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Blog 2 from Sweden

Sweden: A Tale of Beginnings

I'm sitting in the Library

Hey ya'll.

I'm sitting here in the library (in case you hadn't guessed) and, rather than do some research, I thought I'd update you on my life... how exciting!! So, here we go...

Last week was workshop week. Basically, instead of classes, we attended--you guessed it--workshops! They covered topics such as Equality & Diversity, Modern Foreign Language, Grammar, and, finally, we had the Plan, Assess, Evaluate workshiop... that one was a hoot! (not.) Also last week, our advisors from America and Sweden visited us to see how we were getting on and help us do the final paperwork (which was actually online) for Sweden.

Keeping in the spirit of getting ready for my little skirmish to Sweden, on Friday I went to London with Erik (who's from Sweden) and Miles (who is from England... met at church). The main goal of the visit was to have my Swedish Residency Permit put in my passport book. To accomplish this, we had to visit the Swedish Embassy... talk about an exciting place!!! It's little. You take a number, wait to be called on, get called on, get taken care of, and leave... I'm sure there are some things out there that could be considered more exciting than the scenario I've just described, but, let's face it... that sounded like a lot of fun... right?

Once that was taken care of, we meandered down Oxford Street (somewhat comparable to NYC's 5th Avenue) and soon found ourselves nestled in a lovely little coffee shop. We decided to enjoy some java and a cake... this was all well and good. (Really, it was prepared well, and tasted good!) However, when we received the bill, we were blown away... it was definitely the most expensive coffe shop visit I've ever had or want to have. It cost £10.87 for a mocha and a piece of cake!!! (the prices weren't listed)

We continued our expedition through London by visiting the National Gallery. The last time we went to London, we went here too, but only for the bathrooms... this time, we used the toilets (they don't actually call them bathrooms/ restrooms here) but then also got in touch with our artistic side by spending, approx, 10 minutes looking at the hundreds of paintings in the gallery. To be honest, it would have probably been less than 10 minutes, but we saw a statue of a very realistic looking horse in the distance and decided to check it out... it turned out to be an incredible painting... so, we were impressed... which is impressive in itself when you consider the artistic maturity of three 20-something males. The fact that we could appreciate the simplicity of a horse in the midst of masterpieces astounds me to this day.

Our day ended with a stroll past the Prime Minister's crib (house), the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye. We hopped aboard the underground to London's Victoria Station and boarded the train back to Bognor Regis. All in all, it was an exciting day.

Then, on Saturday, we traveled to Oxford. Yes, I went to Oxford. Feel free to tell people, "Dave Hummel went to Oxford." Anyway, it's pretty much exactly what you'd expect, so I'll spare you the details... and, yes, we saw the great hall from Harry Potter if that interests you... it didn't interest me. I did meet two groups of people from PA though... they commented on my PSU sweatshirt. Here's a little tidbit for ya'll... Christ Church in Oxford (a huge place... part of the university yet also a church) had photos of some of the people who studied there... among them, John Wesley (for you Methodists) and William Penn (for you Pennsylvanians)... (If you're a Methodist from Pennsylvania, Merry Christmas!)

Saturday night, I settled in to watch the PSU-OSU game via skype from America. Romeo, the dog, decided my bedroom looked like a nice place to deficate... so I had the honor of cleaning that up (my host family was away.) Sunday, I went to church... and did a lot of school work... today, I went to math class, had lunch, and came here... and that's all I can write... because the rest of my day has yet to happen... DH, out.

An Ode to My Travels

I'm feeling kind of bored today,
Do not fret though, that's okay.
I thought I'd try write this post,
in a rhyming scheme, making me the rhyming host.

It's been a while since I've last written,
I thank you for choosing not to, me, smitten.
The weather here has been quite a delight,
Continuing warm days and cool autumnal nights.

I went to Bath a few weeks ago,
'took a tour of the Roman baths (something I could not forgo.)
They were impressive, old, and wet,
Just because the tour ended doesn't mean our day did... not yet.

