Shaking it up in England

I guess I survived an earthquake last night; however, had I not heard and read about it this morning, I probably wouldn't have had any recollection of it. I do remember though, at about 1:00 am, just as I was falling asleep and so only semi-consciousness, thinking that UEA was being bombed. Up here on the top floor, I definitely felt the tremor and was confused by what was happening, but I wasn't aware or startled enough to fully wake up. It was not until this morning, when I heard the news, that I remembered the night before and saw the connection between my crazy dreams and reality. With a magnitude of 5.2, it was the biggest earthquake to hit England in nearly 25 years. Though it was powerful, thankfully there was only one serious injury when a chimney fell into a Lincolnshire home. It was definitely the excitement of all the media today.

P.S. I was so excited when I saw someone with a Red Sox sweatshirt today and he was English! Everyone here seems to despise baseball in general, but he (after spending a year in Rhode Island) became a fan. I am going to miss all of the games this spring! RedSox.com here I come!

London

I’ve been in this country for 8 weeks (which I can’t believe!!) so I guess it was about time I visited the capital. I spent this past Saturday in London on a trip organized by the Dean of students for us internationals. They organized cheap transportation and a themed walking tour of the city for us, for which I chose, feeling obligated as an English major, the Shakespeare and Dickens’ one. Our guide (who was the epitome of what I’d imagine a British tour guide talking about literature to be like—see picture) provided interesting information and told engaging stories. We walked around some of the less explored parts of the city, and while we didn’t really see much that I would have associated with these authors (such as the Globe Theatre!) she did point out and provide some history on places like Bartholomew’s Hospital, a pub both Shakespeare and Dickens’ used to frequent, the old meat market, and more. After the tour, we were free to wander about on our own for the next four hours before we had to meet back at the bus. Alison and I ended up doing a lot of wandering and not so much doing or seeing, but it was still fun. We made our way across the city and meandered along the Thames for awhile just looking around and enjoying the street performers. Then we went into the Tate Modern, which, in addition to the art on the wall, just didn’t have the feeling of a conventional museum as it seemed more like a chaotic warehouse or something. It may have just been the overwhelming mobs of people that made it feel that way, but it definitely contributed to the overall atmosphere of modernism. Between it being so crowded and us being so hungry, we didn’t stay long, but ventured to Borough market where we bought lunch and other delicious goodies. From here we headed back to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where we had begun our adventure and were expected to meet with everyone again. We had hoped to climb the 500 some odd stairs to the top, but they had stopped allowing people up after 4:00. However, we were able to look around the ground level and catch the beginning of the evensong service before boarding the bus back to Norwich. Although we didn’t see nearly as much as hoped, I’m glad I was able to see all o f the main tourist sites when I was there for two days in 2004. I’m looking forward to going back and seeing even more when my mother and sister come to visit and when I go back to meet up with friends. Overall though, it ended up being a good, yet exhausting day. As much as I like London, I’m glad I didn’t go to school there as it was nice to come back “home” to the less chaotic city of Norwich.

Ceilidh

Last night some friends and I decided to do something "English" and so participated in a traditional ceilidh (or barn dance). It was held in town at some men's club with tacky wallpaper and drooping Christmas lights, with a giant silver disco ball looking oddly out of place. It was interesting... but fun. They hold these dances monthly, so there were all sorts of people there: locals young and old, students, experienced dancers and those with two left feet, and people who live for this kind of thing and so travel quite a distance to come. There was a live band and a caller who led all sorts of dances in different square, circle, and line formations. The night continued with lots of swinging, promenades, skipping, and sweaty palmed partners. About half way through, a folk dance group put on a brief dance performance for us. Though we were a bit uncertain of what we were getting ourselves into and had no dancing experience of this sort, it turned out to be a fun night. It was definitely quite British!

The Lovely Lake District

I spent this past weekend on an amazing trip to the Lake District in Cumbria with the Fell Club. Though we left an hour late because one of the mini-buses was missing (how does one lose a bus?!) and then had to travel over six hours (thankfully with a fish and chips break!), we arrived at the hut just after midnight. We had the hut all to ourselves, and though it was freezing cold, it was quite nice with its kitchen, large eating area, a sitting soon with a tiny fire places, and 5-6 bedrooms with bunks upstairs. We were all exhausted and crashed straightaway that first night and were greeted early the next morning with a cup of tea.


