is today the first or last day??????

so strange that i can vividly remember all my thoughts and adoration of england when i first arrived at the university!! now its been practically 1 full year that ive been here, and it still feels like ive just arrived!!

i am glad that i feel ready to go home. of course, it kind of sucks to be uprooted again after i settled in and got used to eastbourne (eastboring...), and i will dearly dearly miss LONDON!!! having a hopping diverse metropolis of clothing stores, food, and tourist sites will be desperately missed.....but ill try to cope in lansing :/ at least it has a cold stone ;)

its kind of cool to write my last blog from here, cuz if i look back on it when i get home, i can remember all my experiences, memories and thoughts from the day before i left. so, i guess this is my last blog...till next time ;)

please prayers for a safe/quickish flight!!

Cheers, cheerio, and tally ho from England!! (my dream place of many years.....still cant believe i made it here!).

It's almost time....slow down!!

In less than 7 days, ill be back in the U.S.!? what?!????????????????????/

didnt i JUST get off the plane in the chilly, cloudy town of eastbourne and meet all these people? and, just when i start getting to really know the students from church, its time (again) to uproot myself from my surroundings and go back home.....blah!

im excited to go home, but this whole thing about moving away, meeting people, getting acclamated, and then having to leave it all behind really blows. makes me want to stay longer, or at least find a city/place of my own so i can finally settle down for more than 1 year and really make my own roots somewhere!!!!! but i sincerely hope to stay in touch with my flatmates (of course!) and people from my church here.

well, if you were wondering, i handed in my dissertation last thursday!! (only 3 days ago). what a relief!! so, now i wait...and worry a little. it feels strange and relaxing to not have it on my mind, and having to remind myself that i dont need to rush home to sit at my computer and type and revise alllllllllllllllllllll day. 3 weeks straight, non stop was enough!

my flatmates and i are planning to make some day trips here and there this week, so see the last bit that we can of England. Tonight, i went out with a group of church students (Alexandra came too!!) and we went bowling....i stunk, but it was really fun. then some of us went into town and hung out there for a bit. and apparently there' some kind of pool party/ chill out thing on tuesday...so i hope to make it to that and say my last goodbyes to people :'(

so, thats about it. we visited Canterbury yesterday and it was a lovely place!! weather was brilliant and i bought some clothes from H&M....always great ;)

im becoming aware of my new alias: Inevitabley Injured Ingrid....

as some of you may or may not have known, before my departure to England, i cought a weird, unexpected and explosive cough. it is still my theory that i got it from weird tree/bush germs and or/smoke molecules stuck in my room form a big bon fire that we had used to burn extra shurbbery........anyways, in my mind, i had a living plethora of shrubbery smoke particles in my lungs causing me to wildly and uncontrollably cough alllllllllllllllllll the time, as hard i could to get the junk out of my lungs.

well, after so much of this, my body said 'screw this' and my right rib popped out of place from all the flexing of my muscles used to cough (i guess they're not suppoed to get that much of a workout ;) and i was in a LOT of pain before i even knew what was wrong (bowling and running are NOT two activties i recommend for rib pain....fyi).

anyhoo, i had that before coming here, and even now i sometimes feel weird twinges around my rib muscles after vigorous workouts....and NOWWWWWWWWWWWW i have managed to sprain the tendon of my right big toe (the one that sticks up when you bend your foot back) from running or doing something. immense pain began in the morning on my way to london with a friend....and since i had no other shoes with me, i beared thru the pain all day (not an easy task). so i went to the doc yesterday and she said its just a sprain and i needed to rest it. so for the past (seems like FOREVER) week i havent swam, ran, lifted....could barely walk for most of the week....just hobbled along. but i did some foot stretches last night and it feels a bit better today..we'll see how it feels after ive walked on it some.

so, thats it. my deadline for myself is to hand in my dissertation on WEDNESDAY (lots of prayers pleaaaaaaaaaaaase so i can accomplish this!) cuz i feel i am so almost there! just revising/editing and fixing stuff up.

thats all for now. a long 2 weeks and im back home! yikes and yay.

WICKED good time ;)

yesterday (Friday) i went to London (where i havent visited in quite some time..) with my friend Alexandra. We left in the morning and spent the afternoon touring the London Tower, which was pretty cool, but not as interesting as i thought it would have been....but still ok.

then we walked around Trafalger Square, hopped over to Picadilly and searched thru Soho for a chinese place to eat. luckily, when we were almost out of hope at finding a place i had eaten at before, we turned the corner and VOILA! there it was! so we loaded up there and then walked down the street to the Haagen-Dazs......that was beautiful and delicious! i got 2 scoops: vanilla caramel brownie and chocolate midnight cookie....topped with fudge. yeah, i know. hippo crossing but it was marvelous!!!!

theeeeeeeeeeeeeen, we headed back towards Victoria station where we saw the musical WICKED!! our seats were ok, it was kind of high up and off to the side, so we had to kind of move our heads around to catch certain parts of the play depending on where they were located on the stage...but overall it was a really great experience! For those of you who dont know, Wicked was a book written by a guy who made up the background life of the Wicked witch (who's name is apparently Alphaba). she went to school with Glinda, they became friends, then she met Oz and he ended up being kind of a D-bag, and Alphaba got a spell book and had the power....but the ending will surprise you!! its not what you think (or maybe it is, but you'd have to be pretty smart to guess the end..its REALLY great!).

so, the music was good, the acting was stupendous and Alexandra and I really enjoyed our night!! especially not having to wear scarves or coats walking out in the night.....i love that london is warmer than Eastbourne..even if it is because of pollution and the dense city air ;p

OH. and i also showed Alex Bond Street (financial district of London) and we stopped in Alexander McQueen ( if you dont know him......shame on you.) and we 'shopped' around, and i drooled over his genius designs.

so anyways, that was my day in london. it was fantastic!! now, time to finish up more of my dissertation! i have a meeting with my prof on Monday, and I truly HOPE that after that, i can just finish it all up and hand it in by the very end of August...(so i get some free time to hang around england and not study before i leave!)