We proceeded to visit Royal Victoria Park,
There were lots of Swans, and ducks, but I did not see a Lark.
In the park were the Botanical Gardens,
Flowers were in abundance... I can't think of a rhyme, many pardons.

Church has been good and quite a delight,
Same with the small group of people my age (which meets Wednesday night.)

Classes have been typical, not much excitement there,
Though we did begin our science lessons (held mostly outside) so, our coats, we wear.
It reminds me a lot of PSU's Outdoor School,
If you don't know what it is, ask me about it some time, it's cool.

This week I have no classes, for it is Half Term...
I'm gonna try to get a lot of work done, so I'll have to buckle down and be firm.

My group of peers continues to bond,
and Romeo, the dog, still drinks from the pond.

It's great to hear from people at home.
It's nice to be in touch as, England, I roam.

I've determined I don't have much more to say,
So I'll bid you adieu and say "G'day!"


[Disclaimer: If you loved this format, I can't promise that it will ever happen again. If you hated this format, I can't promise that it will never happen again.]

Let's see...

Let's see... it's been a while since I've posted anything. I'd say that's because I a) have been busy and b) can't seem to get into the groove of blogging... it's not my thing, ya know? Nonetheless, I'm plugging ahead for ya'll this morning.

Last weekend, our group went to London for some time in the oh-so-popular English city. It's nice, but pretty much like any other big city. We saw Big Ben, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, the National Conservatory... lots of stuff. The highlight, for me, was seeing the Broadway show, Wicked. (If you're not familiar with it, it's the story of the Wicked Witch of the West.) For the faint of heart, it could elicit a few tears. Don't worry though, I'm not too faint. The show was really good and it was cool to see a Broadway show with a British accent. We were in the second to last row of the mezzanine, but, my seat was in the center of the theater, so it was alright... and it only cost 20 pounds!We spent the night in a hostel... notice I didn't say we SLEPT in a hostel... I didn't anyway. It was quite uncomfortable.

Let's see... the following Monday, a few of us ventured to Portsmouth, which is the predominant home of the British naval fleet. That said, we saw oodles of ships (even a US Navy frigate... I felt at home... kinda.) We were able to tour the Victory, an old naval ship that actually lost its commander in battle. (We're talking a ship similar to those in Pirates of the Caribbean... not a modern one.) We saw a few other museums, went up a tower... I don't really know what the significance of it is, but... we went up it.

Next up, my birthday. My peeps had a "surprise" party for me and Louise, one of the Swedish girls whose birthday is 2 days before mine. We just went out for the night... but it was a good time... and I got a cool hat that I'll probably only wear... on hoe down day? I dunno. In other birthday news... I went to the 18th birthday party

We've been plugging away with classes and school work. There's not too much to say about that. We visited a nursery school... the kids were, well, a bit too much for me. They were pulling on me... wanting to tell me all this stuff... I just couldn't handle it- and that was only 2 hours. (Mom, good for you.)

We've done some small day trips to nearby towns, just to see whats up. It's been good.

The church I've been going to has a small group of people my age, and they invited us to their group on Wednesday night. It was nice... talk, pray, hang out. I can handle that. So, we're finally branching out of our school group and meeting others... it's a beautiful thing.

This should have you caught up on what's been going on with me.

As always, feel free to email, instant message, or skype me any time! (And, as always, I apologize for any and all errors/ typos... I'm told my last post had some...)

That's that- have a lovely day!

Once upon a time, in a far away land, I went to a castle.

If you didn't figure it out by the title, I went to a castle. The Arundel Castle is just your run of the mill, old. English castle. Of course... that is anything but run of the mill to an American such as myself. This thing was MUCH cooler than Fort Hunter (I'm sure some of you don't even know what/ where that is... it's near Harrisburg.) I guess that really isn't a fair comparison. Anyway, we traveled from Bognor Regis to Arundel and back on the train for under 2 pounds (that's really cheap.) Then, we walked a little under a mile into town to the base of the hill where castle stands.

