tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16065714014070219052024-03-20T02:51:35.232-07:00travel blogstories and tips from my travelsresehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-40345738529271474792012-10-13T03:25:00.002-07:002012-10-13T03:35:12.076-07:00olympics: london 2012<div>
opps, been awhile since i last updated (been super busy!). basically, i was volunteering as a dancer for the paralympics opening ceremony, and rehearsals took up a lot of time. however, the experience was absolutely incredible! so if you're living in brazil in 2016, then definitely think about auditioning for the ceremonies: it will be the memory of a lifetime!</div>
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anyhow, during the olympics this past summer, london pretty much hummed on as usual; only the areas immediately near olympic park in east london were exceptionally crowded - the tube (london's metro) was disgustingly hot and packed with people, yuck. but as long as you weren't commuting in that direction, life went on as normal. except, of course, for the exciting festive atmosphere! olympics, and then paralympics, decorations sprang up everywhere; statues of the mascots, wenlock and mandeville, popped up all over london in various guises. at first, the mascots creeped me out, but after awhile, they grew on me and i started to think they were kinda cute. =P i thought <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTJqjZjWdOw" target="_blank">this video</a> was particularly endearing. haha<br />
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but my all-time favorite decoration was definitely the epic olympic rings at tower bridge (just stunning!):<br />
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the organizers also gave us paralympics volunteers free tickets to the olympics opening ceremony dress rehearsal, so we were able to see it in advance. watching the industrial revolution scene in person was surprisingly moving, especially when the olympic rings rose up and forged together in the air. there was a magnificent, awe-inspiring quality to it that i felt the television didn't quite capture. there's just something about being there in person, seeing the huge scale of it, hearing the loud music, feeling the beat of the drums shaking the whole stadium, and feeding off the energy from a crowd of 80,000 - that you can't get from a living room tv.</div>
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not long after, they began drilling us with back-to-back rehearsals for the paralympics opening ceremony. rehearsals were mostly nights and weekends, with a few all-day rehearsals leading up to the performance day. a lot of the rehearsing lasted for hours on end, and were so tiring, especially when we moved to a large outdoor space in dagenham, where we repeated the dance moves for 5hrs in the blazing heat on scorching asphalt. arrgghh... made me miss the previous venue, <a href="http://www.3mills.com/" target="_blank">3 Mills Studio</a>, a nice and cool indoor space. finally, several days before showtime, we moved to rehearsing inside the olympic stadium itself, which was very exciting - never got tired of it. =)</div>
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all the hard work was worth it, 'cause performing on that day was just unforgettable! although, very nerve-wracking; waiting backstage to go into that huge stadium filled with people felt uncannily like that scene in <em>gladiator</em>, where the guy pees himself before entering the arena. =P but fortunately (and i can only speak for myself), once i got onto the stage, i thought it was very much like rehearsals. i couldn't see the audience at all because of the lighting, and the many athletes seated in front of us also weren't that jarring, since the crew and staff usually sat in those seats during rehearsals. so it all felt same ol' same ol' - except for the fact that the ground was absolutely soaking wet from the day's rain. halfway through dancing, i noticed my dress was dripping wet at the hems, and it didn't help that we had to lie down at the very end of our routine, so after performing, my entire back was soaked through!</div>
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overall, however, it went very smoothly and was simply a phenomenal experience. i know that it didn't air live in the states, so if you missed it, i'll leave you with a video of it - definitely worth a watch! (i'm one of the many blue-dress floor dancers in the ocean/whale scene towards the end - probably impossible to spot =P). and if you ever get the chance to attend or participate in an olympics or paralympics event, then DO IT!! it will be the most incredible and inspiring experience.<br />
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resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-69182800346447622712012-04-22T09:35:00.001-07:002012-04-22T09:44:20.281-07:00iceland weekend<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">so, last month, i went to iceland for my 30th birthday. =D easily the best birthday weekend of my life!</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it was only a 3hr flight from london, with no time change - a nice naturey weekend away, if you're in the UK. it's also very affordable, ever since its economy crashed =P. we did the </span><a href="http://www.grayline.is/default.aspx" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">iceland excursions</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.grayline.is/tour/tour_packages/city_and_country_breaks/AH86_winter_city_break_3/Iceland.is" target="_blank">tour package</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with an extra day on the southcoast and waterfalls tour. - i would definitely recommend this, as the prices included the stay at the cozy hotel fron, which comes complete with a kitchenette in its double rooms - almost like a studio apartment.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">although the golden circle classic tour, with the majestic gullfoss waterfall and geysir, was amazing and the most popular (the large tour bus was PACKED!), i liked the southcoast and waterfalls tour more. the southcoast tour runs on a mini-bus (there were only seven of us on the whole tour), so it has a very intimate feel; you also travel to more locations, going to a LOT of waterfalls, as well as glaciers, a black sand beach, and the very quaint skogar museum with its grassy roofs.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- waterfall -</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://x06.xanga.com/5e4e012270735281712887/b224492633.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="IMG_4799" src="http://x06.xanga.com/5e4e012270735281712887/z224492633.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- skogar museum -</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://xea.xanga.com/627e332230735281712889/b224492635.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="IMG_4963" src="http://xea.xanga.com/627e332230735281712889/z224492635.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">both tours were incredible, and the scenery absolutely stunning, but i felt the locations would be better in the summer. the one big advantage of going to iceland in the winter, however, is - the northern lights! =D we booked a northern lights tour on the first night, but it kept getting cancelled due to bad weather, so we had to constantly move our booking to the next night. luckily, our persistence ultimately paid off, because we saw the lights on our final night there! needless to say, the lights are beautiful, but they are tricky to catch on camera. i'd never done night photography with a d-slr before, so i had a hard time - plus, it is COLD, so wear woolen thermals (miraculously insulating) - and if you can, practice night photography using a tripod to prepare yourself before your trip. =)</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- northern lights -</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://x50.xanga.com/b8df852533133281712890/b224492636.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="IMG_5020" src="http://x50.xanga.com/b8df852533133281712890/z224492636.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">we ended our weekend at the blue lagoon. if you're in iceland, it's easy to stop here for a few hours on your way to the airport. i would actually recommend going to the lagoon in the winter, since the contrast between the sub-zero weather with falling snow and the steaming hot waters is nothing short of surreal. bring plenty of lotion, as all the exfoliating with the silica mud made my skin feel parched, and also a water camera since there are some spectacular photos that you can take while bathing in the lagoon.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- blue lagoon -</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://x10.xanga.com/4e8e1b2210732281712893/b224492639.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="IMG_5097" src="http://x10.xanga.com/4e8e1b2210732281712893/z224492639.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://x6c.xanga.com/689e162733132281712894/b224492640.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="IMG_5186" src="http://x6c.xanga.com/689e162733132281712894/z224492640.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">finally, i'd like to add a quick note about food: if you're wondering where to eat, </span><a href="http://www.fishcompany.is/English/About_FishCompany" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the fish company</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> gave me the best dinner of my life. we also headed to </span><a href="http://3frakkar.com/index.php?page=menus" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the three frenchmen<span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to try some icelandic specialties, like puffin and whale, which i thought all tasted great, but - disclaimer: i can stomach anything! =P</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. rese</span> </span>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-40690773242610237832012-02-26T12:30:00.000-08:002012-02-26T12:41:33.077-08:00occupy london<div class="MsoNormal">
i’m not too big on politics. the odd news story
might spark my interest, but in general, political campaigns and <span class="GramE">the such</span> seem to play out more like a media circus than
anything else. but nevertheless, when <span class="SpellE">i</span>
heard that the protestors outside of <span class="SpellE">st</span>. paul’s were
going to be evicted soon, <span class="SpellE">i</span> thought it’d be
interesting to walk down there and have a first-hand look at the scene before
the protestors got kicked out.</div>
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like many other places around the world, london has
been plagued with unrest over the past year. a year ago, i inadvertantly let a
whole bunch of student protestors into the university london campus. they
occupied the building for a week and proceeded to completely trash the place;
posters were torn down, doors blocked and chained, bathrooms wrecked, garbage
thrown around, etc. so, the london campus was subsequently closed and classes
cancelled. how this was supposed to help decrease student fees is beyond me. ultimately, police stormed the building, raiding from the roof like something
out of a hollywood blockbuster, and the students were forced out. personally,
all this seems like a farce, especially since the increase in UK student fees to
a <em>maximum</em> of £10,000 per year still looks like a bargain to me, a
hapless american graduate currently paying off loans at about $10k per year, for
the next - decade or so. *weep* converted into dollars, the new UK student
fees is "only" $15k per year (for three years, since their degrees don't take as
long), which is cheaper than some of the cheapest schools in the states. so,
needless to say, i had very little sympathy for the student protestors,
especially when taking into consideration their haphazard and nonsensical
approaches to protesting, which seem more like childish tantrums than anything
reasonable and potentially effective.</div>
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i was also living in central london when the riots broke out
last year. however, as awful as it all was, i think the media somewhat blew it
out of proportion - made it seem as though all of london was burning down. i
live in the waterloo area, so quite central, and aside from a few closed shops,
i didn't see anything out of the ordinary - wouldn't even have noticed that
riots were going on if it weren't for the news.</div>
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anyways, as for the st. paul's protestors, my feelings were
pretty much the same as for the student protestors. yes, they've camped out and
turned the surrounding area into squalor, but what does that actually Do? the
