Welcome back readers!
Well another week has come and gone and your girl here is starting to finally get into a routine. The picture above shows the library which I think is appropriate considering that this past week was midterm week, which means I am quarter done with my physics program. It's really quite crazy when you think about it. Things move very quickly over here and like I was saying this past week I think I finally figured everything out. I have seen all of campus and began cooking my own meals (although I don't know if you can call just rice a meal). I had a midterm and figured out exactly how the bus and train systems work. I've hand-washed clothes in my sink and used steam from the shower to iron my clothes. To say I feel like an adult is an understatement. Seriously, I feel like I should be working on my taxes and paying a mortgage. And I think that is one of the greatest things that happens when you are abroad. You are completely independent and on your own, even more so than when you go off to college. The best example of this for me is that since I have been here I have learned to read maps. Fun fact about myself: I have a terrible sense of direction and can get lost very easily. But Brighton does a great job of putting maps on almost every corner, and because I do not have unlimited data and cannot just look up directions up on my phone, I have been forced to learn how to read maps and remember general directions. And that is just one example. Studying abroad is filled with many maturing experiences, but I'll stop there so as not to bore you.
So anyways, as this second week draws to a close I thought I would give you a run through of a normal day here at Sussex. Class begins here at 9am. This means that I usually wake up anywhere from 8:15-8:35 to get ready, maybe eat a quick breakfast, and then leave for class at 8:45. I have lecture in the morning, but schedules can differ and some people have workshop or lab in the morning. Lecture goes until 10:30 at which time I make my way over the coffee shop and grab some caffeine to really wake me up.
Because of the way my schedule is set up, I then have a four hour break in between classes which I usually spend in the library preparing for that second class. Like I said in my previous post, workshop and labs alternate days. So on Mondays and Wednesdays I have workshop from 3-5 and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have lab from 3-6. This break between classes allows me to study for the quizzes that happen before each workshop or prepare for the lab I have that day.
After my second class I head home for some much needed down time before dinner. My friends and I usually start dinner around 6:30. Let me tell you that having friends that enjoy cooking has been a blessing. Don't get me wrong I can cook, but if someone wants to cook who am I to take that away from them. And I do help it is just usually in the form of doing the dishes.
This week because I had a midterm much of my time after dinner was spent studying (something I am sure my parents are happy to hear). I usually study either in my room when I need to really focus and crank out some work or at the study center across the street from my dorm when I am feeling more of a group study environment. I end the night with a short Netflix episode (currently watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and would highly recommend). And that's a typical day Sussex.
Now weekends are little different. I wouldn't say that there is a normal weekend. Because Sussex is so close to London and the rest of Europe, a lot of kids travel on the weekends. But people also stay on campus because there is a lot to do here as well, just this weekend there was an arts fair on campus along with a 5K mud run to raise money for breast cancer research. So whether you travel or you stay there is always something for you to do.
This weekend I stayed in Brighton and I am very glad I did. Weekends in Brighton are a lot of fun, especially when the weather is nice. Everyone is out and about so you really get a feel for the city. This weekend especially was fun because the Euro Cup was happening. And even though England was out, you walk down the street and every pub is packed with people watching the games. Saturday night I caught the Italy v Germany game and it was quite the experience. Everyone was yelling and cheering, and when Germany finally won after several rounds of penalty kicks it was quite the scene. Let's just say that if you were rooting for Germany, you were in the minority. But like I said, everyone is outside walking around, restaurants block off streets so that they can have seating outside, and markets are everywhere.
