Greetings from South Africa!

Disclaimer: This blog reflects my opinions and observations, and my opinions and observations only. Although I am a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, I am not a member of the US Department of State, nor do any of my updates reflect the US Department of State in any official capacity.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been in South Africa for three full weeks now: 1 week of orientation and 2 weeks of teaching. Here’s a quick update on how things have been.

After being reunited with the other ETA’s, some at the airport and others at the hotel, we had orientation, during which we visited a local primary school and heard speeches from various education officials. It was great seeing the other ETA’s again. We hadn’t seen each other since June, but luckily, we learned at orientation that there is a Fulbright conference in Ethiopia in April that we are all invited to. (It ends two days before my 23^rd birthday.)

I was initially supposed to be placed in Durban, but was switched to Pretoria in December, which means I am living relatively close to the embassy. The closest ETA’s are in Jo-burg, but others are as far away as Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. Everyone at the embassy has been so generous and welcoming thus far. I really appreciate all the support we have received.

I spent my first weekend getting furniture for my apartment. The apartment is very secure, but has no furniture, no fridge or microwave and no free wifi. It also only has a bathtub, with no shower and the detachable shower heads they sell at the hardware store don’t fit. The good news is there is a gym in the same area as my apartment, so I can shower there. They also have computers that patrons can use. The Laundromat is small and you have to let them wash your clothes for you rather than doing it yourself, so a load of laundry costs 66 rand or just over 8 dollars. So far laundry is the only thing I have found to be overly expensive. Rent, gym membership, and food are all reasonably priced.

One of the highlights of my time here, other than teaching, of course, was the Lincoln Premiere. The Pretoria and Jo-burg ETA’s were invited to the South Africa premiere of the movie Lincoln. It was a wonderful event. Great hors d’oeuvres, some funny photo opportunities, and some great books about the US that will be helpful when I’m teaching. The free popcorn and soda during the movie was a pretty sweet deal too. J I also “almost” won a door prize. Key word being “almost.”

Last weekend, the Jo-burg ETA’s and I went to Ukatula Lion Park (which was supposed to be a one hour and 15 minute drive, but took much longer. Thanks Google.) It was a wonderful experience though. We got to play with 5-month-old lion cubs, pet a 4-year-old cheetah, and hold newborn lion and tiger cubs. It was incredibly fun, definitely worth the trip. I’m just really glad I wore jeans that had some give to them because lion cubs are a lot like puppies—they like to nibble. The only thing that would have made it better is if the workers would have let us hold the baby lions like Simba in the Lion King, but no, you have to support their butts. (Goofy tourist moment, what can I say?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although I am living in Pretoria, I am teaching at a high school in the township of Atteridgeville. This term, I am co-teaching two grade 8 classes, two grade 9 classes, three grade 11 classes, and one grade 12 class. Next semester, I will be working with the grade 10’s.

The students have been incredible so far, very helpful and very eager to learn. Unlike in the States, students are not grouped by ability level, such as AP, honors, etc. Instead the older grades are grouped by their interests. From what I can tell, it is similar to how students are grouped by major in college. Also, the class sizes in South Africa are much larger. My grade 12 class has roughly 24 students, but the grade 8 classes have over 50, and not all the students have chairs and desks. Also, because of the large number of students, the students stay in their classrooms and the teachers move from class to class. I am still getting accustomed to having to bring my eraser and chalk with me to class. My “office” is in the library.

I had to do several impromptu lessons the first two weeks. To my credit, I remembered a great deal of To Kill a Mockingbird, a book I read as a sophomore in high school, enough to do a 90 minute lesson on it with about 30 seconds notice. I also taught a lesson on direct and indirect speech to all my grade 11 classes. Now they are learning to outline a 5 paragraph essay, which they love…not. The grade 9’s are learning to identify the main point, topic sentence, and supporting evidence of paragraphs, and will be doing some creative writing next week. Assuming I can get my hands on some index cards, I’ve got some games I want the grade 8’s and my grade 12 class to do.

As for the students themselves, they all had a wide range of questions for me, everything from do I know any celebrities to how do I do my hair. I am trying to learn conversational words and phrases in Sepedi (Northern Sotho), one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, and the mother tongue of most of my students. Many of them speak Zulu as well. Some have English names, but many don’t. That combined with the number of students I have, is making it hard for me to remember names, something I’m usually very good at. Luckily, they are being very patient with me.

I am starting my martial arts club this week. ETA’s are required to do one extra activity during their grant. The club is mine. I also work at a reading room on Fridays, where my co-ETA and I are leading a “girls club.” We are hoping to start a creative writing group at the high school soon, but in the meantime, we will be doing some creative arts projects at the reading room. Half the girls want to have a debate and the other half wants to put on a play.

Check back in a couple weeks for another update!

- Beth

A Small Town Girl Taking on a Big, Big, World: Tips for Those Preparing to Study, Live or Travel Abroad

I've traveled to over 20 countries and 4 soon to be 5 continents. I studied abroad in England for a semester and now I'm living in Vancouver. These experiences have been filled with many wonderful people, places, and memories, but not everything has always gone according to plan. I've decided to put a list together of some of the tips and tricks I've learned along the way as well as some of the tips and tricks I wish I'd known. If you are planning to study, live, or travel abroad, hopefully these tips will make life a little easier for you.


Before you go:

Get all your documents in order. This includes, but is not limited to passports, visas, study or work permits, the address of where you will be staying and perhaps even directions of how to get their from the airport. Now, the first few things I listed seem obvious, but an address and map? When I was in Denmark, I told the taxi driver the name of the hotel I needed to go to. It was an English hotel name. He took me to the wrong hotel. The hotel names didn't start with the same letter. They didn't even sound alike, so it's not like he could have claimed "assonance with rhyme." I knew immediately that we were at the wrong place. He insisted we weren't, so I showed him a paper I'd printed out with the hotel name on it. Then he claimed I never told him that name, that I'd said the name of the hotel we were parked in front of. I'd never heard of this hotel. It was an English name, but it wasn't a chain like Best Western or the Hilton, something I would have actually heard of. I have many talents but rattling off random Copenhagen hotels isn't one of them. Meanwhile the meter was running. He took me to the correct hotel and by the time we got there, the fair was double what it should have been, so I didn't give him a tip. Lesson learned: show your cab driver the written address of where you want to go before you get in the cab. Also, ask how much it will be. In Lisbon, I was told it would take five minutes and cost less than 10 euro to get to my hotel (for more about this trip see my travel woes post). The cab driver saw a female travelling alone at night and decided to charge me 15 euros. He didn't go by what the fair meter in his cab said. He just made up a price. So...ask the cabbie how long it will take and about how much it will be BEFORE you get in. ****And if you have a good cabbie, tip well. When I needed a cab from the airport to my house in Vancouver, the cabbie had a bit of trouble finding the correct house. He knew we were on the correct street, so he shut off the meter, but it took another five minutes to find the house. I gave him a handsome tip, and he not only refused to leave until I was safely inside, but he also helped bring my suitcases up to the front door. I'm not saying you should flash your money around, but especially if you are a female travelling alone at night (abroad or otherwise) safety is your number one priority. Some will try to take advantage as the Portuguese cabbie did, but others will go out of their way to make sure you are fine, like the Vancouver cabbie. Had it not been the correct house, I would have been able to get back in the cab and go somewhere else, somewhere safe. That's a whole lot better than being stranded in a city you've only just arrived in.

