The End.

My year abroad studying at the beautiful University of Connecticut is over. Finished. Complete. I have flown home, settled back in, and my American adventures feel like another lifetime; it practically was, considering the fact that I haven't blogged in FAR too long. I apologise. I'm hoping that the mumblings will continue. So here goes...

Coming home has felt surprisingly natural to the point that the past four months feel almost as though they never happened, they were just a wonderful figment of my imagination. Even writing this blog, which I drafted weeks ago, feels surreal as blogging was such a massive part of my American adventure. It seems rather unnatural to be blogging from my living room in England!

I may have moaned and complained and been positively British about the entire experience but sitting here and trying to type about how this chapter of my life is officially over is almost heartbreaking. Yes I have now returned to my friends and my family, I've been eating copious amounts of decent fruit and veg and sleeping in my own comfy bed but it's not the same. My adventure has come to an end and with it has come the post travel blues.

My last week was nothing to write home about - but when has that ever stopped me?! It was filled with the stress of finals combined with the panic of packing up my life into two relatively small suitcases and somehow getting the aforementioned suitcases to New York, into a taxi and to the airport. No easy feat when you're as small as me. But I managed it eventually and here I am back in rainy Salisbury.

To those of you on Floor 3 McMahon. Thank you for a brilliant year. You were all lovely and it was so nice to meet you. Thank you for putting up with my stupid questions about touchdowns and jump shots, the health care system, politics and any other random blog-related questions. Most importantly thank you for finding that final New Mexico Quarter (My collection is complete!). I could not have done it without you! If you're ever across the pond let me know!

I have plenty to write about this summer, having just celebrated the Queen's Diamond jubilee, the upcoming Olympics, the fantastically British combination of floods and droughts that is currently occurring, and the other adventures that I have planned so this is not the end of my mumblings.

In terms of my American adventures UConn did not mark the end. This afternoon I turned on the TV to find an episode of "Stephen Fry in America". It was the last episode in which he travelled up the West coast through California, Oregon and Washington, up into Alaska and ended up in the tropical Islands of Hawaii. Despite having now spent roughly four years of my life in America I still have never made it to the West coast. But it will one day happen. I'm determined to make it happen.

@MhlFletcher - Click Me!

'Larry the Bird' the Twitter Logo

You dedicated readers may have noticed a new addition to my blog page: my Twitter feed. That's right, I have officially broken into the Twitosphere and I love it. In fact, I more than love it. I have become completely and utterly obsessed. I find myself desperately checking my twitter feed in the few remaining seconds before class begins. I've wasted entire afternoons simply perusing through followers and various pages, in the hopes of coming across someone new and exciting to follow. Twitter has become my new Facebook.

As a breakdown for those technophobes Twitter, launched in 2006, allows the user to 'micro-blog' statuses of up to 140 characters or less. People, or Tweeps, follow you and your 'tweets' will appear in their twitter feed. When you follow other people their tweets will appear in your feed. It's a great way of sharing and spreading information at a scarily rapid rate.

When I broke the news to my mother, who uses twitter as part of the marketing for her business, she didn't understand why I'm finding it so brilliant. She uses it for business, not personal use. But that is part of the beauty of it. Where Facebook is used primarily as a social networking site for keeping in touch with friends and acquaintances, Twitter unites complete strangers and organisations from all over the world who share common interests whether it be reading, or photography or music. I'm doing an English degree, therefore the large majority of the people I'm following are something to do with publishing or the literary world. I've discovered new publishers and magazines, and read some fascinating articles. I've even come across a website searching for people to review books for them and so swiftly sent off an application.

In  fact in the week or so that I've been active I've stumbled across a number of opportunities and internships that I'm really interested in. I no longer feel quite so lost when searching the web for possible careers in the scary post-uni abyss as one of the things I was so scared of was my lack of knowledge of the jobs that are out there. That is all changing. The possibilities are endless. I'm following so many brilliant and fascinating people and I'm learning so much. My favourite of course being the QI elves, delivering me nuggets of facts everyday. And the Oxford English Dictionary  which provides me with a brilliant new 'word of the day'; I'm going to be a beast at scrabble!

Follow @MhlFletcher

A Sober Spring Weekend

UConn has its own police department which teamed up
with the State police
police.uconn.edu

This weekend is an interesting one in the UConn calendar, Spring Weekend. For years past it has been celebrated with lots of alcohol, lots of partying and... well you know the deal! Emerging in the 60s, people flocked to campus from all over for the renowned party scene. That was until two years ago: in 2010 the weekend saw 84 student arrests and the tragic death of a UConn student.  As a result, the university and UConn Police are desperately trying to shut down Spring Weekend. So, this year there have been a number of new rules put in place. There are strict guest policies restricting people from moving amongst the other residence halls after 10pm. The police are blocking all entrances to the campus and checking everybody's UConn ids to ensure that only students are entering the campus and nearly everything has shut. The library is only opened for restricted hours, the gym is closed, even the Student Union is closing early. Campus is dead.

