Wednesday (and the remainder of Tuesday)

What really happened Tuesday…
Colleen and I had planned to go to the Tudor House in the afternoon – turns out it isn’t open on Tuesdays. Silly us. (Check out this link to see the Tudor House: http://www.tudorhouse.org.uk/index.php) We’re going to try going next week! When it’s actually open ☺

We did find something cool to do in its place – we went to the Worcester Porcelain Museum. Now, now – don’t knock it ‘til you try it. It was actually a really cool place with tons of neat history! Would you like me to include a link? Thought so. (http://www.worcesterporcelainmuseum.org.uk/) The museum itself was two floors and we saw some of the most beautiful porcelain ever. I have pictures that I can’t get off my camera. ☺

Leo was supposed to be meeting us at the museum after his class. He did not show up. I decided that it would be best to check out the outdoor eatery we’ve deemed “our spot” and there he was! Drinking a gigantic pint. He got lost in some garden on the way to the museum. Oops!

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering and then went home to have dinner and chill out. I love all of the exercise I’ve been getting just walking around. It takes about 25 minutes to get to the city – that’s a lot of walking when you figure we do that a couple of times. Not to mention all the walking we do once we get there. I feel good. It’s nice to be outside al day. Did I mention that all of their shops open to the street? It’s wonderful because it is nothing like being in a mall. You just walk down the street in the beautiful sunshine and are surrounded by fabulous shops!

Dinner – not so great. Made some stuffed pasta thing that was less than stellar. Oh well! However, we followed it up with some fabulous True Blood: Season 2 on iTunes and had a fabulous evening!

Wednesday.
Went to town early this morning so that we could pick up our rail tickets for tomorrow night. This weekend we’re traveling to Belfast, Ireland and I am really excited! I just keep hearing about how beautiful Ireland is and I can’t wait to be there! We’ll have three days to explore.

Leo and I were happy this morning – we found a place serving iced coffee. And it was good! It made my day. Seriously. I’ve spent literally the entire day doing homework because I have to have everything for this week done by 1pm tomorrow. Crazytown. But I made a very good dent in it this morning so I’m happy.

Leo and I had planned an outing with the BSU kids to go to a pub and get pints. Everything was all set – we reminded people today at 630 that we're meeting at 715. Well, 715 rolled around and suddenly no one was coming anymore. Boo. This is why I don’t try to make plans.

Anyway, we made the best of the evening by going for a drive into the beautiful countryside with Ryan, Colleen and Tommy. (They rented a car) We ended up at a little town called Tewkesbury and it was so adorable!!! I loved it – we all did. I was able to take some neat photos – on my camera – so you will have to see them later. ☺ There was a beautiful old Abbey. There was also a cute statue of some kids – Tommy fell in love with and called them her “friends.” I have a photo of her “dancing” with them!

Here a some photos from the past few days – none from today.
All photos courtesy of Leo Caldwell. :)

This is the Worcester Cathedral.



This is me looking at the cute baby swans.



This is a cool flower and some swans.



These are some swans.



This is us.



Leo is very proud of this photo. Not to be vain, but I love it too!

Tuesday.

This really contains almost nothing about today. Look for a better update tomorrow.

Tuesday.
Daily routine – wake up and do homework. Boo. But I’m getting As so it’s all gravy. It’s still early here and I’ve finished my work for the day. That means it is time to consume more caffeine, eat lunch, then tour the Tudor House in Worcester. Super excited!