Also in regards to documents, scan all your important documents. You'd be surprised how many times you might need a pdf of this or that, especially if you are studying abroad. Have all your documents, study permit, scholarship letters, loan info all scanned and store somewhere where you can access them easily, but also somewhere that is password protected. I'd also consider having your banking or credit card numbers on file somewhere in case your wallet is stolen. I guess you could argue that it would be equally as bad to have this information on your computer in case that is what gets stolen, not your wallet, or what if the information is in your email and it gets hacked, but it's your call. Just something to think about. There are pros and cons to having all your information in the same place, but the important thing, no matter how you choose to approach it, is to have all the necessary information with you.

Do research. My landlord has been amazing thus far. Before I moved, she told me about all the stores within walking distance and gave me the UBC bus info. Take advantage of these resources. Talk to the locals. It also doesn't hurt to do some research before you do though. Find out what activities are in the area. If you're a student studying abroad look into what clubs you might want to join. I did this in Oxford and had the opportunity to network with other creative writers as well as compete for the Oxford University Athletic Club. Plus, doing these activities is not only a way to meet new people, but also a great way to have some semblance of your life back home. If you're doing the things you love, you're less likely to be homesick.

Save up. If you can save your money before travelling abroad, DO. Again, this seems like a no brainer. If you're going on a vacation, you'd want souvenirs, right? True, travelling abroad for a vacation can be expensive and there are always little things here and there that add up, an excursion, a nice dinner, a good hotel, but when you're living abroad or studying abroad, there are other expenses: rent, groceries (which can be more expensive than in the US), a cell phone and plan, gym membership (I joined a gym in Oxford and in Vancouver. It's a must for me, but might not be to other people) and then of course there's bus passes, student fees, international student medical coverage. You can't plan for every expense ahead of time, so give yourself a cushion and be prepared to spend more on certain things than you had originally budgeted for. I house sat and was a nanny this summer before I moved. Part time jobs are a great way to earn a little extra cash and give you a little wiggle room in your budget. Plus, part time jobs are easy to come back to, so when you do return, if you find yourself strapped for cash, look into going back to these part time jobs.

Other tips for before you go:
* know the exchange rate between your currency and the local currency
* know that you may be charged an international fee when you make purchases (if you are living abroad or studying abroad for an extensive period of time, set up a bank account in your new country.)
* know that you will be charged a fee for withdrawing money from an ATM
* know that certain countries have stores that only accept MasterCard or only accept Visa. If you have a DISCOVER card, it might not work, so make sure you have a debit card handy.
* know some basic self-defense. I've already said it's important to be safe, especially if you are a female traveling alone, and I'm not just saying know some self-defense because it looks cool or because I do martial arts. I'm saying it because I believe women should know how to protect themselves. I took a self defense class in college. It's how I was introduced to Grandmaster Han's Martial Arts. Most colleges or cities offer self-defense classes at their gyms or community centers, so find one near you. A girl I went to college with approached my self-defense instructor about lessons. She knew she'd be travelling by herself in Peru and wanted a couple self-defense tips. It was finals week. The WAC (what we call our gym) was deserted except for a few other loyal gym rats, a few pre-med students trying to destress and me. My self defense instructor asked me if I would mind helping him teach this girl a few moves. (And so the calling of being a martial arts instructor began lol) Anyway, we taught her a few moves and she practiced them with me a couple times a week before leaving for Peru. I didn't actually think she would need to use what we taught her. I was wrong. When she came back from her trip, I jokingly asked her if she used self-defense. She did. She was at a party. Things turned south. She wanted to leave. A guy decided to block the one and only door. She proceeded to elbow strike his neck and kick him in the back of the knee so she could get out of there. The funny thing was as she was describing this to me, she stopped and said, "Now, I know that wasn't the exact technique you showed me." Self-defense doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't even have to be exactly how you learned it in class. It just has to work. She learned the basics and was able to use two moves to her advantage to get herself out of a precarious situation, and so I'll say it again: learn self-defense.

When you arrive:

*Explore! I went for long runs around my neighborhood the first week I was here. It was a great way to get to know the area. I also rode the bus to UBC, so I'd have an idea of how long the ride would take, and I got to see a portion of campus.

*Connect with other students. If you're studying abroad with other students from your school like I did in Oxford, go grab a bite to eat. These people might not become your lifelong best friends, but they are going through exactly what you are going through, so make those connections. If you're studying abroad and don't know anyone, orientation days are a great way to meet other new students, or you can reach out to other people in your program. I had breakfast with a second year grad student about a week ago and learned so much about the program.

*Call home. Skype, tweet, update your facebook status, whatever you do, immediately after you arrive and are settled, let friends and family know you're safe. As time passes, use the aforementioned means of communcation as a way of keeping in touch with what is going on back home and updating others about the exciting things going on in your life.

*Send postcards. Postage in Vancouver is a bit tricky. Apparently you can't just go to a Post Office and have them tell you exactly how much it will cost to send something, so I had to get creative. I bought 10 stamps at a drug store for $6.80. I had 6 postcards to send, so 4 got 2 stamps and 2 got 1 stamp. Hopefully, they will all get to their final destinations okay; if not, it's the thought that counts, right?

Those are all the tips and tricks I can think of for now. Hope that was helpful.

- Beth

Signs You're a Grown-Up: a somewhat comical post that turned out to be very philosophical

1. Your friends from high school and college are either getting married (intentionally) or having children (not-so-intentionally).