economy is still struggling and people are still unemployed. and can't
protestors get their message across without littering and wrecking things?</div>
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at any rate, i wound up just walking around st. paul's and
taking some photos of the protestors. i might not really agree with them, but
it was still nice to personally photographically document this little piece of
history. =)</div>
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see my photos <a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=a5917e7b105d3c072f762628e38c6d8e&sid=0Abtm7ls5cuWLFlg" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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. rese</div>
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<a href="http://xf0.xanga.com/275e300335034280969826/b223830619.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="IMG_4517" src="http://xf0.xanga.com/275e300335034280969826/z223830619.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" width="400" /></a> </div>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-51387698260224757322012-01-29T10:37:00.000-08:002012-01-29T10:37:11.996-08:00theresa tourssince i give so much touristy advice to a good chunk of people i know, i've decided to start a little tourist service and capitalize on my travelling skills. since a few of my british friends are thinking of coming over and touring LA, i thought i'd draft up a little welcome pack for them:<br />
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<strong>LOS ANGELES </strong> <em>behold the wonders of capitalism</em><br />
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dear british tourist,<br />
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welcome to LA, the capital of capitalism. my name is theresa and i will be your tour guide. you will find included in this welcome pack the following items: sunscreen (spf 200), flip-flops (also known as "sandals"), sunglasses, shorts (trousers with pant legs that do not extend past the knees), and an <em>LA dialect - english</em> translation dictionary. while many of these items may be foreign and unfamiliar to you, many of these items will help you to cope with something prevalent in LA called "sunlight". if you have any questions on how to use any of these items, your tour guide will be happy to show you. below, you will find some information on LA that will help you prepare for your stay. please read the information carefully, as failure to adjust to local LA custom may result in your getting shot.<br />
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<strong>general</strong>: population - 4 million; religion - hedonism; popular activities - clubbing, shopping, sex; ethnicity - 50% white, 50% asian, 50% mexican/latino, 50% african american, 50% mixed, 50% looking like one race on the outside but really another race on the inside.<br />
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<strong>language:</strong><br />
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<em>do not mention</em> -<br />
as a european, you may be accustomed to something called "walking to places" and "taking public transport". these are not things that are done in LA. "public transport" does not exist and the only place walking is done is in something called "outdoor malls" (please consult your <em>LA-english</em> dictionary for more information on what is an "outdoor mall"). therefore, do not say to the locals any form of the following: "how do i walk to ____?", "where is the train station?", "can i take a bus there?". saying such things may result in confusion, your being ridiculed, mugged (robbed at gun point; please refer to the <em>LA-english</em> dictionary for more on "mugging"), or shot. instead say, "how long does it take to drive there?" and "where do i park?". expect the local's reply to take the form of something similar to, "1-2hrs depending on traffic" for a distance of 15miles. if you plan on taking <em>theresa's red beetle bug</em> service for transport, please do not be alarmed when she curses, pulls out a gun, and shoots other competing drivers when trying to park or merge into traffic. this is common LA driving behaviour. wear your safety belt at all times.<br />
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as a european, you will also be accustomed to other activities that are uncommon in LA and the united states in general. therefore, do not begin your sentences with any of the following: "i think" "i studied" "i read" "i wrote", or mention anything having to do with "helping others". thinking, studying, reading and writing, and helping others are un-american and particularly rare in LA. do not mention "racism" or "political correctness"; while such topics are sensitive issues and treated with tact and discretion in other parts of the world, the concepts of "racism" and "political correctness" do not exist in california and ideas such as "tact", "sensitivity", and "subtlety" are absent from the minds of the locals. do not mention other countries or states outside of california; californians are not aware that there is a world outside their state, and many cannot leave their home-state as they cannot survive away from their californian luxuries. do not use words longer than 2-syllables; you will not be understood. do NOT use any british words, such as "knackered" "toilet" "rubbish" "queue" "cheers"; you WILL get shot. in the event that you are asked by a local any form of the following question: "how are you?", do not reply "horrible" and then list your life's miseries; you will only receive blank stares. instead, the standard reply, regardless of your true feelings, is "good! and you?". as a rule, refrain from moaning (or "complaining", as it is referred to in LA-dialect), as it is frowned upon in american culture in general.<br />
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if you wish to engage the locals in conversation, here are several common phrases in LA-dialect that you may wish to practice: "did you see that <em>ferrari</em>?" "what gym do you belong to?" "what club do you want to hit this friday?" (consult the <em>LA-english</em> dictionary on the various uses and meanings of "hit", "hit on", and "hit up"), and "i'm trying to lose weight", or if you're a bloke (or "guy" in LA-dialect), "i'm trying to get a six-pack". please also familiarize yourself with the following words, as they may help you to understand the locals: <strong>hella</strong> <em>adv.</em> very, <em>that guy is hella hot!</em> <strong>hecka</strong> <em>adv.</em> very, <em>that guy is hecka hot!</em> <strong>ghetto </strong><em>adj.</em> run-down, not good, <em>man! that dive is hella ghetto!</em> <strong>gangsta ghetto</strong> <em>adj.</em> resembling someone or something from the real LA ghetto, usually with connotations of being "cool" or "tough", <em>dude! he's tryin' to be all gangsta ghetto!</em> <strong>hang out</strong> <em>v.</em> meet up, <em>you wanna hang out sometime?</em> <strong>kick it</strong> <em>v.</em> meet up, <em>come over and we can kick it!</em> however, be careful when using these words, as using them incorrectly with the wrong accent may result in your looking "uncool" and hence getting shot by someone who is "for real" "gangsta ghetto". your tour guide will be happy to arrange a language exchange in order for you to become more familiar with the LA dialect. this is highly recommended as a precaution against getting shot. please also refer to your <em>LA-english</em> dictionary for further translations.<br />
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<strong>wildlife:</strong><br />
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as one of the largest concrete jungles in the united states, LA is also home to some very exotic local wildlife. in particular, be on the lookout for the celebrity species, as they can be spotted in camouflage in your day-to-day life. in the event that you do spot one, please refrain from feeding it, as they often do not eat. take photos quickly and discretely. approach at your own risk, as they can become dangerous and aggressive: <br />
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<a href="http://photo.xanga.com/pisces1982/7284b190526018/photo.html" target="_blank"><img alt="jessica-simpson-flip-off-front[1]" height="400" src="http://x72.xanga.com/84bc72f354133190526018/z146646922.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" /></a><br />
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<strong>cuisine:</strong><br />
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like many of the major cities around the world, LA is also home to many areas of fine dining. trying the local cuisine is always an excellent way to experience the native culture. some popular local dishes include: chocolate martini, sex on the beach, sour amaretto, body shot, diet pills. the local fast food burger chain<em> in n out</em> is also a highly prized culinary gem. do NOT mention anything negative related to <em>in n out</em> within hearing range of the locals, or you WILL return to england in a body bag.<br />
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if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact your tour guide. please also note that tipping is a great american custom. please tip your tour guide as a sign of goodwill. the standard american tipping rate is now 60%.<br />
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we hope you enjoy your stay in LA. thank you for choosing <em>theresa tours</em>.<br />
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(fine print: <em>theresa tours</em> is not responsible for lost or stolen items, or in the event that you are mugged, shot, or killed in a vehicular accident, the chances of which are 92.3% in LA).resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-50912586425517998852011-12-13T23:00:00.000-08:002011-12-13T23:00:03.087-08:00the holiday season<div class="Section1">
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<span class="SpellE"><span class="GramE"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">halloween</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE">the</span> holiday season is a fun time of year in the UK. <span class="GramE">it</span> begins in <span class="SpellE">october</span> with <span class="SpellE">halloween</span>. <span class="GramE">there</span> are several good <span class="SpellE">halloween</span> activities in and around the <span class="SpellE">london</span> area to choose from, although many run all year round. </span><a href="http://www.theghostbustours.com/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE">the</span> ghost bus</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is similar to the <span class="SpellE">london</span> tour buses, except it takes you to some of the “haunted” and spooky sites of <span class="SpellE">london</span>. <span class="GramE">also</span>, the ghost bus has a couple of costumed performers to keep you entertained along the way. <span class="GramE">personally</span>, <span class="SpellE">i</span> think it’s a fun thing to do as a tourist, but if you’re a <span class="SpellE">london</span> resident, most of the sites will already be familiar to you, so might not be too thrilling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE">for</span> <span class="SpellE">halloween</span>, my <span class="SpellE">favorite</span> thing to do is a ghost walk. <span class="GramE">there</span> are a number throughout the whole of <span class="SpellE">england</span>. there are also several jack-the-ripper walks in london. <span class="GramE">these</span> walks usually fill up really quickly for <span class="SpellE">halloween</span>, so need to be booked far in advance. <span class="GramE">although</span> ghost walks can be cold and cover long distances, for me, it’s better than the bus tour, because you can get right up close to the sites, rather than being enclosed in a bus the entire time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">guy</span></b></span><b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span class="SpellE">fawkes</span> day and political holidays</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“<span class="GramE">remember</span>, remember, the fifth of <span class="SpellE">november</span>”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE">the</span> movie <i><span style="font-style: italic;">v for vendetta</span></i> seems to have brought this <span class="SpellE">british</span> holiday to the <span class="SpellE">american</span> consciousness. <span class="GramE">also</span> known as ‘bonfire night’, guy <span class="SpellE">fawkes</span> day celebrates <span class="SpellE">nov</span> 5<sup>th</sup>, 1605, when a plot to blow up parliament was foiled. <span class="GramE">every</span> year, the <span class="SpellE">british</span> mark this anniversary by putting on magnificent fireworks displays throughout <span class="SpellE">england</span>, similar to <span class="SpellE">july</span> 4<sup>th</sup> (a holiday which is <i><span style="font-style: italic;">not</span></i> celebrated in <span class="SpellE">england</span>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE">a</span> couple of other political celebrations follow guy <span class="SpellE">fawkes</span> day. <span class="GramE">there’s</span> the </span><a href="http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lord mayor’s show</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in mid-<span class="SpellE">november</span>, which is a historic procession dating back 800yrs. <span class="GramE">each</span> year, according to tradition, the mayor must make a journey to the royal courts of justice and pledge his loyalty. <span class="GramE">today</span>, this has resulted in an extensive, 3-mile-long parade with floats and pageantry. <span class="GramE">it’s</span> a fantastic chance to see a part of <span class="SpellE">british</span> history, and to witness a tradition that’s been taking place every year for nearly a millennium.