One year anniversary: reflecting on the best year of my life

One year ago today I arrived in London with a cart full of suitcases, sleep deprived, and emotionally unstable.  I was simultaneously excited and terrified.  I had left every thing I’d known to pursue many dreams.  Some of these dreams I didn’t even know existed at the time, while others I thought were sure things in my life were almost immediately fleeting.  The first night was the hardest.  I didn’t have a cell phone. I didn’t have internet. I didn’t have television.  I didn’t really know where I was. When I moved in to my apartment the key to my building was really finicky, so I didn’t feel like I could leave even if I had known where to go because I wasn’t sure I could get back inside.  I was completely alone.  I was overwhelmed with anxiety; I felt nauseated and like I was suffocating.  I was awake half the night, so to take my mind off of my isolation I just read and read and read until my eyes shut.  In the light of day the next morning things seemed better.  Though I was still an emotional roller coaster.  I went to Starbucks to use the wifi and cried, I went to a store to buy a television and cried mid-sentence with the cashier.  I couldn’t explain it, the tears would just overtake me.  This lasted for over a week.

So much has changed in the last year.  I have changed immensely.  I didn’t advertise it much, but the first few weeks here were very difficult.  I really struggled to start my life.  I faced trials such as setting up simple modern day fixtures of life like internet in my apartment to grasping material in lectures.  I have never felt so unintelligent in life than I did sitting in some of my lectures.  The first few months I really wondered why I was here, why I was accepted to this programme, and if I was going to make it.  Especially after I failed three assessments (not one, THREE!).  I’ve never failed anything in my life up until this point.  I wondered if this was really the path for me.  The long-term career goals I once had did not seem so appealing any more, which made me question my decisions even more.  Additionally, I chose to end one of my closest relationships due to irreconcilable differences.  While it was the best decision, it left a deep void in my life that I struggled to fill for a while.  Suddenly a person I spoke to every day, who was one of my best friends and strongest supporters, was a stranger.  The timing couldn’t have been worse.  I was physically alone a lot and felt the emotional weight of it very strongly.  Of course, I didn’t want people to know how much I was struggling.  I was meant to be living this fabulous life abroad!

Around March and with the slow beginning of spring, things started turning around.  I came back even stronger on those failed assignments, and started really feeling like I belonged here.  My friendships here grew stronger and I was finally getting in the traveling I wanted to do.

I’ve made good friends, but my social circle is considerably smaller than it once was.  It made me realise many things I have taken advantage of up until moving.  Fostering friendships as you get older takes a lot more initiative than it has in the past.  This is something I am bearing in mind as I head into my professional life.  Up until this point I have pretty much had built-in friendships facilitated by school or student activities.  Throughout the last year I have also made much stronger efforts to keep in touch with old friends and continue to foster those relationships.  I can say that I have closer bonds to some of my friends now than ever before.  People who are international or have moved around a lot make deeper friendships easier and faster than those who have not.  My theory is they understand on an instinctive level how hard it is to start over again and therefore are more open to building relationships.

I've spent the last month reflecting on my time here.  As for my Masters programme, I wonder how different my education would have been in the USA.  I wonder how my perspective would have been influenced by the healthcare environment in the USA versus how it has been influenced here by a socialist healthcare environment.  It is hard, if not impossible, for me to differentiate between what might have been and what is.  I have a completely different view of deprivation and inequities, especially in regard to health.  However, there are still times where I am surprised by how capitalist and individualistic I can be in my perspective.  I imagine this will continue to be a challenge throughout my life.  As for my personal development, I have come to an understanding that I have a desire to be needed in others’ lives.  I’ve spent the last year unemployed with very few commitments that any one cares if I meet.  My Masters degree was completely up to me, if I didn’t go to class or didn’t complete my work no one really cared but me (and the UK Border Agency).  Since I’ve lived alone I’ve had lots of time to myself.  I love living alone, and I don’t think I could or would go back to having a roommate.  However, I have realised I miss being needed.  I miss accountability.

