Liverpool and Manchester

Liverpool, UK

My friend Danni and I had quite the adventure this weekend.  We took a whirlwind trip to Liverpool, Manchester, and Lyme Park.

Friday afternoon we took the four hour train to Liverpool.  It was a long ride, but pleasant.  I love traveling by train.  It's a great way to see all that a country has to offer.

We spent all of Saturday there just exploring the city at a leisurely pace.  We started our morning off in Liverpool Cathedral which is supposed to have the oldest church bells in Europe.  It was a massive place, and like all the others, breathtakingly beautiful.

Liverpool Cathedral

Next we went down to Albert Dock and did "The Beatles Story" museum.  I'm not a huge Beatles fan, but I learned a huge amount in that short hour.  I left the place with a newfound appreciation for the legendary band.

The Beatles Museum

Our hotel room in Liverpool.

Liverpool was a very historic city, but it was rough around the edges.  The buildings, although pretty, were old and run down.  It seemed no one had taken the time or money to restore the damage leftover by the wars.  I struggled to find a very nice upscale neighborhood downtown, or really, anything that didn't look like rough neighborhood.  It was an eye opening experience seeing the raw side of England.  This once grand city is a ghost of the past lingering on the docks.

The rest of the afternoon was mainly just spent wandering around the city.  We visited the Liverpool Museum, the Liverpool Central

Library, the Royal Liver Building, and saw the Cunard Building at Pier Head.  The day ended by looking for a coffee shop, which didn't end well.  Right when I was beginning to think Starbucks was taking over the world, I found myself in a neighborhood with only one coffee shop that was completely full. Tired and only slightly bitter, Danni and I hiked our way back to Lime Street station, grabbed a coffee to go, and hopped our train to Manchester.

In a short forty-five minutes we were in a brand new city.  Our walk to the hotel was longer than it should have been--we exited from the wrong door at the train station--but it was okay because we saw hundreds of Manchester City fans making their way to the stadium for a game.  Everyone was decked out in light blue and white.  I couldn't help but think of UNC's Tarheel games.  Momentarily it felt a little like home.

I like Manchester well enough.  It's odd, I was warned by many people how rough the city was, but I didn't find it particularly unseemly.  It had the air of an industrial powerhouse with a streak of modernity.  Like Cardiff, the old buildings were mixed with tall glass sky scrapers and apartment buildings.  It appeared that in this city, someone took the care to rebuild and repair the old decaying buildings.  I only passed through the city on a tram en route to Old Trafford, the Manchester United stadium, but what I saw seemed pretty normal for a city.  Manchester is a good deal larger and busier than Liverpool was.  It was more of a working city.  There weren't as many touristy things to do there, but the eternal hum of electricity that you get in a big city was there in the background, energizing its inhabitants.


Saturday morning we caught an early train out to Old Trafford.  Danni had booked us a museum and stadium tour.  This place blew me away!  I wasn't terribly excited at first.  Admittedly, I'm not a football (soccer) fan, and I knew very little about the team except that David Beckham once played for them. But after this tour I was proud to walk out of the "Manchester United Megastore" with my red and yellow t-shirt and support the team.

The stadium holds around 75,000 people, which in comparison to some of the mega-domes back home in the States isn't much, but standing next to the grass pitch being warmed by things that looked like the huge industrial crop irrigation contraptions with sun lamps attached, I realized how much time, effort, and money goes into each game.  We got to see the dressing rooms, directors' box, press rooms, and all of the cool back stage areas typically only seen by staff and players.  We learned a ton about the team's history, and Old Trafford itself that's been there since the early 1900s.



The afternoon was spent at Lyme Park, the home of Pemberly, from the 1995 A&E adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.  Despite some rather foul weather, it was a wonderful afternoon.

Danni and I stepped off the train into what appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.  I pulled out my iPhone to pull up my Google Maps only to find a dreaded "No Service" message.  My heart sank as it dawned on me that neither one of us knew where we were going, and had stupidly planned to rely solely on technology.  Well, technology had failed us.  After a few seconds of panic, we noticed the sign that said Lyme Park.  "Well, I guess we're going to do this the old fashioned way."  Off we went. We only walked for about a half a mile, although, allow me to point out, that when you're walking in a seemingly random direction with only one sign to go off of, no cell service, and practically by yourselves, a half mile feels like an eternity.

Front Gatehouse

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the gate of Lyme Park.  I was quickly beginning to realize exactly what the true meaning of a "country estate" was.  It's a euphemism for I have a enormous house and lots of land in the big middle of nowhere.  We found a shuttle bus to take us from the front gates up to the house.  Our driver was very nice, and gave a short background story on the property itself.  He told us about the hunting lodge on the property as well as the house.  Apparently, they several types of deer in the park.  In a few minutes, he dropped us off, we went exploring in the house.