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE">the</span> day after the lord mayor’s show is remembrance <span class="SpellE">sunday</span>. <span class="GramE">similar</span> to veterans day in <span class="SpellE">america</span>, this is a time when those in the UK <span class="SpellE">honor</span> their world war veterans. <span class="GramE">memorial</span> services are held throughout the UK, such as on <span class="SpellE">whitehall</span> in <span class="SpellE">london</span>, which is attended by the royal family and notable politicians. the weeks leading up to remembrance <span class="SpellE">sunday</span> are marked by the poppy appeal, a widespread charity event where artificial red poppies are bought and worn on clothing, with proceeds going towards the royal <span class="SpellE">british</span> legion, a charity for <span class="SpellE">british</span> war veterans and their families.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- the lord mayor's show:</span></div>
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<span class="GramE"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">thanksgiving</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE">thanksgiving</span> is an <span class="SpellE">american</span> holiday and isn’t celebrated here in the UK, so it’s a bit weird coming over to <span class="SpellE">england</span> and finding this important holiday abruptly missing from the calendar. <span class="GramE">most</span> years, you’ll have to work right through thanksgiving with no one else around you acknowledging its existence. <span class="GramE">so</span>, if you’re an <span class="SpellE">american</span> ex-pat, be prepared and plan a gathering with other <span class="SpellE">american</span> ex-pats. <span class="GramE">also</span>, anticipate getting a lot of questions about what exactly thanksgiving is. <span class="GramE">in</span> <span class="SpellE">england</span>, it’s often described as “a second <span class="SpellE">christmas</span>”, since the <span class="SpellE">british</span> usually serve a large turkey roast as a <span class="SpellE">christmas</span> meal.</span></div>
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<span class="SpellE"><span class="GramE"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">christmas</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="GramE">this</span> is, without a doubt, the biggest holiday in the UK. <span class="GramE">no</span> matter what your religion is (the UK is largely an atheistic country), you will celebrate <span class="SpellE">christmas</span> in a non-religious way. <span class="GramE">here</span> in <span class="SpellE">england</span>, they take their <span class="SpellE">christmas</span> decorations <i><span style="font-style: italic;">very</span></i> seriously. <span class="GramE">so</span> if you’re in <span class="SpellE">london</span> in <span class="SpellE">november and december</span>, you can enjoy giant, spectacular <span class="SpellE">christmas</span> displays everywhere you go. <span class="GramE">while</span> <span class="SpellE">i’ve</span> always spent <span class="SpellE">christmas</span> in the states, <span class="SpellE">i’ve</span> heard that being in the UK over the <span class="SpellE">christmas</span> holidays is a bore, since everything’s closed. <span class="GramE">so</span> do <i><span style="font-style: italic;">not</span></i> come to <span class="SpellE">england</span> on <span class="SpellE">christmas</span>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- christmas decorations in london and newcastle:</span></div>
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</div>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-20541946665160269512011-11-20T16:24:00.001-08:002011-11-20T16:44:20.506-08:00the london southbank<div class="WordSection1">
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<span class="GramE">the</span> <span class="SpellE">london</span> <span class="SpellE">southbank</span> is a great place to have a lazy stroll during the warm summer months. <span class="GramE">this</span> little strip of land gets its name from being on the southern bank of the river <span class="SpellE">thames</span> in central <span class="SpellE">london</span>. <span class="GramE">along</span> the <span class="SpellE">southbank</span>, you’ll find the <span class="SpellE">shakespeare</span> globe theatre, the royal festival hall, the national theatre, and the <span class="SpellE">london</span> eye.</div>
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<span class="SpellE"><span class="GramE">london</span></span> is definitely a great place to be if you’re a fan of theatre. <span class="GramE">at</span> the <span class="SpellE">shakespeare</span> globe theatre, you can see <span class="SpellE">shakespeare’s</span> plays in an authentic period setting. <span class="GramE">the</span> royal festival hall hosts concerts, while the national theatre is home to dramatic, artsy plays. <span class="GramE">this</span> past summer, <span class="SpellE">i</span> often went to the <span class="SpellE">southbank</span>, since <span class="SpellE">i</span> live within easy walking distance. <span class="GramE">over</span> the summer, the national theatre usually sets up giant green couches outside of its front doors. <span class="GramE">these</span> are fun to lounge around on and to take photos of. =)</div>
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<span class="SpellE"><span class="GramE">i</span></span> also had the pleasure of going to the royal festival hall’s weekend food festivals. <span class="GramE">the</span> cheese and wine festival, as well as the charcuterie festival, were particularly memorable for me – it’s great to just wander around in the early autumn weather and munch on some free samples. =) the <span class="SpellE">southbank</span> centre also hosts <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/markets/real-food-market-at-southbank-centre" target="_blank">weekend food markets</a></span>, every week, behind the royal festival hall.</div>
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<span class="GramE">if</span> you’re still hungry after the food markets, then walk down to the river towards the <span class="SpellE">london</span> eye. <span class="GramE">along</span> the way, you’ll pass beneath the <span class="SpellE">hungerford</span> bridge, which is flanked by the beautiful golden jubilee footbridges – the view from the footbridges is spectacular, and it’s a nice place to take photos of the <span class="SpellE">thames</span> and parliament. <span class="GramE">but</span> before you start crossing the bridge, why not grab an ice cream? <span class="GramE">in</span> the summer and early autumn, <span class="SpellE">london</span> is flooded with classic ice cream trucks; there are usually a couple of them parked along the <span class="SpellE">southbank</span>, between the <span class="SpellE">hungerford</span> bridge and the <span class="SpellE">london</span> eye. <span class="SpellE">i</span> usually get my ice cream from an old-school <span class="SpellE">cornish</span> ice cream truck, which serves up rich, creamy ice cream made from <span class="SpellE">cornwall’s</span> famous clotted cream. <span class="GramE">there</span> are many street performers in this area, so get some ice cream and take some time to soak in the sights and sounds.</div>
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<span class="GramE">not</span> far from the ice cream trucks is the <span class="SpellE">london</span> eye, an iconic landmark that offers great night views of parliament. <span class="GramE">the</span> best time to take a ride up the <span class="SpellE">london</span> eye is during sunset. <span class="GramE">if</span> you have a tripod, then definitely bring it with you, since you can get some magnificent night photos of parliament from atop the <span class="SpellE">london</span> eye. =)</div>
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- golden jubilee footbridge, hungerford bridge:</div>
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</div>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-52261709374030774312011-11-05T16:45:00.000-07:002011-11-05T16:53:48.497-07:00anti-americanism<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">i</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> first came over to </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">england</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> in 2005 when bush was still president and the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">iraq</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> war was very unpopular. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> so, there was a lot of anti-</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americanism</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> going around. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">there</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> were giant signs and graffiti in the metro stations, saying things like, “nothing good comes out of </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">america</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">!” </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">really</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">? then </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">why’re</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> you all buying it up, then? </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">coca</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> cola, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">starbucks</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, and all those </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">american</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> movies, etc. don’t keep themselves in business, after all.) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">as</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> for bush, it’s amazing how readily people indiscriminately associate every citizen with his/her government. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">no</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, like many other </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americans</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">i</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> did not support the bush administration and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">i</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> did not vote for him, contrary to what terrorists seem to think.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">like</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> racism and other forms of discrimination, anti-</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americanism</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> is based on nothing more than crude stereotypes that are only caricatures of reality. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">the</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> worst part is that, unlike racism, anti-</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americanism</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> is considered to be okay and socially acceptable, even though it is based on the same level of ignorance.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">at</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> the end of the day, If You Have Not Lived In The States, Then You Do Not Know America. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> no, going there on holiday for a few days does not count. