Withdrawals to the Max

My Family

I had a blast with my family the last two weeks in London. We rode the bus everywhere, which took forever but it was good bonding time. I spent every minute with my family, whether it be my brother, my mom, cousins, grandma and so on. I've learned to be more appreciative and open up more. I got closer to my brother, indefinitely. I drank with him and my cousins, nd then drank with my parents! We visited Brighton with Tuny and my aunt, we visited Tate Modern, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye and Southbank. My cousin's introduced me to Shoreditch and Angel, which are great pub hopping areas. I've had so much fun getting to know Tuny, Tumong, and Tulo. I guess I'll organize my experience a little more tomorrow but at the end of the day, I've had the time of my life.

The Sussex Playlist

Hello- Dragonette
Bounce- Calvin Harris
Motivation- Kelly Rowland
Dirty Talk-Wynter Gordon
Rolling in the Deep- Adele
Barbara Streistan

The four songs that would remind me of sussex, lol. Obviously, I didn't pick up on a lot of songs here.

The Quirks

- I feel like every single cup of coffee I've had in Europe is weak. WEAK COFFEE!
- On that note, coffee with milk is called white coffee
- They like sweetcorn on their pizza
- They have interesting sandwich combinations such as brie and cranberry
- Sometimes, the street lights go from red, yellow, green instead of green, yellow, red so people start driving at yellow
- No toilet seat covers, anywhere
- The mall closes at 6pm, smaller shops start closing at 5pm
- The men in London dress impeccably well
- Bathrooms feel very scarce, especially when you really need to go
- If there is a bathroom, you usually have to walk down a small flight of stairs to get to it
- No tip jars to be found
- Gerkins are pickles!

Je voudrais une crêpe, s'il vous plaît

I just came back from Paris last night and it was so much fun. I'm glad that it met my expectations because Amsterdam failed me, but that will be another post soon. This is the first legitimate post of a trip and I apologize for easing into this blog so late in the game. Anyways, I will start by saying overnight coach rides are the most tiring and uncomfortable way to travel, ever. I've done it to head over to Amsterdam and Edinburgh so I'm glad Paris is my last torturous ride. We left on Friday night and arrived in Paris at 8 in the morning, to the site of the Arc de Triumph. We then wasted no time and proceeded climb the Eiffel Tower immediately. We were only able to climb up to the second story, but that is quite high enough to see the city. Taking the elevators would have taken way too long. Afterward, we made our way to the Avenue de Champs Elyees, one of the most expensive and famous streets to live on. It was a very big road with posh stores and loads of tourists. We ended up finding the famous macaron shop, Laduree, on accident and of course we stopped by and had some macarons. From what I can deduct, they also had a little cafe on one side of the shop and the other was filled with gorgeous, decadent desserts. Expensive albeit, but so pretty to look at! I bought a super big caramel au beurre salé macaron, the size of three for 4 euros and I was a happy camper!

We continued to walk down the Champs Elyees and ran into the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde, and finally the Musee de Louvre. The famous glass ceiling was super surreal and just magnificent. I have visited France before when I was younger, but I don't remember a thing. I was seven! Regardless, I had a stack of postcards that I routinely looked at when I was younger so I always had a hunch as to what it looked like. Over ten years later, I came back to the place that showed me the world! Anyways, by the time we got to the Louvre, I was absolutely exhausted! We were walking for six hours by that time and I couldn't enjoy the museum for the life of me, unfortunately. It was free entrance for students so I don't feel too bad. Then, we visted Notre Dame and took lots of pictures there. It was a very amazing cathedral with breath-taking stained glass windows. After the Louvre, we went to the Musee de Armee, which is where Napoleon was buried but we didn't care that much and just took pictures. We grabbed some dinner afterward and headed to the hotel to take a nap before seeing Paris at night! Honestly, we were all so tired! Christine, JB and I forced ourselves to the train station for a half hour ride into the city to see the famous L'Opera, the Arc de Triumph at night, and le Tour de Eiffel. We saw it twinkle at midnight and it was the perfect way to end our trip to Paris!

