Tomorrow ~ we go to York

Probably, the most exciting part of the day was the heated debate during our Contemporary Britain class. Several of us Americans tried to give our British professor a better understanding of why Americans hunt. 

He thinks the idea of hunting is completely barbaric and unnecessary. He thought a slaughter house was much more humane. Anyways. I really got into this one. I stated that anything you put on your plate you should have the will power to kill yourself. I asked David, the prof, if he could pull the trigger on an animal. He responded that he could never do that, because it cannot defend its self. Then, I told him he should be a vegetarian. If he can't handle where his food comes from than he shouldn't be eating a diet of meat. His argument was so frustrating, because I don't see how animals breed for slaughter have a fighting chance either. 

Emotions were quite high in this discussion. But, several other students and I argued that the act of killing an animal and taking its last breath of life from it, creates a deeper appreciation for life and the meat and resources provided by the animal. Most people just didn't understand this concept, which I can't really blame them for. It needs to be experienced in order to fully understand the impact it has on a person. 

Overall, the debate was riveting. I normally hate debates. But, I very much enjoyed this one and provided a lot of input. 

Later, I watched some British TV. Its part of our homework:) I watched the most fascinated show on dogs. They are incredible creatures and the more we learn about dogs the more we realize how smart they are. Its truly amazing what they are capable of with the right training. Following that show, I watched the news. The news is so much better here. Its more global based and less biased. The Brits really get a kick out of the American news channels and media in comparison to their BBC. 

Our field trip to York is bound to be exciting. (Our last field trip was rescheduled due to poor weather conditions. They really aren't prepared for more than 2 inches of snow here. The whole nation grinds to a halt. Its pretty amusing!) I look forward to exploring the ancient city and its violent past. Much of our time will be spent at York Minster cathedral. You can count on a blog post with lots of pictures soon! 

Fine Chocolate:)

Today, I treated myself to some excellent dark chocolate truffles from the Chocolate Spa shoppe in Alnwick. I headed out, following my last class, and selected my goodies. After returning, I played some Frank Sinatra and ate the whole box of 9 truffles in one sitting. It was quite enjoyable, the sunshine was streaming in through the windows and I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon appreciating the little things in life. 

My favourites: Lime, Apricot, Almond. ~ The Best: the Lime one

All gone :(

not much excitement.

Classes and homework has been taking up the majority of my time lately. One exciting thing to note is that all the snow is gone and temperatures are in the high 40s. This is really nice, but definitely not the norm for Northumbria. The snow will likely return but I am enjoying the balmy weather. 

I hope to get out to Hulne Park soon. I am always a little hesitant to go, because the Duke has had several fox hunts scheduled, so the park has been closed. Anyways, I am really looking forward to exploring the wilderness and historic monuments. I also plan on stopping by Alnwick's chocolate shop. I really need some dark chocolate. I heard that they have Champagne infused in some of their dark chocolate. So getting some of that!!!:) 

Currently, I have been trying to gather research on land preservation in the UK and US for my biology paper. I have been having a rather difficult time finding good articles. I might change my topic. Its looking rather tedious. 

While watching Harry Potter 4 in the commons room, Sam, Marie, and I were discussing meeting famous people. That was interesting. At the beginning of the Twilight series, Sam went to meet the actors, who play Jacob Black, Laurent, and Victoria at the Mall of America. Sam, being who she is, went up to meet the stars and out of the corner of her eye sees a guy with this crazy rainbow Mohawk and gets completely distracted from the people she is supposed to be meeting. While she is expressing her amazement over this guys hair, the stars are getting a kick out of her. I haven't meet any amazing movie actors, but I did meet Chris Kratt from Zaboomafoo at the Minnesota Zoo when I was little. So that's my claim to fame! I must admit I still think that was pretty cool:) 

We also decided that our server, Lee, looks like he could be a student of the Durmstrang Institute in Harry Potter 4. He has the exact same hair cut and build as them. Of course, we ended up comparing the computer generated castle to the one we live in. Yes, the one in the movie is way bigger and has lots of cool things we don't. But, I still like ours better. Its real!

This morning I took the big history exam. I felt very confident I did well. I love that the history tests are not cumulative. For Contemporary Britain, we don't take notes or memorize facts. We instead discuss and analyze the differences between UK and US culture. Our homework is usually watching British TV and reading the newspapers to learn about events and values. I like that kind of class structure. 