Consequently, these experiences have changed me.

I take life much less seriously than I used to. 

I am much more willing to embrace fun now than ever before.  I go out frequently, dance, and stay up too late.

I stand up for myself more than I ever have.  People used to tell me all the time I was too nice, and I don’t think that’s so any more.  Nice enough, sure, but I don’t think I am the ‘floor mat’ I once was.

I’m not as sensitive as I used to be.  I’ve always had hypersensitive emotions; I feel things much more strongly and deeply than many people.  Something that embarrasses a person for an hour I will cling to for years.  If I hurt someone’s feelings once, it haunts me for ages.  However, I’ve relaxed a lot over the last year and have toughened up a bit as well.

I no longer have a strict plan.  While this actually creates an internal battle sometimes, I’ve come to an understanding that to figure things out I need to try things out.  I’ve also realised that having a strict plan is pointless because things never ever go to plan.

I actually think many people who knew me in college wouldn’t recognise me now.

Possibly most importantly, I realised I am strong.  I have been fully self-sufficient and independent.  I have asked for help when I needed it, but also learned to be my own rock.

As I write this, I am preparing to move back to the US.  The job market and immigration restrictions in the UK are just too hard at the moment.  Soon this place will be a distant memory, but as does every place I’ve lived, it will always have a special place in my life.  I am sad to be leaving, but I try to focus on the positive aspects.  I have had the most amazing year, made wonderful friends, and have absolutely no regrets about my decision to move here.  Now it’s time for a new experience in my home country, and maybe one day I will return to England.

Travels of a bule

Bule [pronounced like boo-lay] - a white person in Indonesian.  

It's not derogatory, in fact many people are fascinated by white people.  

I just spent two weeks in Indonesia, 10 days in various parts of Bali and 4 days in Jakarta.  My friend Georgie, the one I went to Greece with, is half Indonesian and grew up in Jakarta.  Last year I had told myself that in the fall of 2014 I would do a tour of Asia.  Per life's usual ways the only thing constant is change and by autumn I wasn't sure if this Asia trip was going to happen.  Georgie casually mentioned one day I should come to Indonesia in the summer when she went back to visit her family.  Well, whether the offer was genuine at the time or not, I jumped at the opportunity to have a local!  So by March we had sorted all the details and I had my first plane ticket to Asia.

I arrived at nearly midnight on a Sunday.  I had to wait ages for the visa on arrival because something happened with the computer system and they had to process passports by hand.  I walked outside after picking up my suitcase and it was like walking into a wall of sticky air.  I'm used to hot and humid summers in Virginia and North Carolina, but England has been spoiling me with mid 70s and next to no humidity.  Georgie met me and her brother (who also lives in England) at baggage claim and we headed to the family's apartment.  We only had a few hours before we had to be up again and back at the airport to leave for Bali.  After a shower and a short nap we were eating breakfast around 4:30 before heading out again when the first call to prayer could be heard from the mosque nearby.

I don't think I went into the trip with many expectations.  I had done some google searches and Pinterest browsing for things to do in Bali, but since Georgie goes to Bali every year I just left it up to her really. The only thing I said I had to do was meet an elephant.  I have an obsession with them and it only made sense to hang out with one while I'm in Asia.  People keep questioning my obsession, so I suppose I should give a short explanation.  I am fascinated by their extreme gentleness despite their size, their reputation for impeccable memory, and their large hippocampi which allow them to feel a vast array of emotions.  Since I'm a really sensitive person I relate to this and admire them greatly.  I also think they are unique and majestic looking creatures.

Bali

Bali was actually much more populated than I had imagined.  It is tropical and jungle like in places, but where people stay is built up and busy.  Funny enough though, apparently while we were there it wasn't as busy as usual.  When I say 'built up' it isn't in a western sense.  There are chickens wandering the streets and stray dogs every where.  Many of the stores are little shanty-shacks selling street food and textiles that attract tourists.  Most people ride mo-peds and there aren't any rules of the road (which consequently creates horrendous traffic).  But there are many high class boutiques and five star restaurants to choose from as well.