The next morning, we visited Chateau du Versailles, which is right outside of Paris. The palace was built for Louis XIV because he thought his Louvre was too small. What a man! It was designed by Andres-Charles Boulle from the palace to the gardens. The gardens was maybe 5 times bigger than the palace itself. I lost interest pretty quickly because I wanted to go to the market down the road. It was so much better than the farmer's market in Irvine, just because everyone spoke french with amazingly fresh ingredients. It was only because we were in France, haha. We definitely did not have enough time at Versailles but that's what you get when you go with a tour group. We ended the trip with a quick stop by Montmarte, which is also outside of Paris where the Moulin Rouge is. We saw the famous cathedral Sacre Coeur and did lots of souvenir shopping since it's cheaper than in the city of Paris. There were so many con men, street vendors and street gamblers at every touristy location. The men who sold cheap Eiffel tower key-chains and figurines were mostly extremely dark black men and the con men in Montmarte were really dark too. I'm not sure what they do but they held a small bracelet in their hands and are really aggressive in approaching you. I was walking up the steps toward Sacre Coeur and one of the men reached for my wrist to do his little trick and whatnot. They are so aggressive and you just have to walk fast and look scared and they won't approach you!

After all of that, we finally headed back to the University of Sussex and I was completely satisfied with my trip to France. I do wish I took more photos but I've always had that problem. Hopefully Christine posts pictures up soon!

It has been so surreal being able to go to so many countries and I have a couple more trips and two weeks to explore London. So far I've lived in England, visited the Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland, and France. I can't wait to visit the last country of the Italy! I swear, I will take a lot more pictures! Overall, it has been fabulous!

Edinburgh brah

I'm back from Scotland this morning and I am so pooped!

Better Explained

Since I can't seem to recollect every emotion I felt these past four weeks, I will try soon. In the meantime, pictures do a good job :) I wish these pictures will post in better quality but I don't know how just yet so click on them if you want to see them clearly!

Revenge Is Sweet

I know, my posting is so incredibly sporadic. Hopefully I can catch up on my experiences tomorrow since I have a free day to study, then get to some regular posting. It's already been three weeks of living in Brighton and Sussex. I must say, the experience is undeniably the best and I am so grateful I'm able to live in England for two and a half months.

The people I've met so far have all been amazing. I've met people from France, Spain, Turkey, Illinois, New York, Miami, Pennsylvania, and of course the UC schools (UCLA and UCI mostly). It's so surreal how studying abroad can bring so many types of people together with one common ground. It allows me to see more without really having to reach too far, if you know what I mean. It has opened my eyes and my mind. I do think that through this experience, I have become so much more open minded about people, places and trying new things. The key phrase that I've truly implemented around here is "I'm so down!"

I went out with Christine's and Laura's friends tonight and now they're my friends! They are so much fun, and they're the group of girls that I've been wanting to go out with, in the general sense. We went to a gay club called Club Revenge at the seafront down the street from Audio and the vibe there is fantastic. I can dance as slutty as I want without having to worry about any guy trying to make a move. The gay guys are so cute and fashionable it makes me so happy to dance and move. The drinks are cheap, admission is cheap, and the fun is practically overflowing. I just wish heels didn't hurt as much. If I haven't said it enough, gay guys are so much fun! There were lesbians, but I think they can tell we weren't, which was a good thing! I'd definitely go back!

One thing I will complain about though; my feet are killing me. I wore my black Madden Girl wedges and boy-oh-boy! They were hard to walk in at first, but then I got the hang of it after walking to Kent to pregame. Once I figured out how to walk in them, they started hurting. Story of my life.

Well, the plan tomorrow is to study chapters 2-6 with flashcards so I can bring them with me when I go to Amsterdam Friday night. Wish me luck! I can't fail physics!

To be honest, physics is not my top priority at the moment. This fact will have to change as soon as possible. And it will.

Where the sunshine at?

Brighton's weather is a little depressing at the moment. Apparently, there will be rain for the rest of the week. That means I have to wear pants for the rest of the week! I need to buy more leggings and tights. I'd rather feel cold and cute than uncomfortable D:

I'm staying in today due to the unfortunate midterm that is coming up. As you can tell from my excessive blogging, I am indeed procrastinating. I swear I'm getting started now! More stories to come once this god forsaken midterm is over with!

