Happy Halloween!

This is for you mom! :)

My Holiday in Cornwall!

I just returned from holiday in Cornwall! I spent most of my time in a quaint little place called Fowey, but pronounced "Foy".

I stayed in a flat with Victoria and her family. Fowey is right by the sea.

Isn't it picturesque?!

We had a proper Cornish cream tea, of course.

It rained a lot, but we didn't mind.

I LOVED being with this family. They took such great care of me, and they even made fajitas one night for dinner, because they know how much I miss Mexican food! Isn't that sweet?

It was so nice to hop on a train and live at the coast for a few days! We went shopping, we lounged around, we watched movies and played Wii Tennis...quite the lovely time!!

Crazy Spoons!

Before...




After! James and Lily are fighting over the last spoon. The rest of us are cracking up. Clearly.

This was such a fun night! I was laughing SO hard that my abs hurt in the morning! haha! It was nice to feel comfortable enough to be incredibly silly; friendships take a while to form, but it's so good when you have that first time of being crazy together!

Tonight I am leaving to visit Victoria again; her family invited me to join them on their "holiday" on the southern coast of England. Isn't that great? I feel so lucky. Talk to you in a few days!

My life is complete.

Can we just observe the beautiful subject of this photo? I can't even bear to open it or eat it; it's just too precious. Ahhhhh. And we don't need to talk about bored I must have been to think of photographing my new jar of peanut butter on my bedroom light fixture. I'm just that cool.

(Also, I would like to note that my old camera could NEVER take pictures like this!)

In other news, I went to London again today! It was very rainy.

But despite the rain, we enjoyed a full day of sightseeing, complete with a night walk on the south bank and some delicious Chinese food. It was a great day!

More London Adventures!

What an exciting day! It started with the best possible care package I could EVER have imagined receiving. I can't even talk about how great it was, b/c I will start to feel overwhelmed and shy all over again. Thank you my Seattle lovers!!

So, today we went on a very touristy excursion in London. First, we went to Hyde Park.

We started with a visit to Peter Pan.

Then we visited the alligator (or, a-lee-guh-tor, right Julia??) in the Peter Pan playground. We were yelled at b/c apparently you need to be accompanied by a child. Oops. Sad that we aren't considered kids anymore!

Next, we stopped by Platform 9 and 3/4...I wanted to go through to Hogwarts, but that wasn't on the schedule for the day. Boo.



This is my friend, Paige. Actually, we are both Paige H. Also, her sister's name is Kyla. Isn't that FUNNY???? It's weird sharing my name with someone-we both respond and then say, "which one??" Or we just both go; a two-for-one deal, if you will.

We ended the night in Trafalgar Square. The London Film Festival is going on right now, so they put up a huge movie screen and played black and white footage of London in 1903. There was live classical music to accompany the film. I stood there, looking at all of the lights and the people, watching this movie as double decker buses drove by in the background and Big Ben glowed in the distance, and I had an "OhmygoshIamactuallyinLondon!!!" moment. Really, it doesn't get much better!

Mario Kart and Pub Quizzes.

On Monday night I went to my first "Pub Quiz". It's pretty much like playing Trivia Pursuit, with a team, in a pub. We failed miserably, but in our defense, the questions were mainly about BRITISH culture, and we only had 1 "native" on our team. (Although I am not sure if I would have done any better had the questions been pertaining to America...but let's just pretend I would have.)

Last night the boys across from me played Mario Kart until the wee hours of the morning. I honestly feared that the fate of their lives depended on the outcome of the races. I have never heard so much yelling and cursing over a video game in my life! The best part is, they pronounce it Mare-ee-oh Kahht. Isn't that funny?!? Mare-io??? hahaha! I found it amusing. Well, at least until 2am. Then I found it incredibly annoying. But, life goes on.

My visit to Birmingham!

What a fun weekend I have had in Birmingham! You would not believe how well they took care of me. Here are some pictures-I took so many and it was hard to choose! Hopefully this didn't take your computer too long to load...

Victoria and I on a double decker bus tour around Oxford. Don't worry, we rode the bus around the entire city...twice. We love tours.

On Saturday we headed over to Chatsworth. First we had to get past the sheep...

And then it was on to the beautiful house! This is where the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire live. Remember the last scene in the American Pride & Prejudice, in the big field?? That was filmed here. It was SO pretty inside! (And outside too, obviously!)

Every ceiling in the house was painted. It was incredible!

Just flashing the "I love you" sign in ASL. Because I do. (love you, that is.)

