Now That It's Long Over

Okay, so it hasn't been that long since I've been in England, but I've been having some serious withdrawals these past couple of days. It seems weird to be back yet at the same time it feels nice. I've been looking at pictures that friends took and I cannot help but smile and laugh when I see these pictures because it reminds me of what happened exactly that night even though the picture may not capture it. So I decided to dedicate a post to pictures that my friends took. I just wanted to share a couple and provide more background story to it. Enjoy!

I was not aware that Jen took this picture of me while we were at Stonehenge. I don't know if I was taking picture of the stones or of sheep. There was a moment when Jen and I were tired of staring at the stones and tried capturing the sheeps on our camera instead! The sheep caused me to purchase a black stuffed animal sheep at the giftshop prior to departure..

I love this picture that Jen took of me trying the ever so popular "jump shot" under the Eiffel Tower. We had to use Jen's camera because it was faster and honestly better.

This picture cracks me up. I have no idea why we all look so proper. It kinda reminds me of a family portrait except that the viewer has no clue that this bench is located near the famous Abbey Road.

Another one of Jen's captures. Here, I was announcing and pointing out to my group about my recent gigantic bug bite. The ever elusive Jen snapped this while I was complaining.

I believe I stole this from Jesse. He's the fellow who's face is located on the far left of the picture. I think he was trying to take a group shot of us dancing in a club in Liverpool, but it kind of ended up being just a candid of me. You can see the white stain on my shirt from the toothpaste earlier that night. Since I didn't pack an extra shirt, I just had to suck it up and head out with a stain on my shirt.

I love this picture because it reminds me of all the nights we went into town to check out the different pubs and clubs that Brighton had to offer and believe me there were many! This picture in particular perfectly captures how we felt every time we returned home. Stella and I were forcing smiles here because we were tired and Tyler and being extremely annoying that night. I'm not going to go into detail about Tyler's childish ways, but just take my word for it.

This was taken at the pub called the Office (yes like the British television sitcom). The reason for our pouts is because we all were victims of Asian glow that night (damn you wine!).

This photo always trips me out. This is from Gaby's camera and she wanted to take a picture of the three of us while we were in this box in the Eurotunnel. I have no idea why the picture came out this way, but it does give the impression that we are indeed moving even though I personally could not feel it. Oh Amsterdam, good times.

This picture is so cheesy and I love it! The most awful part of it all is that we planned this and Jesse or Ram timed their camera! Haha!

This is from my one of my last nights in Brighton. This was taken after everyone's last day of class and I think everyone went out that night. Stella and I look like a couple haha, but her other half must have taken this picture. I think we were sitting because I was too tired and lazy to stand up. Andrew is the fool with the peace sign.

I miss these girls already! I hung out with these girls a lot. I managed to take a picture of all of us on my bed. We were all in my room before heading off into the night. One of my best nights and sadly my last in Brighton. Clubbing was fun and interesting. It was great to say goodbye to all the people I met and just see people go crazy. It has truly been an unforgettable summer and I miss everyone!

The Top 10 Things I Admire About the Brits and Their Culture

I'm putting off writing my paper to compile this Top 10 list. It's a terrible thing to do I know, but at least I'm keeping my creative juices flowing, right? No? Yeah, it was worth a shot. Anyway, I've been residing in jolly England, more specifically Brighton, for the past two months and I think I've got quit a handle on the city and the country. For past eight weeks I've explored London (quite a few times actually), Portsmouth, Liverpool, Manchester (kinda), Oxford, Cambridge, Windsor, Greenwich, and of course Brighton. I like to think that that's quite an impressive list of cities, but there is still so much more of England that I haven't explored and don't even get me started on Scotland or Ireland. Some time in the future perhaps, but I digress.

So I had the ingenious idea of creating a Top 10 list à la Dave Letterman, but not as funny (perhaps not even funny at all) and it is not prefaced with Paul Schaffer and the band. England has made quite an impression on me, most of it is good and I just wanted to share with you the top ten things that I admire most about the British and their culture.

10. Their yogurt
My housemates Jen and Gaby eat this all the time and one day I was curious enough to try this yogurt that they incorporated into their diets. Our first few days in England, I could have sworn that was all Gaby ate and nothing else! Müller yogurt is absolutely delicious and they are packaged in a cute fashion. One corner consists of the yogurt (banana, vanilla, strawberry, etc.) and the smaller right corner contains it's mix-in. At this moment, I am snacking on the Crunch Corner strawberry shortcake flavor, which has strawberry yogurt coupled with a white chocolate covered shortcake biscuit balls.