How Much I've Spent

I haven't exactly kept track of my spending very well, but I am aware of how much I've pulled form the ATM.

First week: £162
Second week: £200 and another £200
TOTAL: £562

Purchases I remember:
£50.00 Physics book
£53.00 Groceries
£70.00 London trip (roughly)
£20.00 Sim card
£130 Paris Discovery Tour trip
+£12.00 from Harrison for Ice Bar
TOTAL: £323

What I have in my wallet: £92
According to my calculations, I spent £147 on miscellaneous things, like alcohol, going out to eat, and bus passes. I've spent a good amount of money at East Slope Bar and random clubs haha. I also charged £32 on my car for Sussex clothes for my brother and I.

Money I will get:
£12 From Christine, Ice Bar
£20 Selling Countryside Tour ticket
£85 Selling Brussels ticket
£35 Selling Cambridge ticket
Total: £152

Money I owe:
£250 Italy ticket
£125 Amsterdam tour ticket
Total: £375

Trips I can't not buy:
£125 Paris
£125 Amsterdam
£250 Italy
Total: £500

Not to mention, I also have to pay a credit card bill of about $300. My goal was to keep my spending to £200, and I think so far it's okay, minus the book that I bought and the tour tickets. If I pull out another £130 for this week, I'll be on budget. If I can live off of my £92 for the rest of the week, I'll be under budget! Actually, I hope I can live of my £92 for the rest of this week. It's only the second week! Hopefully, once we finish planning our trips for the rest of the summer, I can't keep track of my £200 every week. Maybe if I'm a little more ambitious, I'll reduce my spending to £150.

Grand total (money pulled out from ATM and trips I have yet to pay for - money owed to me): £785 = $1256

Catch Up Time!

Alright, it's about two weeks of not really updating on anything. I know I will resent myself enormously if I don't at least try to remember all the stuff I did between arrival and now. I will break up my experiences into sections so I won't confuse myself. I can't go in chronological order anymore cause I don't remember lol.

School: It is so hard for me. We go through 2-3 chapters a day and lecture doesn't really help. We have a set of problems due each week. The first one we had, I procrastinated on, stupidly. We have two labs a week, and we turn in two labs during the week. Harrison calculated that we have 16 hours of class each week, with lecture, labs and workshop. To be honest, I should be studying right now because I have a quiz/midterm on Tuesday but you know me. I'm stupid! I need to manage my time a little better so I can have more fun. Work hard, play hard! I'm currently working on them both. I swear, I will figure it out and make it a habit by the time I get back to Irvine. I hope. I really really hope.

Friends: When I first got here, I wanted a big group of friends to go out with. I think that's always been my expectation since college started because back in high school, I had that nice security of always having a big group to hang out with and almost protect me from the rest of the world. I might be exaggerating but it was a lot of fun to have big group hang outs and be around a bunch of people I felt comfortable with. I realized it's very difficult to round up a bunch of people immediately so

Update July 28th: I don't know where I was headed with this, but I'll post what I have anyways lol.

Spontaneous

Fun ass night with Clara Park at Audio!

Finally Here!

After about one year of preparing for this trip, mentally and paperwork-ly, I finally made it here! My flight was on July 2 at 5:35pm on Virgin Atlantic. That morning I was so nervous, I had the worse case of runs. I've never been that nervous before, but it was a very different kind of nervous. I was pushing away my worried thoughts and I didn't really let it simmer into me, but no matter how hard I was working against my thoughts, my body had the best of me. I was a little cranky though, considering my slightly uncontrolled bowel movements. I finally calmed down when I got to the airport because it was complete chaos. The were lines going in every direction and I really couldn't miss my flight. J.B. and Harrison had done that already and I didn't have the luxury of another day to solve my problems! Anyways, I eventually got through check-in (with overweight baggage btw) and waved farewell to my family. I felt my stomach clench a little as I realized I was flying alone, without a familiar face by my side. Surprisingly, I didn't cry! I managed to convert some money and head to the restroom before boarding. I will tell you, it was all so incredibly surreal. When I boarded, I originally sat next to a Pakistan woman whose husband was sitting a section back from where we were sitting. I had agreed to switch as long as it was an aisle seat. Well, there was an aisle seat but it was next to the bathroom. I did not pay $1600 to sit next to the bathroom. So I declined and she ended up asking the man sitting next to her husband. He agreed to switch and he sat right next to me for the rest of the flight! He was a very tall and handsome 29 year old Englishman named Ed, Edward. I wish I was a little more outgoing, but I tried my best to help the conversation going. He had a lot to share with me and I had questions I wanted answers to.