2. The kids you babysit for have no clue how old you are. They just know you're old...like 30? Adults have clue how old you are. They just know you're young...you must be just about ready to start college, right? I cannot tell you how many times I've been mistaken as a 17-year-old in the past three months. I'm 22. Apparently have a baby face.

3. You don't like the taste of lemonade as much as you used to, but it fits nicely into the grad school food budget, so you buy it. (Kool-aid still tastes good, so you buy that too.)

4a. You pay bills and rent (and then proceed to complain about having to do so to your parents, who remind you that if you actually do go broke, they will help out. However, you're not broke yet. They know this, because even though you're a grown-up (perhaps legal adult is better phrasing in this case), they still have access to at least one of your bank accounts, so they can put money in if needed.
4b. You have a bank account that is entirely your own, not connected to your parents whatsoever.

5. You still think you should be going back to your undergrad institution even though you graduated. To combat this, just realize that the Class of 2016 has just moved in--you know the 17 and 18-year-olds you keep getting mistaken for.

6. Your former profs add you on facebook. Some even tell you to let them know when you're in town again because they want to take you out to lunch.

7. You work three part time jobs (or in my case, worked three part time jobs until you moved to a foreign country.)

8. You miss the cafeteria food because cooking a balanced meal for one person is hard. Also, everyone in the cafeteria knew your name, which was a plus. You also miss eating meals with your college friends. And themed days!!!! Theme days in the Hendrix cafeteria were the best.

On a more serious note, graduating and then moving to Vancouver has given me reason to reflect on my life, specfically the choices I've made and the people I've met. So here goes...

I've been asked why Canada or why creative writing? For me, it's simple. I love to write. I've been writing stories since I was five. It comes naturally and is as much a part of me as say working out is. The only difference is no one really stops to ask me why I workout everyday, sometimes twice a day, but as soon as I mention creative writing suddenly I'm not just a writer, I'm also a hippie, vegetarian, flaming liberal and all these other stereotypes that come with being a "writer." As for why Canada? UBC has a phenomenal program that has been around longer than most of the US programs. Also, most MFA programs require you to choose a genre: poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. UBC requires students to study more than one genre and it offers more genres than "the big 3." I will be studying Children's/YA and nonfiction. I will probably take a fiction course at some point as well. While I understand the benefit of specializing in one genre, in today's market, diversity is crucial. UBC's program reminds me of my liberal arts education. One of the many things I loved about Hendrix was the liberal arts format. Students were required to take one science class, one science class with a lab, a math class, a relgion or philosphy class, a foreign language class--you get the idea. Then, in the last two years of our education, we focused on the courses within our major. I loved that. I know liberal arts isn't for eveyone, but I love being able to study a broad range of subjects, so UBC seemed like the best choice. Also, over 300 students applied. Of those, the applications were narrowed down to approximately 125 and then again to roughly 22 students. I was one of the 22, and I got a scholarship. They loved my Children's/YA writing sample. That's the genre I want start my career in, so why wouldn't I go? That's the real question.

Plus being a writer has its benefits. I will never be an Olympian or a rock star, but I can write about them. Also, I can kill my characters off and not face jail time for it. :)

As for the people I've met, I made wonderful friends at Hendrix. I also met a great group of people a little over a year ago now at Grand Master Han's Martial Arts. I started because I enjoyed self-defense class and wanted an activity I could continue on with after college. (You can't throw shot put forever. However, I fully intend to try master's competitions once I'm 30+) Sometimes what you're looking for and what you find are two totally different things. I found what I was looking for. I also found something I didn't expect: a community. I've been on countless teams over the years, but when a group of girls all of the same age is fighting for starting spots, there often times isn't a sense of community present. So while I was friends with my teammates, I can't say I ever felt the community vibe. Grand Master Han's is different. You walk in and there are at least five people beaming at you as you walk in the door. They're happy you're there. Truly happy.

Martial Arts is a lot like life in some ways. Each person has their own journey, but no one goes it alone.

When I think of the groups I have been involved in over the years, not all groups offer a sense of "community." So what makes a group a community? For me, the "it factor" is a sense of family. The Hendrix community and GMHMA community are like a family to me. Now I realize that not everyone has the same definition of family, nor will every person agree that the two aforementioned groups provide a sense of family and that's fine. Hopefully those people are cherished as part of another community.

A community accepts you as who you are, and they are there for you no matter how far away you go (just like a family). You don't leave a community. I'm no longer in Conway, Arkansas, so yes, technically I've left, but you only really leave a community if you don't take what that community stands for with you (and if you don't take what it stands for with you, chances are it was a group, not a community, because a community shapes the person you are. A community positively impacts the person you've become in a way you cannot leave behind. Communities are positive. They aren't perfect, but they are a positive influence.)

I love that the Hendrix community is open-minded, accepting, and believes that learning can occur outside of the classroom. I've taken that with me. GMHMA also has tenants: the six training principles, plus the motto of never give up. I've taken those with me too. So I will repeat: you don't leave a community; you take it will you. That's the difference between a community and a group. No matter how far away you go, a community is right there with you in spirit. They've shaped the person you are and have impacted you in such a way that transcends the physical distance between you (again, like family or at least my definition of family). Communities grow. Groups don't often survive long distance relationships. Groups may stay in touch, but they go their separate ways. My high school sports teams were a group. The teams still exist. They resurrect each year with a new roster, but they are a group, not a community. We shared common interest, sport, but that's where things stopped. Communities shared a common interest as well as common ideals. You don't have to agree on everything. In addition to being next to impossible to get a large group of people to agree on everything, it would also be boring. Therefore, groups embrace what makes its members similar. Communities embrace the similarities and the differences of its members. After all, we all have our own individual journey. It just so happens that that journey is not one we walk alone.

-Beth

Greetings from Canada...my new home!

I decided to resurrect the blog I started while I was studying abroad in Oxford, England. Why? Because I'm abroad again, and will be for the next couple of years.

In a couple weeks, I will begin my first semester of grad school at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. In January, I will be leave for Durban, South Africa, for a nine month Fulbright English Teaching Assistanship. I'll probably spend a couple months in the States and then will return to Vancouver in 2014 to finish my MFA.

Here's a few observations of Vancouver so far:

1. The people are incredibly friendly. In the States, we talk about Southern hospitality, but that same friendliness exists here too.

