Last time I wrote, back in the end of March, I was just starting my Easter Holidays. My situation was kind of unique at Lancaster because all of my lectures and seminars finished in the Lent term, and then we had Easter break, and then we had Summer term. I know some other people (e.g. the maths department) still had lectures for another 4 week after I (business major) was done. When we were back, each of my classes had a revision session, where the lecturer did an overview of the whole course and bulletpoints for study for the exam (side note: either all or 75% of my lecturers had PhD’s, but they were SO cool, I never worried about feeling stupid when I talked to them)

Before I made it to Europe, I did a little more sightseeing around England with my boyfriend and his family.

Forbury Park in Reading:

Steeple Ashton, the village where my oldest ancestor was born in 1608:

Avebury, site of the Great Henge:

Stonehenge, which we didn’t pay to see because the gate didn’t prevent us from seeing it, so why bother?:

Then I did the typical study-abroad thing and traveled around Europe (the English don’t understand how we Americans have that much time/money). I met up with Meg, my best friend from middle/high school, like I had planned to, and we had 10 days on the continent, travelling from France to Switzerland and then Austria. We spent a week in France, and a day and a half each in the others. We discovered a lot of things about traveling by ourselves as young female adults, and we enjoyed spending loads of time together. I wish I had packed my rucksack lighter

Eiffel Tower through the train window. We did take a special trip out to see this, even though we had been discouraged from it, and OH BOY it was so worth it! It’s so big! Also, I ran into someone else from GW while I was there!!!!!!!!:

Other notes about Paris:
Also, Mona Lisa was worth it as well- I kept hearing people say that it wasn’t very big and it wasn’t all that great, but it’s a normal sized painting and it IS pretty great. So go see that if you happen to be in the Louvre. The queue might be intimidating but it goes quickly.
Eat lots of Nutella crepes. They’re a great comfort food.
We stopped by the Luxembourg gardens because we were exhausted and it was a very welcome reprieve (and shockingly big).
Sacre Couer was right at the top of our hostel and I highly recommend the hostel as well as climbing up to the top (ignoring the peddlars who try to trap you into buying what they want you to). Try to do it on a clear day though.
Arc de Triomph was not worth it. There’s not a lot to see and the shops are super expensive around there too- so don’t expect to buy anything if you’re on a $500 budget for 2 weeks.
Overall we really liked Paris. It was a struggle to communicate in other parts of France, and thus we really enjoyed the touristy stuff.

St. Malo is not a town we were supposed to stay the day in, but we accidentally missed the bus out to Mont St. Michel and so we were stuck there with nothing planned. The old city was quaint, and we enjoyed the safety in large numbers principle because the other streets that were deserted creeped us out:

Chateau D’If was pretty and calming and safe after us being a little shaken by some near-misses. And we enjoyed the ocean:

In Nice, we didn’t have anything planned and so we just randomly walked around. We happened upon “The Chateau” with its beautiful panorama and miniature city:

On one of our marathon train rides, which is all we saw of Geneva (no time to layover):

The Bern LDS Temple, where my parents were married 25 years ago, was once the only LDS temple in all of Europe:

Bern was very easy to fall in love with. We spent most of the day on top of Mount Gurten, “Bern’s very own mountain!”. It was cute, and we enjoyed the family atmosphere.

We took the Official Sound of Music tour in Salzburg (yes, it was expensive, but OH MAN it was worth it). This is the Von Trapp Villa from the Sound of Music movie (well, the back of it anyway! They used a different building for the front, and also a different pond for when the kids and Maria all fall into the water off the boat, when the Baroness and the Captain return from their trip):

After 10 days travelling around, I was exhausted. I had it pretty comfortable compared to some of my friends who were couch surfing, but I was totally spent by the time I got back to my boyfriend’s house! Overall, totally totally worth it.

DFTBA!

Summer term meant I had 1 week of “revision sessions” where the teachers did a recap of the course and outlined what we would be tested on. After that, I had a solid 2 weeks to revise, and then sat exams on 16 May, 24 May, 28 May, and 4 June. In the midst of all of this, my boyfriend was having some family difficulties and so he invited me to drive back to Reading with him. After returning from my trip to Europe I stopped feeling like I was studying abroad, and more like I was just visiting. The experiences I had from that point on felt more like I was just living here, like I was part of this place.