We took a LOT of self-portraits.

The surrounding area around the house was beautiful. It looked like a painting!!

On Sunday we headed into Birmingham after church. Did you know that Birmingham is the second largest city in England (after London) and that it has more canals than Venice??

Other quick highlights from the weekend:
-- I had tea 4 times a day. Not exaggerating. It was brilliant!

--Victoria has the NICEST family ever. I loved being around them and feeling so welcomed into their home. Victoria even gave up her bed for me, and it was so fluffy and comfortable!

--They also let me do my laundry at their house. And instead of drying the clothes in the dryer, they hung them on the clothesline outside! Isn't that cool? The only thing is, I had to hang up all of my "pants" (aka underwear) right there on the clothesline, and it was slightly embarrassing. Actually, I couldn't even do it myself because I was giggling so hard...Victoria had to come over and do it for me. The sight of all my underwear just hanging there for the world to see was so comical to me! (Sorry if this is awkward for my 3 male readers...at least I am not posting the pictures!! ha!)

-- I had crumpets for breakfast this morning. Does it get any better??

Nice to meet you, Peach.

I love the way that British people pronounce my name. P-ayyyge. Or, it almost sounds like Pie-ayyyge. I can't even describe it, but it's like music to my ears!
However, the one problem is that I do not have the gift of pronouncing my own name in such a beautiful way. The result is that many of my introductions go like this:

Me: Hi! My name is Paige.
English person: Peach? (Bemused smile.) Nice to meet you!
Me: No, it's Paige.
English person: (blank stare.)
Me: Paige. Payge. Payyyge!!
English person: Ohhhhhh. Pie-ayyyyge. That's lovely.
Me: Oh stop. Lovely, you say??

This has happened at least 4 times that I can remember. So from now on, I answer to Peach or Paige-take your pick.

I'm off to Birmingham for the weekend to visit my dear friend Victoria (slash Cadbury, as some of you know her.) See you on Monday!!

mood: subdued, relaxed, contemplative.

The last few days have been pretty chill. I only have one class per day, which results in more free time than I thought I would have. It's nice to be able to read for fun, go on walks, or even just lay on my bed and listen to music. I haven't had such a leisurely schedule in quite some time, and it feels strange. However, instead of trying to force adventure into every waking moment, I have decided to relax and be thankful for this peaceful break in England. I came from a busy summer and I am sure I will return to a busy winter and spring schedule. My last quarters at SPU will undoubtedly be filled with applications and homework and busyness, as well as the ever-looming graduation. Right now I have very little responsibility. It's weird for me; but probably good as well. Besides, after this week I think that activities will pick up; this is my last free weekend until December! So for now, I will try and enjoy the down time while it's here and the anticipation of good things to come.

In other news, yesterday in class our professor was talking about the National Curriculum that was introduced by Parliment in the 1930's. I was intrigued by their emphasis on the importance of art appreciation. There were a few people who adamantly felt that all citizens should have at least some knowledge of art; they considered people without such knowledge to be a danger to society! Here was the reasoning:

"Those who lack the knowledge or understanding needed to appreciate art may be the means of disfiguring a city or countryside."

Interesting thought, yes? I was reflecting on that idea and wondering if there is more truth to that statement than I intially realized. I think about all of the natural beauty that I miss each day because I am so focused on the tasks at hand, on the busyness. I become sort of disconnected, and when I am disconnected, it's easier to forget about the effects that my actions have on nature. Being in a new and foreign place has reminded me to notice my surroundings. As you all know, I have been so obsessed with clouds lately, and I think it's because I walk everywhere. I don't spend time in a car with a roof, so I am always exposed to the entire sky whenever I go outside. Although I have come to terms with the fact that the sky is probably the same size here as it is in the States, I am still entranced. And it's not just the clouds-the trees with their changing leaves, the bright green grass against the pale blue sky; so much to look at in one 20 minute walk to class!

Anyways, that's enough about the clouds for today. I promise that someday I will have a post that does not mention clouds or food. Maybe. Last night I went into London all by myself, and I was rather proud of my ability to navigate the train and the Underground tube system. (Don't worry mom, it was completely safe!) Our program coordinator lives in an adorable London flat, and we all met there for snacks and drinks. My first London house party. ha! I think I will go and finish my book now. Good day to you all! :)

This is where I spend most of my time in London: Riding the Tube.

Just eating some pizza in Camden town. We like food.

So does Hippocrates. I knew I liked that man.

Sunglasses anyone?

This is us after pizza. We were happy.

