EDINBURGH

The hostel I was staying at in Edinburgh I would not go back to. The light in the bathroom didn't work nor did they fix it after I told them, plus it was directly across from a very lively bar that Friday night had a massive party. It took me a while to get to sleep and I was planning on getting up early for a hike so I was not amused when the fire alarm went off at 2:30am! At least this time everyone actually got up and left the building. The party was still going on, Scotland knows how to party. The fire brigade showed up but finally we were let back in without an explanation as to what had happened. I slept in an extra half hour, not getting up until 6:30am when I left to climb up to Arthur's seat. As I was leaving the hostel I came upon a naked man who had been locked out of his room. It's was a little embarrassing, more for him than me, and I really don't want to know how he ended up outside his room without any clothes. I continued on my way. I found my way down to the hiking trail pretty easily. Arthur's seat is a possible site of Camelot and is 250 meters high. I didn't think it would be that bad, the guidebook had said it would take 45 minutes when in actuality it took closer to a hour. However I was wearing converse which have no traction and are not really built for climbing, plus I was already so tired and my feet hurt from all the previous walking but I was determined to do it. There were stairs for most of the way but lots of rocks that were a bit slippery and hard to climb but I MADE IT!!!

  

The views were spectacular and I didn't want to leave. I could have stayed up there for hours just enjoying the view from all directions. I did find the timing setting on my camera so I was able to take this photos to prove that I had made it up to the top. Climbing back down was a bit troublesome. I'm so worried about heights in nature but I'm a bit afraid of falling so it was a lot of sitting down and making me way slowly down the rocks. And after all the stairs my knees were killing me. I gone back a different way so I ended up in a new part of town that I had to find my way through. I was a little worried about making it back to my hotel in time to check out but I was fine, finally finding my way. I checked out and then decided it was definitely time for breakfast before I headed to the castle. I went to the Elephant House where J.K.Rowling wrote Harry Potter which was cool and it was a nice meal. 

I made my up to the castle and through the mass of tourist to wait in line for tickets which took forever but it was worth it. This was my first castle so I got the audio guide as I will listen to things but I won't read anything. I also went on the free 20 minute tour which was well worth it and covered a lot of what was in the audio commentary although the audio was worth it as well giving a good back history to everything and allowed me to sit down for a while which was good because my feet were killing me. The tour guide though was funny and entertaining. He asked us questions which I got one right - even though I was super surprised at myself for even offering an answer. The question was who was the last King to be crowned in Scotland and the answer was Charles the Second. I got both the name and the number right. People around me looked at my funny but I had read about it in my guidebook so I knew the answer. I watched the one o'clock gun go off which was super loud and I jumped even though I knew it was coming and watching as it happened. I guess I just wasn't expecting such a loud bang. 

I also ran into Karen from the conference. We both had the same idea of coming up to Scotland! She gave me her card just in case which I really appreciated and have looked at her programme at Indiana University although she knows that I would rather stay in the UK and it would be better to work on Doctor Who here but it's another option and it's always nice to have contacts. I went through and saw the crowned jewels  and the stone of destiny which was beautiful and intriguingly crafted. I finished my visit at the gift shop getting a couple postcards of the jewels and stone since you weren't allowed to take pictures and whiskey that had been aged for ten years for my dad.

I left the castle and headed slowly to the National Gallery, stopping first in the basement for lunch, a hot buttery which is basically a croissant with brie and spinach melted over it. So good and I didn't get sick! I left my bags in a locker and headed up to view some art. Usually I'm not a big fan of art but there was some really good paintings that I like and a sculpture that I got postcards of later. It was also cool to see the famous painters.

Antonio Canova
The Three Graces (Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia)

Raphael (Raffaello Santi)
The Virgin and Child ('The Bridgewater Madonna')

Claude Monet
Poplars on the Epte

Vincent Van Gogh: Orchard in Blossom - Plum Trees

The museum closed at five and I walked back to the royal for a few more gifts, including a shirt for me and then went back to the train station to catch my train home. I enjoyed some of the bagpipe pipers along the way including the man dressed as a fawn. The train was late and caused me to miss my connecting train to Coventry.When I went into the customer service area this group of three guys and a woman were fighting with the reception area because they failed to get on their coach to Derby and they weren't going to be refunded their money. The police even got involved. Thankfully there was no problem for me and they arranged a taxi to Coventry station that I shared with Adam who was on the same train as me. I started a conversation with him as well, socially I was on a roll. I got to the station, having turned 24 got in the second taxi to take me back to the university and my trip was finally over. It's been a super long but fantastic week, now it's back to the real world and work on my dissertation must commence before my next trip.

Loch Ness and the Highlands

  

Finally the day had arrived to go monster hunting! I had signed up for a tour of Loch Ness and the Highlands so I could do it all in one day and so I could spend my birthday at home especially since traveling on Sunday's are horrible and more expensive. I woke up early and hunted for a place that was open and I was starting to get very worried that I wouldn't be able to eat until I found Starbucks! What a savoir. I had my tea and blueberry muffin and since I was so early I walked around the royal mile taking pictures and acting the part of the tourist which was kinda nice. The drivers came we all got on and were off towards out first stop at Pitlochry, a nice little town.

Mav, the driver sold us tickets for the boat cruise which I though was a great idea and I did get sick! I started talking to this other girl Monica who lives in London but is from Brazil because she was going on the boat cruise as well. It was time to get back on the bus and I found my way to the back of the bus which I shared with another girl who was sleeping a lot. At the next stop we got to take pictures of Ben Nevis, the largest mountain in the UK, which really isn't saying much. Anyways the girl whose name I found out later was, Michelle asked if I could take her picture and we got to talking and clicked right away. She was studying in London for a month and was going back to California today to start a nursing program. It was great being able to talk to another Doctor Who fan, she even carries a sonic screwdriver around with her, talk about my soul mate!

I managed to get her to go on the boat ride with me and it was a lovely hour cruise. The water is dark but it doesn't look dirty like the Willamette. They had a recorded narration that was interesting but they also had a talk about their sonar equipment which was fascinating. They can tell the size and type of fish they pop up on the screen by the colour, amazing technology. And of course there are dots they can't explain that fuels the Nessie legend. What was really cute was the stickers they had on the inside window that allowed you to take a picture against the water so it looked like you had seen Nessie and you could switch it to video to see Nessie swim. I couldn't resist. it started to sprinkle a bit on our way back in but then it stopped, I have to say weather wise I was really lucky.

 

Back on the Bus we made another stop where we got a taste of whiskey that we had heard so much about. It was disgusting! I can understand why in the movies people drink it keep warm but I don't know how anyone could enjoy it! Michelle and I had to rinse the taste out with some delicious chips. She had ordered first and then the lady didn't think I was ordering I guess but then it was a massive pile of chips so we just decided to share, and Michelle wouldn't even let me pay for half of them. They were really good. The Scots know how to make chips that's for sure. Huge, you can believe they were made from a potato. 