His family had a spare ticket to go see Reading FC at Wembley, which I enthusiastically grabbed! We had so much fun (even though Reading lost, and thus didn’t get promoted)

We visited a friend and toured Southport

We enjoyed the scenery in Williamson Park (Lancaster)

We enjoyed the Thames River in little villages around Reading

Please go to the Oxford Natural History Museum, and the Pitts Rivers Museum! It was sooo cool (and free entry!)

Read More »

Well it’s been a little over a week since I arrived back in the States. Time has really flown by. It seems like so long ago that I was walking the streets of London, but it really wasn’t. Being back home makes the whole experience seem a bit surreal—was I really in London, I mean London for almost 6 months? I know I was, but so little has changed here at home that sometimes it feels like I never really left.  Though if I hadn’t been away it would be hard to explain my still only partially unpacked suitcase in the living room (oops). I’ll get to it eventually.

I have been really busy since I got back though. I think my business is in part to blame for why I’m not too homesick for London (though can you really be homesick for a place you only lived in briefly?). I’ve adjusted pretty quickly to life back in New Jersey though the humidity has taken some getting used to (my hair is not happy). I’ve been catching up with friends and doctors appointments (pretty standard back from school stuff). And today I started my summer internship which is pretty exciting I guess. I mean it’ll be nice to recuperate some of the savings that were depleted during my time abroad (though definitely not wasted). Just having another new experience to keep me occupied is pretty nice though. I think I’d go crazy if I was sitting around my house all summer (I mean there’s nowhere to go.) That’s obviously a gross exaggeration, but I definitely do miss being able to walk everywhere. While my lazy self is quite happy sitting around watching television the active me that gained some momentum in conquering London streets is becoming a bit restless. I’m going to try and get into an exercise routine. Hopefully that’ll help. We’ll see.

Anyway, more about what I believe is called “reverse culture shock”. It’s definitely not a shock. At least not for me and I would imagine it wouldn’t be for anyone returning to a familiar culture unless he or she had been gone for a much longer period of time. Being on the right side of the road on the ride home from the airport was a bit weird, but after that ride it just felt normal again. I do kind of miss the various English accents though. Mid-Eastern US accents just seem a bit pale in comparison. But I don’t have to ask people to repeat themselves quite as often so I guess it’s a good trade-off. I haven’t had many cash transactions since my return home and I imagine the first time I have to count out change it might be a little awkward (wait there’s no coin for the $1?) but since counting change was an integral part of my math education and my time as a cashier, I’m not too worried about it. So all in all it’s nice to be back. I do miss London, but there’s so many great things here that I’m not quite ready to leave home again just yet. Ask me again in a week or so.

So that’s it for my blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it (and experiencing it!) My only advice is to go make your own abroad adventure if you can. It’s a very personal experience and while I’ve tried to share it with you, it can only really be explained through experiencing it for yourself.

Cheers!

Alyssa

Yup. I’m home again. But before I get into how I’m adjusting, I’ll mention a few things I did before I left.

I spent my last couple days hanging out with my friends, living it up at Velvet Underground, and having a fun bonfire on the beach at night. I knelt on some coals, so I’ve got a nice scar as a memory of that night. It was an interesting feeling, knowing I was returning to somewhere with no beaches, let alone ones that were so easily accessible I could pop over literally whenever I wanted. Sitting on the edge of a country has a way of making you feel insignificant, and I know I won’t get to feel that way for a long time.

My last evening in Cairns I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go to sleep, so I hung out in my friend’s room for the entire night until 3:30 rolled around and I knew I’d have to go meet the SunPalm to pick me up. The goodbyes were hard. I knew they’d be, but it didn’t help at all. A lot of my classmates were leaving on the same flight, and gradually as we took more and more flights the group dwindled until I was traveling to Boston with just one other girl I knew. It helped pass the time having someone to chat with.

Seeing my family was great, but the whole experience of being back home is still very strange and nostalgic. I sort of feel like I don’t belong here, and I find myself wanting to refer to Cairns as home. But I know that feeling will fade, because I’m already getting back into the groove of things here. It’ll take time, and I’ve got plenty of it. But I definitely hope I can go back to Cairns someday, and I’ll definitely bring my family with me. They should experience the awesomeness that is Australia too.

I’m not a model. I don’t model. But for free clothes I’d do about anything.

Olivia, another IFSA student, has within her host family an aunt who works in publicity and marketing, and last week she was looking for “models” to show off some clothing from the Italian/Peruvian company Ritzy Italy. Olivia introduced this aunt, Rocia, to the three IFSA boys (aka los divos famosos del quinto piso), and she said she would take us all. We went to Rocia’s house, part of a military compound south of Lima, tried on clothes, and Friday morning we were off to the TV station.

