Sunday, 7 June 2009
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Orientation And Liverpool
Checking in again. We've been in Manchester a little over a week now. Most of the culture shock has worn off and we're starting to settle in nicely. The weather took a cold turn yesterday and when we woke up this morning we found snow on the ground and its been snowing off and on since then.
On Monday and Tuesday of last week we had orientation for all of the study abroad and exchange students. They told us about all of the services available to us and what kinds of things we were going to have to get used to. In the States, it is customary to give pedestrians the right of way even if they are in the wrong. Here pedestrians become targets as soon as they step off the curb. We h
ad a bit of a scare on the second day when there was a bit of confusion about traveling into Europe. As soon as there was some question as to the possibility of travel, it was clear that most people came to Manchester for significant reasons beyond the wonderful opportunity to study.
The rest of the week we got more accustomed to things and then on Saturday took a trip to Liverpool with the International Society. We started out our tour at Liverpool's Albert Docks. They told us about the battle of the Atlantic which was partially planned right there and showed us the buildings where that plannin
g took place. Next we went by several buildings relating to the shipping industry that used to be quite large in Liverpool. And they showed us what a Liver bird, the symbol of the city, was. According to the story the original symbol for the city was an eagle and was lost during the English civil war. The artisan hired to remake the symbol went to work and when he finished it looked nothing like an eagle at all because he had never seen one. It looked much more like the cormorant's common to that area. It has remained the symbol ever since.
Next it was off through the city center to see lots of old buildings.
Because of the boom and bust nature of the shipping industry in the city there has been a bit of on again off again depressions. This has left some buildings derelict but they have turned them into art. This building had a hole cut in it so that it could rotate for art's sake.
After this building the tour continued on to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Liverpool. Supposedly when it was begun it was going to rival St. Peter's in Rome but due to the bust of the economy in Liverpool they could not justify the grandeur and so it holds a rather urban look as opposed to the traditional Gothic. Next was the Anglican Cathedral which is the largest cathedral in England. It can be seen for miles around because of its location on a hill.
The next stop was Penny Lane made famous by the Beatles. (See picture above) From Penny Lane we moved through areas that the Beatles grew up in or sung about or something to that effect. We even saw a Papa John's. Then it was off to Anfield, Liverpool Football Club's home grounds. We weren't able to get inside the stadium but we saw the memorial to the spectators who lost their lives at the 1985 European Cup Finals due to a collapsing wall.
The rest of our time in Liverpool we explored the remade Albert Docks. They have a couple of museums there namely the International Slavery Museum and the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The Merseyside had an areas talking about customs, the Titantic, and the part of the Navy in WWII. The International Slavery Museum worked to educate the public about the evils of the slave trade and England's part in it. After this we headed back to Manchester.
On Monday and Tuesday of last week we had orientation for all of the study abroad and exchange students. They told us about all of the services available to us and what kinds of things we were going to have to get used to. In the States, it is customary to give pedestrians the right of way even if they are in the wrong. Here pedestrians become targets as soon as they step off the curb. We h
ad a bit of a scare on the second day when there was a bit of confusion about traveling into Europe. As soon as there was some question as to the possibility of travel, it was clear that most people came to Manchester for significant reasons beyond the wonderful opportunity to study.The rest of the week we got more accustomed to things and then on Saturday took a trip to Liverpool with the International Society. We started out our tour at Liverpool's Albert Docks. They told us about the battle of the Atlantic which was partially planned right there and showed us the buildings where that plannin
g took place. Next we went by several buildings relating to the shipping industry that used to be quite large in Liverpool. And they showed us what a Liver bird, the symbol of the city, was. According to the story the original symbol for the city was an eagle and was lost during the English civil war. The artisan hired to remake the symbol went to work and when he finished it looked nothing like an eagle at all because he had never seen one. It looked much more like the cormorant's common to that area. It has remained the symbol ever since.Next it was off through the city center to see lots of old buildings.
Because of the boom and bust nature of the shipping industry in the city there has been a bit of on again off again depressions. This has left some buildings derelict but they have turned them into art. This building had a hole cut in it so that it could rotate for art's sake.After this building the tour continued on to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Liverpool. Supposedly when it was begun it was going to rival St. Peter's in Rome but due to the bust of the economy in Liverpool they could not justify the grandeur and so it holds a rather urban look as opposed to the traditional Gothic. Next was the Anglican Cathedral which is the largest cathedral in England. It can be seen for miles around because of its location on a hill.
The next stop was Penny Lane made famous by the Beatles. (See picture above) From Penny Lane we moved through areas that the Beatles grew up in or sung about or something to that effect. We even saw a Papa John's. Then it was off to Anfield, Liverpool Football Club's home grounds. We weren't able to get inside the stadium but we saw the memorial to the spectators who lost their lives at the 1985 European Cup Finals due to a collapsing wall.
The rest of our time in Liverpool we explored the remade Albert Docks. They have a couple of museums there namely the International Slavery Museum and the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The Merseyside had an areas talking about customs, the Titantic, and the part of the Navy in WWII. The International Slavery Museum worked to educate the public about the evils of the slave trade and England's part in it. After this we headed back to Manchester.
Monday, 26 January 2009
The First Two Days
Greetings,
Well the first flight went very fast. We arrived in Chicago so early that we sat on the runway for a good 20 minutes before disembarking. From there we had to run to British Airways to catch our flight and we were the last two on the plane. We arrived into London on time on Friday and were able to catch the coach into London without an issue though it took a little bit to find our way from terminal five (which is quite some distance from the rest of the terminals) to the coach station.
