Day Seven: Departure Day for London!!

Good Afternoon to you all- I hope this post finds you well and having a great day! 

Today I am leaving for London for the weekend- when I say leaving, I mean leaving in approximately 35 minutes.  Time sure is flying by here at the manor- but here is what I have done so far today in preparation for my trip :)

My wonderful fleece that kept me warm today!! :)

I made sure I got a good night's sleep since I didn't have classes (yay!).  I worked on homework so I could leave on time (first nursing quiz, 94%!!).  I saw it was raining and I thought the room felt cold, so I put a fleece on.  And boy, am I glad that I did....  I took the bus into Grantham with some of my nursing friends so we could get our railcard passes that help us get discounts, as well as some "laundry gel" from Poundland.  When we got out of the shuttle, it was blowing rain.  And FREEZING cold!!  We had about a five block walk to the train station, and by the time we got back to Isaac Shopping Center, we were soaked, head to toe.  Thank goodness for Costa coffee, because I would have frozen to death!  I really enjoyed the "cafe carmella coffee" that I was able to have.  So again, I'm sorry for not taking any pictures in Grantham today, but I think my camera would have died from water exposure.  Hopefully I get a chance to get into town withOUT rain.

Once back to the manor, Bailey (my roommate, nursing major from UE) and I printed off all our documentation for the weekend- our bus trip, london eye ride, and the tower of london passes.  We then proceeded to pack.  And unpack.  And repack.  Packing is quite difficult when you have never been somewhere before...so hopefully I brought something that will keep me warm/dry/comfortable!  We had chicken nuggets and rice for dinner (not too shabby I would say) and now we are putting our bags on and walking out the door.  Hopefully I get some great pictures while I am in London.  But until I get back, no blog posts...so I will be posting a lot of them Sunday night (at least I HOPE to be posting a lot of it Sunday night...).  

I hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend, as they don't celebrate that across the pond, and Hurricane Isaac leaves you all alone.  

Cheerio!

Taylor

Ceilidh Dancing and Day Six!

Manor at sunset :)

I hope you are all staying warm across the pond for me today.  The high right now in Grantham is 55 degrees FAHRENHEIT!  I think it could be just a little bit warmer, but I won't complain...it's definitely fall weather over here and I LOVE the fall season.

Ceilidh Dancing!

Last night I was walking in from taking pictures on the grounds and I heard some interesting Scottish or Irish music playing in the Great Hall.  When I stop to look in the door, I see everyone in the room dancing and having what looked like a blast!  It's called "Ceilidh Dancing" (pronounced "kay-lee dancing").  So I started snapping some photos and started listening to the music.  After they finished a song with a great round of applause, the groups were separating again and they needed one more volunteer...so I thought, "why not?"!  I cannot tell you how much fun I had- even though I felt completely embarrassed and out of my element- dancing with a group of students. 

Today was spent in classes for the morning- I swear, we went through 1000 years of British history- and working on homework.  Unfortunately, it rained all day long.  When I say all day long, I mean ALL day long.  Finally around 5pm (hence the blog now!) the rain stopped so I could enjoy a few moments of fresh air.  :)

 

Running to dinner and to a meet-a-family meeting (more on that tomorrow!)

Cheerio!

Taylor

Day Five: Reading and Planning!

Good Afternoon to you all back at home!  I hope you are having a great day :) The second day of my senior year has been going well, though it has kept me quite busy!  Here is what has been happening...

THIS week's schedule!

Today I met for my clinical class.  It was a relaxed class day because we were going over information in the syllabus and learning about all of our classroom assignments.  However, we did have some guest British speakers come join us and it was a wonderful experience!  The first speaker that came in was the nurse from Harlaxton college.  She was explaining to us about her job and how she became the nurse she is today.  It was a really interesting conversation- she was in nursing school on the clinical floor at age 18!  In the US, you usually aren't doing anything hands on for a year (at least that's how Evansville does it!).  She also explained that you have to pick your "specialty", or what area of nursing you would like to go in right away.  This is because you get more opportunities and experiences in school.  In between speakers I got to have lunch, which was Shepard's pie...which was not that bad!  

Our second speaker was from Dove Hospice Care (http://www.dovecottage.org/#), which operates about 10 miles away from Harlaxton college.  This woman had such an amazing story- their cottage operates as a day care for those who need respite care, caregivers included.  Their goal is to enhance the quality of life and help people achieve their goals and dreams before they die.  It was a really unique conversation because we don't hear of those things in the US very often.