I found out that he traveled all throughout Europe, he's been to the states and he taught in South Africa for a year. I can't help but feel so young and naive against his backdrop of culture, experience and stories. I can only hope that I can gain as much wisdom and passion in life as him. To be honest, he created this amazing picture in my head of who Englishmen are and how carefree they can be. Yet again, it could be just him. He was an awesome person to sit next to and I wouldn't have it any other way.

When I arrived at the airport, I was nauseous beyond belief! I got instantly better the moment I stepped foot off the plane though. Going through customs was a breeze and getting baggage was very quick also. Lugging my luggage to the bus station around terminal 1 and 3 was a pain! I was sweating up a storm trying to pull that thing. I met two girls from UCLA while I was trying to figure out where I was going. I think their names were Sam and Sandra, but that's not important anymore because I haven't talked to them since I got to Sussex.

Update, July 17: So I'll try my hardest to pick up on where I left off two weeks ago. I actually ran into Sandra recently so hopefully we can go out! Anyways, we eventually ended up on the National Coach to Brighton from the bus station in the airport. I had already bought my coach ticket to get to Brighton but Sandra and Sam didn't so they had to ride an hour after my departure. I did sit alone on the bus because I had no friends at the time, lol. I was starving the moment I got off the plane, so getting on the bus for a 2 hour trip was super sickening. Thank goodness I didn't sit next to anyone because I would have to talk to them and that would have made me feel even worse considering sleeping was a much better choice. When we finally got to the Pool Valley stop in Brighton, I hung out with Lisa Do, her friend David and Jaspreet. We had a little time to explore the pier before the school's shuttle service picked us up. It was fun but I was definitely tired. After exploring, we got back to the bus stop and waited some more. Another bus pulled up and J.B. and Harrison walked out! I was extremely ecstatic to see a familiar face. We caught up for a bit before we got on the shuttle to head over to Sussex. They dropped us off in front of the Lancaster house, so we had to walk over to York house to pick up our packets and keys. Afterwards, J.B. and I headed over to Park Village to pick up our keys and drop off our stuff. I lived in house 19 and J.b. lived two house down, house 15. They moment I walked in, I saw a girl named Laura from Spain and she offered to help me drag my suitcase up a flight of stairs. We then met up with Harrison and J.B. to the BBQ. I had my first legal drink, Stella Artois with a burger! We sat with a bunch of girls in a circle on the grass, munching on lunch. After lunch/dinner, I don't really remember what we did. Oh, right! We tried to get internet. I desperately need to tell my mom I arrived safely but I couldn't without internet. I forgot my username and password at that, so I couldn't sign into the computers. Thankfully, J.B. knew his so I was able to facebook my brother and give him an update. I also met my next door neighbor, Christine, who also went to UCI and that night we went to the York house to pick up her lost luggage haha. We also spoke to an RA for York house and his name was Tan. Yes, he was Indian, and he had a crooked nose, haha. But, I'll admit, I have a thing for Indian guys! (Especially when they have an accent. This is foreshadowing by the way.) I think that was the jist of my first day. Everything was so new, surreal and different. I tried to put myself out there and talk to people. I did for the most part and I knew I really wanted to milk every experience I can get while I'm here.

Brighton and Hove

The city of Brighton and Hove is apparently a hop, skip, jump away from school and it's where all the food is. I think I'll be hanging around there quite often.

Aside from just food, there's lots of shops and pubs around the area, with the beach and pier within our reach. Brighton is a very popular tourist destination for people who want to take a quick weekend trip, as it is nicknamed "London-by-the-Sea". Because of this fact, I figured there would be a website that would dish out everything about Brighton and dish out it did!

