The First Few Weeks

So I have been very busy and have not been able to write much. Pretty much the last week if I was not traveling I was either out on the town or sleeping. So here is a little bit of what \i have done this week to catch everyone up.

Rome
I went to Rome, Italy to visit my cousin Brent the first weekend I had off and it was amazing. I had been to Rome 7 years ago so I was excited to go back. I got there a little bit before noon on Saturday. Brent picked me up and showed me around where he lives. We got pastries for breakfast and then realized that we should also get lunch. I told Brent I wanted pasta so he took me to this very old school Italian restaurant. Within two minutes of ordering we had pasta in front of us. While there I also got the lamb for a second course which was very good. Then me and Brent went around town we where I bought pasta. Now not just normal pasta, a spiral type of pasta I would never be able to find back home, pasta the color of the Italian flag and chocolate pasta... yes chocolate! All I can say is I cant wait to go back home and try it. After that we went to some places around Rome and then went to the bar Brent is a regular at called The Abby. I met some of his friends and we also got gelato.  Around 8 we went to go on a walking tour with one of his friends. We saw a lot of interesting places in Rome including The Spanish Steps and The Treve Fountain. Then me and Brent got food, went back to the bar for about an hour, waited for the tram for about another hour and then crashed. The next day since I did not have much time before my flight we got lunch. I had pasta with clams, it was very good. And then went to see some of Brents students that I have met. It was a really amazing weekend and I had so much fun spending time with my cousin.

Me and Brent's Pasta for Lunch

The Avengers
Its not really a story but I just want to say that I saw it in this little tiny theater in Granthm oh and the movie is awesome and everyone should see it. I went on Monday with some of my classmates and we all had a blast.

The Bistro
On Tuesday we all went down to the Bistro which was so much fun and great bonding. The Bistro is on Harlexton  campus and its pretty much the bar here. One of the groups that was visiting we became really close to, especially this guy named Daren. On Tuesday it was his birthday and we celebrated with him. We all had an amazing night that ended with me getting very close with everyone and getting my butt kicked in Foosball.

Stratford Upon Avon
On Wednesday we took a trip to Stratford to go see The Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. We spent the whole day in Statford. First we made a stop at a cathedral that was beautiful. It had a spiral staircase up to the top that was very narrow and scary but we all climbed up, and the view was worth it. After the cathedral we saw where Shakespeare was born, his grave sight, and the church he was baptized in. I also got some very nice presents. We then ate lunch and walked around Stratford which does not have to much to do. Eventually we saw the play which was amazing! Seriously it was so good, funny, and a little bit disturbing at some points of time. That night I stayed up all night with Brittney working on our speeches and having some amazing conversations. Oh and I also got attacked my a ginormous bee.

Ben's Birthday

Becca, Brittney, Daren, Erica and myself celebrating at The Bistro

On Thursday was Ben's 20th birthday and all 13 of us went out. We first went to The Goose at the Bank and stayed for about an hour, we then went from pub to pub. The guys trying to figure out where the best deals were at. We then after about two hours ended up back at the Goose until closing. While there I had some great conversations with Brittney and Patrick. We then ended up going to a club called Gravity and had a great night just dancing. The night ended with me, Patrick, both Kyle's and Daren sitting on the floor talking and eating pizza for about an hour.

Edinburgh,Scotland
 On Friday we all got on a train and headed to Scotland for the next few days. Scotland was much colder then England and very very wet. This whole weekend we mostly had free and did not know exactly what to do. On Friday after watching some of my classmates play on a park in the rain we got dry and went on a ghost tour. Now the tour guide told us that not only does someone jump out at you at one point but it also gets completely dark at one point of time, I was not very excited. However the tour was really great with awesome stories and only one main scary part. After the tour we all went to McDonald's, which I had not had since I went to England, and then slept. The next day, Saturday, we went on a tour to the Edinburgh Castle. The Castle was beautiful but it was so big, we did not have a group tour kinda just see what you wanna see which was nice but I kinda wish there would have been some structure. After walking around for about two hours in the castle and seeing the crown jewels me and Cori ( my roommate) walk around Edinburgh and did some shopping. Later that night we tried to go out however everything in Edinburgh closes around 11 which we were not aware of so we all just went back to the hotel and hung out there. On Sunday me, Cori, Brad, Krissy and Becca went to the extinct volcano and climbed up it, however only me and Cori made it to the top. It was amazing, but windy. Somehow me and Cori did not get blown off. The view however was spectacular and me and Cori became very close from that experience. That night everyone went out and had lots of fun. We ended the night at a club called Frankenstein, it was the coolest thing I had ever been to and both me and Kyle sang karaoke. Then on Monday we headed back on a train and ended up back in Harlexton where we just got together, ordered pizza and watched Fired Up.

