Im home.

so come visit me
now

Im updating more frequently these past few weeks that I have all semester!

I got back from London sunday, we had a lovely time.
I really enjoyed Camden Market
it was full of stands selling jewlery and hippie clothes
and it was all bright colors and very punk rock
I think I heard about three different stores blasting Iggy Pop

We saw AvenueQ our first night there
Such a great show!
It was funny to hear all those brits with American accents
most of them were pretty good, but the guy who played Princeton and Ron kept slipping
still wonderful though

The weather was perfection,
which was good because we walked everywhere, didnt take the tube once
I actually got sun and, of course, many more freckles

I loved hanging out with Dan and his brother
they are so great and they have so much fun together
but now I just want to hang out with MY brothers

I leave for manchester tomarow
and thursday I am heading out at 6 15 (youch) to catch a train to the airport
plane leaves around 9 40
and ill be back around noon

i cant believe im already heading back
I cant believe its over
and at the same time, i just need to be home.

my internship starts sunday
so there isnt really a break
at all.
but that ok.


hope youre doing well
hope you can tell me about it in person soon.

love you all!!!

<3M

The sun is OUT!

I really dont do this enough, sorry.

So all my Finals stuff is turned in and done
I got a 69/ 70 in my improv class:)

and my friends have started leaving, which is sad
yes, I cried
yes, Im ashamed.
lets move on.

Tomarow Im going back to London
my friend Dan and his brother are going and they invited me to join
we're going to go for two nights, we want to see Avenue Q and hopefully something else as well
It was very spur of the moment, and I shouldnt spend the money
but how often can u just decided to go to London for a couple days???

And Im back in the states in 8 days
Ill miss the Uk
but now that so many people are leaving,
I just want to get home
I am in need of many hugs (and some panera)

so thats about it
life is good and sad at the same time(yes, very emo. sorry. shut up.)

love you!!!

xxx
m

So everyday Ive basically been geting up, going to the gym, going to the computer lab or the library to do work,and then seeing freinds at night

I have roughs of both of my 3500-word- papers done
I just need to get them edited and sorted out
also, last wednesday I did improv in front of an audience for the first time
and i was terrified
but my friends all really liked it, which made me very happy

I want this work to just be done now
and im wishing I could just be home already
esspecially because my friends leave a week before I do
so my last days here are going to be pretty boring

but thats ok
I am strong.


I miss you all very much.

see you soon :)

<3M

The land of wooden shoes and magic shrooms

Clearly, I was in need of an Amsterdam Update!

We left friday and slept in the airport again (which I hope Never to do again)
We got to Amsterdam early saturday morning and went to a tourist center to get a map and try to find directions to our hostel. After waiting for about 45 minuets we got the info we needed and headed off.
Our hostel was pretty much a peice of crap, we were in a room with 3 bunk beds and the others were full of strangers, including a creepy old guy. So we took a nap and then went out to explore and get some dinner. We went to one bar, but it was overpriced and not that exciting so we headed back to the bar in the hostel which was full of football and rugby players. However, we only met their creepy old coach so we decided to go to bed early.

The next day we walked to the Rembrant museum, it was really incredible because it was also his house, which they had re-created it using his paintings and writings. I loved his room of art artifacts that he had collected- it had Greek statues, ancient globes, and even dried aligators and turtle shells. It had an amazing collection of his etching as well as paintings of his, his close friends, and people who had inspired him. Then we walked to the Van Gough museum, detouring along the way for a capaccino. Also a really wonderful museum showing his progression as an artist. You could look at a painting and tell whether he was depressed when he painted it. I was really happy with out day of art. Then we went back to the hostel to rest a bit then headed back out for dinner and to go to Bourbon Street, a blues club we had read about. We met the lead singer/guitarist outside before the doors opened and felt incredibly cool when he and the drummer kept comming to our table nto talk during their breaks. He was Such an amazing guitarist, we were all very impressed. Of course we made sure to get up and dance before the doors closed.