BA DA DA DA DUH DA DAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, its 11 at night, and about 15 min ago i was ready for bed, now i am full of excitement and energy...wanna know why? huh huh huh huh??????

because i received 3 EMAILS today with FILLED OUT QUESTIONNAIRES!!! i feel like a rock star.

i prayed a lot yesterday and today that i would receive my primary research in time (not tooooooo late) so that i wouldnt get too behind with evaluating it and whatnot. thanks CHUNK A MUNK to my brother who gave me the email addy to his friends, and thanks to them for replying so quickly!! ROCK MY FACE OFF!!!!!!!!!!! ( i havent used that expression in a long time, and it feels good to bring it back! ;)

so, i have a meeting with my prof on friday so discuss my methodology and whatnot...so im super hoping/praying that everything will go well and i wont need to redo too much of my stuff, and that i can get supa dupa crackalakin on the main body of my dissertation!! however, we havea 20k work maximum....im already at 16k without typing up my findings...yikes. it was always a weakness of mine to stay within the limits!!! my creativity cannot be contained!! :D

anyhoo, i will prolly book my ticket home soon (so sad to come to that realization that its time to leave my second....third nest!) but im preparing myself and psyching myself up for my return home and all the things i have to look forward to!

so, ill keep ya posted when i get a free minute to update you on my progress!!

thanks again for everyone who is praying for me and that i can get this thing done by the end of August!!!!!!!!

La la what what woot woot dum dee dum

the Cotswolds>>

Hello Hello!

yeah, its been a long time since i blogged about anything....but there hasnt been too much to report on, as usual.

On the dissertation front, its been going well lately. In the mornings this past week, i stop in the school office and read through sample dissertations from previous years that scored high (otherwise why would they give out crappy ones as an example?!) and i make notes and then hop off to the library for a couple hours typing and researching stuff. im hoping that ill be able to get my primary research done by the end of next week!! if that happens, it will be great!

on the other front...the weather has been cloudy and rainy on and off, with humidity and wind. lovely. my summer here lasted like 2-3 weeks and then vanished....such is england. im still hanging out a lot with the 2 italian girls left here from my course as well. and my japanese friend Tomo is moving to an apt. in Brighton on sunday :( but, i guess maybe this gives me a reason to go visit her more often and check out the hoppin city over there!! (and shopping too ;)

and, its crazy to think that on Saturday, my friend from Hope is getting married!! (not really a schocker, as a lot of my graduating class got engaged and married like the end of the world was staring them in the face), im sad ill miss it, but especially now, i cant imagine being home and feeling tons more stress and pressure of being away from my supervisor, the library, and the study environemnt im used to here. so i guess its good that i stayed for this month.

i should be back home in mid september at the latest!! i figure i might as well just stick it out till i hand in ALL my dissertation shiz and can go home without any stress or work, so i can hit the job hunting stage hard!!

Alexandra, Angeliki, and Ifi come back soon!! cant wait! :D

Will's Birthplace

OH, ps. i took a 1 day bus tour to Stratford and the Cotswolds (a region of england known for its rolling countryside and quaint villages) and the weather was pretty crappy, but stratford was awesome! walked thru Will Shakespeares childhood house, saw the Royal Shakespearan playhouses, and got to understand about Elizabethan architecture, how the houses were made to adjust to the shifting land-and are still standing, and all about Shakespeare's life growing up and how hugely his genius stories have impacted the rest of the world!!!!!!!!!!! amazing! loved it!

The lone Americano.......

yesterday was the 4th of july.....not like anyone here really cares ;/

it started off cloudy and a bit cool, but by 4 it was sunny and warmed up nicely. i had a turn out of about 8-9 people and we bbq'd with enough food for everyone, had yummy cake and ice cream, and then played with sparklers! everyone seemed impressed and had fun with those. OH! i have also turned on the int'ls and the english people to roasting marshmallows! the past few bbqs we've had at our house, people were sure to bring skewers and mallows ;) americanization infiltrating once again!!! muwaahahahhahh

anyhoo, its still been pretty lonely without the flatmates. i write or skype to them once in a while, but not having daily interaction kinda sucks. on the other hand, i dance around and sing whenever i want....what a nice freedom -(

ummm, i suppose thats about all the news. i found some people who are interested in going to party in london, so that made me very happy, since i havent done it yet!

the diss. is going well , i think . hopefully i can get all my primary research shiz done soon and then really start writing the meat of it.

till next time. Cheerio (thats what the old people say on the bus from church ;)

flip.

so, just a little update on things:

everyone has left my house :'( i am now the lone reed in St. Margarets cottage!!

during the day, obviously its fine, cuz im usually at the library or doing whatever, but at night it gets creepy. not that im actually scared of the house or the surroundings (*although the clouds were so low last night, it was like a horror movie mist slinking thru the streets...i stopped and assessed the situation and started shaking cuz it freaked me out so much...cuz the mist was only in certain spots....weird). anyways, the weather has been getting warmer here! the last few days have been realllllllllly sunny and warm! today i walked to town in shorts, flip-flops, and a tank top!! but it was still only in the high 60s...whatev. im gonna either die or melt when i get back home to crazy humid 80F!!

so, lately, i have been hanging out with my Italian friends who are still around Eastbourne. 2 students that i studied with and then a couple other italian guys that i met through my other italian friends...somehow they always seem to find each other ;) so its been fun getting to meet new people and having other friends around, so that im not 'completely' alone!

oh, and i still dont get internet in my house, however today i bought one of those USB stix that you're supposed to get hooked up to internet with....yeah, nothing ever goes easy for me! i installed it but now theres stuff popping up about high risk folders and whatnot....so im not sure what to do about that shiz. i just want internet! luckily my friend Giulia is close by so i can come to her house and use her internet :)

ok, thats all.