After classes were finished I planned my trip to London!  I am very excited about this trip and I can't wait to go.  Here are some of the things I will be doing along with websites to each of them:

• Visiting the Florence Nightingale Museum--http://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/cms/
• Taking a tour of St. Bart's Operating Theatre--http://www.thegarret.org.uk/
• Going inside the Tower of London--http://www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon
• Spending a day on the original double deck bus tours--http://www.theoriginaltour.com/?gclid=CLauwKLSirICFcENfAodNjAAQA
• Viewing London by taking a ride on the London Eye--http://www.londoneye.com/

 I can't wait to take pictures and actually be in London- hopefully I get time to walk down the infamous Abbey Road!!! I am spending the rest of the day holed up studying...but honestly there isn't a good place in this entire manor because it's so magnificent!  You wouldn't think I would get distracted by the views, but I do every time!  

That's all for now since I have some work to get done before the choir meeting- cheerio for now!

Taylor

Day Four: First Day of My Senior Year!

Good Evening  to you all- hope you are doing well back across the pond!  Today has been such a great start (considering it is night here) to my Senior year of college. 

Our first class was our British Studies lecture, which was conducted in the Long Gallery with the entire student body at Harlaxton.  It was a very fast and detailed lecture- thankfully it was just an overview of everything we are about to learn this semester.  For those who have traveled to the UK before, they will understand that there are different definitions of English and British.  For those who prefer the American side of the pond, British and English are COMPLETELY opposite terms.  This is a key concept in my lecture series.  After hastily writing down notes I headed to the second part of British Studies, which was meeting with my professor and roughly 20 classmates.  We then discussed what the expectations of the class are and drum roll please...we already have a group project to present on Wednesday.  I had no idea we would be moving THIS fast!

My second class was held in the Morning Gallery, which was a nursing class that allowed us to Skype our peers back at home.  I really enjoyed the class and being able to see my classmates for the first time since last spring!  In that class we discussed mostly the syllabus and a little bit of content.  All in all, it was a fun and very educational class.

Today on my free time I was able to Skype some of my nursing friends from home.  It was so much fun to catch up with them on life and see how they were doing!  

Finally, I attended a seminar about my trip to London this weekend- I have a feeling I will have a lot of fun!  I plan on going on a Double-Decker bus ride, to the London Eye,  to Abbey Road, London Tower, Florence Nightingale Museum, and to Piccadilly Circus. I am really excited about this trip on Thursday- let me know if any of you have heard of or been anywhere in London that I should go!

Cheerio for now!

Taylor

High Table Dinner and Day Three

Hello Everyone!

I still can't believe that I am living in this castle!  I catch myself saying it almost every time I encounter something new- which is about every five minutes.  I encourage you all to leave comments on my blog so that I can get feedback for future posts- you can do this by clicking on "comments" and leaving a comment via facebook, email, or other online accounts you may have.  If you prefer to email me, my email is taychrislew@gmail.com.  

In the afternoon of day two, we were given the opportunity to go into Grantham, which is the largest town located outside of the Manor, to go to stores, get food, etc.  I traveled on the Harlaxton shuttle with two of my roommates and we went to the Sir Isaac Newton Shopping Center.  Unfortunately, it was raining intermittently so I was not able to get pictures of this excursion.  I promise the next time I happen to go to town I will take as many pictures as possible!  The shopping center was very unique- it had multiple stores combined into a large mall.  The grocery store (which I can't remember the name of!), "Poundland" and other various unique shops were obviously favorites of locals because they were EVERYWHERE!  It was my first time in the actual culture of England, so it was a very nerve-wracking experience.  I wasn't sure how to act or what to say when we were walking about, so I just kept silent.  

We heard from other Harlaxton alumni that we should frequent Asda, which is like a British version of Walmart.  Asda had some familiar labels, although the names were different...see if you can spot the difference in the picture!  We were able to find it okay, but returning to the Bus Stop we got completely lost!  We did find a small local food shoppe called "Panini" which had delicious sandwiches for a descent price.  The girls at the counter asked us if America was like the TV show "Friends".  This got quite a laugh from the girls and I as we tried to explain what life in the U.S. was like.  After we left the shoppe, some lovely locals were able to find our way back to the bus stop.  

All of my Zeta sisters that are in Harlaxton! 

My roommates and I at the High Table Dinner

After arriving back to the Manor we had ample amount of time to get ready to go to the "High Table Dinner" with the principal and the rest of the Harlaxton faculty and staff.  We took advantage of the time to get gussied up and quickly made our way to the "classy" event.  We each met the principal and his wife and were ushered to get glasses of some wonderful sangria punch.  We took multiple pictures and were then summoned to dinner. 

A real Scottish bagpipes player escorted the faculty into the dining room, which was quite a sight!  I was able to capture a video which I am currently trying to upload to youtube at this time. Dinner was a nice experience with the entire body of Harlaxton in one room- the Long Gallery.  

