This will probably be the most cliché blog you’ve ever read, but get over it

My bags are packed -- possibly OVERpacked -- and my room is empty. It is weird to think back to the last time it was like this (let’s be honest – it was probably a month into exchange since I was too lazy to unpack). So much has changed since then. My perspective on the world is completely different. I have a new [dysfunctional] family from 3 different continents. I have a deeper appreciation for chocolate, gelato, and chocolate gelato. I have survived flights on Ryanair (that in itself is a feat). I truly feel like I know who I am. The list seems endless! Although I question how much I learned in the classroom this semester, the amount that I learned about the world and myself counteracts that.

 Thinking about going back home is still such a distant thought. It is so weird to think that I can count the hours until I am back in good ol’ Spencer, IA. It is funny to think that after this journey and my newly discovered independence that I will be moving in with my parents again for the first time in 2 years! I am excited for the adventures ahead, but I will never forget the past six months and the people who helped me through the ups and downs!

I absolutely cannot wait to come back here. I thought that coming here would satisfy my craving to see the world; however I have just had a taste of it and I’m already ready for more! So, see ya later England, until we meet again!

Alex and I in Dartmoor

Michelle and I (Dartmoor again)

Night out in the onsies...classic!

No caption necessary

We're normal....

Jenni and I before surfing in Newquay

The surf pros (Jenni, Tim, Kathryn, Alex, Troy, Michelle, and I)

Hang 10 brah. Cowabunga.??

My Wickedly Magical Weekend

To kick off my amazing summer I received mail on my way to my last test! My hip Mom sent me a CD complete with Call Me Maybe (As if I haven’t already made a music video to that song in a Union Jack onsie) and Mo sent me the cutest letter! It made me excited to see everyone back home.

After finishing my test, I headed to London see my friend Erin. It was a nice taste of home! We pretty much got lost in London for four hours before going to Wicked. We had fun despite not being able to find any of the landmarks we set off to find! Wicked was AMAZING!!!!!!!! I think my jaw was dropped the whole time!!

The love of my life <3 

After the show I met up with Alex, Ally, and Laurence. We stayed at Ally’s house. It was so cute. It was nice being in a house; it’s been so long! The next morning, Ally and Laurence dropped Alex and I off at Harry Potter Studios. It was so weird to say goodbye to them. They gave me a really nice scrapbook and some of my favorite foods.  It didn’t hit me that that was the last time I would see them for a while.  I have had so much fun with the two of them this past semester. They kept me laughing through statistics lab and introduced me to the best foods of England!

Miss these two already

Ally, Me, Laurence

Harry Potter Studios was everything I could have dreamed of and more. For all of you Harry Potter fans, I took close to 200 pictures so hit me up if you want to see them. I don’t think I’ll put everyone else through it. We were able to see the set and learn secrets of how they created the special effects. My favorite places were Dumbledore’s office (complete with the Sword of Gryffindore and the sorting hat) and Diagon Alley. I also was able to try butterbeer, it was so sweet but so yummy! 

butterbeer!

Just going to hang with Harry in the cupboard under the stairs :)

Diagon Alley

Model of Hogwarts :)

The way I see it: Testing in American vs. England

I am FINALLY done with tests! This past month has been quite the transition into getting back into school mode for me. The English system of testing is extremely different than the American way… Let me explain:

I had the entire month of April off for “revision,” but let’s be honest that didn’t actually happen. Instead, I had 11 weeks of information to relearn in a couple of weeks and I had not had class for close to 7 weeks. The testing period for Exeter this term was May 1^st to June 15^th. It’s been rough for me since most of my flat mates have been done since May 17^th. My first final wasn’t even until the 18^th of May. I will never complain about finishing on a Friday of exam week ever again!!

Another difference with English schools is the weight of the final exams. It varies by class, but at home we are typically tested throughout the semester and attendance is usually calculated into the grade. The final ends up being roughly 20% of the grade. Here, on the other hand, I had two finals worth 80% of my grade and 2 worth 100% of my grade. It gives the illusion of being able to slack off during the term because there is nothing to keep up with when you actually should be working equally hard or even harder. Also, all of my exams had a writing component. Being a math/science major at home entails multiple-choice exams or showing your work. I have not written an essay since I have been at Iowa State.

