The End

I've been home for over a week now. 9 days, to be exact. Its been kind of weird, though the weirdest has to be when I stepped onto the campus of KU last Tuesday. Being home has made me realize just how different Europe is from home. I've had tons of time to reflect on what I've learned and experienced these past six months. To start off with, here are a few things I've learned in general.
1. Doner kebab places are everywhere. No, but really.
2. English students fit the stereotype of American students travelling through Europe.
3. English students party like the world is going to end. Every single day. Thus resulting in number 2.
4. In Europe, you can wear tights with anything, no matter the weather.
5. The scariest thing when walking the streets is being mugged, not being killed.
6. Every country has its own twist on just about everything. Wine, beer, music, architecture, food, dancing, rules...you name it.
7. Just about everything people tell you to expect from Europe is pretty dead wrong.
8. If you aren't in a touristy area of the UK, American accents cause a wide range of interesting responses, including, but not limited to, weird looks, extreme excitement, and general confusion.
9. People walk everywhere. And if they aren't walking, they're taking public transport.
10. Getting around without a car is a breeze. Between planes, trains, buses, and even ferries, there's always a way to get where you need without forking over a ridiculous amount of money.
11. In every city there are pigeons.
12. In every city there are those crazy people selling things no one wants.
13. Tax is included in everything. (And boy do I miss it.)
14. Due to a different view on alcohol, people my age go out to a pub, have a drink or two, and just relax and talk with friends. Its a beautiful concept I wish more college students in the states participated in.
15. You work to live. You don't live to work. Even in school.
16. Because its so inexpensive and easy to travel to other places and see other cultures, Europeans seem to have a wider perspective on the world.
17. Just because you know same language doesn't mean you speak the same language.
18. Its possible to turn a building into something completely different. Churches can become clubs.
19. Europeans think we all have guns. And that all us college kids get completely drunk all the time. Oh, and we all eat PB&J and Lucky Charms.
20. Things come in smaller sizes. Buildings, food portions, grocery stores, the number toilet paper rolls packaged together.
Being home has also made me realize just how different things are between the states and the Europe. People do things different and have different ways of thinking about things. As I've been adjusting back to life in the states, I've began to realize that I kind of like the way Europeans do a lot of things more. I love being able to walk everywhere. In Leeds I walked to campus, the gym, stores, and restaurants. The city was set up so walking was easy. And even though Leeds isn't huge, if you didn't feel like walking, the bus can get you just about anywhere for cheap. At least where I live, walking to and from the grocery store would be ridiculous. Its quite a distance and there isn't a good, safe way to walk back home. I also loved that I felt completely safe  walking through a city with my bag of groceries. I was never afraid someone was going to come up with a gun and threaten to shoot me if I don't give them all my stuff. On my walks through cities like Bologna, Athens and Nice, people sat outside at lovely sidewalk cafes. Others were resting in their house with the windows or balcony doors ajar to allow the fresh air to glide into their house. It was lovely. I also loved the idea of little, family-owned shops that you walk into for a sandwich or snack freshly prepared right in front of you.
But not everything is better. For example, everywhere I went in mainland Europe charged you for water at a restaurant. There was no tap water, only bottled. I also desperately craved a real burger (real meaning they don't cook it all the way through and Mexican food (the lack of this ethnicity was completely mind boggling. I also really missed skyscrapers. Most European cities, since they are so old, lack large and extensive amounts of skyscrapers. In Paris, there is even a height limit on buildings. Growing up in the states, a city, to me, include a great number of towering structures.
I've come to the realization that I absolutely want to live in a city. Travelling to so many different cities has allowed me to set some standards to where I want to live. Here are my rules:
1. It must have a metro. I quite like metros. They're easy, cheap ways to get around a city, not to mention eco-friendly.
2. I'd prefer a city with a river. They are beautiful and add character and an extra something to cities.
3. I want to be able to be somewhere that is scooter-friendly.
4. I want to live somewhere with character. It has to have its own something that makes it unique and not just another city.
5. I have to love the architecture. A few places I visited had bland architecture, or lacked uniqueness in its buildings. Being someone who, at this point, has been brainwashed to analyze just about every building I see, I'm not sure I could handle living somewhere that architecturally doesn't impress me.
6. The food has to be good. (Pastry shops are a plus, too.)
I feel like I could talk about this experience forever. Its been one that has completely changed my life and opened up my eyes to so many new and different things. Its altered my opinion on so many issues, changed the direction I plan to move forward in during my life, and allowed me to better understand so many things in my global world. I now have this passion and desire to go out and learn all that I can about so many difference types of people. I want to know all about how people live, how they think, how they dream. And now that I've travelled like this once, I know I won't, and can't, stop. I will continue to explore and discover.
And now I feel like I'm rambling because I know the minute I hit the publish post button its over. But the next adventure will begin. And I look forward to making it completely amazing. And sharing it with all of you.
A whole new me,
Jessica