After some porridge and lunch packing, the four walks, grouped by intensity, were announced by the trip leaders and we set off for the fells--a.k.a. mountains. As soon as I stepped out o the hut I was amazed by the mountains that just sprung out o the ground as it had been far too dark to see anything the night before. It was definitely different here from flat Norwich and the other parts parts of England I have seen. The hike I opted for started in Ambleside and made a 17K (~11 mi) trek around a horseshoe, so we ascended and then basically walked along the ridge changing elevation just slightly when we went up and over the various peaks. It was amazing! The views were beautiful and we couldn't have asked for better weather as it was sunny and dry. It was cold in the morning and there was a frost, which made everything really pretty, but as the day went on and we started hiking, it was grew quite warm. Since we were following the horseshoes, it was neat because we could see across the gap where we were going and later, where we had been. Being able to see so far and so clearly the whole walk, rather than being enclosed by trees, was something that you would never get in New England. The whole walk just seemed so British! Instead of the bison and bears I grew accustomed to in Yellowstone, the wildlife here consisted of sheep. They were everywhere! Unfortunately their hot pink spray painted wool, used to identify them, took away from the otherwise perfectly pastoral setting. Along the trail, we followed miles of old stone wall used to keep in the sheep. It was amazing how far they all ran and how well they have remained intact. I can't even imagine building all of that!


After about 6-7 hours on the trail, we arrived back in the quaint town and found a pub to wait in for the other group before heading back to the hut to make and devour a delicious dinner. Following dinner, ridiculous games ensued like musical chairs, twisted versions of twister, a game where you link arms and try to get other people to knock over the bucket in the center, and other madness. Finally, after several varieties of cake to celebrate a fellow fell member's birthday (they are all about their cakes here--cakes are seldom chocolate or vanilla, but rather they are banana, sticky date, fruit, walnut, etc) and story time, we all went to sleep in order to get some rest before heading out again. In the morning, we all felt the muscle sores and blisters, but were excited to get out one last time. This time the group I went with did a walk in another part of the Lake District called Buttermere. It wasn't as long as Saturday's walk (maybe only 8-9K) but parts of it were quite steep. Aside from a rough start, where we got slightly lost, both in the mini-bus on our way and in the fields meandering alongside the sheep once we started walking, it turned out to be another great hike. We past a waterfall, the tallest in the area, and walked in a valley along a river before ascending Red Pike where we had lunch and marvelled at the view of the other mountains and the little town we had started in so far below.


There is so much more I could say to describe the trip and the pictures I have don't do it full justice, but overall it was just a great weekend. I'm so glad I was able to see another part of England, especially one as pretty as the Lake District!

Korfball Madness

Wow, time is passing so quickly! I can’t believe it’s already Week 5 of the semester and that Pancake Day was a full week ago!

This past Saturday, UEA hosted its annual Korfball tournament... There were sixteen teams in all—some local and some from other universities. It went from 9-4:30 with two games being played at once in two different courts, so there was always some game to watch or to play in. Since they were only 14 minute games, things stayed interesting and everyone had a lot of playing time. It was fun, but the results were not so pretty. UEA made four teams out of all of its players, the first being the best players. Sadly, team 4 came in absolute last, team 3 came in surprisingly before team 2 in 8th place, team two came in 10th, and the first team came in 6th. After a close final game between Cambridge University and a local team—the Norwich Knights, the Knights came away from the tournament with a trophy. The rest of us were perfectly content with our consolation prize of candies. I played about 5 games total for both team 3 and 4, as well as the Kent University team as they were lacking players. We held our own on some of the games, but others were absolute slaughter. It didn’t help any that the beginning of the tournament was rigged to make sure the best teams made it to the final rounds and so our discombobulated team of beginners had the joy of facing some of the top teams in the league. Oh, well, it was fun though. I feel like I learned the game much better from playing and watching so much and it was great getting to hang out with the rest of the team and get to know them better.

That night, after the tournament, we had a Disney-themed social for the Korfball team. There were so many creative characters and costumes there! There were definitely some notable ones there like Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast and the Genie from Aladdin, all painted in blue. You also could have filmed Peter Pan all over again as its entire cast graced us with their presence. On top of these characters, I saw Cruella DeVille, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, quite a few Alice in Wonderlands, several Woody and Jessies from Toy Story II, Robin Hood, Ursula, Lilo, the hunter who shot Bambi’s mom : ( , Cinderella in rags, Dory from Finding Nemo, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and so many more. Then of course there were several Minnie’s and Mickey’s, who I, out of lack of ideas and materials, was also part of. It was fun to see everyone all dressed up and even funnier to see the rest of campus’ reaction when we all flooded, fully costumed, into the LCR for the weekly Saturday night party!