The school system in general here is a lot different than back home. Back home you can wait as long as you want to declare a major…Heck, you can even graduate as an undecided major! It’s not until the second or third year until you actually get in-depth knowledge based on your major. Here, students declare majors from the start and begin specializing right away. Both sides have their perks: in America you receive a better-rounded education; whereas here you graduate earlier and are able to get a more in-depth education.

I have been asked numerous times, but I am not sure which system I prefer; both sides have their perks and their downfalls. It was a very different environment this term though, and I am glad that I have been able to get a taste of the English system.

Information Overload

I just realized today that I go home in a WEEK! I have no idea where time went!!! I am so far behind on blogging it’s not even funny! I figured since the one month mark of my trip being over is approaching I should probably finish blogging about it for once and for all! 

Rome/Venice/Verona

After Naples we headed up to Venice. On our way there we had to switch trains in Rome. We had heard that you can do Venice in a day -- and we really wanted more gelato -- so we hung around Rome and were finally able to see St. Peter’s Basillica (it was closed for Easter weekend). I have seen countless breathtaking churches over the past six months, but St. Peter’s was on a whole different level. I don’t even know how to describe it. La Sagrada Familia was breathtaking in it’s structure and beauty; I think that the thing that set St. Peter’s apart from all the other churches was it’s atmosphere and the serenity of the huge church.

After that we made our way to Venice. We arrived at our campsite (yes, you heard me right…campsite) later that night. It was a VERY interesting setup and we all got a good laugh out of it. I think the pictures speak for themselves. The next day we made our way into Venice. The city itself was so beautiful! The water was translucent and blue and everywhere you turned there was a glass or a mask shop. Margy and Sarah’s friend from Swansea, Luke, was with us, and we went shopping for about 6 hours that day – I think he got more girl time than he anticipated!

            The next day we decided to do a day trip to Verona to see the Statue of Juliet/the wall that inspired the movie Letters to Juliet. I didn’t really understand the concept of it all because it’s a fictional story, but it was a very beautiful little city, and it was nice to wander around and see what the less touristy parts of Italy are like.

St Peter's Basillica: Pope Sighting #3

Our trailer in Venice <3

CRESCENT! OMGZ

Venice, Italy

Juliet's statue, tower, and wall in Verona, Italy

Austria

     That night we took a night train to Austria. We ended up getting stuck in a car with an old man and a girl. At one point in the night the old man TOUCHED MY HAIR and woke me up. I startled awake and he proceeded to take over my sleeping area. I was so mad I hardly slept that night. However, Austria was worth it! It was a completely different atmosphere than Italy and a nice change of place. We ended up being in Vienna for a day; I would like to go back there some day when I have more time! We were in Salzburg, Austria for an evening and a full day. We were able to try the BEST beer I’ve ever tasted, meet some cute Austrian kids at a beer garden, and see different settings from The Sound of Music (they played the movie every night in our hostel, so I was able to see the full movie for the first time). The most memorable experience of the trip was going to see the gazebo from The Sound of Music. Prior to seeing the gazebo, everyone gets a tour of “trick gardens.” The old man leading our tour thought it would be hilarious to torture the three American girls (might I mention it was cold and rainy). Every opportunity he got, he would taunt us with the fountains while everyone else stood around laughing and eventually would spray us. It was so frightening, and by then end we just wanted to get out of there (after posing for a picture with the gazebo first). It is funny looking back on it, but at the time I wanted to figure out how to seek revenge!

