back to work...

So it's back to the grind here at UEA, but I can't really complain seeing as though I only have two more classes before the semester is up; then it's a month long period of exams... I don't know why they spread it out so much here, but I hope to do lots of traveling during it and squeeze in studying where possible. It's terrible that I've been so unmotivated with school this semester, both because I don't really like my classes and because it feels like a 5 month vacation here! I do still have a fair amount of work to get in by next week, but after that it's just studying. I say "just" as if my exams aren't worth 50% of my entire grade... Oh well. I'm thoroughly disenchanted with the world of academia in general and over the past few weeks I have decided that I'm not ready to go straight on to do post-grad work and my Masters after next year. What I'll do, I haven't decided yet, but I'd love to teach abroad (teaching English as a second language, or working in a school in a developing country, or teaching at a missionary school, etc), join the Peace Corps, apply for Teach for America, or do something similar for a year or two in "the real world" before going back to school. I have too many other decisions to make right now though so that one is going to have to wait awhile.

That all being said, I'm not failing out of university or anything, though one might think I was considering that I got a 67 on the essay I just got back. However, while this would be pretty close to failing back home, the marking is quite different here. Failing is a 35 and a 67 is considered "upper second class honors" and is equivalent to an A- back home. So don't worry, I will at least pass this semester and secure myself a place at UMass for my senior year.

I'm gong away this weekend as part of the HOST program where you apply to stay with a British family for the weekend. I'll post an update on how it goes when I get back. As for pictures, they're coming. Good news= I received the cable from Hong Kong; Bad news= despite its description, it's not compatible with my computer...

Back at UEA after the Isle of Wight

So Easter Break is officially over and now it's back to work... As much as I loved traveling and was dreading coming back to UEA, it's actually been really nice to be back. It's great seeing everyone again and catching up. It's also strangely nice to just have more of a regular schedule again. However, I still want to travel everywhere at every spare moment (which causes a problem when I have so much work that I need to get done in the next couple of weeks)!

The Isle of Wight was really nice. It was pretty walking along the ocean and exploring some of the quaint little villages on the island (which is about 23 miles x 13 miles). Rachel and I bought bus rover tickets and so were able to go all over and see things like the castle, different shops, an old military battery, unique rock formations called "The Needles," a monument to Tennyson, and more. I also just really enjoyed relaxing and visiting with Rachel's grandmother. It was so nice to eat delicious homecooked food around a normal table, sleep in a real bed, chill out on a couch, and just do all of those little things you start to miss after living in a dorm away from home for awhile.

As for pictures, I never did find my cord (though I just ordered a new one on good ol' Ebay), but I was able to back up my memory card on to a CD and so I will try to put up a sampling of photos from my travels. I just wish there was some way of labeling them.



By the way, this is what England looks like:

Scotland

Scotland was great and hopefully I'll be able to write more about it later. After arriving in London from Spain at midnight and having a feeling of deja vu as I tried to sleep in the same coach station my mom, Sarah, and I were stuck in, I managed to get a coach from the airport to the Tube station and catch a subway to the train station just in time to board my 6:00 am train to Edinburgh. Once in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, I met up with friends from UEA and we settled into our hostel before going off to explore the Castle, a cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote, and the Royal Mile- a street filled with shops with Parliament and the palace at the end. Our tour began the next morning at 8:30 am when we met up at the Haggis Tour office and boarded the bright yellow bus. (Haggis by the way is a traditional Scottish delicacy-- a scrumptious combination of oats, onions, suet, and the lungs, heart, and liver of a sheep, all boiled together in a sheep's stomach.) It was a 3 day/2 night tour and a great way to see a vast area of the country. We definitely learned a lot about Scottish history and saw the way that things we may think of as typical Scotland, like kilts, Celtic motifs, plaid, etc is so ingrained in the culture. We toured castles and visited various monuments. We went all the way up to Skye and had so many scenic views of the snow-capped mountains, the lochs, and the sea. It was interesting getting to know everyone on the bus too as they had come from all over. Unfortunately, though we had our eyes wide open the whole time, there were no Nessie sightings...

