to a higher plane ✈

Germany

2012-01-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

Brandenburg Gate

Things I did in Germany:

Spent Christmas with the Schwalb family! Was welcomed very warmly by Anne's family. Got to meet a few of her relatives and her grandparents.
Went to Rothenburg to see the famous Christmas store that runs all year.
Went to Anne's uni town, Wurzburg. Visited the Christmas market and met her friends in town!
Spent two days in Berlin, met up with my flatmates who live there. It took me and Jill 9 hours and 6 change overs to get there by train.
Visited the Dachau concentration camp in Munich.
Spent New Years Eve in Munich, where I experienced my first snowfall!

The highlight of my trip was being around such a lovely family. For the majority of the trip, I stayed with my friend's family place in a little town called Ergersheim which was in the country-side in Bavaria. They were so lovely and gave gifts for me and Jill on Christmas. In returned, we cooked a couple of nights for her family - food that they haven't tried eating before, so they were really excited!

Berlin was absolutely amazing. I think so far Berlin has got to be my favorite city I've visited so far. It's full of history and it's still a developing city. A blend of old and new. It's beautiful and I wish I could have spent more than two days there, but I think me and Jill made the most out of it. We went on a three hour free walking tour and saw the main sights in Germany, including what used to be Hitler's bunker, which is now a parking lot.

Munich was nice, but I did not get to see much of the city. Anne's friend, Sophie was nice enough to buy us a tour by bus since it was raining and Jill and I were still exhausted from Berlin. The concentration camp was very moving and depressing. It was very cold and slightly snowing that day, which I think really set the mood. It was completely quiet, walking through the camp. Visiting one concentration camp is good enough.

With Germany I experienced a more effective culture shock. The language barrier was one of the main factors, yes but I was also a bit intimidated by them because I find them so worldly and experienced. The majority of Anne's friends have traveled so many parts of the world and I find them quite wise. The food was really good. I think I like food in Germany better than the food in the UK! I liked everything I tried, including curry wurst. The Doner kebaps were amazing too, despite them being a Turkish dish.

But now I am back in Swansea and have been for about a week. Done with exams and I feel quite positive about two and alright about one, but I'm glad to say that I finished a whole semester here. Next semester starts on the 30th. I have a lot of free time and am still trying to organize a trip to London. I've got more than London planned for this upcoming semester. I booked the Dublin trip the university is hosting! So for St. Patrick's day I'll be properly celebrating St Patrick's day at the place where it's originated! I can't wait.

I'll end this post with some images from my winter break. I'm still planning to create a flickr account so everyone can see all of the photos I took!

The residence at Wurzburg

Wurzburg

Our Christmas tree!

The Christmas store in Rothenburg

Holocaust memorial in Berlin

Berlin museum and the cathedral

Berlin Cathedral

Bahn in Berlin

A more set up historical piece of the Berlin Wall

Christmas market in Berlin

Dachau concentration camp

Snow!

At the Berlin Cathedral (I was in love with this building!)

Until next time!!

- Linda

Last week of the semester!

2011-12-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

I'm reaching my last week of lectures for the semester and then I'm off to Germany! My exams all land in January. I have one essay due on the 10th and an exam on the 11th and the 18th. For the exam on the 11th my professor gave the students all the questions on the test, so there won't be any surprises. I feel relieved that I can prepare myself. I have time to catch up on my reading for my exam on the 18th so things are looking good!

I'm trying to find someone who wants to go to London with me after the 18th. I was invited by my friend to go to Scotland with her friends, but I've delayed a trip to London for so long that I really feel like I should go there first more than any other place right now (London is the reason why I came to the UK!). In January there aren't any lectures and I have a week free to myself before the second semester starts, so this is a good time for travel since I'll be getting my money that month as well. So if anyone is willing to come, let me know!

Tonight we had a lovely Christmas dinner on my floor hosted by Ed and Matt. It was so good and so crowded. We also had a gift exchange and I got a cute make up purse and a hat!

I love living with people from different countries. I hear so many different languages and I learn a lot about people. And being around them motivates me to learn another language. I want to learn so much more than I know now.

I'll be leaving Swansea at 8pm at night with Jill and will arrive at London Gatwick by 1am and our flight to Munich won't fly out until 6am. Cheap travel = irrational times! But nonetheless, I am super excited to be spending Christmas and New Years in Germany with my friend Anne and I'm also very excited to be spending a couple of days in Berlin with my flatmate Otteh and his girlfriend. Not spending Christmas with my family will be sad but I'm happy that I'll be with loving people on Christmas day.

Only 8 more days!! I hope everyone is having a great holiday season!!!

- Linda

Reality bites

2011-12-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

Even if you find going abroad as a kind of escapism, your background will eventually crawl back to you. You can't leave because you don't want to resolve things at home.

Problems run back to you and even though you're thousands of miles away the struggle and the pain is just as strong as it was before.

But here is one thing you can do: improve on yourself. Change the way you react to the situation. Forgive yourself and try harder.

Celebrating Thanksgiving in the UK

2011-11-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

Although we couldn't find all the ingredients to make Thanksgiving dinner we found substitutions that worked just as great. I'm glad to have celebrated Thanksgiving with the people I met here. It made me feel less far away from home.

Preparation!

The turkey!

Sweet potato yams with marshmallow topping

Every dish tasted so good. I've never eaten stuffing that was good as the one we cooked last night. We wanted to make pumpkin pie but couldn't find any pumpkin puree or pumpkin at all so we substituted with a butternut squash which turned out really nice.

I skyped with my sister earlier and my sister told me that my parents bought a 55" plasma screen TV on Black Friday. My parents are adorable and hilarious, they left at 3AM to go get the TV at Sam's Club! After they got home they went to work and when they came home from work they went shopping again! They're looking for a table for the TV this time. As crazy and stupid Black Friday can get, I must admit that I like the chaos of it and find it hilarious and just very American.

After my weekend in Bristol I caught tonsillitis. I've never had this before but it took about a week for it to go away. After it did, I did a bad job at taking care of myself because I cough often and I notice every time I talk for a while my throat starts to hurt and it almost feels as if it's coming back! I'm taking these next couple of weeks staying in Swansea, resting and catching up with my coursework. I want to write all my essays before Christmas break comes and I've got less than a month to do so! We'll see how that goes. I don't see myself going out traveling anywhere else before Germany for Christmas break - I'm so low on money now. But I've been feeling pretty good this week and Christmas is just around the corner!

Happy Holidays!!

Linda

Weekend in Bristol

2011-11-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

Bristol was the town I originally wanted to study abroad for and going there to visit was a nice treat. Not only did I get to explore the town with my friends, I got to see one of my favorite artists, St. Vincent! Let me tell you my concert experience. Going to shows is one of my most favorite things to do. Instead of the usual party/club scene, I prefer to go to concerts/shows and let loose and sing and dance my heart out.

The British crowd is completely different from the crowds in America! I mean, she was greeted with applause and cheers, but there were so many awkward silences. I didn't see anyone groove the way I did and I felt almost embarrassed, but hey, there's a reason to go crazy and excited to see one of your favorite artists! It didn't help that my friends weren't into the music as much as I was. I was just glad to see her live because I've been wanting to see her live for so long.

She was so adorable and wonderful and ahh, I loved it. She opened up with Surgeon and surprisingly didn't end with Cruel, but came out for an encore and performed The Party and an outrageous experimental version of Your Lips Are Red. I forgot how good Save Me From What I Want was after she performed it. She is still always playing on repeat in my music library and I find her lyrics and her talent to be so darn inspiring.

