a new adventure!

off to dublin tomorrow evening for the weekend!
shall be deeeelightful.
more to come when i return..

sounds.

children
and trains
and rain
outside my window.

pleasant.

a holiday.

the first weekend in england was spent miles away from birmingham within the lake district.  this is equivalent of minnesotans going to the north shore. the lake district is well known for its beautiful rolling hills and fresh sparkling lakes. the district offers great camping and hiking. if one were to hike to the peek of old man coniston, the north sea as well as the isle of man are visible.

a walk at sunset

sheep scatter the grassy fields and hills as most of this countryside is farmland. there are great literary and historical connections to the area of the lake district we were visiting. william wordsworth helped make this area popular through his poetry and descriptions of the land. beatrix potter bought a farm near the place we stayed and gave large portions of land she bought to the national trust. 

farm land by the eco center we stayed the weekend

we stayed at the raymond priestley centre while in the lake district. the center is an eco center associated with the university of birmingham. hundreds of students visit the center throughout the year. we were lucky enough to visit on an absolutely gorgeous weekend full of sunny skies. this is usually not the norm for the lake district. it normally rains ALL. THE. TIME. the center offered all kinds of activities like hiking, climbing, ropes course, sailing, canoeing, and kayaking. we were able to participate in a number of these activities all weekend.

the entrance gate

more sheep!

the boat house

moments before sunrise

morning mist

the arrival.

this was all a blur.

the goodbyes, the people, the friends, the family, the second guessing, the excitement, the unknown, the everything. it all happened so fast. i have been in england for over a week now, but it feels like ages since we landed in birmingham. its slowly starting to set in..but not completely. and that's okay, it leaves room for excitement!

i have constantly been on the go ever since i landed. the study abroad programme i came with has kept us nice and busy with necessary orientation sessions, field trips, walking tours of campus, bus tours of the city and absolutely anything else you can think of that would help fight the jet lag. with this said, i am quite drained, as well as the others, and haven't had much free time to just.. be. now that i have that chance i'll fill you in a bit of what's been happening..

the plane landed in birmingham on a beautiful morning, right at sunrise, a nice welcome to our new home.  we then took a coach through the city centre, leading us to our on-campus flats.  it only took moments for the bus to erupt in bits of laughter and 'oh my gods' due to the realization of which side of the road we were on. in our sleepy stupor we kind of forgot about that one. and man do they drive fast! its great, yet kind of frightening.

we pulled into the vale village, this is the part of campus that has student housing and a huge hall for student housing.  the hall is called shackleton, and has a reception, a small convenience store, laundry, and a little cafe. then we came up to our flats!
i'm living with tara...

i met her through volunteer work at the basement, the college radio station in duluth.
she's a pip and i adore her. many concerts will be seen together.

i'm also living with claire...

we ran in the same circle of friends at umd, but never really knew each other and now we get the chance!
she's a sweetheart who wears nice kicks. nuff said.

so all three of us opened the door together, screamed a little, danced a little and ran around to open ALL THE DOORS. they use doors quite a bit here.  we have a full and half bath, bedroom with great storage, and a kitchen with a breakfast nook. i'll have pictures up to show you soon, they are just the perfect amount of space. that is one thing i've noticed, the brits conserve things, including space. everything doesn't have to be huge and spectacular, its nice and quant.  simple.

we then spent the day walking the sally oak campus and surrounding area, probably the size of duluth. this place is huge. its absolutely gorgeous. due to all the rain, everything is soooooo green and full. massive trees tower over the streets with long branches full of green leaves.  ivy grows along the brick walls along the pavement [sidewalk]. and only a few leaves are showing their fall colours. we stopped by the building that we will be taking class in for the next few months. we even have a delightful little tea & study room, so cozy.

the alen ghale house where i will be taking classes

 big apple tree outside the school house

we were some of the first students to move in, so all kinds of crews were out fixing things before all the students arrived. the place looks great. a lovely old city with old brick houses with tiny little front yards, if any. the city centre is quite modern but mixed with old time charm. i've been soaking it all in that i really haven't been spending time snapping pictures of everything. but one day i will take photographs and i will not disappoint, i promise!

ten little days..

in ten little days my life will be changed forever. this world is about to get a little bigger..

a letter.

the one good thing about not seeing you is that i can write you letters.

-svetlana alliluyeva

the experience. an introduction.

i will be studying abroad in birmingham, england for the 2010-2011 academic year. i am beyond excited! a few details about the experience you may, or may not know..more to come!

this programme is set up through the university of minnesota duluth and has been going on for over 30 years now. i will be traveling with a group of about 35 students from umd.  we are all in love.  we will live, study, and travel together.  my new family.  while in birm i will be living with four lovely flatmates.  two from the programme and two attending the university of birmingham.  the other two students could be from anywhere around the world.  i know one is from england, and i have yet to get to meet the other flatmate.  the other two flat mates, however, are two deeeelightful friends from umd. to put it simply, i love them. more about tara & claire in a later post :)

during the fall semester i will be enrolled in 16 credits while at the university.  this is considered full time.  and let me tell you, the courses i will be taking are wonderful!  i just can't wait to start school.  below you will find my schedule while in birm. its like i'm not even going to school. but in a good way ;)

all courses will be taught by a mix of professors from the university of birmingham and the university of minnesota duluth.  this makes the study in england programme slightly different than most study abroad opportunities.  my drawing course and astronomy course will be taught by umd professors, otherwise the others will be taught by british faculty.  exciting!

while abroad i will be able to work up to 20 hours with my student visa. i am hoping for a coffee shop or pub.  however, i know there is a catering company that anxiously awaits the arrival of students to birm.  this job would be a little bit more flexible than most, annnnnd sometimes free food is also offered to sweeten the deal.  more on this when the job search is on!

i will be departing minneapolis on september 20th and arriving in birmingham at 7AM. oh boi. we will go through hours of orientation, then bed time.  school in england will not start until october 4th.  this leaves a few weeks to get orientated to my new home and the people around me.  i cannot wait for the journey ahead.  a great escape.

i guess i should start packing.. ;)

the beginning.

found on the cobblestone streets near campus by the programme director.
it already feels like home, and i haven't even arrived.

words cannot describe the thoughts, feelings, and anticipation that are slowly building within me. i always knew i wanted to explore the world and go on an adventure. and now it is happening. this is it!

in one months time i will be leaving the country to embark on an adventure of a lifetime, an adventure that no one can prepare for. some of the great moments in life are not meant to be prepared for, they just happen. and it is the way in which we interpret and react to such things that truly shows how prepared we really are.

so here it goes, i'm taking the plunge into an ocean of mystery and adventure! here is where i will document this adventure, as a chronicle of sorts. i am telling a story. the story of my life abroad. away from home. away from family. away from friends. away from security. and away from.. reality. because this journey i am about to take, is other worldly. all i ask, is for you to listen as i tell you all about the thoughts, feelings, and events happening within the next chapter of life.

for i will be gone from minnesota.