September 2012

A British accent. 

The Welcome Party for UCSD was everything I have ever dreamed of. Wow. Dancing outside, with the night sky overhead, and people all jumping around having a great time. Yes. Just like a movie. A very nice friend of Laura's provided us with some wine, we sat about, had a 'kick-back' (pre-drink) and enjoyed an amazing night under the stars. The Sun-God was lit up by multi-coloured lights and the music pumped out into the night. It was weird not being able to recognise all of the songs. It might be because I have no access to a radio, or it might be because American's 'get' all the music first. It was hilarious!

I also have experienced my first beach bonfire this week. La Jolla Shores. What a beautiful place. The beach stretched on and on forever, the waves washed swiftly onto the beach (the water was freezing!) and I had my first proper Smore! Melted marshmallow on a really yummy biscuit type cracker and melted Hershey's chocolate. I met all of these lovely people too (Laura's friends tend to have really nice friends) and just had a really lovely night. We messed about on the beach till about midnight when a really lovely girl drove us back to campus. I managed to practice a little bit of Spanish with Stephanie and her cousin Michael who was visiting from Columbia and we all tried our hardest not to set marshmallows on fire....or have our stuff stolen when a creepy lady with a dog and a red light attached to her head headed towards our bonfire whilst we were all situated at the oceans shore.

It's been the stuff of dreams, it really has. Including swimming in a Uni pool in a lane ALL TO MYSELF. I don't want to jinx it however, so 'touch wood'.

Sadly however, I must report, I have yet to see or drink out of a red cup....some may call that a fail.

Ok,
so my Dad left this morning (I will create another post about that soon but I'll just yell a quick 'thanks' to my Dad here - you are brilliant) and I have entered the American world. I've moved 'Across the Pond' as it is said.

So what have I experienced since Dad has gone? A lot. A rather large amount.

I have roommates! Finally! FINALLY! And guess what? They are amazing! First I met Joanna. She is lovely. So sweet and she likes Vampire Diaries! Brilliant! Someone to get hyper with during Ian Smolderholders beautiful acting scenes. She had lots of friends who popped round too.

Later in the evening I met Laura and her parents. She was lovely too! So happy and bubbly. We chatted for ages and I felt I got to really know her in about two hours. It is brilliant. I couldn't have asked for better roommates or 'suite mates' as Laura call us (it sounds a lot classier that way, right?).

As of yet the mysterious Caitlin hasn't shown up, but I am sure she will soon and will be just as lovely.

I can't drink. It is a bit bizarre. I don't mind. I honestly hold the strong feeling that people do not need drink to have fun. However, when other people are drunk and making friends using the
 'Dutch courage' British students know all too well, you start to really miss that slight bit of confidence (especially when previously in the day, your English friends have sent you drunken tweets of your male friend wearing a dress - these English friends are all a few years younger than me but can drink easily back at home, it is so bizarre).

Mikey and I (another friend from good old Warwick) hung around and at first, felt slightly out of place: some people were drunk and others all knew each other from previous days. And there was Mikey and me. We met a few lovely people from Finland and Sweden. They were really nice and we were invited into their room to socialise and get to meet a range of new people. It was lovely to find out all about their lives.

 After a rather awkward mixer party, Mikey and I left in search of my roommates, to see if any had returned from their night activities. We met Laura and her Mum (another really lovely person) on the way back. We went to the apartment and chatted away for a while before something bizarre happened.

The girls across the corridor from me marched into the room.
"Do you want a drink?"

Mikey and I looked at each other before being literally pulled into the next room. We were handed shots and a bottle of 'Mist'. Brief introductions took place before Mikey and I were told to down the shots along with the mixer or 'chaser', as the lovely Australian girl called it, before being frog marched out of the room to join the dancing mixer again. It was very strong stuff...or maybe I am a lightweight. Mikey and I didn't stay long at the mixer. We found Laura and returned to meet our lovely friends from Finland and Sweden in their friend's apartment. I saw my first authentic red cup which was pretty cool . They were drinking out of them. I didn't drink, however, because I a) didn't have an alcohol because in America I am not of age and b) the vodka was still running through my bloodstream,.

It was a fun evening, if not a little nerve wracking. We just kind of chatted and sat down. It was great but I am going to admit, I suddenly realised that British students probably drink so much during Freshers because they are desperate to make friends. That is the main reason. They want to make friends. And sometimes everyone needs a bit of dutch courage (apparently that's how many I-students have bonded during the week whilst I was out with Dad)

Now some of you may been asking what the title to this post is referring to. Well. When I mentioned before that I was sent a picture of my male mate in a dress. That male was Will. When i burst out laughing and showed my new roommate the picture of Will on my phone, she asked me to repeat 'William' because apparently it sounded amazing when I said it. Finally! Someone who likes my accent! Someone who fits the stereotype. I was told that Americans love our accent but I have not yet experienced this flow of love...until today. I was asked to repeat 'William' continually, and everyone thinks it is adorable that I call University 'Uni'. Furthermore, when I was asking for the bin, everyone thought I was asking for 'Ben' and couldn't understand why I needed him for my room to be tidy. It confused quite a lot of people.