We spent the first five days in Seminyak at a boutique hotel called Kamar Kamar.  This was close to a lot of the shopping, a few beaches, restaurants and nightclubs.  We spent most days out doing excursions to sightsee like the coffee plantation, the elephant refuge, and Ubud.

At the Coffee Plantation the guide was explaining the process of cleaning the beans

The coffee plantation overlooked rice paddy fields

With Sogi at the Elephant Refuge

Ubud Palace

We also visited a local Balinese home where the entire family lives in one compound.  They have their own small temple as well.  We were able to walk around and see their home for a donation to their livelihood.  Traditionally Balinese create lots of wooden carvings, and their work station was in the back of the compound.  I bought a hand-carved elephant as a small souvenir for myself.  They keep a pig as a 'pet' until it's large enough to slaughter, and some ducks and porcupines as pets also.  The family also has a line of roosters under cages that are kept for cock fighting.

Hand-carved elephant

We joked that this chicken was window shopping for her husband

With the patriarch of the family, they said he is 96 years old

After five days we moved to Nusa Dua Beach Hotel which is about 45 minutes from Seminyak.  It is much more isolated in the sense that there aren't many shops, restaurants, or clubs near the hotel.  It's certainly more family oriented as you pretty much never have to leave the hotel.  There are multiple pools, it's on the beach, activities planned for guests, and several eateries from which to choose.  On the beaches local artisans walk up and down selling their crafts like sarongs, bracelets, and paintings, or their services, like henna tattoos, braiding your hair, or massages.

Bali is known as the Island of God.  It is the only island in Indonesia that remains predominantly Hindu.  The people there pray religiously and set out their offerings dutifully.  Nearly every where you walk there is an offering in the road and you cannot step on them; this becomes a bit of a hop-skotch challenge.  Each store has their offering in the corner, each restaurant has it out front.  The Hindu prayer that is broadcast over speakers is quite haunting (as compared to the Muslim call to prayer which I think is lyrical and pretty).

Hindu prayer gathering for the full moon

Jakarta

Georgie's mother's family is Chinese Indonesian (locally known as Chindo) which sets them apart a bit in their cultural aspects.  We went to her grandparents' house for lunch the first day in Jakarta.  I walked in to paper balls hanging from the ceiling, a large collection of Buddhas, and the only eating utensils were chopsticks.  I quietly asked Georgie if it always looked like a Chinese restaurant or if it was a special occasion.  It actually was her uncle's birthday, but she laughed a said no, it always looked like that.

Their maid, Ikha, was fascinated by me.  She brought me a mug of cold water and told Georgie that white people like cold water so she brought me some.  Every one else just got room temperature water.  I had to laugh because personally I don't really care, but it was thoughtful.  She was very attentive to me, bringing every possible dish to the table to offer me.  And one day I was ill so she made me corn soup and porridge and brought rounds of things I could add to it to make it taste better.  She also wanted to take multiple photos with me as a bule.  She knows a few phrases in English and would say "thank you very much" with a giggle after each photo.

Jakarta is the capital city of the country and home of the major government and financial hubs.  It's mostly what you would imagine of a capital with skyscraper buildings and highways.  The traffic is like I-95 on a holiday weekend.  There are nice shopping malls with stores like Louis Vuitton, there are less pricey malls with shops that will read your aura, and there are warehouses that sell all the fake brands.  There are also street vendors, people walking through the lanes of traffic selling novelty toys, no road rules, parents riding mo-peds with their babies tied to them and no helmets, stray cats every where, and lots of smog.

