If I was really nit picky I would have started this blog the second I first got access to the internet, but I'm not a stickler who records every action I do, which is probably better for my mental health anyway. So I'm starting the "study abroad journal" a few days late, don't worry I'll cover all the big points about my travel and settle in time briefly.
I'll start a few days before I left the States. I always hate packing, let alone packing 5 months worth of stuff into a limited number of bags. I found a list of basic things to bring on a study abroad trip on Google, and from there Mom and I gathered up clothing, shoes, toiletries, dog supplies, electronics, books, etc, and began cramming (as orderly as possible) the stuff into 1 large suitcase, a small duffle bag, and a backpack. Amazingly it all fit, which was great because I literally could not handle another bag, considering I only have 1 hand free while walking.
Besides getting myself ready for the journey, I had to make sure all of Bambi's papers were in order. Getting a dog over to the UK takes A LOT more paperwork than you would think. I started the process about 8 months ago. It's not a particularly hard process, but you need to be on the same page as your vet, and do the steps in a specific order. I followed them to a T, the last thing I wanted was to arrive at the airport and get turned away because of some "error". The last 2 steps had to be completed the day before the flight; going to the vet, getting Bambi's dewormer and flea and tick treatment, pick up her International Health Certificate (which cost about $205, I nearly fainted when I saw the bill. Sending that over to Guiding Eyes straight away), and heading over to JFK to get the papers signed and stamped by the vet on staff. If I were a vet I wouldn't want that job, I bet he rarely to never sees any actual animals, just their paperwork. Sucks for him.
We had a little trouble getting back to the city because the Mint key card didn't unlock the door to the car, which caused about a 1/2 hour delay and an angry phone call to the company. Finally we got back to the city, had lunch, and then I said farewell and thank you to Glenn, it was nice of him to take me all the way out to JFK.
That night there was a snowstorm which dumped over a 1/2 foot of snow on NYC streets. I was freaking out a little to say the least; I was already missing 1 day of orientation, now there was the possibility I would miss the other too. Luckily for me (but not for my brothers, who were expecting a snow day) Bloomberg got the roads cleaned up in the morning. To my amazement , my flight was listed as "On time", not even a delay! We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare (I didn't really want to repeat the blind girl running through the airport experience which happened when I was on my way to Infinitus last year). Mom couldn't escort me all the way to the gate, so we had a not-so-dramatic (thank goodness) goodbye at the security line. Getting through security went fine (although the lady who was supposed to feel Bambi up didn't seem too keen on the idea of touching a dog, so she just didn't. Luckily for you Delta, I didn't have my dog loaded up with explosives).
A nice security guard helped me get to my gate, I waited for awhile, and when they were preboarding I went up and changed my seat for one in the bulkhead. Little did I know I would get THREE in the bulkhead! That was pretty sweet, extra legroom for me, and more than enough room for Bam to spread out. The staff were very nice, and the food was decent, seats were comfortable too, but I couldn't sleep.
We landed in Amsterdam, and someone was waiting there to help me get to my next flight. It took a little while, but we got my boarding pass, and pretty soon I was standing in front of the next plane (one of the small ones, where you need to climb the steps). Before I got on, I asked if I could let Bambi do her business, we were outside...so why not. The guy seemed reluctant and after about a minute he was urging me to board. Fine, whatever...I boarded and the staff on this plane were immediately taken with Bambi. They gave me 2 seats, and the flight to Norwich was quite uneventful. My favorite part was landing, we went through a layer of clouds, and it was really awesome to look out the window and see what the inside of the puffs was like. These red sunglasses I have make clouds SO much more well defined than the grey ones I had before. At Norwich airport there was someone there waiting again who helped me get though immigration (no problems with paperwork, hooray!), got my luggage, and helped me into a cab.
