library adventures...eek!

First of all, I woke up today with almost no voice. Last night I went to Woody's for a couple hours with my friends. We just hung out and talked. It was a good time, even though we did decide not to go out to town. We decided tonight would be a better choice. So, I got back to my flat and hung out with Dan for a while. We stayed up just talking and it was nice. I haven't really gotten to just sit and talk with a guy for a while. He seems to be a pretty honest, trustworthy friend. I miss my guy friends from back home because it is just different to be able to talk to a guy versus a girl. I'm not trying to be mean, but talking to other girls can just get annoying after a while. Too much estrogen and talk about boys can get on a person's nerves. That said, we had a good conversation about life, music and past crazy experiences. I was surprised that I told him some of the stuff I did, because one thing that I told him I have only told one other person. Sometimes I have trouble trusting people and it just seemes so easy to trust him. I really hope I didn't make a mistake by talking to him about certain things. I would write what those things are, but like I said, I have only told one other person. It's kind of personal.

Getting back to today... I woke up with barely any voice and no sore throat. I didn't yell or talk a lot last night, so I am not real sure as to why my voice has gone and disappeared on me. Either way, it is getting better as the day goes on. I made some soup and then headed to the campus library. I still am lacking a powwer cord for my computer, but will hopefully have one ordered by Friday when I go to London. Using the library's computers is not bad, just inconvenient. This is something that I have noticed about myself; things are very convenient back home. Here, I am running on a different system, one that is not tailored to my wants. It is definitely taking some adjusting. I had to come to the library to do some research for essay, too. I have four books as of right now and I almost got lost trying to find one of them. The library is much bigger than little Lumpkin. It has multiple floors with multiple wings and is just bigger. I do have my books, though, so I am in good shape. My essay is due on Monday and needs to be 3,500 words long. The topic is the change in politics and the change in music and how the two are related throughout the 1960s. I think it should be an interesting paper to write, figuring that I love music and am learning more each day about politics.

I need to work on my essay this afternoon, all day tomorrow and then finish it up on Saturday and Sunday. I won't be able to work on it Friday due to my trip to London. It is kind of bad timing, but that is okay. We will have fun in London and I will just work extra hard to get my paper done on time.

One last thing...I just got an email today from Rusty saying that he has resigned from BC. I am pretty sure that I almost cried. I really owe credit to him for a lot of the knowledge I have gained over the past three years. He has pushed me to get better at what I do and manage my time better. I will never forget the day I told him my mom had passed away the night before. He didn't even hesitate to get up and give me a hug, which I needed desperately. Also, I know that he was always there for me no matter what. I really will miss him and am sad to see him leave before I get back.

He talks so fast!!

So, one class down, one to go. My Popular Music and the Mass Media class went well today, despite the fact that the professor speaks fast. Not only does he speak fast, he is British. To say the least, he is not extremely easy to understand. I got through it alright, though. The information is really interesting and I'm really glad that I didn't miss class this morning. I almost missed the bus, getting up just in time at 9:30. My class is at 10:00. I guess that's what happens when you hit the snooze button the morning after going out. I did have fun last night, though, so it was worth the rush this morning. Last night kicked off what they call 'Refreshers Week.' It is basically the first week back with events planned each night. You might think that these events would be wholesome and helpful to new students adjusting. No. it is seven crazy nights of dressing up and going out to the bars and clubs. Last night was Superheo night at Jak's. Even though it was a great time with my flatmates and friends, it is still hard grasping the idea that the school promotes drinking. They do promote responsible drinking, so that is good. It is still so different! Different is good. I am really liking life here at Swansea Uni. I do know that at this point I need to get more organized and manage my time well. With only two classes on Monday and Tuesday, I am going to have a lot of free time. I've already decided to sign up for the student-run volunteer organization, Discovery. This shouls be a good way for me to spend more of my free time constructively. That is the goal constructive projects and lots of traveling and meeting new people. This semester should be fun!

Looking back..the past 2 weeks

So, I've been here for a little over two weeks and it seems like I've been here for a month, at least. Overall, I would have to say that the experience has been pretty good thus far. There have, of course, been some bumps in the road and definately some culture shocks, too! First off, the good: great friends, good pre-sessional course, amazing scenery, different from home, cute British accents, baguettes, flatmates, Bath, the Gower, a kitchen, and probably a lot of other stuff. The not-so-good: no regular computer use, waiting for the bus, pre-sessional essay due next week, feeling like an idiot when calling items by American names and British people having no idea what you are saying, prawn crisps(yuck!), too much money spent on Wind Street, lost my keys, lost my student ID card, and plenty of other things, but they really don't matter. Even though the list of bad things is longer than the good, the good most definately outweigh the bad. I would choose a difference is lifestyle and new friends combined with amazing photo opportunities over regular internet access and comfortability any day! Some people would think this is weird, but becauseyou know me you know that is just me. I've decided that I might as well make the most out of this opportunity...even if that means feeling like "a dumb American" sometimes. I think one of the biggest culture shocks has been the fact that I don't fit in here..not that I stand out in a bad way, but this is not my home..this is not a small town where I know everyone. I have met a lot of people, though. One night I walked into the bar in the village, and at least 4 people said my name almost the minute I walked in. The two people I went with didn't know anyone is there except myself and each other. I kind of felt bad for them, but then I realized that I was getting out there more than most American students and meeting people- American, English, British, Welsch, German, French, Italian. You name the country, I've met someone who lives there. Well, not everywhere, but you get the point.

