February 24/2010 :: Hump Day!

Day 33
Mood: Crampy
Weather: Rained this morning but was then awesome and sunny, 10C!!
Word of the Day: " *incoherent grumblings* "

So the week is half done. Hump day! And I didn't add something significant to my last blog entry. I know some people might not think it significant but it was for me. When you're in a different country for an extended period of time you seek out things that make you feel like home. I've been here a month and I came across a Tim Hortons. There is one Tim Hortons in London, right around the corner from the Canadian High Commission. Clearly the Canadians there need their coffee.

It made me really happy.

No Ice Caps though. :(

Beyond that I haven't done much this week. I've started my homework assignments for all of my classes, rough work but it's nice to be busy. I've finished one and started another so I'm on a role already~

Feels good~

Other than that I have been tummy sore today but it'll be gone by tomorrow. Lots of hot liquids and Petville to keep me going. Oh yes, that's right...I joined both Petville and Farmville. I'm not addicted, really I don't know how anyone can spend hours on this stuff. You plant your crops and then don't look at them again until tomorrow. Pretty basic stuff.

*shrug*

Ah well~

By the way~ Happy Estonia Day! I do believe it's the 92nd anniversary of their independence...I think. I could be horribly wrong on that fact and my roommate would be ashamed but I'm taking the leap!!

:: Julianne ::

February 21/2010 :: London Take 2

Day 30
Mood: Sore
Weather: Yesterday was chilly but no rain! Sunny even for some of the time!! Today it's sunny.
Word of the Day: "Excuse me children."

We visited London a second time and it was quite the event!!

Look at that view! Isn't it gorgeous!

We got there around 11:30. Etsy and Hamilton got off early to go shopping. The rest of us (Southern Belle, California, VT, Syd and myself) got off on the last stop in order to go to the Imperial War Museum. It was absolutely gorgeous!! We saw planes, tanks, they'd rebuilt the trenches and there was also a 'Blitz' experience. It was great. There was so much stuff there to see (though a few inaccuracies). In a lot of the WWI exhibits I got the impression that the Germans were made out to be 'bad guys'. That, in my opinion, is completely wrong. The Germans, like every other nation involved in WWI, was disillusioned and completely innocent of blame. In fact, Germany tried to encourage the Austria-Hungarian Empire not to start a war with Serbia. It's just a little sad to be teaching people that there are 'sides' in a war like that when both sides are wrong. Both countries get hurt.

There were pretty planes.

We also went through a Holocaust experience. It's sad that they didn't care to mention the homosexuals, blacks and handicapped people that were involved. They graced over mention of gypsies but didn't give them much attention either. But overall the experience was very heavy. I want to go back in time, kidnap baby Hitler and take him away so that he can never do those things. Even though they can't completely be blamed on him. At the time every country was anti-Semetic. Just bring to light the fact that fleeing Jews were not allowed into Canada and the United States simply because the people there didn't want Jewish people in their country. It wasn't just the Nazis...the world caused it.

But anyway, moving on~

We spent several hours there and then walked to find a place to eat. We came across the best thing ever!!

Guess what that is~~

Yup, that's right! It's the Canadian High Commission at Trafalgar Square. Can you see the Vancouver 2010 signs? There are gold maple leafs on the front, provincial flags down the side. It's a gorgeous building~

And just around the corner I discovered a little place to appease the Canadians...though I won't give it away just yet.

:: Julianne ::

February 17/2010 :: Fun Buns

Day 26
Mood: Tired
Weather: Poured rain but was then pleasantly warm and sunny
Word of the Day: "Fun Buns"

Yesterday was a day for celebration, an Estonian holiday which I cannot pronounce. Etsy had a great time preparing some buns with home-made whipped cream. Really dense, really sweet and super delicious little buckets of awesome. We dubbed it 'Estonian Fun Day'. Apparently people go tobogganing (they called it sleighing but yeah...basically same thing). They then eat the delicious little bread/whip cream buckets of awesome. Etsy spent some time whipping up some cream.

Planning on watching men's figure skating today but there is a wee problem with it being aired at midnight. That's just a wee late. Especially since I have 9:00 class the next morning as well as a presentation to do in my Work and Japanese class. Oh wait...just found out that figure skating was last night.