When we got to the University, the cab driver was nice enough to help me find the office I had to go to to get my room key. I was impressed with this, in New York a cab driver would drop you off and drive away without a backwards glance. I'm not sure whether this driver was just a nice person, or whether my tip had something to do with this; apparently the Brits don't tip cab drivers, or pretty much anybody for that matter. By now I'm feeling like a total VIP, what with all special treatment and not having to worry about anything. I got my room key, and signed some housing stuff, then 2 people showed me to my room. Once there we went over where the light switches are, outlets, internet hook up, bathrooms, kitchen area, and exit doors. We then went back to "The Street" (main place on campus, where there are stores and places to eat) and one person left to go back to her office. The person who was still with me, David, would prove to be my go-to guy. He works in the Dean of Students office, another important office in that same building is the Disabilities office. So anyway, David showed me what the stores were, and then we went to the lunch which was being held for new international arrivals. He left, and I met up with Sally, who was a UEA rep who came to Goucher last year. After our chat I met a few other international students, and then I headed back to the room for a quick rest before the campus tour.
The tour went well, I got a better sense of the area, and found out where the School of Social Work and Psychology building is, my academic home base. The map makes the campus look huge, but it's actually very compact and manageable. I also discovered that you get most places by "walking highways", raised walkways above street level. When I'm walking around it kind of feels like battlements. They say it was constructed this way so that cars and dumpsters are out of sight beneath you. Hmm, speaking of unsightly things, why did they construct this entire place out of concrete? I bet it looked fine then, but 50 years later it's discolored and kind of gross looking. This is coming from the blind girl, who probably doesn't see the half of it. Brick or stone would probably have been a wiser choice, aesthetically.
Just a side not here, speaking of aesthetics, I have a great view of the Broad (lake) from my windows. Half of my wall space is windows actually, which is good because a lot of natural light comes in, and if it gets overbearing, I can just draw the curtains. There's also a winding staircase outside my door which leads to a bathroom, and someone else's room upstairs. Point is, it reminds me of Gryffindor Tower. : D
Back to Thursday's tour, we finished up the campus tour in the library, where we sat down for a minute to wait for a different tour guide to give us a tour of the library. Next thing I know, I'm waking up and the chairs next to me are empty, and it's dark outside. Jetlag caught up with me. I was a little put off that nobody woke me up to go on the library tour, but it didn't really matter, I just had to get back to my room to pass out for real in a more comfortable area. I did just that (Bambi did great finding the building again, I was maybe 1/4 conscious and felt very loopy). Some time later, I awoke to a knock on my door, it was the Resident Assistant Aaron stopping by to answer any questions and inform me about fire procedure and the like. We talked for awhile, then he volunteered to help me find some dinner. The store was closed, so we went to a cafeteria style establishment on campus called Zest. I plan on doing a lot of cooking myself this term, eating out is expensive, and pretty unhealthy. I got back to the room, set my alarm and went back to sleep at about 10.
Friday
Hey! Guess what? My alarm didn't go off and I've missed most of Friday's orientation! Brilliant! I ran over there and caught the tail end of the orientation session. Then David escorted me to the SSWP building (a new, quick route) where I needed to register with the department. Luckily I didn't miss my registration time. The professors who were there seemed quite Goucher like actually, pretty informal, not the uptight Dr. Snobs I had been gearing myself up for. After that, David and I went to the Dean of Students office and I met someone from the Disabilities Office. We called the person they had been in contact with who was going to give me some Orientation and Mobility training around campus and in Norwich, but she didn't answer. Done with that, I went to the little grocery store on campus and got some sandwich materials, quick and easy meals on the cheap. While I was in the store looking at stuff, someone came over and told me what all the different aisles contained. This was very helpful, because my way of doing that involves me picking up different items to read the labels, and it is quite time consuming. I brought the food back to my flat, then ran out again to meet up with the group of international students who were going into the city. David had arranged for someone to do some shopping with me, so once we got into the city, we split off from the others and went on the hunt for some items.