My UConn id; without one of these
you can't go anywhere over Spring Weekend!

After going out for a lovely supper on Friday night, on returning to McMahon (our residence hall) Emily and I had to prove that we live here before we could enter. While I sat up reading last night, my room was spinning with the flickering blue lights from the numerous police cars below. While I can completely understand the desire to control what had become, by the sounds of it, a dangerous level of disorderly behaviour I think UConn are doing themselves more harm than good. Surely by limiting students from doing anything at all, even going to the gym or the library (1 week before Finals I might add!) they leave no choice but for students to go out and party! And while I understand the need to restrict non-students coming on to campus (the ones who had caused all the trouble) this shouldn't stop actual UConn students from enjoying what had become a yearly tradition.

The weekend has passed seemingly uneventfully. In fact the Police have praised themselves for what they called "an uncharacteristically quiet Spring Weekend"1 with there apparently being only 6 arrests (apparently that's the average!). I, on the other hand, spent my Saturday night gorging myself on Wings, chips (/fries) and popcorn, and watching The Social Network. It was great.


1 http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/The-Spring-Weekend-That-Wasnt-148434375.html

The Etymologicon

One of the many books that I've read this year was a surprise gift from my lovely Aunt. I tore away the packaging, wondering what the mystery parcel could be, and was welcomed with a beautiful, red, hardback book with gold lettering entitled, "The Etymologican, A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language". I flipped open the first page and was immediately gripped. It is without a doubt one of the funniest, most engaging and interesting books that I have ever read. You all need to go and pick up a copy now!

amazon.com

As the title suggests, the book, broken up into numerous little segments, explains the meaning behind words, phrases, names and so on. For example did you know that the American national anthem is based on an old English drinking song? Or why Starbucks is called Starbucks? Well you can find it all in Mark Forsyth's fantabulous book. Or... you could just read it in his fabulous blog The Inky Fool... but the book is so pretty!

Stephen Fry
goodreads.com

I've been wanting to blog about this book for a while, not only because it's so brilliant but because it leads into something which fascinates me: Language. Please don't leave me yet I'll try and make it interesting, promise! Being a bit of an English geek/literary nerd I have a real love of language (and yes, even grammar). I studied Latin at school and even though I hated it at the time, it's the subject I look back most on. Last weekend, as you may know from a previous blog, I spent a great deal of time sitting on buses and so to pass the time I downloaded some of Stephen Fry's podcasts - what a God! One that I listened to happened to be about language. In it he launched into a massive diatribe against those "sorry bunch of semi-educated losers" who pedantically correct every grammatical or spelling error or incorrect usage (they'd probably have a field day with that sentence!). His greatest example of course being the "five items or less" aisles that adorn nearly every supermarket*. Now if you know me, and I know Nick will be up in arms at this blog, I correct people a lot. I get satisfaction out of distinguishing your from you're and their from there, but that's different. That's not altering the meaning of a word but simply getting it confused with another word. I mean of course who's to say that in five, ten, maybe fifty years time, there won't be a distinction between it's and its and we'll all be left guessing.

What I'm talking about are words like 'hopefully' whose meaning was begrudgingly changed this week according to the BBC magazine -

Before the change, "hopefully" could only be used to mean "in a hopeful manner". ("Is dinner ready?" she asked hopefully.) Now, it can also take the more modern meaning, "it is hoped". (Hopefully, dinner will be ready soon).

 Shakespeare and Milton made up hundreds of words that are part of our daily discourse so why can't we?! But remember...

*Grammatically speaking it should be "five items or fewer"... just saying!

A Capital Idea

Last weekend marked our final trip in the States: D.C. On Friday morning Emily, Rachel and I hurried out of class to catch the first of our buses to the capital city. It was a long day, with over 8 hours spent sitting on smelly, cramped buses. But we made it, and it was so worth it.

More tourist shots at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial

When I first moved to Virginia in 2004 my family and I stayed in Washington D.C for a few days. It was my first introduction to the country that was to be my home for the next three years. I didn't know that I would again be returning a few years later by myself.  I remember loving it then and I think it's fitting that my farewell to the US this time was also celebrated with a trip to the Capital. I still love it. It's such a gorgeous city, in fact it's probably the only city where I can maybe see myself living at some point in the future. There's none of the hustle and bustle of New York City that I quickly find claustrophobic. Instead, it is clean and spread out, with plenty of greenery and big open spaces; it's a perfect midway between the excitement of New York City and the calm and beauty of Philadelphia. We were lucky enough to be staying in the picturesque and historic district of Georgetown thanks to a lovely family friend (Thanks Ed!) and so awoke every day to walk down beautiful colonial streets flanked by stunning houses. It was perfect.

The Vietnam Memorial;
inscribed with the names of all those who fell. 

Another fabulous thing about the city is not only that there's so much to do but that it's nearly all free. Perfect for budget student travels! In addition, our trip was blessed with absolutely stunning weather and we all came away with some hilariously brilliant flipflop, bag strap, and even necklace tans. What more can a girl want.