One of the guys in charge gave us a discounted rate to tour the castle, so we were able to see everything except some of the bedrooms. We couldn't take any photos of the interior for preservation and security reasons (the queen actually stays there sometimes!) So, I'll paint a picture with words- just remember, I've never been good at art!! There are large passageways connecting vast rooms for dining, worshiping, socializing, and entertaining. The queen's bedroom and other living areas are also quite stunning. Paintings of royalty from the past are abundant. In one, it looked as though the Duke was holding a cue stick (for billiards.) I thought that was a little odd but, in the next room, was very fancy (very old) pool table! As for the outside... my profile picture (to the right of this blog) is one of the photos I took... feel free to search for more photos of it on Google!

(Sorry for that very brief description... I could go on and on... talk to me in person when I'm home!)

We were able to go up in the keep, see down into the well (which is incredibly deep), and see many other areas of the castle the soldiers and knights frequented. The views from the castle's height were very impressive! English countryside, rolling hills, hedgerows, the small town of Arundel... pretty much exactly what you'd expect when reading about such a place in a fairy tale.

That was the main excitement of my week... yesterday, I went into town, then to the library for a bit. Last night, we gathered at the pub... for another Diet Pepsi... and socialized. Then, went to the beach. It was pretty ominous--the white of the waves against a dark, well, everything. We had fun though.

Today has been pretty relaxed. We met at Melissa's this afternoon to plan some trips, and tonight there's a welcome party for international students at the university... tomorrow, it's off to London for the weekend!

I reckon that's all for now- have a lovely day!

I've been busy.

A lot's happened since I last took the time to write one of these. On Friday, we went to The University of Chichester's main campus (which still doesn't compare to Penn State's University Park campus.) It is very nice--lots of shrubbery and the like with old buildings. The town of Chichester is your typical English town with old architecture, streets made with brick, etc. etc. The weather was absolutely wonderful all day! We stopped at a sandwich shop to pick up lunch and ate in a large park. I had bacon and brie. I wasn’t so sure about it when I ordered it, but it is definitely one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had the privilege of eating. It’s just bacon and a slab of brie cheese on a roll… but it’s good! On the way to Chichester, I had my first double-decker bus ride. It's a lot like a single-decker... just taller. (A big surprise, I'm sure.) On the way back, we traveled by train... it was quite nice... not much to say about it though.

Later in the day, I met my host family, Paul and Vanessa Smith. They're very nice and very laid back... just my style! The Smiths have three children age 21 and older who are all out of the house. Paul and Vanessa have hosted many international students in the past, but I am the first American. They provide a place to live, breakfast, and dinner. They provide lunch on the weekend, but we are on our own during the week since we'll be at school. I am about three houses away from one of the other PSU students, and several others are near by as well.

We've already taken advantage our our close proximity and have gathered to play cards, watch a movie, and just hang out. (The hosts are happy to have our fellow students over.)

Saturday, I met the group in town for the afternoon just to walk around and check things out. We laid on the beach for a while, shopped (not the highlight for me) and just had an overall good time. The worst part of the day was, by far, missing the Penn State game... they managed to win without me there though!

And, finally, I reckon we're at today. Erik, one of the students from Sweden, is staying with a lady who offered to take us to church. Brittany, Meghan and I went with them and were really glad we did! The people are VERY friendly, the worship is great, and the teaching is good. After approximately 30 minutes of worship, they take a break for tea! We'll still be trying out some different churches just to see what it's like in England, but we want to attend this church when possible. It's a part of the Vineyard group of churches and is called Bognor Vineyard Church.

After church, I ate lunch, watched a movie with Romeo (the dog) curled up on my lap, then had some of the girls in the program over to discuss where we'll be traveling. I met most of the hosts' family, and had a very good dinner of Chicken, broccolli, carrots, and potatoes. Now, I've been taking it easy and writing this!

Classes begin tomorrow, so I suppose that will consume most of my time. If not, I'm sure I'll have some reading to get started! I'll let you know how everything's going- have a lovely day!

No longer a debut, this is post number two!