Its all about the stones

Thursday was St. Patty's day, and we, here in England, did justice to the day. We traveled out to Pudsey, at 20 minute bus ride, to go to the Leeds Beer, Cider and Perry festival. There I got to try different types of cider, perry (like cider, but made of pears), and even beer. I actually learned quite a bit about cider and perry, as the volunteer running it knew quite a bit. I also discovered that I like beers with fruit on them. I got a blackcurrant and mixed berry beer from Belgium, and tried sips of my friend's coconut, mango, strawberry and raspberry beers, and they were good. So I guess I found a beer I actually do like. I still like cider the best, though. Friday was exciting because I was finally able to watch a KU game. The NCAA website is streaming every game of the tournament. I watched the first half of the game before I went to bed and remembered how much I miss KU basketball.
Saturday morning I woke up, bright and early, at 5:50 am (with no need for anyone else to wake me up at all!!) to get to the bus by 7 to head off to Bath. We finally arrived around 1, got some lunch, and walked around. We first went to the Bath Abbey, which has one of the most intricate and beautiful ceilings I have ever seen. I think half of my pictures from Abbey are of the ceiling. After that, we went to see how much of the Roman baths we could see without actually paying 12 pounds for it. We got to see the main bath, which is outdoor, and even try some of the water, which was just warm and tasted kind of dirty. After that, it was time for our free tour. We walked along the paths where Jane Austen strolled, and even set some scenes in a few of her novels, saw the Royal Crescent, a half circle of linked homes that go for millions of pounds, and learned all about why every building in Bath looks the same (a father/son team designed most of the city and made all the buildings out of Bath stone).

We walked around and looked at some shops for a bit, despite the fact that literally every store was way out of our price range. It was then time to go dinner. We went out to a Turkish restaurant, where my friend Marcy and I split a four course meal. We had some amazing appetizers of things like Salmon Patte, Hummus, Couscous, Cucumber Dip, and so much more deliciousness. Our appetizer consisted of four samples of different kebabs, including lamb, chicken, and an unknown mixture, lamb strips, rice, and some sort of slaw. For desert we got Chocolate Mousse, and our last course we had some fresh fruit. It was rather scrumptious. After dinner we took a hike up to the top of this hill where we could see the whole city. It was pretty beautiful.

After the hike up the hill, we hung out a pub for a little while, where I tried some local cider, and then headed back to the hostel (which was in a YMCA). Sunday we woke up, stocked up on some breakfast, and headed out to visit Stonehenge. At Stonehenge, we had an audio guide, which basically told they have no idea how they got the stones there, why they put them up or rebuilt it so many times, or really just about anything. It was still rather interesting, though, and I feel like its just something you have to see when you go to England.

After Stonehenge, we stopped at Avebury, where Britain's oldest Stone Circle is located. The circle is so large that a town is in the middle. There, you are allowed to touch the stones, so we hugged and even climbed the ancient history after lunch, when I had an amazing piece of Chedder, Apple and Leek tart.

We then made a stop in Broadway, an adorable little town. All of the buildings were made of the same stone, but each had their own adorable character. I loved it! We also stopped at a farm shop, where I got a jar of blackcurrant jam to take home, a scone for breakfast Monday morning, a piece of veggie quiche for dinner, and some chocolate and yogurt covered honeycomb for desert. It was scrumptious!

Today I went to basketball for the first time in a few weeks since it was canceled last week and the Monday before I was in Ireland. It felt good to play again. Our tournament is next Wednesday, so I'm pretty excited! That's all for now!