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">america</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> is like a worldwide celebrity that everyone hears about, but whom few people actually know in person. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">nevertheless</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, because of all the gossip, everyone thinks they know everything about this celebrity, when really, all they have are bits of distorted truths. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">for</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> example, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">i</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> heard people say things like, “but </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">america’s</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> so racist, they’ll never elect </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">obama</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">!”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">surprisingly</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, living abroad makes you more patriotic. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">in</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> the states, you hear about anti-</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americanism</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, and for some reason, you become apologetic, probably because you’re at home, surrounded by other </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americans</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, and anti-</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americanism</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> is just something far away, across the seas. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">but</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> when you’re living alone in a foreign country, encountering anti-</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americanism</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> on a regular basis, you become very defensive, and no less because the discriminatory assumptions are so erroneous.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">a</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> lot of anti-</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americanism</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> appears to result from culture clashes and a seeming inability to appreciate </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">american</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> culture. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">you’ll</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> hear people say that </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">america</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> has “no history” and “no culture”, which makes no sense whatsoever. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">we</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> might not have a long history that spans thousands of years, and we might be an amalgamation of a wide variety of cultures from around the world, but that in itself is </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">american</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> culture and identity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americans</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> are also seen as brutish and ignorant, but again, this results largely from cultural differences. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">european</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> culture values being an “artist” and an “intellectual”, while </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">american</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> culture values the “ordinary man” and being “real” and “down to earth”. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">so</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, people here in </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">england</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> tend to talk themselves up, pretending to know things they don’t and trying to sound smarter than they are. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">in</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> the states, however, if you don’t know something, then you just say so, and even if you are ridiculously intelligent and accomplished, you play it down. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">so</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> when the two cultures meet, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americans</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> come off as “less intelligent”, when it’s mostly just outward posturing than the reality. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">besides</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, how can </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americans</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> be stupid when many of the world’s best universities are in </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">america</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">here</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> in more socialist </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">europe</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, you’ll also find an idealistic (and perhaps, naïve) contempt of capitalism and the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">american</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> dream. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">yes</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, we may be a capitalist nation, but we’re not without aid for the homeless, disabled, and unemployed, etc. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">moreover, from what </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">i’ve</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> seen, a lack of competition decreases the quality of nearly everything, because, let’s face it, most people are fundamentally self-serving and lazy, disinclined to work harder when an increase in taxes with salary takes away a large chunk of pay and the incentive along with it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">thankfully</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, anti-</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">americanism</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> has drastically decreased with </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">obama’s</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> election. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">hopefully</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, the future will be brighter – after all, things could only get better from here, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">i</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> hope…</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">what do you think about anti-americanism?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. rese</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://x0b.xanga.com/f81f616202d33270202777/b215522797.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="IMG_6426" src="http://x0b.xanga.com/f81f616202d33270202777/z215522797.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" width="400" /></a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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</div>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-38138035246890610372011-10-21T15:32:00.000-07:002011-10-22T02:33:02.404-07:00top 10 places to go in the UK outside of london<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">since tourists almost always flock to london, i thought i'd give some suggestions about the places that i think are great to go <em><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">outside</span></em> of london, in case you want to venture beyond. in no particular order, these places are:</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1)</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">windsor </span></strong>- if you're going to be in london for awhile, then it is very easy to go to windsor for a day. there is a direct train from london waterloo station straight to windsor, and you can just purchase tickets on the day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">windsor</span><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> castle has extraordinarily beautiful rooms and a wealth of history, so definitely take a tour of the interior. other highlights include the crooked tea house, a great place to have afternoon tea, and it's conveniently located just down the road from the castle. during the summer, you can have a picnic on the long walk, where you could also ride in a horse-drawn carriage.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- the long walk:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://xf0.xanga.com/9c7f965541130279327204/b222512438.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="IMG_2258" src="http://xf0.xanga.com/9c7f965541130279327204/z222512438.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><strong>2)</strong> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong>stonehenge, bath, glastonbury</strong></span> - i've grouped these three locations together because you can visit all three pretty much all at once. it's really easy to book a day-tour to stonehenge, bath, and glastonbury from london. <a href="http://www.prosceniumtours.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">proscenium tours</span></a> usually run tours for students, and there are also many other tour buses (like <a href="http://www.premiumtours.co.uk/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">premium tours</span></a> and <a href="http://www.andersontours.co.uk/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">anderson tours</span></a>) that run day trips to these locations from london. a day-tour is the easiest way to experience these three locations. the tours usually give you enough time to spend at each location, and you can see all three in only one day! </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">stonehenge is about 5,000 yrs old and is only one of many stone circles in england. bath is famous for its ancient roman baths. you can bring your swimsuit and relax in the natural thermal spas, like the celts and romans did 2,000 yrs ago. for jane austen fans, this was the city where she lived, influencing much of her writing. there is a jane austen center where you can learn more about her life and times.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">glastonbury hosts medieval recreations in the abbot's kitchen, from costumes to cooking medieval food, which you can then taste. this is also the place where king arthur and guinevere are said to be buried - their tombs are on the abbey grounds. historians, however, think the abbey monks may have forged this relic in order to attract pilgrims.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3)</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">tintagel </span></strong>- cornwall is perhaps the most beautiful region of england, situated at the very western tip, with its small, picturesque coastal towns. tintagel, on the northern coast of cornwall, is a small, remote village on the sea cliffs, and is great as a weekend getaway from the bustle of the city. it has beautiful sea views, and is an excellent place for hiking along the ocean and exploring the waterfall and the many caves. there are also the crumbling castle ruins on the cliffs, which are great to wander around. in arthurian legend, this was the place where merlin used magic to disguise king uther as the duke of cornwall. uther then visited the duchess of cornwall, igraine, in her tintagel castle, where king arthur was then conceived. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4)</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">saint michael’s mount</span></strong> - this is one of the many tidal islands in the UK, and is located at the very tip of cornwall. small islands during high tide and connected to the mainland at low tide, tidal islands are often remote locations and sites of medieval religious worship. saint michael's mount is particularly peaceful and scenic, and makes for a relaxing weekend away. incidentally, there is a similar tidal island in france with the same name, mont st. michel.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">-saint michael’s mount at low tide:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://x8b.xanga.com/2e9f912264330279327206/b222512440.