Week

I said goodbye to Williamsburg today, so now I'm home with a bit more shopping and a bit more packing to do. I'm in a strange mood. A sad mood, too. I'm excited about going, but today I'm a bit sad, as well. Leaving was sad. I mean, it's not like I love Williamsburg for itself, but driving away knowing that everyone else will be there for the rest of the semester living their lives and doing things that I could have been doing... well, that's sad. Saying goodbye to Jake and Kay today was the worst. Luckily I get to see them briefly before I actually go to England.

Now I am home spending a few days with my parents, who I haven't really seen all winter break for various and sundry reasons. And packing. I think I'll be better tomorrow, once I've gotten a good night's sleep and looked through clothes to figure out what to take and what shouldn't see the sun of the British Empire. I actually like packing, so it should cheer me up. Also, it will break me of the feeling that I'm in a holding pattern, just sitting around waiting for something to happen. Packing is making small steps towards England and the continuance of my Winding Hall of Fate (which is a Betsy-Tacy reference).

Road Trip: Hilton Head Island

On Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 11:00 p.m, Jacob and I decided to take a roadtrip. First we thought Florida, but that was an extremely long drive, so we decided on Hilton Head Island, SC. We found a hotel running a special winter rate, booked it, and on Saturday morning we began our drive to Hilton Head Island. First, we stopped for road trip snacks-- the box of Pringles proved the most popular between the two of us, with the Twix bars making a close second. Then we started spinning the tunes from our iPods and in seven and a half hours (Mapquest said it would take nine hours, psh) we were pulling into the parking lot of the Main Street Inn. This was honestly one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in (and that's saying something). The room was large, clean, and had a nice Old South/Island feel, much like South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island. We had an amazingly nice bathroom-- you could twirl around in it it was so big and the shower was great... I think they called it a "spa shower" in the description. Our room overlooked Charlestonian Gardens and a lap pool, but it was a little chilly for swimming. It was about 70 degrees and foggy the first day we were there, and cooler but sunny the second day. The first night, after we checked in and marveled at our hotel, we went to dinner at a place called the Crazy Crab. I had a great flounder stuffed with crab meat, and Jake got fish and chips. The restaurant was a typical island restaurant with nautical items on the walls and only seafood on the menu. The best part was the amazing feeling that 24 hours previously we had been in D.C with no notion of ever driving to Hilton Head Island, yet there we were ready to start exploring!

The first day we woke up, ate the complimentary breakfast provided by the hotel (which was really good--blueberry pancakes-- but the breakfast room service was really slow, probably because we were in the south). After breakfast, we decided to check out the Disney World Hilton Head Island resort. As we approached the gate, we saw a sign which said "Welcome Home DVC Members." Me!!! Oh Disney, you are home. Anyways, we went onto the property like we belonged there (which, let's face it, I go to Disney enough that using their facilities when I'm not actually staying there doesn't phase me in the least-- I deserve it. If Disney had little hole punch cards like coffee shops and Sno-To-Go I think I would have punched out enough Mickey heads to earn a free week at a Disney property). We walked around, found a dock, and looked out over the marshland on the inner part of the island. Then we played ping-pong, shuffleboard and warmed our feet in their hot-tub. Jacob won at ping-pong easily because he's good, but then played a ruthless game of shuffleboard. In his Machiavellian way he used his pucks to knock my pucks off of points and onto negative points. One Disney employee commented on his game, "That's right, go for the throat!" Grrr, Jacob, grrr. ;)... Love you!

After being at the Disney resort for awhile, we went to Sea Pines which is a resort like Kingsmill in Williamsburg. We went to Harbour Towne first, where we discovered a lighthouse! This lighthouse turned out to be a climb-able museum. This was the second lighthouse we found over Winter Break (the first was on a short day trip to Havre de Grace, MD, to the Concord Point lighthouse. That was on January 8th. We took a picnic and a bouquet of daisies that Jake had bought for me and sat in front of the lighthouse for hours enjoying the warm day and the water)! It was a thrill! The museum itself wasn't too bad, but as Jacob pointed out, a little bit biased in the Civil War part... under a picture of freed slaves with the description of the Union Troops pulling out of South Carolina is said "Free at Last!" which could be read as either the slaves were free at last or South Carolina was free of Union soldiers at last. Hmm... It was foggy, but the view at the top of the lighthouse was still quite beautiful. Next, we went to South Beach Marina, where we ate lunch at Jake's Pizza (ironic, no?) and looked into some little shops, and imagined what it must be like in the summer filled with people eating and drinking and laughing, and we planned a return trip for sometime not winter.

Finally we went to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean side. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. We took off our shoes and walked with the water splashing up over our feet and calves. We held hands and chased seagulls (but they had the wing advantage) and generally played in the water and sand until it began to get dark. We went to Fuddruckers (World's Greatest Hamburgers) for dinner that night, which of course brought a flood of speech and debate memories, then we chilled out in the hotel and I quickly fell asleep-- probably a result of all the wonderful salt-water air.

The next day we awake to find it sunny, but much cooler than the day before. We started out at the beach, but we had to wear our coats (though we still took off our shoes and walked in the waves). The ocean was stunning in the sun. It glittered gold and blue and white and the beach spanned on and on forever on both sides, a wide expanse. The ocean makes me feel so... incredulous. It just goes on to the horizon so full of promise and adventure and... I don't even know how to describe it. It was nice to see it in the sun. We went back to the Disney resort after that to warm our feet in the hot tub. They were pretty numb, but the hot water brought them back to life. It was getting into afternoon, so Jacob and I left and ate lunch at Fuddruckers (again. It was near the Disney resort), then commenced our long drive back to D.C. Hilton Head Island was an incredible place. I can't wait to go back again!

Right now I'm in Williamsburg seeing a few people before I leave for England! 10 days! I should really start packing...