The Fleece had so many random polls in the room. It kinda killed the view for me. So many bands have performed at that place though, like Bloc Party, Coldplay (in their younger days), Amy Winehouse and more.

Bristol is such a nice city. It has an urban feel to it and the university is beautiful! I will admit that I died a little while exploring the town because I liked it so much. It has enough city-esque elements that feeds my crave for city life. My friends and I ran into so many awesome vintage shops. We went to one called B58 and that by far has to be the best vintage store I've been to. I wanted to buy every single thing in that store, it was incredible! Also, BRISTOL HAS A MISSION BURRITO! Didn't eat there this time. My friends and I decided to buy groceries and cook at the hostel we stayed in.

My friends and I spotted a live Banksy painting while walking around town. I couldn't believe it!

Saturday night we spent the night watching British television, which was an experience for me and my friends considering we never saw it live. During the day we went to a museum. Sunday we headed to the famous Suspension Bridge and headed to town. This was also my first official train ride in the UK! The weekend was good, and Bristol was grand. I will definitely go and visit this city a couple more times before I leave.

The Suspension Bridge

There was also a Christmas market held in the city center on Sunday evening. Anne was so excited about it! I'm very excited to experience this when I go to Germany during Christmas break!

I was gonna save the telephone booth photo for when I go to London, but I couldn't resist. I'll most likely be taking this touristy photo again once I visit London.

Until next time!

- Linda

Amsterdam

2011-11-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam was such a lovely city to visit. The transport to get there was both exhausting and exciting. The trip from Swansea to Amsterdam was about 12 hours by bus and we went on a ferry to go across to France! We drove through there and through Belgium! We finally arrived on Friday morning and my friends and I left our luggage at the hostel luggage room and roamed about Amsterdam. We caught a free walking tour and learned a lot of interesting things about the city and the Dutch as well. The people there seemed nice, the architecture was so cool and it was all in general nice to visit in a bigger city than Swansea.

The canals were so nice, there was a wide variety of food. We also passed by the red light district (photos weren't allowed to be taken) and saw a bunch of their coffee shops. Friday night I shared a space cake with Molly. The effect wasn't that bad until I ate that night and went to bed with bloodshot eyes. Saturday morning we went to visit the Anne Frank house which was truly touching.

Saturday night was the best night I stayed. There was a special museum night on Saturday where I paid €17.50 to go to all the museums in Amsterdam and ride on the tram for free. Some museums had live music and food! Anne, Chris and I went to the (highly anticipated) Vincent Van Gogh museum first and stayed there for quite a while. Seeing his art live was breath taking!!! Van Gogh is a wonderful artist and while walking around the gallery I couldn't believe it!! I got to see my favorite painting by him, the Almond Blossom. Unfortunately pictures were forbidden or else I would have snapped photos like crazy but I didn't want to risk it. A band was performing while we were browsing and we spotted a cocktail bar in the underground level of the building. Anne commented on how this event felt like such a Gossip Girl event and I couldn't have agreed more!

We also went to a second museum that wasn't that far away. I would have liked to go to another one but my feet that night were killing me like crazy. I don't think I've ever walked this much in my life hahaha. The second museum we went to was adorable! There were tents and twinkle lights outside and they served all kinds of different foods. Amsterdam is so nice, very artsy and an overall chill and interesting city. It's the only city where you would find a bag of pot randomly on the ground and people would actually pass by it haha. I almost got hit about 10 times from the crazy bike riders though.

I'll end with pictures. It was a great weekend but for some reason on Sunday I missed the UK. It was the first time I thought of that and that's when I felt really content about my decision living and studying in the UK. I'm glad this place is starting to feel like home. California will always be home to me, but I'm glad this place is starting to rub on me. I would have guessed that it would considering I've admired the culture so much.

The narrowest house in Amsterdam

Next post will be about Bristol, which I just came back from this past weekend!

Cardiff

2011-11-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the trip to Cardiff my friends and I planned. We had some trouble getting on the Greyhound bus that we scheduled to go on at 9:15 because the driver gave us problems. We met someone who was also on the same boat as us and he was really nice and let us use his wifi on his Blackberry to look for our verification numbers. We talked to the people at the information booth at the bus station and they let us ride the next bus at 10:15 without any charge. The bus driver was nicer than the one before too.

Cardiff is only an hour away by bus. Shortest trip I've made here so far. It's bigger than Swansea and has more of a city-like feel. My friends and I decided to go see the castle in Cardiff. We spent a good amount of time there. I'm glad I went to see it. The only time I've been in a "castle" was Medieval times, which isn't one at all really haha!!!

After touring the castle we found an Italian restaurant called Bella Italia (eating while you travel is one of the best things ever). We shared an appetizer plate and each got our own pasta dishes. I had the Rigatoni Chicken Spinaci and it was really good. It was a cream based sauce which I was craving after eating so many tomato based pastas lately.

Cardiff does have a lot of stores to shop. I'm thinking of going there to do most of my clothes shopping. It's so cheap to get a bus ride there. Basically cheaper than it is to take a taxi from uni into town! So why not go there for more stores and a better shopping experience. I do plan on going to Cardiff a few more times not only to shop, but to go to a big rugby match in March and also to see the Doctor Who exhibition that opens in April!

Halloween this year was fun but it didn't feel festive and comforting like I celebrate Halloween back at home. This Halloween was the first time I went out to party with friends. We all went to Oceana and it was outrageously crowded but fun. I do miss baking and having that warm sweet smell of cinnamon, chocolate and pumpkin in the house. Maybe I should buy some cooking pans to bake for Christmas time.

This week feels like it's going by so fast already. For the next few days I'm going to prep up to go to Amsterdam this weekend! I am thrilled! I want to get out of Swansea for a bit and I'm glad I booked all these different places to go while I'm here. I want travel around Europe much more but I since I'm here for a year I might as well save trips for next year where I know I'll be more financially stable than I am now.

If you haven't read it yet, here's my article for this week's edition of the Chronicle! :) It's about cooking: http://coyotechronicle.net/csusb/2265

Thanks to everyone, my articles have the most or second most views on the webpage! <3

Until next time.

- Linda

Shiny new toy

2011-10-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

It took me to go across the country to realize how much I want to be musically involved and to discover that music is my most passionate form of self expression. As much as I like writing, it doesn't satisfy me fully when you want to sing too. I didn't want to risk bringing the one I have at home so I bought this shiny blue Hudson one here just from the city center. I don't regret this decision because having it is so nice already. I was strumming it when I came back from town and my fingers hurt from not having callus fingers anymore.

I got my guitar for a really great price. It cost £59. I also bought a capo for £10 so all together it was only £69 which translates to about $111 in American dollars. I got even more than I expected.

I didn't get a case, but I was given a very flimsy cover (which to me was unexpected because I thought it would come in a box), a guitar strap, a beginner's DVD, an extra string, a string winder, an metal clamp AND a guitar pitch pipe! When I bought my first guitar all I got was my guitar and a case which was well over $500. But this, this is nice.

I was doubtful of this investment at first because I'm not sure if I want to bring this back home with me a year later. I thought 'what was the use of buying it when I could save money on other things like food or even a trip somewhere?' But I need it. I wouldn't feel like I was living if I just delayed things until I get back to California. I'm living in the moment now and I think the best song writing will be made while I'm abroad. I'm getting so much inspiration and I feel stronger and more serious about documenting the things I go through.

Hopefully later on I can record some videos and share it with you guys! Thanks for tuning in everyone. Tomorrow I'm going to Cardiff with Jill and Anne. Finally going to explore more of Wales! Have a great weekend!