We started our adventure by wandering around all the Monuments in the south of the city. Wow. From the grand and majestic Abraham Lincoln Memorial to the truly touching and moving Korean and Vietnam memorials the entire area is absolutely beautiful. Sadly the reflection pool was under renovation and so we had to refrain from yelling "Jenny" in thick southern drawls and imitating Forrest Gump. Also we just missed the stunning blossoming of the famous cherry blossom trees. A gift from Japan before the First World War, every year thousands of these trees explode with colour across the city  and it is marked with the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

The stunning Cherry Blossom
that we sadly didn't get to see.

On Sunday morning we took a bus ride to the other end of the city to see the Capitol Building and the Folger Shakespeare Library. A true English geek's heaven, the library boasts the largest collection of Shakespeare manuscripts and rare Renaissance books in the world. It was just a brief tour but the building was beautiful.

While Emily and Rachel continued their cultural tour with a trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum I stayed outside in the glorious 30 degree heat. The weather was just too good to miss out on so I grabbed a sandwich and watched the world go by in the bustling National Mall; the main strip which extends from the Abraham Lincoln Memorial all the way to Capitol Hill and is flanked on both sides by every type of museum imaginable.

The weekend flew by so quickly that there's still so much I would love to go back and do: A walk around the tidal basin where there are even more memorials; a trip to Arlington Cemetery renowned for its haunting beauty and of course all the Smithsonian museums. We packed a lot in to our weekend break away and as we boarded the bus on Monday afternoon I was sad to leave. Until next time DC.

From One Capital To Another

The Lone Star outside the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum 

So I suddenly realised the other day that I completely failed to complete my Texan adventure. Well...

Our final destination was the great capital of the Lone Star State; Austin. We just happened to stumble on through during one of the largest musical festivals in the world, South By South West - much to the great annoyance of my boyfriend Nick, an events manager and festival know-all! While we didn't go to any concerts, we did discover the Leftover Cuties busking, who were amazing, and we also ate in the restaurant next to wear Ed Sheeran was playing! Claim. To. Fame.

One of the houses in Bremond Block;
one of the more historic districts!

The city is stunning, completely unlike any other city I've been to in America. We didn't see any of the large shops and chains that overwhelm most cities and instead the streets were lined with quirky bars, restaurants and even a pub or two. Obviously the swarms of young people who were attending the festival gave the city a very hip and happening feel, but even wandering into the quieter areas where colonial mansions overlook you the city seemed different.

One thing that the city is famous for is its collection of bats: the largest in North America. Congress Avenue Bridge, the main bridge in the south of the city, was built specifically to house bats in an attempt to raise the population for a number of reasons, one of which being to kill mosquitoes. And so at dusk, Emily and I made our way down to the banks of the river to see them all wake up. Oh my gosh what a sight. I have never seen so many bats; it was like a swarm of bees just filling the air and they just kept coming and coming. It seemed endless!

Posing outside the Capitol Building

We also got our bit of history and culture in the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and a tour around the magnificent Capitol Building.

When Saturday afternoon arrived, Jane once again met us in her trusty truck and we made our way back to Fort Hood before the next morning's early flight. Looking back on it now I can't believe how quickly the time went. It was such a fabulous week thanks largely of course to our brilliant and gorgeous host Jane! Thank you again! Texas is unlike any state I've been to, largely because of the amazing and individual history that it has (summed up brilliantly by Emily in her blog so that I don't have to!)

But as the title suggests my latest escapade was to another Capital...

Fly Through San Antonio

Jane and Me outside our lovely
hotel in the centre of San Antonio

San Antonio. What a city. We checked into our absolutely gorgeous 19th century hotel, The Menger, right in the heart of the city and proceeded to wander around the main sight of the city: The River Walk. Set below the main hustle and bustle of the streets the River Walk is a Venice like river (funnily enough!) with picturesque bridges and surrounded by cafes and restaurants. The walk, and the main part of the river itself, is entirely man made and so has a very Disney like feel to it, not helped by the boat loads of tourists floating by, and all the other tourists lining up on the river side in an attempt to get tickets for the aforementioned boats.

It was a lovely start to to our trip to San Antonio and a nice calm evening for what was to be a very, very exciting following day. Emily and I were returning to our childhood. We would once again be squeeling little giggly girls, jumping up and down in our excitement. You think I'm joking but no. Sea World is nothing to joke about...!

We arrived nice and early so that we beat the lunch time crowds and headed straight to Shamu. We were met not only by Shamu 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Sea World have never been original with names!) but also by baby Shamu - super duper cute! It was such a brilliant day involving, Whales, Dolphins, Alligators with turtles on their heads and the first roller-coaster I've been on in ages! It. Was. Fab.

Mummy Shamu and Baby Shamu!

