First Weekend of Fresher's Week!

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This entry should really run from 19 Sep (dates are written backwards here) to 27 Sep, because it will take place over an entire week. I was surprised to find out on my arrival that classes did not start for another week. In the UK, First Years (Freshmen) move in a week early. The week consists of meetings with your departments during the day and many organized campus events at night. In the United States, many of us may remember the campus organized events being corny and awkward, where you are forced to interact with other students. You may remember being kicked out or in serious trouble if you brought alcohol to these events (not that I know from personal experience). In the UK, the situation is quite different. Not only do they allow alcohol on campus, they sell it and have a bar and club in the Student Union. It is impossible to talk about Fresher's Week without talking about alcohol, because it seems that the goal each night is to get absolutely pissed (wasted, drunk, etc). I'll explain.

The day after move- in was Saturday, and all of the international students took a trip with the International Office to Conwy, Wales. This is a place that I would recommend visiting, but only staying for about two hours or so. It is a small walled town with a large castle and the smallest house in Great Britain.* The castle and town are beautiful, but small enough to not be able to take a day off to visit. I had a good time socializing with some of the people I had met on our Ormskirk tour and found myself becoming friends with people that I would probably not be friends with in the US. We are all very different people joined by the common bond of being American in the UK. Now that I'm writing this two weeks later, I can honestly say that we generally have clicked pretty well and it has expanded my ideas of who I can and can't get along with. We spent about 3 hours wandering around Conwy and getting to know each other and made our way back to EHU. I was still feeling sick, but thought that it was breaking up and I would soon be well. My folks and I ate a nice dinner in Ormskirk and I went back to EHU to go to bed.

The next day, we woke up for an early orientation for the international students. It was filled with useful, yet redundant, information. I was surprised, however, to learn that we cannot carry pepper spray in this country. However, a greater legal surprise was coming in the next few days, but I will get to that later. The orientation was much like orientation for Freshmen in the US, so I found myself sneezy and bored throughout the meeting. I went to lunch with my parents in Southport, a nearby town, and came back to take a quick nap. The First Years were all moving in and I nervously walked past them to get to my room. I wasn't sure of how Americans would be viewed and if we would be able to make local friends. I had a quick conversation with a girl down the hall and her parents, then met my parents for our last dinner together before they left. We went into their hotel in Rufford to eat. Surprisingly to me, I found myself getting fairly upset during the first part of their dinner and having to go back to their room to calm down and clean up. I was upset because I was sick and losing my voice so it would be hard to meet people, upset because I felt like it would be hard to make friends, upset because I missed Sam, Charleigh, and the comfort of our apartment together, and upset because I would not see my parents again for three months. I returned to the table to be assured by my waiter that people would probably talk to me more than other English people because I was American. The rest of the dinner was absolutely wonderful and I said a teary goodbye to my mom as Dad drove me back home. I guess it didn't really hit me until later that I wouldn't see them again for awhile. I guess it still really hasn't hit me. What had hit me was how big of a step I had taken in my life and how there was no going back. Everyone says that studying abroad changes your life, and that's what I wanted, but I found myself afraid of that change. I expect that I will feel culture shock going back to America, but this transformation is exactly what I wanted from this experience.

I made my way back to my halls and decided that I would go out to the party they were throwing in the on campus bar. I did not know anyone's phone number or where anyone was, so I decided to go by myself.... that alone was a big step for me, because I do not normally go to social gatherings alone, let alone with people I don't know. I ran into some people from my hall on the way over and we had a nice conversation to get to know each other and went into the "club". Club is in quotes because it really is just a large room that they painted purple with speakers, but it was still fun. I found myself getting tired and losing my voice even more, so I went back to my dorm early to go to sleep, feeling much better and more confident about myself in this situation.

*Note: This country has too many names and it's annoying. I think it is important for me to explain about the names so that if you decide to visit, you can avoid offending anyone. Great Britain, or the United Kingdom, are frequently used interchangeably. I choose to say UK just in case, because that is the current name and it's hard to offend someone using it. "UK" refers to the four countries or regions or whatever you might call them that make up the country. No one here even knows what to call them. These "regions" are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Make sure that you do NOT call the Republic of Ireland part of the UK. The Irish will be quick to remind you that people died for their independence. Basically, the Irish are Irish, whether they're in the Republic or Northern Ireland. Do NOT call them English. "British" can be offensive, too, to some people, so avoid it. A good thing to know is that the Irish are Irish, Welsh are Welsh, Scottish are Scottish and English are English. Avoid calling any of them British and God help you if you call them by any of the wrong names. I have found out that many of them hate each other and it is deeply rooted in the history of the countries involved. Granted, you would only offend a few really nationalistic people, but I have met a few of them and, trust me, don't call them anything but those four names I listed before. My English friend Will is quick to correct you from calling him British. He also hates the Scottish.... and is not alone. Just avoid the word British and you will be fine. Sorry for the long note but I feel like this is an important part of their culture and needs to be explained.

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