 

Our last major stop was at Glencoe which is infamous for the Glencoe massacre that occurred there. Really it was such a beautiful spot and so so green I can't believe it. It looks fakes, and my pictures don't do it justice. It's something that everyone should experience for themselves. I couldn't have just sat there for hours looking and marveling at the beauty.

Then it was just the bus ride home through the gorgeous scenery. When we got back to Edinburgh I gave Michelle my contact information and we said goodbye with a hug. It was so weird clicking with someone so fast, very unusual for me but I like it and I won't complain about it. I spent the evening walking through the shops and buying gifts for my family. I had dinner but it was really gross and not satisfying. Well the chips were good but the fish wasn't, a big disappointment. Leaving my stuff at home I went walking through the city just to enjoy it without my camera. I had gone out to get some fruit and sparkling water and couldn't find the grocery store I was originally looking for but the walk was nice all the same. 

Alien Nation - A Conference on British Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Television

July 21st

Northumbria University
Newcastle upon Tyne

The Conference Day Two

The second day started better than the first as there were no fire alarms although I did need to check out before I left and was getting worried that no one would arrive before I had to leave but luckily they did although I do have to say they weren't very nice or cherry, granted it was 8 in the morning. As I waited I was talked to one of the guys in my room who actually goes to Warwick but is an undergrad so was traveling during the summer as he unlike me did not have a room for the summer. So I stopped once again at my Pacific Northwest cafe and found the building much easier this time although I had help since I saw people from the conference entering the building so I mainly just followed them, so I guess I cheated a tiny bit.

The day started out with a panel that I had been looking forward to that was not on Doctor Who. 'Adapting and Transforming Cultural Identity.' Karen Bowdre from Indiana University, who I had spoken to the previous day started the conference with a paper on Guinevere from the BBC's Merlin and the fact that she is Black and yet a main character. I really liked what she had to say. Robert Dew talked about the transition of Maid Marion from chaste maiden to action heroine. I found his presentation a little unorganized and once again he didn't read from a paper plus I tried watching the new Robin Hood and just couldn't get into it. Michael Ahmed had an excellent presentation on Department S and the character of Sir Curtis Seretse. I was able to follow and understand his points without ever hearing about the programme. His presentation was also nice because it had video clips embedded in the powerpoint presentation just the way I like it. He also teaches the practical side of film editing at UEA so I can understand him having the skill to do it which I'm thankful for. I always find it funny that everyone works on studying technology related stuff but yet don't know how to work the technology. Gail Nina Anderson gave an interesting presentation but yet again on something I had never heard of. Her presentation was a little disconcerting as she wouldn't look at anyone directly while speaking but instead would look up at the ceiling. I understand being nervous though but maybe if she could just focus on the back wall it wouldn't be as noticeable.

This panel led straight into the next one on 'Gender and Science Fiction Narratives' and was the last panel of the conference. Alan Gregory talked about Steven Moffat's Empty Child and military masculinities. Unfortunately he didn't talk loud enough for me to really understand a lot of what he was saying and he didn't have a powerpoint to emphasis his words. Victoria Byard was one of the women I had met the previous day talking about women in the Quatermass serials. She had a good presentation with good clips even though she had to do it online because the powerpoint she brought with her didn't work. The failings of technology, maybe that's why academics are fearful of it. Sarah Wylie, the woman from Glasgow talked about the failure of the programme Outcast, enough programme I had not heard of. This conference has given me a lot of new material to look at while is fantastic given my consumption rate of television. Wylie's presentation prompted the biggest discussion. Pauline Archell-Thompson talked about elements and faeries in 'Sapphire and Steel'  and Torchwood. Although I haven't heard of Sapphire and Steel I did see the episode of Torchwood she was talking about. She was very nervous and didn't have a powerpoint and finished 5 mins early but I liked what she had to say I just wished she had more confidence and had timed her presentation better so she couldn't have said more instead of cutting everything out.

Lunch finally came and I ate with my Scottish contingent which was nice compared to the previous day of eating alone. I also I guess was feeling super social and went to talk to Julian and Karen, or maybe I just felt comfortable talking to Americans. I wanted to say how much I enjoyed Karen's paper and we started talking about it and it was just a great feeling to be accepted and being asked for an opinion on something that I know and other people want to talk about.

Helen Wheatley from Warwick gave the last keynote address about uncanny children in Children's Gothic television. I definitely got some good ideas from her paper and now I really need to read her book on the Gothic which I've looked at before. She also had timing issues but it was still a good presentation that had a proper ending. She was able to think fast on feet which is always appreciated if you haven't prepared properly for the presentation in timing it. This is why I love making video presentations instead of talking live because I can get everything I want and need to say timed out correctly and its professional.

We had a quick tea break and then the roundtable started with Catherine Johnson, Jonathan Bignell, James Chapman and Dave Rolinson. It really started a good discussion about fandom and if academics can or should write about things they love. And also the problem of the term 'telefantasy' and how cannons can be formed. The roundtable ran a little over time so we didn't really have a proper break. I said goodbye to the people I was talking to, to go to the final event of the conference which was 'Tachyon TV Presents...' The best presentation of the conference just because it was so well timed out and had lots of clips and lots of humor. Two guys presented it with a script and everything. It was very well thought out and they worked well together. Here's their website if you're interested, http://tachyon-tv.co.uk/.

Also if you're interested Frank Collins of the Cathode Ray Tube blog was blogging during the conference and you can read what he has put up and some of the panels that I didn't go to and a fully look at the ones I did go to. he was quite busy all day. alien nation conference live blog

I left to go have dinner, again at Nando's took lots of pictures around the city and toured the castle keep which is where the name Newcastle comes from and then waited in the train station. I met up with the Scottish contingent again as they were catching the train before mine. Luckily my train was on time and I had no problems. The journey up to Edinburgh was beautiful was lovely views of the North Sea. I hadn't realized it was so far East. I got a little lost in Edinburgh, not really a big surprise, but I'm getting better at not freaking out. There were tons of drunk people out of the streets so I'm wondering how Ireland will compare since the Irish have the reputation of drinking. I got checked in left my stuff and did a little walking around the city as it was still pretty early before heading to bed.

Alien Nation - A Conference on British Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Television

July 20th

Northumbria Univeristy
Newcastle upon Tyne

The Conference Day One

So the whole reason for this trip being taken now was that I was attending an academic conference about British Telefantasy at Northumbria University. I started the day with a fire alarm in the hostel because of someone burning toast although no one cared about a possible fire and just simply went back to sleep. However the noise was so loud that I rushed to get out the door and in my haste forgot my umbrella and this was the one day it decided to rain. I walked to a nearby cafe which I had passed the day before that had coffee from the Pacific Northwest! I was super excited just like I am whenever a pass a Portland Food in London on on a street called Portland. I did have any coffee but settled for tea and a blueberry muffin. I had a bit of trouble finding the university. I had directions which were crap but thankfully they're were maps on site so I finally made it soaking wet. I sat down next to this guy who it turned out was giving a paper the next day so we got to talking which was nice and unusual for me. We complained about the organization of the conference as registration was at 9am and there was no one there early to put up signs of where to go or anything.

