My new digs

This is the view from my kitchen, I go running through these hills in the morning and it is so lovely. You can get to the top and see over the city. I am looking forward to seeing the colors change over the next few months :o)

Thought I would show you some pictures from around my new room in Carr Mills Residences. It is a bit of adjustment, but not so different than my home in Tacoma. I have my own room and bathroom, and we share a kitchen that serves as a good communal area :o) I like my new space here for a couple of reasons... 1.) my room receives much sunlight and it is really nice and bright. 2.) My kitchen has a great view over the rolling hillside (just past the gypsy camps)

My bed is a bit like a prison bed, but I think I've done a fairly good job at making it a cozy resting place... Reading there is a bit of a challenge yet, because I just want to take a nap, but I am exploring new avenues in the library, and that seems to be going well. At the end of the day, my desk chair is sufficiently uncomfortable so that any studying I need to do can be sustained there :o)

Strange encounters of the English kind

I was just watching a movie with some of my friends here in Leeds, Never Been Kissed, a delightful, heartwarming, American film. However, the thing about watching a movie where everyone speaks in American English, is that upon completion of the film, I collapse backward in regards to my fluid understanding of British English. One of the girls said something to me directly after the film, and mixed with the volume of the credit music and her accent, she could have been saying anything and I would not have known, very bizarre experience.

I will go on to share a few more cultural and linguistic experiences of mine the past week or so... Three times I ran into my friend, Maddy, the other day; she started off with saying, "are you alright?" I was a bit hungover and just assumed the night before shown on my face, so I explained that I was doing well but a bit tired... the first two times. The third time I responded with, "do I really look that bad? You've asked me three times today if I am alright?" and started laughing, because I assumed that I did, in fact, look as I felt... like a stomach full of old salad. TURNS OUT that I was having a cultural misunderstanding in regards to her greeting, which I learned today when a complete stranger and now friend also asked me, "are you alright?" I am meant to interpret such a query as "how's it going?" and not, as I had done, think of it as asking after my actual well-being. Quite the insight! Has made informal greetings much smoother for this occasionally awkward gal... lass.... :o)

I suddenly feel completely uncultured and socially inept when the most insignificant differences in cultural practices are illuminated to me... partially due to the fact that my emotional reaction (usually a bit of a shock) is plastered all over my face. Such a minor difference arose, as they often do, in difference in common eating practices. Turns out, students across England are not busting out their George Foreman and making quesadillas, actually, most people who have not visited the states had no idea what I was talking about when I said I wanted a quesadilla. Cheese Toasties my friend, that is where it is AT! (yes preposition will stay at the end of that sentence for the effect.)

Happily, I am realizing that I have been in England for less than two weeks, and that it is quite alright that I am still adjusting to normal speech patterns and general slang, which is not so different from the states, but just different enough to make me think twice about what I say.

Off with me now.... tithering through the dodgy bits to nic some bits and bobs from my mate. hmmm... haha I wouldn't actually put that whole sentence together, I would sound incomprehensible. :o)

This is rad

A friend of mine tipped me off to this really nifty website where I can waste even more time doing Internet business that is entertaining and lovely. :o) So I am sharing it with you, so you can make your very own visual manifestation of your words and thoughts.... HOORAH! this is the website: http://www.visualsoftheworld.com/

and you can check out my wordle of this very blog by following this link:

http://wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/209991/Blog_September_2008

okay... must really off to study... and eat... :o)

Carr Mills Residence

This group of people are some of my lovely flatmates, and our friends. We share a kitchen and each have our own bathroom living space. My flatmates are lovely, and from all over the world... Spain, Belgium, France, Japan, UK (by way of Niger) and of course, me... Something that I did not anticipate is the fact that all my flatmates are omnivores, and being a vegetarian, pescitarian at best (worst?), I think it will be a little bit of a challenge, but my flatmates were so sweet! In this meal they made a pesto sauce just for me because the pasta they had created contained bacon. In that case then it is just that I do not like to inconvenience people that becomes a problem... we will see how receptive they are to my various curried vegetables. :o)

This is Kayleigh pictured with this treat we made for our flats, a melted chocolate bar with rice krispies... haha... what a culinary masterpiece. Kayleigh is one of the other subwardens in Carr Mills Residence.