2. The labels on the food are in French and English. The French part of Canada is in the east, think the Quebec area and the parts of Canada closest to Maine, but since French is one of the official languages, it is used quite regularly. As someone who has studied French since the eighth grade but has had little time to speak it because Spanish is the popular second language in the south, I love it. I started reading some of the French labels and my brain automatically translated it. It took me a minute to realize I was reading French. Glad to know all those studies have paid off.

3. There are smart cars all around the city called Cars2Go. My landlord said that people can pay a small fee and use an app on their phone to locate the nearest car. These cars can park anywhere. It's a cool idea. I suppose the only downside is that if you park in a very public area, someone could take the car since I don't think they can be reserved, but don't quote me on that.

4. There is public transportation. More importantly, I know which buses I need to take without getting lost. Those who know me best will confirm that I have no sense of direction, so this truly is an accomplishment.

5. It's be over 90 degrees here some days or 30 celsius for the locals.

6. I have beautiful view of the mountains everywhere I go and there is a beautiful beach pretty close to my house.

7. I live in a diverse part of the city and love it. There are so many cultures present in this part of town and everyone seems to get along pretty well. Imagine that.

8. There is a channel here called CTV. It has American shows from a variety of networks, including Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Big Bang Theory (which I watched for the first time last week and loved) and the Listener, which is a pretty good Canadian show about a telepathic EMT who helps the police. CTV also had outstanding coverage of the Olympics. They showed footage of all the sports, even synchronized swimming and rythmic gymnastics, both of which were surprisingly impressive to watch.

More posts to come in the next couple days, maybe even as early as tonight, so check back soon and if you haven't already, sign up to follow my blog.

-Beth

Travel Woes? Try Travel Nightmares.

Again, sorry it has been so long since I last posted something, but in my defense, I've spent my fair share of time stranded in various European airports.

I spent 3 days in Lausanne, Switzerland visting a fellow Hendrix student who is studying abroad there. It was really interesting to see how other study abroad students live. I had a wonderful time thanks to Heather's wonderful hopsitaility. She seems to really be enjoying her experience in Lausanne and I could see why. It's a pretty area with lots of really nice people.

We went to a Christmas Market in Montreux. Heather got to see her Freddie Mercury statue. I think that made her day. I got to drink warm apple cider. That made my day. It's my favorite holiday drink and I couldn't seem to find any in England. There were lots of booths with handmade crafts. It was a really cool experience.

Also while in Lausanne, I went to the Olympic Museum. Lausanne is the Olympic captial of the world and they have a fantastic museum that tells of the history of the Olympic Games. Seriously, I felt like a kid in a candy store. They had exhibits of each sport, plus a timeline of the games. There was also an interactive exhibit where you could test your fitness and see what sport you'd be best at. I didn't actually do the test. I wasn't dressed for it; plus there were a bunch of school students doing it, but based on the brochure and the info within the exhibit, I think it would have told be I would make a good hammer or shot put thrower, or a good weight lifter. Big surprise there. The museum was really cool, so if you're ever in Lausanne, I'd recommend going, even if you're not a sports nut like me.

I took a bus tour of Geneva and got to see the United Nations as well as several of other international buildings. Geneva was nice and there is plenty to see, but I have to say, I think I like Lausanne better.

So before I get to the travel nightmares I experienced as indicated in the subject line of this post. I have some catching up to do from my last entry. I admit I rushed a bit and left some things out.

First of all, I believe I mentioned in my last post that I won the SESSA meet, which seals what I like to call the Beth/Katherine connection. (The following explanation is true, but is not meant to be taken too seriously. I'm not that supersticious.) So, in my first meet I won 2 golds and a silver (in theory, we didn't actually get medals until SESSA.) If I'm not mistaken, Katherine Reutter, a short track speed skater and one of my favortie athletes (I met her back in 2008 and she was super nice) also won 2 golds and a silver at world cup 1. At my next meet, I had 2 second place finishes and a third place finish, so did Katherine. She won a gold at world cup 3, and I won gold at SESSA. Pretty cool, huh? Okay, I'll be the first one to admit that it is probably one big coincidence, but she just one her 4th national championships, so I hope the pattern continues.

Other cool facts...

According to the little TV screen on my IcelandAir flight, over half the population of Iceland believes in elves. My tour guide on my glacier tour read us an Icelandic fable explaining the origin of elves. According to Icelandic tradition, Eve had more children than Cain and Abel. God wanted to see them one day, but only Cain and Abel were clean. The other children were muddy, so Eve hid them because she was ashamed. God knew that she hid them, so He made them invisible. Those children are elves. They cannot be seen by people unless they want to be. I thought it was an interesting fable.

The other cool fact I learned is that the Prime Minister of Iceland is listed in the phonebook.

Iceland is incredibly beautiful in both the winter and the summer. If you ever have the chance to go, take it. While I was there, there was only six hours of daylight and in the summer, the sun shines all day, even at midnight, hence the term midnight sun. It rained both nights while I was there, so I didn't have a chance to see the Northen Lights. You need a clear night for that, but I can't say it enough. Iceland is a great place to visit.

Now back to the travel nightmares...

My flight out of Geneva was canceled. I so could have made an earlier flight to Stockholm, but the guy at the ticket counter told me I wouldn't make it through security in time. For whatever reason, the depatrue of that plane was delayed, so I wish he would have let me try to make it. Instead I had to wait in line for two hours to rebook my flight. During that time, most of my viable options to get to Stockholm had already departed, so I was re-booked on standby for a flight Copenhagen that night and then another stand by flight to Stockholm at midnight. The first flight was delayed and since I was on standby anyway, I opted to be put on a flight the next day. SAS, the airline I was flying with, put me up in a hotel and bumped me up to business class on my flight out the next afternoon. I landed at about 3:30. It was already dark, so my 2 days in Stockholm turned into one night. Oh well, I bought plenty of souvenirs though and I'm sure I'll make it back someday. I was just thankful to be reunited with my luggage. Even though I was assured my luggage would be waiting for me downstairs when I booked my hotel, it wasn't. I went back to the airport early the next morning and it wasn't there. That was scary. Turns out it had been over-nighted to Stockholm. So many flights were canceled that day it was crazy and bags were everywhere. Stacked up on trolleys in both Geneva and Stockholm waiting to be claimed.