Finally someone came round and led us downstairs. By that time there was about 10-15 of us so half of the group went down in the first elevator with the guide and the rest of us got into the second elevator which was our mistake. We pressed the button went down where the doors refused to open. Normally I'm okay in elevators but not for a long period of time and we had a lot of people in the elevator with us. There were jokes made  which eased some of the tension. We tried pressing the emergency button which did nothing but set off a high pitched noise which was deafening. After about 10 mins the doors finally decided to open.

I got registered and then went to the bathroom because now I could properly freak out. A lady in the bathroom asked if I was stressed. It didn't help that I was extremely red from the sunburn.

The conference started with an introduction followed by a keynote speech by Stacey Abbot on the horror legacy of Nigel Kneale. It was quite intriguing talking about uncanny haunting happening not in haunted houses but in ordinary locations where monsters shouldn't be.

Then it was time for the first round of panels. I went to the seconded panel 'The Changing Face of Doctor Who: Regeneration, Power and Culture.' There were four presenters, two of which were from Warwick. Tom Steward talked about Doctor Who and history. Julian Chambliss from Rollins College in the US talked about Doctor Who as a superhero which I think he made a good case for however he also trued to link the success of Doctor Who in the US to what was going on historically in the US in the 1970s. I don't think he provided enough evidence to prove his point and actually ended up discussing it with someone else who agreed with me the next day. Doctor Who first reached the US with Tom Baker but it wasn't an instant success and even the TV movie which was co-produced in the US failed to spark a substantial interest. I would argue only more recently has it made a bigger impact of American culture, two recent shows (Leverage and Eureka) have mentioned Doctor Who and with it showing on BBC America it's more available than it was before on PBS where not every station had the same stories or even complete stories. So I had a problem with his paper but it was still good. Nicolas Pillai talked about John Pertwee the third doctor and name dropping of major figures of Earth's history and finally Claire Jenkins talked about the new doctors and masculinity which I found very interesting given my own research interests.

The first panels were followed by lunch and then I went to the third panel 'Reception and Performance.' Rebecca Williams talked about John Barrowman and his position as a localebrity but it was very evident that she like many in the room dislike Barrowman. I hadn't realized there was a large group of people who hate him. I love him so it was a little hard to take Williams seriously especially because there was a lot of value judgement going on (and I've had conversations about this previously). I just don't know how much value judgement has in an academic setting or why you would choose to study something you hate. I enjoy the shows I'm working on but I'm already getting a little tired of them and I started out really liking them. I can't imagine starting with something or someone I didn't like. Mark Richard Adams discussed fan producers and merchandising and Denzell Richards talked about putting Doctor Who on DVD and problems with restoration. Richard Hewett rounded out the panel by talking about performance in Survivors, again I don't think he choose very good examples for his points but I also have never seen or really heard of Survivors before.

We had a nice break with tea and coffee and the last panel section of the day.

I went to Panel seven 'As English as a Cup of Tea? National Identity and Traditions in Doctor Who and its Spin-offs.' Unfortunately Matt Hills who teaches at Cardiff and I was eager to meet couldn't make it so we only had three papers. Tony Keen discussed the origins of Doctor Who outside of Quatermass which everyone attributes it to. He talked about American influence in the show. What was really funny was he talked about an ABC drama that then during the Q&A Julian, from the first panel, though he was talking about the American Broadcasting Company when in reality he was talking about the Associated British Corporation which I knew making me feel a little knowledgeable. Melissa Beattie an American studying at Cardiff discussed Welsh identity in connection to Torchwood. I didn't like her approach to her presentation. She didn't have a script to read from and so I felt like her point wasn't very clear, especially when one only has 15 mins. David Budgen talked about Doctor Who and the representation of the first world war which I found really intriguing as I think those episodes are some of the best. He was analyzing the types of images of the war as common knowledge and memory and pointed to the fact that most of the people from the war are gone or are soon to be gone. The memory will be wiped much like the Doctor's in the episodes.

There was another keynote address from Peter Wright about 'BBC's adaptation of Peter Dickinson's Changes Trilogy.' It was a good presentation but once again I had not heard of the Changes and knew nothing about it so I was a little lost but Wright's presentation was easy to follow. There was a wine reception and book launch of 'British Science Fiction Film and Television: Critical Essays.' I felt a little out of place until I started talking to this girl from Glasgow who was giving a paper the next day and through her I met two other women who were all giving papers the next day. Two of them, including the one from Glasgow went home to finish their papers but the woman from Edinburgh and I went to the screening of Ghostwatch.

I hadn't heard of Ghostwatch so I hadn't realized what it was or knew anything about it like the controversy that grew up around it but the writer Stephen Volk was there and answered some questions. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Hadrian's Wall

  

July 19th

My first night in Newcastle. I arrived late was very tired from my day in York and starting to freak out because I couldn't find the hostel but after a long hike up a hill I found it, got checked in by a guy wearing superman pjs and I crashed. I was a bit surprised when I woke up to find not just the two girls but three guys also in the room. I took my shower and was out by 8 am making my way to the train station where the bus to Hadrian's wall is hoping to find breakfast along the way. I ended up just getting tea and a sandwich (being practically vegan has its limitations) The bus arrived and I was off to Hadrian's wall.

I arrived at Housesteads Roman fort - took a tour of their sparse museum (although it fit my needs) and then made my way up to the fort. It was beautiful and amazing. Before heading out on my three mile hike along the wall I went back to the museum to pick up another sandwich and some crisps and set off towards Steel Rig. The views were breathtaking. I was able to walk on some of the wall but I enjoyed walking alongside it just as much. i felt very archeologist-like climbing on rocks. I stopped a few times to enjoy mu lunch and the view. The flys were a problem and so was slipping int he mud. Of course to make that worse was a little kid pointing and alughing plus I only brought two pairs of jeans for the entire trip luckily they didn't get too dirty. 

The hike was very tiring with lots of up and down hills and rocks and I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. One of the best parts was seeing the sycamore tree that's featured in Robin Hood. The French family ruined the tranquility of the moment a bit with their loudness but it was still an amazing site to see. I found a road a little further on and although I wasn't sure where it led I knew I couldn't go up any more hills. Luckily the road led directly to where I was trying to go. I wasn't sure if I had reached Steel Rig as there were no signs.

I missed the first bus picking up water and postcards so I had to wait an hour for the next but the visitor center has a nice video I watched all about the wall an the surrounding area. The bus though only went as far as Hexham so I had to take another bus and was at the wrong stop for the bus I needed but there was another bus that I ended up taking that got me back to Newcastle. An hour on the bus and I finally made it back. I strolled around eden Square shopping area, walked down the street that was named the most beautiful street in Europe in 2002. I didn't find it overly pretty.

I had dinner at Nando's which I have been hearing about and it was really good. Everyone there was super nice and the cook kept talking to me. The guy at the register knew that I was American which I'm not exactly sure I like, but really everyone in the North can tell I'm American where in the South not so much. I walked along the city walls on my way home only getting slightly lost that time. I had a nice talk with the people in my room at the hostel and went to bed early so I was ready for the conference in the morning. I don't know how but I managed to get a sunburn during my hike. The weather for the whole trip was amazing and it only rained once.