Lovely.

*pouty face*

:: Julianne ::

February 16/2010 :: Cute Rats and Olympics

Day 25
Mood: A little hurt, mostly ready to work
Weather: Overcast XD
Word of the Day: "Own-The-Podium"

Hello everyone~

Olympic coverage here is not as awesome as I would like. No video. Just internet news pieces to subdue the taste for it. I was never this obsessed when I was in Canada but it's a piece of home. I keep checking up the 'Vancouver Now' section of the CBC homepage.

We now have 4 medals:

1 Gold - Alexandre Bilodeau for Men's Moguls (for some reason no one I speak to knows what moguls are and I keep having to describe it)
2 Silvers - Mike Robertson for Men's Snowboarding and Jennifer Heil for Women's Moguls
1 Bronze - Kristina Groves for Women's Speed Skating

I'm excited. This is the most successful I've seen Canada's Olympic athletes in my lifetime. From the times I've watched the Olympic Games I've always had to wait for medals. Wait and feel my stomach sink as time passes. So to have them win medals so quickly is amazing. It's such a feeling of elation. However I came across an article on the CBC which quoted some UK newspapers and it turns out the country I'm in is not as supportive of my country.

What do you mean?

They claimed Canada was making a mockery of the death of Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili.

"Made by the perversion of the Olympic movement for national gain; made by a culture of worthless aggrandizement and pride."

"More immediate questions may be asked by the Canadians of themselves, who, in pursuit of their own Olympic dream … appear to have forgotten that national characteristic for which they are best known: politeness,”

- Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail

Truthfully I'm disgusted. For once I am hearing of Canada supporting her athletes. Of the countless times I've heard my dad lament the way Canada treats athletes, why most go to train in the states like my sister is. They treat their athletes properly. So for once Canada has decided to be a little competitive. To 'apologize later' as our Prime Minister Stephen Harper urged us. We've had the Olympics in Canada twice and both times have been a pathetic display, in our home country we could not win a gold. How humiliating that must have been for the country. So for once we decide to make sure that doesn't happen, to treat our athletes with respect and pride...

Then get attacked for it.

I've heard nothing but good things from the news of the world. Trust me, I have access to it. Etsy's homepage is Estonian news, I have NBC coverage from VT and Australian coverage from Syd. I've got a range of opinions in this house and no other country I've encountered has anything but good things to say about Canada, the treatment of Nodar's untimely death and our place in the Olympic games. It's just the UK...who are hosting the games next time around in London 2012. Why do they run such stories when they will be going through very similar things when they host the games? To make themselves look better? Are they jealous of Canada's success in these games? Do they think they won't be able to top it in two years? I don't know.

During the Olympic games I always thought of the spirit. I always marveled at the fact that, for two weeks, the world joined together as brethren and played games. I thought it was amazing. That adults would revert to children in a playground and play games with one another. There was a spirit of comradely and good sportsmanship. People congratulating each other and coming together. On the news when the games were in Turino I heard only good things about Italy, the same for Salt Lake and Athens.

It hurts.

But at least I have a place to vent.

I'll tell you one thing though, I will not be purchasing a copy of the Daily Mail when I'm out here. Not at all.

If anyone wants to read the full article you can find it here. I enjoy reading the comments as people continue to support their country and their athletes.

Whew~ Rant done!

Whew~ Time to rest~~

And prepare to watch the Men's Figure skating tomorrow!!

And what's with all the rat images? Well for such a heavy subject I want to spread out some cuteness~

:: Julianne ::

February 12/2010 :: Congestion and Chips

Day 21
Mood: Sick (congested, sore throat and a nasty cough)
Weather: It rained for about 2 minutes, hailed for about 30 seconds and then flip flopped between cloudy and nice and sunny
Word of the Day: *insert coughing noise*

Whoops...a whole week went by didn't it. My bad. Let's go through a quick recap of my week.

Sunday Evening: Super bowl party, tons of fun with pizza chips and several people over. South Carolina came over as well as Cali (from California). It was loads of fun sitting in Etsy's big room and watching a computer screen.

