I woke up to the sound of seagulls squawking - quite loudly, might I add - right outside my window. I had forgotten that I was just a stone's throw away from the North Sea, so naturally there would be seagulls here. The weather so far hasn't been too unlike Boone: cold, windy, and unpredictable (on the taxi from the airport it snowed for about 5 minutes, and coming home from grocery shopping it sleeted for about 3 minutes). But let's back up a bit.
My flights were uneventful, albeit a bit long. Layovers were spent watching a couple Harry Potter movies and old Elevation sermons. I got a whole row to myself on the long flight from JFK to Paris, for which I was pretty thankful come sleepytime (btw, sleeping on a plane is incredibly uncomfortable, and you will undoubtedly suffer from jet lag the next day). One of the other girls from App was on my plane flying from Paris to Newcastle, so I was very thankful to see her! I got moved in and everything without any huge problems.
Yesterday evening was really rough for me. Since my internet wasn't working I wasn't able to talk to anyone and it killed me. I felt so alone, despite the fact I had 7 other wonderful flatmates with me. Before I left the States, my fantastic boyfriend Steven had secretly made me a playlist on my iPod, so I was listening to that a LOT and missing home more than anything. But now that my internet is working things are looking up.
So far I've gotten lost 2 times, stumbling upon the North Sea and a McDonalds in the process. I plan on getting lost a couple more times to get a better handle on my bearings. Last night it was while going to get something to eat with my flatmates; today it was trying to find the other Sunderland campus which is about a 25 minute walk across town, or a 5 minute ride via the bus. Obviously we had no idea what we were doing, so we took the extremely long way getting anywhere, but we ended up at the right place at the right time.
Some things I've noticed:
- Instead of saying "you're welcome," the locals respond with "no worries" or "right."
- The roads are incredibly narrow, the drivers are incredibly fast, and their intersections are incredibly confusing.
- I'm glad I don't have to drive.
- There are a surprising number of international people here, or at least at the University. Lots of Asian people (!!!!) and African folks.
- I found out that my bff Katie who is studying at Keele University in England conveniently got on the same international phone network, so we can have unlimited texting and calling for free! Yayy!!
- The bread here goes moldy really quickly. Like 3 days. Then mold. Sad.
Anyways, I think that'll be all for the evening; all this walking is super exhausting. But no worries, there will be plenty of updates to follow. Until next time, righteo folks! :D
Some friends and I walked to a Chinese joint just a couple blocks down the road and brought some takeout back to eat. I ordered chicken fried rice and they gave me enough food to easily last three meals! Needless to say, I think I will soon be a regular there. I've also hung up some pictures in my room so it's not quite so bland, but there's still a ways to go until I will be satisfied with it.