My flight the next day back to England was cancelled. Heathrow was completely shut down due to the snow. I was supposed to fly to Heathrow, then fly out of Gatwick the next day so I could go home. That was not going to happen. The problem was England wasn't the only place affected by the snow. Paris CDG had many cancellations, so did Amsterdam, and Frankfort. Translation, if I couldn't leave Europe, I couldn't get home. The line to rebook would take about 4 hours. Any possible flights going straight to the US were full and chances were that all other options would either leave before I got to the front of the line or would be full by the time I could be rebooked. What's a girl stranded in the Stockholm airport to do? Call home...at like 2 a.m. US central time. At that pont, I was tired. I could have stayed an extra day in Stockholm and actually get to see it, but let's face it, when you've spent as much time in airports as I did during those last few days, all you want is to get home.

I swear, for the first couple nights after I got home, I woke up and it took me a minute to figure where I was. I guess that happens when you spend one night in Geneva, the next in Stockholm, and the third in Lisbon, yes Lisbon, we'll get to that in a second. Anyway, it took me a minute to realize I was in Arkansas those first couple mornings.

So Lisbon, Portugal. I hear it's nice, but I really can't say. The five minute ride from the airport to the hotel at 11 p.m. was nice, as was the five minute ride from the hotel to the airport at 8 a.m. the next morning. That was the extent of my stay in Lisbon.

Getting to Lisbon proved a bit more difficult than I had imagined. I thought I was in the clear once I found a flight that would eventually get me to Little Rock, but I was wrong. The travel nightmare still had one last trick up its sleeve. The flight was delayed out of Stockholm. It was supposed to depart at 3:15. We didn't begin boarding until 3:30. Not so bad, right? Yeah, that what I thought and then we were told the plane had a mechanical problem and it would take 20 minutes to fix. Twenty minutes later, the problem would take another 45 minutes to fix and once those 45 minutes were up, well it would be another 45 more. Sometime during the wait, they served us dinner. We didn't depart until after 7. Yeah, the 4 hour flight from Stockholm to Lisbon, plus the 3 hour wait ON THE PLANE... the flight to America takes about 8 hours, which is what I've have to do the next day.

Anyway, I'm home now. I got in around 11 p.m. on the 20th. Just in time for the holidays.

Speaking of the holidays, Merry Chirstmas everyone. Enjoy it!

If only the British Isles were tropical...

I can only think of a few things that would make Oxford better and right now tropical weather has moved up to number one on the list. It's been about 50 degrees all week, which the Connecticut native in me says is really not that cold, but when you've lived in a place that gets to be 100 plus degrees in the summer, anything less than 60 seems like you're in the Arctic. Worse yet is the realization that it will only get colder. Nevertheless, I still plan to travel to the various Scandinavian capital cities after terms ends. Under Armour should do the trick.

The other thing that would make Oxford better would be if they actually sold long sleeve t-shirts that said Oxford on them. You can buy Oxford tees or sweatshirts, but no long sleeve shirts. I've only seen one so far and it was ugly. I really want a long sleeve t-shirt though because, as anyone who has seen the inside of my closet can attest to, I have plenty of t-shirts and hoodies, but very few long sleeve shirts. I asked one of my teammates here about it and her response was that people don't wear them here, which is why she stocked up on them the last time she visited the States. If I can't find one soon, I guess I'll go back and buy the ugly one. Maybe it will keep me warm when I go to Sweden.

It's been a pretty full week this week. I had my first French tutorial on Friday night. Basically every Friday night for the rest of term while most people my age are getting ready to go to the pub or go clubbing, I'll be walking to French class. It went well. My essay was well recieved, so on the way home I treated myself to a "Texican Sweet Chili Wrap" from Burger King. Yes, you read that correctly "Texican." I'm not sure whether or not that is the British term for Tex-Mex, but it sounds kind of catchy and it tasted really good.

I went to Robert Muchamore's presentation at the Cheltenham Literary Fesitval on Saturday. I've never actually been to a literary festival before, but it was a really fun atmosphere and I'd love to be invited to speak at one someday. For those who don't know, Robert Muchamore is a famous British YA author. His Cherub series is incredibly popular with teen boys. I think the part of his speech I enjoyed the most was that he saw a need--books that would appeal to teen boys--and he tried to fill it. Though I have not yet reached his level of fame, I understand the senitment. He explained that he once offered to buy his nephew a book and his nephew informed him that there were no good books out there. In an attempt to prove his nephew wrong, they went to the bookstore, but as it turned out, all the books were either for a younger audience, for girls, or fantasy based. This inspired the creation of the Cherub series, which to put it very simply is about orphan spies. I can kind of relate to this because growing up I always wrote books that I thought kids like me would want to read. I was bored with what was out there, so I wrote my own stories. I think that's why Picking up the Pieces is so special to me. I was a sporty girl growing up and there really weren't any books about sporty girls. It seemed like all YA sports fiction was for boys, so I'm my own way, I saw a need and tried to fill it.

No other major plans for the week ahead. The Cuppers track meet is next Sunday. Hopefully everything will go smoothly with that. I also really want to go to the movie theater this week to see Life As We Now It. It's funny because some of the movies come out here the same week they do in America, like Life As We Know It, but others are a couple months behind. I'm pretty sure Dispicable Me premiered here sometime within the past couple weeks here and I'm pretty sure it came out a couple months ago in the States.

Also, if anyone wants a glimpse of British television, I'd recommend 8 out of 10 Cats. Karina and I first watched it at the B&B last weekend in Scotland and it was really funny. We looked it up on Youtube tonight and watched some more episodes. It's hard to explain the premise because I can't think of any American shows like it other than the The Soup or Chelsea Lately, but even those don't fit it exactly. It's a late night program with two teams, the captains are the same each episode, but the other panel members are guests and change each time. They basically guess the most talked about topics in the UK for that week, but the commentary is usually pretty funny. I think Jay Leno would make a good guest.

I think that's about it for now. I'll check back in later in the week. Thanks for reading.

Cheers!

I went to Hogwarts today!

Tonight our group went to see a production of T.S. Eliot's play "Murder in the Cathedral". It was quite good. Not to give anything away, but the play itself is about the murder of Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury and is meant to be authentic to the time. However, there's a twist at the end. The knights who killed the Archbishop come out in modern-day suits and plead their case to the audience that it was not murder, but rather suicide, because Beckett let them in--a comedic twist to an otherwise very serious play. As I'm sure you can imagine, watching "Murder in the Cathedral" in an actual cathedral was very impressive. The architecture of Christ Church is simply astounding, and for all you Harry Potter fans, Christ Church was the original filming location for the Hogwarts scenes, but they later moved it, as it was imposing on the learning process for the Christ Church University students. Long story short, I went to Hogwarts tonight and the creepy part about it was that as we were walking to the play there was an ambulance pulled up by the curb and quite an extensive blood trail on the sidewalk. We're still not sure what happened. No one appeared to be badly hurt, but it certainly set the tone for the play.