Monday: woke up nicely to go to class. Class was about 'Britishness'. I informed the class (as we discussed the positive and negative attributes of British culture) that British people don't smile at strangers. They looked at me as if to say: "What kind of nutter smiles at strangers?" So I informed them that in Canada if you happen to make random eye contact with a stranger you smile politely and they return the smile. No words are said but you continue walking with a smile. I also came to the startling position that I knew more than the class about their own culture. I knew who was on the £5 and £20 notes as well as their historical significance. (Elizabeth Fry is on the 5, I learned last semester in a class at home that she's the mother of prison reform in female prisons // Adam Smith, the father of capitalism is on the 20). I felt quite proud.

Tuesday: Did absolutely nothing. Save homework. Went to bed at 9:00, couldn't help it...I've been staying up until 1-2 am in order to talk to people from home.

Wednesday: Woke up bright and early feeling awesome but my throat a little ticklish. Had my class about Poverty and Welfare and Professor made creepy eyecontact with me. I was a tad intimidated.

Thursday: Woke up with a sore throat and super congestion. Lovely. I know what that tends to mean, that means a cold is coming on. I went to my morning class where, during the seminar which is based on participation, the professor allowed no one to speak but himself. Then I had my evening class and am determined to rock that performance my group has next week. The ones this week were monotonous, amazingly dull, drawn out as well as performed by people who couldn't engage their audience (or raise their voice to an audible level). I'm going to work on my group...or at least rock my portion. We meet this Monday to discuss. Thursday evening meant breaking open a bottle of cider and we watched a movie, it was hilarious.

Friday: Went shopping with the roomies and Hamilton. Bought a new purse for an astounding £6! I also picked up my sister a little gift but I'm not going to spill. *gleeful smile* It's just a small little thing but I just know that she'll love it. And in the spirit of our childhood I'll offer a hint. [[When we were kids my sisters used to ask me for hints about their gifts. I, being the ridiculous person that I am, would give the most cryptic hints ever. I once got Momo a Spongebob t-shirt, I gave her the hint that there was red somewhere on it. His little tie was red.]]

So, my most darling sister Oblivious your hint is thus: The item is pink.

Came home, did some laundry and then proceeded to settle down to sniffle away. My cold is worse today in the sinus department but my throat isn't really sore...save for the continuous coughing. But I'll handle it!!

The roomies went to a movie, Valentine's Day, and when they get back we're going to the pub.


:: Julianne ::

February 7/2010 :: London!

Day 16
Mood: Well slept but sore
Weather: Overcast, yesterday was overcast as well with periods of sun.
Word of the Day: "Wicked" as in "That play was wicked!!"

Yesterday, Day 15 of my stay here in Oxford, 5 of us went to London. Yes, London. We went in order to try and catch a showing of Wicked and perhaps see what else there was to see.

We woke at 5:30 am in order to catch the bus for 7:00 by traversing to the bus stop for 6:30. I had my lunch packed, my student card in my hand and butterflies in my stomach. We got on the bus, £10 for a two-way ticket. We didn't sleep much on the bus ride there. Too excited!

We arrived in London two hours later, 9:00 am, and went to have a bit of breakfast. I had eaten at home so I was basically fine. Then we joined the line for Wicked tickets. We hoped we would get some. Our International Student cards would offer us major discounts...if only we weren't stuck in a long line. Turns out we didn't need to fret. The evening show of Wicked at 7:30 pm wasn't sold out...not even close! We were able to get seats in the dress circle (regular £60) for an astonishing £25! All because we were students!!

We now had from 10:30 am - 7:30 pm to amuse ourselves. So we walked from Westminster to the National History museum. Admission was free so we stepped inside a rather awesome world.


Here is the sight you walk into the museum to see (This is the science museum attachment to the Natural History Museum)


There's a lot of fossil displays in the museum. Here is a Giant Sloth.


We waited in line to see the dinosaur exhibit and though it was cramped...it was quite amazing!


Giant stuffed anteater! I want one!!

When the Natural History Museum was over and we were getting tired we decided to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum down the street and see the Medieval and Renaissance artwork and displays. Part of Prince Albert's legacy to London which he had built in the wake of the Great Exhibition. Lots of gorgeous displays, one of which being this:


If this looks familiar to any HNMers you're right! There's a copy of this woodcarving in the Royal Ontario Museum. We had to examine it several times as history students when we went on trips to the ROM. This is the original woodcarving and it brings back a lot of good memories.

