Airport

So I am sitting in Columbus Airport...waiting for my flight home.  The current 'Threat Level' is set to orange.  I arrived here two hours early, on my grandmother's advice to get here early.  Now I have to wait another hour until my flight actually leaves.  Oh well.  I am enjoying people watching.  There is a man in the corner playing his DS, and talking to his friend on the phone.  A policeman rode by on his bike...in the nearly empty terminal.  It seemed a little unnecessary that he was on a bike.  Everyone here is in 'Buckeye Gear'.

Ohio State University is a lot like UCLan in that it is a really big school.  However there are some differences.  OSU is a home to a million Buckeye fans. Buckeyes are the school mascot. Football is the most popular sport.  That is American football.  Even the people in the towns around the city of Columbus support OSU.  Never where yellow and navy blue together in Columbus...you are bound to get beat up, because those are the arch rivals, Michigan's colours.  Everyone wears the school colours...grey and red...and everyone tries to get seats at the 'Horseshoe' which is the big football stadium in the middle of Columbus.  Traffic is horrendous on days when there is a football game. Local ice cream shops I have noticed that UCLan is not really like that.  There are sports, but no one is fanatical like they are over here. I have only seen a few people wearing UCLan sweatshirts  around town.  

Also, can I just say Airport food is ridiculously expensive.  I almost paid $7.50 for a turkey sandwich.  When I saw the price I just walked away.  I dont have that much American money on me!  Its all English money right now.  

Home

I am home. Well technically I am not home home, because I am out in Ohio visiting my grandmother. (I don't think my grandmother is thrilled about the nose piercing...)However, I am back in the states. Its amazing how quickly I have picked up American slang again. I am still using some British slang, which my brother always teases me for...yet I know he secretly is trying to learn it. I spent quite a lot of time trying to explain what a chip butty was to my brother the other day. "Chips? as in potato chips?" "No Andrew, chips as in French Fries, those are crisps." That was fun. I wish we had chip shops around here so I could get Andrew to try one, I am sure he would like it.
On Christmas we watched a bunch of old family videos. It was strange to see me as a little kid. I was precocious! It was strange because a lot of my family members have stayed the same. My father is still making the same jokes, my aunt is still the entertaining one, and my grandmother is still the one who hangs out by the dessert table. You would think that in 20 or 21 years they would have changed a little bit, but nope, they have stayed completely the same. In some ways I find that reassuring. The only one that has changed from the videos was my brother, because he can walk and talk now.
I am going to see the Andy Warhol exhibition at Ohio State University...its the only US stop for the tour. Apparently the installation for it is pretty amazing as well. I will have to report back on how it was, I have been looking forward to seeing it since I heard about it.
Well its off to breakfast with my grandma, hopefully I will be writing in this more often, now that I have a bit of time.

3:20 AM

It is currently 20 past.  Why am I not sleepy?  I had a great night with my housemates, we all went to Pizza Hut, and then we had a film night in.  I got some work done as well, which is awesome.  Yes, I am American, so I tend to say 'awesome' a lot.  I think that what I am typing are just the random musings of a sleep deprived person.  But I am not sleep 'deprived' so to speak...I am choosing to stay up....My brainnnnnsss!! I don't even know what I am talking about anymore.  I wonder what I will be like if I pull an all nighter...Maybe I should blog after that.

Some Spanish Thoughts

Quiero una tortilla de patata, pero es mas tarde para cocina. Hay una receta.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tortilla-de-Patata-Tortilla/Detail.aspx  Pienso quiero cocina manana.

New Nose Piercing...again....and more news

Ok, so apparently technology hates me, and did something crazy to last post.  So I got my nose pierced this week.  Just in time for going home and freaking out the 'rents.  Surprisingly, it didn't really hurt.  It just made my eyes water.  It isn't sore anymore, it just feels like its getting in the way sometimes.  I am sure I will get used to it.  

I turned in my French Portfolio today.   It is a collection of work I am really proud of, work that I put a lot of effort into.  I was feeling a bit down today about my French class, and I was worried that I was not at the same level as the other people in my class.  However, then I wrote the self-reflection bit of my portfolio and looked over all of my work.  I realised how far I have come in one semester.  I could barely remember how to formulate sentences in French before I came here, and now I am turning in essays that are showing promise.  That made me feel proud.  It made me feel like I am actually in the right place, studying something I love.  I am feeling really positive about starting next semester and learning more in the way of languages.

New nose piercing

Its the most wonderful time of the year

Its that time of the year again...not the holidays...but the end of term.  This always seems to be the most stressful time of year for me, because I have to juggle the end of term push and holiday shopping.  I am working really hard on my assignments, yet I am feeling like I am not making any progress.  Maybe once I have printed everything out it should help me feel better.  Just feeling a bit tense.

Another strange feeling that I have had  lately, is that this is starting to feel like home to me.  We moved house right before I came to England, so going home for Christmas doesn't really feel like going home as much as it feels like going to some strange house.  I feel like I have started to settle in here.  I know Preston really well, and I am relaxed walking around.  It is going to feel weird going back to America, but I definitely miss my family, so it will be great to see them.  I am excited for my mom's (mum's?) cooking, and seeing friends at Christmas parties.  I will be excited about coming back to Uni in January.  

A totally unoriginal idea...stolen from JP

So JP wonders what everyone is looking forward to in 2009....Here are my thoughts...

1.  Coming back to Preston after Christmas Break

2.  Finishing my first year of Uni, studying French and Spanish

-Epreuves Auditives...woo!

3.  Hopefully joining the International Society, and going to Blackpool with them.

4.  Planning a trip to Nice.

5.  Seeing some more gigs.

6.  Hopefully getting some sort of job.

7.  Seeing the Secret Life of Bees....a film off of my favourite book in the whole wide world.

8.  Eating a proper English Breakfast at some point.

9.  Finishing my French Essay...due in on the 7th of January.

10. Going to Liverpool with Kirsty

There you have it, I have run out ideas...I will post some more if any more thoughts come up.

Takeaway

One of my favourite things about England is the Indian takeaway.  Right now, my housemates and I have ordered some chicken korma, and two samosas.  I am so gonna miss the Indian food when I go home for Christmas.  

Also, I was thinking about the weather in Preston today.  It hasn't rained as much as I expected, but when it rains, it really rains...like today, when I had to walk to a place that was halfway to Asda.  That was fun...

I also love the pub culture.  I went to have a few drinks with some friends tonight and I really like the atmosphere of a pub, compared to that of a bar.  

Well, better eat before the food gets cold....

So this is my first blog...ever...so I am slightly intimidated.  I am excited nonetheless.  I am planning on writing down some of the adventures I have now that I am at uni in England.  I have had many adventures and debacles so far, and will probably encounter some more.  More coming soon...