And these are my flatmates and neighbors cleaning the dishes. I am so lucky. I was eating an orange for breakfast the other day and chatting in the kitchen with Samuel, one of the other flatmates, and when he was finished with his toast, he wiped the crumbs off the counter and I was so excited. I observed to Samuel that what what he had just done, cleaned up after himself, was a precious life skill, one that is difficult to learn and almost impossible to train into someone... I've tried... and we laughed. I'm lucky with my flatmates, we have great conversations in many different languages, when I wander into the kitchen I end up staying for at least an hour in some engaging discussion or another. hoorah Flat 118 :o)

Picnic in the Park

Eryn and I had this lovely picnic in the park. So great. We went to the store and purchased wine, bread, cheese, figs. all the trappings of a great dinner in Paris. As you can see in the second picture, the view was not half bad either. When the light starts to fade into night in Paris, the building tops glow something magical... I did love that...



After we had all but finished our picnic and bottle of wine we saw a police officer stroll up to us, and thought, "crap" rightfully so because "Jonny" as we were to learn his name later, had come to tell us that it is actually illegal to drink wine in the parks in Paris. Funny thing is how he went about it... He walked up to us and saw we were strangers, and acknowledged such by cheerfully stating, "oh you are strangers." then quickly followed with, "okay then, well just finish up that bottle of wine, and then next time might I suggest you just, keep it in a bag, then pour out a little bit at a time into a glass," and smiled at us. Awesome.















Jonny the cop later returned with a flyer for his church and invited Eryn and I to attend on Sunday. Sadly, I would already be far away in England so would have to miss it. As if Eryn attended or not, you will have to check her blog for that :o)

Paris basically said, "eat me" so I did. The pasteries are delicious.

The food in Paris is beautiful. It is so delicious and tasty and I loved it. I actually spent a whole day eating pastries.. I mean, I went sight seeing as well, but I only ate pastries while I did it. That was a good day. This first picture is after I arrived to Paris and Eryn took me to this great place to get crepes for a late dinner... goat cheese, pesto and tomato.... yes please... like the ultimate french grilled cheese...

Also tasty... the coffee.. here Eryn and I are enjoying a cafe and creme at what we like to call "our place" :o) not pictured here is my chocolate bread thingy that I had every morning. so good.
So mysteriously, all coffee paraphernalia that we crossed in Paris belongs to Richard, some Richard or another... I like to think that it is a secret franchise of my former neighbor, solar Richard.

Welcome back to the Internet

Hoorah! I have figured out the internet! Well.. I guess to be more specific, I will add in the qualifying statement: I have figured out how to use the internet connection. :o) Which is great, because for the past couple of days I have been camping out in the parking lot below my friend's apartment whilst he is away and pirating his signal. Though, balancing a laptop on my knees and sitting between two cars in a parking lot seems like the bees knees of events in which to partake in a new city (do it once at least) it looks odd, the weather is a bit nippy, and let's face it, it is a bit sketchy looking. I was willing to do it, however, because at this moment, without a mobile, the internet is my only means of connecting with people here in Leeds or at home...

There are a few realizations I have had as of late. The first, is that I need to start reading the directions, because I could have skipped the whole parking lot internet pirating thing all together (but who would want to) if I had looked more carefully through the connection guide provided by the university. Another revelation which will off-set the previous, is that I am so thorough bombarded at the moment with new information that I really have to have some patience and pace myself at absorbing it all. I did actually read a good portion of the guide, and have been rather diligent in attending free informatione events. Still, from registration, to paying fees, opening a bank account, getting a mobile phone, navigating a new city, student id card, joining the sports center and dodging that precocious horse that is on my running trail and wants my attention, so blocks my path as to get it... there is much to observe...

Had my first day of subwarden training today, that went well. I really enjoy my hall at the moment, peaceful and low-key without any students yet, except for another subwarden that moved in just today and is in the next building over.. quite peaceful. So I am embracing that peace and quiet a bit, while it lasts... should last until tomorrow... haha...

By the way, a little shout out to my brother right now, whose gift of peanut butter m&ms has sustained me!! Also, has kept me from eating a wholly healthy diet of vegetables, and fruit :o) I can't resist them, they are just so good. little colored bits of peanut buttery chocolate candy crack. thanks erik :o) haha Love you!