The last day in Jakarta we went to the mall that had the aura reading shop.  I sat in the chair and placed my hands on the electromagnet reader.  The man took my photo and asked me to wait outside.  He brought me my packet with my photo and the explanations of what the results meant.  I opened the envelop to find a technicoloured photo of me.  Apparently most people are just one colour!  And as I read the description of the colours I had to laugh because it was me to a T.  It even said I am generally healthy, but occasionally have tummy troubles... how on earth could this photograph know that my digestive system regularly revolts against me?!  I was thoroughly amused.

So after two weeks there and 24 hours of travel back to England I am counting down the months until my next trip to Asia, which is actually in the works already to Thailand in December 2015!

The Final Stretch

I have officially finished all the taught portions of my Masters programme.  I still have two essays due for two of my classes and then my dissertation, but all formal meeting sessions are completed!

Our last major piece was our Project Conference on the 5th of June.  Every student who is finishing their Masters this year presented in some form on their independent research project.  We were able to choose between a verbal presentation or a poster presentation.  I wasn't bothered either way, so I asked my project supervisors for their opinion and they both advised doing a verbal presentation.  It was the best option for my project as I was able to show a video clip and more thoroughly explain and illustrate what I'm doing.

Photo courtesy of one of my classmates while I was presenting

For those who don't know my research project is on the context of alcohol and tobacco in tv programmes and their influence on social norms.  I was pleased with how it turned out overall.  I received some thoughtful comments and feedback from professors and fellow students which is always useful.  I can't figure out how to upload my presentation, but if any one wants to see it I'd be happy to email it.  Now just 15,000 words stand between me and completing this course!

Well happy that we've finished!  (Minus a lot of writing left to do)

Crete, Greece

In February when the UK weather was chilling us to the bone and our lives revolved around a never-ending list of due dates for assessments Georgie and I decided to book a trip to a warm place for Easter.  We looked around at the websites that offer deals and came across a five star resort on the island of Crete.  It was an all-inclusive deal with flights and we jumped at the opportunity.  The weeks seemed to drag by, plagued with winter winds and rain.  Finally it was time for us to jet off to warmer weather!

We arrived mid-day at The Seaside Resort and Spa outside Crete's capital city, Heraklion. The island has a lot of desert aspects and is more mountainous than expected.  The resort is on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

The view from the reception area

Since we traveled overnight our first afternoon was pretty uneventful.  We had an early dinner and were in bed by 9:30 pm.  Monday we made friends with guys who worked in programming for the resort.  They were welcoming, which of course they are supposed to be.  But throughout the week we got to know them and they were the funniest guys!  Mario was constantly cracking jokes and telling the most elaborate stories!  They are all originally from Tunisia but Mario and Ramzi live in Sweden now and Mimo was visiting Sweden - that's how they all met.  They are in Crete for the summer working at the resort.

  

Top: Mimo, Mario
Bottom: Ramzi

Mario and Ramzi took the next day off work and offered to be our tour guides around the area.  So we rented a car and went to the beach, to downtown Heraklion for lunch, and then to Knossos ruins.  The beaches are all pebbles, which I've never been to before!  I surprisingly loved it!  I don't really like sand, so getting rid of pebbles was much easier.  And because the tourist season hasn't really started yet the beaches were fairly empty.  Minus a few people on the nude beach that we walked by..... ahhh, Europeans.

I honestly can't tell you much about the Knossos ruins... it was a palace between 7000 and 3000 BCE.  Otherwise we didn't read the signs, we just took photos like really pathetic tourists!  Hahaha!  However I have read up a bit on it since then.  Here is a link if you're interested: Knossos Ruins.

Ramzi and Mario's bromance photo | The most interesting part of the Ruins | Georgie and I at the Ruins

Each night the programming staff puts on a show after dinner ranging from Guess that Song Title to Miss and Mr. Seaside.  They were entertaining with the games they would have the contestants play.  During Miss Seaside the women participating were judged on wrapping a man in toilet paper like a mummy among other challenges.  After the shows we would hang out with Mario, Ramzi and other guests in the hotel bar or the disco.  Almost all of the guests were French and then some Israeli.  Apparently during the summer the English, German, and Russian guests start coming.  Because Georgie and I were pretty much the only two who spoke English every one assumed we are from England.  I suppose it's a fair assumption because traveling from America to Greece is quite a feat for only six days.  However, it also goes to show not every one knows an American accent!  

