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Tuesday, June 9th

Honestly, it’s been ages and I’m a bit ashamed of that. So so much has happened in the span of time I’ve been ghost on my blog, both good and bad, part of me doesn’t even know where to start. As I type this, I’m perched in a quaint coffee shop in Manchester -- a city about an hour and a half from where I’m “supposed” to be on an impromptu and very necessary trip to pick up something from my friend, Zoe. That something being my very important wallet which I carelessly left at her place on the 7th of this month. Oops, I know.

Anyways, let me rewind here for a moment and just try and catch you up on the past few months “across the pond" as my mother enjoys saying. Last I posted I had just finished up a few days in London with Robby. His stay was so lovely and a nice sprinkle of familiarity among the comfortable foreignness of Sheffield and England as a whole. It was my first time in London (I’ve since gone two other times “technically”) and seeing all the tourist sights and getting to see a musical (Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown -- 10/10 recommend ) were all just so lovely.

Fast forward a bit through my first round of exams end of April. Those weren’t too terrible. Just a bit of essay writing and one official “test”. For me, that was the most difficult and luckily for me, my end of term exams were all going to be essays come May. A blessing as a writing/English major, no? Anyways, “mid-terms” went well -- as we would call them in America though they were actually nearer to the end of term than middle way through, go figure? And then it was my birthday! May is beautiful that way.

My darling friend Emma housed me at her place for a long weekend. Thursday to Monday, it was a weekend about Sammy. I had cinnamon rolls, a full on birthday dinner complete with a cake and singing and a mini party and sparklers. I got way too many gifts for being housed by a family I didn’t even know but it was so exceptionally wonderful to be there and taken care of as though I were back home. It was another nice taste of “home” even if it was completely different and I was the American among the brits with the “charming” accent. Yes, some Brits actually adore the American accent nearly as much as we adore theirs. It’s been a beautiful experience having people react to how I speak.

May passed too fast after that and it was final exam “season”. As I previously mentioned, I just had a handful of essays but they took everything out of me. I ended up a bit ill on one of the days before one was due but, thankfully, had been thinking ahead and got it done a bit beforehand so I didn’t have to write while feverish. Turning it in at the office the next day was a bit of a drag but I was a trooper and got all 4 of them done and turned in! That’s a total of about 8000-10000 words in a two week span. Quite taxing! Hopefully the marks on those will be half decent though the way St. Olaf works, my abroad classes are pass fail as far as credit is concerned and I’m sure I passed since you need lower than a 40 to do so (as opposed to a 65 in the states).

And now we’ve hit June. June’s been a bit traumatic this first week. Not only has my stay for the last two weeks in England been a jumble of transportation and switching housing options but there was that little trauma with the wallet. After my One Direction concert on the sixth (which was absolutely perfect and amazing and I love my four piece boyband, no shame) with Zoe, I had left my wallet at hers. Cue 24 hours of panic and stress thinking it might be lost and/or stolen but praying that it was actually with her instead. Luck was on my side and that’s how I’m here in Manchester. 

Zoe was a saint and the wallet handoff has been made. I am now completely back in possession of all my important things -- plenty of money included. Life is amazing and as my time in England wraps up, I can only reflect on what a marvelous time I’m having. Slight hiccups aside, it’s been a beautiful experience and really showed me what it was like to be nearly completely on my own. And it turns out I can handle adult things like grocery shopping, time management, laundry, booking living arrangements, dealing with trauma, budgeting and so much more. At 21 years old, I do feel like an adult and even thought technically I’ve been one for a few years in the eyes of the law, it’s the first time it’s really sunk in. 

Of course that doesn’t mean I don’t still need my mum (it feels wrong to type mom, I’m sorry!) to ease me through my tears at the prospect of a lost debit card or the comforting voices of my family over the haphazard internet connection of our Skype. Texts from my brothers and a few emails from school friends back home make me a little homesick but given that it’s taken me until June to truly feel this way, I’d say that England was a success. I feel more motivated than ever to get writing, and, furthermore, experience more of the world. There’s so many places I’d love to visit so the plan to become fabulously wealthy after writing the next best selling novel is very much in place. This may be my last blog post and I’m sorry it’s all over the place and trying to cover so much. I’m just overwhelmed in the best possible way. I’ve made great friends over here (some of which offered to loan me money for the duration I was without my wallet, bless them) and met up with some friends I’ve had for years now.

I know one thing’s for certain and that is that this trip will NOT be my last time in England. I would put money on it!

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A few of my pictures from London with Robby -- blog post to come!

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Friday, March 13th

Where for most people, Friday the 13th is an unlucky day when it finally crops up (though I feel like we’ve had a lot of them lately), for me, it’s always been a good day. 13 is my favourite number and has been since I was little -- I think it was just younger!Sammy wanting to face superstition head on, to take control of the uncontrollable misfortune that plagued most people surrounding the number. This week of Friday the 13th has proven to be the very best week in England so far and I honestly couldn’t be happier.