Also on another note we have mostly everything planned out for Paris for Saturday so more details to come. Also I will try to blog more but hopefully this was a good one for missing a while weeks worth.

Love,

Rachel Marie  

Day Two

Day two on the trip was lots of fun. I woke up at 7:15am and got breakfast, it was odd because I can't ever remember the last time I woke up that early, or ate breakfast. The food here is pretty good, we had waffles and we sat around for an hour and talked. I then got ready to go to class and we had our first day. There are 8 students in my class, most are theater majors but some are taking the class just for fun like me. After class was done at 11:30am we had lunch and got ready to go into Granthm. Today's weather was not very great. It was very cold and rained. One of the girls on the trip, let me borrow her jacket cause I did not bring one. We walked around Granthm. We found the birth place of Margret Thatcher who apperently was the first woman prime minister in England, we then went into the cathedral in Granthm, and then found the grimmer school Sir Isaac Newton attended. We then stopped at a pub called The Goose at the bank. It was a smokeless pub which was nice. It was about 7 of us and we stayed and chatted. We then got some water and other things we needed on the trip and headed back to Harlexton. Once back we had dinner and then I fell asleep for two hours while everyone else went on a tour of the castle. I'm a little upset I missed it but it's okay. I was woken up and we all learned about each other. Seeing as how there is only 13 of us and 2 teachersit was not that hard. Then me and four other student went out on the town. We ending up pub crawling. We went back to the Goose but found out it closed at 11, then went to this club called gravity for about an hour, and then the late lounge. I had lots of fun and got the rest of the group to dance at one point. We all talked and got to know each other more. The clubs in England do seem a lot nicer and some things they have are really cool. Like there liquor is on tap, which as a bartender I found fascinating. And the different types of beers they have are really awesome. One guy got one beer that looked like the color of a pumpkin. After the clubs we got pizza, got a taxi and came back. Tomorrow I go to London to stay the night there and then fly out on Saturday to go to Rome. I am very nervous about taking the train. But I think I can do it. Will keep you updated.

-Rachel

P.S. Sorry there are no pictures yet, I'm working on it.

Day One!

We got into London a little after 8am which is 3am in Florida if I'm not mistaken. We stayed at the airport for about an hour in a half waiting for our bus. Then it was a 3 hour long bus ride to Harlexton Manor. Sadly however I slept on the plane so was not able to sleep on the bus. Once when we got to Harlexton we ate lunch and then went to our rooms. I have three roommates becca, krissy, and cori. We all have our own desk area too. Our room is nice but apperently the other girls room is better but I'm not complaining. Oh also we are on the fifth floor and the elevator reminds me of the one in Rocky Horror Picture Show. So we mostly walk up and down, by the fourth floor your legs really start to hurt. After we got into our rooms and searched for about 10 minutes to find the showers by opening probs 20 different doors and going up and down stairways we were off I to town. We went to Granthm, it is a very tiny town but it is nice. I exchanged some money and then just walked on my own. While I was walking I found the movie theater where The Avengers are playing and me and three other student on this trip are going tomorrow with me to see it :) I walked around by myself for about an hour. I have realized that not many people here smile and it is a little odd. However walking around was so amazing, it was like every corner was a new adventure. I didn't get to see to much because we only had an hour and a half but I will be exploring lots more. Then we got back, had our orientation meeting where all the girls on the trip got lost...figures. And then went to dinner. I then explored the Manor a little bit more. It really is amazing (pictures will be coming soon). However now it is almost 7 and I am very very sleepy. I am going to try to stay up an hour or two more and then pass out. Tomorrow is the first day of classes where I have my Shakespeare class at 9:45, oh and breakfast for us is between 7:30 and 8:30 so I am going to have to learn how to be a morning person. That's all for today, will be updating ( least trying to update) everyday.

Love,
Rachel Marie

Today Is The Day!!!

I am less then 2 hours away from leaving FSC and going to the airport. I am so excited! I could hardly sleep last night. Next time you hear from me I will be in England!