Ciao, Italy

I got back in jolly old (10 degrees colder than italy and spain) england on Monday june 15.

>>I arrived in the Fiumicino airport in Rome on the 8th and promptly got my shuttle to the hostel. as i was standing in line to check in, i was considering my options for finding out if julie and her friend had already checked in too. i look up and there she came down the stairs to see if i had arrived yet!! it was so great. couldnt have planned it better ;)

the first 2 nights i was in a 'bungalow' (basically like a mini trailer) with a smalllllllllll bathroom. convenient. then the last 3 nights i stayed with julie in the tent. we learned that earplugs and a shared bottle of wine at dinner really makes for the best sleeping environment ;p cuz the tents area was VERY near the busy road.....and i am a light sleeper......and i dont like having the feeling that there is a bus stop in our tent....so therefore wine and earplugs were necessary!

so, our days were busy with lots of walking, sightseeing, eating, and drinking!! only wine at night wtih dinner, and glugs and glugs of water during the day!! im pretty sure the average temp was around 90 with some humidity!! it was brilliant and i loved it, but still....stickyness isnt so much fun.


i saw the Palentine Hill, Colloseum (Colosseo in Italian), Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Vatican/Sistene Chapel, Catacombes, Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi), Piazza del Popolo, the Spanish Steps, and the National museum. so, we did a lot of stuff!! the hostel where we stayed was like a biiiiiiiig camp site, it was pretty cool. they had a bar and had themed parties each night, and a pool (though when i stood it was at my waist :( and it was clean and they had a bus stop into town. my favorite places were the Colloseo and Piazza Navona!!!! First, the Colleseo was obviously amazing cuz thats where the gladatorial games took place and it was crazy to see how many people fit in there (seated according to social class) and the crazy carnage that once took place for public entertainment! and, Piazza Navona is a famous/popular plaza area with lots and lots of gelatarias and outdoor restuarants! we first went there at night after eating dinner outside on a narrow side street, and it was like i was in a dream or a movie or something!! there were lots of people around, artists, accordians playing, people dining outside under the clear sky, the temperature was perrrrrrrrrrrrfect....not too cool but still a bit balmy to keep you warm.. the dim street lights and lanterns from the cafes made the streets glow and added a touch more of historical flare to the ancient buildings all around. (am i getting poetic yet? ;)

everything else was awesome too. the Trevi Fountain was really a site to see. there are so many fountains, big and small, everywhere. i love how well they have perserved and boast their Roman history!! theres nothing like that in the U.S. so its nice to see a city/country that is still very closely tied to their roots.

Then, julie and i spent 2 days in Madrid, enjoying the still searing hot sun but with dryer air!! not so much sweat :) we tooled around some parks and gardens, and went inside the emperor's palace, and looked around at the shops in town. i also purchases a pair of RayBans!! julie was so proud of me to get a pair of 'aviator-like' shades ;) and i give her a gold star for not killing me for taking prolly nearly 1 hour just standing in the store with the sunglasses on staring at myself wondering if i shoudl get them!! ohhhhhhhhhhh my indecisivness!! curse you!!!

so, thats about it. i didnt get sunburned....or really anything near a tan, but thats better than blisters and freckles!!! Grazie SPF 30 and 50!!

so, thats all for now. cant WAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT to get back home with the fam. it seems everyone else is flying the english nest very soon....i dont want to be abandoned!!

23 and feelin good ;)

Yesterday, my day consisted of the gym (of course, how could resist?!), and then a couple hours in town shoppping with a friend for a nice outfit and some shorts for italy. we came across a really great dress in one the department stores, and it was on sale! also, when i tried it on, it fit like it was made for me....juuuuuuuuuuust perfect!!

then, i hung out at home for a couple more hours till it was time to start getting ready to go eat Polish food, have drinks, and dance!!

Before we left for food, Alexandra and her brother who was visiting came over. As i was getting ready in my room, oblivious to the fact that everyone had gathered in the living room, i went to go see if they were ready to leave. i was greeted by Barbel at the door telling me to NOT come in and go back to my room for a bit! i was surprised that they were planning anything!

so, when i got the 'ok', i went back to find everyone in the living room with a freshly baked cake from Mila (which was perfect!) and some balloons! they sang happy bday to me, and we had a slice of cake before we left. i also got some really sweet gifts including a British Cookbook....which im totally excited about, but i wonder how much more Fred and Sioux will be frothing over the pictures when i get home.....i might have to start charging for my meals ;p

so, it ended up just being the 8 of us in the small restuarant, which was great. i think most of us got the goulash...(i might have had somethign to do with that ;) and everyone loved the food!! OF COURSE! we drank wine and ended up singing some songs at the end for our entertainment.

then it was off to The Loft, a nice bar in town where we met up with a bunch more students from uni. we spent some time there socializing and then it was time to dance!! went to a smaller dance club in town and stayed there for about 2 hours. based on my experience with a silk dress and dancing.....silk doesnt breath!! and it gets very warm inside that dress!! but, it was a LOT of fun, and they played really great music! Alexandra and i rocked out to lady gaga and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

also, on facebook, i got a massive slew of wall posts wishing me a happy birthday from friends all over the place!! howwwwwwwwwwwww sweet.

i am enjoying this 'celebrating a bday in a foreign country' thing i have going on....i would like to keep it up ;)

AND, the fun doesnt stop now. i am off to italy on monday to meet up with a friend from home!! and her bday is on the 7th....so im sure we will find some time to celebrate there too!!