Note about the coffee – it is SO weak! Mom and dad – you would love it! ☺ I bought instant coffee so that I can make it in the mornings (pretty inexpensive here) and I have to use like, a shovel in order to actually taste it. I’m thinking about just hooking up to a coffee IV. (By the end of this trip my parents are going to know exactly how much coffee I consume. I’m not sure they know the severity of my caffeine addiction… ☺)

Some random stuff:
Leo just brought this to my attention: In one of my first posts I talked about how the BSU kiddies went out and drank etc and that I said they needed some discipline. Of course, I was just kidding. However, as I am friends with them on my facebook – where I post links to this blog, I hope that none of them took offense to that. That’s just my sarcastic, sassy flair. And if they did take offense then they probably aren’t reading my blog anymore so they will never know that those comments were made in good fun. Eh - you win some, you lose some. ☺

So, let’s talk about how I get shy, not even shy, just quiet – at first – around new people. Some of the girls here seem like they would be tons of fun! However, I get all clammed up sitting at a table with them and suddenly have nothing to say. Almost like it feels forced. We’re going out with them soon so hopefully that will serve as a good icebreaker and we can just have fun and love each other! ☺

Travel troubles:
Leo and I booked all of our Friday morning flights between 6 and 7am from Birmingham. This would be okay – if the train from Worcester to Birmingham ran that early. Oops. If we hadn’t booked the flights then we wouldn’t have been flying out until 4 or 5pm so we would barely have time at our weekend spots. We just need to figure out a plan… and fast. Ireland happens this Friday.

We have figured out a plan that is going to work for two of our three planned weekends. We are going to take the Thursday night train and stay at the airport hotel (pretty cheap) so that we are ready for our flight Friday morning. However, this does not work for our Paris weekend. The one we’ve really been looking forward to. Paris is getting dumped. How much does that suck, you ask? A lot. Leo’s day trip on Thursday (for some reason) does not put him back in Worcester until around midnight. Which means no Thursday night train. Note to self, next time we should do less planning upfront. Who knew? Big expensive lesson learned.

Things to note:
1) Saying “You look large!” to a girl you’re meeting at an outdoor eatery apparently means that you think she looks fabulous. It took me a moment to realize this – I had to observe the body language after that comment, the hugging and smiling told me it was okay – and my sympathy for the girl disappeared. ☺ I’m not sure that I will be saying this to any of my friends back home, though. And if I do, it means that I think you look absolutely gorgeous in your maxi dress!
2) They have the hottest water I’ve ever felt in England. Piping hot, if you will. I watched Leo burn his hand really badly while making lunch. From the faucet. That is most likely the reason there is a sign above the sink that reads: Caution! Hot water!
3) Tea cakes are a little cookie base, a big blob of marshmallow, all covered in milk chocolate. I thought they were actual little cakes. Maybe some are – perhaps this is just one variety.
4) They have the strangest potato crisp (chips) flavors here: Roast Chicken, American Cheeseburger… I could go on. Would anyone like some American Cheeseburger chips?

More photos!

We went to dinner.



This means yield.



This was me being excited. We were on our way to the co-op.

Monday.

June 28. Monday.

Today has been a workday. I’ve been trying to get ahead in my homework and Leo has he first class in a couple of hours so he has been busy preparing as well. I haven’t really done much today worth writing about so I wanted to share some random stuff with you.

1. I love the homes here! Yes, they are all pretty small and very close together – quaint, I like to say – but they are wonderful. Most of the houses look very much alike but each somehow has it’s own personality. They all have little brick walls in front that enclose the front yards, and little gates that lead to the sidewalk. So cute! I have photos BUT I forgot the cord that connects my camera to my computer so I can’t upload any of the great photos I have taken. I’ve been stealing the ones on my blog from Leo.

2. During our walk to Sainsbury’s yesterday we saw Garfield the Cat hanging in one of the homes. It was so crazy to see that little piece of Muncie over here! ☺

3. Almost all of the cars here are compact. And nice. I haven’t seen one beater and only a handful of SUVs. However, we did see a Mercedes semi truck. The grill had the biggest Mercedes symbol I’ve ever seen!

4. Dad, bad news for you. Loud motorbikes – aka Harleys – have been banned. I’m not sure that I'll be able to bring you a t-shirt as I’m not sure that I’ll find a store. If not, I’ll come up with something good.