York

July 18th

This morning has been busy and a tad stressful. I woke up ten to six took a shower and then went to the learning grid to print off my first two chapters so I would have them with me on the journey. I raced back to mine to eat breakfast and have my cup of tea before actually setting out, dropping by the bank to pickup come cash just in case places wouldn't accept cards. I arrived early for my bus which gave me a little extra time at the rail station which was n ice because I got a little anxious about finding my train but I took a deep breathe and found my way. The trains though were not on yime. Although I left at the right time there was a wait to get into Birmingham New Street and then I couldn't find the right platform and by the time I had gotten proper directions from two people I missed my connecting train as I was slowed up by a little old lady in front of me taking up the entire stairwell. Thankfully I caught the next train arrived only 20 minutes later than my original train.

Next stop...York!

I have to say York was a bit of a disappointment. After getting of the train I went to the York Castle Museum which I think was the best thing about York. The recreation of a Victorian street was really cool and I bought a sugar mouse. The sixties street was really good as well. I found the cardboard mercury pod amusing since I've seen the real thing at the Smithsonian. I didn't like the prison it was creepy and gave me bad vibes. The problem with me and museums is I just can't be bothered to read all the plaques. I know if I read them I might enjoy my time more but alas I don't.

After that I went to the Yorkshire Museum as I had bought a combo ticket with the castle museum which was definitely a waste. The film was good and I loved the dinosaurs but other than that it was a bit dull. The ruins outside are better and they're free! I had to race from there to find Barley hall. I got lost and had to go back to the tourist centre. I wasn't so interested in the building itself - once again I was given pages to read. What I was really excited about was the 'From Hamlet to Hollywood' exhibit. All the clothes from film that I love - including my favorite outfit that Jennifer Ehle wears in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Also The King;s Speech which had recordings of the speeches. The best part, besides the pride and Prejudice dress was trying on all these coll hats. Then it was off to York Minister the famed Cathedral. I couldn't do the tower tour as I had a huge bag with me but I'm glad I didn't waste the money. The crypt was bad enough! York Minister is pretty and all but it doesn't compare to Salisbury. I attended evensong but it felt wrong to be there, I was way out of my element. The service ended at six so by then I was tired and hungry - plus everything had closed. I found this place called The Graduate with somewhat friendly staff. I got fish and chips with regular peas (as in not mushy). Besides the bit of plastic I found on my peas they were amazing and I ate them all. I don't know what they did to those peas but i have never had more than a forkful. And this was a good 1/2 a cup or so. They had to bring out extra chips cause they had ran out but they weren't that good. A little underdone but the fish was AMAZING! If they had fish like that in the States I would eat it more regularly. Granted it is battered fish so it isn't good for me but I could eat this fish all the time. After dinner I tool a walk on the city walls - just like a castle. It gave some nice views. From there I found my way back tot he train station where I waited from my train which was on time. I couldn't wait to get into Newcastle and my hostel.I was super tired and my feet hurt from all the waking which was not a good sign considering that this was only my first day!

Bristol

On Saturday of the Thanksgiving weekend I took the trip to Bristol. I almost missed the bus because I woke up late. I had stayed out late the night before to watch Twilight Eclipse at the Warwick Student Cinema. One of the leaders that went on the trip had previously lived in Bristol so he took us all to the tourist center to get maps and stuff. I had downloaded some mp3 walking tours so I used those to get my bearings around the city. It was really nice and I eventually stopped the walking tour, as the second one was going over the same places. I went and looked at the Bristol Cathedral which was beautiful but I still like the one in Coventry better. I kept walking to go see the Georgian house museum but it’s closed until Easter!  So I kept climbing the hill to get to the Bristol City Museum which was interesting but it had a lot of taxidermy stuff that was disturbing.  After the museum I still had about 2 hours left so I found my way to the Christmas steps, which is on the map but wasn’t anything at least at the time I went. I then took the scary step of finding my way back going a new way that didn’t involve the map or going back the way I came. Surprisingly I did not get lost! i was pretty proud of myself.

I went and tried to see the S.S. Great Britain but there was a wedding happening on it so I couldn’t go on it but I did get to see the other ship they have there which was cool. I then walked across town to see the Mary Redcliffe church but they had a private choir thing going on so I couldn’t go in.

I found my self back at the beginning of my trip and decided to have dinner at Subway which I had been thinking about all day. Ordering was interesting because I kept asking for pickles but the lady didn’t hear or understand so I’m frantically looking around to see what else they would call them but pickles was on their sign. The last time i said it she finally got what a wanted. I also wanted like regular mustard but I got honey mustard, thankfully it was still good. I sat and ate my sandwich but it was unnerving with the group of kids in there. It looked like they could be the next cast of Skins.

I finished my sandwich and went out into the cold. I walked around for a bit and found the war memorial that is featured in Being Human and that was really cool but then it was just me waiting for the bus in the cold. Overall the trip was good but could have been shorter or maybe I should have went to the zoo or something.
That was the last trip of the term since I didn’t go to Cambridge. There will be more in the Spring and if some of them are good I’ll go and friends have said that they might go so that’ll be nice.

Thanksgiving

My first holiday away from home, Thanksgiving. It was kinda strange because I’m so used to having the day off that it was weird to be in school but the class was fun. We did half of our United Nations of Television thing. We learned about Hong Kong, China, India, America, Germany and Poland. I had brought my computer because I had done a powerpoint but don’t have a flash drive so everyone else put their powerpoints on my computer or set up their youtube clips which was all fine except that I forgot to turn off my skype. Halfway through Barbara’s presentation my mom popped online and called me. Talk about embarrassing!

After class I went home to start cooking for the dinner I was making for Holly, Charlotte and Oishani. I got everything ready and then found out my oven wasn’t working. Talk about a major freakout. I had to go use Oishani’s oven and we ended up eating over there because we thought the food would get too cold on the way over to my place. I made rosemary blue cheese potatoes and pecan pie. The pecan pie with golden syrup since over here they don’t have corn syrup. I went on advice from Matt and Oli and it worked out beautifully. I even whipped up so whipped cream which was absolutely delicious on the warm pie.(I ended up making another pie with the left over filling and brought it to class to share)

It was a good night and it was nice to not be alone for Thanksgiving, even though Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday.

Nottingham

I spent the day in Nottingham yesterday and it was amazing. A new favorite city. The International Office organizes these Saturday trips to different cities. Really they just drop us off and then pick us back up at a certain time but its much cheaper than taking the train by yourself. The bus trip was fine a little over an hour. I ran into Celia, a PhD student so we talked for most of the way until I got really sick. I hadn’t been feeling all that great anyways that morning, lack of sleep and distress of the previous days, but I managed to make it there. It was supposed to be a really bad day, lots of rain but it turned out to be a beautiful day!
Once we arrived in Nottingham, and found a bathroom in the railway station, we started walking towards town. We were headed for the tourist center, took a little detour to go around the big shopping mall and had to walk up this hill but we got to see more of the town so that was fun. We weaved our way through streets trying to find it, following signs and our maps. We found it fairly quickly.We picked up a few more brochures and started on our day.

