School

I'm a little less grumpy now and am making more of an effort to fight off the apathy. It might be a bit easier to kick things in gear now that I have my finalized class schedule (I think). There's been some drama lately what with me over-enrolling, the international office thinking I was in classes I never registered for, old classes that I dropped appearing on my schedule again in place of classes I added in their stead and classes at the same time (though that last problem looks like it's here to stay).
So, this is (probably, hopefully) my definite class roster for this semester:

Creative Writing Workshop
Probably my favorite class, even though I haven't been the most prolific. Ideally, we're all supposed to submit something for critique once a week, but most people don't. I thought I'd make a decent effort to write something critique-able once a week, but have already failed... Still, I really like the professor. She's a published author herself and her critiques are very insightful and helpful.

Women Writers in Britain and America
We just finished reading Beloved, my second Toni Morrison book and I think I'm officially a fan. I'd really like to read more of her work and can't believe it's taken me this long to start. Women Writers, despite the great book we've gotten to read so far, has left me a little disappointed. I guess I hadn't realized how spoiled I was by Beloit English classes.

Genetics
Fun, I think? This is one of those classes I have at the same time as a lot of others, so I usually only make it to the weekly lab which is a shame because I'm genuinely interested in the subject. Still, even though I don't go to this class too often, I still have a better grasp of what's going on, than in my other biology class!

Infection and Immunity
I wasn't too excited to take this class (it's easily my least favorite), but Genetics is only half a credit, so I needed another half biology credit to make up the difference. I go to most of the lectures in this class as well as the labs, but am usually lost 95% of the time. I don't think I'm the big lecture hall, big lab type. :/

Gender Performatives
This class is possibly the most difficult one I have. It's a 300 level gender studies course, which wouldn't be too awful if, you know, I'd ever taken any gender studies courses before. Nope, a 300 level class is my introduction to the subject. Oh well. It's certainly been keeping me on my toes and the class size as well as our discussions remind me a little bit of Beloit, which is nice.

Public Health and the ReProduction of the Nation 1800 to the Present
I actually haven't been to this class yet, so I'm not sure if it's good or not. I was in another history class up until this morning, but suddenly I was placed in this class (according to my online schedule) so... it looks like I have this class now instead! (I'll never figure out Lancaster.) It's all right, because I signed up for this class on registration day, then changed it later that afternoon to a different history class and now it looks like I'm right back to taking it. I could protest this sudden, unasked-for class change, but I'm trying to make renewed efforts to go with the flow so... Public Health and the ReProduction of the Nation it is!

Besides school, I've also been working on my thief skills. Exhibit A:



Lancaster doesn't provide us with toilet paper! And if they didn't *want* me to steal my own from the public bathrooms on campus, they'd make more of an effort to lock down their TP instead of just stacking it in little pyramids next to the bathroom sinks.

Study Abroad Whiplash

Well, it's official. I'm in a study abroad slump.

You were right mom: studying abroad twice in a row is haaaaaaard. (Imagine lots of groaning and burying head under pillows when I say that last sentence.)
It's not homesickness (though I do miss both my Japan home and home home), it's more like exhaustion mixed with apathy combined with a dash of expectation let downs.
I think the problem is that when I went to Japan I went in with zero expectations. I knew things were going to be different there, but my attitude was a very open one and I was mentally prepared to meet whatever challenges I faced there.
Coming to England right off of Japan, I now have a certain idea of what study abroad is or should be and when those expectations aren't met here, I get annoyed and pessimistic. I keep forgetting that my experiences in England are going to be totally different than my experiences in Japan.
And it truly has been different. With Japan it was love at first sight. With England... well, I think we need to go on a couple more dates before we make anything official.

Hopefully I'm going to start traveling soon and I'll be able to see England for the awesome place that I'm sure it is and begin having an amazing time during this second half of my study abroad year. In Japan I went through a slump as well (though it was mid-study abroad not two weeks in!) and I came out of it after thinking about all the great things I was getting out of studying abroad in Japan. I think I just have to do the same with England and hopefully my spirits will start to perk up again.

But there is one thing I already love about being in England:


I have been reunited with my Fanta love! In America (and in Japan) the Fanta just doesn't look or taste like the Fanta here. The reason, I theorize, is because they put cane sugar and fruit juice into the Fanta here and we don't back in the states. So I've been drinking Fanta like it's water, which is bad but I can't help it! It tastes so good! I'm definitely going to try to smuggle some back over the border when I go home.

A New Year, A New Country

So I finally, finally made it to England. Ironic that before I left for England, I told myself how much easier it would be flying to England as opposed to Japan. How very wrong I was. My journey here was three times longer than it needed to be. (I could have flown to Japan, eaten lunch, and flown back in the time it took me to get here!) There were "heavy snows" (aka 2 inches) around Manchester, the airport I was flying into, so I had many flight delays and two of my flights were canceled.
Swiss airlines was nice enough to put us up in a swanky hotel, however, and I met some interesting people whose flights were canceled as well.



The second time my flight was canceled, I'll admit, I was tempted to just ask for a flight back to Chicago or Milwaukee, but I'm glad I stuck it out. (Though I think one more flight cancellation might have pushed me to the edge of insanity. There's only so many airports and four hour lines to rebook flights one can take.)

Even though I asked for the least expensive dorm, Lancaster University stuck me in some of the most expensive dorms on campus. Though it's another drain on the bank account, I do get my own bathroom, I live down the hall from a very, very good Beloit friend and it's hard to beat the view.



I've been in England for almost a whole week now and I've finally started to figure out how to get from one end of Lancaster University to the other (still can't find most of my classes though). I'm definitely not used to the large university thing. Last week I overheard one international student talk about how small the place is - I guess it all depends on perspective!

The surrounding town of Lancaster is really nice as well. There are some great shops downtown and right near the bus station there's this awesome co-op grocery store where things are normally a pound each. (Though I'm not sure if Michelle, my Beloit friend and flat mate, and I can show our faces there again. We brought an empty suitcase to the co-op last time we went so that we could stuff our purchases inside and roll it back to the university more easily. We got quite a few stares, suffice it to say.)

Also: at said co-op I found my high school's namesake...



Yep, William Horlick invented malted milk *and* had a high school named after him. Way to go, Will. (I'm not sure why malted milk is supposed to be good for sleeping purposes though... I didn't feel very sleepy after I drank it.)