- Linda

In need of a guitar

2011-10-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am planning to go into town in search for an acoustic guitar. I left my baby at home and since I've been out here for a month I want to make some music. The amount of inspiration is great, and I have encountered several situations that have hit me hard and I find that music making is a good way to express and cope with it.

So let's hope I find a decent inexpensive one. One of my flatmates told me I could find one under 100 pounds.

Visiting Bath

2011-10-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late but yesterday marked my first month here at Swansea. It's been a real treat being here, getting to live independently, meeting people from all around the world and traveling around. My money is being spent like crazy but it's spent best with food, drinks and going to places of course! Budgeting is hard but I think I'm going to have to really lay down on how much I'll spend for the rest of this year (hopefully). On Saturday I went to the lovely city of Bath and it was absolutely beautiful. The weather was great. Me and my friends were discussing how lucky we are to go on trips and to catch them all on sunny days.

When we first arrived we walked around the market place area and a couple of shops. Around almost noon Chris spotted an adorable sushi restaurant. Chris and Anne and I were excited and we indulged a bit while Molly and Jill walked around town.

Chris and I bringing out our ~inner asian~

It was good sushi. It was expensive for my price range but nonetheless great! After lunch we walked around in town and stopped by the Jane Austen center. We had to pay for the tour but we just saw the gift shop and left. We reached to the curved buildings (kill me for not remembering the name of it) and spent a good time in the park right next to it and sat in the sun.

Got to see the Roman Baths (10 pound 50 for the entrance and that was the student discount!), ate at mission burrito (my god that place is delicious!), went into the city center and left Bath at around 6:00pm. It was a really lovely day.

the beautiful abbey in bath!

The Roman Bath!

Best thing ever

After leaving Bath, I felt a bit sad leaving it because it felt more city-like than Swansea. Hopefully in the future I'll visit again.

I've learned a lot more about myself so far in my first month here and I can honestly say that it's both difficult and great. A lot of realizations that make me for the better. I'm the only person stopping myself from making the things I want happen. I'm blessed with friends that I've made here. I'm so thankful for them.

I hope there are some of you out there who have read my articles back at home. I hope I'm entertaining or helping anyone who wants to go abroad! Feel free to comment or contact me!

For this upcoming week's plans: Cardiff on Saturday, the next weekend will be Amsterdam!

Will keep the posts alive! :)

Avebury and Stonehenge

2011-10-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Learned a lot about stones on Saturday, a piece of history of Britain and about energy dowsing. I never knew about dowsing until the Avebury trip. Saw a couple with some dowsing rods around the stones to see if they could pick up any positive energy. Avebury was interesting, we even got a personal tour guide and the weather was very nice.

Stones representing male and female
Female is the diamond shaped on the left
Male is the one on the right

An hour later we got to Stonehenge. Stonehenge was definitely more crowded than Avebury and was really touristy. It was very commercial-esque and it ended really quickly. We were given a tour guide through an electronic device instead but I don't think many were listening to it because everyone else was busy taking pictures. But it was really breathless seeing the stones and again it was really beautiful out!

We had to do this lol

And I also had to take a picture of this in the souvenir shop

Stonehenge rocks!!

The trip back to Swansea was a very long 3 hour trip. I tried to capture a recording of the "Welcome to Wales" sign - well, I did but the bus was moving so fast that you can't see it! I'll have to attempt to video editing soon.

Today was pretty productive when it came to planning. I purchased tickets to see St. Vincent in Bristol with my friends on November 11th!!!! I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE HER! My friends and I are going to spend that weekend in Bristol. Anne looked into hostels and we found a really good rated one that isn't very far from The Fleece (the venue where the show will be at). And I found out from one of my flatmates that you could get to Bristol by train for only 5 pounds. I am so excited!!!

Another thing, I booked my flight to Munich with Jill today. This means I will be spending Christmas in Germany!!! Anne will be flying out before us and we'll meet with her. Me and Jill plan on visiting Berlin and we found out that my flatmate Annika is from Berlin, so we're hoping to plan things out with her too! Christmas and New Years Eve in Germany. I can't believe I'm saying this. It's a for sure thing now since I booked my flight.

With all these trips ahead I made sure I kept up to date with what's going on in all my classes and so far so good - I'm glad that the professors give out the material for the exam before the exam even arrives, so I have a lot of time to prep. Tomorrow I plan on spending the majority of my day in the library. So much reading to do. O_O

This upcoming Saturday is the Bath trip! Until next time. :)

Living with boys.

2011-10-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

I grew up living in a house with girls (excluding my dad and my brother in law) for practically my whole life until now. I mentioned before that I would be living on a floor with 18 people. Now, it isn't that bad because I've seen some other floors that are really bad. I just want to write on my perspective of how it is living with them since it's so different from back home.

It's not all boys that I live with, there are girls who live here too. I share a bathroom with up to 3 other people and they are both unisex bathrooms. There is one bathroom I prefer more, the other one is messier and I think my neighbor next door uses it the most considering the person who lives on the other side of him never uses or comes to this bathroom nor this floor. Strange! But we never see her. There are cleaning ladies who clean the bathroom for us I think up to twice a week which is nice. I don't have to worry about purchasing toilet paper or paper towels. I do find it strange that there aren't any toilet seat covers and I was freaked out at the fact that they have a half flush options in the public restrooms! But now it doesn't freak me out and I choose the full flush the majority of the time.

The kitchen is decent. There are dishes that are unwashed in the sink sometimes and food left in the pots and pans on the stove. It is sometimes messy but I appreciate that my flatmates don't touch my stuff unless asked. The cleaning ladies clean the kitchen floor for us as well.

Now here is what I'm not used to - boy talk. I catch myself laughing either laughing or grossed out by what boys say, and so bluntly as well. I don't want to ramble on anything specific. I think it's natural for girls to either just laugh or even roll their eyes over their comments and just admit that it's a boys thing just the same as girl talk. But here's another thing - I've already seen two guys from my floor practically naked from walking from the bathroom to their rooms. I guess I came out in the corridor at the wrong time lol.

I notice the guys hang out in the kitchen more than the girls and they play their music in the kitchen as well. It's pretty funny to look at some of their cooking skills because some of the guys cook the same thing almost all the time, like pasta. But pasta is such a common dish to make for college students. Back at home everyone lives off of cup of noodles, here it's pasta.

One thing that I learned about living here so far is that I shouldn't expect people to be generous the way I perceive generosity to be. I feel like I'm over-friendly most of the time and that's killed me once before. Everyone can't be all cheesy and friendly and feel like we all get along. But I'd say things so far are okay. I'm sure my friendships will develop with my flatmates soon - I'm here til June so there's a long time to all get to know each other.

Just wanted to make a small ramble post. I'll post about Stonehenge next. :)

Bath, Amsterdam and more!

2011-10-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how much of an opportunity it is to be here until my friend Anne told me so. The homesickness and the fear of the exchange currency I felt during the first two weeks totally blocked out the fact of how cheap it is to travel around Europe. The travel shop presented all their trips they are offering for the school year and so far I booked two trips! A trip to Bath on 22nd of this month and a 3 day weekender to Amsterdam in November!

There is a Stonehenge trip this Saturday and I came back from signing up not too long ago! I have three trips already in two months! Also, me and Jill with be spending Christmas with Anne in her hometown in Germany!

I really can't believe I'm saying all these things, but I'm glad I made this choice and I feel less bad knowing that I got my banking and accommodation sorted out. I'm surviving well!!

I'll post pictures from Stonehenge in my next post!!!

2 weeks!

2011-10-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to make a small post to say that I have been here in the UK for two weeks! Doing well, learning and living independently.

Making sure the classes you take transfer back home.