JUNE 5.....

Today is my birthday!! i am now the big 2-3...which for some reason i cant really put my finger on, im totally stoked about. ill report back and let you know how my day/night goes :)

yes...no....yes...no.....ummm yes.....no?

last week friday i met with my dissertation supervisor to discuss my lit review (what i thought was a pretty clear/good lit review, anyways). it ended up him saying it was all over the place and i needed to reign it in and redo it....not all of it, but still to restructure it and make it more approachable to my overall topic. luckily, he had written out a structure form for me to follow, which was helpful so that i didnt have to rack my brain for different ways to structure my paper and search desperately for a bunch of new sources.....

So it made me question whether or not i should cancel my trip to Rome, since my degree comes first. so this week, ive been working ferociously to try and get this new lit review written in proper form and have it readable for my supervisor. its kind of down to the wire now, since its Thursday, he wants it before i leave which is monday morning............. so we'll see.

however, since i dont think i can get a refund for my air tickets....i might as well go. today, i kind of have the feelign that i can get it done in time. if i keep working allllllllllllll day today and most of tomorrow (since ill take some of Friday off, cuz its kind of special to me ;) i hope that God will sprinkle some 'thinking power' onto my brain and i can whiz past all this research stuff!!

so, thats about it for me. i am startign to get some sun on my skin, which is nice not to be pasty anymore!! lets hope Italy is full of hot weather and sun too!!

later gaters :)

Weekend Update....hehe (*kudos to those who caught the SNL reference)

It all started last week Thursday.

I was invited to come for a small dinner/get together at a young couples apartment from church. It was very late notice of me to RSVP and say i would come, but they were still happy i came...and so was i.

for those of you who dont know about the last month or so, i havent been attending the church i had been going to for about 4-5months. I tried really hard to connect with teh students and fit in, but it just seemed like my attemps were in vain....and i still felt like the foreign outsider. so i gave it up and spent some time with the podcasts from Zach and Amy's church, which were really nice (hearing God's message in an American accent ;)

BUT, i was starting to feel that i needed to see some of people from church to at least say a proper good bye before it got much too long and everyone forgot about me. And throughout the time i was 'missing' i did get a couple texts from people askign how i was and if i was still alive ;p

i went to church about 2 weeks ago and didnt really see any of the students that i had met before. so i took it as a sign that that was that and i wouldnt attend anymore. AAAAAAAAAAAND yet God had other things planned, as he usually does. so, as i said, i got the text for the dinner and i went. i really wasnt expecting much, considering the past experiences, but it ended up being a really really nice time.

i met a new church-goer who is studying physiotherapy at my uni, and he was really fun to talk to. there were a couple other students there who i hadnt met before and they were both friendly and talkative. so, i figured id give sunday another shot, in the hopes of meeting up with these nice people again. and i did! last sunday (2 days ago) was the best sunday yet!!! for real.

I got to talk to my friends who had gone on a mission trip, and said a quick hello to the new people that i had met. it was perfect.

and last night i went to a student's house for a small get together, and i made some dessert and had a good time talking with everyone. and yes, this time i actually DID TALK. i wasnt invisible! what an accomplishment :p

and again, tonight some people are meeting up at a pub nearby for a girl's 21st bday. hope it will be fun.

so, that is all for now. only about 1 week left until ITALY!!

Almost to the end....ish

Yesterday was my last day of classes! wasnt really all that spectacular, since i still have 1 more essay to write and then after that the REAL hard work begins for my disseratation!!

but, the weather is sloooooooooooowly starting to warm up and the sun is shining a bit more often , so its getting a little bit more bareable to study and research with the sun shining.

and only about 3 more weeks left till i leave for ITALY!!!! i cant wait. im sooooooo excited to be in hot heat and a city bursting with ancient history and beautiful food!! (yes, thats right, beautiful food. delicious doesnt describe its brilliancy).

a few of my flatmates will be leaving for good in mid-to late June. i cant believe it! it will be so lonely without them. i will be here with Mila, but it wont be the same! i am going to work my behind off (as if i havent already) to get as much done here for my dissertation so i can get home and finish up the rest and then just send it in by post!!! we'll see how that plan works out.

and of course, the job search is never ending. so, please some prayers for that. im already getting frustrated with applying to so many places and either not hearing back or saying they already found someone else.

so, thats all for now. if anything remotely exciting happens, ill let ya know!

Julie and I.O.W

On Thurs last week, my friend from Hope/flatmate, Julie, came to visit for a few days!

We spent Friday in Brighton (at at Bill's of course) and shopped around, and saw the seafront there. then it was back to Eastbourne where we ate fish and chips, met up with some of my other friends here and had a drink at a pub. the next day, we were off to Isle of Wight for 2 days!!!!

I had planned out our accomodation and trasnportation prior to her arriving, so everything was set and ready to go! we caught the train from eastbourne around 9:45 am and arrived in Southhampton (where the ferries leave from) at around 12:30. the ferry ride over only took 23 minutes and we decided that we ought to just go right to the Osborne House instead of traveling back and forth between our destination and our hotel.