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="IMG_5315" src="http://x8b.xanga.com/2e9f912264330279327206/z222512440.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">5) </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">stratford</b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">-upon-avon</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> – this is a beautiful, idyllic town, and is famous as the birthplace of william shakespeare. here, you can walk through restorations of shakespeare’s childhood home and those of his relatives. the royal shakespeare company has regular performances in the royal shakespeare theatre, which sits along the river avon. the theater also offers tours and exhibitions, and the riverside banks are great for strolling. =)</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">6) </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">northumberland</b> – in the northeast corner of england, northumberland is a fantastic region to see medieval castles. among them, alnwick castle is notable for being the site of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">harry potter</i> films. it is the current home of the duke and duchess of northumberland, and is one of the largest inhabited castles. it is a great, family-friendly place to visit - with games, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">harry potter</i> tours, medieval recreations, and opportunities to see falconry. it is also the site of the stunning alnwick garden, with beautiful terraced fountains, rope bridges, and the ‘bamboo labyrinth’, one of the world’s largest tree houses. to see a classic, crumbling castle ruin by the sea, head to dunstanburgh castle for dark, moody, but majestic sea views. northumberland is also home to the lindisfarne priory, situated on the scenic holy island, a tidal island. there is also vindolanda, an ancient roman fort near hadrian’s wall, a great place to see ancient roman archaeological finds.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- alnwick castle:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://xf1.xanga.com/3b2f872365633279327264/b222512491.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="IMG_2852" src="http://xf1.xanga.com/3b2f872365633279327264/z222512491.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">7) </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">brecon beacons, wales</b> – the brecon beacons national park is a breathtaking mountain range in the south of wales. the best way to see the beacons is on horseback.there are several riding centres throughout the brecon beacons that offer horse-riding trips, many of which can be found on: <a href="http://www.horseridingbreconbeacons.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.horseridingbreconbeacons.com/</span></a> several centres offer rides that suit all horse-riding abilities, from beginners with no prior riding experience, to those who ride daily.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">- brecon beacons:</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">8)</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">antrim coast, northern ireland</b> – this coastline along the northeast corner of northern ireland is an area of outstanding natural beauty. it is home to the giant’s causeway, a natural wonder consisting of a series of interlocking hexagonal basalt columns reaching into the sea. the giant’s causeway hotel, which sits right above the causeway, is perfect for a weekend stay among the strange formations of the rocks. the carrick-a-rede rope bridge nearby is a thin little bridge spanning across the sea cliffs, and is definitely worth a visit to walk across. =)</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">9)</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">glasgow</b> – as the largest city in scotland, glasgow might seem a bit dark and dreary at first glance, but it is the best place to see the famous mackintosh architecture. <a href="http://www.crmsociety.com/attractionslist.aspx" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">charles rennie mackintosh</span></a> was a scottish art nouveau architect, and much of his architecture can be seen and visited in glasgow. most notable are the willow tea rooms and the house for an art lover. his architectural style has a fantastical, alice-in-wonderland feeling.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">- music room piano, house for an art lover:</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">10) </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">scottish highlands</b> – the highlands of scotland are magnificent, and there is no point going to scotland without seeing the highlands. you can easily take a day tour from edinburgh or glasgow. the days tours will take you through the stunning mountains of the highlands, and most will go all the way up to loch ness, where you can then board a boat cruise for some monster-spotting! a few of the many highland tours include <a href="http://www.rabbies.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">rabbie’s trail burners</span></a>, <a href="http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">timberbush</span></a>, <a href="http://www.highlandexperience.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">highland experience</span></a>, and <a href="http://www.scottishtours.co.uk/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">scottish tours</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">- scottish highlands:</span></div>
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. rese</div>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-14739878145667560432011-10-02T13:12:00.000-07:002011-10-02T13:40:04.151-07:00northern ireland<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;color:black;">so, it's been over a year since i last updated. =P shame on me. it's just, my life has been super hectic!</span></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;color:black;">anyways, as for travelling, i recently made a trip to northern ireland over a weekend, which was really great. i took an overnight sleeper train into scotland, and then a ferry into belfast. this is definitely the long, scenic route, compared to flying, but it's a unique experience, and i would definitely recommend it. the caledonian sleeper train was pretty fun - very hogwarts express, if you're a harry potter fan. the booths are quite small, so it's not the thing to do if you're claustrophobic. if you're in first class, you get your own little complimentary toiletries kit, which is a nice touch. so if you're travelling alone, i would definitely suggest paying the extra £50 for your own first class private booth. you'll also get a complimentary snack for breakfast, and even a full breakfast if you order it.</span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;color:black;">the train ride through scotland had some beautiful coastal views, and the ferry was amazing. it was basically a small cruise ship, complete with movie theater, spa, cafes, and restaurants. a lot of people also brought their dogs, and some were driving, so had their cars parked below deck. once at belfast port, i had a black taxi cab pick me up directly from the port onto a taxi tour of the city.</span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;color:black;">the black cab tour is definitely a must-do if you're in belfast, mainly because it's so iconic and gives you great, personal insight into the history of the city - particularly the protestant vs. catholic issues. it's not the most cheery of tours, but it's certainly enlightening and worthwhile. for one person, it's somewhat pricey at £30, but if you're travelling with others, you can split the cost among you. </span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;color:black;">the following day, i took a day tour of the antrim coast with mccomb's bus tours. this was the highlight of the trip for me. if you're in belfast, the giant's causeway should not be missed, especially if you love coastlines, hiking, and natural wonders. although it rained, the strange hexagonal rock formations of the giant's causeway were fantastic to see and climb around on. you could easily spend a good half-day there, hiking and exploring the shoreline. the bus tour also stopped at the precarious Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, which runs across the rocks. even though it looks like a dangerous, thin, little bridge, no one has ever fallen off. nevertheless, i thought i saw a coast guard boat down below, to help you out in case you do wind up falling into the sea.</span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><a href="http://xb0.xanga.com/3eae16e775232279069605/b222306396.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="IMG_4273a" src="http://xb0.xanga.com/3eae16e775232279069605/z222306396.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;color:black;">despite having a great time, i actually wouldn't recommend taking a day tour from belfast, mainly because the tour was very rushed. instead, if you want to see the giant's causeway, i would suggest booking a weekend at the giant's causeway hotel, which sits practically right on the causeway. then you can simply take your time exploring the stones and the beautiful, rocky coast.</span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><a href="http://xfb.xanga.com/9bde04e7d5235279069608/b222306399.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="IMG_4204" src="http://xfb.xanga.com/9bde04e7d5235279069608/z222306399.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:black;"></p></span></span><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span style="font-family:arial;">. rese</span></p></span>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-25112797264444296502010-07-26T13:11:00.000-07:002011-10-22T02:33:19.707-07:00top 10 shocking things i discovered about the USA<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; 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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">i really didn't expect to learn a lot about my own country whilst being abroad. but somehow, when you're at home, you don't really see your own country. i know that sounds weird, but it's like the way you don't really see yourself or what you look like unless you look in a mirror. when you're living abroad, though, all of a sudden, it's like someone's held up a mirror and you can see yourself - or you can look across the pond and you see your own country. it's the strangest thing. anyways, here're some things i learned about good ol' home sweet home:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">1. you’re lucky to be an american</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">this is one of the biggest things i realized. when you're american, you pretty much just take it for granted. - the standard of living, the lifestyle, etc. etc. yea, from time to time, you might hear something about being proud to be an american, but you don't really know what that means - mainly because you have no clue what it's like living anywhere else. you think every other first world country is pretty much like america, and places like europe are romanticized, with their art and history, and of course, their glorious free healthcare. boy was living in england a wake-up call. universal healthcare is not the amazing thing that we make it out to be. yes, there is free healthcare, but the quality of it is not good at all - i literally had to do my own swabs (god knows if i did it right) and, on a separate occasion, tell the doctor what to prescribe for my eczema. i'm not lying. well, as i learned, even when it comes to healthcare, the laws of economics still apply - you get what you pay for.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">2. america is the center of the world</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">this might sound really egotistical, but it's true. i couldn't believe how much american stuff was absolutely everywhere. from american movies, to tv shows, to songs, celebrities, products, etc. etc. it's like our culture has infiltrated every corner of the globe. and yea, in the states, you hear about how we're a "global superpower", but it all just dims into background noise. you don't really fully realize this until you're abroad and you see it firsthand. it's like everyone's always watching america's next move. the entire world was watching the 2008 election, with rowdy election parties in pubs, american flags everywhere, and everyone cheering for their preferred presidential candidate. the american election was all anyone was talking about that whole year. when in america do we ever talk about another nation's presidential elections - or even know who the candidates are???