First we signed up for the tour of the caves which the entrance is in the mall – a weird place to have a historical site but there you go! We had some time to kill so we went and got muffins which were really good. There are all these caves that are built underneath the city that were used for different purposes. We first met a tanner – fun little historical reenactment – and learned all about the disgusting nature of cleaning animal skins. Then we moved on as an air raid came to a cave bomb shelter. The caves we’re the best bomb shelters the people of Nottingham could find. There were posters from the period on the walls and an unexploded bomb. It was pretty neat but really short.

After the caves we headed towards the Galleries of Justice – we had bought a combined ticket with the cave – where we met the Sheriff of Nottingham. He was great making. It was funny because a guy had a green shirt on but wasn’t part of the tour and the Sheriff was like that’s good green’s not a good color to be wearing. And he was looking over the audience saying how we were smart not to be wearing green when he ends up on Celia who is wearing green. She tried to pass it off as blue and he said she was color blind. The tour started in a Victorian courtroom. Quite nice. Then the Sheriff spotted Robin Hood and his Merry Men and made them stand in the box (four kids from the tour). Celia had to get up and give testimony (written for her of course) she was a tax collector who had been beaten up by Robin Hood.

After the trial, they were all found guilty and sentenced to death, we moved down into the prison. We all had numbers that corresponded with a crime – I had stolen a cow – and then we had to move into another room with the jailer. The jailer was the best historical reenactment person. He really got into his role and didn’t break character.  He poured a drink and asked if this girl wanted any, and then tried to sell her a blanket that belonged to a prisoner who had a skin disease- sounding very drunk the whole time. Then he told us what they do to people with certain crimes and emphasized the payment of everything from your cell to your food. Food of course being bread and water or water and bread! Then he showed us an example of the most luxurious cell, which of course we all went into except one little kid who was too scared. The Jailer came in, after tell the kid that he was not to close the door on him, and told us why it was so luxurious – because of the light and a bell for cell service – which  was taken out for annoyance. And then he was like, “see you in 12 months” and slammed the door shut. We only spent 3 minutes in there but it was fun. Someone suggested a sing song.

After being released from prison we were shown reform, something the jailer didn’t seem found of. We saw the laundry room and exercise yard. A box full of things that prisoners had swallowed. A hanging exhibit and the boat to Australia where all the prisoners were exiled to.  And then finally freedom. We were really glad that we got the combo ticket because the galleries of justice was worth it but the caves were rather lame.
After another quick stop at the tourist center, in order to buy our Robin Hood hats, we were off to the see the Robin Hood statue. A huge line for pictures with it but we got ours and then moved on the castle which isn’t a castle anymore but rather a museum. It has beautiful grounds and a beautiful view of the city from the top. Inside is stuff on display, lots of silver and a whole museum of military uniforms. It was cool to see the uniforms through the ages and the WW1 and WW2 stuff. Nazi armbands seemed so surreal. We were accosted on our way out by two very drunk boys, one of which had sliced his finger open but we were able to leave them behind fairly quickly. Our last stop was the oldest pub in England! It was very very busy and we didn’t stay long but it was still cool to see. It also has a network of caves, blocked off now and is built into the rock beneath the castle. Said to be a place to stop before men left for the crusades.

We thought we would head back to the meeting spot but we were way to early so we stopped in at pound land and did a bit of shopping. We made our way back to the meeting point and waited for the buses to arrive, but they were on time which was nice. We enjoyed the ride home.

November 1st

Well what have I been up to lately that doesn’t involve freaking out about my PhD proposal? Nothing much I did just have a fantastic weekend. I saw Iron Man 2 on Friday which wasn’t bad. On Saturday I went to my first house party and was really fun. I dressed up as a thief and then ended up being Doctor Who later on in the night. It was hard finding a costume with what I had in my closet – which isn’t much. But it was still fun. It was basically just people sitting around talking, drinking and dancing a bit. No beer pong – which I was thankful for. I didn’t want to leave but the party but I had to catch the last bus back to campus so I wasn’t stranded in Lemington. And last night I went and saw Robin Hood which was painful to watch.  I’ve got one more free weekend and then I’ve planned trips for the four weekends after that with the international office. On the 13th I’m going to Nottingham, the 20th I’m going to Chester, the 27 it’s Bristol and finally the 4th of December I’m going to Cambridge. And then it’s Christmas break!

October 27th

Alright, so I’m a slacker when it comes to this blog then but when nothing majorly exciting happens its hard to find things to write about and I felt it (the blog) was getting a little boring. Not that anything exciting has happened but I have received complaints about my lack of blogging.

I went to a research seminar last week that was amazing. David Martin-Jones talked about film making in Scotland – not only Scottish films but foreign countries shooting in Scotland. This of course included Bollywood I was surprised to find that a film I own had a song set in Scotland and I never realized it. I guess I just thought it was Switzerland, again. The presentation was a big improvement of talks from the one on Ozu I went to and I’ll be reading his book as soon as its returned to the library.

I’ve been stewarding for the Warwick Student Cinema so I can get films for free. So far I’ve seen Jurassic park(which was amazing on the big screen), Remember Me(which I personally loved), Whip it and Date Night. I can’t wait for Iron Man 2 this Friday. I’ve also applied for a marketing coordinator position with the society but who knows if I’ll get that.

This current week I’ve been very stressed out about the topic of dissertations. I went to a graduate skills programme on Monday about PhD proposal and funding and it freaked me out. I did find out that I can apply for a scholarship that would cover my living fees and tuition fees for the home rate leaving a slight gap for the difference between home fees and overseas fees but still that would be awesome. The catch though is that I’ve got to get a move on it and talked to a prof by the end of this term, Dec 11 so I can make sure that Warwick can supervise me so I can then apply by January 31st!!!! In order to apply of course I’ve got to come up with a PhD proposal that is several things most importantly something that I won’t get tired of writing about for at least the 3 years of the program and up to 10 years after that. In essence my dissertation will stay with me for my academic career. Just slightly daunting. Of course the idea I have has to be original and add something new the the discussion and field I’m interested in. Luckily we were given sites to look up recent and past dissertations to make sure we’re not duplicating anything.

The proposal consists of 4 elements:

1. main research questions and what I hope to prove and add to the knowledge of the subject
2. the outline of the scope of my research i.e. the focus: 100 years? 5 years? certain directors? ect
3. what methodologies I’ll use to pursue my goals i.e. archive research, detailed textual analysis, case studies and theoretical frameworks.
4. a discussion on how my research will differ from research already published and conducted. where my project will stand within its field.

And I need someone in the department that is able to supervise my project to give advice and help me along the way. Needless to say I was a little intimidated by the whole talk and having to come up with a PhD dissertation topic in 7 weeks when I haven’t really nailed down my MA dissertation topic and having only completed 3 weeks of the MA program itself. I’ve been busy reading different books and doing research on books that have already been written and watching as much as I can to get ideas. The thing that has really helped bring my ideas together is putting all my ideas into a PowerPoint presentation. It’s saved my life, and  thankfully I have a better grasp on how to go about channeling my ideas. I still need to go see my personal tutor for questions but I feel 100% calmer than I did after the meeting on Monday. In fact, even writing this all out has helped – funny how that works!