Wandering along the River Walk

However, the real highlight of the day didn't involve water acrobatics, sea lions or Shamu - shocking I know. That evening some of Jane's friends had invited us over for supper. Driving to one of the neighbourhoods just outside the centre of the city we were welcomed by Jenna and her family and had one of the loveliest evenings since my time in America. Eating in the dining halls here at UConn takes all the fun out of a nice meal. While Emily, Rachel and I may occasionally linger over a meal chatting it's only usually when the dining hall is empty enough to do so. The majority of the time there is a constant flow of people and a continual hustle and bustle as they're getting up and down, scraping chairs back noisily. It's not the nicest environment. So to sit around a family table, eat yummy home cooked food, and chat about all our adventures was a very nice treat. 

The next day saw our final day in San Antonio on our whistle stop tour. It was another early morning to beat the Spring Break crowds and we made our way into The Alamo. A shrine dedicated to 200 soldiers who died fighting against 2000 men in their quest for Texas independence. Originally a mission set up by Spanish Catholic missionaries, the grounds of the Alamo were absolutely stunning and were so nice to wander around. After that we boarded a trolley bus in order to get a glimpse of the other sights that we hadn't had time to see. It was perfect. The city is absolutely stunning, especially as they're extending the River Walk all along the natural banks of the river.

One of the other Spanish Catholic Missions just outside central San Antonio. 

After that it was back on the roads. Having fought and argued with the Sat Nav, we finally made it to our next and final stop of our Texas tour... Austin.

Texas Road Trip

Having touched down in Texas and had a quick bite to eat, the lovely Jane - our tour guide and honorary mummy for the week- whisked us off to the first few stops of our adventure. We all piled into her fabulously, Texan truck and made out way to Salado, a sleepy town just down the road with natural springs and gorgeous gift shops. Oh and a few beat up old trucks to pose next to! The sun was shining, the birds were singing and it was amazing to get away from the chilly New England wind. The summer clothes came out for the first time in 2012 and we definitely made the most of it. After our first of many Texan Bar-B-Q's we crashed early into bed in preparation for the next morning's adventures. Caves. Caves and pie!

Longhorn Cavern State Park. If you don't know America very well then you won't know that the country is dotted with hundreds of national and state parks and protected areas. The big national ones being places like Yosemite (pronounced yos-em-itty by the way!) and Yellowstone and so on - both of which are definitely on my bucket list. Some of my fondest memories of my travels in America include these areas as they usually comprise of completely untouched and natural land - ie they're absolutely stunning! These caverns were no different. We disappeared into a hole in the ground and proceeded on our guided tour of below. Now I know rocks aren't that interesting but the history of the caverns was fascinating and the some of the formations were absolutely stunning. In the 1920's, when America was strangled by prohibition, the owner of the land  set up a speak easy - bascially an illegal, underground (literally) nightclub. We could still see the graffiti on some of the rocks from 1919 where some of his guests had written their names.

Next stop? The Blue Bonnet Cafe. Famous across Texas and with a queue almost out the door. Many of our fellow tour members obviously had the same idea as us and had also driven half an hour or so down the road to Marble Falls, another sleepy Texas town. It was however a town which hosted the best pie in Texas. And boy was it good. Now I think I may have mentioned my first introduction to Pumpkin Pie in November when I stayed with David's family and since then my love of pie has grown - just another great thing about America. However I have to say that my true love is Pecan Pie. One of my last meals in England before I set off for my year abroad back in August was followed by Granny's delicious Pecan Pie. Well Granny, I apologise. I think I've found better. For a mere $4 (about £2.50) I was granted an absolutely massive slice of the most mouth-wateringly, amazingly, scrumptuously, fantastic pie with an equally massive scoop of Vanilla Ice cream. I've never felt like such a fatty. It felt good!

After that we once again set off for our first big destination of the trip: San Antonio. A city I'd heard people absolutely rave about. But that wasn't the only reason I was excited. Oh no. We were going to see something far greater than San Antonio. Something even better than those beautiful State parks and, dare I say it, better than the Blue Bonnet pecan pie. That's right, we were off to see... SHAMU!

Shamu at Seaworld San Antonio!

Cowboys and Cacti

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get round to writing this blog but the moment has arrived where I will reveal all: my week in Texas and what a week it was! After quick goodbyes to Mummy on the Monday morning of Spring Break, her final day in New York, Emily and I trundled into a taxi on our way to La Guardia Airport, Texas bound. By midday we touched down in the tiny airport of Killeen, Texas, amidst helicopters and military personnel as we were to be staying in Fort Hood, (the largest military base in the world!) with an old family friend, Jane and her lovely, old dog, Meg.

Heart shaped Cactus - They really are everywhere!

Flying low over Texas and peering through the tiny aeroplane window, Emily and I were instantly struck with how flat the landscape was in comparison to the mountainous and hilly terrain that is Connecticut. Well, that's what we thought until we later learnt that we were to be travelling through the part of Texas known as 'Hill Country'! Just the beginning of a few Texas surprises. There were hills, baby ones, spread out between the vast landscape that is Texas. It is massive. Absolutely huge. So big that I think you can fit the thirteen smallest states into it - and there would probably still be room for a few European countries!