The next day Sarah had booked herself a bike tour, I of course declined to join her, and Rachel wanted to go to the Ann Frank museum. I had no intrest in the museum but I was enjoying the city and wanted to explore a bit so I walked Rachel there and then walked around the area. That night we decided to finally have a nice meal, we had been eating as cheaply as possible, and went to a really wonderful Greek Resteraunt. during the main course we heard yelling outside and saw a huge group of men running around singing and chanting. apparently they had won some sports championship. Soon after, they were followed by an equally large group of Riot Police in full gear and a series of riot vans. After our large meal we decided to walk a bit and we observed the effects of the riot, punctured here and there by the riot vans or the police roaming on horses. There was trash everywhere, broken windows, and bus stops with their glass completly shattered. We all agreed that sometimes people are complete shits.
We went to bed early as we had to wake up at 3:45 (youch) to catch a bus to the airport.

So I really enjoyed Amsterdam. It doesnt seem to have much of its own culture, besides wooden clogs and tulips. There is no Dutch music and all the resteraunts were Latin, Greek, or Middle Eastern. But I loved the Canals, architecture and all the people riding bikes instead of cars.
All in all, it was a very sucessful trip.
And now I am focusing on my two HUGE papers, and my improv performance on wednesday.


love you all!

<3M

dial up is gross

I thought Id update because im at the 24-hour computer center at my university "Doing work"
so Im taking advantage of the fast internet connection

Im mostly spending my days hanging out and working on a project.
I have one due thursday
and then Ill need to start writting my huugeeee final essays

I think Ill be in McClellan next year, but its confusing as I need a roomate bc Ill be in Michelle and jacks old room
But I cant find one from England
and I guess theyre having trouble finding one in Amherst

So life is not too exciting at the moment
Ill be taking a trip to Amsterdam soon, Im looking forward to it.
So ill of course be posting about it after I get back.

Im also pretending that Im not stalking you all on facebook, looking at your pictures, and missing you terribly.

how are you all?
I dont know who reads this, or how often it gets checked since I update so randomly.
But if you do read it, you should leaave a comment about what youve been up to.
because I miss you.


love to all!!!

<3M

BonJourno!

To welcome April, I travelled further than any of my other trips- To Italy!
I also stayed away the longest, a week rather than the ussual day trip or weekend. And it was lovely, but Im happy to be back in Hull.
So here is the summary:

Our flight left very early the morning of the 7th, so Rachel and I took a 5 o'clock train into london on the night of the 6th, then took the underground to liverpool street where we caught a bus to the airport. We got there around 10 pm, and just hung around until we checked in at 4 am. The plane left at 6:40, we got on a bus to the rail way station in Milan. All we had was the name of our hotel and the street it was on, we managed to get a general direction and started heading there. Luckily, the lovely Anna Sloan came to find us and she met us on the way. We settled into the room and then headed out to enjoy the city. We walked around enjoying the lovely weather and all the pretty trees and flowers. The city itself had a wonderful fragarance due to all the blooming. We went to an art museum where we enjoyed some really intresting contemporary art. That night we had our first Italian dinner, it was delicious and expensive- like all the food there. We went to bed early, as I was functioning on about 2 hours of sleep.

We woke up the next day and had breakfast in the hotel, the free breakfast was amazing, Fruit, rolls, croissants, cheese, eggs, lots of spreads and jams, cereal, and cappacinos. We filled up and put some stuff in out purses in case we should get hungry later. We walked around and went into a very old church while they were having services. We also went to the castle, we didnt want to pay the entrance fee to see the museum, but the castle was still a nice photo opportunity. There were lots of Leonardo Davinci books and painting in the gift shop, because he did alot of his work in Milan. We took our time exploring the area, enjoying the sun, and trying to ignore all the men shouting out at us. That night we had a lovely dinner in a resteraunt whose bright interior made me think of Cape Cod.

The next day we woke up very early and caught a train to Verona where we met Katie Apone.
Verona was really georgeous, I took lots of pictures, but looking at them now I see that I really havent captured the beauty of the bright streets and lovely buildings. The streets were crowded, and full of street entertainers, mostly human statues. We saw Juliet's house and THE famous balcony. The entire area was covered in love notes, Anna and I wrote our names on a treee. We saw Romeo's house as well, but it wasnt nearly as big of a tourist attraction. We walked along the river which was really beautiful. We ate sandwhiches for lunch, sitting on some church steps and had some decicious Gelati. We also went to the arena, a huge theater. They were building up the stage for a performance, the structure has been kept exactly as it was, but with some improvements made for safety reasons. It was a really wonderful day: perfect weather, great scenery, and I just couldnt get over the fact that I was in Italy with Katie Apone and Anna Sloan.