The mummy challenge

During the days if we didn't spend time at the pool we would walk down the cliff to a small beach next to the resort.  There were a few small shops there also where we would pick up bottles of water and small knickknacks.  The man who owned the shop was the sweetest Greek man.  He recognised us when we would stop in and ask us questions about our trip.  Our last visit into the store he had his daughter give us magnets to remember him by and tell us that he hoped he would see us again!  Such a lovely man.

Looking out over the cliff | The small beach and shops next to the resort | Walking down to the beach

All in all it was an amazing trip!  It was very relaxing and rejuvenating.  Even though we were not ready to leave, it has given us the energy we need to finish this semester strong!  And definitely was made even better by making friends there.

Visit to Edinburgh, Scotland

Hello all!  I apologise for being so lax in postings since the new year, but I spend most of my time working and that's certainly not interesting to post about.  However, last weekend I spent a couple days in Edinburgh, Scotland with my friend Lauren.

We took the train up on Friday evening.  We actually got in a bit of trouble because we had apparently gotten on the wrong train.  The man who checked our tickets was not too pleased with this and gave us a lecture because we should actually be paying more.  Whoops!

We emerged from the train station to cold, damp air.  The buildings are all stone, with narrow cobblestone streets, and bars were glowing in the fog.  We found our hotel after climbing what seemed like a million stairs, and settled in for the evening.  We looked up things we wanted to do Saturday, starting with breakfast.  We read really great reviews about a place called the Edinburgh Larder, so that's where we started our Saturday morning with a full Scottish Breakfast.  A full breakfast is fried eggs, toast, mushrooms, beans, and in this case vegetarian haggis.  Vegetarian haggis, you're wondering?  Yes, in fact it was the only haggis on offer.  It's seasoned the same, but mostly made up of lentils.  It was delicious and I was seriously full all day.

The Edinburgh Larder uses locally sourced products

Afterwards we spent the day walking up and down the Royal Mile to the castle at one end, and Hollyrood Palace at the other.

Royal Mile Street | Edinburgh Castle | Hollyrood Palace - the Queen's Scottish home

Looking out over the city | Standing guard at the castle | Walking down Victoria Street to the Grass Market

As we walked up and down the Royal Mile we passed some men who work with a wild animal refuge.  I was able to hold this lovely little owl, Tee.  She is really sweet and her feathers are very soft.  She was there with another bird, a falcon.  He looked interesting - but a bit intimidating to hold.  And really, when you're in a place that makes you feel like you're at Hogwarts, why not hold an owl?!  Cheesy, I know.

Some other photos...

View of the castle from Princes Street | View of the city from the castle

The city is quite small, which was surprising.  We saw most of the major things in one day.  The weather was calling for some sun on Sunday so we decided to save a walk up Arthur's Seat for then.  When we needed a break from the cold and some coffee we stopped in The Elephant House, which is most known for being the place where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book.

To finish off Saturday we took an underground ghost tour.  It was really interesting!  The tour guide went through much of the history of the city and the people which always puts things you're touring into a better context.  He talked a lot about the relationship with the English and the development of the city.   We went under the South Bridge which has 18 vaults.  They've been built up around by shops and restaurants, but long ago they were a neighbourhood for undesirables.  Sometimes 100+ people could be living in one vault, and they really aren't that big.  They're also dark, made out of limestone, very damp, and very little ventilation.  Funny enough, I listen to these tours and all I hear are public health problems now... tight spaces, unsanitary conditions, disease, etcetera.