Texas is unlike any State I've ever been to before and I've now been lucky enough to experience a fair few. The Texas Lone Star adorns absolutely everything, as does the noticeable outline of the Texas state itself. Next to the few American flags flying in the wind a Texan flag will be right there beside it, in fact I saw countless more Lone Star flags than I did Star Spangled banners! And if that isn't enough to draw attention to where you are the numerous cowboy boots, trucks, Bar-B-Q restaurants and the thick drawling accents will!

Not only was the landscape and scenery different but the general atmosphere of the place was. After our numerous cultural adventures (which you will hear all about soon) we can to the conclusion that this is probably largely due to Texas' own individual history which Emily has done a fabulous job of summing up in her blog - so read it here. But basically to sum up her summing up Texas was Spanish, which was then Mexican, then they fought for and won their own independence and were a republic for nearly a decade before joining the good ol' US of A - the 28th State. So those were general impressions of the Lone Star State, stay tuned for what we got up to...

Texas Blue Bonnets, the state flower.
They were just coming out to bloom while we were there.

Bite Size Big Apple

So as I mentioned in my last blog I've decided to break down all the amazing places in New York that you must all add to your bucket lists! I'm not really much of a city girl. My home town is a very small city nestled in amongst the Wiltshire countryside and so I have the best of both worlds. Whenever I've gone to New York or London, or even having spent numerous weekends in Leicester last year with my boyfriend Nick, it made me realise how I could never live in a busy, bustling city. It's too claustrophobic. Which is why I always surprise myself when I tell people how much I love New York city. In my first trip to the city this year I wasn't at all that impressed. In fact reading back over my first blog it makes me laugh how much my opinion has changed. I again went in October, and November and it's only now that I think I truly appreciate it. The city is big; it's crowded, it's smelly and it's very, very dirty. On first impressions I think it's really scary, overwhelming and intimidating; your view of the sky is often really limited and so you do feel like you can easily get lost and forgotten about. But, having become more familiar with New York, I can now appreciate the hidden beauty beneath all the grime and the wonderful sights. Here are just a few of my favourite things...

• The Best Donuts in the City! When I went to Grand Central Station back in November, I bought a Donut from a little Mexican place called Zocalo's in the Grand Central food court. It was amazing. 'Nuf said.
• Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn: I can't believe this was the first time that I'd made it over to Broolyn. Asides from the absolutely stunning view that you get of the city skyline, just wandering around the streets of Brooklyn Heights is incredible. Many of the houses are still the old 18th Century buildings and are absolutely beautiful. After just a half hour walk or so out of the hustle and bustle you enter an entirely different atmosphere. We also ate at Caffe Buon Gusto on Montague street which was amazing. Freshly cooked pasta, amazing fish dishes and amazing staff! Definitely worth a trip across the water for lunch. 
• The Tenement Museum: For a little bit of culture, we headed to the corner of Orchard and Delancey in the Lower East Side. Here we watched a brief film about the vibrant history of the area and picked up tickets to have a look around one of the restored tenement buildings. The tour includes pictures and histories of the families who lived in the rooms of the building we saw as well as the social and cultural world in which they lived. It was fascinating! We followed this by a trip to The Merchant's House Museum on East 4th Street: a preserved 19th century home of a rich New York city merchant. Although lacking in money and slightly dilapidated, it's still quite interesting to see the stark differences between the two buildings when they're only a few blocks apart. 

• Bleecker Street: Just walk along it. There are great bars, restaurants, quirky shops and, walking West,  it takes you right into the beautiful districts of Chelsea and the West Village, what I think are the most beautiful areas of New York. While you're there grab a Cannoli from Rocco's
• The High Line: Quite literally a park in the sky, the High Line is yet another fantastic way to escape the city. Starting just below 14th Street on the very West side of the city and ending (at the moment) at 30th Street, the park is made up of the old railway line which carried goods into the meatpacking district - another area of the city well worth a wander through. 

• Central Park: I had to include it of course. Central Park is amazing and is almost a city in itself as there is so much to do there. Flanked by museum mile and containing numerous ice skating rinks, lakes and even a castle, it's well worth a day trip. We bought some food from the Whole Foods Market which is located on the south floor of the Columbus Circle Mall in the very South West corner of the park. It's like a buffet and you can fill up your tub with as much yummy food as you want, pay by the weight, and then sit and eat it in the park. Yum. To see more of the park you MUST rent a horse and carriage OR a bike... I did both.