Well another week has come and gone and your girl here is starting to finally get into a routine. The picture above shows the library which I think is appropriate considering that this past week was midterm week, which means I am quarter done with my physics program. It's really quite crazy when you think about it. Things move very quickly over here and like I was saying this past week I think I finally figured everything out. I have seen all of campus and began cooking my own meals (although I don't know if you can call just rice a meal). I had a midterm and figured out exactly how the bus and train systems work. I've hand-washed clothes in my sink and used steam from the shower to iron my clothes. To say I feel like an adult is an understatement. Seriously, I feel like I should be working on my taxes and paying a mortgage. And I think that is one of the greatest things that happens when you are abroad. You are completely independent and on your own, even more so than when you go off to college. The best example of this for me is that since I have been here I have learned to read maps. Fun fact about myself: I have a terrible sense of direction and can get lost very easily. But Brighton does a great job of putting maps on almost every corner, and because I do not have unlimited data and cannot just look up directions up on my phone, I have been forced to learn how to read maps and remember general directions. And that is just one example. Studying abroad is filled with many maturing experiences, but I'll stop there so as not to bore you.
So anyways, as this second week draws to a close I thought I would give you a run through of a normal day here at Sussex. Class begins here at 9am. This means that I usually wake up anywhere from 8:15-8:35 to get ready, maybe eat a quick breakfast, and then leave for class at 8:45. I have lecture in the morning, but schedules can differ and some people have workshop or lab in the morning. Lecture goes until 10:30 at which time I make my way over the coffee shop and grab some caffeine to really wake me up.
Because of the way my schedule is set up, I then have a four hour break in between classes which I usually spend in the library preparing for that second class. Like I said in my previous post, workshop and labs alternate days. So on Mondays and Wednesdays I have workshop from 3-5 and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have lab from 3-6. This break between classes allows me to study for the quizzes that happen before each workshop or prepare for the lab I have that day.
After my second class I head home for some much needed down time before dinner. My friends and I usually start dinner around 6:30. Let me tell you that having friends that enjoy cooking has been a blessing. Don't get me wrong I can cook, but if someone wants to cook who am I to take that away from them. And I do help it is just usually in the form of doing the dishes.
This week because I had a midterm much of my time after dinner was spent studying (something I am sure my parents are happy to hear). I usually study either in my room when I need to really focus and crank out some work or at the study center across the street from my dorm when I am feeling more of a group study environment. I end the night with a short Netflix episode (currently watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and would highly recommend). And that's a typical day Sussex.
Now weekends are little different. I wouldn't say that there is a normal weekend. Because Sussex is so close to London and the rest of Europe, a lot of kids travel on the weekends. But people also stay on campus because there is a lot to do here as well, just this weekend there was an arts fair on campus along with a 5K mud run to raise money for breast cancer research. So whether you travel or you stay there is always something for you to do.
This weekend I stayed in Brighton and I am very glad I did. Weekends in Brighton are a lot of fun, especially when the weather is nice. Everyone is out and about so you really get a feel for the city. This weekend especially was fun because the Euro Cup was happening. And even though England was out, you walk down the street and every pub is packed with people watching the games. Saturday night I caught the Italy v Germany game and it was quite the experience. Everyone was yelling and cheering, and when Germany finally won after several rounds of penalty kicks it was quite the scene. Let's just say that if you were rooting for Germany, you were in the minority. But like I said, everyone is outside walking around, restaurants block off streets so that they can have seating outside, and markets are everywhere.
This weekend I explored the antique and craft fairs. There is everything you can imagine from Native American jewelry and old records, to antique dolls and teapots. It was here that I bought my first souvenirs: a small airplane ring and a journal. You definitely feel like a local wandering up and down the streets. Also in the center of the city is the Brighton Dome and it surrounded by a park. When I walked by this weekend, there was a full band playing, and the park was packed. Everyone was having picnics and basking in the sun while the band played for hours.
This week was a stressful, although when isn't midterms season stressful. But I made it through and it made the weekend that much better. I can't wait to see what else I learn and experience in the upcoming week. Stay tuned!
Oh and Happy Fourth!
Veronica
This week was a stressful, although when isn't midterms season stressful. But I made it through and it made the weekend that much better. I can't wait to see what else I learn and experience in the upcoming week. Stay tuned!
Oh and Happy Fourth!
Veronica