Today is my forth day in Birmingham! I have learned so very much in the last four days and I'm so ready to learn much more! I am almost fully, completely, and comfortably set in my room; I have purchased an iron and hair dryer, 'normal' food, and towels! Its like I've started school all over again!! Oh, that's one specific thing I've learned- they don't call it college, they call it Uni. And the Canadians are very particular about the difference between college and university! I'm over here just calling it school! Well, I've been to Uni three days now and I've got a good grasp of the campus and just how to get there. My group of friends and I walk no more than five minutes to our train station- Five Ways. We have to buy a 'return ticket', that means you get two tickets printed- one to go and one to return. (I still haven't figured out a long term option like a pass, but I am working on that!) We take the train to the very next stop and get out at University Station. After turning left and walking past many large buildings we come to the heart of campus with even more large buildings. There is a Great Hall (yup, like Harry Potter), a VERY large library, a HUB with food and student services and silly things like a barber and an eye glasses store, a bar (yes a bar on my campus- you have to remember that I'm in England), and the Gild of Students buildings. The Gild is our student government. They have put on a lot of this weeks' events. We also have the largest free- standing clock tower in the world right in the heart of our campus! It's modeled after the one in Sienna. Its said that if you walk under it as it is chiming, you will fail your major. I check my watch before I walk under EVERY TIME!! Right now, that's my only worry! Earlier this morning, I went to Uni and talked to a couple people in my psychology department and they helped me and gave me some literature to help me to prepare for my classes. I still haven't finalized which classes (they call them modules) I will be taking, but I'm no longer worried about getting the ones I want and need. Everything is going great!
For those of you that didn't know, I am living off campus in private student housing. I am in a flat on the third floor with five other people. There are four Aussies and two Americans. Maddie and Matt actually go to the same Uni in Australia. Mehd and Dalyna are also from Australia and Elizabeth is from Cincinnati, OH. They are all wonderful and very laid back! We get along very well! I have also made more really great friends, Derek, Rachel, and Elaine! They are in different flats, but still in the same housing. They are all from the US. Funny enough, Derek and Elaine go to the same school and have mutual friends and didn't even know each other! Stuff like that is so cool to me! It really shows us how diverse we are, but also how connected we are! I know that many of these people are new lifelong friends! And its only been a couple days! We are all excited for this adventure together!! I do really want to meet more British people though.
My new friends and I are already talking about traveling and its very exciting! A lot of us want to see the same things and go to the same places and I'm glad I'll have people to go with! I really do just want school to start already though. I want a schedule and want a good flow of how my days are supposed to go! I'm always up for fun and adventure, but structure is good too!
Until later,
Jamie
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