Liverpool, Studies and Culture Shock

Hi All!

Last week was filled with meetings and orientations for the international students. We learned about the British culture, got an idea for how our classes (here they are called modules) would be, and learned more about the university. Tuesday we took a trip to Liverpool with a member of the international office. It's about 5 pounds round trip and a 25 minute train ride. I have to say it may be one of my new favorite cities. It's historic buildings mixed in with modern day shopping and night life makes for the perfect balance of old and new. It is a large city, but most major landmarks seem to be within walking distance.  I can't wait to go back and explore the vast Liverpool One shopping center :)

The culture shock is a little more than I expected but still not too bad. Yes I probably stand out and Yes people probably stare a little bit longer, but I still feel welcomed and a part of the student culture. It is actually harder to understand the British accent than I was expecting. Not everyone speaks all "Posh" like you see in the movies. It's interesting to hear all of the variations in the accents depending on what part of England they are from. Also, there are many different words they use for everyday things and lots of slang (this will have to be a whole blog by itself.)

Classes started this week. I am lucky to only have class on Wednesday and Thursday, which gives me a nice long weekend to travel. All of my classes are lectures, with two of them having a seminar every other week. The lectures are around 60 people, and last 2-3 hours (thankfully they give us a break in the middle) and the seminars are around 10 people, where we discuss the material more in depth, ask questions, etc..

In each module, I have 1 paper and 1 project/exam. This is your whole grade. I am not sure if I agree with this measurement of our progress, but I understand why they choose this way. We are expected to turn up (their version of "show up") to each class and we are not bribed with points for attendance. There are no easy assignments or take home quizzes to easily boost our grade.  With this being said, their grading scale is much different. Anything over a 40/100 is considered passing. Anything over a 70 is something to be very proud of. Their reasoning is that there is always room for improvement, no one assignment is perfect. This is hard to understand, our whole American schooling career has been aimed at earning a 100%. I respect and enjoy that they know we are not perfect and don't expect us to be.

Here, the tutors (their word for professor) expect you to do work on your own and critically think about the material. I really enjoy how we are given the freedom to criticize and question the material we are learning, and not believe every theory we read. It is different and slightly intimidating to know that papers we are assigned are broad, without much direction. In America, we are so used to specific, step by step directions that being able to make choices on our own is scary but such an incredibly necessary life skill.

(I'm no photographer so bare with me)


         St. Georges Hall- This is a beautiful building on Lime Street where many people get married and concerts are held.

                                                            The Walker Art Gallery

 My favorite stop of the Liverpool trip. The Cavern Club is where The Beatles got their claim to fame. Unfortunately, it is much smaller than it was when The Beatles were there because they sold part of their building (before The Beatles made it big and they realized how much history was in the small pub.)

Next Post: My day trip to York!

My first few days

Yesterday, all of the international students took a trip to the town of Chester. It is a pretty big town with great shopping and restaurants. We went into a Cathedral and saw a street performer. It is interesting how different the daily lives are over here. People walk to the grocery store everyday to pick up just a few items. Everyone is more patient and has been so extremely kind and welcoming (especially when we are trying to figure out how much each coin is worth). People here seem more laid back and concerned with others and not so rushed all the time like in America.

I have met so many international students (there is about 60 of us) as well as British students. The British students have welcomed us with open arms and I know they will be great friends. Everyone usually hangs out in the common room.

Next week the international students have different types of orientation everyday. I find out my class schedule and meet my professors, hopefully learning my way around campus more. We are also being taken on a trip to Liverpool to see the town. Jason, Bill and Joanna from the International office are great and always willing to help.

I've only been here a few days and I absolutely love it! I love everyone I have met and I've been having the time of my life. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the semester brings!


                                  This is a clock tower in the lovely town of Chester.

                               This is the clock tower/ center of town in Ormskirk

                       
                                 The next two are Cathedrals in Chester.

                               Here is the street performer we saw in Chester.

Of corse I had to take a tourist picture in a phone booth!

                                  These are some pictures of my room.

My First Day at Edge Hill

I finally made it! I didn't actually realize that I was going to England until I got in the car to go to the airport. I'm pretty sure my exact words were "Is this really happening?"  After saying my goodbyes and some delays, I finally landed in Manchester. Jason (the international coordinator for the U.S) met me at the airport and showed me to a van full of 11 other International students who arrived today. It was about a 40 minute drive to Ormskirk through beautiful open land and farms. So far, the 11 of us are spread out through 4 halls that all connect to one common room. Each hall has 9 single rooms with 1 bathroom and a kitchenette similar to the residence halls at CMU. 
A group of 5 volunteer students gave us a tour around campus and then through Ormskirk. The campus has many buildings, but they are all close together so you don't have to walk far between classes. There are a bunch of little cafes around campus where you can use the 45 pounds per week you are given on your UNI card (student ID.) Many of the buildings seem very modern while others are more classic college buildings. There is also "The Hub" which is just like the Bovee UC at Central.

Ormskirk is the cutest little town about a 10 minute walk away. There is small farmers market type booths lining the main street selling everything from fresh vegetables to purses and other small trinkets. The town definitely has everything you will ever need while here, with every type of store and lots of variety. We stopped at a small restaurant (I wouldn't really call it a restaurant. It was more like a tiny storefront with some hot pastries) and all ordered a small dinner.  A few of us plan on going back to Ormskirk tomorrow to explore and pick up some things we need. 

Thats all for now, I'll post pictures of my flat (dorm) and Ormskirk once I get settled in.

Preparing for Ormskirk!

T minus 3 days until I hop on a plane to England! I have been preparing all semester and I've even had a count down on my phone for the last two months (safe to say I'm a little excited…) I've been researching Edge Hill and the Liverpool area to become familiar with where I'll be and to find some interesting places to go. My excitement is out of control-all I can think about is England! 

Everyone has been asking me if I am nervous and the answer is always "No." I've always been independent and loved exploring new places on my own. I went to Central, which is 5 hours away from home and in a different state, not knowing anyone and my experience has been more amazing than I ever expected. Being half way around the world will obviously be a much greater leap, but I'm confident that I will be able to handle it.  

I am not worried about much. A minor concern is not being able to travel enough, but being able to spend a semester in England is an amazing experience in itself. I also have to make sure I am paying attention to my budget and the exchange rate between dollars and pounds. 

It still hasn't "clicked" in my mind that I am leaving so soon! I am starting to realize that I will deeply miss my friends and family, something I wasn't expecting to be a problem. I downloaded a free texting app on my smartphone and already told my friends that I want pictures and to hear everything that is happening back in Mount Pleasant. (I also told them to prepare themselves for all the Facebook pictures I'll be posting.)

My next post will be from Ormskirk!
Melanie