Good Bye America, It's been fun.

That's it, four months, gone, flashed by, finished. I'm now writing this in my room in Bristol at one in the morning wide-awake and reflecting on what has undoubtedly been the best four months of my life.

It was so hard to leave, not so much America, I did love it don't get me wrong, but what I found to be really hard was leaving the friends behind. The friends that had come to feel more like family. Months and months have passed in each-others company and I now feel strange not having them around. Leaving was heart-wrenching. They all came outside, when the taxi pulled up to say good-bye. We hugged tightly and with watery eyes told said how much we would miss each-other. The poor taxi-driver didn't know what hit him when four girls got in only to hysterically cry the whole way to the airport.


After a long-long flight we landed in Heathrow, and rushed eagerly through arrivals to be met by my Dad's grinning face. It feels wonderful to be home but already Wilmington and UNCW are beginning to feel like a world away. I can't ever let the memories fade though. I've had an amazing adventure. You never know unless you go, right? I went and I can, without any hesitation, say that it was the best decision I have ever made. The adventures that I have had will forever etched into my memory and i've made so many wonderful friends from all around the world.
Good bye America, it's been a pleasure.

Work hard, play hard

Exams have ended, days have passed and my exam results have been posted and, miraculously considering the adventures I have been on, I've done quite well.

Research Methods: A-
Deviant Behavior: A
Media and Society: B+

Aging: A

Yay! 

December by the sea

Hello everyone,
After days and days of hard work, which of course I mean about two-three hours a day mixed up with several episodes of  Men Behaving Badly, we decided on one final trip to the beach.

I just can not get over how completely and utterly surreal it is to be able to put on a skirt, take off the jumper and put on the sun glasses in December.

The weather was warm and the sky was completely clear other than a few wisps of clouds. We dipped our toes in the sea, automatically jumping back before realising that it was actually not that cold.

We swished our toes in and out of the water and enjoyed the warm sun on our faces. It's hard to believe that this time this week i'll be wrapped up in about twelve jumpers by the fire back home. Only five more days and three exams to go before the flight home on Friday...

Studying for finals

I stare forward, eye transfixed to the wall where an array of multi-coloured sticky notes are displayed. The second hand of my watch tick-tick-ticks as I continue to look straight ahead. "Social security is estimated to go bankrupt in 2037". I know that. I stare forward a little longer. Reaching forward I then clasp my mug of coffee to me as if it had the elixure of eternal life  inside. I take a long sip and again look forward.  I then notice there seems to be a dark smudge on the wall. I gaze at it for a little while, pondering if it will come off. Before I know it I am then painstakingly scrubbing at the walls with make up remover. There, that's better.  I sit down, take a sip of my coffee and once again look forward at the multi-coloured squares. Proposals to save social security... um, raise the pension age and uh, -looks ahead- raise the amount of wages subject to payroll tax. What does that really mean? sips coffee. Probably should start thinking about packing soon. I've only got a small suitcase and I really don't think it's going to hold everything. Maybe I should leave my trainers behind. I mean realistically i'm not going to use them. Maybe I should though, I mean I probably should work out more. Maybe i'll go to the gym now.... perhaps not. I sigh and sit back and look at the wall. "What happens to surplus payroll taxes not used for current benefits?" - Treasury bonds... it's definitely something to do with treasury bonds. I think I need another coffee.

Last day of classes

I can't quite believe I have just walked away from my last ever class at UNCW. I know everyone said the time would fly by but I thought that was just an annoying cliche rather than a sad reality. Farewells have been said and I found my self savoring every last y'all and reveling in the weird things my class mates, who I forget work for the federal government, said. I'll miss my daily routine of walking down chancellors walk, swerving to avoid a near fatal collision with an approaching bike or skate boarder. I'll miss having lunch at the Greek bar in Hawksnest Diner and i'll even miss my Aging lessons watching videos about how you are never to old to be a sexually active lesbian.  There is now only ten days left of my life in America so, in between all the revision, i'll savor it all. Particularly the 23degree sunshine in December!

Skype home

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

 I've just got home from spending Thanksgiving with my lovely friend Hannah and her family. It all began with us driving six hours across the state in her sports car, me folded into the back seat, to Ashe County which is buried away in the mountains bordering with Virginia and Tennessee. As we drove nearer to her home town our ears popped with the altitude and we felt the temperature plummet.

Arriving in the dead of night we were welcomed by Charlene, Hannah's bleary eyed yet wonderfully welcoming Mum and a hyper active puppy called Jude who was the spitting image of a toy dog I had as a child that yapped three times and then did a back flip. After a good nights sleep we pulled on our slippers and padded across the road to Hannah's grandma's house who cooked us a delicious southern breakfast with biscuits and grits. Over the course of our trip we got to meet most of her family who were all so friendly and wonderfully southern.

An absolute highlight of the trip for me was when we piled into the Chevy with a trunk full of guns and headed out into the forest. Before I knew it I was lifting this enormous hunting rifle up into the crook of my arm and pulling the trigger. An earth shattering bang sounded as the bullet propelled from inside and set my heart racing. It was equally exhilarating as it was utterly terrifying! Don't worry though, considering the guilt I felt shooting a pumpkin, I don't think I'm going to be posing any sort of threat to mankind anytime in the distant future but I did enjoy my bond girl moment, however temporary.