Making friends in my modules is finally happening easily. Having each class only once a week, while easy on the workload, is not conducive to meeting people very regularly. It took a few weeks but I finally have a good handful of my fellow classmates I can chat with. I’m also seen as the “resident American” in my modern literature seminar as we talk about the American justice system and its flaws. I have apologized for our country more than once, no worries.

The highlight of the week, however, has been my creative writing course. My bilingual, published author of a teacher for the class gives critique on several pieces a week and this week was my turn to be judged. Not only did the entire class like the piece (absolutely “brilliant” according to my friend Rebecca) but my teacher said that the first paragraph was one of the most perfect things she had ever read. A published author thought part of my piece was perfect!! You can imagine how happy that made me.

Having come over to England not only to get in touch with the country of my dreams but to get an expanded worldview to enhance my writing, knowing that being here has improved me somehow is so validating. I have time to write every week and have found little coffee shops, parks, and town squares in which to do so. Everything is so much simpler here, all the amenities an aspiring writer could need within walking distance. I’m just so very very happy being here. It’s sunny or at least warm and grey on the days its not and has been spring like since I got here. Walking around, laptop in tow, has been a breeze and everything is just going so well.

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Thursday, February 26th

I'm sorry it's been forever and a day since I've posted on here and I wish I could say that I had been whisked away by Prince Harry but alas, it's been more just me officially settling in and getting into a classroom routine. Over the past two-ish weeks I've bonded with my flatmates, made a few friends taking the same modules as me and then even navigated my way around the party scene -- wonderfully tame and put together by american standards. 

It's been wonderful not having to bundle up in ten layers just to step outside and my walk to and from campus is getting increasingly lovelier with birds chirping and a constant smell of spring. Given that it's a 30 minute walk both ways, one would have thought that I'd have gotten tired of it already, adverse to exercise though I am and yet, surprisingly, it's having me considering a scenic stroll every day once I'm back home (though maybe not in the dead of winter, just a thought).

There are a few items I'm definitely missing from home. My mom's cooking is sorely missed along with her cup of coffee a day routine of waking me up. I've tried my hand at a few dishes over here -- homemade nachos, poached eggs, omelets and simple pasta dishes -- but nothing will ever compare. Also I've decided that no matter how fluffy a duvet is, it doesn't beat a good old fashioned fuzzy blanket. A few sacrifices to be able to make this trip though! I've been invited to a comedy show tonight courtesy of my friend and flatmate Will so I think I have to wrap this up and head out but just a nice little update for the week!

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Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Church of St. Marie

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Friday, February 13th

At the conclusion of this first week officially attending Sheffield, I can definitely say that I'm excited for my classes! Registration last Friday went surprisingly well, landing me with my top three choices: Writing Fiction and both Modern and Contemporary Literature. It's so wonderful being able to finally focus on my English major and get some writing done for school credit as well. The work load is incredibly manageable and even fun, considering I've already read some of the novels recommended for class.

With a half hour walk to campus each day, I'm getting familiar with some of the sites of the city, something that will obviously only benefit me as I continue to live here. Emma had introduced me to the wonders of Costa coffee shop where I spent my afternoon today, people watching for a creative writing assignment. Not only was the atmosphere very cozy and semi-familiar but the coffee was beautiful!

As I'm now moved into my flat, I'm getting to know the other individuals on my floor and can already tell they're very friendly England natives! We collectively share only a kitchen and otherwise have our own separate rooms, en suite bathroom included. That is definitely something I will miss returning home to St. Olaf. Overall, adapting to life in Sheffield is going wonderfully and I can't wait to get further into my classes and meet more of my fellow classmates! 

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Thursday, February 5th

Finally feeling settled in enough to get this blog up and running. It's been a whirlwind these past six days, familiarizing myself with the city, exploring the campus I'm going to be calling home and organizing my thoughts so that starting out this semester will be quick and painless, with all that I need for a successful second half of the school year. Along with my friend Emma, we've managed to cram a whole lot into these short-feeling days and slowly, but surely, Sheffield is morphing from somewhere completely foreign into a place in which I can see myself living for the next five months.

Today was the first day of Sheffield Orientation, preparing its students for registration which will be tomorrow morning. We navigated ourselves around a few key uni buildings and managed to gather all the essential orientation materials given to students new to Sheffield for the second semester. One stop at the coffee shop, Costa, later and we gave the Sheffield City Centre a look around and made a few essential purchases, needed for life in a dorm apartment building. We're in the process of assembling a list of future essentials and will be doing a final shopping trip down at the local mall, Meadowhall, at the end of this week (and just before I have to say goodbye to Emma!). 

Tomorrow is probably the most important day before the actual start of school with modules (classes) being selected, a UCard being distributed (the equivalent of a St. Olaf ID) and a possible visit to my future residence at Yarncliffe apartments. Fingers crossed all goes well. There's also a chance I might get to meet Nick Grimshaw (a famous UK radio host/DJ whose show I have frequently listened to) tomorrow night at Sheffields "Big Night Out" which would be extremely exciting. More info and pics to follow but all in all today was extremely productive and tomorrow will be as well!