Postgrad Mingles

Yesterday I went to the Arts Faculty Postgrad Seminar Series Welcome. Basically its a group of postgrads from the art department (meaning; English, film, languages, humanities ect.) come together twice a term to present papers as sort of a trial run before a conference. This is mostly helpful for PhD students who are writing a big paper but us lonely MA student are also welcome. The selling point is of course the free wine! The organizers were surprised by how many of us were from film because it was almost our whole class that came – that’s right, we were representing! It was nice to meet other postgrads (that weren’t business related) and just be able to talk about what we’re all focused on and dissertation ideas. And while there is wine there its not the main deal which I found comforting.

It’s strange not being on a dry campus. There seems to be alcohol everyone and at all the social events. The drinking age here is lower so there’s no problem like there is in the US but its still strange. Of course the difference between the seminar and the societies I’ve been considering joining are that the societies, filled with undergrads put as their main focus getting drunk. I much prefer the drink a little wine while having stimulating conversation. I’m definitely in the right place.


At the meeting though I learned a lot about my classmates and I thought I could introduce at least some of them. Andy is English, really nice and is interested in the Coen Brothers which unfortunately for me I haven’t seen many of their movies nor liked the ones I’ve seen. It was nice to see him talk about something that he actually liked. Barbara is Germany and was actually at Warwick for an exchange year and now has come back. She’s very nice and friendly but I’m not sure what she’s interested in. We’re all still really I think scared to say anything that we like for fear that others will think us stupid.                                                        

KC is the other MA American. I’ve talked we her a little bit more which has been nice. She worked for a non-profit theater raising money and lived in Pairs for a year. It’s I think a little bit comforting having another American there Peter is the American who’s doing his PhD. I’m not a huge fan of his because he never takes a breath and some of the things he says about America I think is a big generalization that i don’t agree with. A West coast-East coast thing. Oishani is from Bombay and lives in Heronbank which is across from Lakeside but we never manage to walk to class together. She’s nice until she starts nagging me to be more social, she came her though w/3 of her friends. Oli who is doing his MA but in research is really nice. We talked a bit at the seminar. His favorite color is yellow, but a bright yellow. He’s doing his dissertation on christmas movies, not sure the aspect of that but something about seasonal movies. Great topic! He got me a little depressed and depressed himself when talking about X-mas since I’ll be here alone on campus.

So that’s not all the people in my class but I don’t know that much about the rest of them. I’m getting there slowly.

Two Weeks In

So it’s been 2 weeks since my arrival in the UK and I’m slowly getting used to things here. Things are definitely more expensive here than in the US and sometimes its really hard to pay what they’re asking. Cooking has gotten easier it just takes forever and a day! 20 mins to boil some water! I’m used to the ready now mentality. The microwave in this sense is a god send. Except for the first week we’ve had some pretty good weather with only a few days of rain, which I guess is good but it takes away my excuse to go out into the world.

I still get caught up by somethings like the stairs here are really wide. Its like they’re the width of 1 1/2 of the US stairs which makes it hard to walk down them. I’m sure I look like an idiot going stair by stair but better to look like an idiot doing that then falling down them! Also the plug-ins are tricky and really anything electrical. You can’t just plug something in and expect it to work. oh no, you have to turn on the switch as well. This goes for the stove as well. I’ve sat there on several occasions waiting for something to heat up only to find the switch not on. It’s frustrating. And the toaster! It only toasts one side of the bread! I remember telling Tiffany from Capers after she made fun of a customer saying they wanted both sides of the toast toasted that maybe they had a toaster that only toasts one side of the bread. Of course I had never encountered such a toaster but now I have. Why anyone would want only one side toasted is really beyond me but if you only want one side toasted come to the UK! I do have to say that the kettle is marvelous and heats up very fast compared to everything else.

Of course the classes are also different and will take some time getting used to. I’ve got Textual Analysis and Film Style on Mondays and Tuesdays and then Modernity, Innovation and Audio-Visual Culture on Wednesdays and Thursdays. For starters its really weird to only have 2 classes for the term but they will keep me busy. I’ve already got tons of reading to do. It really seems like that’s all I do is to read and discuss in these classes. I’ve got one essay that isn’t graded due next week but that’s it. Each class has a 5,000 word essay that aren’t due until next term! Kristin has already warned me not to let that lull me into a false sense of security and I won’t, I promise! I just find it weird and different. It also makes classes harder because I feel stupid during class discussions. I’m the kind of person who needs time to think about something and really digest everything that I’ve read, heard and seen before I can talk about it. Which is why I was never good at quick comebacks. I feel ready for class today with all the reading and note taking I did (see I even took notes which I normally don’t do).

And it’s not just classes that I’ve got filling up my time. I’m looking into joining Street Vibe a dance society that does “street dancing” hip hop style I guess. You can check out videos on their facebook page. I went to the first taster session and had a lot of fun so I’m going again today. Then there’s the Warwick Student Cinema society that I’m going to try and get involved in so I can see the films for free! Good films too. The digital film club is on Thursdays at 7pm with my professor. Last week was Me and Orson Wells which wasn’t bad but the rest of the films are all foreign films some of them french so I don’t know how long that will last. Plus there are research seminars that I’m expected to go to on Wednesdays but only in certain weeks which is why I’m not joining the Bollywood dance society because it clashes. My planner has never been so handy as it is at present.


A job has yet to be established and I’m not sure I’m going to get one. There’s just not much for jobs on campus and with my busy schedule it might not work out. I’ll know more by next week when my student loans come through. I’m crossing my fingers that I get a reasonable amount back so I’ll be able to eat and do laundry (and not in the shower). Plus maybe some traveling on the breaks, at least a little bit. A nice trip to Cardiff, Ireland or London perhaps.

What is really looming over me is my dissertation topic. I don’t necessarily have to worry about it just yet but I am anyways. After this term is done I’ve got one other class next term and then my dissertation starts and I’ve no idea what I’m doing it on. Okay I’ve taken down some ideas but not sure how it will translate into a  20,000 word essay. It didn’t help that I was talking to Charlotte about her meeting with her supervisor. They were talking about how they hate people who do this agree just because they love TV and are just fans. At first I felt really bad because that’s one of my main reasons I’m here but after thinking about it and talking to Kristin I have come to realize that you need that fandom in order to study film and television or else you would hate yourself. And I’m still able to critique and think about shows and films in an analytical way.
I think once I get the reading for my classes under control I should start checking out books related to my interests. Although I am very disappointed at the library holdings they’ve got most of the books I need for classes so I don’t have to buy anything which will give me more money to buy books for my dissertation which means, most likely more books on Doctor Who!