Back at Hannah's and bullet wound free I spotted what has to be the most amazing car I had ever seen pulled up in the drive. A light blue 1964 Ford Galaxie 500, officially my dream car. It turned out it belongs to Hannah's 16-year-old brother (it used to be his grandfathers) who took me out for a spin. It was completely amazing, and don't worry, I resisted the urge to break into a rendition of Grease Lightnin'.

On actual Thanksgiving Day all of Hannah's family came over to the house and an absolute feast was prepared. In many ways the day, and the food, was similar to Christmas as there was turkey and stuffing but there were also new dishes such as pecan squash and pumpkin pie to tuck into. It was absolutely delicious and I am definitely in favour of attempting to bring this tradition to England. I've always thought we should have more than one Christmas so this seems like the only logical solution!

Where did the summer go?

It's definitely beginning to feel a little Christmasy, The autumn leaves have fallen and my Flip-Flops have flipped their last flop. I've also now finished one of my classes, Media. I had to do my final presentation today which was nerve racking to say the least. I don't understand why the pressure of being assessed makes you so nervous. I knew my presentation inside-out and back-to-front but when I stood up I could barely even remember what the question was. It was okay though, after a deep breathe the nerves were relatively controlled and I managed to carry it off.   I left the class room and exclaimed to Liv "God i need a glass of wine!" only to realise that my lecturer was right beside me. It's okay, she laughed and said she always felt that way. It's crazy to think though that I have now completely finished a class. Christmas songs are being played and i'm coming to the sad realization that this is my last few weeks. Tomorrow, i'm heading off to stay with my friend Hannah's family in the North Carolina mountains for Thanksgiving! I'm so excited to experience a real southern family holiday and apparently it's expected to snow too! I'll update you when i'm back. Happy Thanksgiving!

Pink Hair and Roast Potatoes

Hello all!
Yesterday we went over our friend Sara's house. Long and short of it, I've got pink hair.  It's alright though parents and respective elders it's only a little bit. Completely acceptable you'll find.


We had a really nice evening where we cooked my signature recipe for everyone and we enjoyed roast potatoes, chicken wrapped with bacon and stuffed with cheese and various veggies.

We then sat down, played with her dogs and watched Love Actually, which made me really excited for Christmas at home. Only 4 weeks to go. I don't know whether to jump up and down with excitement or cry!

"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery,Today is a Gift."

I've just conducted my first ever interview and I don't think it could have gone any better.
I take a class called Sociology of Aging and part of my course requires me to write a ten page paper based on an interview with someone over sixty-five. I've attended a couple of United Nations talks where I was fortunate enough to get on well with the president of the chapter who volunteered to be interviewed. She invited me over her house where her and her husband cooked me a lovely dinner and even poured me a glass of wine and we talked for ages about their travels around the world and each others lives. Then, after dinner we sat down and I interviewed her for my paper. I just can't believe how interesting her life was! She was a nun for years until the Civil Rights movement where she realized the inequalities in the Catholic faith so she left. Just as she left the south had passed a law that for the first time ever it had become compulsory to educate disabled children so she became one of the first ever teachers, in the south, of children with disabilities. I just found her so interesting, she even ended the interview with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt "Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery,Today is a Gift." How amazing is that? So America, I am going to write up this paper then go out there and continue to appreciate every second of this amazing experience.

Work & Poverty

Okay i've found a flaw in the study abroad scheme. If you are foreign and you go to an American University then they are not going to be sympathetic to the fact that you're last month at University is also your last month in America. My god are the piling up the work. I've got nothing but deadlines until I go home. Meanies. I even have an exam at 6pm the night before I go home. I just want the sun to come back so I can bury my troubles away in the sand while I go and have a swim in the sea. Sadly though it is now a bit cold and I've had to put away my florescent pink shorts and tie-dye top (hah) and gone back to the London way of dressing. I even had to buy a coat. All the stress of my beach deprivation is getting to me and I have a stonking headache. I couldn't understand why it wouldn't go away but then I realised I had popped two vitamin supplements rather than ibuprofen...! Tonight I had a really lovely chat with my boyfriend though which made me smile. He's currently in Vanuatu looking after turtles. I love talking to him for many reasons, but mostly it really amuses me that that our conversation traveled time. I spoke to him at 7pm on a Thursday and in Vanuatu it was 12pm on a Friday! I always think it puts some real flaws into those end of the world movies when they say the world will end on a set day... anyway i'm rambling.

Yesterday evening I went along to a Poverty Simulation experiment for my Deviant Class. The idea of a class was that we would be placed into a family and we had to live out a month (3 hours) as if we were them. To do this we had to go to work, pay the bills, buy food, go to school, take my virtual  father in law to the hospital to get his medicine. It was really interesting though for the most part and it definitely did open my eyes to what some people go thorough.... but then the other more immature side of me just couldn't take it seriously, for example, in one week (represented by 15 minutes) I was sold crack- cocaine, had all my possessions stolen, twice. Then our house got reprocessed and I got sacked from work. In a week. I mean come on! It was a good experience though, even if I did get a little to carried away (I citizen arrested the crack dealer then stole all his money). It was also cool that my pretend father was a marine who traveled the world so I kept getting side-tracked with questions for him. Tomorrow evening I have been invited over the house of the president of local United Nations chapter for dinner with her and her husband. I'm secretly hoping this means home cooked roast potatoes. It'll be lovely though i'm sure and they have been kind enough to let me interview them for a ten page paper I have to write this weekend. Keeping busy, keeping busy.