I've been back in Norwich for two days and tomorrow I am off again for more travelling! I'm liking this lifestyle : ) I am spending the weekend with a friend whose grandmother lives on the Isle of Wight, and island in southern England. I'm excited!

Espana!

NoOoOoOooooo!! Now I'm back to my own computer and have a good internet connection where I can upload pictures, but I can't find my USB cord! If it turns up, I will upload pictures immediately, but I have scoured this tiny dorm room and I have a dreadful sneaking suspicion it's in Spain...

Anyways, Spain was great! I flew into Malaga, a coast city in Andalucia- a region of southern Spain. I spent a night in a funky little hostel there and met people from all over. It was fun exploring the city and embarrassing seeing how little Spanish I remembered from high school. I managed to get by though with basic conversational words and a whole lot of nodding, smiling, and saying "si, si." This worked fine until people asked me a question that I didn't understand and that couldn't be answered with a simple yes or no. Thankfully most everyone was patience wit my ignorance and many spoke English anyways.

After settling into the hostel, I climbed the hill up to the Castillo de Gibraltaro- the fortress built to protect the palace below. The view of the city from up there was beautiful and it was fun wandering around the various walls of the fortress. From here I went to the beach. It was quite a change after freezing in England's rainy cloudy weather for the past week to be sitting in the sand, barefoot, and eating ice cream. I didn't go swimming but I felt I had to at least put my feet in as it was the Mediterranean. That night I had foretaste of a delicious week to come as the hostel prepared a paella and sangria dinner for us. In the morning, I explored more of the city, including the cathedral, the Picasso Museum, and Picasso's childhood home. Later that day i boarded a bus for Granada where I met up with my friend Alissa who is studying there. However, in classic Lauren style, I forgot my jacket, scarf, and fleece (all things I no longer needed in Spain) on the bus and it drove away before I noticed. Thankfully Alissa's Spanish is a whole lot better than mine and after talking to many different people, I was able to get them back.

Granada is a beautiful city. As the last Muslim stronghold in Spain, the architecture is an interesting mix of Moorish and traditional Spanish styles. This seen most in the Alhambra, a fortress-complex made up of a series of palaces, defenses, and gardens nestled up on the hill overlooking Granada. The arches and intricate carvings and tile work within them was so impressive, especially as you could see the city through them. (I wish I could show pictures because words don't do any justice!) Though this is the most famous site in Granada, I also enjoyed seeing the cathedral, strolling through the Alaibicin- an old Moorish neighborhood that is a maze of narrow winding streets built into the hill. Alissa was able to take me around to see places and do things that the average tourist wouldn't have done, like climb the ancient city wall and explore various parks and plazas. It was great visiting her and seeing all of the places she has talked about. Over the weekend she and I and another one of her friends travelled to Cordoba and Sevilla. These were also very pretty cities with a lot of history and things to see. In Cordoba, we went to the Mezquita, a mosque that was built in the 700s and converted into a cathedral in 1236. Again the architecture and detail was stunning, especially the rows of red and white arches that supported the whole interior. In Cordoba we also went to the Alcazar, another fortress-palace with beautiful gardens and ancient Arab baths. It was here that Columbus came to ask permission of King Ferdinand and Isabella to go to the New World. Sevilla was another great city and I wish we had more time to explore it. We went to the cathedral there and went up the winding ramp to the top of the bell tower where we could look out on all of the city. Like the other cities, Sevilla also had a beautiful palace which we spent quite awhile in. Spain was great and the week flew by. Before I knew it I was saying goodbye to Alissa and heading to my next destination: Scotland.

(I was able to get this one photo {me in Granada with the Alhambra in the background} on here because it was on Facebook. I just hope I find my cord soon!)