5. Guess what acrylic nails are called here? Nail extensions. Ha!

6. Guess what tube tops are called? Boobtubes. Literally. A tube for your boobs.

7. I don’t think people eat leftovers here. They don’t have To Go boxes at restaurants if you don’t finish a meal. I feel so wasteful. I can never finish anything anymore – successful stomach shrinkage – but that means lots of leftover food. This would have come in particularly handy Saturday night when Leo and I had that insanely long dinner I wrote about earlier. I ordered an enchilada. You know – a skinny thing about 6 or 7 inches long? WRONG! An enchilada here is the size of two 12-inch softballs. If I had my camera cord you could see for yourself. I could have eaten off of that thing for 4 days. I just need to talk about Leo’s dinner, too. He ordered some salmon and shrimp thing. I think we all know that I have issues with my food actually looking like the thing it came from – I almost died when they gave him his plate. It had this giant shrimp on it – literally bigger than my palm – and it had a million legs that were so long they were dangling off his plate. He informed me after dinner that it still had its eyes – I’m so grateful he did not bring this to my attention while we were eating. I would have been done.

The End.

Sunday.

June 27th.

(AM blog) Today is Sunday. Slept in again. Felt great! Leo and I plan on taking the weekend easy. We have a lot of weekend adventuring coming up and want to enjoy this one in Worcester. It is beautiful outside and sunny – interesting thing about the weather, apparently. According to the locals, it has been “unseasonably warm” here the past few days and it has not rained once! I like to think it is the world’s way of apologizing for our 3.5 hr Tarmac fiasco. Off to see what we’re going to get ourselves into today!

(PM blog) Guess what we did? We walked to Sainsbury’s! What is this, you ask? It is the Worcester equivalent to our WalMart. Pretty great, huh? Only – it is not as big. They still have a random selection of everything, just in smaller quantities. And it’s all kind of thrown together haphazardly. The batteries were next to the alcohol and the clothing was next to the tiki torches, which was next to all of the England flags. What?

Speaking of clothing – the majority of girls here do not dress conservatively or in neutral colors. I’ve seen some of the shortest, tightest, brightest clothing ever since being in England. Just saying.

Back to Sainsbury’s – it was in a part of Worcester we hadn’t been to before, St. Johns. Before leaving Leo assured me that he knew where he was going. Three minutes into walking he said he “has an idea of the direction we need to walk in, but not the exact directions to get there.” Which is why we ended up walking down a street that turned into a dead end. ☺ It was fun, though! Even with that short detour (which was our only one the whole walk) it only took about 30 minutes to get to the store.

Some of their food is really good, some of it I would never touch. Things I would never touch: Prawn Crisps aka Shrimp Potato Chips. (I know, what were they thinking?) However, we have noticed a few really great things.
1) Bottled water is super cheap here. LOVE IT!
2) They don’t use high fructose corn syrup. Soda is made with real sugar. Candy is made with real sugar. We checked the labels. :)
3) It’s amazing how natural everything is. Leo and I were reading the labels on the groceries we bought and we can pronounce every word on them – and they are words we’ve heard before! All of the things we bought would have an “organic” label on them in the States and we would pay a million dollars for it.

After Sainsbury’s we made lunch and watched the World Cup. I didn’t think that I would be interested in the game but being in England has put me in the soccer, excuse me – football, spirit! I was really rooting for England – Leo was into it too. It was a fun game to watch… until Germany wiped the floor with England.

As the announcer referred to it: “England’s World Cup Debacle” and that the team experienced “England’s heaviest loss in World Cup history” as they lost 4-1. We stayed here to watch it but some of the students went to the pubs – they said that everyone had cleared out of the pubs by halftime because they knew it was over and it wasn’t fun anymore. Sad! I would have liked to see them pull out a win. But enough about the World Cup.

We rented a movie on iTunes and just relaxed the rest of the evening. It was fabulous.