Obama Wins!

Election Day!

Election day is here and in about... 2 hours, according to the news, we will find out who will be president of my home for the last few months. It's been so interesting to be in America to witness the campaign trail and be around the buzz. I've been following all the debates and dutifully pinning Obama badges to my bag and saying "I can't vote, i'm English" at least ten times a day to the campus campaigners. The whole time that I've been watching the debates though I've just been thinking that my God I am glad i'm not running for president. I mean, can you imagine the stress? and no matter what you do it's almost guarantee that half the country will hate you. If that isn't bad enough, you also have to make speeches for a casual audience of the WHOLE WORLD! It's putting my up and coming presentation in front of 28 people in perspective. I have a hell of a lot of respect for them though. That's pretty impressive. The modules I have taken this semester have made it even more fascinating for me. Sociology of Aging has made me think quite a lot about the effects of the health reforms will have. My Media module has put a really interesting twist on things. Anyway fingers crossed for Obama and i'll update later.

Halloween

 Happy Halloween!! (4days ago but shh). Now, I'm not normally enamored with the idea of Halloween. It's always seemed slightly like legitimized blackmail... but that could just be because i'm British and cynical. I did think however, that seeing as i'm in America and it's a really big deal here then I might as well don the hat and paint myself green. The  main party weekend for Halloween was the weekend before which I, as I may have mentioned, was on the beach in California for so I missed that.

On actual Halloween which was a Wednesday, none of us celebrated due to classes etc but I did get to see some unusual activity! We went to Independence (shopping mall) which was full of hundreds of children and their parents dressed in pretty amazing costumes. One family I saw was a  mother and child combo, the mother dressed as the empire states building with a very cute and very minuscule King Kong clinging to her side. Another family consisted of the Dad as Willy Wonka, the 'Mom' as Violet Beauregarde and whole trail of Umpa Lumpas following along side. The thing that amazed me was that these children were Trick or Treating the shops! Each with their little pumpkin cauldrons collecting as many variations of 'candy' as they could from the expecting shops.

 UNCW was in full Halloween spirit too giving us free sweets upon entering the dinning hall and ghostly shaped deserts for pudding. On the Saturday Night we heard of a Fancy Dress Halloween party going on so we had a right laugh getting ready and green. The only problem was the police had also heard of the party and it was busted before we even got there! Ah well, at least I know that next year none of the parties will be hindered by underage drinking!

P.s I'm still green.

Hurricanes and Assignments

I am back from San Diego and life is starting to get back to normality now. Well as normal as it can be when you live in a strange land where people wear florescent pink shorts and white socks and sandals with no hint of irony.  The "largest storm recorded in the Atlantic" is also "battering the East coast", hurricane Sandy. Well, so I am told anyway. When I was in San Diego the departure boards were flashing with delays and cancellations and the news was warning of dangers in North Carolina. Now I am here however, I am sure they are making it up! The only extreme weather here is the extreme cold but, as much as I loathe to admit it, I think that may be to do with November fast approaching rather than anything named Sandy. No worries then lovely concerned family, I, well at least I don't think, am not about to be blown away anytime soon. Although I am rather grateful that I went to New York when I did...!
Lectures are back to normal and i'm back on work mode. I'm getting rather sad that my never ending summer seems to be slipping away. Oh well, I guess technically...technically I am on a university exchange so probably should make the most of that aspect. I am working hard though, I promise. In fact I manage to achieve my first ever A* on a paper I wrote the other week! Yay! now, on that note. I better get back to working on my next assignment... or maybe go and watch Bridget Jones.

San Diego Sunset: Video

                                   

Our last glimpse of the miraculous San Diego Sun.

San Diego, California!

Hello California!
Finally I can say I’m living life in Pacific Time… even if it is just for a few days.
San Diego is already one of the most incredible places I have ever been. I’ve been walking around with wide eyes and the world’s biggest smile, muttering “wow, wow, WOW” at every corner. I just can’t believe I’m here!  We’re staying at the Diamond Head Inn which is literally on the beach. All we have to do is step out of the front door, rotate slightly to the left and hello Pacific Ocean! The streets are lined with palm trees and retro cars which you just know have rattled up and down the West Coast a few times. Now, sorry in advance to those reading this in not-so-sunny England but the weather…. Well, yeah it’s pretty nice. High 70s-80f every day. (Appreciating this more after hearing about Hurricane Sandy heading up to North Carolina…)

With our sunshades on me and Clayton boarded the bus (Yay, public transport!). We weren't too sure in what direction the bus would go but with only our legs as a means of transport and still reeling from the $40 taxi fare from the airport, we were willing to give it a go. Within too long we were pulling the stop cord and getting out in the Old Town, the “Historic heart of San Diego”.  It seemed, however, that in the short journey we had managed to leave America and enter Mexico. The Old Town was stunningly beautiful Spanish style homes and mountainous hills on the horizon and the streets lined with Mexican restaurants and shops selling sombreros. We wandered around “wow, wow, WOWing” for most of the day stopping to take in our surroundings and then, obviously, for lunch.  In a little court yard with the sun pouring in and the combination of bird song and a live Mexican band we sat down for some Enchiladas.