So it was that at about 10 AM Friday morning, Oscar, Juan and I were crammed together behind the stage of “Hola a Todos” in a hallway that measured two feet wide by six feet deep, along with two other models and three assistants (including Olivia), all of us loaded in before being launched out onto the catwalk.

Because there were only five models and eight outfits, three of us had to change clothes mid-show. There we were, seven people with no wiggle room, and I had to strip down to my boxers because my second outfit required a change of everything, even shoes. In less than a minute.

Then, if I hadn’t already embarrassed myself enough with my inability to smile naturally in front of the camera, I forgot to stay on-screen after my second run. Luckily, they didn’t give me a microphone, because I shouted, “¡Mierda!” when I remembered, having already returned backstage. I did a quick turn around and, as you will see in the video that follows, walked back out onstage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k60c29nRYxA&feature=youtu.be

What you don’t see is the bit that followed the modeling, in which loud electronic music pumped through the speakers, and a giant cuy ran around the stage in a convulsive fit sometimes referred to as “dancing.” We “models,” already awkward, shifted back and forth to the music while lights flashed, confetti rained down and cameras flew around the set.

Our second experience was more memorable, more troubling. We arrived at Channel 4 around noon and, after they straightened my hair and put make up on all of us, we had to wait an hour and a half before going back on. In the meantime, we saw the filming of the reunion between a cumbia singer and a child he fathered unknowingly. The boy, in his early teens, had a mental disability and was not in favor of being in the spotlight. Backstage he was crying, occasionally fighting with his mother/caretaker (if you can call what she does taking care of somebody) while saying, “hello” and being otherwise friendly to those of us waiting around. When it was show time, his mother/person locked his arms behind his back and marched him forward. Nothing like exploitation to drive those ratings up!

If that wasn’t too much, then the numerous dolled-up and plastic calatas put “Lima Limón” over the top. Girls in bikinis or lingerie strutted their stuff on camera every few minutes, only reinforcing our realization that this show is based exploitation of every kind. What show features celebrity appearances, Jerry Springer-like encounters, girls in lingerie and Father’s Day fashion models? It’s the exploitation of fame and sex, it’s voyeurism, and it’s product placement all wrapped into one two-hour long train wreck, trash. I’m sure it’s not the only one of its kind, but it’s the only one I’ve ever had the displeasure to see, backstage or on TV.

Afterwards, disillusioned and feeling that we’d compromised our morals, we were all happy to have our payment – four free pieces of clothing from Ritzy Italy. We took off with everything – sneakers, sweaters, and shirts along with jeans and khakis.

What’s the one sure way to put on a good show? Plan it half an hour in advance.

We were on our way to an orphanage/shelter in the outskirts of Cusco. Our bus was full of basic goods and gifts for the girls and young women who live there, and the plan was to gift them the gifts, play tag and volleyball for a few hours, and see a small performance they had organized for us. Then Lali, our program director, decided we should put on a performance, too. We being everyone in the program. No exceptions.

What then unfolded was a manifestation of youthful genius. We proposed a series of ideas, each more absurd than the last, until we found the one. We were to put on our own “unique interpretation of the Afro-Peruvian Alcatraz,” in which one dancer tries to light the other’s skirt on fire.

I didn’t have a skirt, and if I had I don’t think I would’ve gone so far as to put it on. A tail made of toilet paper, tied to my belt, provided the flammable material. We didn’t have a candle, either, so we settled for a lighter. And Oscar doesn’t even dance Afro. Add to that that our cajón was a cardboard box, and what results is the following video that defies words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9XffjNRK4A

Post-Script: For future IFSA students, I highly recommend taking Afro-Peruvian dance at La Católica. It is an hour and a half, once weekly, of letting loose and having fun. You may even learn how to move your hips.