Update, July 28: I haven't gone out to Brighton as much as I hoped unfortunately. It's been a month and I haven't exactly gone sightseeing in my own town! Of course, it's a 30 minute bus ride to town, but it is so very worth it. At this point, I really want to go shopping around the North Laines, which is supposedly a vintage flea market kind of area. Then I need to go to Churchill Square where the mall is. I definitely need to hit up West Street, Heist Bar, and the little characteristic streets that make this city so wonderful! One more month to make it worth it!

Deciphering My Destination

University of Sussex
Falmer
Brighton
East Sussex BN1 9RF
United Kingdom

I never completely understood how the entire region of the UK was sectioned off in terms of country, city, state or county, to be quite honest. Since I'll be chillin' in the UK for two and a half months, I figured it might be a good idea to brush up on it. In the address for my university, there are three names that all sound like the city the university is in but only one of them can be it, right? Right. (I bolded these names in the address above to prove to you my confusion.) So, I wikipedia-ed the hell out of the names and thankfully I figured out where I'm headed!

Let's start big. The United Kingdom entails the countries of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
In England, there are nine official regions consisting of the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East, South East, South West and London. I will be in the South East region of England, within the United Kingdom. I hope you're following so far!

England is also partitioned into 48 ceremonial counties with their own Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff. These officers represent the British monarchy on a local level. England is also separated into 83 metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties and is used for the purposes of local government, the county council. These counties are then made up of several districts with its own district council government. The two types of counties mentioned have overlapping named counties but in terms of the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties, there are also smaller unitary authority districts which makes up the rest of the 83 counties. Unitary authority districts pertain to large towns or smaller districts with only one local authority, which combines county and district council rather than the typical form of local government where there is a separate county council and district council. This merely makes local government more practical for smaller regions. You got me?

Alright, so I'm headed to the University of Sussex in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex. The very popular tourist city of Brighton and Hove is where I expect to spent most of my time, since it's super close to my university. Brighton and Hove is considered to be a unitary authority district because it's extremely small compared to it's neighbors East and West Sussex. If you look at the map, you'll see that Brighton and Hove is squished between these two districts. Brighton and Hove is also a city in the South East region of England. The only thing is, a city in England does not have the same connotation as a city in North America. City status in the UK is granted by the British monarch and there is a lot of prestige to be had when a community is named a city. The modern day criteria of granting "city-ship" would require the region to be first rank in population, size, and importance with it's own distinctive personality, if you will. Anyways, Brighton and Hove became a city along with several others in 2000 as a celebration for the new millennium. Back in the 1500s, city status was only granted to communities with a cathedral, but now that's not necessary. I don't really know how to convey how big it is to be granted city status so I'll just say it's a pretty big deal. Wiki it if you don't believe me!

Anywho, these counties are made up of smaller districts, which would be made up of even smaller villages. That is where Falmer comes in. Falmer is a small village in between Brighton and the Lewes District in East Sussex. So, the University of Sussex lies in this area of Falmer in the Lewes District in East Sussex County in the South East Region of England. I'm not quite sure why Brighton is in the address if it's not technically in the district but I guess I don't really need to understand everything. This is the best I can do and I will leave it at that.

This is where it begins

I've decided to document my trip to the UK and Europe through this blog, so hopefully in the future I can look back and reminisce a little easier. I'm usually not a very good blogger as a result of my very lacking writing skills and the unfortunate trait of procrastinating incessantly. I hope I can keep up with this blog because I know it will definitely be worthwhile. I know pictures make everything more fun so I'll try to throw those in every once in awhile also. Adding in pictures is the hardest part for me, just a heads up!

Anyways, I have about 11 days before I embark on the craziest and most absurd journey I've yet to put myself on. Way back in high school, I remember seeing Facebook pictures of Chau's sister going to Sussex and I thought, "I could never do that. How could I leave home, my family and my friends for two months?! The entire summer!" Yeah, you bet I'm surprised looking at myself now! It's gotten so surreal and unbelievable. I am a jumble of nervousness, excitement and eagerness and I can't wait to meet new people and see more of everything. I'm ready to leave everything here and run away for a bit. I'm ready to walk into new territory.

Thinking back though, I would have never been able to make this decision to study abroad. Even worse, if I remained the person I was more than a year ago, I wouldn't have gone at all.

Well, there's plenty to prepare before I leave on July 2nd so I'll definitely chronicle the nuts and bolts as well as everything after :)