On the Saturday we rented a couple of bikes and hit the coast on path to Mexico. The bikes were absolutely gorgeous but the romantic notion wavered a bit as we realised the things didn't have breaks so we had to basically yell at the unsuspecting surfers we were about to run over. It was amazing though and we spent the day gliding between the palm trees and the ocean. The beach though, as always, is the way to go. So the rest of our time was spent hopping between Mission Beach and our own, amazing, Pacific Beach. There are a row of benches next to the beach where homeless men slept but these guys are like no other. They seem blissfully content with life, dark as can be from sun and smiling at everyone and everything. It seems more that they selected just to never leave the beach than anything else.  As the sun sets the California dream emerges. The best sun set I have ever seen as not only is the sky a bright orange but the sea is almost metallic in colour. With the palm trees silhouetted against the night sky San Diego was magical, beautiful, amazing. See you when I’m 21 San Diego. I’ll be back with my Cadillac. 

Some photos from San Diego

Clayton is here!!

Clayton is here, the sun is shining and life is good. My lovely boyfriend survived the 9 and a half  hour flight to Wilmington. We've now spent the last few days (he arrived on October 18th) mainly on the beach. Yes, yes lovely British people. I don't mean to brag or anything... but it warm enough to be on the beach in October (27 degrees!). The evenings have also been spent having meals out: Steak, Thai and Italian so far and then watching BBC American on our wide screen TV in the hotel room. Oh, and while I remember, Clayton got offered two jobs in America just on the flight over. For those who know him i'm sure you won't be surprised!

On Sunday he won himself some serious boyfriend points as I dragged him to a UN luncheon where he spent the afternoon being chatted up by old ladies. It's okay though, he got a free lunch so I wouldn't feel too bad. It's been a lovely few days and Wilmington has been on it's best behaviour. Sunshine, sunshine and more sunshine.

Next stop...
CALIFORNIA!

A brush with the American Health Care System

Today I experienced the American health care system first hand and was diagnosed with the  worlds most expensive ear infection. I was poked and prodded, weighed, had my temperature measured, heart beat and blood pressure monitored and God knows what else. Me in my confused state repeatedly reminding the doctor that "you know it's just an ear ache right?".  An hour or so later I was laden with pills, information pamphlets and a bill for $37. Sigh, At least this means that the earache might finally go away.

New York City. Hello, Goodbye.

 My last day on my magical mystery tour of New York arrived way too quickly. As we rose from our beds that, admittedly, I will not miss, we made our way to our much loved Cafe Europa for some coffee and the best Pan au Choclat I have ever eaten. Today being a Monday meant that    all the workers with their ABC badges were there which made for some good people watching. It also made me feel wretched to leave New York "I want to live in New York and work for the ABC and get coffee and cake every morning!".
Once we were fed and coffeed we boarded the Subway into lower  Manhattan to see Lady Liberty. Being the savvy students that we are we decided not to get the ferry over to Ellis Island which would have set us back a fair chunk of money but instead we caught the free ferry to Staten island. We bustled on board, everyone with the same intention to be on the right side of the deck in order to get the best view. Luckily our position was prime and roughing the cold wind was completely worth it for such a fantastic view of the iconic monument.
Later we walked half the length of the city lingering in Wall Street where they had a massive market with an eclectic mix of things from deep-friend Oreos to hand carved giraffes. As the day went on we really started to feel the effects of three days walking and as we approached the next destination, the Natural History Museum, with only a few more blocks to go we hailed a cab. When we got there we were so tired that we collapsed on the floor underneath a blue whale for an hour. Definitely worth the entrance fee! Then, sadly it was time to go home. I won't dwell on the fact that it took nearly eighteen hours to get home because the coach broke down but will simply say that New York was amazing and that I will definitely be back.

New York City: Day 2

 Despite New York being named "The City that Never Sleeps" I woke up in our little hostel near central park feeling refreshed and buzzing with excitement! The incredible night sleep was pretty impressive really considering many of the window had been replaced in part by a sheet of cardboard that flapped in the wind, there were marks on the floor where generations of Cockroaches had  shriveled up and died and the motion censored light was activated every time I turned over. The day began with a bus tour that had been organised as part our trip so we all squashed on and waited... and waited. It turns out that paying a tour guide up front isn't the best plan as they might just not turn up. I didn't mind though, I was secretly frustrated at the thought of being cooped up in a coach again after the 12-hour extravaganza the previous day. Besides, who wants to see New York through a window when you can be out there seeing it all for real.