So, we got off the ferry and went to get some travel info for the island. we walked in and heard the tourist info woman explaining the directions for Osborne House. it sounded simple enough, so Julie and i headed off in search of the house. we first came to the 'floating bridge' aka a smaller ferry that only takes about 5 seconds to cross the little river between East and West Cowes. Once we were on the East Cowes side, we checked a map for the House and were off again. we trekked up a road walked for about 20 min.....then we started to wonder if we should just wait for a bus (since were were walking around with our luggage...which looked a little out of place) but when we were about to give up, we finally spotted a sign for the House that it was only 100 yards away!! VICTORY!

we got to the Osborne House, and had just enough time to walk through the whole house and walk around the grounds and the Swiss Cottage in the back of the land where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's kids would hang out to learn gardening, cooking, and cleaning. The House sits on 1,000 acres and overlooks the water where we could see all the sailboats!! it was magnificent to walk through the house where the Queen and her family retreated for privacy during the summer! What was interesting, was that for such an extravagantly enormous place, the rooms were rather 'small'. the bedrooms were not that spacious, however they did have a seperate bedroom, changing room, and wash/bathroom. so i guess that makes up for it? and of course, not to mention all the lavish fabrics, ornaments, and moldings throughout each room of the house!! especially in the drawing room (my favorite!) the decor was breathtaking with the old paintings and the brilliant gold/yellow fabric of the couches. i couldnt possibly imagine living there and having so much house and land to wonder about any time i pleased! what a luxury to be Royal ;)

So, our hotel was a small place called the Braunstone Hotel in Newport, and our room was very nice! The bed was really comfy and the breakfast in the morning was nice too. Our first night there, after traveling all day and walking around and catching buses, we decided to chill out and see 'X-Men Origins'. We really liked the movie and it was a great way to end our wonderful day!

The next day we walked a bit around Newport, then took the bus back to West Cowes and stopped in a cafe for a bit and then shopped around before catching our ferry back to Southhampton. Overall, i just could not believe how absolutley Perfectly everythign worked out: the trains, the buses, the ferries, everything! when we were lookign at a bus timeline outside the Osborne house, it arrived just seconds later for our destination! and whenever we walked somewhere, we never got lost. never missed a stop or a train. everything was timed perfectly!!!

AWESOME AWESOME!! cant wait to go back to the island! it was beautiful!

WIMBLEDON

Yesterday, me and a few other Masters students joined a small group of 3rd year students on a 'field trip' to the Wimbleson courts for a tour. I was really excited, and didnt know that much about the competitions or much about the courts and stadiums and whatnot.

the tour lasted a little over 2 hours, but i could have toured for 4 hours! everything was so interesting to me! And the weather was unbeatable. it was about 60-ish degrees with sun and just perfect for a stroll outside among the courts.

We got to see the outside courts (there are 18!) and inside the Court No. 1, but weren't allowed into the Center Court (the mother of them all) because its strictly for players/during the competition. but we did see the top of the new retractable roof! We also got to look around the museum they have in the 'basement' of the gift shop. its actually full of old rackets, tennis outfits and videos of years and years of the championship final matches. Just watching them got my adrenaline rushing and i nearly could have started jumping and screaming for joy with the winner!!

We also went into the BBC T.V. news room in the new Media building, and the press conference room too, i got my pic taken up on the stand...if only i were up there after a REAL MATCH! :(

The info about the grass courts seemed, to me, the most interesting. First of all, becuase the courts are GRASS, and secondly because of the OCD way that they are cared for. The grass is called 'jessica' since that is the name of the seed used. The grass is very thick and silky to the touch (nicer than a golf course!!), and is cut only 1mm at a time so the grass "doesnt go into shock"..... It is cut at 11mm for matches, and is protected either by electric fences or a 24 hour guard/dog, to keep the foxes from ruining the grass!!

Also, in the winter when the sun is not as high, they use a massive sun lamp for the areas that dont get enough sun, so there are no patchy spots. And they also use a new kind of material/fabric for the tarp to pull over the court when there is rain: it doesnt gain weight when wet, is translucent, lets the sun rays thru, and is breathable for the grass to get O2. COOL!?

So, I am pretty sure I am going to go there in June when the competitions start and try to get a ticket to see a match, even if its only in one of the 'warm up' outdoor courts!

The birds have flown the U.K. nest....

Early this morning on April 14, my parents left for the U.S. and Zach and Amy had already left Easter Sunday, so it left me with some alone time with mom and pops which was fun.

in our last few days, we chilled in Eastbourne, then the last full day we visited a small town near Eastbourne called Hastings (NOT the one in MI!) and visited the castle ruins there and played adventure golf near the channel! i came in second, freddy first, and mom last ;) Freddy got 2 hole in ones!! what a pro.

Everyone said they had a great trip, and i cant believe that it is all over now! so much planning, prepping, and anticipation, and it just sweeps by so quickly! the weather, thankfully, was in our favor for most of the trip. the first couple of days in Eastbourne were foggy but the we were able to see the views from Beachy Head and whatnot. The weather in London was really great too! we didnt need our coats for most of our time there, and it was always busy with sight seeing and of course EATING!!!! i know we all have to go on diets when our lives get back to normal. i would say its a safe bet to guess we each gained at least 3 pounds? :p

Although london was really cool to see and our hotel (thank you my dear associate ;) was really nice, after the first night in a crappy apartment that had lied to me on the internet with such luxe looking pictures, then the real deal was quite far from what i had seen. so Zach found a great place for us and we enjoyed our stay there!

However, i believe that St. Andrews, Scotland was everyone's favorite place!! I had visited Scotland for a few days back in Feb, and just couldnt bear the thought of the fam coming here and not taking them to see its beauty, and listen to the wonderful accents!!