Happy Pancake Day!

Today, while all of you back in the U.S. celebrate Mardi Gras and wait for the results of "Super Tuesday," everyone in the UK is celebrating Pancake Day. Though this delicious holiday is more properly called “Shrove Tuesday” and is observed as a day of penance day before Lent begins, it has become associated with pancakes as people, wanting to use up their rich ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar before the season of fasting, began to mix them all together to create pancakes and other indulgent foods. Now Pancake Day is eagerly awaited and celebrated by many. First off, everyone has to make and eat pancakes on this day. However, pancakes here are not the fluffy breakfast delicacies we might enjoy back home, but instead are much thinner and crepe like. Depending on your preferences, they can be prepared standard (with lemon and sugar), savory, or with other sweet toppings like syrup, fruit, and ice cream. Not only do people eat pancakes on this day, but they also play with them. Across the country there are different games and contests going on, such as pancake races and the “Pancake Greaze” (which I am not totally sure what it’s all about other than making a gigantic pancake and throwing it into the air). People are also tuned into big football (soccer) games that air on this day.

It was quite exciting to partake in a new holiday. One of the eateries on campus was serving pancakes all day so some friends and I were sure to hit that up and later, several of my flatmates made more pancakes. Unfortunately there were no pancake races taking places in Norwich. I think I’ll have to bring this holiday back home because unless you are in New Orleans, there is nothing exciting about Mardi Gras and besides, what’s wrong with an excuse to eat lots of pancakes?

FIRE! FIRE!! FIRE!!!

So it's not as dramatic as it sounds, but we did have our first fire drill tonight. I was just about to get ready for bed when a horrible screeching sound came screaming out of my ceiling. At first I jumped in shock, but then I was confused. I’m glad it wasn’t a real fire because, by the time I found some shoes, put on some warm layers, and figured out where we were supposed to be going, I probably would have been trapped in flames. The funny thing is that just a few hours before the alarm went off, I was wondering if they did fire drills here. I guess they do. I’m just glad it wasn’t the middle of the night. However, by the time all was said and done, it became the wee hours of the morning as most of our flat reconvened in the hallway once we came back in, talked for awhile, and then the guys proceeded to make and eat random food, like fried bread, boiled chicken, poached salmon, sausage, and cottage cheese… So much for going to bed early again tonight! Oh, well. The nice thing about fire drills is that it forces everyone to come out of their rooms and so caused flat socializing which is a rare occurrence here. Now I think I’ll go to sleep considering I have lecture in a few hours.

A Walk on the Beach

This afternoon one of the families at the church I've been attending invited all of the international students and any other students who were interested to their home for lunch. It was so nice to meet and talk with other people, be inside a HOUSE, and eat delicious home-cooked food. I can't believe how much they made! It was fun because they had all sorts of typical British food like Shepherd's Pie (after the fact I realized it was probably authentic-a.k.a. lamb, not beef), chicken, salmon, stew, vegetables, roast meats with potatoes and carrots, and so much more. Then there were the desserts- custard, crumbles, spongecake with jam, biscuits, tea, etc. I really appreciated being invited over and it was wonderful getting to know some of the others in the church.

Yesterday, I went on a trip to the coast with the Fell Club (another random society I managed to become a part of). Basically they do different hiking and walking trips and I figured it would be a great way to see more of England in a manner that most tourists aren't usually able to. We took the train out to Sherringham, a quaint coastal town, and then just started walking. It was really pretty! The coast was different from what I'm used to at home. First of all, it was totally flat. There was green country and ocean side by side. Our path began along the tops of the dunes and then went closer to the water along "shingles" or pebbles, which composed the majority of the beach. Later we walked in more of the countryside and saw horses, sheep, ducks, and swans. Our last stretch was along boardwalks in sort of a marshy land that I believe was some sort of conservation area. We ended our trek in Cley at the West Cottage Cafe, a little tea house attached to a couple's home, where we warmed up with tea and scones. It was a fun trek and I hope to go to the Lake District with Fell when they head up there in a couple of weekends.