The next day we were going to get up early to explore a bit more before Anna had to leave, but we decided to sleep. So we had breakfast and then walked to the train station. I dont think either of us were really ready to say goodbye. I wish she could have stayed, but she had to get back to her classes. So Rachel and I switched into a twin room and relaxed a bit before heading out. Anna had been our fearless navigator, but she left us her book onMilan and we were able to find our way around. So we spent our last 2 days in Milan just exploring without any schedule or agenda. I paticularly enjoyed sitting in the park reading our last day there. For our last meal in Milan, we went to a busy street called Via Dante and sat outside and people-watched as we ate. I really enjoyed the luxery of wandering around and exploring streets with no paticular destination.

On the 12th, we woke up very very early and took a bus to the airport. Our plane left late, but we made it to London by about noon and took the underground to our hostel. It was pretty shabby, really just a dorm. But the location was really perfect. We bought tickets to see Cabaret that night and walked around the streets. I didnt know anything about the play and was not at all prepared for its serious ending, so I went to bed rather disturbed. The next day we took our time waking up and went to the National Art Gallery around 11. There was a really wonderful exhibit revolving around impressionistic art. I really enjoyed it. We stayed until 2 and then got a cheap lunch of pre-made sandwhiches. Then we went to the Natonal Portriat Gallery for several hours before heading back to the hostel for a short rest. I had enjoyed the museums, but I really need at leats a week before looking at another painting of a king, or a man in a wig, or a woman holding a puppy. We walked the very short distance to the theater (literally one street over) and saw Equus. I really enjoyed the play, the lights were fantastic in a very subtle way. I thought Danielle Radcliff was ok, really just a far more angry Harry Potter, I wasnt very impressed with him. But he did not at all ruin the play for me.

The next morning we caught our train back to Hull.

So it was a long, but enjoyable trip.
Italy was not what I expected, very few people spoke English, which proved to make life very difficult, and we were all quite upset by all the men shouting and leering at us (including an old man at the hotel who was way waaay too friendly with his hugs).
But Im very happy I went.
So Now Im back at Hull, and happy to be here, but also really looking forward to comming home.

Sorry this was rushed and I left a lot out, but as we all know- it wont take much for me to launch into a monolouge and tell you about it in person when I get back to the states.

Love you!!!

My trip to Scotland!

Hi all!

I just got back from Scotland this morning and I am still amazed that I was actually there.
So heres what went down:

Day 1 (Wednesday)
I woke up at 7:30 (ouch) and took the bus to the train station.
I met Sarah (my friend who lives close by) and her parents on the train.
We got into Scotland around 2:30 and checked into the hotel.
It was nice and very old-fashioned, so old fashioned that we elected to take the stairs instead of the elevator, even though we were on the third floor. The location was perfect, right in the city of Edinburgh. So we decided to walk around and explore. Scotland is famous for its cashmire, Sarah and her mom bought lots of it. I did not as I just cant see myself spending 120 pounds on a sweater.
We also walked through the gardens and through a very cool and creepy graveyard where all the stones had skeletons and skulls with crossbones. We stopped for dinner at The Best Indian resteraunt ever, I am NOT exagerating. It was Delicious!
After walking around a bit more, we went back to the hotel to read and go to sleep.

Day 2
We woke up early and enjoyed the hotel's free breakfast. It was raining so we layered up and headed to Edinburgh Castle. It was wonderful, despite the weather, and actually quite intresting. One wall had a list of Kings and Macbeth was on there, that was probably my personal highlight at the castle.
After a quick stop for tea and scones the rain had stopped so we decided to climb a mountain. Well, Sarah and her parents decided and I didnt really have much of a choice. Despite the heavy fog, the veiws were worth it. At times, we were literally walking along a steep cliff-like part of the hill while very strong winds threatend to blow us off the mountain and down the hundreds of feet to the ground.
I was terrified and miserable, but of course very happy as we finally made our way down. We also saw the ruins of an old chapel from the 14 hundreds that had been built on the mountain.
Hours later, we made our way back to the hotel for showers. We had dinner at a tourist-trap of a pub called The Jackle and Hyde. It was decorated with creepy photos and bubbling beakers. The best part was the bathrooms, they were actually hidden in a wall that looked like an ordinary book shelf. Literally, you had to run your hands along the fake books and search for the door. Despite the fact that it was made for tourists, the food was surisingly cheap and very good. After a quick walk, Sarah and I decided to drop by a pub for a drink before bed.