</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">3. america is extremely isolated</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">you never realize how isolated america is until you leave and join - the rest of the world. people abroad are always giving americans a lot of heat about not knowing anything about the rest of the world. i think a lot of it has to do with our geographic isolation. we're surrounded by the world's largest oceans, have no vacation time to travel, and even if we did have vacation time, it still takes us forever to fly within our own country, let alone to another country. compare this with england - a 3-4hr flight will take you into northern africa, or iceland, or another part of the european continent. also, a weird thing about america, which i still don't really understand - is that everything gets americanized before it touches american soil. even though our own culture is everywhere around the world, when we take imports, like <em>harry potter</em> or <em>the office</em>, it all has to be transformed to suit american audiences. i guess a lot of this has to do with marketing and what the Powers That Be think will sell. so no, the american <em>harry potter</em>s that you buy in america are NOT the same as the original british <em>harry potter</em>s, and of course, <em>the office</em> does not star steve carell here in the UK. however, it's definitely unfair to go on and on about how americans are "ignorant" of other parts of the world. - the only reason other countries are more knowledgeable about the states is because - we're the center of the world!! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">4. america is extremely young</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">you don't quite realize how young america is until you leave.... and you realize that europe is populated with ancient greco-roman artifacts, a lot of which still lie buried in the ground. all around england, you see tons of archaeology sites that have unearthed ancient roman ruins. in the north of england, along the english-scottish border, there's hadrian's wall, this long wall that was built by the ancient roman emperor.. well..- hadrian, of course. and then, of course, there's something like stonehenge, which, you realize, is just one of many ancient stone circles that were erected around 2000-3000BC. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/shocked.gif" width="15" /> unlike what i'd previously thought, prehistoric stone circles are prevalent all over england - just walking through a park in yorkshire, one day, we came across some. compare this to - america. when i went on a tour of virginia and washington dc, the west coasters i was with were astounded by archaeological findings dating back to colonial times - all the way back to 1600AD. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/whatevah.gif" width="15" /> in the states, anything from before 1900 is "ancient", so when they heard that my school - royal holloway, university of london - was built in the 1800s (relatively "new" by european standards), they were amazed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">- jamestown, virginia:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">5. the american dream is unique to… america</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">this seems like a given, since it's the <em>american </em>dream. but somehow, you just don't realize how unique this concept is to the states until you actually live elsewhere. elsewhere, there's just not this go-getting "make it happen" can-do mentality - this attitude that, if you work hard enough, you can reach your goals and make your dreams a reality. in general, american culture is very organized, efficient, and hardworking. - definitely a "dream big" and "just do it" society.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">6. optimism</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">maybe the american dream is inseparably linked to the american culture of optimism, which i never realized was unique to the states. i always thought thinking positive was just the thing to do, no matter where you were. i couldn't have been more wrong. here in england, it's pretty much the opposite. although now i'm used to it, initially british pessimism was really jarring and hard to get used to. here in england, instead of a can-do "make it happen" attitude, it's more of a can't-do "can't be bothered" philosophy. and here in england, people complain a lot!! - which was shocking to me at first, but now i find it to be pretty funny. in the states, when you ask someone how they are, the standard reply is always, "great!". in england, however, don't be surprised if they reply, "awful!" and proceed to complain about every possible facet of their lives (the first time i got this reply, i just sat there, blinking, not knowing how to respond).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">7. america is giant</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">i never realized how insanely giant america is. the states is almost the size of the entire continent of europe - maybe even bigger, if you count alaska. in the states, we're used to driving great distances everywhere - not so, here in england. instead of getting behind the wheel the second you turn 16, it's common here in england for people to never ever learn how to drive. most of the time, here in england, you take the train if you're leaving the city - taking a plane within your own country is weird and unnecessary.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">8. large portions and large everything</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">maybe because we have so much land, we can make everything large and super-sized and extra giant. i never noticed before how big everything in the states is. the houses are tremendous, the roads are wide, distances are massive, and of course, what we're most famous for - giant american food portions, which i have now learned to appreciate!! <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/pleased.gif" width="15" /> in the states, the idea is to get more for your money - so pretty much everywhere you go, you'll get giant food portions, then whatever you can't finish, you take home with you in doggy bags. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /> so really, you get about a week's worth of food, all at once. but here in europe, you hardly ever feel full - and only a few places offer doggy bag options - at other places, they'll just look at you weird if you ask for a doggy bag. and don't be surprised if the service is unfriendly. but the more i get used to europe, the more overwhelmed i feel when i go back to the states. back home, supermarkets are starting to feel so giant to me, that simply walking from one end to the other leaves me feeling exhausted - like a marathon. and the fast-talking, friendly american service leaves me feeling dazed, to the point where a server stopped in the middle of his fast-talk to ask me, "are you okay?" - yes, just not used to all this efficiency and attention...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>9. america is a nation of immigrants</strong> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">of course, this mantra is repeated over and over throughout american culture. but you never really realize what it means until you reach europe and meet people whose ancestors have been living on the same land for over 2000yrs. in the states, you're also used to most caucasians being a mixture of european descent: part irish, french, german etc. - so it was pretty jarring to meet caucasians who're pretty much just "irish" or just "french" or just "german". yea, these are all things you know on some level, but it just doesn't become real until you actually experience it. plus, during this past british election, there was very much an anti-immigration sentiment, with politicians promising to limit immigration and to stop people from coming in. i'm not big on politics, but it's definitely hard for me to imagine an american politican lobbying successfully on this ground - it'd be anti-american, since america is "a nation of immigrants", statue of liberty, ellis island, etc. etc. etc.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">10. other parts of the world are not like america</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">somehow, you expect all first world countries to be pretty much the same as the states. but they're not. it's not until you leave that you realize how high the average american standard of living is, how powerful we are as a nation, and how much you take for granted. yea, these are all things that you hear about dimly in the background, but it's not something that actually sinks in until you leave.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">. rese</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://x0b.xanga.com/f81f616202d33270202777/b215522797.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="IMG_6426" src="http://x0b.xanga.com/f81f616202d33270202777/z215522797.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></div>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-82537476109310777982010-06-21T08:05:00.000-07:002012-04-27T16:20:07.321-07:00top 10 shocking things i discovered about the UKafter being in england for about 5yrs now, i have to wonder how i could ever have been shocked by any of the mundane things listed below. but, thinking back, these were definitely some of the more shocking things i hadn't expected. before i arrived, i kind of just expected the mother country to be... well... another america. somehow, you just don't expect another first world anglophone country to be so different (let alone the mother country herself) - after all, i'd been to canada, briefly, which certainly didn't seem so drastically different from the states (sorry, canadians).<br />
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anyways, here are the top 10 shocking things i discovered about england and the UK:<br />
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<strong>1. everything is smaller</strong><br />
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the first thing that strikes you is the sheer diminutive size of everything - from houses, to cars, to food portions, to the land. yes, the land. - you just don't expect an entire country to be smaller than a state. and certainly, you don't expect the UK to be roughly the size of california.<br />
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<strong>2. stationery is different </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>for some reason, i'm weirdly fascinated by stationery. so i was completely confused when i couldn't find a standard two-pocket folder to save my life. in england, folders aren’t like the american two-pocket ones. here, they usually look like giant envelopes - sometimes, they're made of colored cardboard material, and other times, they're transparent plastic.<br />
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<strong>3. weight is measured in stones </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>i was already prepared to be completely baffled by the weather reports, being (still) unaware of what any temperature means in celsius. but when i heard about people's weight being measured in a unit called "stones", somehow that just sounded so - archaic - so, medieval. time, however, never taught me, and to this day, i still have no clue how much i weigh in "stones".<br />
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<strong>4. groceries and laundry </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>at first, this might seem weird - surely, there couldn't be that many differences when it comes to groceries and laundry. but oh, there are! looking back now, this definitely seems like a very embarrassing and princessy item on the list here. but at first, i was admittedly traumatized by having to - bag my own groceries. it's a lot more stressful than you might think. here in the UK, there's not that extra store employee standing at the end of the line, bagging your groceries for you. instead, i had to fumble with the plastic bags myself, trying to open them and bag everything, with a giant line of people behind me, impatiently breathing down my neck. arrgghhh... so nerve-wracking. plus, instead of your store card giving you automatic discounts off your purchase, coupons are sent (and often lost) via the mail (or "post", as they say here). ung.<br />
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there was also that grocery item called "squash". i had to have this explained to me over and over, before i finally saw it "made" and the light bulb ultimately came on. basically, at the grocery store, you can buy bottles of concentrated "fruit squash". but you can't drink it straight from the bottle, like juice. you have to pour some of the squash into your glass and fill the rest of your glass with tap water or "lemonade". "lemonade" in this case isn't that yellow summery drink you make from lemons - here, it's more like a <em>7up</em> or <em>sprite</em>.<br />