• Ellis Island: Yes 'that place in Hitch'! New York's history as a gateway to the New World is fascinating. Grab a ferry from down in Battery Park and don't stop at Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty is great but you see it better from further away not on the actual island. At Ellis Island get an audio tour and start off in the exhibition on the ground floor "Journey's: The Peopling of America" which gives you the insight and background you need for the rest of the tour. We didn't do this so learn from our mistake! Follow the rest of the tour through the Immigrant Experience. 
• Broome Street Bar: On the corner of West Broadway and Broome Street, this bar was just round the corner from our hotel. Great food, great atmosphere, great nights. Well worth a visit if you're in the neighbourhood. Which you should be because SOHO is beautiful! If you want a nicer meal (or a very scrummy breakfast) then head to The Cupping Rooms which is next door. They had live Jazz on Saturday which was just amazing and it has a great atmosphere, completely the opposite to Broome Bar. 

So I think I'll leave it there, although I could easily go on for days. I have no doubt forgotten some brilliant things but there is just too much. Feel free to comment with some of your favourite places and memories in the Big Apple...

Four Mummies and a Molly

The week before Spring Break I took the week off and met my mother and three of her lovely friends in New York City. It. Was. Mad. We checked ourselves into a hotel near Soho and Chinatown, down in the south of the city, and spent the week exploring and eating our way around Manhattan. My kind of holiday!

It must have been my 5th or 6th trip to the city and so I think I can now safely say that I know it pretty well. In fact my knowledge of NYC is definitely far greater than that of London - shocking I know! I now know how to navigate the subway stations and have a fairly good grasp of where everything is and where there are good places to eat. As a result I spent the week guiding round my little tour group and taking them to all my favourite places and showing them all the sights, sounds and smells of the Big Apple.

Having spent a week there I managed to finally do everything I wanted to do - I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and spent a lovely sunny afternoon walking around Brooklyn Heights and filling myself with yummy home made pasta. I experienced the MoMA, not something I would particularly like to experience again, but something I can check off the list at least. I visited new museums, had a horse and carriage ride around Central Park, and once again saw the spectacular views from the Top of the Rock.

So to the lovely New York Nymphs who accompanied me thank you so much for another fabulous trip to New York. I had so much fun and I can't wait to see you all when I'm back in the UK!

For more photos of the trip please click HERE.

From Snow to Sun

So the past two weeks have been absolutely incredible. Words cannot even describe how much of an amazing time I've had and I'm going to do the brilliantly British thing and start by pointing out the weather. At the end of February and the beginning of March, the week before I went away to New York, Storrs was once again clouded in snow and transformed into a picturesque, Narnia like scene.

I was greeted everywhere with scenes of...

Photos courtesy of the brilliant Will So, a fellow exchange student from Australia -
http://www.facebook.com/WilliamSoPhotography 

and...

Will So Photography -
http://www.facebook.com/WilliamSoPhotography  

Will has obviously done a fabulous job of capturing the beauty of the snow but as you may of guessed I was horrified and trudged grumpily between classes, once again having to don my massive down snow coat and my Timberland boots. It was gorgeous but it wasn't giving me much hope for any signs of Spring. We've had it pretty easy this winter though if I'm honest. Connecticut usually averages around 50inches of snow during the winter season (according to http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2688&q=322366) and this winter we can't have had more than 15 inches with the main snowfall being during the freak snowstorm over Halloween last October. 

Having now returned back to Storrs, two weeks later, the sun is shining, I'm in a strappy top and my sunglasses are permanently balanced on my head. It is glorious. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and I'm hoping that this is the start of summer...

Coming Up Soon...

So I promise that I haven't completely abandoned my blog. I have been very busy gathering lots of exciting material and experiencing lots of new things to share with you. On Sunday I fly back to New York and from there I will get a bus back to UConn to complete the final stint of classes before the end of my year abroad! *sob! If you don't know where I'm flying from then tough - you'll have to wait and see! So when i'm back in good ol' Connecticut you will once again be plagued with numerous stories and exciting experiences including;

• What was hopefully the last snowfall in Connecticut (fingers crossed)
• What happens when you place 4 Mummies and a Molly in New York city for a week and all the exciting adventures that that includes
• My top ten things to do in New York and an all you need travel guide to the best places that I've found/experienced in the city
• My first internal/domestic flight within America
• And finally all I will reveal is that I'm in 'the South' and am only halfway through my amazing adventures so will hopefully have tonnes more to write about...

Game Day

This weekend saw a big day in the UConn calendar: Game Day. ESPN, one of the biggest national sports channels was right here on campus and filming from Gampel Pavilion, the basketball stadium. The event? A basketball game against our biggest rivals, Syracuse. And because the UConn huskies were national champions last year this biggest rivalry was also a national event. It was huge.

The beginnings of Tent City outside
Gampel Pavilion

Game Day basically meant that on the morning of the game there was a massive pep rally inside the pavilion. People camped outside in the sub zero temperatures in order to make sure they were inside the following morning as it was done on a first come first served basis! This is apparently a yearly occurrence with the site of all the tents being known as tent city. I, of course, stayed inside tucked up in my nice toasty bed with the heating on, a cup of tea and a good book! You would have done the same people!!!