Instead the driver dropped us of in SoHo a trendy neighborhood famous for it's artists and shops. Admittedly we didn't see any artists and the shops were mostly aimed to trap tourists with poorly spoken sales men who each insisted on offering the best price in town. It was great to wander through these quirky little places and even better when we ended up in China Town and found ourselves having some lunch. We then got the Subway back up to Times Square to re-immerse ourselves in the insanity of it all. I don't think you could ever be bored of Times Square. Well, definitely not when the naked cow boy is about. We stood and watched long enough to hear three or four renditions of his song "I'm a naked cowboy, yeahh, woo!" before passing away the following few hours in shops. It's incredible how items that you would never every buy at home quickly become a must have item just by having "I Love New York" imprinted on the side. Tearing ourselves away and back out into the bright light wonderland we noticed a crowed gather outside.  Intrigued we went over to take a closer look, all secretly hoping to come face-to-face with Johnny Depp or some other A list super-star. Instead we found Ricky Martin... well I guess it was a little bit exciting. You'd have to be mad not to have a slight soft spot for a bit of Livin' la Vida Loca.
A New York hot dog or two later (they're really small!) we once again boarded the Subway, this time to an improve comedy club where we laughed away the rest of our day.

New York City: Day 1

“Happiness consists in realizing it is all a great strange dream” 
― Jack Kerouac
This for me was the only way to take in everything New York had to offer. The bright flashing lights, the passing police cars whizzing past with their sirens a blaze. So many new sights and sounds, smells and tastes. So much to see, so much to do and 3 days to do it in. It began after a 12 hour, over night coach trip up the East Coast which I,  mercifully, spent in a deep sleep, my head squished up against the window only to wake up to a buzz of excitement and the beautiful, hazy sunrise illuminating the New York skyline.
Shortly after arriving at the hostel and a quick coffee and croissant later we were out in the morning sun and ready to explore!  The hostel was only a street away from the Dakota building where John Lennon was shot so the first port of call for a manic Beatles fan was neighboring Central Park and the imagine memorial. In Central Park the sun was shining through the trees onto the New Yorkers going about their daily routine, walking their dogs and going for their morning jog. Weird, I know.
As the sun rose higher in the sky so did we has we got into the lift of the 1,454ft Empire State Building and headed to the top. Prone to minor, miniature, ever so slight panic attacks when faced with dramatic drops I was a little apprehensive but fortunately the heavy duty security railings calmed my nerves and I was able to peer over the edge and look down at the dramatic skyscrapers that had previously loomed over me. The feeling of being able to look down on such an enormous city as if it were a town made of Lego was magical.
Hours flashed by as fast as the adverts in Times Square and before we knew it our stomachs were signalling that it was time to find somewhere to eat. The restaurant of choice was called the 'Stardust Dinner' on Broadway where we spent the rest of the evening being serenaded by NYU graduates hoping to break it into the big time whilst we chomped away on our burgers. At one point I peered over the balcony we were seated at the sneak a peek at where the singer was before, all too late, realising that he was stood right in front of me giving me my very own rendition of Greece Lightnin' while I smiled awkwardly in a way that I hoped conveyed "I really appreciate your singing to me but please God go and sing to someone else". Thankfully his attention soon switched to someone else and I was able to enjoy from afar!
Laughing and chatting we emerged from the restaurant into the bright lights of Time Square illuminating the city in such a way that you couldn't tell if it was night or day.  We looked at each other and ginned, staring up in awe at all that surrounded us. New York is magical!

That time of year again...

It's that time of year again and the exams are here! ahhhh!
I'm in revision card galore. Everything has a colour coded pattern and I think my brain is going to explode.
 Oh well, i've tried my hardest but no matter what by this time tomorrow (5pm) the nasty, horrible, evil exams will be over and i'll be free! Not only free but heading to New York.
So I better go and work hard for a few more hours, get some sleep and then stick it out. Wish me luck, hopefully i'll be okay. Next update will be from the big apple. See you then!

Charleston Part 2: 29th September

Our second day in Charleston, SC began with a lovely fresh coffee but a hilarious breakfast that made it hard to repress the inner-English snob. Most of the hotel residence had come down to eat their eggs and grits (a weird porridge like concoction that tastes like gone off couscous and milk) in their pajamas and one girl had a tractor tattooed on her leg. I’m all for originality and all but, a little bit weird? After breakfast we stepped out into the sunshine and walked into town, eager to explore it in the day light. When we got there we heard the distant beating of drums which we excitedly followed to a farmers market which had the feel of a festival to it with all the stores, music and dancing. The market was the biggest I've ever seen and stretched on until you reached the water front.

When we tired of all the shopping and began to feel a bit weary in the sun we sought out solace in the form of Bubba-Gump the shrimp restaurant. Now, most of you reading this will raise your eye-brows at this knowing that I have a complete aversion to sea food. It’s kind of ironic considering how much I love the sea and all the wild-life it contains. I just don’t want to eat any of it. Not for animal cruelty reasons, I love a good steak; it’s just fish is a bit slimy. The restaurant was amazing though, situated in an open air veranda, sheltered by vines which had lots of fans within it to keep us cool. The Forest Gump name made me too happy for the menu to matter but I did feel a bit guilty ordering the only chicken option available as I received raised eyebrows from the waiter. I also had the best pudding I have ever eaten-ever. Snicker’s Pie. Yum.

After a good couple of hours relaxing over lunch it was time for a last wander around before heading back to the car. We walked along the water front and noticed the most individual water fountain I had ever seen; a massive pineapple. Amused by this we joined the several children splashing around within in it and dipped our feet in to cool off. On the way back to the car we walked down Rainbow Street which is a row of multi-coloured Georgian houses. Housing this old is really rare here as most of it was destroyed in the civil war and as a result this lovely looking street looked like it would have been for fitting in Bristol than America. Soon we were back at the car and it was time to head back to Wilmington.