October 7th

Today was quite a nice day and marks the end of my official first week here at Warwick. I had a screening of You Only Live Once this morning, then a library seminar. That was really cool, even though working at the library I knew everything, mostly it was cool to know that the library here is based on the library of congress call system and that the software that we have is from the US so they have things listed as being check out instead of borrowed. Plus the librarian was really nice and funny. Which aren’t librarians always like that? LOL . After that was a really bad IT introduction. The lady was not nice and got really mad when someone said they had a mac because there is no support for mac at Warwick. It was quite harsh and the temperature in the room went down several degrees. Then I had a little bit of a break so I walked with Charlotte down to the art center but left to go check out the societies fair.

I saw the belly dancers out front performing and they were pretty good, not sure that I want to join but fun to watch all the same. I made my way to the tables and signed up for a mailing list for the English society and I had to stop by the American society that was the table next to the English table. I asked what kind of events and things they did, since they were devoid of all pamphlets. Their response was Thanksgiving dinner, beer pong and getting drunk. I think getting drunk was their main selling point, which a lot of these societies seem to bring up well really everyone is about drinking which is weird because I’m used to dry campuses. Anyways, I turned down the American society the drunk thing didn’t help but what really killed it for me was the picture of George W. Bush on the American flag. I just couldn’t sign up for that.

I left the society fair and headed back to my second home, Milburn House for the training on projection and steenbeck. That was really cool. We got to look at 35mm and 16mm film and actually thread it through the machine. The movies we watch are mostly on 35mm so it was cool to actually see and touch real film. So different from digital. The steenbeck is basically an old fashion editing machine. It was a nice training session and experience.I also finally got my phone to work so I’ve got everyone’s number and they have mine. God forbid one of them actually tries to call me.

I walked with Andy and Charlotte back to main campus but by the time we had got back the society fair was over. I left them to go to a taster session for street vibe. I was really nervous at first but it was really fun. I followed the dance pretty well. It’s sort of a hip hop style which normally I’m not that good at but its just that much more challenging for me. I really think that 1 hour of class has been the best hour so far for me. I’m thinking this might be the society for me but it is expensive so I have to weight my options.

What I am joining, mainly because it’s free and is film related is the Digital Cinema Club. Every Thursday and 7 in Milburn House we watch a film and then we’re suppose to discuss it afterwards. I skipped out on the discussion bit but watched “Me and Orson Wells.” It was pretty good, not spectacular but an enjoyable film.
That was it. Tomorrow I’ve got a light day, nothing that I have to do. A trip to the library to work on this essay for Textual Analysis and some more taster sessions and laundry or else I’ll have no clothes left. (if I could do a worried smiley face here I would) It’s the weekend!

October 6th

Went to the societies fair today. It was over crowded and people were shoving paper in your face for different directions. It was really just a way to pass the time before my class. I think this class on Modernity, Innovation and Audio-Visual Culture is going to be a good one and one that will make me think. I felt a little out of depth today. We watched a French film which of course was weird. I think it’s a prerequisite of French cinema. Plus I couldn’t see all the subtitles because there was a head in my way but I got most of the story, at least I think I did. : ) It was nice to actually start something school related besides all of these introduction stuff that I’m so tired of. Of course tomorrow is more intro crap but we do have one movie to watch by Fritz Lang so it has potential.

I have still be unable to find a job that I can still do while going to school or that I have the qualifications for. There aren’t many opportunities to find work so I might have to just keep myself busy and eat less. lol. I’m been feeling kind of alone lately but mainly because people keep pointing it out to me and keep telling me to go out and meet new people. I would be fine if other people would just shut up about it. It is different being a MA student because I’m only taking 2 classes this term and 1 class next term and then my dissertation which I still don’t have any clue what I’m doing it on, eekk! Plus there isn’t much work to be done during the classes. The essays that we’re graded for are due next term! It’s a very strange system. And the UK students have been more focused throughout their schooling whereas Americans get the rounded education. We dabble in things but never really go into detail so picking a dissertation topic is proving to be quite hard. I’m sure I’ll come up with something eventually. At least by spring time.

I got my personal tutor today as well and I’m going to have to go see him and talk to him because apparently he’s the one who will give me a reference and stuff. At least he’s an actual prof and not a PhD student (GTF) never had much luck with them. : )

Really a boring day. I had the stupid pointless meeting for my residence and my class and that was pretty much it. Nothing exciting…

October 5th

Today marked the first day of classes and the sort of introductory meeting. I was surprised my how few people are in my class. I guess I’m used to the 30 people per class that the 10 people is kinda freaking me out. There are two other Americans, one doing the MA taught degree which is the same as mine and one doing the PhD. But they’re both from Massachusetts so do East Coasters really count? After the introductory meeting we had a little buffet and mingled with everyone. I swear these people over here are obsessed with mingling! I’m not sure how much more mingling I can take. But we got to meet a lot of the professors and everyone was really excited because they’ve read their work in previous classes. I however, have never heard of these people. Another dig for the US education system. I did get to talk about Doctor Who to another PhD student without Charlotte there so that was really nice.  People who know Doctor Who!!!

After the buffet and mingle we had time before our class start so these girls decided to go for a walk and I reluctantly joined them. They walked through the muddy grass and I was just like why? I’m a cement kind of a girl. I don’t go outside unless I have to and I walk with a purpose from point A to Point B so I was not in the best of moods. And of course I was worried about being late. We made it back with plenty of time.
Today’s class was Textual Analysis and Film Style with Victor Perkins. Basically we are extracting meaning from photos or film. looking at the things that are present in the frame and noticing what is not there we can understand the meaning of the image better. I’ve taken a class like this at U of O so I understand what was going on even though I wasn’t able to get the book that we were suppose to have for class that day. What a great way to start out the day right?

After class I made my way up to Tesco to get something that I could cook in the microwave keeping in mind my disaster in the kitchen yesterday. As I was leaving I ran into a girl from class and her friends so I walked home with them. All Asian with me as the lonely white girl. I haven’t felt that out of place since India. Although there was one other person who wasn’t Indian so I had a leg up when they started talking in Hindi. I was introduced to one girl I’ve been hearing about who likes Bollywood but our conversation was short lived, she’s not a fan of Abhishek Bachchan. I made it back home, made nachos for dinner and watched an episode of “Life on Mars” with John Simm’s (Who’s from Doctor Who) That one of the PhD students recommended to me. I’ve only seen the one episode but it’s going on my list that is ever growing.

I’ve also been trying to handwash my clothes because it’s about $5 for one complete load but I might have to break down and pay the $5 because I’m running about of clothes and drying is taking forever! It took literally 2 days for my socks to dry! Only my socks! Can my student loans come through please, I’m spending all my savings. But I really did need that Brita, the water is 100% better. Before it was like drinking Eugene water, not good.

October 3rd and 4th

Sunday was rainy but I still made it to Ikea which I was really glad I went. I managed to get on the same bus as Charlotte with no major problems. We started with food which was really good, spinach and cheese pancakes. I couldn’t help but notice the wide range of Swedish items on the menu and I wondered about them until I remembered that Ikea is a Swedish company. I felt a little stupid. We went through the showrooms which was neat but then went down into the fun part where we got to pick up things. I got a nice little set of saucepots, a block of knives, a set of cutting boards and some other things I had needed to get. I couldn’t get everything I wanted so I might have to go back but seeing as Ikea is in Coventry I don’t really mind.


