As I write this final journal spot from England I have to fight back the tears. It's been an amazing experience and one I will surely never forget.
I can't believe I've been living in Europe for 4 months. The time really did just fly by.
I feel like I've grown so much on this trip. I'm more independent and confident. I feel stronger than ever, and ready to take on new challenges.
I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends back home, but other than that, I'm not ready to depart. If I could pack up my family, friends, (and maybe Taco Bell) and just bring them all to England to live in the castle with me, then everything would be perfect.
Don't get me wrong. I've had my hardships here, too. It hasn't all been cake, living 4,000 miles away from home. But, it's been an experience of empowerment... a journey so amazing and intricate that it can't be described through a random blogspot journal or a highly decorated scrapbook.
No amount of recording will ever do this trip justice. So forever I will keep the experiences, the adventures, and the memories in my mind... replaying them often, as not to forget my life as an American in Europe.
On that final note, a huge "thank you" to everyone who supported me through cards, e-mails and prayers. Your kindness will not be overlooked.
It won't be long 'til we meet again...
Ashley Marie
Friday, April 22, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
How do you make S'mores without graham crackers!? Oh, I'll tell you....
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And so these three finals remain: Bio, Psych & British Studies... the hardest of these is British Studies.
Actually, as far as Final Exams go, I only have Psychology and British Studies left. Saturday morning was the big Biology final. I've been studying for psych today, and I'm just not sure where to begin for British Studies. How do you study 2,000+ years of history?! 72 book chapters!? 28 lectures?! 28 seminars!? other required Shakespeare & Hogarth readings!? not to mention 28 lectures/seminars worth of notes and handouts!? I'm at a loss for how I should go about studying. Most people would say not to worry about it so much, but how can I just brush it off when it's 20% of my grade? (and let me remind you that British Studies is a 6-hour course... so the course grade counts twice!) yikes!
I'm trying not to get too worked up about finals because I really want to enjoy my last week in Britain. Thursday was our last day of classes... we had our graduation convocation and dinner Thursday evening. After all that we went out for a night on the town (Grantham).
This weekend was pretty chill. Last night there was a large bonfire for us, with s'mores and hot dogs. So..... I guess the United Kingdom doesn't believe in Graham Crackers. We couldn't find them at any of the grocery stores in town. We had to settle on something called a "digestive." That's right, a digestive. Sounds delicious doesn't it? A digestive is actually just a type of cookie or "biscuit" here. I don't think "digestives" would do well in the US. Whoever thought the name "digestives" would be a good marketing/advertising strategy must have been on some heavy antibiotics.... that's the only excuse I can think of. And wouldn't you think that a digestive would have added fiber or something? You know, something to make you digest your food quicker. They certainly have only 1 gram of fiber per serving, nothing special. These digestives baffle me! Oh, the British and their strange choice of foods!
Well, I should probably get back to studying for finals... I just uploaded pictures from Spain, Trolley Races, the Bonfire, Bike Race no.2, Grantham Pub Crawl, etc... check 'em out: http://community.webshots.com/user/ashleyhenke
Cheers! Have a pleasant week!
And so these three finals remain: Bio, Psych & British Studies... the hardest of these is British Studies.
Actually, as far as Final Exams go, I only have Psychology and British Studies left. Saturday morning was the big Biology final. I've been studying for psych today, and I'm just not sure where to begin for British Studies. How do you study 2,000+ years of history?! 72 book chapters!? 28 lectures?! 28 seminars!? other required Shakespeare & Hogarth readings!? not to mention 28 lectures/seminars worth of notes and handouts!? I'm at a loss for how I should go about studying. Most people would say not to worry about it so much, but how can I just brush it off when it's 20% of my grade? (and let me remind you that British Studies is a 6-hour course... so the course grade counts twice!) yikes!
I'm trying not to get too worked up about finals because I really want to enjoy my last week in Britain. Thursday was our last day of classes... we had our graduation convocation and dinner Thursday evening. After all that we went out for a night on the town (Grantham).
This weekend was pretty chill. Last night there was a large bonfire for us, with s'mores and hot dogs. So..... I guess the United Kingdom doesn't believe in Graham Crackers. We couldn't find them at any of the grocery stores in town. We had to settle on something called a "digestive." That's right, a digestive. Sounds delicious doesn't it? A digestive is actually just a type of cookie or "biscuit" here. I don't think "digestives" would do well in the US. Whoever thought the name "digestives" would be a good marketing/advertising strategy must have been on some heavy antibiotics.... that's the only excuse I can think of. And wouldn't you think that a digestive would have added fiber or something? You know, something to make you digest your food quicker. They certainly have only 1 gram of fiber per serving, nothing special. These digestives baffle me! Oh, the British and their strange choice of foods!