The Ancient Stone Climber,
Jessica

Goodbyes

These past few days I've had to say a lot of goodbyes. For some reason, most of my friends' school start a week before KU. Again, showing KU's superiority to other universities. So that said, the goodbyes have begun for my friends here in the STL. I have about another week or so here, and then its off to Europe. I know I've said this about 1000 times, but it STILL has not hit me. I was talking to another friend who is studying abroad in Spain (hopefully I will be visiting while I'm there). She leaves in a few days and said it still hasn't hit her either, so that makes me feel a little better about this whole I'm-not-really-going-to-England thing. However, lying in a rather large pile about 3 feet away from me right now is a pile of luggage and other things I'll be taking with me. Its been decided we're shipping one box of stuff, but everything else will be traveling with me via manual labor. The pile is actually pretty small considering how my time seems to be dwindling. I feel so unprepared, like I should have been reading more about where I'm going and memorizing things that all the British kids have known since they were like 4. Instead I'm going over there knowing nada. Well, not nada, but close enough. I just looked up the current prime minister because I didn't know (David Cameron in case you were wondering). In terms of being prepared, though, I have done a few things. Today we bought a ton of TSA regulation liquid containers, extra laundry detergent, a swiss army knife, and some TSA regulation luggage locks (all exciting items, I know). When it comes to physical things, I'm set. I have all the luggage I need, all the clothes, all the toiletry stuff, bedding, books, and what not. Its the non-physical things I've got a few concerns about.
 And below are some pictures from my adventures this winter break, mostly because I think blogs look much more fun with pictures:

One month and counting...

In one month I leave. Weirdly enough, it hasn't really hit me. But the semester at KU is over, and some how I made it through the chemistry and the studio to get to this point where I am back home, sitting on my bed, unpacking the thousands of items I apparently brought to college with me. Its actually kind of mind boggling how much stuff I brought with me. Looking at how much stuff I had, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get everything to Leeds with the limited amount of luggage space I have. I'll have to make it work thought, that's for sure.

I have more news, though. A few days ago I got my accommodation from the university. I didn't get the residence hall I wanted, but the one I did get looks pretty nice. Next year I will be living in the Tannery. Yea...go ahead and get the making fun of out of the way because the name. It has self-catering, so I'll be making my own food and sharing a kitchen with about 7 other people. I'm pretty sure I have my own bathroom too, so that should be pretty nice. Here are some pictures they have on their website:

Looks pretty nice, right? I'm pretty stoked. And don't worry, once I get there I'll be sure to add my own pictures, and maybe even a video tour of it...haha. Its about a 20 minute walk from the western side of campus, which isn't too bad, but the engineering buildings are on the east side, so I think buses may become my new best friend. It also is used by more than one university, since there are a few in Leeds, so that should be interesting. I may have the chance to meet students from other universities, which could be cool.

Its weird though, because as the days go by, I get more excited, more nervous, and even a little sad that I won't be going back to KU. The mix of emotions from knowing of the potential adventures, the goodbyes I have and still have to say, the adjustment to living in a different country, and the opportunities to discover so many new things is overwhelming.

But enough of the boring stuff. I have to continue packing (and in some cases repacking) all of my stuff from school. And from the looks of it, this is going to take days.

The New Tannery Resident,
Jessica

Classes...because apparently I have to learn too

So apparently I have to learn while at Leeds. Who would have guessed. I just finished my University of Leeds online application, and therefore finished picking out what in the world I'm going to learn. Unfortunately, they aren't as exciting as they should sound considering I'm in England. But here they are, for all you nosy ones out there:
Fluid Mechanics:
   Yes, this is a 500 level course at KU. Yes, I am probably crazy for taking it. No, I probably won't survive.
Statics:
   To be honest, I have no idea what this class is about. None...zero...zip....
Physics II:
   Funny story...this is probably the easy physics course. Aka....Less work for me. Aka everyone still at KU will be using things like calculus and I'll be, well, not.
Sustainable Engineering Solutions:
   The engineering class I am most excited about. Probably because it sounds the most interesting. I'm going to get to learn about how to save the world and build pretty buildings at the same time. What could be better?
Contemporary Development Issues:
   The class I am most excited about. Probably because for the first time in my college career, I'm not taking a class that is required for my major. This class is going to talk about the Millennium Development Goals (in case you're unaware: UN Millennium Development Goals), dive into things like poverty, famine, gender, fair trade. Basically everything I care about. I'm so excited. I really don't think you understand.
Well there it is. My wonderful classes. Now to fill out the entire packet of information I have left. Any volunteers to do it for me?
The One Who Will Actually Learn In the UK,
Jessica