These are just a few insights into my day today, I assure you I have a lot more but till then...Toodaloo!
Love x



Also if you are interested, I have a new video which I completed last week:-

So I've got a bank account, got a mobile and moved in.

Done. Sorted.

Well those are the boring things out of the way. Dad marched me through these steps as if we were on a timer or in some sort of competition (which I later discovered we were when during parent orientation my Dad proceeded to inform all the other parents the best ways to do all these different activities - I'm so glad I wasn't there!). However, I must say, without Dad I would probably be very lost right now! And without a car, I would not have been able to move in so easily nor would I have the rang of cool stuff I now own.

So I thought I'd inform you about some of the crazy stuff that makes up my campus. Apart from my apartment being totally empty (it seems like the only one that is in international house), this campus is BUSYYYY.

Ok let me explain some of the wacky things that occur upon this sunny seaside paradise.

 - Every student has a therapist. Yeah. The stereotype that every American teen has a psychologist is pretty much dead on. All I need to do is walk into the CARPS building and ask to see someone. I can literally talk about anything and it's all confidential.

 - There is sushi. SUSHI! On campus and ready for delivery up till 3am. So no more dominoes pizza after a night out, instead you can have lovely healthy sushi as an evening snack - sounds bliss to me.

 - International House provides you with blinds... that close. Yeah. I found it highly embarrassing telling Dad that the blinds didn't close and I would just have to change in the bathroom, when he walked over to the blinds and managed to shut them immediately. Cringe.

 - Discounts. Lots of them. I get discounts everywhere! Even for Disneyland! All the way in LA. There are countless trips to all of these places too and this means lots of fun for me in the next couple of months. Even better than that (especially according to my Dad) we get HUGE discounts in the Apple store. And I mean HUGE. I managed to purchase Avid Pro Tools for $299 instead of $699. That is HUGE! I also get discounts for nearby restaurants, massages, free buses and discounted beauty treats such as nails and hair. Wow! Having a student card has never been so good! England take note!

 - If you want to do any extra curricular activities...you can. I have only had a brief glance at the whole list of things you can do in your spare time here, but the list in endless. From Jitz-zu to jewellery making. The list just goes on and on. I have signed up for Surfing classes and Zumba classes for the term. I really want to sign up for more. Archery? (Becoming Jennifer Lawrence? Yes please!) Fencing (oooooo) Karate (that would be incredible) Diving (Meeting the likes of David Boudia and Tom Daley can never be a bad thing...) or perhaps even break dancing (yes ok, you may be across the Atlantic but I  CAN HEAR YOU LAUGHING!)

 - Dogs. I miss Saxon and Bonnie like crazy but luckily (and with very sarcastic comments from Dad) UCSD have a solution. A dog centre! Every Thursday, dogs come to 'The Zone' on campus for students to pet and play with as they understand playing with pets is one of the best ways to get rid of stress and relax. How brilliant is that!

 - It's huge. The campus is huge. I got so lost trying to find my orientation this morning that Dad had to come find me in his car and take me to the orientation. It was great fun and I met some really cool people. Hopefully I'll get to see more of them during the upcoming week!

Anyway, those are a few things I thought I'd enlighten you with. Apart from a bit burnt, a bit embarrassed and a tad nervous, I am doing fine.

Love to you all
x

I've landed.

I'm here in America. To be precise I am now finally in San Diego. I spent a glorious sunny day in LA, at Knottsberry Farm, and now my Dad has driven us down to San Diego.

There are a few things I'd like to get off my chest.

1. My Dad is MY DAD! FOR GOD'S SAKE! He is not my boyfriend/husband etc. Let me explain where this outburst has come from!
 It all started in England, at the Heathrow Virgin Lounge "Welcome Mr and Mrs Morgan..." WHAT! Er, no. I am no golddigger wife, thank you. Dad laughed it off saying "Miss Morgan," Cue hearty laugh hearty laugh whilst I stood awkwardly beside Dad, a smile fakily positioned on my face. The confusion continued. At passport control in America, a very nice man checking our passports and my Visa proceeded to ask us "So how are you two...um..." RELATED? Yes, he is my FATHER! Since then, no one else has said anything along those lines but I've become extremely paranoid. Every other person I see I think is possibly judging me for walking around with my Dad. Throughout Knottsberry Farm I kept thinking up excuses to use the word 'Dad'. It got to the point where we would pass a group of people and I would say "Dad?" "Yep," "Nothing." Literally, I was desperate to make sure everyone knew I wasn't some kind of golddigger - and I'm not saying all young people who marry people despite an incredible age gap are golddiggers but still. I would love to say I am one of those types of people who simply do not care what others think but that would be a total lie. I do care. Quite a bit.