Meeting a lot of new people also comes with its problems. Some people might not like other people or I may want to hang out with one group, but they completely clash with another group. I figure those people can sort that out themselves. I love having friends from all walks of life. I mean, here I have a guy friend who dyed half his hair pink and listens to rock and punk music, like me. The guy who lives across the hall from him, I know him, too. He listens to Rap and Hip-Hop and is from South Africa. I am friends with him, too. One of Janny's flatmates is a big John Mayer friend and is going to medical school next year. We get along, too. One of my flatmates, Dan, listens to all kinds of music and loves movies. We will always have things to talk about. There are so many more people that I have met, but can't think of right now. I'm pretty sure that my brain is on overload at this point, with names and faces and places to go. I love it, though. There are always people around and with classes starting, I think it is only going to get more hectic. I'm alright with that, though, because I know that if I need a quiet moment I can just lock myself in my room or take a walk through Singleton Park near campus. I did that on Sunday and it helped a lot. I left my flat with only my keys, mobile, hat, and my camera. It was probably one of the best days here so far. I was by myself and had time to think and relax without someone talking to me or asking me to go out to town. It was great!

Aside from the overwhelmingness (not a word?) of the whole situation here in Swansea, things are going good. I've traveled to the Gower Peninsula, Bath, and this weekend Janny and I are headed to London. I bought tickets for a Paramore concert and booked our hostel yesterday. I am excited to see the city sites and just be in London. I've wanted to go for quite some time, so it should be fun. We also have a trip planned to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day and then we are heading to Galway to stay with Anna for a few days. Our spring break will continue from there, to London, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and then back to Swansea.

I should probably get to work on my essay. Classes start tomorrow for me with a course on Popular Music and the Mass Media. I had a class today, but missed it due to the craziness of registration. My Monday class will be a course on the Vietnam War: Literature, Reportage, and Film. I didn't get the classes I wanted, but these two should be interesting. Alright, I really do have to go work on my essay.....

Finding Miner's Library

Right now I am at the library in the Student Village... and believe you me, it was quite a hike to get here... It is around the corner, up a hill on a sidewalk, around another corner the other way..then up a huge hill where a large building sits- that building is on my s-list because I thought it was the library only to have someone outside crush that hope, by telling me that the library was actually around another turn and up yet another hill, this one steeper...ugh! I finally made it here..checked my email..then had to go back down the hills to get my laundry out of the dryer which is not in my building...no, that would be too easy..it is down a muddy path, across a stream, through a small alleyway..past the bus stop..and then to the laundrette, which is coincidentally underneath the student bar...yes, there is a bar within the student village.. SO...Basically this place is crazy, completely different from anything I've ever known, yet absolutely amazing at the same time!! LOL... I really do love it here.. the people are great, the landscape is beautiful, minus the rain.. but even the rain is nice.. I know, I know, you're saying 'but Reagan, you don't like rain!' This is tru, but there is something different about the rain here.. It just is. It is not as much of an inconvenience here as it is at home..it's a funny thing..ya know, how something you don't even like turns out to be quite nice in another setting.

finding my flat

I was told that I lived in flat 143. Easy enough, right? I had no idea where I was going, but I figured that I would find it eventually. I walked out of the office with a key and without a clue. I decided to take shortcut, in between two buildings and down a dirt path. Did I mention that it was raining already? Apparently, I got here in the middle of one of the worst rainy seasons in Welsch history. I trekked down the path, across a quick paced stream, with a bridge, of course. I look ahead, to the right, then to the left seeing building that all looked the same. I started to get a little worried that maybe it was not going to be as easy as I thought. Tricia H. had decided to join me down the shortcut. I looked at her and she asked, " What flat did you say you were in?" I said "143." As though it was as easy 2+2, she looked at me with a silly face and pointed to the left, "There you are." I felt kind of dumb, but I knew that would probably happen a lot here, being uninformed and out of my comfort zone. She was up the road a bit, so we said goodbye and decided to meet up later. I pulled both of suitcases into the building, leaving one downstairs and carrying the other up three flights of stairs. As I came up the last bit of stairs, there were two people talking in an open doorway. They introduced themselves as Carrie and Cliff. Carrie is my flatmate and from New Mexico. Cliff is from Mississippi and lives downstairs, I think. He may live on our floor, but I don't know. I keyed into my room, only to be met by the contents of a dorm room. I was a little surprised by the nakedness of the room, but not sure why. I guess I had imagined the rooms to be nicer, bigger, different. The room is fine..a bed, wardrobe, desk, bookcase, night stand, and two chairs. I brought my other suitcase upstairs, rearranged my room, then unpacked. I had wanted to take a nap, but instead I showered and went downtown with Carrie, Janette(from California), Doug(lives downstairs, from America), Tricia H., Cliff, Ann(lives downstairs, from France), Sonja(lives downstairs, from Germany) and Farydeh(lives downstairs, from Wales/Ireland). We went to a local pub, where the range of people was amazing. There were old men, women in their thirties and guys that looked 16. I hope they weren't, because you have to be 18. ;) That in itself has been a big shock, the ability to go to a bar, pub, or night club. I am 2 1/2 months away from being 21, but here it makes no difference. I did not realize how much it would surprise me to be able to walk up to the bar and order a Foster's, without being told no or even carded. Yes, I ordered my first beer in Wales the first night I arrived, at a pub called The Potter's Wheel. It felt good to be able to sit back, relax and just hang out with my new friends. The night went well, with a somewhat inexpensive cab ride back around 1 in the morning. I knew I would be tired the next morning for the American Studies field trip to the coast. Oh well, I guess that's the price I will pay for a little fun and flatmate bonding!