I had my meeting with my creative writing tutor and we agreed that I should continue work on my ghost story piece. I've had the idea for a long time and had some inspiration about make a unique narrative style while here. I'm not sure when I will finish it, but I'm glad to start putting pen to paper, well, okay, fingers to keys. Same difference. The idea I mentioned having in my last post was to write a nonfiction piece centered around my brother Danny, who is autistic. I still intend to write this piece, but in order to give it its due diligence, I need to finish two YA fiction pieces I've started, one of them being the ghost story piece. (It's not a scary story, but there is a ghost, and a murder, oh yeah and cheerleading.)

Other exciting news on the writing front is that my short story "Far From Home" is now available on Amazon Kindle UK. In order to have it sold in the UK Kindle store, I had to raise the price a tad, but it is still reasonable. If you have a kindle or kindle for PC, check it out. I wrote orginally wrote it junior year of high school and it probably remains one of my best works.

I had two track practices this week. I had to miss tonight's because of the play. I've been able to keep up well, but as far as I can tell I'm the only female "fresher" thrower. We haven't really started specific throwing drills yet. I've mostly been with the runners and jumpers, but I'm looking forward to getting back in the circle. My first meet will be Sunday October 24th. This meet is Oxford only and is open to all Oxford students, I believe. The meet on November 7th is Oxford freshers versus Cambridge freshers. In order to compete in that one you must be selected by the captain.

Well that's all for now. I intend to post again on Sunday after I have time to recover from the literary festival I'm going to on Saturday. There's also plans in the works for me to try Indian food for the first time. I had my first Thai food experience a couple weeks ago and loved it.

No cool new British phrases to report other than while walking to the track a man rode past me on a bicycle (with a beer can in his hand) and as he passed he yelled "You're all spies." On the same day, also on the way to track practice, I saw a very small dog carrying a very large tree branch in its mouth. The branch took up nearly the whole sidewalk. So as there are really no new phrases to report, I'll stick to my usual...

CHEERS :)

There's a shot put thrower on this box of "Porage" and he's wearing a kilt!

I'll start by explaining the title of this post. For those who don't know, I have thrown shot put competitively since freshman year of high school. It's not exactly a common sport. They make keychains and stickers for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, even bowling, but never shot put, not even track and field really, so needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to find a box of "Scotts Porage Oats" with a picture of a guy throwing a shot put and oh yeah, by the way, since it was it Scotland, he was wearing a kilt. (At least his kilt covered more than my Hendrix throwing shorts do, but that's another story, let's just say under armour leggings are a throwers best friend.)

Sorry, it's been awhile since I posted last. There are two reasons for this, the first being that my computer inexplicably lost internet connection for over 24 hours (painful experience, but I survived thanks to my iphone. Oh technology.) The second reason I couldn't update was because I was busy spending two days circling the Edinburgh Castle.

Karina and I took a train to Edinburgh on Friday morning. It was about six hours total, so we got there by mid-afternoon, and after a rather scenic tour of the heart of Edinburgh, we found our bed and breakfast. (For those of you who know me and see the word scenic, I know what you're thinking, but I swear I was not the one leading the way.) We were there only a short time, but had loads of fun before returning to Oxford on Saturday night.

We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast called the Armadillo House. I actually had a traditional Scottish breakfast on Saturday morning...no, not haggus; it was baked beans on toast. Definitely an interesting start to my day. Don't get me wrong, it tasted fine. It was just a little unique being that it was a slice of toast with beans poured on top. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it because I'm pretty sure they were the same type of  beans we serve at the daycare where I work. They're kind of orange looking, not the kind you bring to a BBQ :)

As for the Travel Woes and Travel Pros, well I'll start with the Pros, because I can't think of any major woes at the moment. That's how good Scotland was, I guess.

Travel Pros:

1. Edinburgh Castle: the funny thing about having a giant castle on top of a very large hill is that you can see it from all over town. If you're a poor college student, this is great because you don't have to pay for a tour. You also don't have to walk up the giant hill to get to the castle. Regular Edinburgh was hilly enough. I'm pretty sure Karina and I walked around town enough that we saw every angle of the castle at least twice. Not only that, but we saw it at day and night. See Edinburgh Castle? Mission accomplished.

2. Cemeteries that lead to playgrounds that lead to long conversations with Scottish middle schoolers: now that's something you can't get on a paid tour. I should probably explain. In hopes to see the castle, we started walking around town. We came across this 1800s cemetery and being Beth and Karina, we decided to poke around inside with little to no hesitation. I'm pretty sure the conversation went something like this. "Oh look, a cemetery. Let's go in." "Okay." Anyway, they graves were obviously very old, most were covered in moss. There was a church in the middle, St. Cuthbert's, I believe. Yeah, we got a kick out of the name. As it turns out, if you walk around the church, you will find a small, but very fun playground and if you look up, you'll see the castle. Yes, you read that correctly, the two college-aged American tourists found Edinburgh Castle by deciding to explore the native playground equipment. It was about six at night, so the playground was relatively empty. Karina and I started playing on this spinning jungle gym thing and ended up meeting 3 thirteen-year-old boys, who had lots of questions about America, like do you really call it a trash can, do you really call them diapers, and have you ever said, dude, put that diaper in the trash can? They loved hearing about life in the States and all the different words we have for things.

3. Scottish Clotted Cream Fudge: DELICIOUS!

4. Kilts, bagpipes,  and mountainous green pastures with more cows and sheep than I'd ever care to keep track of.

5. Irn Bru: It's this brand of soda made only in Scotland and the recipe has apparently been a secret for the past 100 years. It's orange in color and tastes a bit like orange soda with a hint of bubble gum. It's really good, so if you're ever in Scotland buy a bottle. Better yet buy Irn Bru and clotted cream fudge.

While in Edinburgh, we saw The Elephant House, which is where J.K. Rowling wrote part of Harry Potter. We also saw lots of guys in kilts and a little girl playing the bagpipes. If you want to hear some cool bagpipe music, look up the Red Hot Chilli Pipers on itunes. They cover songs like Eye of the Tiger, only with bagpipes. All the souvenir shops had RHCP music playing and it was really sort of catchy.