2. American portion sizes. WOW! They must get quite a shock when they come to England. They must think we starve ourselves. I have been quite lucky and managed to pick American foods that don't come automatically in XXXXL such as Fruit Salad and shrimp, but my Dad hasn't been so lucky (although he might say he's been incredibly lucky). The amount of fries he got with his already huge burger at lunch was about four times the portion of large McDonald's fries, meanwhile, his pudding last night was bigger than our main meals (we had used a voucher the hotel had given us so I'm guessing that's why they weren't Killer Whale size) and the ice cream sccops are as big as two fists placed on top of one another! It is incredible! I know I won't go hungry here very soon!

3. Driving on the right side of the road is just plain weird. I found myself totally panicking when my Dad began to do left hand turns etc as I felt we were going the wrong way and were going to crash into oncoming traffic. Luckily my Dad is a very good driver (except spending 10 minutes when we first hired the car trying to figure out how to turn off the handbrake) and can drive easily through California with no problems. I, meanwhile, continue to freak out in the passenger's seat.

4. How many Spanish related things are there? All of the road names seem to be in Spanish (except two places I saw called Birmingham and Manchester Avenue which made me laugh quite a bit), and it was a struggle to find a radio station that wasn't Spanish. I know this will all come in handy when I start learning Spanish once more but seriously? i didn't realise how in touch America was with it's nearby neighbours!

5. Tea. Why are there teabags in a hotel room but no kettle? Just one of those coffee maker grinder things. America is clearly a country which loves it's coffee but it is no place for us tea drinkers. When I asked for tea at a restaurant they went through a billion different flavours before they came to 'Black'. Yep, you're not in Kansas anymore Lissy, there is no 'English Breakfast' tea. I also have to remind myself to ask for milk as I keep forgetting and end up with something that looks similar to pond water. I am so grateful to my little sister who gave me a box of teabags before I left. In my room in San Diego, there were two teabags provided - Cinnamon and Apple (WHAT!) and Earl Grey (more normal). I have never routed through my suitcase more desperately for anything in my life. I then microwaved some water and proceeded to make myself some PROPER tea. To say I was a bit smug afterwards is a bit of an understatement.

Well that's it for now. Once I realise how to plug my new camera into my computer I will start uploading pictures but for now, Hasta luego!

THE BCJ

I remember the horror stories.

I remember the screams.

I remember the fainting girls and the hysterical teenagers being marched down the corridors by annoyed nurses and concerned teachers.

I also largely remember the joyful feeling of being the first year who did not have to have a BCJ. For once, something changed for our year that was good (usually our year was the one that had to face all the crappy changes like the new, harder syllabuses, the new A* at A-Level (just to make A's somehow not good enough), the new 'no muck up' day rule that everyone promptly ignored, and the list goes on...).

However, after having safely fled from the clutches of this awful fear inspiring injection, I was sadly told that a form stating I didn't need it was not enough for America. No. Despite the fact that both my parents are immune to the disease (my Mum had TB when she was younger and my Dad was naturally immune), I still had to have, at the very least, a test to check if I needed the full vaccination.

Having had the test last Monday (leaving things a little to the last minute, I know) my arm proceeded not to come up in angry red marks or appear damaged in any way. Thank you Dad, once again, for  letting me inherit your genes and thereby making me allergic and sensitive to ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. 

I went back this Wednesday and at first, the doctor believed she felt swelling under my arm. My heart lept. I was so happy I couldn't believe it. She had to call for a second opinion and that's when a male Doctor walked in, glanced at my arm, ran a finger up it, and declared that my test was negative and I needed the vaccination. WHAT! How did that official medical diagnosis come about when you didn't even check my skin!

Next thing I knew I was sitting on the Doctor's table/seat/bed thing and waiting for the needle which had caused many a girl in the years above me cry their eyes out in pain, take days off school and unable to lift their arm or participate in any sports for about two weeks. To say I was petrified is a slight under statement. I am fine with needles. I really am. They are a tad uncomfortable but ah well. I just hate pain. It's such a horrible thing to exist in the world and I despise it. I gritted my teeth, scrunched up my face and....

        "All done." 

"What?"

         "All done. It didn't hurt too much did it? It's a very uncomfortable vaccination."