Well, Thursday was just as good as my first few days. We did more intro stuff... about our classes, how they work, how the English education system works, how the grades will work... it wasn't terribly exciting, but it wasn't terrible! For our grades, the way to earn a passing grade is to score better than 40%. Earning anything above an 80% is nearly unheard of. 90%+ is considered publishable; a 58% is considered good and is roughly the average mark given. That will take some getting used to! I'm not sure how I feel about hanging a 60% up on the refrigerator! It will transfer to PSU to more adequately match the grading system we're used to though, so it'll all work out.

Later in the day we went into town just to walk around and continue getting situated. I think I understand the town layout pretty well, but there is a large park across from the campus that I tried to go through as a short cut. I ended up getting lost... it was great! This isn't your typical neighborhood park- there's a boating pond, many pathways, a conservation area, wooded areas, grassy areas, FLOCKS of crows, and even a miniature railroad! It's quite the place.

Last night, a large group of us (the American and Swedish students) went to the Student Union to hang out. It was a good time and we met several British students. Today, we'll head over to the town of Chichester and to the main campus of The University of Chichester. The university provides bus service from one campus to another. They are only 20 minutes apart, allowing students to participate in activities at either campus. So, if I can get involved in one of the musical groups, I'll head over there regularly. (OH! The bus is a double decker!)

Once we get back, I'll finally meet my host family and spend the evening getting situated for the rest of the semester. I'll keep ya posted! Until then, have a lovely day!

My Debut Blog

G'day chaps!

Well, I'm beginning my third day and, so far, it seems like a great place to be! I've had some problems with adapters and bank cards... but we've addressed or are addressing those issues and life goes on. Here's what's happened so far!

My first day, Tuesday, was basically a day full of slumber. I could not sleep on the plane, so I had a lot of catching up to do! Our bus ride to the university was quite entertaining as our bus driver gave his own commentary on what the morning radio talkshow host was saying. (This was 7:30 AM over here... but we were still in 2:30AM EST mode... so it made it all the more enjoyable...) One of the headlines was "A man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison after trying to sell 4 million pounds of heroine." It took us a bit to realize this was pounds as in money... not tons and tons of heroine! In the evening, I went to the Student Union and met some of the British counterparts in my program. (More on the program below.)

Wednesday, we had a few morning sessions to officially register with the university and get our email accounts set up. My email address for the University of Chichester is: DHUMMEL1@chi.ac.uk . Feel free to email me anytime! Later in the day, a local woman who has worked with multiple groups of PSU exchange students at the University of Chichester took us on a walk through town and helped us get situated with lunch (at Subway... since it's an American corporation, they give a 10% discount to American students), mobile phones for local calls, and other general information. We ate lunch on the beach and picked up some information on bus passes which we'll receive on Friday. Last night, several members of the group went to a local pub to relax and get better acquainted with the Swedish members of our group... I had a Diet Pepsi... it was great. We really did have a good time though and it's nice to have a group- prevents you from feeling alone in a strange place.

The program I'm in, in case you are unaware, is called the "Consortium for Intercultural Reflective Teachers." As many of you know, I am an Elementary Education major and was chosen to be one of nine Penn State students to receive a mobility stipend to be a part of this program. We'll be discussing various education systems--especially those in the UK and Sweden--and study ways to integrate intercultural activities into classrooms. It's sponsored by the US Deptartment of Education so, although it's a fantastic opportunity and a lot of fun, we do have an important, structured side to the trip as well. As I mentioned, there are some Swedish students. In the spring, we will spend a semester in Sweden (at their school). Finally, for our senior year, the entire group will come to PSU for the final year of the program (and the final year of our college career.)

I suppose this is a long enough post for the initial one. As I was writing this, I've noticed I'm thinking in a British accent. I don't know if that's normal or not, but it is what it is. I'll keep you posted of the exciting (and not-so-exciting) happenings on this side of the puddle. Until then, have a lovely day!

PS- I apologize now for any and all typos I make in this and all future blogs!