On the way home I was listening to my i-pod and absent mindedly staring out the window when the light began to change. Suddenly there was a huge rumble of thunder and above there was an ominous dark cloud hanging in the sky that spiraled off at the bottom like a twister. Within seconds rain was beating down on the car and big lightning bolts flashed through the sky as thunder rolled through the air. It rained so heavily and so suddenly that the roads quickly became water logged and as we drove through the water splashed up making it hard to see out of the windows as it sprayed up and over the car. Then as soon as it began it was over. Hilariously we then drove past several billboards bearing the words “Jesus is coming!”. Good job I’m not religious or that might have been quite worrying! It’s okay though, soon we were passing through the night time mini-las Vegas that is Myrtle Beach and arriving back home in Wilmington.

Charleston Part 1: 28th September

Time to hit the open road and drive three hours south, crossing the state boarder of North Carolina into the magical town of Charleston, South Carolina. About an hour and a half in we took the costal path through Myrtle Beach, a famous seaside town to see what it was like. It was uh, interesting to say the least, reminding me of a cross between Bolton and a budget package deal to the parts of Spain that consists of more English teenagers than it does Spanish. As we drove through on each side were ludicrously oversized attractions with life-size dinosaurs looming down over the high-way along with oversize restaurants in the shape of a shark, all seeming so ridiculously out of place in the early morning sunshine on the beautiful Eastern Coast. Happy to be passing though we drove on another couple of hours south, passing over a spectacular bridge and entering Charleston.

After checking into the hotel and into our room, which had a fridge, microwave and two king sized beds which each would have fit Henry V111 and all of his wives, we headed into town. Walking in we were struck by the magnitude of the houses. They were quite a way away from the one story southern homes in Wilmington with their porches and rocking chairs. Here they were spectacular! In some places it felt like being in the richest parts of London with beautiful red brick buildings towering high with great grandeur. The difference here being that instead of lampposts there are palm trees and instead of the sound of cars whizzing past there was the sound of crickets humming in the mid-day sun. We took in the sights like this for the rest of the afternoon and as the evening approached and the sun began to set we wandered along a promenade with the sea on one side. Private boats passed by with well-dressed people chinking their glasses of champagne on the decks. On the other side of the promenade were beautiful mansions where you could envisage beautiful people of “high-cotton” (upper-class) in the 1920s milling around or dancing the town’s name-sake. The Charleston.

Deciding to give the champagne a miss tonight (hah!) we headed into something more our style. A fantastic diner with an exciting atmosphere which made me wish I could upgrade my diet coke to a beer to go with my fries and the American Football on the wide-screen TV overhead. There were a group of marines in full attire leaning confidently on the bar whilst groups of girls giggled and gawped over them, clearly making the most of their time on leave. The people watching, my favourite hobby, was about as good is gets so I watched on happily, making it matter little that I had no idea what was going on in the football overhead. After food we headed back to the hotel making the most of the feeling of being able to walk around streets and not having to get an expensive taxi the rest of the way home. 

Cockroaches & Reese's Pieces

Hey there loving family, friends and people who have accidently stumbled upon my blog. It’s the 27^th Sept, Friday evening in the deep south of America and I’m in my “Mom’s” little southern home listening to the dogs howling outside and enjoy some American TV for the first time since I got here. These two weeks are busy, relaxing, exciting, calming, relatively stressful and exhilarating all at the same time. I’m absolutely loving having Mum and Tim here and I’m reviling in it before I’m dragged back to University and back to my lectures where I spend many classes longing to be back in the days where my biggest concern would  be who’d be able to produce the most life like penguin through the medium of finger painting. Exams are approaching, next Thursday the 4^th October to be precise but I’ve been revising regularly and paying attention in class so hopefully I’ll do ok. Wish me luck! The exams are sandwiched between two seriously exciting events. Tomorrow I’m heading off on a road trip with my parents to Charleston, South Carolina for two days. The home town of the fantastic 1920s and less than a week later I’ll be setting off on a 12 hour road trip to New York. Updates here: well, Mum has become addicted to diet coke and Reeces Pieces and this morning there was the world’s biggest and scariest cockroach in the bathroom. I just knew it was plotting to kill me so I sought revenge by getting Tim to trap it in a cup. That was as brave as he got. It’s still in the cup.  All is good though in Laura Land, despite the roaches. Catch y’all later! 

Mr&Mrs Badman are in town

On Saturday 22nd September my lovely Mum and Step dad did the 9andahalf hour flight to Charlotte, NC and then the connecting flight arriving in Wilmington where I was excitedly waiting for them. They’re staying for a two week trip in Wilmington and what is Mum’s first time in America. We picked up the keys to their rental Chevy and cruised along the highway to their home for a week. I say cruised but figuring out how to function this beast of a car proved to be slightly problematic but after a short stint on the left-hand side of the road we were off and running.

After some confusion with the maps we finally found the entrance to Mcrae Street, which was on first impressions quite something as we were instantly reminded of the Caribbean. The street is full of brightly coloured shanty town-like houses with an array of curious dark faces peering at us from their rocking chairs on their respective porches. We smiled back apprehensively completely aware of how incredibly foreign we looked. We finally found our house number, slightly overshooting as Mum attempted to located the brake, we got out and looked up. The house is fantastic and all-American with its wooden slates, wrap around porch and, of course, rocking chair.