I sat across from David, one of the professors, during supper. Conversation was most engaging. We discussed many subjects including Jane Austen, the Russian Mafia, Scotland, Olympics, and popular British TV shows. He is most interesting to talk to, very opinionated. David reminds me of someone else I know (Mr. Aurich), except he is completely opposite in political views. The similarities are astounding, despite the one major difference. I would love to see the two together debating about which way the government should swing. 

An unexpected excursion

Well, today was quite an adventure. At around 11 o'clock, I headed out for church, not intending to be gone for the next six hours!!

I went to church at St. Michael's, not far from the castle. Its a Church of England. It was a cross between Catholic mass and Concordia Academy's chapels. I really enjoyed it! We sang mostly contemporary songs, some of which I knew. Also, the bishop of the region was visiting so he gave a nice talk during the service. The building, built by a former Duke of Northumberland, is quite impressive dating back to the Tudor period and beyond. The big stone arches and stained glass create a majestic feel to it. There are grave slabs all over, apart of the floor. You walk right over them in the church. But, the bodies are probably buried elsewhere. While I was there I met a lovely couple, Richard and Carol. Richard leads the informal worship service and Carol is a part of the small music band and choir. Afterward, they invited me to come to their home for Sunday dinner!

It was wonderful. They live south of Alnwick, just a few miles out of town. They live in a old farm house which was renovated into several homes. Their son, about age 35, came up from Newcastle for the meal as well. For dinner, they served pork, potatoes, fried pork skin, and two types of cabbage. It was all very good. For pudding, they had blueberries with vanilla meringue cookies topped with whip cream. Tasty treat with coffee!

Then, after the meal, they took me to Alnmouth, a town along the North Sea, for a stroll along the beach. It was so beautiful, I wish I had my camera. But, again, I wasn't planning for that when I left for church. We walked a good ways along the shore. It was very windy and chilly. Quite a sight with the big rolling and crashing waves. On our way back, we took a higher route along the hills through a golf course. We passed an old cannon fort built by a different former Duke of Northumberland in the 1860s for the Percy Artillery, which no longer exists today. After that, they dropped me off at the barbican gate of the castle at 5 o'clock. What a lovely surprise for my afternoon!

Tonight, I plan to do some studying as well as clarifying some of our travel plans to the Scotland highlands.

Burns Night Dinner Party!!!

Well, good poetry, whiskey, and haggis was the theme of the night. Burns Night is a tribute to the Scottish poet: Robert Burns. So, naturally, it was celebrated in Scottish style. It was incredible!

First off, the venue is gorgeous. The newly renovated Guest Hall of the castle is quite beautiful. As you can see from the pictures below.

Sara and I share a homestay family. Our 'dad', Chris, is in the middle. And our 'brother', Dominic is on the left! (They have a very, very thick Geordie English accent. I have trouble understanding them. Hopefully, that will improve with time!)

After being introduced to our homestay family, the first thing they did was buy us a drink for the meal. I got Magners Cider (Made in Clonmel, Ireland!! Isn't that cool Daddy!) That bottle didn't seem to end. It lasted almost the whole night. There had to have been at least 2 pints in there, because it filled my pint glass over two times. Of course, this being a Scot party, Grouse Whiskey from Edinburgh was provided by the castle for the traditional toasting to the haggis. Haggis is a big deal. Its pipped in by a Scottish piper and carried about the room for all to see. Then, it is presented and everyone toasts to it after a poem. The first course was bread and Cullen Skink (similar to chowder). So good. Then, time for the main dish. Haggis stuffed chicken with neeps and tatties (mashed parsnips and potatoes) with vegetables and a whiskey cream sauce. It was so amazingly delectable. 

On to dessert, Whiskey and Raspberry Cranachan (whiskey/raspberry jello, whip cream, and toasted chocolate oats). Very delicious, but I wanted more of the nummy oats. Then, last course: coffee and shortbread. A perfect way to end the meal. Overall, it was absolutely delicious. It was fun seeing our normal weekday meal servers, Lee and Laura, working at this big event. We all noticed that all the servers were very attractive, I am thinking its a job requirement!

The best part the night was the Kayleigh!! Its Scottish folk dancing!!! I picked up on it real quick. My new dad and I really looked like pros by the end of the night. I danced every single song. They were all so fun. Of course, being that out of the 17 students only 3 are guys, many times girls had to partner up. I made a great lead guy or butch as they called it. There were lots of people there so the dance floor was very crowded all night long. I wish I could explain the dancing better, but I just don't know how to put it into words right...At the end of the event around 12, everyone got up and made a big circle and held hands and sang Auld Lang Syne (written by Robert Burns). What a lovely evening, but it didn't end there. 