09. Their efficient public transportation

Yes, England does use double decker buses and they are not only limited to London. My main mode of transportation in Brighton is the double decker bus and I love riding in it. Sure, paying 3 pounds can get costly after a while, but when that's the only way to get into town, you find yourself complaining less and less. Another thing I would like to add about the buses is the electronic signs located at each bus stop that tells you approximately how long it will take for your bus to arrive. Wonderful, isn't it? I have also developed a love for trains. Trains are a novelty in America and it's a shame that the train system is dying. I would also like to praise the Tube (the city's underground railway system) in London.

08. Their love for bicycles

I couldn't include their use of bicycles in number 9 because well it isn't a mode of public transportation. Although I guess one could argue that tandem bicycles can be considered public transportation. Bicycles are everywhere here in England as well as Europe. People of all ages, shapes and sizes travel around the city with their bicycles. It has inspired me to buy a new bike (because the one I have previously owned is about 10 years old)!

07. They don't give a flying f@#k about the rain

When I first arrived in England and the following two weeks after that, it poured. After I got over my grumpiness and just accepted the fact that I had to carry my umbrella around everywhere (and grateful that I had brought my beloved umbrella in the first place) I realized that this is just a taste of what the British go through. Being a native Californian and more specifically a Southern Californian, we are natural enormous cry babies when it comes to precipitation. Californians are extremely spoiled with our perpetual sunshine and sandy beaches and it gave me a new perspective on weather and rain. Unlike Southern Californians, the British go on about their day as if the raindrops weren't as large as bowling balls! They don't even use umbrellas at time! That's what makes them tough I guess and I admire them greatly for it.

06. Their beer

I've never been much of a drinker, let alone a beer drinker, but I must say that the British adore their beer. Pubs are essentially open all day long and the on-campus pub has turned me on to their beer. Personally, I took a liking to Strongbow, but overall my likeness to beer developed from "Eh, beer" to "I'll have another pint please!"

05. Their eco-friendly methods

The Brits sure do like to recycle! Back in Los Angeles, I wouldn't bother separating the glass bottles from the plastic bottles because I knew the homeless people would do it for me. Jokes aside, I have been more conscious about recycling. In addition to the recycling bins located outside of our house, the on-campus grocery store charges customers for their plastic bags, which forces people to recycle their plastic bags or to use a canvas bag. I was a bit annoyed at first, but soon realized the brilliance behind it.

04. Topshop

I feel a tad bit shallow for including Topshop in my top 5, but I'd be in denial if I placed in anywhere else. I didn't do much clothes shopping here because the conversion of American dollars to English pounds is absurd and I spent most of my spending money on transportation to trips, food, and honestly booze. When I did decide to go shopping, Topshop was a must.

03. Pasties

One of the first things I tried in Brighton besides RFC (which is a bit embarassing to admit) was a West Cornwall Pasty (yes, it has a website, most wonderful things do!). Damn, they are so good. I think I may make it my last meal before heading back to America.

02. Their parks

You may recall my London weekend trip which consisted of me visiting a few of the Royal parks. If there's one thing the British know how to do, that is to create a gorgeous park. They are large as they are stunning. Many of the parks stretch on for miles, complete with beautiful flowers and sculptures. Every park I've come across as well as wannabe parks (i.e., basically a turf of grass) there is always a group of people enjoying a picnic, playing soccer, or simply taking an afternoon nap.

01. Their tea

Why on earth is English tea number 1? Simple. I am addicted to it. I drink at least one cup a day and often times it's the cheapest thing on the menu! Back in America, I had my tea plain often times because it was a flavored tea, but here I've tried the English way of drinking tea- with milk and sugar. I think my teeth have become a few shades darker, but I do not regret a single cup of tea that I've thrown back.