The train ride itself was pretty cool. I'd never been on a real train before. It's actually quite an effective mode of travel. We spent the first part of our journey in the Quiet Zone car, not by choice, we were just really eager to get on the train and we just so happened to end up in the car where you can't talk at all. I got a good deal of reading done, but it's funny how not being able to talk, even if you have nothing important to say, is an oppressive experience.

In other news...

I think I have an idea for what I want to write for my project for the Creative Writing tutorial. I have my second meeting tomorrow, so once I get the okay for the idea, I'll post more. Let's just say it is something I've wanted to do for a long time and it's nonfiction, not my usual genre.

I turned in my Shakespeare and Sport essay. (I was actually the first one out of the 18 students to turn it in.)

I met my French tutor, the one who speaks 27 languages. For my first essay, I have to read Trois Contes by Flaubert and write an essay about how the author incorpoates religion, exoticism, and morality. The stories are very interesting so far. The main difference I have noticed though is that the textbooks we use back home have footnotes that translate some of the rarer words and this text is in the original French without footnotes, which makes reading it a bit more of a challenge. I am scheduled to present my first essay to her on Friday, so I will keep everyone posted on how it goes.

I joined a creative writing society called The Failed Novelists. We had the first meeting today and I really enjoyed listening to some of the pieces that were presented. I think I will read something of mine next week. The meeting was done in workshop style, namely one person reads something and the other people in the room offer feedback. We do this at Hendrix, so it's nothing new to me, however, I think I fit in better with this crowd than I do with the creative writing community at Hendrix. Some of the writers who presented today were very talented, but the refreshing thing about it was they didn't really realize how good they were. I'm a big fan of humility and so often these types of writers' workshops are filled with college co-eds trying to be edgy. That's not really my style, so I was pleased to find that this group was so welcoming and relaxed. There was no pressure to read anything, or even talk, if you didn't want to, and yet it was one of the most productive writers' workshops I've been to. I'm not sure how I feel about the title Failed Novelists though, but I suppose that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

I start track practices this week (I think...still a little vague on the details.) I'll keep everyone posted on that as well. Right now it looks like my first meet will be October 24th. It's a freshers meet against Cambridge, so basically freshmen and people like me who are new to the club, get to compete. I'm personally really excited to be part of an Oxford versus Cambridge endeavor. Now if I could only win an event...don't want to jinx myself, but if I did, even if there are only two or three other people in the event, dare I say I'll make a t-shirt to commenorate my achievement.

Next Saturday, I'm planning on taking the train to the Cheltenham Literary Festival. There's a British YA author named Robert Muchamore who will be giving a reading and it's his last one this fall, so I figured I might as well go. The only down side is that it will mean taking a very early morning train. I read the first book in his Cherub series a few years ago, so I'm really looking forward to hearing what he has to say. Who knows maybe I'll even get an autograph.

Well, that's all for now. I anticipate posting again next Sunday, so please check back in. By then I should have had track practice, my first French tutorial, and hopefully will have met one of my favorite authors, so there should be plenty to blog about. As always, if you a not an official follower yet please click the little box on the upper right side of the screen that says "follow." I'd really love some more followers and I promise you won't be bombarded with emails or anything annoying like that.

Adventures Abroad: Spanish Edition

Last year, during my sophomore year at Hendrix, I had the privledge of becoming friends with a foreign exchange student named Ana. We've only known each other a year, but sometimes it feels like a lifetime, as she has become one of my dearest friends. Ana is not only one of the most genuine people I know, but she is also a selfless friend, who is truly happy for me (sometimes even happier than I am) when I accomplish something. Unfortunately, that trait is a bit of a rarity these days, so I really cherish her friendship.

Anyway, Ana was gracious enough to invite me live with her for a week before I had to move into my apartment in Oxford. Spain. Sounds fun right? Oh it was. Let me tell you Galecia is beautiful. I'm talking beaches everywhere, exercise machines along the boardwalk, which for me was as much of a tourist attraction as anything else and amazing shellfish. Okay, so I didn't actually eat any of the fish while there, but I was repeatedly told how amazing it was. The only down side? I don't speak Spanish. Unless you count the numbers and colors I learned when I was six years old and the conversational phrases I learned in the seventh grade that is. On the plus side, Ana was an amazing translator, her dad was a wonderful tour guide, and my background in French allowed me to understand the gist of what was being said. The only problem was I couldn't say anything back and anything I did try to say sounded more like I was from Latin America rather than Spain.

I visited some truly beautiful places and one of the things that struck me the most was how much everybody walked over there. I know as a tourist walking is pretty common, but how many Americans do you know that walk to the grocery store? In her area, people rely less on cars and more on their own two feet. Even the elderly were out every morning getting their fresh bread and fruit. It was really nice to see.

**A Note to my Readers: for the past month or so, I've been on this "healthy living kick" if you will, so most of my observations of Spain were about activity level and nutrition. Sorry if that bores you, but it also brings me to my next point: Food.

As I already mentioned, that particular area is known for its fish. As my mother will tell you, I'm not a fish person. Actually, my mother will tell you that I'm a picky eater, but this is not true. I hardly discriminate when it comes to carbs and sweets. I love them all :) Anyway, I passed up the opportunity to eat octopus and other rare nautical treasures that most tourists probably flock to. Oh well, someone else can blog about that. I will say though the portion sizes and meals times are a little different in most of Europe. For example, lunch is the main meal of the day and is eaten around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Dinner portions are much lighter than in America and dinner happens around 8 at night, sometimes later. Regardless of the meal, the portion sizes are smaller and generally speaking, much healthier. This is not exactly new news, but I'm pretty sure if Oreos in the US were packaged the way they are in Spain, there would be an uprising. Oreos don't come in a case with 3 giant rows here. Instead they come in a rather small box which contains maybe six packs of 4 cookies. This helps immensely with portion control. I'm remind of the night before I left for Spain. I visited a certian teammate of my who I swear ate an entire row of Oreos in one sitting. Don't worry. She ran 6 miles that morning so it all evened out, but still, the point is, in Europe eating a whole row of Oreos by yourself just doesn't happen.