Day 3:
We had to leave too early for the Hotel Breakfast so we ate some food that we had bought the day before. We walked back to the castle to meet a tour bus at 8:20. We drove into the Highlands which were breath-takingly awsome. This was what we all imagine when we think of Scotland. Bright green fields sprinkled with yellow flowers, sheep, and long haired-cows all infront of huge, dark, ominous looking Mountains.
At some points the fields disspareared to be replaced by over-lapping mountains so big and amazing that you cant help but gasp. Despite a 2 hour wait due to a flat tire, the tour was trully amazing. I cant even explain how young and small you feel in a bus moving next to these huge glens, valleys, and mountains whose history dates back to times that seem impossibly far away from now.
We were scheduled to take a tour of the Loche ness Lake but we missed it due to the flat tire. We did see the lake, however, and the creepy castle that sits on it. And I did get some great photos of the castle in front of mountains shadowed by mist. By the time we got back, it was late and time for dinner so we stopped by an Italian place, which was quite good. And by the time we got to bed, we were all very ready for sleep.

So the next day we got back on the train and came back to Hull.
Which is just pitiful after exploring the Highlands of Scotland.
The beautiful old architecture, green fields, and towering mountains really left a lasting impression on me.

I Must insist that you all make every effort to get to Scotland one day.
This blog is just not doing it justice.

So now I have a week to do homework, and I set off for Milan on the night of the 6th, though the plane leaves the morning of the 7th.


love you all!

A big update to make up for a big absence

Its been a very long time since I've written in here. Sorry about that.

Thursday I got back from a couple days in London with my parents. We had a great time.
We saw Wicked and Spamalot, The Queen and Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey Big Ben and the Tower of London. We toured around Shakespear's Globe Theater and took the Jack The Ripper Tour.
We packed aLOT of sights into just a couple days.

And now Im still trying to get back into my routine, which will only last a week because vacation starts very soon.
I just bought tickets to Edinburough, where I will be traveling with my friend Sarah and her parents. We leave tuesday, and will hopefully be seeing Ireland as well.

Then April 7th I fly to Milan with my friend Rachel where we will be meeting Ms. Anna Sloan.
Then well fly back to London to see Equus (the play with Harry Potter) and hopefully catch another play.

So I have a lot to look forward to.
Im enjoying life right now, Im getting all my work done (mostly reading plays) and enjoying Hull.
Ive also been cooking alot, and cooking for people, which I really enjoy.
Ill be having a Passover seder as some of my friends have expressed a desire to "be Jewish for a day"
Im expecting April to fly by, and classes end just over a week into May.

So Im pretty happy right now
But Im also missing everyone, of course

ok, Im going to go look into cheap accomodations in London and Milan!

<3M

I went to Belgium!

Belgium is definatly a good reason to update.
It was a short but really enjoyable trip!

Day 1:
We arrived to check in for the Ferry at 3. It was like an aiport but smaller and with less security.
They didn't let us board until 5, so we just sat around.
Everyone pulled out books and such, but they had forgotten to tell me that we could leave our luggage on the Ferry, so I only brought the bare essentials.
So we get on at 5, but the Ferry didn't leave until 7. So we wandered around.
I'm using the term "Ferry" lightly. It was more like a huge cruise ship with several cafes and bars, a huge gift shop, and a very expensive buffet (which we did not even consider paying to eat at).
We brought our own dinner and ate them in our tiny cabbin.
We were all pretty tired, and the docking time was 8 am (Belgian time, which is another hour ahead) so we all went to bed early, though none of us slept well.


