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!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
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!
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!
Friday, September 11, 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
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!
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!
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