 

Once we finished our lovely dinner, I retreated back to my room with two of my roommates and started to look up my homework for the coming weeks of school.  Unfortunately, there is quite a lot to do! I spent most of day three in round tables learning about travel and how to act in the British culture.  I did a lot of reading for school and I was able to Skype some family today too!  It was a really good day all in all, even if I had some homework to do too!

Classes begin tomorrow at 8:30am sharp in the Long Gallery, beginning with the British Studies Lecture with all of my Harlaxton classmates.  I plan on taking a bike ride with a fellow nursing student from UE.  Finally, there is a Skype nursing class in the afternoon for two hours.  Hopefully I am able to understand all of the information that has been listed in the syllabi that I have been given.  Later this week I will be going to London for a weekend trip! I am very excited to go exploring in one of my favorite cities in the world.  

Cheerio for now!

Taylor

Day Two: Jetlag and Round Tables

Good Afternoon to you all- or rather, I should say good morning since the day is just starting there across the pond! I shall fill you in on the last few hours of my day!

Last night was quite an experience at the Manor- I got to meet one of my professors for the first time and he definitely made an impression!  He came in the room with a crate of red and white wine and said to help ourselves.  It was quite a nice treat after a long day and it helped get all of my fellow classmates into the conversation.  It was a very interesting discussion about English vs. British and how Americans can distinguish a difference.  I shall have to elaborate more on that later....After a quick but much needed nap- I literally passed out face down on my bed- my roommates and I went to the Bistro, which is the small pub in the downstairs of our school.  Needless to say, we had a lovely time playing Apples to Apples and it helped us get to know each other a little bit better.
 
Today we had an Academic Convocation with a REAL Scottish bagpipe player!  It was so cool to see him walking down the aisle playing.  We had round tables, which were different meetings with school officials filling us in on everything and anything we could ever need to know.  We had a quick lunch and then I FINALLY got a converter for my computer- I am free to Skype today from 11am-1pm your time so take advantage!  Right now we are getting ready to go into ASDA, which is like a British Walmart, so hopefully I can post some pictures once I've gotten back.  Talk more soon!

Cheerio!
Taylor

Day One: Airplanes, Buses, and HARLAXTON!!!

I have finally arrived safely in Harlaxton!!!! Hopefully you have heard by now, but if you haven't, here is your official notification.  I am a little jet-lagged but I shall try my best to fill you in about my journey that has taken place in the last 24 hours!

I arrived at the airport on Thursday at 3pm with my parents in tow.  We checked in with Dr. Kirk, who is the study abroad director from Evansville.  Once checked in, I had a tearful goodbye from my parents- it's not as long as you think it will be!- and I proceeded through security.  Honestly, I have never stood in line for SO long! However, I made some friends from Tennessee who happened to be going to Harlaxton as well, so it worked out quite nicely.

Once on the airplane, I was able to sit by Ms. Hilary Deuser, and we kept ourselves quite entertained with the movie selection list.  I was so excited to watch The Lorax and once I was half way through, the flight attendants had to shut off the entertainment due to "technical difficulties".  We still were able to entertain ourselves because we had remotes that turned on our overhead lights and tried to create a display....clearly, we were slap happy at this point!  

I slept a total of 3 hours (broken up of course!) on the plane and felt quite well rested when we landed at 7:30am London time (which is 1:30am Chicago time!!).  I made it through the UK border- that was nerve-wracking!- and I FINALLY was able to say I was in ENGLAND!!!! I was so excited- the emotions finally hit me.  We got through to our "meeting point" and we were able to meet the Harlaxton pick-up staff.  We were assigned different colored tags for the floors we lived on so the porter could bring up our bags (thank GOODNESS or I would have been lagging up those stairs!).

We had roughly a 2 hour drive from the airport to Harlaxton Manor.  I slept most of the way and when I woke up, we were arriving in Grantham, located in the area of Lincolnshire, England.  We went down MANY narrow streets until we turned onto the infamous mile long drive way of the Manor.  I was able to take a video of this which I will try to include in a later blog post once I can figure it out.  The view was absolutely BREATHTAKING.  Never have I EVER seen something as beautiful and magnificent as this school. 

We were greeted by the dean of students and other Harlaxton faculty as we were ushered into a lecture room- the Ridgway room- for a short welcoming speech.  We were able to find out where we were living- and I learned quickly that I was living on the fifth floor of the manor looking towards the back yard.  I room with three other girls- Bailey who is a UE nursing student with me, Erin from Texas who happens to be a nursing major, and Heather who also is from UE.  I think we will have a wonderful time rooming together- we are already collaborating on different shenangians!