Well, I should probably get back to studying for finals... I just uploaded pictures from Spain, Trolley Races, the Bonfire, Bike Race no.2, Grantham Pub Crawl, etc... check 'em out: http://community.webshots.com/user/ashleyhenke
Cheers! Have a pleasant week!
Monday, April 11, 2005
Barcelona era gran!
Barcelona was great! Caitlin, Lauren, Dani, Kylie, Erica & I traveled to Spain this weekend. I remember booking this trip online about 2 months ago. We couldn't decide where to go. Someone suggested Spain. Well alright, then where in Spain? The beach sounded great, so why not book a trip to Barcelona, Spain? It all seemed like a good idea back in February. . . We failed to realize that maybe it wouldn't be all that warm in April.
I packed for Spain last week. The majority of my clothing was short-sleeved. I even bought 2 new swimsuits. Barcelona turned out to be in the 50-degree temperature zone. It was comfortable, but it was certainly not warm enough to lay on the beach.
The 6 of us girls stayed at a hostel downtown on Thursday night. Friday we split up and 3 of stayed in a hotel and the other 3 at the Sea Pointe Hostel. Caitlin, Kylie and I bought 2-day passes for the touristy double-decker bus. It was a good investment. We were able to see almost all of the city. Barcelona is known for being the home of the late architect, Gaudi. His works are all over the city, and they are amazing! Also in Barcelona we were able to see where the Olympics (1992) were held, and where the athletes lived.
Caitlin, Kylie & I did a little shopping on a famous street called "La Rambla." We ate lunch one day at Hard Rock. We also went to see the show Cirque du Soleil. It was a bit pricey, but it was well worth it. Amazing!
We flew from Barcelona to London yesterday, and we arrived back at the Manor by about 4 p.m. I spent the entire evening (and night and next morning) working on my British Studies paper that was due today. What a relief to have that done...
but just when you thought it was safe to go outside, BAM! - - you've got 3 finals in the next 9 days.
Hope all is well with you all...
take care. I'm going to bed
I packed for Spain last week. The majority of my clothing was short-sleeved. I even bought 2 new swimsuits. Barcelona turned out to be in the 50-degree temperature zone. It was comfortable, but it was certainly not warm enough to lay on the beach.
The 6 of us girls stayed at a hostel downtown on Thursday night. Friday we split up and 3 of stayed in a hotel and the other 3 at the Sea Pointe Hostel. Caitlin, Kylie and I bought 2-day passes for the touristy double-decker bus. It was a good investment. We were able to see almost all of the city. Barcelona is known for being the home of the late architect, Gaudi. His works are all over the city, and they are amazing! Also in Barcelona we were able to see where the Olympics (1992) were held, and where the athletes lived.
Caitlin, Kylie & I did a little shopping on a famous street called "La Rambla." We ate lunch one day at Hard Rock. We also went to see the show Cirque du Soleil. It was a bit pricey, but it was well worth it. Amazing!
We flew from Barcelona to London yesterday, and we arrived back at the Manor by about 4 p.m. I spent the entire evening (and night and next morning) working on my British Studies paper that was due today. What a relief to have that done...
but just when you thought it was safe to go outside, BAM! - - you've got 3 finals in the next 9 days.
Hope all is well with you all...
take care. I'm going to bed
Saturday, April 02, 2005
And Everyone Was There....
If you weren't there then I'm sorry becuase you missed one heck of a night. In attendance: a cowgirl, a schoolgirl, Wonderwoman, a few goddesses, a serial killer, a banana, a bunch of grapes, a few soldiers, a 1985 prom queen, Santa & Mrs. Clause, a boxer, Charlie's Angels, a witch, some Chinese ladies, Robin Hood, a hula dancer, a reindeer, the British Police, several American & British tourists, Alfalfa, and Peter Pan & the Lost Boys.
Confused?! Don't worry. You just missed the Harlaxton Costume Ball. It was an excuse for all the students and faculty to get dressed up in costumes and have a crazy good time. I went as a cowgirl, and the costumes mentioned above are just some of the various characters who were also present. We had a meal in the Long Gallery served to us, and following dinner was a "disco" in the Great Hall. (also known as a "dance with a DJ") It was a really fun night.