2011-10-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

If you have a hunch about something, figure it out! As I was sitting in my 'Writing for the Body' class, I began to realize that it wasn't a class for me to take that would give me credit for my degree back at my home university. It really hit me when my professor kept saying, "When we read the fictional text" when I need a literature course. Plus, that course also discussed topics about gender roles, which was a theory class and can also be categorized as something else other than English. So I went and looked over the courses that are also being taught this semester, and I found one on Romanticism which could be credited as an English Literature course since it starts from the nineteenth century. Molly also had this romanticism class that I am now trying to get into and the writing for the body class. I went to the records office in the Keir Hardie building and they handed me an add/drop sheet. So tomorrow I am going to attend to the class and hopefully get a signature from the professor and make sure I get in.

Today I also had my Shakespeare & Co class. I was intimidated at first because it is a level 3 course but it seems like it will be interesting and just fine. There is just one examination and it's an essay test and we basically have an entire month to think about what to write for our exam. The class was bigger than I expected! I think that class will be pretty enjoyable because we're also discussing how much Shakespeare is an influence to writers and film makers and such.

Thursday I have African American poetry, which I am pretty excited to study. When I took American literature just last Spring quarter we read a lot of Modernism and Postmodernism and about the Jazz era, which I love!

It's almost been two weeks since I've been here and I've been adjusting well, but I can't help but feel a little bit of homesickness. I feel like the UK is like it's own separate continent from the rest of Europe. I don't know how to really describe it, but I think the UK is a bit similar to the states. Not completely similar, but I guess the influences here in the UK are the same in the states, if that makes any sense. I have met people from other countries in Europe and they see and agree how much the British really love to party haha. The food is alright, but I think due to my homesickness I feel like not much of the food is soul feeding. I have been cooking meals that remind me of home. But I must say that the Cornish pasties have been my favorite so far. I'm not a big fan of the English breakfast. I still have yet to try fish and chips!

Jumbo breakfast at Uplands Diner

My article got publish at home on Monday! I am very happy to see one of my articles published at home while I am living here. I hope you all enjoy reading what's more to come. I am looking into weekend trips Swansea is offering, such as to Bath, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin! I will need to sign up really soon. Also, my friend Anne invited me to stay in Germany with her for Christmas! The price for Easy jet is ridiculously cheap. It's only $79! American dollars too! I am hoping to go visit other countries soon.

You can read the entire issue here: http://issuu.com/coyotechronicle/docs/10_3_11_full_issue
My article is under the features section!

Until next time!

School starts tomorrow

2011-10-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

It has been more than a week and it feels like I've been here longer. On Thursday and Friday I went on two trips nearby town. Thursday I went to visit Mumbles, which is across the other side of the beach from Swansea. A couple of friends and I went to eat at a small food place there where I bought a mozzarella and and tomato panini. I also bought some nutella ice cream! Mumbles was nice, but the Gower trip on Friday was better. We got to visit the other beaches in Swansea and it was so nice. We went to three destinations and had a free lunch!


A picture of me with my first 99 Flake ice cream cone. I was so happy.

Once we reached to Rhossili, we saw A TON of sheep! I cannot tell you how much poop I saw on the land but the beach was really beautiful. It was so peaceful and so quiet and I'm not used to hearing such tranquility at a beach.

Other days I have been running to the city center to buy necessities. I have never really went out for buses or taxis before in my life but it seems pretty nice. I have also been walking more than I ever have walked in a month's time (sadly to say). I have left my other four legs at home called wheels and it's good to get a break from that. Although I have been getting blisters on my feet from walking so much this week. I regret not bringing my running shoes! Speaking of necessities, I decided to buy a lamp in my room because I'm a fan of dim lighting. The lights provided in my room are too bright and remind me of office lights, so I bought a lamp at Wilkinsons for 6 pounds. When i got home I tried working with the lamp but I ended up buying the wrong lightbulb. The next day I went back and bought the correct lightbulb and the lightbulb cost more than the lamp itself! It cost me 9 pound 98! I was thinking of returning the lamp but then I already unwrapped it, so I ended up dealing with it. The lightbulb does say that it has a 17 year warranty, so let's hope it doesn't break on me. The lamp is cute, but it's dimmer than I thought. I will make the best out of it.


The expensive lightbulb

It is Sunday night and the first day of class starts tomorrow. I don't start until 1:00pm. It surprises me how I can only take three classes each semester. I am hoping this will all go well. The enrollment process was very painful and I think it was only complicated for the international students. We had to go to a specific building and room and wait in line to be enrolled in classes - that is, if the classes were still open. It was stressful and I didn't get to be in some classes that I wanted, but I ended up getting what was required and what will give credit for my degree back at home. I still have to notify the classes I am currently taking to my university back in San Bernardino. I am also taking two classes on Media, which I was not expecting but very happy I am! I do love literature but I enjoy learning about the media and mass comm.

Yesterday I made my first cooked meal! I was so proud of myself but I forgot to take a picture of it. I made pasta! I stir fried peppers, spinach and mushrooms in a pan with salt, pepper and garlic salt. I boiled pasta and heated the marinara sauce, then added some breaded chicken. It was very satisfying. I was happy that my first meal was very colorful and had veggies in it!!

This past week there has been so much partying on campus, it is crazy. I am not used to this at home but I never realized how much the Welsh/English really do party. It's like they have more alcohol than water in their blood! It is entertaining though and it also shocks me. It has finally calmed down because of classes this upcoming week.

Until next time! :)

Hello from Swansea!

2011-09-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! It is the second day I have been here in the UK and so far it has been going very well. My flight was not the best, but it was also exciting being on a plane for the very first time. I met up with Melanie who I knew from the CSU orientation and we went together to go passed security and to get our baggage. After that we walked into the arrivals terminal and I met with my best friend Ana and her boyfriend Keir. And I must say, seeing here in London felt very welcoming and refreshing AND very unreal because we've always wanted to be in London together and we accomplished that somewhat but I saw my best friend in another country and I thought that was quite awesome. We hung out at a little cafe area in the airport. Unfortunately we didn't get to hang out outside Heathrow because we were all tired, plus I had two massively large bags I was not in the mood for carrying.

Ana and I at London Heathrow

We hung out for about an hour and a half and I had to go to the Meet & Greet service with Swansea. We said our byes and then I waited until 4pm for the next coach bus. The bus trip was 4 AND A HALF HOURS but it was all good because the bus ride was better than the plane ride anyway because I got some sleep plus some sight seeing! I met a guy from Mexico named Marco and to be honest, meeting him felt like home (I know, right?). Back at home I'm around so many Mexicans/Latinos that it feels comforting haha. He talked about his nephew and I asked his name and it was a very long last name and I just laughed when I heard his accent. It was comforting. He sat next to me on the coach but two hours later I told him if he could move because I was so crammed in my seat from my carry-on bag. I did get some sight seeing. It was a bit whatever seeing so much green for a while, but all lovely. Saw some sheep. :) Also, we crossed this really nice bridge and I started to see the beach, then a mile later I saw a sign that said "Welcome to Wales" and all the signs were in English then below in Welsh! I wish I could have taken a picture of that sign, but my excuse was grogginess and jetlag.

Once I got my keys to my dorm room (which was just exhausting, especially since I went to the wrong elevator) and immediately when I walked onto my floor, I get greetings from two flatmates. They really are friendly here its real nice. I got in my dorm and relaxed for about 15 minutes, then heard knocking on my door. I met Rebecca and Matt, and then I met Lee. They helped me set up the wifi to my laptop and I was so happy I wanted to cry haha. I tried to contact home and wanted to webchat with someone and luckily Christine was online so I webchatted with her for a bit. :) I rearranged some stuff then met my flatmates in the floor kitchen. They seem very chill, not so over the top party people and they are truly friendly.

