Last Farewell

Well, I didn't realize the time slipping by. I meant to write a last reflection after I came back, but jet lag and Christmas planning got in the way. This will be the final post on this blog...unless we return to Canterbury (but then, the obvious title, A Return to Canterbury, would present itself and we still would abandon this blog).

So, I miss England very much. As the days go by, I find myself unable to repeat a charming British accent to many of my friends. Let's face it, I'm not British and I find myself unable to do it justice. If this post had been written earlier, there would be a lot more stuff in it. As it is, my family is looking for me so we can bake cookies together. Here are a few things I will miss the most:
- my new friends who I may never see again. You made my time in England all the more enjoyable. Thanks.
- my amazing new professors. Thanks to you, I have new ideas to incorporate into my thesis :)
- shopping on high street. I recently went to the mall with my family, and its just not the same.
- hearing street musicians as I shop.
- the charming, friendly citizens themselves. Americans don't quite have the charm part down.
English food, such as
- Digestives :)
- Really good nutella. Laura and I discovered that American Nutella is different and definitely not as good. Yuck!
- Fish and Chips
- a good English Breakfast
- scones, we have been unsuccessful in our attempts to recreate the ENGLISH scone.

There are also a few things which I WILL NOT miss:
- Crazy Americans. Yeah, I just happen to live in the best place to come across those types, but I think commuting to school will help.
- the British attitude towards snow. I'm glad I left when I did.

Overall, I'm glad I took the plunge and studied abroad. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's totally worth it. I've learned a few things about myself and some things I need to change (like incorporating "cheers" into my vocab).

Cheers!
--Mary

Oh, and I thought I should post this video. My dad played this song for us when we left, so I thought it would be appropriate.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

First of all, to all of you who have not seen the movie yet...I hope you enjoy it! Let me just say right now that it is not extremely faithful to the book. After taking my children's literature class, I have a completely different perspective on what should be in children's books/movies.

The reason I am writing this is because going to a movie theatre in England was a different experience. First of all, there are first class seats and second class seats. Just weird. We got standard class--which turned out to be the first six rows or the last five. We bought some popcorn from the concessions stand. Our friend Alaina bought a hot dog, but since it wasn't warm enough, the lady said she would bring it to us when it was done. THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN AT HOME! The theatre didn't open until five minutes before the movie started, so we had to wait outside in a lounge area. Then, during the movie, they have very few previews.

The movie was done very well. I really enjoyed the soundtrack and the special effects. The cinematography was pretty good, but the plot felt a little rushed, so they didn't spend a lot of time on big, sweeping shots. The movie could have been twice as long. The set locations were great. There were a few new characters and a few old ones were missing, but overall it was a good movie.
(Laura just gave me a whole lecture on how not to be so pessimistic about the movie, so I hope you will go see it if you feel inclined. Appreciate art for art's sake.)

And here is a very good review of the film that doesn't give away anything, but says exactly what I have been trying to say.


The next time you hear from us it may very well be when I am safe at home. Then, you will receive some of my personal reflections on my time abroad. For now, I need to get back to packing so I have enough time to go on a ghost tour of Canterbury :)

Cheers,
--Mary

Two things...

and

Bon Voyage, mes amis ;) Je verrai tout le monde á bientôt :)

Cheers!
~Laura

Assessments and the Like

Well, as I may have mentioned previously, for two of my classes my entire grade is based on one paper. I just turned the last one in...and I still have not pulled an all-nighter in my college career, although I got pretty close. I went to bed at 1:30 and got up at 7:30. So, yeah, just reduced hours.

All that stands between me and home is a matter of days...and tests. I'm a little nervous, but that's natural. Don't worry, I am studying hard.

Since you last heard from me, I have been to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and back to the UK. It was one WILD weekend. Laura and I went on a Christmas Market tour, staying overnight for two nights in Brussels, Belgium with a day trip to Aachen, Germany. (Note: Aachen is pronounced ah -ken, not, A-chen, or any other silliness).

Here is the market in Belgium from the Ferris wheel thing (sorry, its kinda blurry because SOMEBODY kept shaking it):

The Wheel itself:Mmmmm.... Belgian waffles...they were a bit huge :)


We also went ice skating with our friends. Neither of us are in this one, but you get a nice view of the outdoor rink.
I like the Belgians--they seem to have VERY different cultural ideas from the English. Let me just leave it at that. I didn't like the Germans that well. They weren't very humble about language barriers like the Belgians were. I think its because the Belgians are multilingual anyway. At least I had a chance with my french.

We bought tons of stuff. I can't mention specifics until a future date due to their secretive nature ;)

Cheers! I'm off to do more studying and packing :'(
--Mary

I really should be writing now...

...but, I was taking a mental break. I enjoy reading blogs, and other things that update frequently. It occurred to me that other people might enjoy that kind of thing too, and perhaps might be disappointed when they click on the link to my blog and the only thing that's there is a picture from last Tuesday with a caption that reads "more coming soon!" Yeah, a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes, you'd rather have a thousand words than a picture. It's like receiving a blank postcard in the mail--you don't exactly know what to do with it.

Like I said, I have ESSAYS to write. Long, harsh, cruel ones. Actually, I'm almost done, just one more left to tackle. The only problem is that my weekend keeps getting fuller. We'll see how this tale ends up :p This particular essay counts from my entire grade, which is a little nerve wracking. I try not to think about it.

My NHS problem is just about over. I think I figured out how the National Health System got started. Let my digress with a short, but woeful tale...

Once upon a time, there was a very unsuccessful phone company. Despite the fact that they were a major part of communication in our fast-paced world, they failed miserably at it. Each employee was secretly a recluse trying to stay alive with a crummy job answering calls from frustrated customers. Every time a customer would call, they would stare at the phone, terrified of picking up. In a move of solidarity, they set up an automated system to send callers to different departments and through machine-generated message loops so that they wouldn't have to talk to anyone that ever called their shabby office.

But, as I said, they were a failure. Within a few years the company folded due to a lack of communication between the employees themselves. Desperate for work, they immigrated to England and took government jobs. With these new jobs, they were almost guaranteed that they would not have to speak to anyone for more than a few seconds at a time--just long enough to transfer the caller to a different department. They knew that this way, they never would have to solve any more frustrated callers' problems again. The End.

Can you guess what this government job was called?

In reality, my conversation went something like this:

Automated message: you are number 15 in the queue. please wait patiently until we can take your call. *cute elevator music plays in the background*
Lady: Your patient number please?
Name? date of birth?

Me: I would like to cancel my appointment.

Lady: One moment please. *click* *annoying busy signal for ten minutes*

Another lady: Hello such and such department.
Me: I would like to cancel my appointment because--
Lady: one moment please *click*

Automated message: you are number eight in the queue. *more cute elevator music*
Lady: patient number? name? date of birth?
Me: I would like to cancel my appointment because I'm going home and I need the paperwork mailed to me.
Lady: oh, I see. Let me give you the number of the such and such department so they can sort it out for you.

After I hung up, it occurred to me that I might just be stuck in the twilight zone. It all worked out in the end. I called them several times with no answer and finally someone called me today. Whew! Well, thanks a lot! Now I have two and a half minutes left on my phone.

Now it's off to bed for me with tons of work tomorrow. Cheers!
--Mary

;)

Let it Snow Let it Snow!

Today, we woke to this pleasant surprise:

But there's papers, papers, and more papers...oh, and I have to call the hospital....again. This is going to be a very long day.

Cheers!
--Mary