These are my corridor mates. I quite fancy them, even though they are crazy. I wouldn't trade them.

Things I miss...

So, I have almost been here for two weeks, and I am already missing a lot of things in my life. Here is a list; let's see how this changes over the course of my time here.

1. Peanut Butter. FOR THE LOVE, how do these people live without peanut butter??? At home, I eat it approximately three times a day. Well, maybe I am exaggerating...but seriously, I haven't seen it anywhere yet!!

2. A sink with a single faucet. Imagine with me, if you will, a sink with two faucets. Or spouts, or spickets, or whatever those contraptions are called that the water flows out of. Okay, so there are two. One for hot water, one for cold water. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong! It's so stupid! If I have scalding hot water on the left and freezing cold water on the right, how do I get warm water? How do I wash my face? This is how: I end up with blisters on one side and frostbite on the other.

3. Falling asleep without the fear of being woken up at 3am. I now have a playlist on my ipod specifically for when I wake up in the middle of the night to drunk freshmen outside of my door. I can just reach over, find the playlist, and get it to my ears without even looking or turning on the light.

4. Non-fat milk. What the heck does "semi-skim" mean? I'll tell you: FULL FAT!

5. Whole wheat bread. What is "medium brown"?? It's white bread with spots.

6. A main course meal that doesn't involve potatoes. I kid you not, I had vegetarian lasagna tonight, and there were potatoes inside. I also got "chips" on the side.

7. While we are talking about food, let's just add oatmeal, dried mangos, and apricot-raspberry jam to the list.

8. Being able to hear the voices of everybody that I love. It's actually really nice living without a phone...or a car...I feel like my life has been simplified. At the same time, I miss your voices! This is why you should all get Skype.

9. I miss being able to introduce myself without having to talk about who I am voting for in the election.

10. Finally, I miss you. And you. And YOU! Even you, Kyle. :)

Despite all of these things that I miss, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Well, except maybe for some crunchy peanut butter...

I forgot to tell you about John...

John Lewis, that is. He hooked me up with a converter last week when I was in the depths of despair. For only four pounds I was finally able to plug my computer in, and to him I am eternally grateful! Here is a picture of us:

In other news, fall is here and the leaves are changing colors! I love when this happens. Look at the pretty trees that we have on campus! (I should say, look at the pretty leaves that are on one of the trees that we have on campus!)

Also, here is a picture of my ISA group on top of Warwick castle. We call ourselves Team Reading. I know, you wish you could be me right now. We are just too cool.

Finally, I would like to finish with the highlight of my day: Ben & Jerry's ice cream! I have been trying to survive on the desserts offered in the cafeteria, but they are just not cutting it. Custards, fruit swimming in orange juice, a sorry attempt at chocolate mousse cake...not so much. Ben & Jerry's found in a dodgy convenient store near campus? YES PLEASE! Two pounds for a VERY small yet satisfying container? It was the best $4 I have spent since coming here.

P.S. Is it bad that the seemingly best parts of my days (in my last two posts) have all involved desserts? What can I say...I like great food.

Did someone say hot chocolate?

The picture above shows the secret ingredients required for making Paige happy: A journal and some chocolate. Yesterday, a student told me that cheese and milk are the best in England because they use full fat for everything. So that explains why this hot chocolate was the most delicious one that I have EVER tasted. Seriously. Today I walked into town all by myself, and I was quite proud that I didn't get lost. Sometimes it's fun to explore a new place on your own, especially when the exploration ends at a quaint little cafe with comfy chairs, cute baristas that say "Cheers" instead of thanks, and a sense of anonymity as I journaled away. I love England.

Classes and Italy!

Hello!

Today was a very wonderful day. I had my first class-Sociolinguistics-and it was so much better than I had thought it would be!! There are only about 15 of us in the class, and the professor is a sweet British woman who wants us to call her Judith. The best part is, the students are from ALL OVER THE WORLD and all walks of life. They are mainly graduate students, but there are also 3 PhD students and about 4 of us lowly undergrads. During class we sat in a circle and introduced ourselves; just listen to the places that are represented: Romania, Napal, England, Japan, Poland, France, Italy, Germany, Malaysia, and a country in the Middle East that i won't even attempt to spell. Then there are three Americans-me and two girls from the midwest. Isn't that awesome?! What a diverse bunch!! At one point we got into a discussion about patriotism, and it was fascinating to have people from different countries sharing their experiences. Mona (from Germany) said that it is uncommon to see a German displaying the flag; to do so would be to label oneself as a nationalist. On the other hand, Noor (from Malaysia) said that this was very different from her experience, because in Malaysia, national pride is highly esteemed. I felt SO lucky to be able to sit and listen in to the many different opinions and perspectives of my classmates.

