Meet Me Halfway

About one month down and exactly one more to go. I'm on the middle ground about how excited I am. On one hand, it's crazy how fast this trip is going and I'm sad that some people who only came for the first session will be going home this week. On the other hand, I've had my homesick moments so I don't mind thinking about my return to comforting (and sunny!) California.

Random updates:

• I've lost my hearing. My voice is also a bit raspy, but I definitely cannot hear from as long a distance anymore o.O You can blame that on speakers from clubs and karaokes, wooh.
• Almost saw Coldplay last weekend which is on my life to-do list. Sooo close!!
• I'm running out of food and money really fast. And by that I mean if my mom doesn't not send me more by the end of this week, I'm as good as a hobo.
• Might be going to home #1--Paris--for this upcoming long weekend. I'm insanely excited for all the baked goods I'm going to consume.
• Talking about consuming, somehow, despite my low-budgeted supply of food, I eat like a freakin' cow.
• This Physics ordeal is a BLAST. /sarcasm
• Despite the missing home and being broke ordeals, if I could reside in Brighton I would. Beautiful, beautiful place. I just can't get enough.

Below are a before (1st week) and after (right now) pics of my food supply (not counting the stuff in the fridge. The bag contains rice and pasta and spices. The box of assorted cookies was mauled by a hungry teenage girl and is now empty.... sigh.

Boredom?

Today, our first set of homework and labs were finally due (yeah, I'm here for Physics 'member?) and just a few minutes ago I reached a high enough level of boredom to go wash my dishes. I'm in England, I shouldn't be getting bored, right? RIGHT?!

Wrong.

I'm an international bore. Granted, I expected this--I get bored really easily. I need to constantly be doing things. Nonetheless, this is not a bad boredom. It's a British boredom. I feel good and relaxed. Usually, back in the USofA, when I get bored I get anxious and stressed. Here the possibilities are endless: a run? a club? the beach? A run to the club that's on the beach?? Endless!!

For now, I just ate and am thus in a food coma. So my boredom is actually laziness and will leave as soon as I digest. Huh. So... this entire post is irrelevant. My bad.

PS. Happy France Day (Jour de la Bastille)!! Wrong country I know, but I would celebrate this no matter which country I was in. (:

PPS. Who's going to the midnight HP premiere??? Not me. I'm not enough of a potterhead. But I will watching it some time this weekend hopefully. Can't wait!

PPPS. I just realized my last three posts have been on national holidays: Canada, USA, France. In that order. Oh snaps.

Questions I Have

So I've made it safely to Brighton, and am already having a super blast but just as the title suggests I have a few things that I'm pondering on. So in random order...:

• Why did I wake up at 5am this morning? Even though I didn't go to bed until probably 1ish.


• How am I managing to live never knowing what time it is?? No cell, no laptop, no clock. Where am I?


• Why did I not bother check if my convertor would actually work in the UK so I could charge these things?


• Why are my parents not answering the very detailed email I sent them?


• How did we manage to sing the US National Anthem in a bus in England without getting kicked out?


• Why do I feel like I've been here for a week?


• How am I already speaking like someone who's been in Brit-land for months, dahrling?


• When will I get my tea party?


• Why does my class and the pub tour and the ice cream party and the HP premiere have to all be on the same day? I can't make these decisions!


• Why is Brighton just so darn adorable?


• Why are the pictures I'm taking so lame?


• How do I always manage to hang out with the best group of people when traveling?


• How does the stove work? I need a proper warm dinner.


• Why does the internet in my room just absolutely refuse to work?


• Why does everything open at 9am and close at 4pm?


• Why do they put vinegar on fish and chips?


• Why are (most, not all) the people that came here from UCLA so snobby?


• How am I talking to someone who is still in yesterday (in the US)? Mind blown anybody?


• Why so many seagulls and rabbits?


• Whare the @ and " key inverted? Who does that benefit??


• Is this enough questions? Will I receive answers?

I'm going to go have breakfast now as it is 7:30am. The time I thought I had woken up at. -__-"

The Clock is Ticking

The little countdown clock on the left reads 6 hours: 22 minutes: 35.. 34.. 33.... seconds.

OMG.

I kinda wanted to lie to you and say I'm sitting here nonchalantly waiting for the plane to come. But as I said, that would be a l i e. Here's the real situation:

- I have not finished packing. By this I mean, I know what I'm bringing but it's just laid out there waiting to be neatly folded and whatnot >.<

- I still feel like I'm taking a journey into the unknown. So many things can and probably will go wrong, it's just a matter of can I handle them?

- I did not have time to reserve some British Pounds from my bank for some reason. (Maybe that reason was spending all day at Disneyland, but that's besides the point...)

