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!