The town we stayed in is the birth place of the game of golf! so of course, zach and dad were mesmerized with its history and trying to get a chance to play on the 'old course'. though they werent able to get a tee time, we enjoyed the views and got pictures of the course. we also went to the castle ruinds down the road from our B&B and that was amazing!! so much of it was still standing and you could walk around and go inside of it. there was a long tunnel underground too that was once used by enemies trying to burrow their way into the castle! mom and zach and amy went down there, but freddy and i chickened out cuz it looked pretty tight, and i was wearing my new running shoes........so vain, i know ;P

We spent a day in Edinburgh too, and of course it was another fav of the fam! we went inside Edinburgh castle, and walked and shopped on the Royal Mile and loved the food! and zach had a good time impersonating the Scottish accent, which he is quite talented at. :D

We also had the world's best sticky toffee pudding while in St.Andrews too! Just ask freddy where to go for the best pudding in the U.K. He tried nearly every play that sold it! :)

It was busy, and fun having the family here, and now i feel quite motivated to get my ace crackin and get work done so i might be able to go home and finish up my disseration in the U.S. and keep searching for jobs!!

It was a great time, and i loved planning everything and showing the fam the history of England and Scotland!

escuchen es no me escuchen.

* yes i know that doesnt make sense.



my family comes in 4 days! what what! im very excited. there will be so much to do! we're gonna build gingerbread houses, and sing carols, and make snowmen....

and, the weather has been pretty nice lately, so i really hope it will be perfect when they are here!

THEN after they leave, my friend Julie from Hope will come visit me too!!!!!!! she is teaching english in Espana now, so she is just across 'the pond'. very convenient!


ok, thats all for now.

hello again

ok.

recently, my flatmates and i held a 'house party' in our...house. and we invited a lot of people over to party, and quite a few people came! it was nice cuz people hung out and talked in the kitchen, the living room and on the back porch (mainly for the smokers). the only thing that was really missing-besides the disco ball, smoke machine, and live dj-were speakers!! though we turned the music up all the way on a computer, still didnt quite do the trick. anyhoo, it was a good time with music and chattin it up among friends.

the weather has been slowly changing over to spring weather. most days, recently, it has been on and off with clouds, rain, and sunshine. but, the MOST EXCITING news is that i bought new running shoes and can now run shin splint free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you cant imagine my joy and happiness about getting back out on the road and running around!!

aaaaaaaand, only 3-ish more weeks till the fam comes!!!!!!! woot woot! cant wait.

and, to clarify some questions: i dont know when im going to be home! it is too early to tell as of now, but im trying to figure out if i can get all my U.K. research done then finish up the rest at home.......BUUUUUUUUUUUUT we'll see.

meh.

ok, there's really nothing going on still.

i seriously forgot completely about this blog so thats why no updates.

my fam comes in april and i cant wait! counting down the hours!!

recently i uploaded songs from a friend and i dont know what the shiz i did, but somehow only his songs will play on my itunes and the rest of my ENTIRE iTunes library folders say 'cant find original file'....but, thanks to my super smarty pants brother, i found that the music folders are still on my comp, but i can only listen to them one at a time thru quickplayer....kinda inconvenient having to open each song to listen to, but hey,,,,if the files are still there, i cant really complain!

i am falling in love with the band Muse. Twilight got me started and my new flatmage 'ziggy' just supported it by giving me some of his tunes. :)

ummmmmmmm, yeah thats all. sometimes it feels like spring then the next day its winter again.

~me

A new semester

Its been a couple weeks since ive been back from Scotland/after the 2 week break now, and my classes have resumed!

I, again, only have 2 classes monday and tuesday which is nice. and so far i find them already more interesting than last semster's. And, after looking over the syllibi for when my essays are due, i feel the stress coming on already!! even though most are due in june, or late march....i always have the dissertation in the back of my mind. but, then again, that's what the masters is supposed to be like...right? all work very little play?

also, on my plate, is planning the trip for when the fam comes to visit during my easter break in April!!!! so, that is my main motivation to git crackalakin on my work so i dont have to deal with it when they're here!

oh, and i was informed about a 1/2 marathon that will take place in march...but due to chronic (3 weeks long) back pain and stupid shin splints that like to come and go too often....i realize it wouldnt be smart for me to push myself to run such a long distance non stop. yes i realize i could walk a bit, but running straight on for that long is much different than playing a game on squishy grass with the motivation to knock someone over or steal a ball. so therefore, no marathon for me :(

On the upside of things, i am enjoying church more (finally) cuz now i know students there and get to socialize in and outside of church which has been a huge blessing for me!! :D It is a nice break to hang out with the 'church group' and get a dose of fellowship aside from my uni friends.

thats all for now. sorry its not more interesting.

DSL:DEEP SCOTISH LOVE!!!

On tuesday I left for Scotland to spend 4 days there with 2 of my girlfriends and 1 of their brothers (Alexandra's brother Dimitri).

We arrived in the evening, so we decided to just check into the hostel (which was surprisingly nice/clean) and take a stroll around the town to get acquainted with the streets and try to plan out what we were going to do the next day. We settled into a small cozy pub that i had researched online, and i enjoyed a warm Bailey's coffee :) After, we went back to the hostel for the night and i slept for about 1 hour.......couldnt sleep the first 2 nights there!!! dont know why, just couldnt do it.

the next day we ventured in the Edinburgh Castle, learned about true Scotish Whiskey at the distillery, loved a bowl of traditional Scotish soup (Cullen Skink) and then Dimitri and I took a tour of the spoooooky underground in Old Town of Edinburgh!!! No ghosts that time, but it was creepy/very exciting and interesting too!