The following evening wasn't quite as boring however. Remember when I watched my first basketball game back in November? Well this game was even better! Tickets were selling for extortionate amounts so I settled with watching with some friends on their TV. It was incredible. Despite a dramatic and painful loss in the last 13 seconds of the game the UConn huskies put up an amazing fight and I once again found myself yelling and screaming at the TV because of a sport! My dad will be so proud.  It was amazing the rivalry and the competition between the two teams and all over campus. It's something that I've never witnessed at school or university level in England. We're missing out.

On top of all the basketball excitement I also discovered that the amazing UConn fans had performed a flash mob in half time...

How cool is that?!

From Hostel to Hotel

To continue from last weekend's adventures...

Having had a lovely weekend in Philadelphia I didn't go straight back to Storrs. Instead, I got the bus back to New York city with Emily and Rachel and there I met my lovely aunt and cousin who were spending half term in New York. Firstly I should say thank you because it was the first time since being here that I have been completely spoiled and have had a mummy to tell me to put my gloves on when it was cold. Yes, this did in fact happen, and although Claudia (aforementioned lovely aunt) apologised profusely for 'mummying' me I could not take the grin off my face. Having been completely independent for the past 6 weeks it was actually quite nice to be 'mummied' (not the ancient Egyptian way...) and has made me even more excited for the upcoming arrival of my actual mother next weekend! Eek!

Anyways, it was a lovely 24 hours. We had some cheeky cocktails before heading off to a lovely Italian restaurant in Soho filled with New Yorks rich and pretentious famous. With hindsight, Clauds and I may have stuck out a bit as I was still in the days tourist trekking gear and Claudia discovered baby sick on her shoulder from her newly born nephew who she'd been cuddling that day. Despite sticking out like a sore thumb it was an amazing meal and the entertainment was great - by that I of course mean watching all the other customers milling around on their 10 inch heels or squeezing in at the bar in an attempt to be seen at what turned out to be a very swanky restaurant. I'm moving up in the world!

Monday was dominated by Amelia. My completely scrumptious 8 year old cousin who fell in love with the Disney Store, the M&M store and of course the Hershey's Store. We spent hours in all three and I could not get over her level of excitement it was adorable. I was also shocked at how far Disney has come and how I was completely unaware of about 2/3rds of the teddies in the shop - I felt old. Clauds put me completely to shame with her knowledge of every character, toy and animal. I have to say I was rather impressed. 

However the highlight of the day was by far ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre. It's never particularly appealed to me as it seems so small and looks as though you're sort of swimming around in a fish bowl being watched by everyone on the outside. It's not like that at all. It's perfect size for amateur skating and you don't even notice any of the people watching from above. According to Clauds the skates were in amazing condition in comparison to the place she usually takes Amelia and we were given unlimited time to slip and slide as we pleased. It was amazing and I highly recommend it. Finally before I got my bus home we shot up to the Top of the Rock and emerged just as the sun was setting over the New York skyline. It was completely and utterly beautiful and we couldn't have timed it better. It was an amazing end to what had been an incredible weekend and I can't wait to get out for some more adventures. For now... it's back to the essays!

Fun in Philly

What a weekend! I don't even know where to begin; it was action packed and there is just so much to reveal. Firstly, I will start by saying that Philadelphia is amazing: such a brilliantly vibrant, colourful and beautiful city and I would seize any opportunity to go back. The juxtaposition of the old colonial style buildings and the strangely beautiful skyscrapers makes Philly's skyline absolutely stunning. The people were, of course, delightful and the city really has something to offer for everyone.

We arrived late on Friday night and turned up at the brilliant Apple Hostel in the very centre of the historic part of town. There may have been a massive crowd of policemen outside the front door and we may have been in a dorm with 25 other people (!!!) but it was, without doubt, one of the friendliest, cleanest and nicest hostels I've stayed in.

The mandatory tourist photos and treks began on Saturday. We explored Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed and learnt all about the Liberty Bell and how it got that infamous crack - they tried to fix smaller cracks and ended up making it bigger! Alas the bell hasn't rung since. It was however a joyous occasion when bear bell and Liberty Bell were united. If you missed out on the bear bell fiasco please refer back to this blog for a good ol' giggle!


Having done all the mandatory historical stuff we made our way to one of Philadelphia's free walking tours and spent the afternoon wondering the streets of Philly and learning little titbits of historical facts and funny stories. It was amazing. It was a 5 hour tour of "real Philly" and so we went through China Town and Little Italy and saw some of the beautiful churches. Our guide was absolutely brilliant and by the end of the day we were all absolutely exhausted. Being a tourist is hard work!

 The next day, after hours of deliberation we decided to split up in order to do all the things that we wanted to do. Sadly the Van Gogh exhibition at the Museum of Art was all sold out and so, after multiple pictures atop the glorious steps of the museum overlooking Philly, Emily and I headed to Eastern State Penitentiary prison. It's one of the first prisons of its kind which aimed to instil penitence and remorse in the prisoners through the use of solitary confinement. Opening in 1829 in the formidable style of a European Castle it wasn't until 1971 that the final prisoners left. After that it was pretty much left to nature and so now all there is to see are the eerily empty cell blocks filled with abandoned bed frames and adorned with peeling paint. There's definitely a strange beauty to it!