P.P.S.: This is what the real Alcatraz looks like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyXBcAMcaF8&feature=related

Today is my last day in New Zealand and I’m really in disbelief. At times the semester has gone quickly, at times it has crept along. But looking back on it I can’t help but feel like the time flew by. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I can still vividly remember every emotion I had getting on the plane on February 7th. Excitement, nervousness, sadness. It’s funny, because sitting here today I think I feel similarly to how I felt on February 6th, only all of those emotions are for a different reason. I’m excited to see my family and friends, nervous to re-enter my old life because I don’t want all that I’ve learned while abroad to be forgotten, and sad to be leaving such a beautiful country and in a sense ending a chapter in my life. I’ve learned so much about the culture of New Zealand, but I learned so much more about myself. It sounds corny and I won’t bore you with the details, but it’s true. And it’s something that I don’t know how to explain, or really care to explain. But I’m so glad I decided to study abroad and was given this opportunity to “find myself.” New Zealand was the perfect place to study abroad. The country is small enough that you get to know it well by the time you leave. But there’s enough to do that every weekend you can be on a new adventure.
Anyway, in this highly nostalgic state I’m in I’ve decided to write the Spark Notes version of my semester abroad. Here we go.

Butler – Picking Butler was one of the best decisions I made. Orientation was amazing, and probably my favorite aspect of what Butler did for us. It was a perfect amount of introduction into the culture, forced fun, and keeping us so busy that we didn’t remember we missed mommy and daddy. It was like a 3 day version of summer camp.
Butler also was our saving grace when the Christchurch earthquake happened. Without their dedication to making our study abroad experience amazing, we probably would have been sent home immediately. That would have been awful. Simply awful. Amy’s hardwork saved our semester.
Christchurch – Poor Christchurch. They spend millions of dollars and thousands of hours rebuilding their city only to be constantly bombarded by earthquakes that put them back at square one. My heart goes out to Christchurch for all that they’ve been through in the last 12 months.
Dunedin – The perfect little college town. If you want the kiwi university experience, this is the place to come. Also, well located to all of the attractions on the South Island.
Wellington – I loved Wellington. If I hadn’t been sent to Dunedin, I think Wellington would have been a perfect fit for me. Lots of things to do, well located, and a beautiful view. I would have been in killer shape by the end of the semester with all of those hills too!
Queenstown – My favorite place in the world. I got to see Queenstown in Summer, Fall and Winter. Beautiful every single time.
Bungy Jumping – I loved it. I didn’t think I would love it, but I did. Nothing beats the adrenaline rush and the sense of accomplishment you have afterwards.
Lord of the Rings – From the horseback ride I took of the filming cites in Glenorchy to Weta Cave in Wellington, LOTR is everywhere in New Zealand. Once you see the scenery of the South Island, it’s clear why Peter Jackson decided to film here. It’s so remote and on many of my trips around the country I felt like I was in Middle Earth. I’m fairly certain we saw a hobbit or two as well.
Kiwi Lingo – Sweet as, bro! Ya keen? Beet root, togs, long drop, pissed, jandals… as funny as they all are when locals say them.. I’m not sure many of them will make it into my daily vocabulary.
Mom’s visit – I realize how lucky I am that my mom got to visit me for two weeks. I stick by my motto that the quality of a vacation depends on two equal parts. It’s half the location and half the company you keep. I’m so glad that I got to share my “new life” with my mom.
Sydney Bridge Climb – I loved every second of it. Best 21st birthday present ever. On our way down I had this moment realizing I was all the way in Australia doing one of the things I’ve wanted to do my whole life and not everyone gets opportunities like that. It was such a cool experience.

I guess that about covers the Spark Notes version of my semester. Take home message: It’s been quite an experience. I loved it and I would do it all over again. Living in a different country is totally different than just vacationing there. I can’t explain it. You just need to experience it to understand what I mean. See ya later, New Zealand. I’ll be back again, I promise!

So the big adventure is about to begin, 4 days until departure!! Summer went by so fast, maybe because I’ve been waiting in such anticipation for New Zealand. I’m just beginning packing and getting the last details worked out such as do I bring just one checked bag or pay the extra and go with two. I am just a jumble of emotions: excited, nervous, ecstatic, stressed, a little scared, and just about anything else you can think of. More than anything though I am excited for this huge experience ahead to be able to grow, learn, change, make some amazing memories to add to this life I’m the creator of, and well to do some good old living and loving of life!

