Blogs from Winchester, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 5

It's been over four weeks since I returned from my spring break travels, and anyone who's kept up will see that I've finally caught up with the back-dated diary entries. Now that I've re-settled into Winchester life, I'm only looking forward to what promises to be the best part of my semester: my mom's visit and our 2-1/2 weeks of traveling. After that, it's home to the States, which I'm either dreading or anxiously awaiting, depending on the day. But for now, I'm getting through crunch-time with my essays, enjoying the last weeks with my Winchester friends, and sorting out the plans for the trip with my mother. Here are some highlights since I last wrote about my Devon trip: Church in London on May 6th Pastor Michael Schroeder, the WELS chaplain for Europe, conducts ... read more

Links to re-add after travelblog database malfunction I went to Winchester in 1994 to do my degree (History with Education Studies) at King Alfred's College in Winchester, then stayed on to gain my PhD at what became University College Winchester, and is now the University of Winchester. I just loved the feel of Winchester when I arrived, and have never got sick of it. There's only about 60,000 people, it's within easy reach of London, Southampton, and the New Forest, although everything you need for everyday living and a bit more is available there too - see these 360 degree images! It's a place where you can be walking along the street, and an old man, wearing maroon velvet cords and a tweed jacket (with patches on the elbows) is riding along on a bicyle with ... read more

As I came down from Thursday's party high to the depressing reality of writing my first essay for Winchester, I was reminded of the real motivatoin for studying abroad - to study. But that doesn't mean I have to like it... ***I don't take my camera out with me...all these pictures are from various Facebook albums!*** Last Thursday (Feb. 22) ranks among my top nights in Winchester. I finally had a chance to go out with the people from my floor - Mark, Laura, Lauren, Jess, Chris - and Reg from the floor below. Anna, Betsy, Mary, Liz came also, and so did Cale from L.A. We went to Porthouse around 8, and the line was already forming at the door. Though we were pretty close to the front, it took almost an hour, since people ... read more

As I wonder if anyone actually got freaked out by that title, I’ll just say it was only a choir performance at the community prison Wednesday night. Still, we had to go through a ton of security, and I saw a side of England most tourists don’t plan for. The concert was actually kind of boring, if I can be so bold, since we only sang a few songs and the rest were solos and duets in varying degrees of talent. I kind of wish I hadn’t gotten roped into this choir. The people in it are the only unfriendly British I've met (or NOT met) since they pretty much ignore me, and if I want to meet someone, I have to go up to them and make a point of introducing myself. Not that ... read more

My uneventful weekend: Ran errands on Saturday and ordered pizza for supper, because the canteen is closed weekend afternoons/evenings. Sunday morning church at the cathedral - beautiful music from the boys/mens choir and organ, but an empty "message" from the sermon. And all the Americans got together for tacos on Sunday night! They're going to make it a weekly event - some American dish - at the Missouri people's 4-person house. The ingredients were a little...off, but it was the thought that mattered. We pooled 3 pounds each and then hung out, talking a lot about what we missed from back home. We decided we're in the "second stage" of culture shock - the "distress phase" - because we're starting to get over the initial "quaintness" of our new surroundings and getting annoyed with the differences. ... read more