The next day it was off on our day tour via bus up to the Highlands (northern-ish Scotland) and Loch Ness!! the total hours of the trip was about 11, but it never felt like you were stuck in a bus. we made frequent stops to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. also included was a sack lunch. we also took a 1 hour boat trip on Loch Ness and went by an old castle on the Loch as well. The scenery was breathtaking!!!!!!!!!! I also got to become friends with a very sweet Highalnd Cow named "Hamish". and, the tour guide (who played music for us and told lots and lots of stories about the history of scotland and random stuff too) said that behind a certain mountian in the Highlands, Hagrid's house scenes from Harry Potter were filmed there! though we couldnt see it from the road, he told us a story of him and his mates drinking too much, breaking into the house and playing cards.

*off to church now, but will resume the rest of the stories later!

>>ok, round 2:

so, yes, the highlands. where i would loooooove to go another time and hike in the mountains and open fields!! our last stop was Loch Ness!! we did not see Nessie, however our tour guide did tell us some really cool stories of his friends who were once skeptics of the underwater allie, but had personal experiences that made them 50/50 believers!! woah!

The last day, we went walking around town and stopped in a couple tourist shops to get last minute purchases. I got a warm, snuggly lambswool blanket and a necklace with a cool looking celtic symbol :) I already miss Scotland VERY much, but im sure sometime ill go back and visit. but next time prolly Glasgow or one of the islands with seals. Im still forcing myself to think on and off in a Scottish accent too. its just too cool to let slip away!!!

***Aside from my trip, today was extra awesome cuz church rocked my sox again. which is kinda funny, cuz i imagine that God has great stuff planned for me but i still wake up skeptical of whether its gonna be a good day or boring/loner day at church. but today i had the promise of meeting up with the Canadian girl (sarah) and having lunch with other students!!

the morning started off-actually-with no heat! i woke up and realized the temp in my room was much to cold than normal. of course, our heat ran out, but this time i used the emergency 5pounds so it was all good. and on the bus was Sandie (was invited for lunch with her and her family last sunday!!) who greeted me on the bus and we had some conversation en route to church. i also said hello to another student who was waiting at the stop/rode the bus :)

Once at church, i walked in the sanctuary and visually combed the crowd for a familiar face to sit next too. in the distance, i saw my friend Rachel and she waved. so, i made my way over to her when i heard someone call my name. i second guessed turning around assuming that i didnt know enough people yet for someone to recognize me let alone stop me to talk...but i turned and after a brief/panicky 2 seconds, i recognized the face. It was James, a guy from my life group whom i havent seen since December! He gave me a hug and asked how i was and we engaged in a brief and friendly convo about how lovely Scotland is (and dont get ideas, mom, he already has a serious gf!). anyhoo, i sat with Rachel and the service was cool. there were about 5 baptisms today....all of which were grown ups.

oh, and even when i first walked thru the church doors, i ran into Sarah (with relief that i found her so early!) and she invited me again to confirm that i wanted to join for lunch. so, after the service i found her quickly and we ventured off to meet other students and ask around who wants lunch. It ended up being just her, me, and another girl Emma, but it was still really nice to talk with them about faith, and life groups, and them informing me about other student activities if im interested...heck yes!! OH!, and today i saw info about a fashion show the church is putting on to raise money for breast cancer awarness. i mentioned to the girls that if i could help out, it would be good experience for me (with my masters and all), they agreed and said they'd pass my name along to the coordinators they know in church. awesome.

so, it was a brilliant day, and im looking more forward now to Tuesday when i plan on checking out the bigger student life group, and then next sunday....since i actually have another reason to go to church and not feel like a loner!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

me and Loch Ness.

the end....*for now.

Hats off to the Zebras......

ok,

monday night Bärbel and I went to London (where else? please..) to see the British comedian Bill Bailey. For those of you who dont already know, im not really a big fan....or a small fan of British comedy. Let's face it, england is an island and therefore secluded from the rest of the big world, and therefore somehow has crappy humor that only they can appreciate. (too harsh????)

anyhoo, after watching a few clips of him from youtube, i felt that i could spend a few pounds going to see him and hanging out with my flatmate!

we got to london and tried to find cheap tix for the show, and decided on either Wicked or chicago as a fall back plan. first, we found a very scrumtrulescent chinese buffet restuarant in Soho-(nice to meet you.......OPI nailpolish name! ;) anyhoo, we had to heaping plates and mine was mostly covered with sweet and sour chicken!! love love!

then, a quick stop and Starbucks, and then off to the show! our tix were only 20 some pounds and good seats too!

the show lasted about 2 1/2 hours and i laughed a lot. he was very funny and his personability (sp? is that even a word?) with the audience made it that much more enjoyable. the woman behind us, however, sounded like a hyiena (sp?)....always gotta be something, right?

anyhoo, that was it. it was a bit chilly outside, though that didnt detur us from stopping at Häagen-dazs :p

here are some youtube clips of him at the one we saw and other ones......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8wj6qoGVOs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRyvsRAo8T8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VM0eG8gb28 (this last one, refers to him wanting to get a tattoo of panther on his chest, but the tattoo guy said 'well, it will look like the panther is caught in a thicket'......and therefore, the story with the crazy tattoos.......i like the burned out car ;)

ENJOY!?

i should get paid for this....

alright, just a quick story about my life aka a ridiculous movie in which i swear someone is taping me cuz sometimes things that happen to me just gotta be planned or scripted..ya know?