It was my room mate's birthday party! So, we all headed out to one of Alnwick's nightclubs: Penny Black. It was pretty dead for a Saturday night. But, that didn't stop us from having a good time. Tom bought everyone a Tequila shot (that must have been a fortune! Since they were 2.5 pounds each) and we danced away. Soon, more people started to arrive. At 2, they closed down and we all went home. 

For me, the Kayleigh was definitely the best part of the night. I felt like we went back in time. It was a night to remember forever! But, seeings its 3:20 a.m. I should probably get to bed soon especially since I plan on going to church in the morning:)

Lets face it..

I am a wimp when it comes to cold conditions. I don't think my body can physically maintain an internal temperature of 98 degrees F. I am sitting on the floor in front of the heater in the library. Its bad. No, Mom and Dad, you don't need to send me warmer clothes. I have plenty. I probably just need to do some jumping jacks regularly to warm up. ha.

Anyway, this morning I started my day off with a large bowl of oatmeal after waking up at 9:38 (I know. lazy, but I wasn't feeling my best. And since my room mate was sick. I figured I could use some more rest!) . Then, I had to come to terms with something terrible: my growing laundry pile. Out of curiosity and my frugal self, I didn't pay for a washer. Nope, I did it the old fashioned way. I used the laundry sink to hand wash my clothes and used a crank to rinse out the water. Of course, I couldn't figure out how the free dryer worked so my clothes are hanging up in the pottery room on the clothes lines. Its been almost 10 hours. and the clothes haven't dried at all. I will probably need to try to figure out how the dryer works soon.

Latter on, Mychaela, Danielle, and I went into town to do some errands. Our first stop, Strawberry Lounge Bakery:) I got a plum scone, buttered, jammed, and heated for a quid. Amazingly delicious. I almost got another one. Then, we went around Alnwick looking at different places we are thinking about volunteering. We have to do 10 hours of community service while we are here. I don't think I will spend all my time at one place, but rather spread it out over several places. At the post office, I mailed some postcards and a letter. Rocky, a guy we meet at a pub works there and gave me a free envelope. That was nice. I didn't feel like buying the package of 50. Next, we went to Morisson's, the grocery store. Wow, that place was busy. We all picked up several items for the weekend. I got potatoes, onions, clementines, tortellini, Italian bread, and garlic sauce. They don't sell Alfredo sauce here.

The rest of the day was spent studying for our big history exam on Tuesday. Later, we took all of our new cooking ingredients and made an excellent supper. We had tortellini pasta with onions, mushrooms, garlic white sauce, and olive focaccia bread. I was so full. Danielle and Mychaela split a package of tortellini and couldn't finish their portions, while I just ate a whole package by myself. Ha. I guess I was hungry.

Although I should be more devoted to my studies. I have taken up reading a Jane Austen novel. Northanger Abbey. Its amazing how much more interesting those novels are when you understand all the places they are visiting and talking about all over England. The places in the novels all have much more meaning to me than they used to. It was so exciting to be able to identify with the characters better.

Right. That is probably enough for today. Back to studying the Tudor period.

It was a long short day

8-9: Get up and eat breakfast

9-10: Biology

10-11: History

11-12: British Studies

12-2:30 Dinner and break time

2:30-5: Photography

5-6: Supper

6-8: Contemporary Britain

Thursdays are very class intensive for me. All my classes are very small, which makes for great discussions. I am learning so much. The professors are excellent, very skilled in their fields and so knowledgeable. It doesn't really feel like college much here. We are more like one very large family on a really long educational holiday. We always eat with our professors and their families. And, they also live in the castle (except for our British professors which actually live in England). The program coordinator is also deeply involved with student life as well. I am sure we will all be very close by the end of the semester. 

On Monday, we received our cleaning assignments. We have to clean on Mondays and Thursdays. I am in charge of the Mail Room and its surrounding staircases. I have to sweep, mop, dust, and tidy up the area. I went a little overboard on Monday and deck scrubbed everything. It took me 2 hours. I won't do that every time. I didn't do my cleaning duty today, but I will do it tomorrow since we won't be going on our field trip to Holy Island due to the snow. 

