Hello!!
After a long day, I've finally made it to England!!
The flight wasn't too bad. There was a thunderstorm in Canada that caused some turbulence (and some white knuckles from me on my seat)and the food was actually a pretty decent meal of pasta marinara with an extra delicious sample of cheese and crackers! The plane was a lot smaller than I had expected and was very cramped for space. It was for these reasons (and the occasional jolt of turbulence) that kept me from sleeping on the eight hour flight. But alas!! I have made it to England!
Walking through the London Gatwick airport seemed like it was a scene out of a movie while hundreds of people align a walkway that you must walk down in order to depart from the airport. I realized today that cutting in a queue (which is the English word for a "line") is a very serious ordeal and should never happen under any circumstances.
After leaving Gatwick Airport we took a 4 hour bus ride to Plymouth. The bus ride was entertaining and it allowed me my first look at the beautiful country I had recently arrived in. England is full of lush green acres of farm land and there are cows EVERYWHERE. It was quite the sight driving on the expressway on the "opposite" side of the road and I learned that speed limits are never posted on expressways because the speed limit on these roads is a general understanding within all citizens of England. England also uses cameras on the side of the road to snap pictures of cars that are speeding past a designated point alongside of the roads. The bus ride was very scenic and I even got to see Stonehenge from the road! The sights were beautiful, the roads were impeccably constructed (with no pot holes) and the small quaint villages that we drove through look like something out of a story book.
During the bus ride we stopped at a rest stop and I made my first purchase of some English "chips" (fries). The people that worked there were especially entertaining and tried to make jokes as they handed us our food.
When we arrived at Plymouth (still most of us without sleep)I couldn't believe how beautiful a coastal town could be. The shore line and the buildings around it are unlike anything in the United States. I was then escorted to my room by the friendly man who works with the study abroad program named CJ. I had my first shower experience in my dorm room and the water pressure was so low that it took nearly 20minutes to rinse the shampoo out of my hair. My computer almost got fried because of a faulty converter that I received but it seems to be working fine now.
I just recently got home from my first English Pub called the "Friendly Professor" to watch the Euro2008 game of Spain v. Germany. I ordered a "Becks" in a bottle for only $1.50 (in reality $3 American). The pub was jammed wall to wall with spectators for the game. I finished my beer without a problem (yay me) and it wasn't even bad after all! The English couple that I sat next to in a booth were explaining some of the inner intricacies of the game to me and it was an overall good time!
The people on the trip seem really great and friendly. I am looking forward to getting to know them all. Tomorrow is the first day of classes and our walking tour of the city of Plymouth. I'm so tired, I still haven't slept since before my plane took off yesterday so I'm about to get to bed. I will keep everyone posted about what else I see tomorrow and I hope everyone has a good night!
Cheers,
Tara
Apparently "cheers" has a variety of meanings. "Goodbye", "thank you", or "I'm sorry" (as i found out when someone stepped on my foot at the pub).
After a long day, I've finally made it to England!!
The flight wasn't too bad. There was a thunderstorm in Canada that caused some turbulence (and some white knuckles from me on my seat)and the food was actually a pretty decent meal of pasta marinara with an extra delicious sample of cheese and crackers! The plane was a lot smaller than I had expected and was very cramped for space. It was for these reasons (and the occasional jolt of turbulence) that kept me from sleeping on the eight hour flight. But alas!! I have made it to England!
Walking through the London Gatwick airport seemed like it was a scene out of a movie while hundreds of people align a walkway that you must walk down in order to depart from the airport. I realized today that cutting in a queue (which is the English word for a "line") is a very serious ordeal and should never happen under any circumstances.
After leaving Gatwick Airport we took a 4 hour bus ride to Plymouth. The bus ride was entertaining and it allowed me my first look at the beautiful country I had recently arrived in. England is full of lush green acres of farm land and there are cows EVERYWHERE. It was quite the sight driving on the expressway on the "opposite" side of the road and I learned that speed limits are never posted on expressways because the speed limit on these roads is a general understanding within all citizens of England. England also uses cameras on the side of the road to snap pictures of cars that are speeding past a designated point alongside of the roads. The bus ride was very scenic and I even got to see Stonehenge from the road! The sights were beautiful, the roads were impeccably constructed (with no pot holes) and the small quaint villages that we drove through look like something out of a story book.
During the bus ride we stopped at a rest stop and I made my first purchase of some English "chips" (fries). The people that worked there were especially entertaining and tried to make jokes as they handed us our food.
When we arrived at Plymouth (still most of us without sleep)I couldn't believe how beautiful a coastal town could be. The shore line and the buildings around it are unlike anything in the United States. I was then escorted to my room by the friendly man who works with the study abroad program named CJ. I had my first shower experience in my dorm room and the water pressure was so low that it took nearly 20minutes to rinse the shampoo out of my hair. My computer almost got fried because of a faulty converter that I received but it seems to be working fine now.
I just recently got home from my first English Pub called the "Friendly Professor" to watch the Euro2008 game of Spain v. Germany. I ordered a "Becks" in a bottle for only $1.50 (in reality $3 American). The pub was jammed wall to wall with spectators for the game. I finished my beer without a problem (yay me) and it wasn't even bad after all! The English couple that I sat next to in a booth were explaining some of the inner intricacies of the game to me and it was an overall good time!
The people on the trip seem really great and friendly. I am looking forward to getting to know them all. Tomorrow is the first day of classes and our walking tour of the city of Plymouth. I'm so tired, I still haven't slept since before my plane took off yesterday so I'm about to get to bed. I will keep everyone posted about what else I see tomorrow and I hope everyone has a good night!
Cheers,
Tara
Apparently "cheers" has a variety of meanings. "Goodbye", "thank you", or "I'm sorry" (as i found out when someone stepped on my foot at the pub).
2 comments:
Sounds like you already have learnt so much about England in just one day!!! Imagine what these next three weeks are going to show you. I don't know abouot you but I am really liking the no speed limits, I wonder if it would ever work here?
Anyway go to bed and get some sleep, I am looking forward to talking to you tomorrow.. Stay safe!!!lov ya mom
England sounds like a beautiful country. I also checked it out on the "net" and your discription is right on the money. However the driving on the left side of the road would freak me out a little, but other than that sounds great. Seems like you are off to pretty good start though. The people sound nice and the Pubs sound like a lot of fun.
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