We did of course all try our very first Philly Cheese Steak. If you are perhaps wondering what an earth this entails it is simply a sandwich consisting of shredded steak and cheese. Simple, but so good! The stall we found was in Reading Terminal Market, a fantastic indoor market filled with every possible food and stall imaginable. The local Amish Communities have several stalls there although it being a Sunday when we went we sadly missed them. It did emerge however that Barack Obama had in fact eaten from the same Cheese Steak stall as us. It must have been good!

That wasn't the end to my fantastic weekend, but I shall save the rest of the excitement until next time...

For all my Philly photos feel free to peruse my Facebook album!

Connecticut Fever

This last week or so has been very uneventful. "What?" I hear you cry, "uneventful?" How so when this week has marked the holiday where approximately 1 billion cards are sent world wide (second only to Christmas!) and the day when Hallmark and chocolate companies reap in the profits. Why I am of course referring to the day that Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone in 1876... no? Alright, alright it was Valentines Day. There I said it. The dining hall was decked out with flowers and hearts and pink and red desserts were in abundance; heart shaped cupcake anyone? Outside students were selling "candy grams -  to be delivered to your sweetheart on Valentines Day"* and people wandered the campus carrying roses, boxes of chocolates and bouquets. Disgusting, happy, lovey, dovey people. I on the other hand spent my evening at a film screening for my Shakespeare and Film Class watching Tim Blake Nelson's fabulous adaptation of Othello. Nothing like a nice tragedy with death and destruction in a room full of virtual strangers and a professor on Valentines Day!**

This week has also seen plenty of reading and the arrival of a few essays so I've been a very busy bee. But I have to admit I struggled. Last semester I very much got into the spirit of working and was relatively pleased with my process of planning, drafting and editing my essays. Well it seems that in 2012 this has all just gone to pot. I struggled. Boy did I struggle, I just could not remember how to write an essay. Thesis statement? What on earth's that? Topic Sentence? Well where does that go? Needless to say I eventually managed to crank something out at half 11 at night and luckily it's just a draft.

The next day whilst, perhaps slightly melodramatically, explaining the impending failure of my degree my friend pointed out that "I probably just need a break, we haven't left campus since we arrived". She was right. FIVE WHOLE WEEKS and I haven't left campus. No wonder I'm going stir crazy and every now and then cracking out into dance, speaking in funny voices and generally being a bit weird. Luckily that is all about to change. As I mentioned a few weeks ago (precisely five actually!) Emily, Rachel and I got together to plan a number of trips and outings and the first big one has arrived.... Philadelphia here we come....

*"And none for Gretchen Weiners" was repeated just too many times...
** I did of course receive a lovely card from Nick and the promise of a romantic meal when I'm back. Definitely holding you to that one!

A Dark Secret

I've just finished the second Stieg Larsson book The Girl Who Played With Fire having been completely  and utterly attached to it for the last few days. And now, because of the frustrating ambiguously open ending I have just bought the final one The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest and as a result will no doubt be completely addicted to it over the coming weekend. But why? They aren't written particularly well, although I have to commend the translator on being better than most I've read. The stories are gripping but no more so than the drama that unravels in a Sherlock Holmes novel or Ian Flemming. Why do certain books shoot to fame and captivate the nation, sometimes even the world?

Another of these massive cult texts is of course, Twilight. Then, a few years ago there was the Malorie Blackman Noughts and Crosses series. And well Harry Potter is a given, although I think that can be placed in higher regard than the likes of Twilight. There's the obvious argument that once one person raves about a certain book then the trend catches on and thus a downward spiral to 'literary' fame occurs. But why particular books? How is the simplistic writing of Stephanie Meyer any different from the millions of other teenage books that are published every year? What aspect of human (aka teenage, melodramatic) life do they manage to capture so tantalisingly that the vast majority of people become hooked? Yes they are easy to read and easy to relate to (well except for the whole Vampire/Werewolf thing of course!) but so are hundreds of other very average teenage novels.

I have to admit that while I abhorred the style of the Twilight books I did become absolutely addicted when I read them... and I have read them more than once. While at school I devoured hundreds of the classic chick lit books, teenage drama novels and the likes and yet none of them captivated me in the same way as Twilight. I cannot believe that I am revealing this information to the world and I understand that it is probably social suicide but it's the truth. And I imagine hundreds of other girls out there can relate. In some mysterious and creepy way these writers have managed to unlock some aspect of the human psyche and appeal to it in such a way that is plays with our emotions. Or alternatively, there's some creepy conspiracy going on and we're all being brainwashed into believing in Vampires and Werewolves and, rarest of all, Prince Charmings...