Box o' Gnomes :)

Part of the evil Trick Fountains-- it was run on water and reminded me of Shrek

The evil fountain man

I am 20 going on 21

Beer Garden

Die Weiss=Favorite Beer of the trip

Germany

Castles, concentration camps, and beer – Oh my! When we arrived in Munich, we hopped on a train to Neuschwantstein Castle (the Castle Sleeping Beauty was based off of). We were a little taken aback by the SNOW on the mountain, and after we trekked up the mountain we were able to get a tour of the castle. Our tour guide was one of the highlights of my trip. His accent was a little rough and described the ceiling as “wary wary ownate” (very very ornate); I was laughing uncontrollably and it was SO hard to silence myself – it was like I was back in the school choir at Sacred Heart trying to control my laughter  during a homily.

The next day we went to the Hauftbrauhaus (a beer garden recommend by Mom that she went to in college). The big soccer game between Munich and a purple Spanish team (Madrid?) was that night and all of the Spaniards were at the beer garden. We ended up celebrating the event with them a little too much over our liter(s) of beer(s), but it was a good time!

Our final day in Germany we went to Dachau concentration camp. My grandpa was a part of the liberation of it. I am so proud of him for liberating over 80 concentration camps during the war and of all that he has done for our country! The whole experience was very eye opening, and it made me very grateful for all I that the experiences I have had.

The Castle (It was a little foggy!)

Haftbrauhaus

The door to Dachau. It means work sets you free.

Olympic Area in Munich

France

After Germany, we made our way to Paris, France. The French really know how to make their crepes! Other than crepes, we were able to see numerous sights (Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Crue, and the Arc de Triumphe to name a few places)! We also found a cute little bookstore called Shakespeare and Co. right next to Notre Dame; it ended up being one of my favorite places in Paris! I also loved seeing the garden of Versailles and the Arc de Triumphe!

Versailles

Mimicking Statues...we're normal

Eiffel Tower

New piercings! Surprise Mom and Dad!

Sacre Creu

Moulin Rouge

Notre Dame

Croatia

Sadly, I had to split ways with Margy and Sarah, but I was off on a new adventure. Tim, Michelle, Jenni, and I went to Dubrovnik, Croatia for a week. The beginning of our trip started off a little rough. After getting fought over by the taxi driver mob in Zadar, we finally made it to the sketchiest bus stop ever where we had to wait 8 hours for a bus. However, once we finally got to Dubrovnik it was smooth sailing. It was seriously one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Our days were full of laying out and eating – what more could a girl ask for?! Tim went cliff jumping. He nearly gave me a heart attack. I think everyone there thought he was crazy because it wasn't summer weather there yet. We were able to go to an island, climb the city wall, and take a funicular to the top of the mountain. The weather was perfect and the views of the city were so picturesque. We had SO much fun! On our last night, we went out for an AMAZING dinner. I had calamari fresh from the ocean.. nom nom nom. 

Tim, Jenni, Me, and Michelle 

Ireland

I went to Ireland on my own because my finals are later than everyone else’s. I was in Dublin for a day. While I was there I was able to tour the Guiness factory and see the Book of Kells at Trinity College. After that, I headed down to Cork to spend a few days with my friends Chelsea and Laura. It was Laura’s 21^st birthday, so we had a fun little celebration J The next day I went to Blarney Castle. I couldn’t believe I was actually there! I was able to kiss the Blarney stone. It is said if you kiss the stone you have the power to speak eloquently… I’m not so sure that it worked! On my last day in Ireland I went to Kilkenny. It is the town that the Nolan family immigrated from. I met the CUTEST old man on the train who ended up walking me into town. He was actually the old town council manager so he knew a lot about the town. It was so cool to hear about its history and see the town for myself. There is a beer from Kilkenny that is made by Guiness ironically called Kilkenny beer. I was determined to bring some home for Dad, but apparently they only sell it on tap, so I had a pint by myself in his honor in the middle of the afternoon. It was a good way to end the trip! I cannot wait to go back to Ireland someday!

My first Guinness!

Blarney Castle

Kissing the Blarney Stone! 

It was seriously one of THE BEST experiences of my life! I couldn't have asked for a better month! It made me realize how many more places I want to see in the world, but I am very grateful for all that I have seen so far. Sorry for the information overload, I congratulate you if you read this far!