Day 2:
The Ferry arrives at 8am and we take a bus (it was included in the cost of the ferry!) to the city called Bruge.
It started puring rain during the ride, but it had fizzled out by the time we got off, the rain came in and out all day.
We find a map and walk through small streets until we find the beautiful center of the city.
Someone was filming a movie that takes place during christmas and so all of the christmas decorations were still up all around the town. It was really beautiful.
I dont know anything about the movie, but we did see lights set up and loads of people.
Our first stop was an ATM, I needed euros.
Then we went to a resterant for waffles, I got banana and chocolate. They were Delicious!
It was still early so it was pretty quiet, except for the noise of the horse drawn carriages, we didn't go one one but they were still exciting.
Some people wanted to take the boat tour of the city, there is a river running through part of it, but I wasnt intrested so me and a friend went off to explore. We found some beautiful buildings and sculptures and stopped at a small art gallery before meeting back up with the group.
We spent the next couple hours walking around, we went to several chocolate shops and a really wonderful tea shop.
Then we went to the chocolate museum and stoped for a quick lunch.
By this time we needed to head back to the station to catch the bus.
So we took the bus back to the Ferry, and spent the night walking around or reading in the cafe.
We also visited a lounge where an old man was playing the piano and singing. I was esspecially happy when he started singing "My Heart Will Go On"

Day 3:
Once again an 8 am landing.
Then a taxi back home.
Where I spend most of the day feeling as if Im still on a rocking boat.
Its almost 3:30 and the room is still swaying.

Ok, so I hope that was more enjoyable and less boring.

Love you all!!!

daytrip to York

Hey everyone

we took a daytrip to York yesterday and had a really wonderful time.

Its a really old city, of course complete with cathedrals and a healthy supply of Pizza Huts and H&Ms
The central part of the city is outlined by a huge wall that you can walk on, and we did
its a really amazing walk with some wonderful veiws

the first thing we noticed as we came to the city was the sound of church bells
and all the people
the next thing we noticed was the church making all the sound, The York Minister
it was GIGANTIC, if you've taken any art history classes then you've read about this place.
it has the most beautiful stained glass windows, including the famous rose window
we took the tour while people sang choral music on microphones on a huge stage
it was a werid combination of this incredibly old church, being full of high tech lighting equitment (which I was able to identify thanks to Umass) and a high tech stage.

We spent the rest of the day just walking around enjoying the sights
we also went to the art museum, which was small but nice, and FREE.

We had dinner at a place that I would describe as the brittish Applebees.
Of course it looked like a pub, and their favorites were very Brittish.
I got the veggie sausages and mash.
it was ok, but I felt cool doing it.

My personal hightlight was probably when someone asked me about where the train was going to.
Theres nothing like being mistaken for a local, rather than the tourist that you are.

so we had beautiful weather
and some great photos (which Ill put of facebook soon)

love you all!

<3M

havent done this in a while

Just thought Id update, because I havent.

Ive been enjoying some new found Independence since I got here.
I dont think I realized how unwilling I was to do anything, or go anywhere by myself.
But being in this new environment, Ive found how lovely it is to just pick up and go to the gym.
Do something on my own.
I know it seems small.
But really, I would avoid doing anything in the past unless I had someone to walk there with me.
I just didnt realize it.

and speaking of the gym,
Ive been getting there alot lately.
Which is new and nice.
though I hate that most of the girls are thin, and they dont break a sweat, and the dress up to be in there.
meanwhile, im in baggy clothers, sweating with a red puffy face.
yeah.

Im really excited for Valentines day
everyone is making something (im frying plantains)
and then we are going to watch BoonDock Saints
and sarah and I are going to talk everyone into watching My Fair Lady.
Its going to be a classy, classy evening.
where we ignore how single I am
and bash Hallmark. yessssss.

So I think thats about it for now.

Love to all.
Im so happy Im here
But Im thinking of Home constantly
(esspecially since one of my roomates has left out a pan of cooked meat for at least 36 hours now. and it is disgusting)

<3M

I'm having a rather slow morning so I thought Id update again.
I am going to sign up for the gym and work out later, but I have to wait for Rachel
So I'm just in my room reading
its quite lovely

My dad requested some more details about Oxford- so here goes
We spent the day just walking around the city- George was our guide because he had been there before
so I spent most of the day making fun of him for assuming what I called 'An Alpha male mentalilty"
It was nice to have someone who knew where they were going,
but he was quite upset about being the only male in our group. which was hilarious.
There is no division between Oxford's cobblestone streets, towering catherdrals, and beautiful architecture of its University
and the shopping areas, fast food, and tourist shops
it was really intresting.
So we were able to pop into a Mcdonalds to use the toilet (No one here actually says loo) and then walk down the street to a really stunning church.
They also had a really lovely gathering of coffee shops and stores where we were able to rest in a cafe that was decorated with classic movie posters.
On our way out, we wasted some time in a small mall (that rhyme was accidental but fun) and we went in to a store called Primark, which I HIGHLY suggest to anyone who may be travelling through the UK. Think the fashions of H&M, but multiplied, and at bargain prices.
no I didn't buy anything, but there is another Primark closer to the University...

