Back to School

Classes have finally started and so far I love my time table. I don't have class on Mondays! Take a look:


My favorite class so far is the Economics of Sport course. I think we are going to talk a lot about football (and not the American kind) so maybe by the end of it I will have a better appreciation of it.

The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous so far this week. I've even been wearing shorts to class! I think that might be taboo for girls to do, but I don't care. I showed up to my retail marketing class wearing running shorts and a sweatshirt and realized that the class was full of girls who clearly thought Retail Marketing meant "Fashion Marketing"... I think they were shocked when we spent most of the 2 hours talking about Walmart/Asda and different grocery chains.

I have had a really easy time adjusting to life in England, the lifestyle is slightly different (more drunk 18 year-olds) but nothing too different. Obviously as an English speaking American I don't really have to worry about culture shock or anything like that. However, I did underestimate the difference of one MAJOR inconsistency: driving on the left side of the road. I have not attempted to drive a car here (nor do I ever plan on it), but I did get hit by a bike last night. I was crossing the street on my way to the bus stop and since I was only crossing to the median, I looked left, saw there were no cars coming, and stepped out into the street...right in front of a cyclist. He screamed and shoved me out of his way with the strongest stiff arm I've ever seen. He amazingly maintained his balance and I am eternally grateful that it was a bike and not a car, or worse, a bus. Moral of the story is- LOOK RIGHT FIRST WHEN YOU'RE IN THE UK. Just to be safe you should probably look both directions, regardless of what country you're in.

In other news, I have joined the fencing club.

Chompin in Chinatown

We ventured down to Manchester's Chinatown on Saturday with two girls from China as our guide. As stated before, the Chinatown in Manchester is the biggest in the UK, but it was tiny compared to Chicago's Chinatown (which is the only one that I can think of that I have been to off the top of my head). The Chinese girls took the liberty of ordering all our food for us, since real Chinese restaurants eat family style. It was delicious!

We road the Manchester Eye on Friday night (giant ferris wheel) and it was pretty lame and overpriced. I wish I could show you pictures of the city at night but they all turned out blurry. Manchester doesn't have much of a skyline anyway.

Classes started today, but I do not have any on Mondays so I will start tomorrow. And thus ends the longest summer vacation in history (April 30-Sept 27). Boom.

Induction Week

Induction week is the week before actual classes start, and it's been a bit of a bore really. I've had to go to many orientation-like sessions for business exchange students each day and I've learned helpful things such as how to write an essay and site your sources, how to take notes effectively, how to prevent fires in your dorm room, how to find books in the library, and many other things that people generally already know before entering their university years. I've also been reprimanded for switching one of my classes without permission. I didn't realize I needed permission!

It hasn't been all bad though! I went on a walking tour of the downtown area with my business mentor and saw what an awesome city Manchester actually is. There have also been socials through the business school just about every night at different pubs and clubs so we get a feel for the night life. There are so many different clubs/pubs/bars everywhere, it seems like there is something for every genre and interest. The goal this weekend is to find some live music as well as the Chinatown. Apparently Manchester is home to the UK's largest Chinatown which means I will finally get to enjoy Dim Sum again!

PASTY UPDATE: I tried a ham and cheese pasty and a cornish pasty (beef, potatoes, and onions) and while both were delicious, the cheese and onion one is still my favorite.

Enjoy the pics!

View out one of my windows







These are the taxis that are safe to ride in. Apparently if they don't look like this and you get in one and get in an accident, you will not be insured!

PASTIES!

Maureen, please make sure that Mat sees this! This post is for him.


I had my first pasty for lunch today. There were many options, but I chose the cheese and onion one. It was absurdly delicious. Mat, you did not oversell these babies at all. The bakery is about a 10 minute walk from my dorm, on my way to campus, and it has awesome coffee. I think I'll be a regular. The girl that worked there was laughing at me because I was taking pictures of the pasties, but I think we're going to be friends.

Here's a look at the weather today... Time to see if all that rain gear actually works!

Manchester Food

Well I am alive and well in Manchester! The first day was rough... I was totally sleep deprived, without internet, working electrical sockets, a mobile, hot water, or heat. But I made it through and now everything is brilliant.
The first thing I did when I got to my dorm was try to charge my computer, but when I plugged my surge protector into the wall I blew a fuse and the sockets stopped working. When the electrician came to fix it, he confiscated my surge protector and left me a nasty note. Oh well at least I can charge my computer again!

I've made loads of new friends all ready, most of them are freshers (British lingo for freshman), but all of them are super friendly. I've wandered around trying to find my way about the city and I am proud to report that I have yet to get lost. Give me time though.

Best part of the trip so far was buying the Digestives in the top picture. I fell in love with them in Hong Kong and have been craving them ever since! The second picture was breakfast this morning. It is the traditional English breakfast, and yes, those are baked beans. Strange.

no sleep tonight!

Grover and I are ready to go! Maybe my parents won't notice if I sneak him in my luggage...
My flight leaves this evening at 7pm EST and arrives in Manchester at 8:30am GMT (that's 3:30am EST). Then I will fight to stay up the rest of the day, I may allow myself a 1 hour nap. I hope I can sleep on the plane!