Just thought I would show you a less glamorous side of castle life with these photos:

Stairs: There are a lot of them. 

Tunnels: Okay, they are pretty cool. 

The Mail Room

Yup, I scrub that staircase. 

Sometimes I sit up in the indented area to the left. 

The Library 

Main Classroom (we only have two)

A Spiral Staircase: Super hard and disorienting to run up and down. 

The tunnel leading to the pottery room (junk and laundry room)

Sepia Silhouettes, Social Studies, and Scotland Sightseeing

Today was productive. I spent most of my day doing research and collecting articles for my Contemporary Britain social studies course. I have chosen to write my six page final paper on Polo (the sport). The more I learn about it, the more interested I am. At first, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find enough material to back up my points. However, to my delight, there were plenty of articles on the subject. Of course, one most know where to look to find such articles! I am quite an expert in that area. 

I am returning to Scotland in a couple weeks. Some friends and I booked a bus tour with National Holidays up to the highlands. It is all-inclusive and was offered at a low price. Wade, our program coordinator, thought it was an excellent deal. He has been on multiple bus tours with National Holidays and speaks highly of his trips with them. All of us girls are pretty excited! 

The cooks are always surprising us with certain dishes. Tonight was burrito night. I was thoroughly impressed. It was the best burrito I have ever had! Here I am in England eating the best Mexican food I have ever tasted. Amusing. 

Pictures from our Photography class outing! I found cool shapes in the melting snow. 

A puppy (sideways)

Two ladies

Jersey cow

Goofy 

Castle

Aln

Time for Bed

Wait, I let me just go put on leggings, sweatpants, cotton socks, wool socks, a dry-fit sweater, another sweater, and my north face. Then, I will go snuggle up in a sleeping bag, under a blanket, under a duvet. I know its cold outside in Minnesota, but its always cold inside at the castle.

Today was actually half a snow day. Two classes were cancelled due to the snowy weather conditions. Its quite different from Minnesota. They can handle snow, but not over long periods of time. Its quite amusing. Especially, when you watch the castle crew trying to plow snow off the cobblestone roadways. It doesn't work very well.

travel planning...

My new Scotland tee!!!! :) 

Tonight, I bought my trip to Ireland, which included the hostel, tour, and flights! It's nice to have it all booked! Its in February. I will be seeing Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle, and Cork County (where my ancestry is from on my mother's side!). It's nice to be going somewhere on my one week break with some of my new girlfriends! However, there are some hoops I still have to jump in order for everything to run smoothly. But, I have put together a to do list to complete before we depart. Trying to stay organized! (Just like my Grandpa Ben!)

Scotland!

Good afternoon~
I slept in till 11 today. I know, a bit excessive. This weekend was thrilling, but exhausting. Edinburgh covers an extensive area. I covered just a small area in 2 days. Friday morning we took a bus from Alnwick to Edinburgh, just around 100 minutes. On our way up, we were fortunate enough to encounter a royal procession. Wade, our program coordinator still hasn't informed us on who it was yet.

Our field trip day began with a tour of the Holyrood Palace. This site has an eventful history. One of the museum guards was very kind and knowledgeable. He told us all sorts of interesting stories. It turns out that archery is a big deal there. Every June, a special competition is held on the back lawn of the palace. The winners then are awarded the grand prize and honor by HM the Queen in July at Holyrood. Of course, there are many other great stories, but I am afraid I would ramble on forever to do them all justice.

Next stop, the Scottish Parliament. This building was quite beautiful and very innovative. However, it was around ten times more expensive than originally budgeted. Total cost: 414m pounds. Yikes. Also, it has been having major structural problems since it was built only five years ago. A very controversial subject of discussion in the UK.

Calton Hill: Not much to say, but there were great views of Edinburgh.

National Museum of Scotland: Very overwhelming, there was so much to see. Learned a lot in a short time.

Edinburgh Castle: It was different from Alnwick in every way. It was more like a fortified medieval town than  a castle. We got to explore all the shops, museum, and famous sites. The royal honours of Scotland (their crown jewels) were an incredible display. 

Edinburgh at Twilight

Everyone on the program decided to stay over night in hostel to be able to explore an additional day, despite the "terrible" snowstorm that was predicted. UK terrible is not to Minnesota terrible. Ha! Most of us went out that night to Finnegan's Wake (I know an Irish pub while in Scotland doesn't make much sense). We had a fabulous time and slept great that night.
The following day started with a morning breakfast at the Elephant House cafe where J.K. Rowling started writing the Harry Potter series. Then, some friends and I went to a cemetery, the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scot Monument, High Street/the Royal Mile for shopping (I got a Scotland tee) and Waverly Station. It was cold since we had to be outside for most of the day, of course, I planned accordingly for that. Others did not. Needless to say, I think they learned their lesson.