First stop was the mobile phone store. I ended up getting a pay as you go phone and 2 SIM cards, 1 for local, and 1 for international calls, for about £50. Then we got 2 US to UK adapter plugs (for the computer) for £3.50 each. We checked out a store for kitchenware, but they didn't have good prices on the things I needed, so we left, and went back to UEA. I stopped off at the library to sort out something regarding my student card, and while I was at it, I learned how to access the internet. The IT guy was very helpful and friendly, but before I left he came around the desk and just started petting Bambi without my permission. He used the "I know I'm not supposed to, but I can;t resist"" line. I should have said something, but I was very tired, and he had just helped me out, so I let it slip. Next time I won;t stand for it though. After making a sandwich, I went upstairs to unpack while listening to Mugglecast.
Saturday
Slept late, and just took a lazy day. While in the kitchen I met my first British flatmate. She was pleasant and informative. She told me that a good place to meet people is at the LCR, the dance club on campus which has all sorts of theme nights and gigs. I went upstairs and purchased tickets to a few of those events, the one I'm looking forward to the most is A Night At Hogwarts. Too bad I don't have my full costume, it just didn't fit in the suitcase. I do have my Gryffindor scarf, and a few Harry Potter themed shirts though, which is something. My wallet hurt a bit after I got the tickets, but I'm thinking of it this way, I'm investing in making connections and having a good time while I'm here. I hope I'm not disappointed. Not much else to note, I read half of one of the cookbooks I brought ovver, and am looking forward to cooking some of these recipes once I have the supplies.
Sunday
Couldn't get to sleep until 6, so woke up late again. Bambi and I went on a walk around the Broad, and it really is nice. The sun was kind of half poking out, which was good enough for me. I took a few pictures, and enjoyed the mild weather. All I needed was a light sweater and a small jacket, it must have been around 50 degrees. In the spring I bet the area around the Broad will be filled with birds and other wildlife. I saw a couple ducks/swans out today.
Things I noticed:
There are A LOT of rabbit holes in the grassy areas of campus, Bambi did a fantastic job of leading me around them, so I didn't step in any, but just...wow
Many people walk their dogs off leash, and the majority are well trained.
Rubbish bins around the Broad are few and far between. When I did finally get to one though, I couldn't help laughing because it was specifically labeled "Dog Waste". I must have carried Bambi's "gift" halfway around the Broad, so this bin was a welcome sight.
I'm hearing a lot less "Look, there's a dog!" People just look mostly, and don't comment. Maybe they think it's rude? Once you're in a conversation with a Brit though, they will reach over for a stroke...even if it's uninvited and the sign is right there. Not saying they all do that, bu some do.
After walking around the Broad, I explored the campus a little more. I found a very simple way to get to the SSWP building from my flat.. When I got back, a few people were in the kitchen, so I entered and introduced myself. They all seemed nice, about an equal number of boys and girls. I sat with them for awhile, and joined in the conversation when appropriate. I noticed that when one guy lit a cigarette, he passed it around to others in the group. I'm not used to seeing this, or smoking casually inside for that matter, but I didn't leave because I didn;t want them to think I was antisocial. When the little meet up was over I came upstairs and thought about recording my experiences. A free blog seemed like the best option, so here I am.
I'll post as often as I can, I'm not guaranteeing every day, or even every couple of days, but I do think writing about my experience abroad is worth doing. People I know can see what I'm up to, other students interested in studying abroad can see what it's like, and I'll be able to look back at these posts later to refresh my memory. I hope this ends up being an interesting experience, I'm enjoying my time here so far, and I know I'll have a lot more to talk about once I find some friends and start the uni routine.
Next up,classes start tomorrow! I'm not really sure what to expect, but for now I'll picture a tall, dark haired professor entering the room, robes billowing saying: "There will be no foolish wand waving, or silly incantations in this class.". I can dream, can't I?
Ciao til' next time.