So Im going to go back to reading, Ive done my work for class thursday and I'm tearing through a girly book that I've borrowed from Rachel. Just one of those silly novels that you go through in about 2 days.

Hope everyone is doing well.

as always,
I love you
I Miss you
and Im thinking of you (Even you Jen, so there's no need to ask)

<3M

How about another update?

I went to Oxford yesterday and had a wonderfuly time.
Despite being on my feet for 7 hours straight and the 4 and a half bus rides there and back and having a cold.
But it was a really beautiful city.
I always love citys that can place modern buildings, like McDonalds,, right next to ancient looking pubs, cobblestone streets, and magnificent chruches.

Im doing pretty well, I esspecially enjoy the days where Im kept busy
Talking to almost all of my family yesterday was absolutly tough though.
It made me feel pretty alone here.
But I think that is to be expected.

So today is sunday
the plan is to stay inside, try to kick this cold out of my system
do some reading
and relax.

tomarow Im going to check out the University Gym
apparently ALL schools like to put their gyms and sport facilities in the far back of the school to make life very difficult.
I wonder why that is.

I dont know who reads this
but feel free to comment with whats going on in your life
because I miss you
and Im curious.

LOVE!

Ramblings from the UK

It seems that I wont be able to upload pictures until I get home because I cant get onto wireless and Dial up is intent on breakin gmy heart.

Oh well, Life goes on.

Im going to Oxford on saturday with the student union. We are spending the day, I suppose we'll be touring around the campus.
There is a trip to Amsterdam in several weeks, I was going to go, but it costs 70pounds and I just dont think I can do that.

My first class is today- Theater Performance and Identity. It looks facinating. Its about the expression of gender, class, ethnicity ect.. in theater through stand up commmedy, body art, camp, cross dressing....

I thought I would be taking all my classes alone, but as it turn out I have at least one friend in each class. Which is nice but I hope it doesn stop me from making new friends.

The sun had been out for at least an hour every day
and it hasnt rained yet
supposedly its not as wet here as in other parts of the UK
but the wind is rather strong.
its too early to tell, Ive only been here a week.

Ok, thats all for now.

LOVE YOU!

Hiya

So I made it here safely

and Im finally starting to feel somewhat settled.
The beginning was tough because I am the only new person in my flat, so everyone else had already been here for at least a year. And no one was around much. Ive only met 2 of my flatmates, John and Hugh, i havent met the other two, and apparently they are some-what anti-social.
So Ill spend time elsewhere, or doing work in my room.

Im looking forward to classes, my first class is thursday as two of my classes dont start till week 2.
Honestly I wish they would just start so I can stop worrying about it.

Im still caught up in missing home, but I do expect to feel more content soon.
Everything is just so different here.
Its not just being a bit of a minority, it sjust a completly different life style. I dont think I realized just how comfortable I was at Umass. I had such a clear support system and I understood everything. Here Im quite lost.

But the room is nice, and the weather isnt too cold yet.
And I am IN ENGLAND!
So I am opptomistic.

Thats all for now.
Hope everyone is having a lovely week!

<3M


ps: ill try to post pictures but its very hard due to my very slow dial-up connection so it may need to wait till i get to a wireless cafe.

final preparations now include updating my blog

So its 10 am
I leave at 6 pm
today.

as in TODAY today.

weird.

Even though my dad and I are putting together the paper work
and Im pretty much packed upstairs
It still has not hit me that Im leaving for England.

So this is the last update from America.
Maybe the next updates will be sprinkled with Brittish sayings and slang that I will "accidentally" pick up.

Ok, so I love everyone who reads this.
And Ill be missing you (even you, mom and dad, though Im sure dad just just made a comment along the lines of "yeah sure")

ok, thats it for now.

WRITE ME LETTERS!


<3 M