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a common form of squash is "blackcurrant". blackcurrant is a common flavor for a lot of things here. blackcurrant does not exist on a commercial scale in the states. it took me the longest time to figure out what it was. judging from pictures on boxes and bottles, i originally thought maybe it was the british word for "blueberry". so finally, after months of excruciating curiosity, i just had to ask my co-worker, who reacted much as i'd expected, "you don't know what blackcurrant is??? IT'S A BERRY!!" basically, it's a european berry that's used to flavor a lot of commercial products (juices, candy, etc.), the same way that cherries and strawberries are used in the states. in fact, the <em>skittles</em> and <em>starbursts</em> over here in england have a blackcurrant flavor. weird.....<br />
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- blackcurrant squash:<br />
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*whew!* i could just go on forever about groceries (there are also no wonderful unhealthy american cereals, like <em>lucky charms</em> or <em>apple jacks</em> - basically, none of the sweet cereals. there're only healthy fiber stuff here, and the traumatizing blocks of <em><a href="http://www.weetabix.co.uk/about-us/">weetabix</a></em>). but let’s move on to - laundry. this wasn't really any different while i was living in student dorms. in dorms, you get the typical campus laundromat with the cheap washer/dryers. but once you move out, you realize that most places do not have dryers. dryers are expensive, usually only operating for a few minutes at a time, so you practically have to keep loading it with coins to get any real drying done. most people here hang dry their clothes - and you can buy racks to hang your laundry on. this was admittedly very traumatizing for me at first, although, now i'm used to it - i didn't buy a rack, or anything, i sort of just hang everything on coat hangers in the bathroom. <br />
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oh yea, and another thing about the washing machines here - they're usually in the kitchen. so for the longest time, i thought they were dishwashers. so, if you're american and staying with someone in the UK, make sure that it really is a dishwasher before putting in any dirty dishes. dishwashers aren’t that common, so if it's in the kitchen, chances are, it's NOT a dishwasher, but a washing machine for your laundry. </div>
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<strong>5. discrimination</strong></div>
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surely, the evil that is discrimination exists everywhere? well yea, it does. but the way in which different cultures discriminate is... well... different, as i learned. yes, discrimination is a hot potato, sensitive issue. but meh, i'm just gonna get it out there. in america, we've all heard about racial discrimination, blah blah blah - who hasn't. the weird thing is, when you come over to this side of the pond, you notice that the racial checkboxes (or "tickboxes", as they say here) are different - you know, the section you fill in on the "equal opportunities" form when applying for employment. i'd always made the assumption that race was the same everywhere, but i guess different places classify it differently. in the states, the checkboxes are fewer and more "color oriented": white, white hispanic, black, asian, native american, mixed. here, in england, all of a sudden, there are about fifty different checkboxes, revolving around nationality: white, white irish, asian indian, asian pakistani, asian bangladeshi, chinese, black african, black caribbean, and then about ten different forms of mixed races. </div>
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even though america is stereotyped as being an evil racist country, personally, i think the UK is somewhat worse in terms of discrimination. because in addition to the typical racism that you'd expect as an american, there can also be anti-ginger sentiment, which is discrimination against redheads (something that <em>south park</em> has recently exposed america to, apparently). this probably stems from historical tensions between british vs. irish and scottish. since there tends to be more redheads in ireland and scotland, anti-ginger sentiment developed in england. </div>
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furthermore, there's also something called "classism" - discrimination against different classes. i had no idea why “class” was such a giant deal in the UK, and why it kept coming up, and i had never heard of “classism” before coming over here. yea, in america, we have the super-rich and the super-poor, and everything in between, but because of the ideals of the american dream and the firm belief in class mobility, there's no real idea of "class" as something that exists as a permanent part of your identity, the way "race" does - "class", and the wealth that's associated with it, is thought of as something that can change with your job or circumstances, while "race" is fixed - and even though people have varying degrees of wealth, we're all thought of as being equals, as "working middle-class". but in the UK, it's a whole other mentality altogether. people are born a certain class and it becomes pretty much a permanent part of their identity, such as “royalty", like the queen et al - they're the extreme, at the top of the class chain. i didn't really understand the point of "royalty" when i first came over - yea, it's a romantic archaic notion to have kings and queens, but in today's day and age, why care about them and give them respect when they haven't done anything to earn their standard of living? but i guess it's just a long-standing part of british culture. the whole idea of "class" being a fixed part of your identity, similar to "race", probably stems back from the UK's medieval roots, when everyone pretty much just did the same profession as their parents. </div>
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- the queen's castle at windsor:<br />
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<strong>6. artsy-ness </strong></div>
<strong></strong>england definitely lives up to its european stereotype of being "artsy-fartsy". (on a side-note here, although the UK is part of the european union, it's still somewhat separate from the rest of europe. when they talk about "europe", they're referring to continental europe, rather than to themselves. this whole mentality of separate-ness probably comes from the fact that the UK is a set of isles apart from continental europe, and also that they're on the pound, rather than the euro.)<br />
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anyways, when you're in the states and you tell people that you want to be a novelist, people just sort of look at you funny, like they don't really know how to react or they think you're a little weird, which is annoying. so i was actually shocked to discover that wanting to be a novelist/writer is pretty much the norm here in the UK. there's even a common phrase here, "everyone has a novel in them." and the whole idea of being an artist or a writer is really glorified and romanticized. <br />
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anyhoo, another artsy thing i noticed is the prevalence of food shows dominating the UK entertainment industry and populating your everyday life. food is elevated to a high art form. yes, we've all heard about the notorious horror that is british cuisine. but when it comes to the more high brow stuff, amazing food is definitely on the menu (if you can afford it). when i came over to the UK, i started hearing about "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide#Michelin_stars_and_other_ratings">michelin stars</a>", which are these awards given to amazing chefs and their restaurants. there are tons of celebrity chefs here, publishing cookbooks, endorsing supermarkets, and filling the tv channels with their shows. - they're even starting to invade the states, like gordon ramsay's <em>hell's kitchen</em>. one of my fav celebrity chefs here is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fat_Duck">heston blumenthal</a>. i met him while he was signing his <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Fat-Duck-Cookbook/dp/0747583692">beautiful and giant cookbook </a>at bloomsbury publishing house - i was an intern there, handing him the books as he signed them. i actually didn't really know who he was at the time, since he's not famous in the states. but his restaurant is <a href="http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/">the fat duck</a>, and if you can spare the cash, it is definitely worth going!! (i haven't been yet, 'cause i'm still poor - but one of my fellow classmates has just gone! you know who you are!!). this is cuisine unlike any other - part delicious food, part science experiment.</div>
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<strong>7. lack of workaholism</strong> </div>
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europeans tend to stereotype americans as workaholics. yup, europeans are generally less hardcore about everything. this has its positives and its drawbacks. the positives are obviously - less work. even when it comes to paperwork (school applications, tax forms, etc.) there's less of it. the drawback is that everything's always closed and generally more inefficient and disorganized. in the states, nothing's ever closed. supermarkets stay open well past midnight, and it's easy to go to <em>starbucks</em> and just sit and read with a coffee whenever you feel like it - whether it be at 6am or 11pm - weekday or weekend. not so, in the UK. here, a lot of stores are usually only open for a few hours on sunday, supermarkets close anywhere between 7pm-10pm, and all coffee shops shut down around 7pm. usually, only restaurants stay open past 7pm, even in central london. so if you're over on this side of the pond, keep these early closures in mind when you're planning your day. </div>
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<strong>8. different parts of the UK are… different</strong> </div>
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somehow, i expected the UK to be pretty much uniform... for an area that's roughly the same size as california, i didn't really expect very many regional differences. of course, i expected the slight regional variations, like what you'd find between northern california and southern california - northern california's a bit colder, some southern californians can't handle northern californian rain and "cold", etc. so when i came to the UK, i could not believe the dramatic differences between close regions. </div>
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regional accents vary significantly - some can even be virtually unintelligible to the un-trained american ear. yup, it's not always that nice open-vowel sounding accent that you hear on tv, with americans pretending to have british accents. usually, the american idea of the stereotypical english accent is the "posh" or "queen's" accent. people in southern england have more of this stereotypical british accent. sometimes, the "lower-class" accent can be harder to discern, and especially in northeast england, there's an accent called the "geordie accent", which is even unintelligible to other brits.</div>
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so boy was i wrong in assuming that, when i came to england, i'd be speaking the same language. learning british english was almost like learning a foreign language - they have different words for a lot of things, like "boot" "skip" "crisps" "chips" "footpath", etc. and the list goes on. respectively, to translate into american english, it's boot = trunk (as in the trunk of a car), skip = dumpster, crisps = potato chips, chips = french fries, footpath = sidewalk. plus, of course, you have to train your ear to decipher all the different accents and slangs. i could have really benefited from a translation course before coming over.</div>
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plus, i learned that all the different countries that make up the UK are very separate and unique. despite being 'united' into a single 'kingdom', the different UK countries (england, scotland, ireland, and wales) are vastly different, from having different accents, to having their own flags, culture, etc. the irish and scottish tend to be friendlier, more upbeat, and more american- and australian-like, while the english tend to be more reserved, pessimistic, and standoff-ish (hey, it's true). the english (or "british", as americans tend to say) are also more subtle, less direct. when i first came over, it was really hard for me to understand what people were trying to say, since most of our meaning is conveyed in the tone of voice and body language - which i could not read at all. everything just seemed very subtle to me. there're also the subtle ironies of british humour, which are quite elusive. ultimately, however, i’d say the UK culture’s more similar to the american east coast than to the american west coast.</div>