South side of the house.

The house itself wasn't nearly as large as I had imagined.  Don't get me wrong, it was still huge, after seeing it in the movie, I assumed it was all house, but it actually was square shaped with a courtyard in the middle.  The north side of the house is where the main entrance was.  It was pretty, with a big circular driveway and another beautiful gate.  The inside of the house was lovely, but we weren't allowed to take pictures.  My favorite, however, was the south side of the house that starred in the movie.  It was beautiful and everything I imagined.  The pond behind the house was enormous, but since the film they had erupted an awful statue of a giant Mr. Darcy emerging from the pond like in the movie.  It kind of ruined the mood.  That small complaint aside, the whole afternoon was fantastic.

We caught our train home and arrived safely back in Swansea for another week of classes and real life.

I feel so blessed to be able to see all that I have in these short few weeks.  Yesterday marked the beginning of my fifth week of classes, and my sixth week here in Wales.  It's been a wonderful adventure that is only just beginning.

I promise, my post on Paris is coming soon.  The pictures from that trip as well as this one is already on Flickr, accessible via my photos link.  More later!

Settling In

The week is winding down, and I've settled into a routine.  Classes have been different, but I like all of them.  I'm taking Victorian Cities, Marketing, and Comparative Political Science.  My schedule is very sporadic.  We are not on a block schedule here at Swansea like we are in Pullman.  Each day of the week I have different class times and different rooms to find.

The most frightening thing about this new set of classes is that for every class my entire grade is based off of one project or essay and then a final exam.  Other than that, all I am responsible for is doing the readings and going to class.  That is a really weird concept to me, just having to go to class.  When I'm in Pullman, when I'm not in class I'm doing homework, writing papers, and studying for my next upcoming exam.  I'm always swamped with classwork.  That doesn't seem to be the case here.

Beach Break!

That being said, my social calendar is busier than ever!  My flat is so active!  I'm finding myself double booked between my flatmates and my other exchange friends.  I'm not complaining by any means.  I love being busy, it's just different.  At home, typically I schedule my social time around my academic obligations, but here, I have so much free time.  I'm constantly out and about doing things with my friends.

Swansea Beach

Just this week for example.  Monday, between classes, I went with Molly, my Canadian friend, down to the beach.  Tuesday, I had coffee with my assigned "buddy", a fourth year who just got back from a year in America.  Wednesday I went grocery shopping and then to the gym with my two neighbors.  Thursday I went back to the city with Molly.  Today, I'm headed out on the town for a girls night out with some fellow exchange students, and tomorrow a group of us are going to Cardiff.  I'm told there will be a bonfire at the beach to attend when I get home tomorrow night.

I expect things to start slowing down here pretty soon.  That first week of school is always a little crazy.

The weather has been okay this week.  I'm getting used to the rain.  It doesn't rain cats and dogs like it does at home, but it's this steady shower that will drench you if you're not careful.



More later, I promise.  Be sure to check out the photos page.  I have many more pictures posted there!

Welcome to Swansea University: Move In, Orientation, and My First Weekend

Panorama of my dorm room.

I got to Swansea with no troubles at all on Thursday.  The train ride from Cardiff was only an hour, and very pleasant.  It was sunny when I first arrived.  You could see the beach and the ocean running parallel to the road to school.  I found my dorm, picked up my keys and moved in.  I realized, upon walking into my empty dorm room, I could possibly be facing the most problematic part of studying abroad...having to completely restock your room.

Summer before freshman year at WSU, I, like hundreds of students before me, spent two months buying linens, hangers, mini fridges, desk supplies, and dozens of other things that simplify the transition into school.  At the end of the year I learned how to properly repack everything in order to move it all back into a room the next year.  So when I first saw my room, I felt incredibly unprepared.

After dropping off my bags, I took the bus into town and bought bed linens.  I did my best to not buy too much at one time, but even so, when I re-boarded the bus with my two bags, plus a pillow and duvet, and squeezed into a seat, it occurred to me that I was going to have to readjust my shopping patterns.  I quickly realized how spoiled I've been with my very roomy SUV and ability to cart everything I needed home in just one trip.

When I got back to campus I unpacked, posted my pictures, and settled in.  It's a nice little room.  I love the window I have on the back wall.  It takes up the entire width of the wall and helps immensely with the natural light.