It was interesting to see how similar the houses all looked when we were flying in. It seemed very well planned. When we arrived in Central London, at Victoria Coach Station, our hotel was only a short walk from the station . We checked in and left our luggage and proceeded to Lloyds. Unfortunately the bank told me I had to register for an account in Manchester so I'm going to try to take care of that tomorrow.
After that we headed back up Victoria street and stopped at a place called "The Shakespeare" for fish and chips. Have to say its going to take some getting used to. And "tap water" sounds so different with a heavy accent. After several agonizing attempts to figure out if we were supposed to tip or not, we paid and headed back to the hotel.
The next morning we got up, had a spot of tea and then went to the bus station. The bus ride was uneventful but it was filled with Manchester United fans heading to Manchester for the match against Tottenham. We arrived around 2 and took a taxi from the coach station to Angela's dorm and dropped off her luggage and checked in. The guys at the desk made some comment about how it used to be only one bag of luggage and one carry on that students were allowed to bring. Once we figured out where her room was she dropped her luggage and we grabbed a taxi to my place so I could drop my stuff off. It was already getting dark which seems a bit odd but it must be farther north or something so that there is less daylight. My campus is quite a ways south from the main campus so I am trying to move further north.
After we dropped my luggage we decided it was time for a bit of a taste from home and went out and got some Subway. It was interesting to note the differences in menus. There were options that seemed healthier and they did not seem to push the foot long as much as it is in the states. The food nevertheless tasted as good as we'd remembered from home. Afterwards we explored a bit to try and find the accommodation office so I could look into transferring housing as well as just getting a feel for the campus.
After it got a bit later we went for some McDonald's because of the lack of local places to eat close to campus. We were still in a bit of culture shock and it was nice to have something we understood. The cheeseburgers were wonderful and with that I walked Angela back to her dorm.
The first two days were filled with quite a lot. Getting used to which way to look for traffic as well as the side of the sidewalk to walk on is going to take some time. It seems lots of places do not have public restrooms or the ability to give out a cup water. Its also quite interesting to come to the realization that there is absolutely no water fountains anywhere. This makes it a tad difficult to get water some times but we're getting by. The other oddity is trying to figure out the power here. Its also odd not having easy access to the internet everywhere via wifi or over our phones. The first two days were a bit of an experience in isolation from the states without the things we were so used to.
Well here is to the first two days and lots more of learning and opening our eyes to a whole different culture. Cheers mates!
Well the first flight went very fast. We arrived in Chicago so early that we sat on the runway for a good 20 minutes before disembarking. From there we had to run to British Airways to catch our flight and we were the last two on the plane. We arrived into London on time on Friday and were able to catch the coach into London without an issue though it took a little bit to find our way from terminal five (which is quite some distance from the rest of the terminals) to the coach station.
It was interesting to see how similar the houses all looked when we were flying in. It seemed very well planned. When we arrived in Central London, at Victoria Coach Station, our hotel was only a short walk from the station . We checked in and left our luggage and proceeded to Lloyds. Unfortunately the bank told me I had to register for an account in Manchester so I'm going to try to take care of that tomorrow.
After that we headed back up Victoria street and stopped at a place called "The Shakespeare" for fish and chips. Have to say its going to take some getting used to. And "tap water" sounds so different with a heavy accent. After several agonizing attempts to figure out if we were supposed to tip or not, we paid and headed back to the hotel.
The next morning we got up, had a spot of tea and then went to the bus station. The bus ride was uneventful but it was filled with Manchester United fans heading to Manchester for the match against Tottenham. We arrived around 2 and took a taxi from the coach station to Angela's dorm and dropped off her luggage and checked in. The guys at the desk made some comment about how it used to be only one bag of luggage and one carry on that students were allowed to bring. Once we figured out where her room was she dropped her luggage and we grabbed a taxi to my place so I could drop my stuff off. It was already getting dark which seems a bit odd but it must be farther north or something so that there is less daylight. My campus is quite a ways south from the main campus so I am trying to move further north.
After we dropped my luggage we decided it was time for a bit of a taste from home and went out and got some Subway. It was interesting to note the differences in menus. There were options that seemed healthier and they did not seem to push the foot long as much as it is in the states. The food nevertheless tasted as good as we'd remembered from home. Afterwards we explored a bit to try and find the accommodation office so I could look into transferring housing as well as just getting a feel for the campus.
After it got a bit later we went for some McDonald's because of the lack of local places to eat close to campus. We were still in a bit of culture shock and it was nice to have something we understood. The cheeseburgers were wonderful and with that I walked Angela back to her dorm.
The first two days were filled with quite a lot. Getting used to which way to look for traffic as well as the side of the sidewalk to walk on is going to take some time. It seems lots of places do not have public restrooms or the ability to give out a cup water. Its also quite interesting to come to the realization that there is absolutely no water fountains anywhere. This makes it a tad difficult to get water some times but we're getting by. The other oddity is trying to figure out the power here. Its also odd not having easy access to the internet everywhere via wifi or over our phones. The first two days were a bit of an experience in isolation from the states without the things we were so used to.
Well here is to the first two days and lots more of learning and opening our eyes to a whole different culture. Cheers mates!
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