Of course as you can expect there are many, many questions on my mind and lots of pondering that is occurring. I have never been out of the United States, not even to Mexico or Canada both of which I am a days drive away from either at home or school. So lots of questions and discovering of answers await, such as what to expect at customs, how are Americans viewed abroad, how hard is it going to be to understand the accent, or what new words do I get to learn the meaning of. Through the many of questions though I plan to jump in with two feet and experience as much as I possibly can. So plan on finding some interesting stories here soon

By the time this is posted I will either be on at the airport, on an airplane, or standing on American soil (in the lush area known as Newark). That’s right this is my last post from London. I meant to write this last weekend so that I could get two more in before I left but it’s a big job getting ready to leave and I’ve just been very busy. Plus I knew that this post would be one of the hardest to write because writing it means that I really am leaving. So of course I left it until after midnight on the night before I leave. I’m in a rather melancholy mood at the moment. I have a lot to look forward to at home: my family, my boyfriend, my friends, a party, an internship, another party, a day at the shore. And that’s just within the next two weeks. I am very excited about all these things and consequently my mood for the past week or so has been moving up and down pretty often. I love everything I have at home and my life there. But I also love being here and the academics and life I’ve experienced.

I have to say I’ve adapted to city life much better than I thought I would. I mean I knew I’d survive and get used to it and all that, but I actually really like it too. I originally thought that it might get a bit gloomy and lonely which it can occasionally, but London just has so many green spaces and opportunities for socializing that I hardly notice the negatives. The parks, squares, and gardens are definitely a big part of this. If it wasn’t so easy for me to get to a place where I felt I was getting fresh air, I probably wouldn’t like it here so much. They really are a great escape from the city. Some of my best days were spent walking around parks on a sunny day, occasionally sitting out and enjoy a book for an entire afternoon. It’s quite nice. Besides the parks, the pubs are also a nice escape from the solitude of city life. It’s just usually a nice atmosphere—people stop by after work or after lectures just to catch up with friends and enjoy each other’s company, have a bit to drink, and maybe a bite to eat. I only went a couple times during my stay here but they were always enjoyable experiences. It’s always entertaining to walk down the street in the late afternoon/early evening and start seeing all the pubs filling up to the point where everyone is just outside chatting away. And this happens at pretty much every pub you pass (think like one every block or two). It’s quite the phenomenon.

There are lots of other things I’ll miss, though I probably don’t even know what lots of them are yet. I know I’ll miss all the free museums. Especially the National Gallery. I went there one last time yesterday and I was still discovering rooms I hadn’t seen. Although I think I’ve covered the whole building now.  I’ll miss fish and chips. Another thing I only experienced a couple times (mostly just because most of my meals were catered by the school or me cooking pasta), but something I found very tasty, if definitely not healthy. I’ll miss the public transportation. Not because I love crowds and being in cement tunnels, but because it was pretty efficient, rarely creepy, and quite often entertaining.  Alas who knows when I’ll next find myself sitting on an underground train, avoiding eye contact, and keeping a blank face? I think those are all the physical things I’ll miss (that I can think of), although all of them are connected to memories and feelings from my time here.  I have to say though that what I’ll probably miss most is the independence.

I don’t think I’ve really changed all that much since being here. I was a pretty independent person to start with (well at least I like to think I was). However, in my time here I have had a greater feeling of freedom than before. I love my college and I am relatively independent while there. I make decisions on how to schedule my time, etc. However, there’s nowhere to really go at Ursinus. It’s kind of a bubble.  A very nice bubble where I have some great friends and professors, but a bubble nonetheless. Going anywhere off campus involves a plan and a car. Here, there are endless possibilities and it doesn’t seem absurd for me to walk 30/40 minutes to get somewhere (though the tube is a nice option too). I realize this is a city thing and if I had chosen a university in a city I would probably have a similar experience, but there is something extra exciting about the fact that it’s a city not in the US. While sometimes I miss being able to walk around in sweatpants to grab a snack from the convenience store, having more than one store within a 10 minute walk is pretty nice too. Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed the freedom to travel and walk wherever I’d like to go with very little problem. And with all my trips both within the UK and without, I’ve gotten quite used to traveling alone or with friends which kind of makes me feel like an adult (I have to book flights and hostels myself?). But I’ll probably still make my parents order takeout when I’m home (why are phone conversations with strangers so awkward?)

I wish I had some big insight to share for my final post, but honestly I’m getting a little tired and I still have lots to do in the morning. I’m really rather sad to leave. My time here has passed so quickly and I’m not sure I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to in my time here. I’m definitely glad I decided to come here. While there might be things I would do differently if I could do this experience over, this has definitely been a great time and something I’ll probably always remember and want to come back to. I really just want to live here again, but the way I see my life shaping up now I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity. But, I’m not a psychic (not even a pretend one) so I’m not going to worry about it too much. I know I’ll visit again and I still have lots of time to figure everything else out.

Goodbye London.

Cheers

Alyssa