We went into the mall and visited the pound shop where everything is a pound. Amazing shop with some pretty good items there like a large tube of toothpaste! And then it was time to find the bus stop, Charlotte isn’t much of a shopper. We took the long way round. Cities like Coventry are medieval towns so they have what are called “ring roads” meaning cars drive around the city where fortified walls used to be slowly making their way to the center. It’s nice because it’s easy to find your way around and eventually you get to where you want to go. Got on the bus and I came back to campus. I didn’t really do much else on Sunday, just hung around my flat.

Monday(today) I had a few things to do but all I really wanted to do was sleep in. When I finally manage to tear myself away from my bed I made my way to the University House in order to get a replacement card for the one I had lost. We had to fill out this form and I didn’t feel that bad because there was a large amount of people waiting to do the same thing as me. However on the form you needed your University ID number which I have been unable to memorize so I had to go back to my flat. Mind you I haven’t been feeling that great and have been finding it hard to breath so I almost didn’t go back – which would have been the wiser decision as you shall see. I had plans to meet up with Nikola to get my silverware so I ended up going back to University House and was planning on going from there to meet Nikola.

When I got to University House the card office was closed because they had so many people come in and the lady at reception told me to try and come back later that day around 2pm. Currently it was 11am and they closed at 3pm. I was very frustrated and very short with the lady. Lunch with Nikola was nice and I was able to take my mind off of my problems for a while and I even got to see Luicelle.

I had chips for lunch which was such an odd thing to ask for and it took everything I had to ask for chips and not french fries. Its really hard getting used to that.


Now it was about 1:30pm so I went back to University House and they were open the same lady who had helped me before said it would be about 30 mins but I was welcome to wait and since I didn’t want to have to come back that’s what I did. I sat there for the full 30 mins and possible more when I noticed people were being turned away because their printer had stopped working so I approached the desk and asked about my card. Of course my card was the next one up before the printer had stopped working which really upset me because a girl who came after me got her card before mine.

Then to make matters even more worse I get in email later saying that someone has turned in my old card but because they finally got my new one printed I still have to pay them the $25! Talk about pissed off. That just added to everything to make this day horrible. I went and found the mail room and the laundry room. Its about $5 to do 1 load of wash which I find outrageous so I had the bright idea to hand wash everything but that’s turning out to be more of a hassle than anything. And then I decided to cook something in the kitchen what a disaster! I could not boil water to save my life. The stove was on, the burner was hot but the water in the pot did not boil. I finally gave up and did some creative cooking. I boiled water in the kettle (which actually works) and added that to the pot with the noodles. An hour and half later I had some dinner that was eatable. In the process I did meet 2 of my flat mates both doing business things and both from India.
This has been one of the most frustrating days yet but I did get to see some of the pole dancers for the pole dancing society which was neat but I’m not sure its the right thing for me. I did however sign up for the Warwick Student Cinema where if I get involved I can see the films for free! And some of the films they’re showing are really good – newer films and foreign films. They show them Tuesday – Friday and Sunday. Can you imagine? A film almost everynight! We’ll see how it works out.
I’m just hoping tomorrow gets better. It’s my first day of classes…

October 1st and 2nd

So I haven’t been keeping up on my journals so I’m just combining the last two days not that anything really exciting has happened. I enrolled and got my University card which I then lost less than 24 hours later so I have to get a replacement one. I signed up for the health center and now I have free health care!!!! It’s so easy I was amazed and disappointed that we can’t do that in the US. It’s actually quite upsetting that I can finish all of my immunizations that I haven’t been able to afford for free.  I checked out the library with Charlotte. It’s not as big as the Knight library but it’s still a decent size. Catalogued in the library of congress format except for the 4th floor which is in Dewey decimal. You have to use your University card to get into the library and back out again which is how I lost my card in the first place, having to take it out and put back into my wallet. The putting it back part alluded me. We tried visiting the learning lab which is open for students with computers and is open after the library closes but we couldn’t get in. So we decided to wait at the film building which being postgrads we get our own little room which is highly exciting and also weird. I’m not used to the special treatment for postgrads we’re getting. We got tea and everything!

I left Charlotte to go check out the bank but I didn’t want to wait in the line so I just went home which is where I discovered I no longer had my card. I freaked out and went back out to retrace my steps coming back empty handed and soaking wet! It was not a good day for me. : (

Dinner did help make up for it. Indian curry which was amazing! And the best blueberry cheesecake. It was so good. I had gotten cake earlier in the week but it just wasn’t good but I couldn’t resist the cheesecake and I’m glad I took it because it was the best ever. The naan wasn’t good but when I make such good naan it’s hard to compare. : )This was the end of Orientation. I didn’t go to the event afterwards but I heard it wasn’t anything special.

Saturday was a much better day. I got up and went to stand in line at the bank. I’ve decided to go with NatWest because it’s free and on campus so it’s convenient. I waited for about 2.5 hours but I’ve got it now! The bank manager was very nice and liked the ease of my name having previously dealt with all Asian names starting with Xi and the like. Of the bank managers tried a name, gave up and just asked if there was anyone from Thailand. It was funny.

After the bank I met Nikola and we walked up to Tesco to do some shopping. Probably the worst day to go shopping. Arrivals weekend so lots of parents were there with students and it was way over crowded! I got my basic stuff and a phone (although I still don’t know how it works so I have to go back) but have yet to get any cooking equipment which I was going to go to Ikea for but the weather looks pretty nasty so I’m not sure I want to go today but we’ll see. The grocery store is about the same as they are in the US. Of course they have sections for sausages and biscuits. And at lot less prepared meals, at least at Tesco. In the shopping mall attached to Tesco is a frozen food store that just sells frozen food. We bought silverware to share but Nikola still has it so I have no way to make anything so I hadn’t eaten anything yesterday for lunch and was running on a free piece of pizza from dominos and two apples I had taken from the restaurant on previous days.
At 3 I went to the Humanities building for the postgrad Arts Induction where I met up with Charlotte. We had to do some more of those stupid mingle things. I just don’t like people all that much and I don’t see that changing anytime soon no matter how much I try. The induction that was suppose to last from 3:30-5 ran very smoothly and we were done by 4:30. Charlotte and I decided to go to Ikea which at this point I wasn’t too excited about but knew I needed pots and pans to cook with so we passed the freshers fair and the unicycle juggler  to get to the bus stop. We both got confused on when the bus was suppose to arrive and she only has a bus pass for one of the buses that we didn’t know how it got to Coventry and we were both so hungry we decided to skip it and have dinner on campus.

The dirty duck is a pub/restaurant on campus with pretty decent food. I got the vegetarian burger (having not been interested in eating any meat, except for the free piece of pizza with pepperoni). The burger was pretty good, a little spicy and with good fries. Love the fries here. That was pretty much everything. I’ve got two days to kill before classes  and I think I’m taking them slow before the hectic school schedule gets me down…