I think that I elaborated on all of my “things to note” so there won’t be a list in this post, but I did just remember one.

1 - They have little candies here that look exactly like a fried egg. How fun! Our candy is so boring in the US. ☺

We haven't really taken any photos the past few days because we haven't done much. And those we did take are on my camera :) Most of you have seen these already so they are for my parents! Deal with it.

This is me.



This is the beginning of The Butts - yes, that is a part of the town.



This is how big the drinks are. Though, the photo didn't really capture the size of the glass. It was HUGE!



This is a section of The Shops.



This photo was taken from the footbridge on the way to Worcester City Centre. You can see the top of the cathedral and that is the River Severn.

Saturday.

I forgot to tell you the most hilarious thing that happened yesterday – Leo called American money “human dollars” as if that was what we really called it. It was so funny. Maybe you had to be there.

I am feeling so much better today! I guess my body really needed all of the sleep I got yesterday and last night. Feels great! Leo and I have been going over all of our weekend trips and travel plans and we’re slightly worried that we’ve overbooked. We’re going to stay positive and just go with it – that’s part of the adventure, right?

Today we went to town to go to the Strawberry Festival. It was a bust. Unless by strawberry festival they really meant “a few random stands on the street selling crappy jewelry and key chains with the occasional strawberry tart on the table” – then it was fabulous!

However, Leo did “accidentally” buy a strawberry cider (mom and dad – cider is a kind of alcohol, did you know that already?) and he can’t stand ciders. Bummer. It doesn’t end there. We then went to sit outside at a pub. Where he “accidentally” bought another cider. What? I know. How does someone accidentally buy two ciders within an hour? I’ll be nice and say that maybe he’s still slightly jet lagged.

So. People move at a very slow pace here. Too slow to be considered leisurely. I don’t know if we’re just addicted to doing everything at warp speed or if life really is that slow here. Dinner tonight took over two hours. What? We weren’t at a nice restaurant. It wasn’t fancy. I just couldn’t handle it. At least we were outside… but still. It’s just crazy different.

I am going to wear my small sunglasses tomorrow. I feel like my big ones give me away as an American. No one else wears big sunglasses. Aside from that, Leo and I have been doing a good job of blending in.

Mom – most of the girls here seem to abide by one of Oprah’s cardinal rules: they own leopard print ballerina flats. And wear them with anything. ☺

Things to note:
1. Strangers don’t smile at each other here. I’ve been doing a lot of smiling and getting blank stares in return. Rude. ☺
2. Old money here goes out of circulation. Their old 20 pound bank notes expire on the 30th of this month and you have to spend them beforehand or exchange them for the new ones at a bank.
3. Girls here don’t care if their bras hang out of their clothes. Like, way out. If they’re even wearing a bra.

Us being cute.



The fire juggler and an adorable girl who just gave him money.



The flowers Leo bought me at the open air market.

Feeling jet laggy and stuffed up and achey.

This is my whiney blog.

Boo! I think Leo and I tried to do too much too soon - started feeling like I might die this afternoon. I'm just so excited to get out and start seeing things and doing stuff that I don't want to waste time sleeping. Lesson learned today - waste the time sleeping in the beginning.

I have really sensitive sinuses and they're all dried up here. This was the beginning of the end of the day for me. At least I have a fab boy who brought me home and let me sleep for 5 hours. Then fed me food. I plan to go to sleep again soon so that I can hopefully get on the local schedule. Jet lag sucks!

Tomorrow is the strawberry festival - so excited! :)

Things to note:
1. Pigeons are insanely vocal here.
2. The sun doesn't begin to set until 10pm.
3. I found the cutest shoes today... and will be buying them.

Wednesday and Thursday

I realize now that I forgot to update on the continued fun that was our first day in England. By the time you finish reading this blog we should be all caught up. I think.