The next day I woke up and wanted to go on a campus tour, but I didn't find it so I went under this orientation tent and got some information from the International student center and got some help on where to bank. I felt pretty lonely and tried to talk to some people and I felt pretty left out because I talked to a guy I met from Asia but he assimilated to his group of people he knew, which were Asians from Asia and I didn't feel like they wanted to talk to me. I also approached a girl who was from Spain but she didn't seem to want to talk to me, so I headed back to my dorm because my contacts were killing me and I contacted Chris, who is American and from South Carolina and I met up with him. He introduced me to his friend Molly and we headed off to Swansea City Center. It's pretty cool there. Went to Tesscos, Topshop, Wilkinson and many mobile phone places. We all got pay-as-you-go phones and the exact same phone haha. We also went to go eat at a small place called Gersherms (I think, I suck at remembering names). I had a chicken with lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich, which was pretty decent but I wanted to eat something soft because my gums are still holey from my wisdom teeth.


Chris eating a traditional Welsh breakfast and Molly taking a picture of her food

Yeahhhhhh I know it looks plain haha but it did some justice!

Bought some bedding and other stuff from Wilkinson and came back to the dorms. I cleaned up and decorated my room a little bit too!


The bedding was on sale for 8 pound 50.

Behind Cefn Bryn building

This is the view from my window. I don't think it's of Uni, but its pretty nice I think. Just a little down more you can see the ocean!

See the beach??

Decorated my work space a bit!

Oh man you guys. You should see how my walls look like. Super depressing. I am definitely going to be posting some stuff on my walls haha.

Topshop! Of course. Down at the city center.

This is my phone, mainly using for local texting and little voice call. The guy who helped us at Virgin mobile was really nice and basically the only person who helped us with phone service. I commented to him that he's a very worldly person because he seemed very open, loved America, and admired California as well. And also! He liked how I'm studying English literature. He said that literature is one of his favorite and best things in the world! And to be honest, hearing that makes me feel better, because I'm always surrounded by people who despise reading and writing. I was starting to lose faith in it. I always have to remind myself with the things I like. I'm trying to adjust to being me more I guess.

I hung out with Chris for a while then we got ready and went to go to the pub at the student union with a couple of girls I know from California who I met before at the CSU orientation and two other Welsh/English girls. It was nice! I had my first pint of Welsh beer (again, I forgot what it was called but it was in green letters) I asked the bartenders to suggest which beer I should try, and they said Coors Light and I replied, "But I can drink that at home, that's booring!" and they laughed. That beer felt heavy because I was pretty tipsy with just one pint (I'm a weakling) but it was very good. After that we went over to the Oxwich dorming building and hung out at the kitchen and at dominos. It was a well nice night and a nice day. :)

My first pint in the UK! I was stupid, I didn't think of taking a picture until I was more than halfway done, but here it is!

Time for some sleep now, will blog more soon and have more pictures. Tomorrow me and Chris are getting some food and some wine! Then later at night there is an international student dinner then a freshers party where everyone wears a t shirt from their dorm building. My shirt is pink. Oh! And another thing I learned, I didn't know Cefn was pronounced like Kevin. WHAT A TRIP.

Goodnight from Swansea! xo

The day is here!

2011-09-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

I'm about go to off to a higher plane! The day is here and I double checked everything and about to go out and leave my house, so next time you see me I will be in Wales!! Here's to adventures ahead!!! :)

A birthday week indeed.

2011-09-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday I celebrated my 21st birthday. Twenty-one! Friday's party was also a going away party. I had a blast and I'm so happy my friends and family came and had a great time as well.I bought my first alcoholic beverage the day after and it was a 6 pack of Stella haha. Friday my family and I decorated our side yard with twinkle lights, lanterns and old photos of me and my family. It was a gorgeous night!

Photos with family and friends that night are on my camera but I will honestly say those are pretty embarrassing drunk looking photos. I don't think it was until that night where I realized I'll be leaving soon. And that day marked 6 days. Today marks only 3 days left!

Today I made two spontaneous purchases. I bought a new laptop and a new digital camera. Buying a digital camera was in mind, but my friend completely convinced me to invest in a new laptop after saying that she got her 15 inch HP for $399 and she reasoned how much of a bad condition my Dell laptop was. I love that baby, but it is so huge and heavy and I am afraid that thing won't last me the entire school year. I did feel bad because my sister and brother-in-law bought me an adorable webcam that I really like, but this new one has a webcam built in and it captures photos and videos. The webcam I got a few days ago is strictly for webchatting, but the quality is gorgeous! I'm going to let my parents have it so they can skype with me on my older laptop. Things will work out. My digital camera is a Canon Powershot! I am very happy that I invested in it because Canon is my favorite camera brand and I am happy to bring that one abroad with me. Thanks to all that helped me over facebook and especially to my cousin Wayne for finding the specific laptop and the location! Together my laptop and camera cost under $600. Thank you Best Buy! If anyone is looking to invest in a laptop or a camera, I suggest Best Buy. Their deals have gotten better.

Also went to convert some money into GBP. Boo for the British Pound being way more worth the US dollar. :( $300 converted to 180 pounds. Job hunting in Wales soon? Oh yes.

Until next time! I'm having two wisdom teeth pulled out tomorrow morning. 2 days before I leave the country, yes. I sound crazy but I waited for my insurance to approve and they finally did, so why not get it done? Only two. We'll see how this goes, I still need to get some more things done.

3 days!

Today marks two more weeks!

2011-09-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

Packing seemed hard at first, but it got easier as time progressed. I'm glad my sister and brother-in-law lent me their vacuum pack bags. They're so handy! They condense all the air out, therefore leaving more space in the suitcase to pack more (the picture doesn't exactly show how condensed they are because I'm still sorting out my clothes). I did have to take away a lot of things I wanted to bring, but letting go of things that aren't essential feels pretty good.

Two weeks, two weeks! Yesterday morning was pretty productive and so was the day before. I took care of banking (the US portion), ordered my contact lenses, checked my status with CSUSB (found some holds) but I have no control over the hold and I have to wait until financial aid takes it off. Some kind of 'evaluation' is going on. I'm a bit worried, I just hope that I get my disbursement in time before I leave. I also have some exciting news to address, but I don't want to spoil it or say it until it's official, but I promise to write about it soon!

Swansea University added a 360 virtual tour of their accommodation and it's so cool! I got to see an example of how a standard room looks like and it looks neat. A bit cramped looking, but all good because I'll have a mini fridge provided! Course that's not all that I'm looking forward to. I found out recently from a person I met over tumblr, who will be in the same building as me told me that each floor is shared with 18 people A bit much for someone who is more introverted, but I want to become more extroverted, so this will help.

Also, these two bad boys will be coming in the mail in a week or so! A birthday/going-away gift. The adapter is actually not just a US/UK converter, but it can be used for all of Europe and even Australia. I can't really comprehend it by the looks of it but I'm very glad I will be having it because I'm looking forward to trips all around Europe. Also, the second photo is a Kinobo webcam. I've been eying that webcam since summer started and when I wanted to purchase it, amazon took it off their website! But now it's back up and just in time. The ratings for that camera seem really good. Plus, I love how the microphone and webcam is attached all together.

That's all for now. Will blog again soon!

it's september!