After the V&A Museum we left to grab some food and then took a trek to the river Thames to see the sights there. There was a massive protest going on with people dressed up as cows, Marmite and ladybugs (among other things). I do believe I saw a male blow up sex doll being passed around. Awkward. But we saw some gorgeous things before the camera batteries I had were killed by the cold.

Most of those photos can be found on my facebook cause they need rotation. But...

Eye of London!

Anyway, after this we went to Pizza Hut for dinner and then proceeded to the show. Wicked was amazing. I am so glad I got to see it. Very impressive stage and technical effects. The chemistry of the characters was fantastic and the singing was absolutely amazing. Not to mention the jokes being hilarious. It was a great time. An absolutely great time.

Took the bus home at 11:00 pm and got home at 12:30 am. Oh yes, a full day indeed and I'm sore from all the walking. But totally worth it!

::Julianne::

February 4/2010 :: Let's Drink to the First Week of Classes

Day 13
Mood: Worn out but a nice glass of cider fixes things nicely
Weather: Rainy, rainy, rainy
Word of the Day: "Module" as in "Let's review the module handbook for the up-tenth time because university students are treated like children."

Hello! Another day. And my first real rain in England. Sure it's rained a little though mostly misty. Nothing heavy. Well today there was actually rain. Lovely~ Thank goodness I bought that umbrella.

So last night was movie night! Syd was forbidden from going out, she spends too much time out! She must rest some nights and relax! We invited Hamilton over and reorganized Etsy's room. Her room is easily 2.5/3 times bigger than ours. So we reorganized it and set up the film. We watched 'Slumdog Millionaire'. It was a very good movie though there were some parts I'd care not to watch again. But the ending was happy so I was pleased.

Though I thought I'd give a first impression of my classes:

Monday

- Disunited Kingdoms: Professor seems very nice, he's the most engaging professor that I have. The material seems pretty basic. I felt a little out of the loop because, during seminar, we had to define ourselves according to flags of the UK. I am Canadian, hardcore Canadian at that. I identified with none. A little awkward but I don't mind bragging a little about my home. I found it a little offensive that the presenters seemed to believe that the UK is the only place with regional disparities. Bad assumption.

Tuesday

- Age of Empire *Extra* Lecture: Very dry. XD Though there was mention of Canada. That pleased me.

Wednesday

- Poverty and Welfare: Same prof as monday. Use of jargon I didn't understand. But basically easy to understand.

- Work and the Japanese *Extra* Lecture: There was wine at the end. Bonus! Study presented was interesting and quite engaging as well. Nicked some chocolate for my walk home.

Thursday:

- Age of the Empire: God I wanted to sleep the entire time. Professor's voice was so intoxicatingly dull. After waking up so early I just wanted to sleep. Furthermore he presented a few inaccuracies about Canada...which, as a course about the Empire, angered me a little. But I brushed them off and just ranted a little to roomies.

- Work and the Japanese: Group projects. Woo. I don't mind those at all. In fact it's a great way to meet people!! The professor was American, so easy to understand (no unknown jargon and/or concepts). This is the class that has the most even assignment weighting. Looks good. Though the prof goes on and on about things...going over the course outline. God it's boring. I have the course handbook in my hands. I can read it myself.

Just a little pet peeve is the fact that professors feel obligated to go over the module handbook in amazing detail when the booklet is right in front of us. I'm 20 years old. I'm a 3rd year university student. I think it's a given that I can read and that I have enough of an attention span to pay attention to the bits that concern me. I hate being treated like a child who can't read an outline. I can. Those who can't should be left to flounder. They shouldn't be here.


=_=

/end

So see you guys later!! *sips well deserved cider*

:: Julianne ::

February 3/2010 :: Classes Begin

Day 12
Mood: Sleepy
Weather: Dark (it's nighttime)
Word of the Day: "Homework"

Not much is going on.

Sorry.

XD

Classes have started so I'm busy doing that. I had a seminar tonight about the English empire. They mentioned Canada. I felt happy. It's late and I should be getting to bed but I thought I'd update with a little bit of what's going on.

Basically not much.

:: Julianne ::