So, I made it to Worcester on Wednesday via the rail. I saw so much countryside on the way – and the sheep! Who knew England had so many sheep? I was starting to drag by this point because I had just spent 10 hours on a plane, 3.5 of which were spent sitting on the Tarmac, 1.5 hours on trains and in train stations, and just wanted to be wherever it was that I would be staying.

I walked out of the rail station and froze. I had a slight panic attack as I realized “I am not at home. Now where the hell do I go?” People were bustling about, everyone knowing where they were going. The only maps around had to be purchased for 30p – all I had were paper bills – and I was alone. I stood there staring for just a few minutes and then spotted them. A line of taxis just waiting for me down the street. Here goes nothing.

I walked up to the first taxi and the guy just stared at me. I was like, uh, are you driving people? (I know, how eloquent.) He asked if I had reserved the taxi – um, what? – but let me get in anyway when I said no. Once we were driving I was slightly worried – great, no record of me ever getting into this cab that you supposedly had to reserve, would I make it? – but he turned out to be very friendly and helpful. Except when he dropped me off about 10 minutes from where I asked to be dropped off, told me he accidentally passed it, and then described the various streets I would have to take to get there. It’s a good thing I have a good memory and a keen sense of direction.

Finally! I arrived at Colleen and Ryan’s – they had my luggage since Leo took it on the bus – and they weren’t home. I sat on the curb. I almost cried. Not out of sadness, I was just stressed and wanted to see someone familiar. Then I saw the most wonderful sight in the world. Colleen and Ryan were walking toward me! Hooray. We quickly went inside where Colleen made me the most delicious cup of coffee and I sat down. Sigh. I made it.

I couldn't relax for too long because I had to go pay my housing bill and figure out where I was staying etc. The little man that took me to my flat was nice… but he scared me with his driving. His car was tiny – as most of them are – and I literally thought I was sitting on the ground when I got in. I kept thinking he was driving on the wrong side of the road. Everyone drives fast and close together. It makes me nervous. I also need to get better at looking the correct way before crossing a street. So many adjustments!

And then we ended the day with our bestest friends at a cute little restaurant across from the canal. Happiness.

June 24th. Thursday.
Spent the morning doing homework for my online classes. I’m not going to lie – I wish I had no commitments while I am here. It’s all good though. Work on stuff in the morning; adventure around in the afternoon and evening.

We spent the afternoon in Worcester just walking around and getting to know the place. We bought a hairdryer for pretty cheap and Leo bought a whole new outfit. And I love it! Colleen and Tommy came with us – Ryan had to do work stuff – and we ended up at a cute little outside eatery. Colleen and Leo ordered beer and let me just tell you - in England you get a WHOLE PINT! The size of their drinks was insane!





After the long, uphill walk home Leo and I called my mom – dad is on a business trip – and it was nice to hear her voice. Leo decided to tell her all about his lunch that day. LOL. ☺ Then we decided that we would fall asleep at 730. Bad news. Guess who was awake at midnight? I called my sister.

June 25th. Friday (morning).
Again, I spent the morning getting my homework out of the way. I like not having it dangling over my head all day so I can just enjoy whatever I’m doing. I’m not sure what our plan is for the day – first England date night? – but I’m excited! Ryan and Leo had to spend the morning collecting students who didn’t show up for their first two meetings this morning. Why? They went out drinking last night and didn’t come in until 3am. HELLO! It’s day 2 of their trip. These little kiddies need some serious discipline.

Well, I’m off to get ready for the day! Love and miss you all!

Things to note:
1. Yogurt is a liquid here. Surprise.
2. All of the shops close at 5:30. What?!
3. When the shops close, the bathrooms close. Surprise number two.
4. I ordered a chicken sandwich. I guess in England chicken means ham. Surprise number three.
5. I love skype. Send us your phone number if you want a call!

We're Here!!!

I've been writing on my computer and saving them until I found internet...