2011-09-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of September, which marks only 21 more days until I head off to LAX and leave California for 10 months. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but the day I leave for Swansea is the day my home university will be starting their first day of Fall '11. It feels very strange, as if I should be going to school on campus that day. Before I leave, I want to make a stop at the study abroad office from my home campus for helping me apply, even though they only helped for the first part of the application. I really admire the international office and how encouraging they are.

I looked back at a couple of my posts and noticed that I didn't really go in depth about how my visa application went. It turned out that my visa number didn't even change. I guess Swansea sent an extra letter to make sure I had it. But I got all my documents together (I provided extra papers for evidence, just in case) and turned it all into AllStar passports, who were EXTREMELY helpful. They made sure everything was put together before they sent it off to get approved at the NY British Consulate. I got my visa in the mail about a week and a half later. It was quick! But there is an error on my visa. It is partially my fault, but AllStar told me that it is very minor. While applying for my visa, I accidentally put Vietnamese as my second nationality (which I believe it is, but since I am born in the US, I am just American) and so on my visa it says "VNM" not "American". I called Myra from AllStar right away and she told me that she fixed it but the consulate didn't change it for me. I believe it will be okay, because I was born here and therefore I have American citizenship and an American passport. I'm thinking of bringing my birth certificate too just in case the immigration officers give me a hard time. Taking my biometric exam was so odd! I have not seen anything like it but I asked my friend Jenny to come along with me and we saw how different it is now to scan your fingerprints. That went by quickly too.

There hasn't been any farewells, but this week I started sorting out through my clothes to see what to pack. I have always liked the idea of packing (because I usually never pack for anywhere long) and for the first time I'm going somewhere for so long, it's for a year's worth! I got advice to pack light but now that I see it is very hard to decide on what to pack. I wanted to start packing two days ago but I ended up having an empty suitcase with clothes and shoes everywhere on the floor and bed.

There are a few birthday parties and going-away ones, including mine as well. My sisters are planning it and the party is going to land on my official birthday. It will be bittersweet and fun since I'll be turning 21. My friend Danielle mentioned a great wine tasting/bar/club in San Diego and wants to go there for our birthdays over the weekend after my birthday. Haven't gotten much planned yet, but we'll see how that goes.

I've been spending a lot of my time with family. I know I should do my best to help around the house and for my family before I leave. I want to leave with my family feeling optimistic. Not just optimistic about me, but to stay positive through any circumstance. My sisters have told me that I'm the one that glues together the family and my immediate thought was that it's not really tough being the glue, its just that I care and it comes naturally. My parents haven't felt the need to talk about my departure. In fact, when I was pulling up the suitcases from the patio my mom said, "What's that for?" Mother!!! But I guess my mom is having a hard time right now because a lot of people we care about are moving too.

I changed my layout once again, except it is the old layout I used before but I tweaked it up a bit. More color, more designs and I also linked a couple of pages on the top bar! Check them out if you want. I'm so proud today for using the knowledge I know about html coding! My entries haven't been picture pretty lately. I'm sure I'll post more pictures the entries ahead because there will be much more going on!

Oh September, you're going to be a great month.

"London Is the Place for Me" - Lord Kitchener

a complete wanderlust

2011-08-19T00:54:00.000-07:00

Hello there! This morning I woke up and received two emails that delivered great news. The first one was from the Meet & Greet service from Swansea. Once I land I'll meet up with the service from Swansea uni and join other international students to the coaches, where they'll drive us all the way to the university. I read from the websites that London to Swansea is about 2-3 hours, but I heard by bus ride it'll be 4.5 hours!! Not sure, we'll see how this goes but I'm looking forward for some sight seeing on the way, or maybe get some sleep after some possible jetlag.

The second email I received was about my student visa. It's done processing!

I keep a countdown on my phone until the day I leave and it is crazy realizing that the number is only getting smaller and smaller. There are only 34 days left and soon it'll go into the twenties, then the teens, then ONE DIGIT NUMBERS! I remember counting down when I had 72 days left, great scott!

I am enjoying my time for now, even though the majority of my summer consists of staying at home and watching movies. I have been spending lots of time with my family and my cousins. I really like sitting outside with my sisters with our books and tea. We hung twinkle lights in the backyard; I am loving summer nights. I got to catch up with two of my favorite cousins and it was really nice because we distanced during our teen years due to ~family drama~ but glad that's over. I hate how the adults pull apart the family. We baked a lot while they were here.

On Saturday my sisters and I are planning another beach trip. At first I wanted to go to the beach this summer as much as possible because I'll miss it, but then I realized that my host university is right next to the beach! I'll get to experience the Atlantic ocean rather than the Pacific. My friend Ingrid invited me to go to Disneyland on Monday with her for free! The benefits of knowing someone who works at Disneyland. She got the tickets from a friend who works there. I am looking forward to it, I really couldn't spend that much money on a ticket there and I love Disneyland!! I haven't been there for about two years now.

I got another email today from my home university mentioning there is another student from my school studying abroad in the UK too, and suggested that we contact each other before one of us departs. I don't remember meeting another student from my school from the orientation, but this person is going to Kingston University. I think he or she starts school earlier than I do.

I'm still thinking of what to pack. I don't want to bring so many things, yet when I look at my closet I don't feel like I have any clothes (how girly of me). But I do have really great jackets to bring! I even hesitated about bringing my trench coat, but my friend Cheska said "HOW COULD YOU NOT BRING A TRENCH COAT WITH YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN THE UK!" and I figured she was right hahaha. I browsed around the mall with my sisters today and saw some nice tops on sale and really hesitated because whenever I picked up a shirt I really really liked, a little voice inside my head kept saying 'No Linda, you must buy warm socks - real socks, not those little ankle socks with cute designs on them. Noo Linda, buy some underwear instead. Think about your accommodation payments'. I am nervous about how the banking situation will turn out, and I am dreading over the currency conversions. I've already experienced a lot of that already with paying the fees. I will get a job when I get to Swansea! And the idea of getting a job, well, and how it is possible makes me realize that I am not just vising a town but I'm moving out and living there on my own.

There will be events there once I get to the university, like 'freshers week' and an international students orientation. They are giving us a lot of time to settle in because the official first day of classes start on October 3. It's so late! Latest I have ever started.

Here and there, I tell myself that I just need to move out because I am tired of the same settings, the same people and how nothing is ever changing. I think I have developed this kind of mindset from never really traveling and living in my hometown ever since I was born. I will say this, even though this is cliche, but I am very much a wanderlust. Maybe I've been influenced by too many movies, but hey, if the idea of it exists, so why not make it happen? Stop dreaming and make it happen. And I think I am making it happen because I always thought I could never study abroad. I was scared of what my parents would say, felt too comfortable with what I had here, but everything went back to a full 360, and all that I had left lead to this decision and I am happy, because doing this means that I am doing something for myself, which I have neglected before. And during the process of applying to study abroad, I've learned more about people and learned how to put my guard up (not as high as I want it to be, but its something) when encountering people rude people. I have met a few like-minded people, and I am so thankful for that! It makes me really happy. The past year I told myself that I needed to remind myself of the things I like, and figure out why I loved them. I have been fascinated and interested in English culture/the UK ever since I was a little girl and I think this is the time where I make it happen and go there. I also convinced myself to choose a career choice that I wanted, not what my parents think. And all of that is going well. Hard, but well.

I got really personal here. Sorry if it was too much!

I changed my layout. I like it and it is similar to my old one, but I dislike how there isn't a comment button. I found the comment box when I clicked on the title link of the post. If that doesn't help, I'll just create a comment link at the bottom of this entry.

And if you read all this and are following along with my blog - thank you. <3 It really means a lot.

Will blog again soon. 34 more days! :)

Comment on this post

Pottermore!