In the past few years, there has been a trend of 100 Calorie packs in the U.S., and I must admit I jumped on that bandwagon a long time ago. For those of you who are also on said bandwagon, you can probably relate to my sentiments that a tiny bag of 100 calories worth of our favorite snacks somehow doesn't always satisfy. Well my friends, in Spain it does. Everything from the cookies to the ice cream bars have less calories than in America, but still taste great.

My favorite Spanish recipe was "tortilla y potatas." I'll have to double check with Ana on the exact name and spelling, but basically it is a combination of eggs and potatoes. Onions are optional, but in my case prefered. As I learned during one of Ana's and my many conversations about language, in her region tortilla generally refers to "eggs" as opposed to the thin, round, bread-like wraps we use to make tacos, quesadillas and such. The "sopa" or soup was also really good. It was kind of like chicken noodle soup only minus the chicken and the big noodles. Okay, so it was like chicken broth only a million times healthier. It is bascially prepared with water, carrots, this weird vegetable I had never seen that looked like celery, but tastes more like an onion, a little teeny bit of salt, and a bit of chicken and a bit of beef. The chicken and beef were more like "scraps." Not stuff people would actually eat. They are just meant to add flavor. The end result: a tasty broth. Just add itty bitty round noodles and you've got yourself an authentic Spanish dish. (Based on my explanation of these recipes, somehow I don't think Rachel Ray will be asking me to be a guest on her show, not for cooking anyway.)

In continuation with the food theme, I would like to officially note that Europe and the UK have not yet been introduced to the love of my life since the 2nd grade...MOUNTAIN DEW. (Don't worry I'm surviving on coca-cola.)

This brings me to my next bit which I have dubbed the "Pros and Woes of Traveling." I intend to update this as much as possible with each country I visit and each amusing, frustrating, or otherwise noteworthy experience I have while abroad.

Okay so here goes...

The Pros:

1. I owe a big "Muchos Gracias" to Ana's dad who not only cooked for me each day, but also treated me to serveral wonderful restuarants during my stay. He was truly hospitable, making sure I had a complete and wonderful experience. Thanks to his generosity, I didn't spend a single euro while in Spain.

2. The beaches: Need I say more? On our last night, Ana and I went for one final walk along one of the beaches by her houses. This "adventure" of ours ending up with me doing cartwheels along the beach and Ana channeling her inner paparrazzi.

3. Ana's house: Her house was amazing. When it's time for me to buy a place of my own, someone please remind me I want lots of ceiling to floor bookcases and an L-shaped desk.

4. I learned that I really need to learn Spanish. (Once I have completed my French studies of course.)

5. American style of teaching foreign languages: While in walking around in the town where Ana's dad teaches, we met one of his students. He must have been about 13 or 14 years old, which according to Ana means that he has been learning English in school for about 6 years. When told I was American, he could barely remember the word hello. My mom would say it was because he was captivated by my beauty and I will say that blonde hair and blue eyes are rare in Spain, but Ana had a different theory. In Spain, while they start learning English well before most American students begin learning a second language, usually Spanish, but in my case French, the emphasis is on grammar not vocabulary. Most Spanish kids find conguagating English verbs very boring and never really grasp the conversation skills. In America, or at least in my experience, the emphasis is on vocabulary and key phrases. I only took a month worth of Spanish in the seventh grade, but I knew more conversational phrases in Spanish than this kid did in English and he has much more experience with English than I do with Spanish. So props to my foreign language teachers, because even though there has been much debate about the American education system, especially in comparison to other countries, at least we seem to have the right approach to teaching foreign languages. Ana and her Dad agreed the American appraoch seemed to be much more effective and I will say this, even though all the people I came across were very friendly, I only met 2 people other than Ana who could speak English. One was her sister and the other was an English teacher at the high school. While this reaffirmed to me that I need to learn Spanish someday, it also proved Ana's point, that the "vocabulary emphasis" is a better approach. All in all, let's just say that the blonde haired, blued-eyed, English speaking girl got a lot of stares and curious looks.

6. Customs: I have always dreaded customs. Do you declare it? Do you not? Will the person be friendly? Even coming back to the US, you know the country of which I am a CITIZEN, is not a breeze. (The customs officers in JFK are not very friendly...) You want to know what is a breeze? European customs. In both England and Portugal, I just had to hand them my passport, tell them wear I was going and how long I'd be there and I was sent along my merry way. I didn't have to fill out a million and a half forms, or try to fit my giant suitcases on conveyor belt so they could be scanned so the airport staff to get a good look at my undergarments and prove that I was not in fact carrying a bomb. Nope. It was a breeze.

The Woes:

1. Airport security: As anyone who has flown within the past couple years knows, liquids are limited to 3 oz. Well I wear contacts, and my brand of contact solution is sold in 2 travel sizes: 2 oz. and 4 oz. Both bottles say TSA approved Carry-on Size on the packaging. Naturally, I purchased the larger one. Better value (or so I thought.) Here's the thing. Even though I had not opened the box let alone the bottle itself, and even though it said Carry-on Size, I was informed that my bottle had 118 mL and the limit was 100 mL. And so it was taken away at Gatwick. (Got through Little Rock without a problem.) I told Ana about this and she joked that I should have just left it in my bag and they might not have even noticed it.

2. You don't always benefit from showing up early. My flight from LR to Gatwick got in at 7 a.m. and no, I did not sleep on the plane. (I did however watch The Karate Kid and Letters to Juliet, both of which were good.) My flight to Portugal didn't leave until nearly 5 p.m. I had two large suitcases, a backpack and a purse. As you can imagine it was a lot to drag around, especially when I found out that the airline I was flying with's counter did not open until 10 a.m. So I could not check my bags for 3 hours. Not fun. Life got a little easier once I got myself a "trolley" or cart for my suitcases, but let's just say, I had never been so happy to check my bags in my life. Once I got through security and had my contact solution taken away, I had to wait in the departure area until my plane left. The only problem was that they don't post gates until about an hour before depature, or in the case of my flight, half an hour before take off. So basically I had to hang out in the departure area for what felt like an eternity. It's a lot like a mall so it wasn't all bad, but still, lesson learned being too early, isn't always what it is cracked up to be, especially since I experienced the same thing on my way from Portugal back to England. We got there in plenty of time. I went through security and passport control only to find that the doors to gate 12 were not open and would not open until 45 minutes later.

Well, that's all for Adventures Abroad: Spanish Edition. I am still new to blogging so bear with me. I will try to figure out if I can add pictures of the places I visited and will update about my Oxford experiences shortly.

As they say here in England...Cheers!