After our ghost tour Lauren and I got dressed up and went out for a night in Edinburgh.  We searched for good cocktail bars in Edinburgh, and also asked one of the hotel staff where he suggested.  We settled on a bar called Tigerlily.  It was very posh with lovely decorations and hand-crafted cocktails.  It was pretty busy when we arrived, so we staked a spot at the bar and then observed for an open table.  A group of women got up to leave, a group of gentlemen had been lurking near by also.  Lauren takes the opportunity and happens to get to the seat first.  Since there were only two of us and it was quite a large table we told the gentlemen to feel free to use the rest of the space.  One of the men asked us what we were doing in the city, where we were staying, and where we were going after Tigerlily.  He mentioned there was a club downstairs and if we wanted to go he could pull some strings.  To which my response was, do you own it?  And he did.  He owned the club, the bar we were in, and the hotel above it.  He and his friends talked with us the rest of the evening about our travels and the countries we are from.  We were the last people in the bar when it closed, at which point the owner took us to the bouncer of the club and asked to have us escorted into the VIP section.  Needless to say we were a bit starstruck.  Nothing like that ever happens to us!  Those are just stories you hear about!

The next morning, after having far too much fun the night before, we dragged ourselves out of bed in time for check out.  Unfortunately, our sunny weather did not appear and actually the weather turned out to be worse on Sunday.  The fog was so heavy you could hardly see the tops of buildings.  We decided not to climb Arthur's Seat because we wouldn't be able to experience the view.  I guess I'll just have to go back!  Instead we did the Edinburgh Dungeons.  The Edinburgh one is supposed to be the most frightening, luckily I have done the London Dungeons so I knew better what to expect this time around.  It was certainly still unsettling, especially for a jumpy person like myself, but I didn't want to have an anxiety attack like when I did the London Dungeons.  The Dungeons are more of a tourist attraction, but also goes through a great deal of history from cannibalism to fires to the disease outbreaks to English invasions and William Wallace.

To show how heavy the fog was on Sunday

I would like to go back in the summer and do the Highlands and the Isle of Skye, both of which I've heard are very beautiful and could be a very different experience to Edinburgh.

To sum up the trip in one word: stairs.

PANCAKES!

Today is Pancake Day... an entire day dedicated to pancakes!  It is also known as Shrove Tuesday.  In the US this is known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.  In both places it is the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  Similarly, this is also a day of feasting - the British just feast on pancakes in particular.

Historically it is meant to use up all the fattening foods in one's house before the Lenten period begins, the 40 days leading up to Easter.  Many people give things up during this period as a show of sacrifice.  I've never participated in Lent.  I actually didn't know much about it until I went away to college.  There a lot of my friends would give up a vice, or several during Lent - mostly chocolate, fried foods, Facebook, drinking, etcetera.

Anyway, a British pancake, to me, is really more like a crepe.  I'm completely ok with this as I find American pancakes very heavy.  It's an easy recipe: 110 grams flour, 2 eggs, 200 ml milk, 75 ml water, pinch of salt, whisk.  Luckily I had a native to take the lead on cooking....

Traditionally these pancakes are topped with fresh squeezed lemon juice and sugar or golden syrup.  The lemon juice and sugar was very refreshing!  We certainly indulged in two batches of these beauties this evening.

As with any holiday I suppose at some point businesses try to market it and profit from it more than if it were to remain static.  This article of the most expensive pancake was in the headlines today!

Another Year of Life

As most of you know, I celebrated another birthday earlier this week!  It came at sort of a bad time, unfortunately.  I have a lot of work on right now with uni.  I had a huge exam the next day that I absolutely had to pass or would not be earning a Masters degree.  So the pressure was on and I spent most of my birthday in the library!  However, I was able to spend the morning with some of my lovely friends.

Brunch was planned at White Rabbit Teahouse with some of my classmates... really, any excuse for coffee and cake!  Turns out my "out of class" friends had been scheming with my classmates and they showed up also to surprise me!!  They even arranged to arrive early to secretly order me a slice of cake and gave the woman working candles to put on it!  Seriously, so thoughtful.