So what have I been up to? Procrastinating mostly. I've got a 10-page British Studies term paper due next week. How long have I known about this paper? Oh, that's right, since the first day of classes in January. Good job, me. I also have a psychology test on Tuesday and a psychology paper due Monday. Needless to say, Lauren and I are pulling a well-known college strategy tonight: it's called an "all-nighter." Not familiar with one of these? Well, it was developed long ago for procrastinators like me... it's where you stay up all night to finish a project, study, etc. It's not all study though. Usually the gaps are filled in with pizza delivery and quick trips to the vending or coke machines.
Wednesday night we had a basketball game. Two games actually... The school finally scheduled an all-girls' game. We played at 7:00 and the boys at 8:30. I can happily say that both teams won. The score of the girls' game was 45-40 and I had 17 points! I was pretty excited.
Today (Saturday) my host family "mum" came to pick Lauren and I up at noon. She took us back to their house where we packed a picnic lunch. Then all 6 of us (Me, Laur, Mum, Dad, and the twins) walked less than a mile to a horse race. It was really neat. Not quite like Ellis Park. There were no bleachers or air-conditioned boxes. All the betting was done manually, no computers. The race track had "obstacles" that the horses had to jump over. It was a really good time.
So, we ate our picnic lunch and we watched the horse races. There was even a small carnival going on. Libby and Harry (the twins) rode a couple rides and played a game. We all had ice cream from a little stand. We also had the chance to meet Henrietta's brother and parents. They had all come out for the races. We had wonderful weather, and I don't think we could have picked a better day.
Lauren and I still get to see Henrietta on Wednesday for our Meet-A-Family-Fest at the Manor, but today was sort of sad. It's probably the last time we'll see David and the twins. :(
On that sad note, I think I'll lock myself in the library now.
Adios, amigos.
p.s. check out pictures from the Costume Ball and the Horse Race : http://community.webshots.com/user/ashleyhenke
Confused?! Don't worry. You just missed the Harlaxton Costume Ball. It was an excuse for all the students and faculty to get dressed up in costumes and have a crazy good time. I went as a cowgirl, and the costumes mentioned above are just some of the various characters who were also present. We had a meal in the Long Gallery served to us, and following dinner was a "disco" in the Great Hall. (also known as a "dance with a DJ") It was a really fun night.
So what have I been up to? Procrastinating mostly. I've got a 10-page British Studies term paper due next week. How long have I known about this paper? Oh, that's right, since the first day of classes in January. Good job, me. I also have a psychology test on Tuesday and a psychology paper due Monday. Needless to say, Lauren and I are pulling a well-known college strategy tonight: it's called an "all-nighter." Not familiar with one of these? Well, it was developed long ago for procrastinators like me... it's where you stay up all night to finish a project, study, etc. It's not all study though. Usually the gaps are filled in with pizza delivery and quick trips to the vending or coke machines.
Wednesday night we had a basketball game. Two games actually... The school finally scheduled an all-girls' game. We played at 7:00 and the boys at 8:30. I can happily say that both teams won. The score of the girls' game was 45-40 and I had 17 points! I was pretty excited.
Today (Saturday) my host family "mum" came to pick Lauren and I up at noon. She took us back to their house where we packed a picnic lunch. Then all 6 of us (Me, Laur, Mum, Dad, and the twins) walked less than a mile to a horse race. It was really neat. Not quite like Ellis Park. There were no bleachers or air-conditioned boxes. All the betting was done manually, no computers. The race track had "obstacles" that the horses had to jump over. It was a really good time.
So, we ate our picnic lunch and we watched the horse races. There was even a small carnival going on. Libby and Harry (the twins) rode a couple rides and played a game. We all had ice cream from a little stand. We also had the chance to meet Henrietta's brother and parents. They had all come out for the races. We had wonderful weather, and I don't think we could have picked a better day.
Lauren and I still get to see Henrietta on Wednesday for our Meet-A-Family-Fest at the Manor, but today was sort of sad. It's probably the last time we'll see David and the twins. :(
On that sad note, I think I'll lock myself in the library now.
Adios, amigos.
p.s. check out pictures from the Costume Ball and the Horse Race : http://community.webshots.com/user/ashleyhenke
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