Enthusiasm and anxiety. I’m not sure which I felt more of when I stepped off the Easy Jet plane for my first taste of German Air. I was thrilled to be in a new country for the first time, well sort of. Visiting when you’re two years old doesn’t count in my books! After all, this was me embarking on a brand new experience with four of my closest friends – all of whom had never been to Germany before either. The anxiety had set in as soon as I looked around the airport and only saw signs written in Deutsch, which, for a person whose extent of knowledge of the language is “hello” and “bless you”, can certainly be daunting.

I refused to let that stop me from being adventurous and making the most of my two day trip to Germany. My first task was finding an ATM, because without any Euros, I might as well have just camped out at the airport for 48 hours. Fortunately we found one rather effortlessly and then set off in search of a bathroom which luckily for us the German word for “Toilette” is similar enough to the English term in order for us foreigners to figure out. After taking care of business – and raving over how clean the bathrooms were – we headed off to find a taxi. We didn’t take long to find one that could seat all five of us, but unfortunately the driver’s knowledge of English was just as basic as my knowledge of German, which admittedly, is terrible. We wondered if our entire trip would be similar to this.

Somehow we still managed to reach our bed and breakfast in the southern part of Munich, however. From then on my initial feelings of emotion after getting off the plane were unchanged. The following morning I found myself extremely excited to go tour the city and get a taste of the country’s culture- as well as their famous schnitzel’s. At the same time, the anxiety of not knowing any of the language or where a single thing in the city was remained in the fore front of my mind. My first trip to London felt like a piece of cake compared to this. Fortunately for us, we had several maps of the city and bus and train routes to help guide all of us, even if they too were all in German.

If wasn’t for the friendliness of the people it could have turned out to be a difficult weekend for all five of us. Instead, almost everyone was willing to try and give us directions and offer us advice on where to go and what to see. I can’t count how many people, even with their broken English, made an effort to help us. It was their friendliness, along with the fascinating sights in Munich that made it a weekend to remember. We were even fortunate enough to be able to attend the 200^th anniversary of Oktoberfest, which is another story for another day!

Prost! (Cheers)

Today is the two week anniversary of my arrival in Cambridge, and I can’t believe how quickly time has flown! I find myself getting busier and busier all the time, which has been a great help since this is the kind of lifestyle that I’m used to while being at Valpo. With the start of classes, field trips, common meals, and weekly Tuesday excursions, there is never a lack of things to do.

Classes in Cambridge are definitely different than what I am used to, but in a good way. Our program director, Mark Farmer, teaches our Mythology and English Life and Culture classes, while we have three very different and unique British professors for Theology, Art, and History. Mythology is surprisingly interesting, and I find myself picking up the stories and characters very easily. Our English Life and Culture class consists of our group discussing how we adapt to living in a new country, and we also pick a new place around town to experience every week. We weren’t able to go anywhere this week due to the weather, but next Tuesday we are going punting along the River Cam. For those of you who don’t know what it is, punting is what you typically see in the movies in places like Italy, with a punter rowing the boat along a river, while you get the great opportunity to check out the view. We have also had the chance to check out a lot of great art museums through our Art class, and our professor is a riot. Our Theology professor is actually a Reverend in the church next to our house, and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Mike Murphy, our History teacher, is an absolute riot. He has opened my mind to a lot of opinions that the Brits share about the United States and vice versa.  I’m sure by the end of the semester I will have a wide range of cultural opinions.

We also had our first student cooked common meal last night, and I must say, it was delicious! Every Wednesday, one or two of the students in the group pick out what to cook for a huge meal, while the rest of us help to clean up and prepare as well. We had a Mexican theme, and it was delicious! Everyone had a great time, and our group grows closer all the time. Speaking of food, we came across a very interesting find last weekend. The closest comparison I can make is the equivalent of “the Jimmy John’s / El Amigo” of Cambridge, but here, it’s in the form of a giant trailer in the middle of the city center.. appropriately called “The Trailer of Life.” it has definitely become a staple of our weekends. Off to the Lake District for the weekend — lots of hiking and sore muscles to follow!

Cheers!

Julie

heaven in the form of a trailer

It may have been raining cats and dogs, and I may have only been in Cambridge for a couple of hours, but one thing was for certain, I was already in love with my new home. My semester abroad in England was already off to a smashing start, as my new friends here would say.

My fears of living in an entirely new country were overshadowed by the excitement and thrill of being in such a beautiful place. As I rode on the bus from Heathrow Airport to Cambridge, I was in awe of the vast countryside on each side of the highway. After arriving in Cambridge and hauling all my luggage into a taxi, I couldn’t help but stare in amazement at all the beautiful buildings and cathedrals as we drove towards the Valparaiso University Study Abroad Center – my home for the next four and a half months. I had been told Cambridge was a gorgeous city, but I couldn’t have even imagined it being this nice.

I’ve now been in Cambridge for a week and a half. Since then, I’ve managed to get a good feel for the city and learn my way around a good percentage of the area. With the Sir Isaac Newton’s pub just down the street from our house, I’m only a two minute walk away from being able to go buy a meal or a drink while conversing with the locals, or even being able to watch a football (or soccer as it’s known on our side of the pond) match in an enjoyable setting. Cambridge is host to countless other historic pubs, as well. And with the biggest grocery store in the area – Tesco’s – only being a ten minute bus ride away, it’s easy to find food and other necessities for reasonable prices. Also, our class schedule provides us with plenty of time to explore the city and travel around Europe on weekends. Classes start at around 9:15 every day and run until noon on Tuesday through Thursday, and 3:00 on Monday’s. I couldn’t pick a better schedule if I tried.

I wouldn’t have guessed that I would already feel so at home here just a week and a half into my stay, but so far I love it. I’ve already been around the city center of Cambridge countless times and even been to London for a weekend, all this is in just nine days. I can’t wait to see what I can do in four months!

Cheers!

Leaving is never an easy concept. No matter where you’re coming from or headed to, the thought of leaving what you’re familiar with behind is always a little scary. For the ten months leading up to my trip, the fact that I would actually be in England for four months seemed surreal. But last Wednesday, when boarding for my plane was called, everything hit me. In eight hours, I would be landing in London, and as of right now, there was absolutely no turning back.

Thankfully, the crazy emotions that I was feeling about leaving the United States have subsided. I love it here. The moment our bus from the airport arrived in Cambridge, I knew it would become a place I would grow to adore. Everything and everywhere, from the gorgeous old cathedrals and brick buildings, to the cobblestone streets is something that fascinates me. Our house is situated in easy walking distance from anything that you could possibly need, and we have been lucky enough to have great weather in the mid-60’s for the past week and a half.

We took our first group trip to London last weekend, and although we were still jet-lagged and exhausted, we still managed to have a great time. I wasn’t too impressed by London at first, but once a group of us went on a double-decker bus tour, I finally noticed the beauty and charm that London has that sets it apart from cities like Chicago and New York. We were able to go see The 39 Steps, a play that has been voted London’s Best Comedy for several years in a row, watch a soccer (or football, as it is called here) match in a sports pub, and attend the infamous Notting Hill Carnival, which is England’s largest carnival, held in celebration of London’s multi-cultural diversity. We also had quite the adventure with the London “tube” (underground subway) system, and ended up taking a two-hour trip to get where we needed to go, although it was only a 30 minute walk.

The weekend has already begun for me, since we fortunately have no classes on Fridays. Tonight we have plans to go to a karaoke bar, and tomorrow we are going to our first ever English football game, which should end up being an event to remember.

Cheers!

Julie