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<strong>9. sports are different </strong></div>
<strong></strong>so they have a whole 'nother set of sports here in the UK. somehow, i always thought sports were universal. but anyways, sometimes they might play some american sports, like basketball and baseball, but it's definitely not as common as their own sports, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket">cricket</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snooker">snooker</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_football">rugby</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polo">polo</a> etc. "football", of course, means "soccer" in american, while "football" in american is called "american football" in british. horse racing and greyhound racing are also really popular over here, and there's even a chain with stores everywhere, called <em>ladbrokes</em>, where you can bet on all sorts of racing and other sports. some sports are divided into social class, such as polo being an upper-class sport, since lessons are very expensive.<br />
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<strong>10. countryside</strong><br />
<strong></strong>so the countryside is very romanticized over on this side of the pond. - the simple, quaint, country life, with little cottages, etc. - think “the shire” in<em> lord of the rings</em>. while an american might think, "omg! we're in the middle of nowhere!" - here, the mentality's more, "this place is just beautiful! it's completely empty!" in the states, we're pretty used to everything being developed - the city doesn't just end when you leave the city, there're still miles and miles of sprawling suburbs that go on endlessly - civilization as far as the eye can see - and that's, of course, how we like it! but here, i was shocked to find that, the second i got out of london, the whole UK pretty much turns into countryside. it is EMPTY! outside of london. this really scared me when i first came here - while everyone else in the car was crooning about how beautifully empty the scenery was, i was getting that agoraphobic feeling, like i was stranded in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight. however, i've since adjusted, and the countryside has taken on very idyllic connotations for me now. =)<br />
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so, if you're ever in the UK, don't stay cooped up in london the whole time. there are some really relaxing, quiet countrysides to be enjoyed, with plenty of sheep and farms filling the scenery.<br />
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- yorkshire sheep:<br />
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</div>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-37717818910660354832010-06-17T07:39:00.000-07:002012-03-18T12:52:04.141-07:00the beginning<span style="color: black;">let's start with a recap of my travels before i came to the UK.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">when i was in high school, i had my first real travel/tourist experience when i joined </span><a href="http://www.peopletopeople.com/OurPrograms/SAP/Pages/default.aspx"><span style="color: #000099;">People to People </span></a><span style="color: black;">as a student ambassador. we did a tour of europe over the summer: england, france, belgium, germany, and netherlands (oh yea, and a quick stop at luxembourg). it was an unbelievable experience, and all these years later, i'm still in touch with some of my fellow students on that trip. i was learning european history in class back then, and it was incredible to go to europe and see that history right before your very eyes. you really realize that american history is just a blip in time, compared to what you can see in other parts of the world. my People to People experiences ultimately became the basis for my student application essay, which helped to get me into UC Berkeley. so parents, i would definitely recommend this program for your high schoolers. =)</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">during college, i did a summer study abroad in paris, which of course, i would definitely recommend doing as well. if you can't fit a one-year study abroad into your full-time schedule, then definitely consider simply doing a summer program instead. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">after college, i bought my first digital camera, a small canon elph, and went on 7wks of the most intense travel i've ever had. of course, it was a great experience. i joined </span><a href="http://www.isvonline.com/"><span style="color: #000099;">international student volunteers </span></a><span style="color: black;">and went to australia for 2wks of tree planting in the small town of bendigo, followed by 2wks of touring the australian east coast, from melbourne to sydney; finally, we stopped for a week in fiji, before returning to los angeles, where i stayed for a night before flying to israel to help out on my professor's </span><a href="http://arf.berkeley.edu/projects/teldor/index.htm"><span style="color: #000099;">archaeology dig in tel dor</span></a><span style="color: black;"> for 2wks. i've never been more tan than when i returned that summer!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">personally, i had a great experience with international student volunteers. we probably did every form of outdoor adventure activity possible, in some of the most beautiful jaw-dropping scenery: white water rafting, sea kayaking, rappelling, surfing, sailing, snorkeling, etc. australia is definitely a must-see, especially if you love the outdoors. </span><br />
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- the sandy highway, fraser island, australia:<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MWToa7wpSSw/TBvOsPTC73I/AAAAAAAAABA/bpLKD_b4eWc/s1600/IMG_0426.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484204230669692786" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MWToa7wpSSw/TBvOsPTC73I/AAAAAAAAABA/bpLKD_b4eWc/s400/IMG_0426.JPG" style="height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
<span style="color: black;">when it comes to the famed great barrier reef, however, i would have to say that fiji takes the cake on that one. from my experience, the reef is more beautiful in fiji than in australia, and snorkeling should be a must on the fiji to-do list. i have never seen beaches more beautiful than the ones at fiji - pristine white sands and crystal clear blue waters. it should be a sin not to go into the ocean - there, you could swim with all sorts of natural wildlife, from dolphins to small whales and sea turtles. you'll become so spoiled, you would never want to swim in a chlorinated public pool again. the islands are also really close together, so i would definitely recommend a day of island hopping on a small boat. as for accommodation, there are amazing hotels at fiji, but if you're a student, like i was, you would probably have to stay in a hostel, like i did. the downside of hostel life is that the tap water is brown and un-drinkable, so you'll have to go out to a spring to collect rain water. but it's not a big deal, and you're not going to be spending all your time in the hostel, anyways. </span><br />
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- the waters of fiji:<br />
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- sunset at fiji:<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MWToa7wpSSw/TBvQEMrAIaI/AAAAAAAAABY/Br09zXDBgjA/s1600/IMG_1082.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484205741793354146" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MWToa7wpSSw/TBvQEMrAIaI/AAAAAAAAABY/Br09zXDBgjA/s400/IMG_1082.JPG" style="height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">as for my final stop, israel, i have to be honest and say that i didn't get to see much of it, because i spent most of my time on the dig site. i did manage to get away for a weekend with other diggers to masada. of course, i would recommend it; the desert landscape is amazing and beautiful. in america, we're not used to seeing anything older than a couple hundred years, so to see a historic site that was thousands of years old, dating back to the time of christ, was just mind-blowing. as for walking through the surrounding desert, needless to say, it was HOT!! bring plenty of water; freeze bottled water and put them in your backpack, but be warned that they could soon turn into bottles of near-boiling water. don't wander the desert alone - if you get lost, you could quickly dehydrate or pass out from the heat. the heat was so oppressive, it made me feel like i would evaporate. there are, however, oases where you could stop for a swim and cool down. do swim in the dead sea - you will float in a very strange and funny manner, but take the phrase "like salt in an open wound" seriously. if you have a cut anywhere, it will HURT!! i learned that the hard way. fortunately, there are freshwater showers nearby where you can rinse yourself off. finally, if you're in israel, it's easy to cross the border and see the famed petra in jordan. others from my dig did, but i was in fiji at the time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">- masada at sunrise:</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">so for indiana jones fans, would i recommend participating in a real life archaeology dig? well, let's just put it this way - only if you're curious or if it's your passion. it's certainly not something i would volunteer to do again, anytime soon. digging on an archaeology site is HARD WORK!! back-breaking labor in intense heat. we had to be on the dig site before the sun rose, at around maybe 4am, so we could get everything done before noon when it got too hot to be out. it's not quite what you see on tv, some light dusting with a brush here and there. and definitely nothing like indiana jones. it's using pickaxes to break rock and soil, it's wheeling around really heavy wheelbarrows full of dirt. but yes, more likely than not, you'll find some ancient artifact that you'll get to take home with you. we were digging on an ancient roman site, and the first pottery shard i found, i was really excited about - but the novelty sort of wore off after about the 100th one that turned up. the professors and dig leaders kept all the important finds, of course, but i'm still proud of the pottery shards i got to take home with me. =)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">- our archaeology dig site:</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">in short, that was how i blew all my part-time money that i had saved over my 4yrs of college in one summer. but would i do it again? of course! afterall, you're only young once.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MWToa7wpSSw/TBvYdW_5agI/AAAAAAAAABw/6dudIxUVxfo/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484214970155100674" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MWToa7wpSSw/TBvYdW_5agI/AAAAAAAAABw/6dudIxUVxfo/s400/IMG_1696.JPG" style="height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: black;">. rese</span> </div>
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</div>resehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1606571401407021905.post-10620672309358563762010-06-17T07:21:00.000-07:002010-06-18T10:01:16.424-07:00welcome and introductionwelcome to my travel blog!<br /><br /><br /><br />wow, where to start. well, to give you a little introduction, i was born in houston, texas, raised in upstate ny, and my family and i moved to california about 10yrs ago when i went to college there. now we're based in the 'burbs of los angeles. i recently finished studying at royal holloway, university of london, and am typing this on my laptop in central london, as we speak. i've been in england for about 5yrs already now. time has flown by!!<br /><br /><br /><br />given my background, this blog'll be an american-eyed view of travel and living abroad. and of course, of travel on a budget - given my background. so if you're that lucky 1% of the population who can afford big luxury vacation deals, then this blog probably isn't for you. keep checking back, though - who knows, there's always the chance that i could publish a bestseller and start giving tips on luxury vacations. but until then, if you're a student, or just plain poor, then i can hopefully help you out. afterall, if i can afford it, then you probably can too!<br /><br /><br /><br />happy travels!<br /><br />. reseresehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09967551892581721594noreply@blogger.com0