2011-08-01T03:10:00.000-07:00

The second clue didn't open until 2pm here but I got in. :) I am glad, and I really do love my username.

I got a few people unfollowing me on tumblr because of the HP spam. I shouldn't feel threaten or sad by it because I dislike feeling bad for self expression. That's a strong point I'm trying to get myself at.

Study abroad related, I paid for my visa and later on today I am going to my financial aid office at school to get some important documents and get my biometrics done. After that, I will need to print out some other documents and then I'm good to send it in to AllStar. Things are going good right now. I just try to not let myself get overwhelmed. I am hoping this is the last major thing before I leave. Other than that I'll have to look forward for enrollment and banking stuff.

I'm letting lots of reading in, which has always been a summer goal of mine. I am glad because I'm getting lots of inspiration for me to write stories again.

why wales?

2011-07-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

I saw this video off of the study abroad at Swansea facebook page. It's a glimpse at how Wales is like and features a couple of their Universities (including Swansea). It's very beautiful!

2011-07-28T18:43:00.001-07:00

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good thing i waited.

2011-07-27T01:18:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 27, 2011
On Friday I recieved my CAS in the mail. I was very happy when I opened it and saw other important papers. Other important things, such as the International Student Handbook! I was flipping through it the next day, excited and overwhelmed.

I was warned about how complicated the visa application can be, and I must admit it has been haunting me ever since that orientation ended. I got an email from AllStar, the place that is supposed to help me get things done for my visa, but when I received it weeks ago I read it and got immediately overwhelmed. The thing is, I let myself get overwhelmed but need to calm down and just do it. I realized I should have called AllStar again and ask if I could do anything else that is required for the visa while I wait for my CAS, but I did not. And it probably isn't much, besides requesting an important document from my school (in which I hope they print and not make me wait for such a long time). I told myself that I would take the weekend to look over the whole application process, and I am so glad that I did wait to make sure I knew everything before I applied because today I got a letter from Swansea that they made a mistake on my CAS and gave me a new number. I was getting intimidated by other people I know who are applying because they are practically done applying. But in my case, I am not at the pace that I wish to be, but at I am so very happy that I waited. If I applied with the first number they released to me, then I think the visa would have denied me. I cannot afford for that to happen. So I guess I should say, that my timing is just where it is supposed to be. I have about two months until I leave and I should be calm and see that there is a lot of time to get this done and to get this all processed. I am letting my worry get to me. First thing tomorrow morning I'm going to write down all the questions I have for AllStar, and finally start on my application. I am hoping to send all my stuff by the middle of next week.

I've been trying to get back into fiction writing. I thought it died once I took AP English in high school but I really do miss writing something that is not school affiliated. I don't even give myself enough time to write down my own thoughts. I talked with my wonderful friend/sis, Cheska over the phone two nights ago and she brought up this writing activity her and her friend thought of. I plan on doing it; it has something to do with free writing while you're listening to music.

Some other things I've been up to lately.

Hearing more from Swansea + Harry Potter

2011-07-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

I am finally hearing more from Swansea. I got my accommodation sorted out! Turns out that I didn't get my first choice, but I am more than fine with that. After I applied, the website told me no changes can be made and once I submitted it, I wanted to change it. I am glad to say that I got my second choice because it will be on campus. I got into the Cefn Bryn building. Although I will be sharing a bathroom and a kitchen with my flatmates (I forgot to mention that I wanted my own bathroom when I applied >.<) I will have my own medium sized room and I am very happy with that. I am guessing the bathrooms are large, considering it will be shared. I grinned so widely at the fact that I have a room number! A lot of other information came in, regarding tuition fees, my CAS (FINALLY) coming in and other enrollment forms. I am trying to take this all in very calmly, especially with all these deadlines and fees. I remember in June I told a friend that summer will take forever to fly by, and now it is mid July. 67 more days!! I still have to get my wisdom teeth pulled out. If I don't, the altitude of the plane will put pressure on my wisdom teeth and will be excruciatingly painful. I heard that from someone I know and I do not want to go through dental work when I'm abroad, haha.

I went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. II! I also went to see it again on the day it opened. I saw the film twice with my sisters and cousins in less than 24 hours! :) Seeing it twice was very nice because I paid closer attention to some scenes I didn't before because the people at the midnight premiere laughed over some of the dialogue. I loved it like crazy and cried at the end. I loved it so much. Like every large franchise, there always has to be a big battle in the end. I remember reading the Deathly Hallows for the first time and I was absolutely amazed by J.K.'s work. Seeing the characters visually on screen just made me love the cast even more. They are such great fictional characters and the actors are just so humble and talented. I love how Neville shined in this movie and I cannot sympathize more for Snape. Reading it was very sad, but seeing it in the films just broke my heart entirely. This series is so very precious and I will keep this fandom with me forever. This series inspired me to write my own story lines and from then on I developed a love for reading, writing, and also explains why I am very much an anglophille. So thank you, J.K. Rowling for writing such a brilliant series. And thanks to the actors and movie producers for making it real.

I was looking at Swansea's ratings at whatuni.com, and they look pretty darn good. We are #4 under overall ranking for universities in the UK. I laughed out loud at our number one ranking. Swansea is ranked number one under "Eye Candy". Looking over former student's comments they said that the campus is populated with lots of rugby players and surfers, haha. One person commented that she met her boyfriend for 7 years now there at Swansea! I am not setting my highest hope for international love because I don't want to upset myself (although I am sure I will be swooned by British and Welsh men). I have no luck and very little interest of guys here because I've ran into too many disappointments. But I can't predict anything now. And yes, my main intention on going abroad is to explore, learn, grow and live in an entirely new atmosphere. I just hope I have better luck getting a date when I'm there. :P

I find myself always blogging late at night. I feel like I must write out my thoughts out and try to not feel uneasy before I go to bed. Blogging definitely helps. :)

i can't sleeep!

2011-07-12T02:10:00.000-07:00

So I started thinking over a lot of things just now and I can't believe that there are only 72 days left until I leave. I have taken care of what is given to me, now I have to wait. I still have not received my CAS yet, which is a number I need from my host university in order for me to apply for my student visa. I got an email from the university this morning informing me that it will come soon. I was stressing over banking situations today and yesterday, but I got that all sorted out. My sister tells me that I stress over small things. And Angi, if you are reading this, I think you are right. I think I am getting an emotional reaction to my skin! I still haven't figured out a way to reply to everyone's comments and I will figure that out soon!

In other news, my ipod is long gone. A lady found it but insisted that I reward her money for it and tried to make me feel guilty because she isn't working. By the tone of her voice over the phone, I had a gut feeling she was lying because she was stuttering. I am disgusted by that woman and am now more aware about people's acts of humanity, good and bad. I am sad though because I had so much music stored in there, but I am thankful I didn't lose something more important like my wallet or phone, or even my dog haha. I am more mad at that woman's actions more than losing my ipod.

Something very exciting was brought up by my best friend. Ana is planning to go visit her boyfriend (who lives in London) a couple of days before I land in Heathrow. Ana and Keir were thinking of meeting me when I land, and Ana suggested that they take me around London for a bit before I go to Swansea. After she told me that I really couldn't believe she was saying that because I have never thought this would happen!!! It is insane, I've been living in my hometown ever since I was born and the sound of something that is basically cut out from my dreams is coming to a reality. I was going to eventually make a visit to London during my stay, but for me to visit before going to my host university is just...amazing! I hope it works out. As of now it is a maybe. I emailed all of the people who are going to Swansea and one of the girls replied and it turns out that we have the same flight! It is exciting, and I may look into switching my seat to sit next to her.