I was also surprised to learn about the amount that one is expected to know about one's area of study. When I introduced myself and announced that I was studying Sociology, the professor took that to mean that I would be the spokeswoman for all things sociological. She would say, "So Paige, what do you remember about Durkheim's theory of functionalism?" and I would scramble to come up with something that was remotely related and didn't make me look completely inept. It wasn't just me though; everyone was called on when a subject pertained to his or her area of study. Note to self: Brush up on Sociological Theory powerpoints before Monday!


The OTHER exciting news of the day is this: I am going to ITALY for a weekend in November! The other Americans in my program and I have been lamenting about how close we are to all of these countries and yet how overwhelming it is to find a good trip for the right price. Well, tonight we finally sat down and spent hours on ryanair and other related sites, and we just booked our tickets for Italy! (Only about $80 roundtrip-can you believe it?!) So that is something very happy in my life right now. Bring on the gelato!

rain, rain, go away...

It's rainy and windy here, and I find myself wondering if this will be the weather for the next two months. Yesterday we toured the Tower of London, and today we are going to Stratford-on-Avon, which is the birthplace of Shakespeare.

Tonight is the LAST NIGHT of Freshers week...hallelulia! Maybe now the first year students in my hall will start to go to bed before 3:00am. I have gotten used to sleeping with screaming and banging on my door. Let's hope they pursue studies with the same vigor and enthusiam as they do pub crawls...

I LOVE the clouds in England. It seems as though the sky is seven times bigger. I am not sure if that is because there are less tall buildings in the area that I am in, or if the sky actually IS bigger. But seriously, I spend half of my time looking at touristy attractions, and half of my time looking up at the clouds.

Food: I have never eaten so many potatoes in my life. Every meal they are served, either mashed, fried, cubed, wedged...you name it, they come in that form. Also, lots of cooked carrots and meat. I still can't get over the meat in everything.

Classes start tomorrow, and I think I will start to realize soon that I am here for longer than a week. It has been such a flurry of excitement and busy activity that I know a transition is coming. I will post more stories and pictures soon. Miss you all!

We are St. Pat's, we are St. Pat's....

Cheers everyone!

Last night at 3am I was jolted awake by what sounded like 800 people singing the St. Patrick's anthem. It was sung to the tune of "When the Saints Come Marching In." (St. Patricks is the hall that I live in.) It reminded me of the boxer runs that occur during the first week at SPU. They were SO loud that I actually thought they were in my room for a second! Here are pictures of the dormitory and room that I live in:

I didn't really bring any decorations, so it's a bit sparse...

In other news, yesterday we went into London again, this time to have tea at a fancy department store called Harrod's. It is the largest in Europe; so elegant!! We were served unlimited mini-sandwiches, desserts, and scones-my kind of place!


We also went to the National Gallery, which holds Britain's top collections of European paintings. There were paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo Davinci, Michelangelo...you name it, they had it!

There was a special "love" exhibit, and I enjoyed what they had written as the description:

"Love is by far the most complex human emotion, both instinctive and inexplicable. For a visual artist to convey love is a formidable challenge. But the incentive is great, because love presents the richest of subject matter."

Inside the exhibit there were all sorts of paintings that have been done throughout the centuries in an effort to capture a visual representation of the mysterious thing called love.

My favorite was a painting called "Bouquet with Flying Lovers" by Marc Chagall:

Other tidbits for you to know:
--Pizza Hut is treated as a nice sit-down resturaunt. I am talking mood lighting, fancy silverware, the works. It's so funny to see "Pizza Hut" associated with fine dining!

--I am consistently amazed at how politically and socially aware the college students are. Sometimes I feel a bit sheepish about how little I know about my own country; more than once I have been introduced to a British student, and within three questions he or she is drilling me about our foreign policy. Yikes! I am challenged to work on becoming more aware about what is going on in the world, and especially in the States. I saw this quote in a shop window, and it sums up what the general consensus is on our politics:

"It's an American election but a global affair. The results will affect us all."

--Finally, I will leave you with a vocab lesson. My new favorite English word is "dodgy", which means "sketchy" or "strange". Pronounced "doh-gee". For example,

"Hey James, doesn't that lamb and wild boar pie seem a bit dodgy to you?!"

Until next time! :)