- I'm still slightly confused as to this whole phone thing is going to work.

- Foooood. I have a feeling I'm going to finally lose those 10lbs while abroad, which can be a good thing. Depends how its done though--starving to death is definitely not the proper way.

- I learned the difference between a converter and adapter. I feel so inteligente.

- Bring from here or buy there? The eternal question.

- I'm just tired of worrying and want to be there getting my British accent on already. Let's get-er-dun!

Nonetheless, I'm excited. This is insane, I've wanted this since my day of birth! Ish. I absolutely cannot wait, but my nerves definitely are not helping with the transition.

I would ramble more about the ordeals I have encountered in the process of getting ready but I seriously need to finish packing! XD

The next time I post I will probably be in GMT +1 *spazzes*

PS. Beware of E. Coli whilst abroad. Because, you know, I don't have enough things to worry about -__-"

Pre-Departure Syndrome

Hello all,

I would like to inform you that I am suffering from PDS--Pre-Departure Syndrome. Here are my symptoms:

• Not wanting to pack. I figure I'm going to forget something important anyways so I'm not going to pack at all. If you stare at it long enough, you'll find the logic.
• Realizing there is less time left than anticipated. All school year it was.. well, a school year away. 16 days is a lot less than that. So many things to do!!!
• Thinking that things that should have been done months ago have not yet been done and freaking the heck out. i.e., Last night I wasn't sure if I had checked if I needed to renew my passport. The next available appointment to do so would have been on July 2nd--my date of departure. (No worries, turns out all is well).
• Worrying things will not nearly be as exciting as I've built up in my head. I'm broke, broke people can't have fun in England. Again, stare at it for the logic.
• Lastly, I am sick--I didn't get sick once all school year. My bod has perfect timing,

The worst possible symptom is not wanting to go at all, but I don't think I will reach that level. Suggested medication involve watching the Harry Potter 7 trailer, having multiple goodbye parties, and practicing British accent. I'll be cured in no time (:

Let the Countdown Begin!!

Alriiiight,

I finished with my finals today (aka brain. dead.) WHICH MEANS I can start counting down to S U S S E X!!!!!! Do you see those exclamation points? Excitement! Until then I'll be posting every so oftenly about my to-do list (aka most efficient way to cause havoc in Brit-land in 8weeks). Ideas are welcome, I want to make this thee best experience of my collegiate life!

Since you will be stalking me for the next few months, I guess I should tell you a bit about me. I'm not sure what you want to know so...

• I'm a girl. Yup, double the X chromosomes, double the fun (;
• I'm a 2nd yr Chemistry major and English minor
• I will be "studying" Physics over this wonderful summer
• I have been to multiple places in Europe, in fact I am a Frenchie (so I hope to un-Americanize myself upon landing) but I was a mere lad (that's Irish isn't it...) the last time I set foot in the UK so I don't remember any of my havoc
• I am awesome. Just in case you were doubting...
• I'm slowly running out of things to say
• I'm 5'7.75". You know you wanted to know that.
• I just turned 19 last month and will be 13 next year.
• All the previous statements started with 'I' and that is irritating me
• These are my favorites per category: purple, Michael Jackson (RIP), Coldplay/Mumford&Sons, vanilla bean/pistachio, chicken/pasta, 1Thessalonians 5:16-18, The Time Traveler's Wife/Jane Eyre, A Lot Like Love/The Hangover, The Vampire Diaries, soccer/tennis.
• My least favorite of all those: yellow, Rebecca Black, death metal stuff, chocolate mint, brussel sprouts, there is no bad verse, The Old Man and The Sea, Napoleon Dynamite, Jersey Shore, baseball.
• You probably have completely lost interest by now. I will stop.

Now that we have caught up on a decade of friendship, here's my brainstorm so far of what to do on the other side (that sound like I'm dying):

1. Harry Potter 7 II premiere - my go-to HP fanatic friend has informed of the exact placement and though I only finally read the books last winter, it's a must go!
2. Tea party - I have found this hotel that hosts cute little tea parties. ^_^
3. British accent - I gain accents rather easily, so I'm looking forward to that. If not at least some shmancy lingo.
4. World Youth Day in Madrid - http://www.madrid11.com/en
5. Visit my homeland! - I left my heart in Paris.
6. Update this blog - Yup. I suck at diaries so we'll see how this goes...
7. Get an A in Physics - Piece of cake... xD
8. Shop but not drop- But not for random crap. I want something authentically British. W/e that means.
9. Party hardy - Brighton is Pub city apparently, so hey!
10. Wicked and Chicago - And whichever other play I can find!

That's all I've got for now. Let's add more, shall we? Toodaloo!

countdown:twentyfourdays