The next morning, Sept 23rd,  I woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and padded into the kitchen for some marmite on toast with banana. It’s the little things you miss. After breakfast we strolled down a couple of blocks until we were in the downtown Historic District with the sunshine beating down on us and the birds chirping happily. We had a lovely walk around, me pointing out the sights and showing off my new home before hopping onto a boat tour down the river learning some more about the history of the area.  Then my favourite time of day after dinner, lunch! We went to a lovely restaurant and sat out on the patio overlooking the cape-fear river and ate fresh salads, finally embracing some healthy food after all the burgers.

Fuzzy Peach, Peanut Butter & Jelly and a trip to Best Buy.

Hey all (Or should I say y'all!).
Sorry about my pessimistic ramblings yesterday, I just felt like I need to have a moan.
Today, however, i'm feeling gooood! My lovely mother and step-dad are coming up to visit me on Saturday so I am looking forward to some home cooked dinners and family time. As I was saying with my closing-in-walls lame-ass analogy yesterday the work today has been completed, targets met, the walls pushed away and a sigh of relief let out.

This afternoon I managed to convince Livi to come to Best Buy with me as I needed to get a new phone, so we hailed a cab, got in, in drove for... approximately two minutes, it turned a corner and there we were. I guess that's what happens when you live on a campus that is the size of a small city and surrounded by roads that closely resemble the M4. Best Buy is virtually identical to Currys or PCWorld and as a result of this I put up my metaphorical British shield and waited to be bombarded with people trying to sell me the best deal. Nothing. Nada. No one. In the end I had to resort to asking for help. I guess that's just a British thing. The over enthusiastic sales assistance that is... not the asking for help.

Shopping complete we decided to attempt the walk home as it seemed abit extravagant to ring up a taxi. The first issue came about 24seconds in when we were suddenly faced by an enormous junction, with 8 different lanes full of Monster Trucks whizzing by. With no crossing in sight me and Livi just stood there like idiots until someone else turned up and we felt brave enough to cross. Feeling proud of ourselves we wandered on and came across a row of shops and restaurants. Almost simultaneously our  faces lit up and then dropped. Yesss shops! Followed by the realization that we hadn't passed these shops on the way over... we'd gone the wrong way. Oh well, when life gives you lemons... you go and get a frozen "yo-gurt". Fuzzy Peach is a little ice cream parlor set up by ex students and is absolutely delicious! I had cheesecake flavoured yogurt with fresh raspberries. Wonderful.

When we eventually arrived back at I-House we were greeted by our lovely RA (resident assistant)  Ashley who had set up a Peanut Butter and Jelly party... well, when in rome...!

One month in and the culture shock begins...

Today is the 18th September, exactly one month into my study abroad experience.
It's bizarre though because although in some ways that feels like a long time but in others it feels like  nothing. I absolutely love it here and wouldn't regret the experience for the world but as things are starting to settle down my emotions are beginning to impersonate a Yo-Yo. One minute i'll be feeling so excited and happy and the next, usually when I sit down at my desk and attempt to tackle my mountains of revision, I feel completely down in the dumps. I guess it's culture shock kicking in. The work load is hanging over me and I feel like i'm in one of those movies where the walls start closing in and the only thing I can do is slow them down but it's impossible to actually stop them. It doesn't help that for every one piece of work I complete I get three more. It's frustrating because  I really want to make the most of being here but instead i'm stating to feel trapped. I know however, that this is mostly psychological  and for those who know me you'll know how I am when I get stressed, and exam related stress is a whole other level. I'm sure that in two weeks time everything will be better, mostly because my exams will be over and i'll be heading off to New York. Work hard, play hard I guess!

Hollywood East

Well, when in Wilmington...
Yesterday we thought we'd make the most of the sunshine and head Downtown and take a guided walking tour of film locations, or what is affectionately known as Willmywood or Hollywood East.

Wilmington has a huge film industry, which is why they call it Hollywood of the East and they are currently filming Iron Man and something with Jennifer Aniston in it and, ofcourse, this is where they filmed One Tree Hill and Dawson's Creek. Most of which was filmed in or around campus. 

Our guide to the Hollywood Tour was an eccentric 'actor'  who guided us around town on a 90 minute name dropping tour. Enthusiastically recounting stories of celebrity encounters, and retelling elaborate stories of movies gone by.  "Over there, is where I met Katie Holmes, wh-eee-ll she was quite something" and that's the pub where me and John Travolta shared a cold one".  I don't think anyone was 100% convinced if any of these anecdotes were based on much factual reality, but either way it was an amusing way  to spend the afternoon. He acted out scenes from movies (video clip is him acting out the opening scene to Matlock... not that i've ever watched that, but you get the idea of the tour). It was such a hot day so our guide kindly steered us over to places in the shade or near air conditioning but either way by the end we were ready to crash so headed to a coffee shop for an ice coffee before heading home. 

The scene includes barrel fires and a person scaling the building.... and maybe a couple of cows.