Edinburgh's High Street: The Royal Mile

The Elephant House

\

Scot Monument

Our return trip was via train versus bus. Their rail system is incredible. The trains travel over 100 mph and my seat was facing backwards. I had a bit of a headache by the time we reached our destination. Last night after settling in, we all went to the store to buy groceries. Then, we returned and cooked up a big spaghetti supper and watched Bridesmaids. Today, we are catching up on homework and relaxing. Unfortunately, due to the snow, our Homestay Tea has been canceled. So, we are rescheduling for Saturday evening. Alright, its time for me to start on that homework..

:)

I'm excited!!!!! I just booked a solo two week holiday to Platakia Bay in Paleokastritsa, Corfu, Greece! :) All for 251 pounds (hours of research pays off). I was intending on booking my trip to Ireland in February, until I came across this amazing deal. I will be leaving Manchester, England on May 3rd and returning May 17th. I will be 50 meters from Platakia Beach and have my own apartment. This was quite on a whim, so... Surprise to Mom and Dad!!! Here are some pictures of what it should look like! 

Time.

Its slow, its fast, its constant. And I want more of it here in Europe.

Classes are going well. Photography will be a good time, social science of contemporary Britain will be filled with debates, and history will be invigorating. The debates I am not looking forward to, because 99.9% of the time they turn into arguments and arguments eat my soul. I am not kidding. I physically, mentally, and emotionally suffer from arguing. Its quite unfortunate. Luckily, enough, I am surrounded by a group of family and friends in my life where arguments are few and far between.

Tonight was my first time to the pubs! It was great! I had a cider and a mixed fruit cider, quite tasty for five quid. We went to the Black Swan in Alnwick, just a short walk from the castle. It was sort of a goodbye gathering for two British students, Perry and Ruth, who were interning at the castle archives. On Saturday, they will be returning to their home university in Liverpool. However, we plan to hang out in London, this upcoming March. This means we are going to need some new British friends to laugh and talk with. Of course, picking out proper friends at a pub is serious business. Don't want to wind up with the wrong sort or anyone on the Black List.

Further info on travel plans, well, they are still plans unfortunately. Hopefully tomorrow, the plans will turn into actions. And plane tickets, hostel reservations, and additional fares will be purchased. Being a adult is quite a big responsibility. All of a sudden I can do things I couldn't before.

On the banks of the Aln.  

The food is absolutely delicious!!

A very old tunnel skylight.

In many ways, Alnwick is becoming my home. 

Looks as if, others before me would agree according to the maps left behind. 

The Dining Hall where we eat breakfast is stunning. Rich with history as well!

I am greatly anticipating the weekend! We are headed to Scotland! Edinburgh in particular. I am leaving Alnwick early Friday morning and will not be returning until Saturday night. On the following day, we finally get to meet our homestay families. I have been longing to really connect with more of the local people here in Northumberland, so it will be great to have a another place to call home! Many of the town folk are excellent people and I am looking forward to my homestay experience.

To all of those hoping I will come home with a new accent, I just might. Its quite crazy. I have only been here six days, and occasionally, things will slip out of my mouth in a way I did not intend. Its quite disorienting. Other students are noticing this as well. Throughout recent conversations, I have stopped mid-sentence, in response to my on words. What was that!!! However, I notice my Minnesota accent much more than ever before. Its quite strange. The British accent is beginning to sound normal and I notice it less. While the Minnesota accent is starting to sound really weird. Its fascinating.

Fun fact: The Alnwick Castle is roughly 500 years older than the United States.

classes begin

My inner nerd came out a little today, because I really enjoyed classes. I love my biology class. My professor for that class is quite funny. Even my history class is going to be interesting, hard, but interesting. Our professor is a lovely British lady who even taught my mother when she was on this study abroad program. She really knows her British history and will lead many of our field trips! Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to be my toughest days since I will have class almost all day long, just breaking for meals.

A friend and I walked around Alnwick today taking pictures and enjoying the rain/sleet/snow mix falling from the sky. It is very wet, we appreciate our waterproof shoes everyday. Here are some of the pictures from our walk.