After dinner, I met all of my flatmates.  I got really lucky to end up with such a great group of people.  It's a very diverse crowd, with people from Norway, France, Italy, the US, and of course, Wales and England.  I think I'll fit right in :)

My picture collage behind my desk.

Friday was orientation.  I was shocked to see how many incoming international exchange/study abroad students there were.  There were 80 kids from Brazil who were with Engineers Without Borders, then at least 150 other students from all over the world.

I met a girl from Canada, a girl from Australia, and a girl from Spain just on the row I was sitting on.  The day was just your typical orientation.  Here are the services we have on campus, be safe, go to class, and have fun.  I was surprised, however, that we didn't get a campus tour.

Afterwards, we signed up for classes.  Which, I must say, was the most inefficient process ever!  As an international student, I'm taking classes from three different disciplines:  history, political science, and business.  I had to go to each department person and get them to sign off on the classes I wanted to take.  It wasn't really like we were even getting special permission to take a class, it was just the way you registered.  Once I got all of the classes I wanted, I had to go back to the business department, where I started (they are my "home" department) and turn in my registration forms.  Between standing in line and playing Tetris with my schedule to get my classes to fit, the entire process took about six hours.  Talk about an adventure!

Over the weekend, I was way busier than normal.  Friday night I had my first clubbing experience with my flat mates. It was very different than the fraternity parties at WSU, but I think I like Swansea's social scene a little bit better. 

Saturday, they took me to the main grocery store in town, Tescos, their version of a super-Safeway. My neighbor, Marisa, patiently waited while I stood there reading labels on items I typically just snatch off the shelves back home.  It's definitely going to take some time to get used to the new brands and packaging.  I found it very interesting that the marketing for everyday goods is directed towards niche markets rather than brand name recognition. In the States I look for the packaging and label to find what I'm looking for, then closely read labels if I'm trying to choose between similar products.  Here in the UK, it seems to be there is one product for each need.  For instance, once brand of laundry detergent that specializes in unscented, allergen-free detergent, rather than several brands offering a wide selection of products based on what the individual companies believe will sell.

My two neighbors, Marisa and Alexia, at Swansea Bay.

Sunday, a group of us walked down to Swanswa Bay. The weather changes so drastically here, it reminds me of Pullman in the fact that one minute it's pouring down rain and in five minutes the sun will come out.  It's funny, when it rains it is not the huge rain drops that just pound on your head, but a steady shower that will quickly drench you if you're not careful.  After all of the snow and cold in Pullman, I don't mind the rain so much. It hasn't dipped below freezing, so I can't complain!  The bay is quite nice, but not too much to see.  Nonetheless, it was a very nice outing.

Classes started today, so expect a full report soon!

My Journey Starts Here

Departure Day

I began my study abroad adventure two days ago (give or take a few hours. The time zone thing is confusing!), and I'm already beginning to understand why everyone pushes students to study abroad.  I realize this sounds like an overstatement, but just in the past two days I have done so much that stretched my comfort zone.

The initial goodbyes at the airport were hard, but when I walked down the stairs to catch my flight to Seattle and saw my plane (it was painted with the WSU Cougar logo) I knew it was going to be a good trip!  I arrived in Seattle with no problems, but my arrival gate was literally as far away from the departure gate of my next flight as you could get.  I've only been to the Sea-Tac airport one other time, and then I just had to find my way to baggage claim, not to another gate.  After taking three trains, and a lot of prayer (I kept reading signs and making turns hoping I was headed in the right direction) I made it to my departure gate in plenty of time to grab some lunch and check in with the family.

My flight to Amsterdam was rough.  Not because the flight itself was bad, but because I hate being cooped up for ten hours.  I was really hoping to sleep...no dice.  That being said, I survived and made it to Amsterdam in one piece, although pretty sleep deprived.  When we touched down at Schipol Airport (pronounced skip-ole, oddly enough) I was struck by the fact the airport looked very similar to dozens of airports I've landed in in the States.  My dad commented to me once that the rest of the world "...is just living life like everyone else."  Everything looked so normal!

Sunrise over Greenland

I was very relieved to find, as promised, that all of the signs were in English.  After hiking through the airport to my final flight, I noticed that everyone at that airport has to go through security twice.  Once, upon their initial arrival, and then again at the actual gate, just to get into the waiting area of the flight.  I was a little annoyed, since this would be the second time doing the TSA dance of removing jackets, scarves, shoes, liquids, laptops, and putting them all back on and in my bag without holding up the line.