I guess that's enough procrastinating for now. I had to return to writing my paper some time. This probably marks the conclusion of this blog. If I do return with a new post, it's probably to post some pictures of my last few days in Brighton. Tonight there is a farewell party and tomorrow after everyone has submitted their paper, we'll be having another picnic and then going into town for some sushi. Thanks for reading everyone and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Siamese Cities

Well I'm back from my day trip into Oxford. Oxford was a great beautiful city with lots of history, but first I want to reminisce about my journey to Cambridge yesterday. We woke up at the crack of dawn to meet the coach that was to take us to Cambridge. We found out that we were heading into Greenwich (again!) so everyone can stand on the Prime Meridian. We opted to skip the Royal Observatory and headed straight to the Greenwich Market. It was a really artsy market with homemade articles. There was a man heading a booth with photographs he took of Cuba as well as other locations. I was really impressed with his black and white prints, but was quickly turned off with his curt attitude. After our quick trip into Greenwich, our group then drove to Cambridge. Our lovely tour leader Lydia, took us for a quick stroll around a few of Cambridge University's college (Clare and Trinity). The university itself is home to 31 colleges! We then headed into a few small alleys and found ourselves crossing this little bridge. Check out the view:

Lydia then lead us to the starting point of the punting tour. Here is a picture of the punts:

Our punter (don't really know if they are called that), Chris, took us smoothly down the Thames River and pointed out several attractions of interest. This bridge, called the Mathematical Bridge or officially the Wooden Bridge, is said to have been designed by Sir Isaac Newton, but that is said to be a myth.

Me and the girls on the punt (our punt was one of the larger ones; it held twelve people):

The view of Clare College (left) and King's College Chapel (right) from the punt.

After our punting excursion, we headed off in search for Manna Mexico, a Mexican place that a friend from our school's program recently visited on her visit to Cambridge. After a few minutes of asking locals about a Mexican restaurant, we had found it! I had a "Big Ass Burrito" (haha) with steak. It wasn't the best, but at that moment, it was the most delicious meal I've had in weeks!

Now that brings me to today's trip, Windsor Castle followed by Oxford. Today's tour leader was the charismatic Nigel. He was very knowledgeable about all our destinations. Our first stop, as I previously mentioned, was Windsor Castle. This castle is the Queen's favorite weekend destination. Nigel informed us on the coach that one can detect whether or not the Queen is in residence for the weekend by searching for a yellow flag. Sadly, there was no yellow flag flying today. However, before we were lead to the castle, Nigel pointed out a pathway in a park that Prince Philip likes to take his horse on. I'm not sure if he still takes his horse out seeing that he is 86 years old, but it's still a nice piece of trivia.

From Windsor Castle, we took a short ten minute walk to Eton College, located just over the river. Eton College is a public school (which is the opposite of what Americans think is a public school), which means that it is actually a private school. "Public schools" according to Americans are known in England as state schools. Several distinguished men call themselves Old Etonians including Prince William and Prince Harry, 19 prime ministers as well as a few United States senators.

I had to settle for an exterior picture because there was an admission to enter, boo!

After our short stay at Windsor, we headed towards Oxford. Nigel took us on another walking tour of the city and pointed out these heads. These heads represent the Twelve Apostles (Nigel incorrectly said 13, but I figured he wasn't raised as a Catholic so I forgave him) and were said to be vandalized during graduation time. According to Nigel, these busts are the third set to be installed!

Now comes the most exciting part of my trip, according to me at least. We were given an opportunity to visit Christ Church College a.k.a. the setting for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and most recently J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series! Here is a shot of its exterior:

Does this courtyard look familiar? I swear it's used as one of the courtyard scenes in the series! You know the scenes where Harry and his friends are often conversing outdoors?

This staircase should also look familiar. I think it was first seen in the first movie where Harry and friends are first entering Hogwarts and are greeted by Professor McGonagall. Of course, in the movie the lighting is much darker and the steps aren't painted white as pictured here.

This dining hall is used as a model for Hogwart's dining hall in the all the movies. Of course it wasn't as large, but you can see the similarities.

Outside of the dining hall, on the staircase:

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral:

That concludes my recap of visiting two of the oldest English-speaking universities in the world, the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. Nigel informed us that the portmanteau for the two universities is Oxbridge (I think it's quite cute). It was simply amazing to be walking down the halls that former prime ministers and leaders used to walk to take to class. It was even more exciting to know that I was on-location of several Harry Potter movies! I'm glad that my last weekend was spent with my housemates exploring two of the oldest cities in England. It seemed fitting to stay in the country of my studies as opposed to somewhere across the English Channel.

I know this last week will fly by since I'll be working on my paper and attending classes. It will be strange to pack up and actually leave in a few days. I have called this place home for the past two months and overall it has treated me well. This is an experience and a summer that I will never forget and I am glad that I chose the University of Sussex to study at. This may sound like my last post, but I think I'm going to make one final entry before leaving for California.