anyhoo, the other day...thursday, i went with my friend Anna to see the movie Twilight (2x for me :) well, it all started off when we walked into town to catch the bus-in which the times i had checked online-only to be fooled yet again by the very conflicting times posted at the stop. so after a few vulgarities and laughter, we got a cab and headed to the movie place...er, the cinema.

we got our tickets and my bag of peanut m&ms and got our seats. nicely enough, it wasnt crouded at all, and we got good seats. i had brought along my titanium water bottle with me cuz i didnt want pop (runs thru me like niagria) and didnt want to pay a bunch for 1 plastic bottle. sooooo, during the movie my purse and bottle were perched on my lap. up until the point when the 'kissing scene' arrived and (if you've seen the movie) there is no sound, and based on special circumstances it takes the lead guy a while before he actually makes contact with her lips....during this time, my bottle decided it would be a good time to check out what the floor feels like....by falling off my lap smacking the ground with an alarming, tinny crack, and rolling for a couple seconds-which felt like 5 minutes!!!!!!!!!!! i jumped, anna jumped and a couple girls behind me jumped at this. anna just laughed at me for like 15 min. and yelled at me for 'ruining the mood'....i could feel my heart nearly jump out of my chest in embarrassemnt, but even more, i was laughing at the irony of what just happened. go figure, the 1 scene in the movie, and this happens.

oh well. gotta love life.
then afterwards, i called for a taxi. we waited and waited, then finally got in a cab that pulled in front of us. the cabbi mumbled something i didnt hear but anna said 'yes'. he said something about Sandwish street. what the shiz? i said 'no, we would like to go to town center'. he looked at me and said ' are you lucy?' for a flash of a second i thought about either saying yes or just making some random comeback up to say..but if you know me well enough, those dont come easily, so we hopped out of the car and waited in the cold some more.
finally, another taxi showed up. but it pulled in front of another girl waiting next to us, and she kinda glanced over at us and hopped in. they drove away, and then i realized...i think she just took our taxi!! so, i called again and another one came to get us.

all in all, it was a relatively eventful night (well, eventful according to Eastbourne standards) and it was nice to have a few laughs.....though the main joke was on myself. go figure.

German Christmas (the most delicious!)

*My gift from Frau Beschnitt and Norbert of traditional Leipzig 'wood widdled' people!!!!!!!!!

ok, obviously, i cant write every single thing that happened/all that i did while i was in germany this christmas/new years, but ill try to highlight as much as i can...if i can remember all of it!

i arrived in Berlin at 11am on the 23 and then stayed the next 2 days at Kristin's moms/bf's house. Where the days basically consisted of eating, taking walks in the cold, and napping. seriously, i dont think ive ever been so consitently stuffed! they made roast duck/goose (eaten at one meal, mind you) and 4 diff. kinds of delicious potato salad, and breakfasts of rolls, jams, cheeses, and meats!! always coffee and snacky cake things too. on the evening of the 24 (which is basically christmas for them) i went Tine to a nearby church for a quick German christmas service. however, upon my arrival there, after being drawn in from the cathedral/old school architecture of the building, i realized there was no heat!!! yes, very very very cold. but i endured and enjoyed the experience. Next we went back home and proceeded to open gifts and eat food. lovely.

on the 26 i arrived at Tine's dad's/gf's house (where i stayed over this past summer when i visited) for the rest of my trip. it was really great to see all of them again and to talk about things that have happened and also, for me, to realize how crazily blessed i am for a) being in germany again, b)having a family away from home and c) experiencing a close friend's traditional christmas. we opened some presents at thier house as well, and that was pretty low key. and again, as was expected from the summer, breakfasts of cheeses, meats, and rolls!! *dont forget the staple of nutella as well ;) i also (somewhat surprisingly enjoyed the liver patae....or something with some strange meats....but whatev. no surprise to any of you back home i got no prob trying anything. except maybe some crazy sh*t that those guys eat on the travel chanel. *chelsea and julie, you know what im talking about!!)

soooooooooooo, a few of us went to visit Wittenberg where it had to have been the most frigid, cold day outside, nonetheless the germans loved the strolls in the cold.........while i was willing my insides not to freeze over!! we toured the first church that Martin Luther preached in as well as his house turned museum too. it was pretty cool (figuratively and literally). later we ate dessert at an italian restuarant where i got a kick ace dessert of vanilla ice cream and warm sweet cherry stuff on top!! rock my sox!

aaaaaaaaaaand, then on the 30, Tine and i were off on our 4-5 hour road trip to Hamburg to meet up with our friends to celebrate the new year! we arrived without any problems and had fun listening to the radio on the way (which played really great American hits and whatnot). we ate japanese food prepared by our MGU friend Michiko visiting from her study in Ireland, and then went out to a really posh bar called "20 up) in a veeeeery nice hotel. we met up with some others of Ruth and Philipp's (the friends we stayed with) friends at the bar and one of them was Asian/American!! might sound silly, being around fluent english speakers, but talking to another American was really great! its just something different about it when its someone from 'back home'.

the next day, we went shopping for some food and i bought a dress for the new year party we were all going to at a 4 star hotel. the party was fun, and it was cool to count down in german and then watch all the fireworks all around the city. then i called the fam back home (while they were still in 2008) and wished them a merry new year. of course, according to Zach, talking to him while we were both in different years was like something out of the Twilight Zone. :p

anyhoo, that was my trip! it was fun, exciting, i learned some more german words and phrases, ate incredible food, fell in love with the country a little bit more, and slept for 11 hours the night i got back to England!! i already miss Tine and being around my friends, but i know ill see them again sometime.

for now, anxious about my other uni friends to return back to Eastbourne, and finish up this semester and git got with the new one!!