One Week

So I have officially been in England for one week. It feels like a little bit longer, which I assume to be a good thing. Although I feel really comfortable here, I realized today that there is still a lot I don't know, and I really am in an entirely new environment! Around lunchtime, a few of my new classmates and I went to a pub right near my dorm. They served a sandwich called a toastie, which is like a grilled cheese with various ingredients added like bacon, turkey and tomatoes. I also learned that a grilled cheese is called "cheese on toast." Good thing I know, since I wouldn't want to order the wrong thing!

Then we had our initial module meeting for our subject classes. Basically I have three modules, or classes this semester, one on the historiography of Britain, research method, and then a subject course. So the initial meeting went over what was expected of us, and a preliminary reading list. Of course, the module I picked has many books on the list that I already own. Good thing they are boxed up and in my Dad's garage! Hopefully it won't be too expensive to buy some old used copies, otherwise I might have to beg my Dad to dig to find my copies! (Sorry Dad) Regardless, I am really excited about the module I picked, since it deals exactly with the time period I am interested in (Early Modern circa 1500-1800) and also some really interesting topics. One of the topics is witchcraft and popular belief, which sounds awesome! We will also be focusing on gender and the "common" people, so it is right up my alley! We then went to another pub (sounds rough right?) and I tasted a real hand poured ale. I don't understand the particulars of it, but it is basically the old fashioned way of pouring beer, so it is supposed to be better. And it was tasty! My new classmates and I have formed a sort of group, and we all hang out together. I am pretty much the only girl, but that's fine. Rob's wife (they are from AZ) met us at the pub when she got off work, and she is super sweet. The three of us decided to go to dinner.

We went to an Indian food restaurant that was relatively cheap, but also really good. We had a good talk, and hopefully we will be hanging out a lot. Jamie (Rob's wife) invited me to do a lot of stuff with them, so I imagine we will become good friends. She also offered to loan me a blanket, which I might end up using soon! They also bought my dinner which was really touching, so hopefully I can do something nice for them. It is nice to have someone from the same climate, so that we can acclimate together!

I finally got to put my clothes in the wash. Hopefully I can continue to save up my laundry a couple weeks at a time, since it costs three pounds per load. I also called Noah for a brief chat, and that was nice. It was a little sad for me, but I think that's ok once in a while. I also checked my university email account, and my loan checks are here, so I have to go sign them tomorrow. Then it will hopefully only take three or four days to get the money in my bank account.

Well I think that's it for now. I am going to put my laundry in the dryer! Love you all!