getting to Swansea

Leaving Blackburn's campus on Thursday morning was not as hard as I thought it would be. For the previous three weeks or so I had been trying to prepare myself for the moment when I had to say goodbye to my dad in Ludlum's parking lot. As much as I want to say that it was heart-wrenching to leave my family, friends, co-workers and the whole lot of Blackburn's campus community, it wasn't. Even writing that seems weird and slightly wrong, but I know that I was ready for a change in scenery and lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I love Blackburn. The school and the people are probably two of the best things that have ever happenned to me, but when I got the chance to leave the small towns of Girard and Carlinville, I jumped, with almost zero hesitations, at the opportunity! I say almost zero hesitations, because going to a foreign place requires some hesitation. I would've been worried had I not been a little scared to come to Wales. I spent the night before packing and that is when it really hit me that I was leaving..for six months! That same day I also found out that I would be going by myself. My best friend was supposed to come, but could not due to medical reasons at the last minute. We had been planning this trip since freshman year, when we met in an art class. To say the least, I was bummed that she was not coming. However, we had already talked about that possibilty. She told me to go, no matter what. I thank her for that, because if she had been angry with me for going without her, I may not have left. I know now that I would have regretted that my whole life....These are the thoughts that came and went as I traveled through rural southern Illinois on my way to Lambert Airport. By the time I reached St. Louis, just about every negative and positive thought had come and gone through my mind. Now, it was time to board the plane that would take me to New York's JFK Airport. I was so anxious to get to New York, one step closer to the UK, but once I got there I knew that it would be another four hours before my plane left. I spent that time getting lunch, watching people rush about in the terminal and trying to get my laptop connected to the free WiFi. I had no luck, only frustration. Finally the flight attendant spoke the words I had been waiting for, "We are now boarding passengers in section H for flight 1 to London." I slung my camera bag over my shoulder and quickly picked up my backpack. I couldn't wait to get to London!...Hours and hours and hours later, after several not-so-good naps, a typical airline dinner and a crabby seatmate, the plane landed in London. Just as I was getting off the plane, I heard two girls behind me talking about their housing assignments at Swansea. I turned and said, "Hey. Are you both going to Swansea?" Their eyes lit up and they said they were and asked me if I was. We exchanged names, shook hands and decided to travel by train together from London to Swansea. I was thrilled, because I was really nervous about trying to figure out the trains to Swansea. Now, I wasn't alone. After going through customs and baggage claim, we bought our train tickets and headed to the platform. Our wait was only about 30 minutes. Once we boarded the train, we all let out a little sigh of relief.. We were actually on our way to Swansea! We switched trains in Reading(pronounced like Redding) and then settled in for another couple hours of train travel. While waiting in Reading, I met two more students coming to Swansea. Now, I was traveling with four girls, all from the same college- UNC Wilmington. Coincidentally, two of them are named Tricia, the other two being called Lucy and Janny. Each pair contained one Tricia and neither group knew each other. I guess, that's what happenns when you go to a school with more than 600 hundred students. Several people came and went throughout our journey. One women was constantly talking on her mobile (cell phone) making it difficult to nap. I was able to watch the countryside fly by as our train bustled towards Swansea. The train got into Swansea's station a little after 7 in the morning on Friday, but we still weren't there yet. We all grabbed up our luggage and headed outside to catch a taxi. With so much luggage and five people, we had to split up. Since they were already in pairs I decided to link up with another student who was also headed to Swansea, Jesseb from Colorado. We rode through the town, halfway admiring the local people walking beside their squished houses, or flats. We were both so tired to even really care what was going on. All I knew was that I was almost to home, at least for the next six months. The taxi pulled up next to the Superintendant's office. We pulled our luggage along with us, went inside to get our keys, then parted ways, each of us anxious to see where we would be living.