Earlier I had checked my university e-mail and saw this:

"The UNCW Education Building is being temporarily used as ‘The Ohio State University’ for the NBC TV series "Revolution.” The cast and crew are filming in the courtyard tonight (Friday, Sept. 14) beginning around 7 p.m. The filming is expected to last until the early hours of the morning. The scene includes barrel fires and a person scaling the building."

Then I put this to the back of my mind and headed out to dinner and then to the cinema.
The cinema is absolutely surreal. After you purchase your popcorn and tickets from the lobby you enter a room that is virtually identical to that of The Vue or Cineworld. It was, for a moment, as if I was back in Cardiff Central. That was until the movie started and the Americans started wooping and clapping. Us Brits are a little more reserved than that. We watched Magic Mike again. Which, by the way, gets better with every viewing.

After the film we wandered back and thought we'd check in on the film set (thus is my life now!), highly anticipating explosions and people abseiling of buildings. Instead we found a herd of bulls in a confined area and the film grew retaking a scene of a girl simply walking past them. I'm not sure what this says about Ohio if the scene was supposed to be on the university campus!

Ampitheatre, live music and sunshine

This is a picture of the ampitheatre I found online

It's been such a nice day in the states, one exactly how I imagined my time here would be spent! In between class we walked to Hawksnest and whilst we were grabbing some food (I got myself a feta and lamb wrap from the Greek Bar) when we heard someone playing guitar in the distance. intrigued we headed out into the blazing hot sunshine and followed the sound to the amphitheatre... yes UNCW has it's own ampitheatre.... and sat down. With grass between our toes we ate our lunch to this really good band who, by the way, played The Beatles and listened, chatted and soaked up the sun until the clock tower chimed the sounds of Big Ben to let us know is was time to head to our next lesson. It was so nice.

**I'm sat on the sofa in the common room tapping away writing this and half listening to my friends chattering around me. Then I half hear my Brazilian friend (I won't say her name) next to me murmur "What is this...? What happens if I pull..." then the room starts flashing and a  deafening siren punctures the room. It was absolutely hilarious! We were all evacuated from the building, in fits of giggles and trying to give ourselves away as the police turn up. wooops! 

September 11th

I found this on the UNCW website, I think it was taken last year. 

Today is September the 11th,  a day that normally would have passed me by without too much impact on my daily routine other than a minutes silence, but here it seemed much closer to home.
The hour of the attack was about 8'o'clock so, shamefully, I was asleep at that moment but we had a really interesting Sociology of Deviance class as a result. We were talking about Moral Panics and the impact they had- 9/11 in particular. The main reason I'm blogging about this is because of some of the stories I heard from my class mates re the moral panic following 9/11. They went through it all, emergency evacuations, were told to regularly get under their desk as quickly as possible when yelled to do so and one girl explained that they were told they had to have clear back packs in class just in case they were disclosing any incriminating weapons. Madness!!

I also had my first exam today but luckily I think it went well,mostly because I had it fixed into my mind that i'd be in a big room for four hours writing essay after essay. The reality of the matter is that it was largely multiple choice/ true or false questions with a few short essay question at the end. So yeah, I'm quite happy. Fingers crossed they will all be like that! Also, the other thing I was going to say is you know that Study abroad in Wales talk I had? Well I've now had the same talk repeated four times. Yes, anyone would think they wanted to send me home!

Hello from America!

Hello lovely friends and family back home. Things have been pretty quiet lately, mostly on account of the fact that I've got my first exam tomorrow -sob-! It seems so crazy as I've been hearing that everyone  in the UK is heading back to University this week after I've been here for nearly a month and am approaching my 'Mid-Terms', which are a bunch of exams we have half way through the term...!
I don't have too much to report but I'll put in some little snippets. First of, Wag, which is our dinning hall is getting a bit ridiculous now. I went for an aerobics class  the other day and when I stumbled out, ravished with hunger into Wag I was greeted by a big, fat, greasy fry-up which was the only option in the all-you-can-eat buffet at 8:30pm. Then again, I went for 'brunch' (we're combining our breakfast and lunch as a result of a limited student income) they had roast chicken, sausages,ratatouille , vegetables- everything you could ever hope for dinner... not at 11:30am... naturally I went all out but my options are limited.
We went to Wallmart last night, not much to report but on the way back we had a Taxi driver who couldn't have been more excited that we were English, turns out he was a massive Dr Who fan and within minutes was asking if we recollected that fateful episode in 1976 when the Dr battles the blahblah monster. 1976? 1976?! I wasn't even alive. It was quite amusing though and after we said good-bye, promising to send him over some Jelly Beans. We  then went home, collapsed on the sofa and watched all our favourite programs from the BBC.
I will keep you updated but wish me luck for my exam tomorrow, especially seeing as I seem to have developed a cold so am not feeling too good. Spirits are up though,temporarily at least and they'll be even higher tomorrow when I step out of the exam room. Bye for now :)

Saturday Night In

The world is plotting against me...to be healthy! I think yesss splurge, Saturday night, CHINESE, order a Chow Mein. What do I get? Lettuce and Onions. Slight waste of $10. Then I think, well i'll have  a Dr Pepper, press the buttons and... and... water. Ergh. It's okay i've got a 3 Muskerteers bar. Feeling happy and sufficiently unhealthy.  Now time to snuggle up with my duvet and a film with friends.