White Rabbit Teahouse

The group of us, minus one | My cake with candles :)

I have to say I wasn't particularly excited about my birthday, my feelings were coined the birthday blues.  But I ended up feeling so incredibly special and it was really warming to have these girls do so much for me!  Of course, I very much appreciated all the cards mailed to me, text messages, emails, Facebook posts, Instagram collages, and FaceTime calls also from family and friends near, far, old, and new!

My collection of cards from every one!

Considering my exam was the next day that was the extent of the celebration on my birthday.  But the next day I went out for Mexican with some other friends who couldn't make it to the brunch. They knew I had been craving it and it was bloody marvellous!!

It ended up being a lovely birthday celebration (spread over a few days)!  Many thanks to those that had a hand in making me feel loved.  

... oh, and I passed my exam ;)

Wicked Weather

Britishism of the week: 

brolly - an umbrella

My friends and family are keeping me very up to date on the snopocalypse happening across the US with weather alerts, photos, and snapchats.  I wonder how many people know that half of England is flooded?  Parts of the southern coast are practically falling into the ocean.  Ok, that may be a bit exaggerated.  But the flooding isn't.  There is a lot of animosity at the moment as there are not enough sandbags, nor are the agency responding as quickly as the tenants in the effect villages need.

Luckily, Nottingham is far enough north to not be affected much.  However, the rain has been intense lately.  I could deal with the rain.... but this rain is combined with cold and the most evil wind you every experienced in your life.  Brollies are useless because the wind just turns them inside-out.  Sometimes you have to hold your hat on your head.  Sometimes you have to just stop for a minute because you just can't seem to push through the resistance.  It whips through streets and against the buildings keeping you up at night.

Anyway, even though multiple people are without power in southern England and homes are destroyed, as in all natural disasters, people always turn up to help.... even Princes!!

School Spirit and Varsity Sport Matches

First, I'd like to apologise for my absence, especially for those of you that use this to keep up with me.  I was in the US for the holidays, and even though I've been back in the UK for a month now I have been really busy with school, and thus not much exciting has happened to talk about.

Until last week.... when I went to a hockey match!

Nottingham has a large ice rink and a renowned hockey team in the UK.  But that isn't why I was there.  Every year the University of Nottingham (my uni) has a series of varsity tournaments against Nottingham Trent University, which is on the other side of the city.  Apparently this is quite a big deal, and the two unis are pretty competitive rivals.  The tickets went on sale on a Friday and were sold out by Monday and then the venue released another 600 tickets which sold out within 30 minutes.  I haven't been to any student event in years, and this was quite exciting!  It made me miss undergrad a bit, because every one was so school-spirity and energised!  With somewhere around 6000 students from both unis watching the match I also got my first real experience of what a D1 sports environment is like in the US.

Upon arrival we bought tshirts and foam fingers to support our team

Within the first period we were down 3-0.  It was disappointing and frustrating, but the crowd was amazing.  Every one chants, mostly derogatory things towards the other Uni.  There is a rift between UoN and NTU because UoN is a prestigious university, with higher entry requirements and typically more affluent.  NTU used to be some equivalent of a community college, but now is an official University, however doesn't carry quite the same credibility to its name.  I didn't really participate in the chanting.  One, because I don't know the chants.  Two, I felt bad, especially having gone to a University for my undergrad that isn't considered a very high calibre.  Three, I'm just not a super competitive person and didn't see the need.  But I did get tons of enjoyment from listening to it all.

Anyway, the second period started and we managed to score, and again and again and again until we finally won 4-3 with just a few minutes left in the match!  It was quite exciting!!  Needless to say NTU students weren't too pleased, but we certainly were!!!  Claps for the hockey team!

They also host a variety of others matches over the next few weeks: American football, basketball, I think swimming, and maybe volleyball.