June 22nd.
The day has actually come - sitting at the airport waiting to board a plane to Newark. Then off to the UK! I still don't believe this is happening :) Cat drove us to the airport - and brought Henry with - and my eyes welled up when she drove away. I didn't think I would be emotional about leaving, at least not until I was in England and feeling homesick, but it happened. I'm kind of nervous about leaving home for so long - I can't stop wondering if I did everything I had to do (I say wondering, I mean internally freaking out) - but it will be a wonderful adventure!
As I'm waiting for our first plane I keep flip-flopping between absolutely ecstatic and totally freaking out. Am I really doing this? Are we really just going to the UK for 6 weeks? Yes. We are. Now I need to get a grip! I take great comfort in knowing Colleen, Ryan and Tiny T will be there to greet us. And hopefully feed me coffee ASAP!

June 22nd - Later.
!st flight almost took off without a hitch. We were being pushed back from the gate when all of our electricity turned off. uh-oh. We had no power and had to taxi back to the gate, plug the plane back in (to what?!), wait, then try it all again. Luckily, the whole process only took about 15 minutes. Is this a bad sign for things to come?

June 23rd
Indeed it was a bad sign of things to come. We were supposed to depart from Newark for Birmingham at 7:05. Three and a half hours later – 10:30pm – we were finally off of the ground. Sitting on the Tarmac for 3.5 hours sucked. But hey, we're in England. :)

My solo adventure has begun! Yes, solo. Leo has to ride a bus from the University with all of the little kiddies so I was on my own to get from Birmingham to Worcester. I'm a big girl and I did it without any problems! Leo took all of my luggage with him (bless his heart) so that made my travel much less chaotic. Bought a rail ticket.

I write this as a sit in Birmingham New Station waiting for my connecting train. I feel happy. And sad. And excited. And lonely. And happy. And tired. And happy.

Things to note:
1. The first bathroom I used in the UK - here at this rail station - charged me 30 pence to enter. And there was one tiny little mirror. How's a girl supposed to freshen up?
2. There is no structure to the way a toilet flushes. All of the water sprays around and makes somewhat of a mess. Dislike.
3. The first song I heard in the rail station cafe (where I am now) was Heartbeats. The slow mellow version. I instantly felt at home.
4. A really sweet, older lady just sat down next to me. Even though there are tons of open tables. I felt as if she could see my eyes were a little wide and noticed the slightly frantic look on my face and was just there to say "It's okay." I loved her. :)
5. Gotta run! My train is here :)

Almost time!

Colleen and Ryan are off to England tonight - as we speak, really. I hope Tiny T is the sweet little angel I know she is for the long flight they have ahead of them! :) The fact that they've left makes this very real - we are leaving soon!!! This is pretty much a pointless entry but I just need to get my excitement out - again! :) Look forward to some fun-filled blogs beginning in two weeks.

It's almost time!

Two weeks from today Leo and I will be on our way to England! So excited. Thanks to my sister Cat and our friend Vicki for watching little Henry while we're gone! So lucky to have helpful friends and family! :)

I've created an itinerary - mainly so my parents would know our schedule - but I'll post it here as well. We're going to be on quite a few planes...

Tuesday, June 22nd
Indy – Newark: Continental Airlines
3:56pm

Newark – Birmingham, UK: Continental Airlines
7:05pm

Friday, July 2nd
Birmingham – Belfast, Ireland
7:00am

Sunday, July 4th
Belfast, Ireland – Birmingham
5:50pm

Friday, July 9th
Birmingham – Paris, France
6:25am

Sunday, July 11th
Paris, France – Birmingham
3:55pm

Friday, July 30th
Birmingham – Amsterdam
6:45am

Sunday, Aug 1st
Amsterdam – Birmingham
8:50pm

Monday, August 2nd
Birmingham, UK – Newark: Continental Airlines
9:00am

Newark – Indy: Continental Airlines
3:59pm