On Tuesday August 12th, I left in the morning with my parents and traveled six hours up to Atlanta where I boarded my direct flight to Manchester. The 8 hour flight was pretty smooth however, I was exhausted as it is nearly impossible for me to sleep while on board. Anyway, after going through customs (I made it!) and getting my luggage, I made my way over to the shuttle station and met some of the other people in my program. It was really nice to finally get to know the others as we waited for the shuttle to arrive. While I was tempted to fall asleep on the shuttle, I couldn't resist taking in the beautiful scenery of North West England. There are so many beautiful open fields and pastures which made me feel even more confident in my decision to study abroad in Lancaster.
When we arrived on campus, I was very happy at how inviting the campus seemed. I dragged my luggage up to my room in County College and was pleased to discover that the rooms are quite spacious and clean. Jet lagged and very hungry, a few of us decided to eat at a local restaurant on campus. Since I had been told that the meat is questionable outside the US, I opted for the chicken which I had thought were chicken strips but in fact were actual whole chickens! (whoops, first mistake).
Later that evening, once we were all settled in, we decided to take a taxi and explore the city of Lancaster. Despite being awake for about 30 hours straight, I couldn't resist the opportunity! We all wound up bar hopping for a few hours but headed back somewhat early to rest.
The following day, we had a welcome introduction in Bowland which consisted of registering at the University as well as receiving our library cards. After this, we proceeded to have a short campus tour followed by an Afternoon Tea at a quaint shop about a mile outside the University. Our program director lead the group and we walked from the University to have our tea. The tea was accompanied by several treats such as scones, biscuits with cream and jam, and multi-colored macaroons (which were delicious!) That evening, most of the group decided to stay in and get to know each other in the common room which is down the hall from our single rooms.
On Friday, August 15th, we met at the underpass at 10:00am to have a brief tour of Lancaster's Town Centre. I loved getting another opportunity to see more of the city which has so much history. We were also given free time to eat and shop around for last minute items such as towels, shower caddies, converters and, for me personally, a much needed hair dryer (mine blew out the first day). Once we returned to campus, our program offered a Welcome Reception at the Bowland Bar which offered free wine and chips (sounds awesome, right?). This gave the group a chance to meet the tutors who will be leading our seminars.
Later that night, most of us decided to take advantage of the lower drinking age and we checked out the bar/club scene in Lancaster. We went to a club named Revolution which offered 2 for 1 drinks until 12 pm and most of us couldn't resist haha. It was a such a fun time and great way to celebrate our arrival.
Since the program gave us the weekend off to get adjusted, on Saturday we decided to watch the Manchester United season opener at a Sports Bar on campus in Fylde College. The food was great and watching the game was pretty enjoyable. Once the game finished, we went back to our rooms to get ready to take the bus to a Beer Festival by the shore in Morecambe. The festival took place in a historic old fashioned theatre where apparently many British actors in the theatre industry received their start. For 11 pounds we received 2 sheets of paper which roughly gave you 1 1/2 pints of beer. The festival offered a range of beers as well as wine and cider which we all sampled. Funny side note: (While we were sampling the drinks, a local guy came up to me and gave me 5 more sheets which meant my friends and I could have more drinks). After the festival, we popped into a pub where I had some classic (and always delicious) fish and chips.
Later that evening, my friends and I decided to head back to Revolution and then continue onward to a nightclub called Hustle, which we had heard is pretty popular in town. Both clubs offered great deals and we all danced the night away.
And finally we come to Sunday! Yay! Which meant actually doing our assignments for our first class tomorrow. Today was a relaxing day and I headed to the library to complete my reading and catch up on my blog. I'm excited for what this week has to offer! Thanks for reading! I'll be sure to keep everyone posted :)
Below are some pictures from the last few days!
xoxo
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