I do not have enough long sleeves that are shirts but are sweaters. I want to invest and spend my time knitting scarves until I leave. I have lined up the shoes I want to bring over, and I wish I could bring all three of my big jackets but I should only bring one because I don't want to pack too much. I have three beautiful journals I am going to bring along with me. I want to plan much more about possible trips around the UK and outside but don't know why I feel so strange not to right now. I just wish I had all the paperwork done, but I can't control it and need to be very patient with this program.

I will end this entry with this video that I have been watching for months. :)

It's actually happening!

2011-07-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today was well accomplishing because I booked my flight ticket! I came out of my shell and asked how everyone else applying to Swansea are doing and turns out that the people who replied are on the same boat! Except they bought their ticket earlier than I did. I feel much better that I found a common ground with some people, including my friend who is leaving for Paris next month!

I also made a new facebook account because I figured I should just accept that it is in fact, a convenient way to keep in touch with people. It will be convenient when I am abroad. I find it funny how even email is getting a bit old in this digital age.

My flight ticket didn't cost very much either. Tax and fees cost more than the ticket itself. I paid a little over $400, which is great! I leave on September 22nd and I arrive at London Heathrow the next day at noon. I can't believe it is booked - I am literally running around the house with excitement. My sister finds it amusing at how intrigued I was at the purchasing process, and my parents were a bit bitter and in a bad mood (they change to positive and negative from time to time) but I need them to be happy for me, really, because I'm working really hard. I wish they can understand how much I've worked to get to this point.

This will be my first time flying out of the country and flying on an airplane as well. I have been very fascinated with airports and airplanes ever since I was a little girl. Ever since my mom and my sister flew out to Vietnam when I was five I wanted to fly out, and every time I'd go to the airport with my family to either drop off someone or pick someone up from the airport I'd love seeing and hearing people from all over the world. It is the closest I ever got to foreign people!

Things are getting closer. And only 79 more days to go! Thanks to all who are reading and following! I appreciate it. :)
xx

I feel like I'm not living.

2011-07-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Not really a post affiliated with studying abroad, but a rant. I'm still waiting to get an approval to apply for my visa. I'm also going to by my flight ticket soon.

I have been really itchy lately! I'm pretty sure I have eczema. I have been using creams and lotions but they have not been working very well. I haven't been doing a good job resisting either. I researched more about it today and I think I found the reason why it hasn't gone away. I should avoid detergent and I feel very stupid because I JUST did two loads of laundry using not only detergent but fabric softener as well. I also washed my sheets. -_- I don't even want to finish folding my laundry now for I am afraid I will get more itchy.

I think part of the reason why I have eczema is because of the insanely hot weather! It is unbearable to be outside and I oddly don't sweat. I suffer from dryness. I also got a really bad allergic reaction that was all over my legs last month or so. I have such horrible skin. I should really watch out for what I eat now. Especially all those coffees and teas. Mom tells me too much is bad for me.

Harry Potter is coming out soon! When Harry Potter ends so will my adolescence. I have grown up with the series and have always felt like I had a certain connection with the trio because I'm close in age with them. To celebrate, my sister and I are planning a Potter party potluck on the 9th. So far we got the games down and some recipes.

I feel very drained by the internet. I deactivated facebook a while ago so I could avoid reading other people's lives and focus on my life, but I see this reoccurring again with tumblr, twiiter and several other blogs. I should really take these sites as an inspiration (excluding twitter) and stop wishing my life was somewhat like theirs. I shouldn't be thinking like this at all because I have a lot to look forward to.

Also, the list of things I should pack up and buy have been floating around my head. I reckon I should start writing all of these down just so I could feel more productive and feel like my trip is coming sooner. I should be excited but I feel like things are a bit down right now. I should gravitate towards people that encourage me rather than people who weigh me down with this trip plus their problems (not that I don't mind people telling me their problems, I just would like relationships to go both ways). I don't like this bitter attitude that is still around and I am very much looking forward to the freedom I'll have once I get to Swansea. I am also craving fall wardrobe so badly already and I want to start looking at some home decor just to get an idea on how to decorate my dorm room. Not trying to go all crazy or anything and I'm not even sure if I could decorate much at all, but decorating a new room in general sounds exciting. I am getting tired of the granny smith apple green colored walls in my bedroom here.

I should make my next post about all the home decor and clothes I'll be bringing abroad. And I shall!

Accommodation!

2011-06-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

Applied for accommodation today! I got to choose between 3-4 different housing places and got to choose which ones I preferred the most. My first choice was a building called the Ty Beck House, which is less then a mile away from campus (I don't mind living away from campus, I like the idea that I will be using transportation and possibly riding a bike to school). The "house" is actually a big flat area and the style is Victorian-like. The building is for "mature students" who prefer a quieter environment and for students who have their families living with them. Here's how Beck looks like from the outside:

Although my choices seem a bit antisocial, I'm not trying to avoid any party scenes or social interactions. I'm sure I'll get lots of social settings at this place. My other preference is a building called Singleton Residences, which is the closest on campus and I think practically on campus. Singleton is very involved with school activities. Both Beck and Singleton are single-room apartments, I believe.

My last choice was Hendrefoelan Student Village, which is two and a half miles away from campus. It's the largest resident site. Although it has a more social-scene environment, I'd have to live in a flat with tons of people. I'm not sure if I want that right now. And as the website says, first years usually live there. I don't know if I quite fit in, knowing that I'll be 21 when I start my year over there. Even though 21 is considered young still I FEEL OLD ALREADY.

My sister and I were browsing around to find the cheapest flight ticket and we found one that was less than $500. Could you believe that?! One way, though but that is what I'm looking for. From what I've read I'd have to fly out to London Heathrow Airport. LONDON! My first steps on another country will be in London, England. AAhh! :)

Well, one thing down off the list! Feeling productive already.

the first days of summer

2011-06-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

And here I go...I created this blogger account a while back but didn't want to post until I made my ideal layout. Now since that's done and summer has been nothing but...well, nothingness, I think now is the perfect time to begin writing in here and to document!

Scratch that. Summer so far hasn't been nothing, really. I must admit, I liked taking 20 units last quarter (I passed with all A's and B's too yeaaah) plus taking care of all that study abroad paperwork, I liked being productive. But there are tons of things to do now. I'll bullet the following:

~~Look at one-way flight tickets to (I don't even know where yet - Cardiff, perhaps?)~~
~~Email the students I met over at the orientation~~
~~Apply for my UK student VISA~~
~~Apply for accommodation at Swansea~~
~~Make sure all the paperwork is through and that I have copy records of everything~~
~~Make lists on what to pack and what not~~
~~Look out for serious bargain deals on luggage and other necessities~~
~~Research more into Wales, Welsh culture, the UK, etc.~~
~~Open up a different bank account~~
~~Practice more on French! (possible trip to Paris)~~
~~SAVE MONEY and EARN MONEY~~

I got an email from Swansea Uni and they informed me that I'm officially a student there! I have my own ID number. :) I also got an email giving me a heads up on the visa application process. I want to rip my hair out when I look over the requirements. It's not that I don't have all the sources, but the time and the importance of it scares me. I am stubborn and afraid to apply this on my own.

My sister pressed how important it is for me to have a job now. She said, "I'm not trying to scare you, but this is what you want and the things prior are just as important" and she rambled how all of this work really shows how much of me accomplishing all of this will show that I'm an adult now, needing to take full responsibility and action. I've been applying, but I don't think applying is enough. When she told me this I was stiffened the entire night. If you guys know any openings and would help, please let me know!

I'm sure all of this fear will go away. I rather do it all and not contemplate on "what if". More positive entries next time, I promise!