I spent the afternoon at the manor exploring and taking TONS of pictures- which I promise I will post as soon as I can get my computer to an outlet!  I also got my suitcases unpacked and everything ready to go.  The students have orientation meetings tonight as well as a welcoming party at The Bistro, which is a small pub in the bottom of the manor (don't mind if I join!).  Everything has seemed like a fairy tale!

I promise I will post some pictures soon- and more updates as the weekend goes on!

Cheerio-
Taylor

Two more days!

Here it is!  The last blog before I get to the airport (hopefully!).  Two more days until I depart for the adventure of a lifetime!  I could not be any more full of emotions than I have been since...ever.  I am getting more and more nervous/excited every minute of the day.  Here is what I have been working on...

All of the trips that I have booked are all paid for.  HOORAY!!  I finished buying anything I could need for my trips; from hair ties to batteries for my camera to scarves to wear with my blazers.  Buying anything for the trip is over.  Thank goodness!  I have been tying up all the loose ends around home- cleaning my car, making sure my room is cleaned, seeing friends and family, etc.  I guess I have put off the inevitable for too long- packing.

My packing has been going alright.  Yesterday I finally got the urge to pull a suitcase onto my bed and get it started.  It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be....oh wait, who am I kidding?!  Packing was pretty painful.  Plus my brothers kept coming in to try to entertain me and distract me.  But I did get a few photos for you all to see my wonderful handiwork!  

Here is bag number one- the BIG one.  I have yet to weigh it (probably because I'm afraid it's too heavy!) but I think I will be okay.  It took roughly two hours to pack that bag from start to finish.  You will not believe how much stuff I was able to fit and I STILL haven't used the expander.  GO ME!  ALL of my liquids are housed in zip-lock bags- I do NOT want to be doing laundry the minute I get there because my toothpaste exploded (though I know I would smell minty fresh!).

Bag number two is "just a little guy" that weighed roughly 30lbs when I was finished with it today.  I got so many shirts in there plus three pairs of shoes, not to mention all of my scarves.  I think that bag will work for long weekend trips when I go to Paris and Ireland.  I haven't used the expander on that bag yet either, plus I know it is under weight so I can store my Harlaxton souvenirs in there on the way back home.

I can't even believe that in TWO DAYS I will be leaving the country until December!!! Be sure to keep up with my blog and facebook while I am gone.  I will try to post as many pictures as possible with my camera.  I will put more information on here with pictures with stories if there are any.  My skype name is "tekalewis" if anyone would like to skype...just keep in mind of the time difference please!!  I will also try to make a quick post once I'm in the UK once I have made it safely- if you are DYING to know if I made it, my parents are the lucky ones who will be getting the 2:30 am phone call (8:00am UK time of course!) that I arrived safely.  

Bon Voyage!

 <3 Taylor

10 More Days!!!

Well...the feelings are changing from completely excited to now completely nervous and nerve-wracking emotions!! I'm starting to see how quickly my trip is approaching.  Only ten more days until I leave for England...I can hardly believe it myself!  Here is an update of everything that I have done so far...

I have finally finished purchasing clothes for my trip.  That may seem like an easy task; however, it is completely ridiculous trying to figure out what I will wear someplace I have never been before.  To top it all off, I have to try to fit it into one suitcase!  If you know me well, you know that I will have to duct-tape my suitcase together in order for everything to fit!

Secondly, I have gotten a majority of my trips planned.  I have decided that I will be going to London with the Harlaxton students after my first week of classes.  I think that this will help me figure out what I am doing in a foreign country with staff wandering around the same city.  I will also be going to Ireland the second to last weekend of September.  I am also going with the school because it is an extended trip.  I think this will be a lot of fun- I can't wait to kiss the Blarney Stone!!!!!  I have already finished paying for this trip...so now I just have to wait to get there :)  Another trip I have booked is Paris, and I can't wait to wander around under the Eiffel Tower.  This trip will take place the second weekend of November.  Here is a picture of the hotel that I will be staying at...it looks so nice!

http://www.hotels.com/ho188910/hotel-du-plat-d-etain-paris-france/?gclid=CKipxsSv5bECFYPrKgodmEYAlg 

I have not yet booked a trip to Austria because I want to wait for friends at school and see if they would like to join.  I am still planning on my paragliding adventure, so stay tuned for that information!

The only other thing that I am also accomplishing is making lists of things I need to get done...if only I could cross some things off from them!  What you can't see in this picture is that I have a TEN PAGE LIST that I have created...

I think that is all I have time for right now.  Stay tuned for the progress on my preparations for my trip...I will be in England in no time!  Until then, I will be spending as much time with my family as possible...starting with making them a yummy dinner and some new desserts (If they turn out, I will blog that too!)

Tootalooo!

<3 Taylor