When I sat down, I started hearing all of the British accents and conversations in Dutch and several other languages.  I looked around at my fellow travelers and began to feel very foreign myself.  Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.  It's funny how we get used to being in our own country.  I've been surrounded by fellow Americans my entire life.  It's a totally different feeling when you're one of a handful of Americans in the entire airport.  That's something I'm going to have to get used to.  When I moved to Washington I had to get used to being a Southerner in the Pacific Northwest, but at least we all shared a nationality.  I think it is going to be a very interesting experience learning to assimilate into life in the UK.

The rest of my journey to Wales can be found in the next post.  New pictures have been posted.  Check out my link on the left side bar. 

Feature: WSU Honors College Students in Action

Courtesy of WSU Honors College

I was notified this morning that the WSU Honors College has featured my blog on their Students in Action page.  The website can be found here.  

I have been active in the Honors College for two years now, both as a student ambassador and as a mentor to incoming freshmen.  We have a wonderful program centered around small class sizes and discussion based lectures.  We like to think of ourselves as "a liberal arts college in a research university."  

The classes are always interesting and engaging, but my favorite part of being involved with our program is our strong sense of community.  You can always find a friendly face on campus, and a person who shares your interests and passions.  I actually met my two closest friends through the Honors College.  The first, during freshman orientation and the second, last semester in my Honors English class.  All of our students come from incredibly diverse backgrounds.  This combined with the mutual commonality serves as a foundation for meaningful connections with other students.  Plus, it's a fabulous conversation starter!

My exchange program in Swansea is just one of several exchanges offered by the Honors College, as well as many faculty-led trips to places like Brazil, Ireland, and Scandinavia.  

Just a quick thanks to the Honors College staff who helped get the site up and running, and all of those who have helped me through the application and advising process.

An update on my departure preparations:  I leave in T-minus nine days.  I'm slowly crossing things off my To Do list.  Typically, I am packed more than a week in advance, but I am majorly procrastinating.  Luckily, it's all I have left to do, and everything's coming together.

Home Away From Home

I received my housing assignment today.  I will be living in a single room with an ensuite bathroom in one of the dorms on campus.

Courtesy of Swansea University

Something different from the US university housing system is that there are three sizes of rooms, small, medium, and large.  Personally, I did not have a choice as to the size of the room, but I'm assuming domestic students do.  The other thing I found rather interesting, was that there is no roommate lottery system like at WSU.  All of the rooms are single rooms, most often in either a flat/apartment setup, or like my dorm is set up, with rooms in a traditional dorm style sharing a large common area.  Like this:

Courtesy of Swansea University

And So It Begins...

The week of Thanksgiving I received the envelope I've been waiting for all semester; my acceptance package from Swansea.  It was official, I was in!

It took a couple of weeks to get all of the final details worked out, but I finally sat down and booked my plane ticket tonight.  In five weeks, I'll be on a plane to London for a couple of days and then on a train to Swansea!

There is still a lot left to do, like booking a train ticket, finding a taxi from the train station to my hotel in London, finding a hotel...the list is never ending!  I'm slowly getting it all done.

Swansea University

I just wanted to give everyone a quick look at where I will be studying for the next semester.  My school is in Swansea, which is about thirty minutes from the capital of Wales, Cardiff, and three hours by train to London.  I've always wanted to live on the coast, so I'm really excited the school is literally a block off the beach.

Swansea University is known for its research institutions and strong academic programs.  They exchange with WSU through both the Honors College and the College of Business.

If you've got a little time to kill, here (Swansea University) is the actual school website.  It's worth a look around!

I will post actual pictures when I arrive, but here is a light overview, courtesy of Google Images.

Introductions and Pleasantries

Hi guys!

I'm writing this blog to document my semester abroad in Swansea Wales, and to share my adventures with my friends, family, and any future students considering going abroad.

For the sake of any newcomers, I will go ahead and introduce myself.

My name is Taylor, and I am a sophomore honors student at Washington State University.  I am an accounting major, with a background in Spanish and French.  My Spanish is coming along nicely, but my French needs a lot more work.  While home for Christmas break, I'm brushing up on my German to prepare for a visit to a friend of my in Muhlheim, Germany.

I grew up in the southeastern part of the United States.  The one question I get all the time, even after having lived in Washington for almost three years now is, "Where are you from, because you aren't from Washington."  My southern accent comes out the most when I'm tired.  I'm secretly hoping I'll come home from Wales with a cool southern/british accent hybrid.

I love to read, travel, and watch TV.  Any of my friends can tell you, I'm entirely too invested in the well-being of my TV drama characters...don't even get me started on the emotional trauma Downton Abbey has put me through!

Anyways, that's all for now.  Keep checking back, subscribe to the RSS feed, or keep an eye on Facebook for new updates! There are the appropriate links to start following this blog on the left side bar.

Talk to y'all soon!