sunday food day

Today the International Society hosted their own "Afternoon Tea." Now, I honestly wasn't expecting much. I thought: "Free event? Eh... They might just give us one sandwich and cake for each person." I was so wrong. My jaw dropped when I saw two tables FILLED with all sorts of sandwiches and desserts. It felt like that scene in Harry Potter where all of the food magically appears on their tables. Of course, this was without the magic and a lot less food. But I was still impressed. The best part was that everything was actually delicious! Oh, and the tea was just from your standard tea packets. Still yummy with milk and sugar, though!

Don't do this to me.

Our food adventures continued later that night. Stacie and I met up with Kyle and headed to round 2 of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival. I'm so sad that today was the last day of the festival. I wish it could go on forever.

Food that was eaten (Part II):

1. Churros and Chocolate from Churros Susanna (Kyle)

2. Jian Bing/Chinese Crepe filled w/ fried chicken from Mei Mei's Street Cart (Stacie)

3. Macaroni and Cheese from The Mac Factory (Me!)

Again, everything tasted great. But the macaroni and cheese. Oh. my. lawd. Cheesy, garlicy, mushroomy, herby goodness. It's probably one of the best mac and cheeses I've ever had. I would have bought another bowl, but my stomach couldn't handle it.

Making the Jian Bing.

So good I almost cried.

Okay, enough about food! Now I need to catch up on my reading. Fun.

stratford-upon-avon

"To be, or not to be: that is the question." 
― Hamlet (Act III, Scene I)

Today I visited the lovely town of Stratford-upon-Avon with the International Society. It is more famously known as the location of William Shakespeare's birthplace. I probably don't need to tell you who Shakespeare is, since you've probably read/seen at least one of his plays. I have to admit that during high school, it was sort of painful getting through Shakespeare's works because of the old English language. I remember spending long weeks on plays such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, going line by line analyzing the text. But despite this, his stories really were fascinating.

The first stop was of course Shakespeare's Birthplace. There were tour guides in each room dressed in 16th century clothing that told us some interesting facts about the place--like how the wallpaper was made to ward off demons at night. I actually really liked the design and oddly want it in my own room. It was pretty neat to see all of the old furnishings, and it's crazy how the house has been standing all of these years (2014 marks Shakespeare's 450th birthday!). But whenever I walk into an old house like this, I have this uncomfortable feeling that there are ghosts nearby. Is that just me?

There were also two performers outside of Shakespeare's house, who were quite entertaining. And afterwards, we took a stroll around the town and had lunch at Henley Street Tea Rooms. The whole town is beautiful and seems like such a peaceful place to live (when disregarding all of the tourists, like me). I love all of the little shops and restaurants they have.

Our three other main stops were Nash's House and New Place, Hall's Croft, and the Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare's was baptized and buried.

The gardens of New Place

We ended our day with delicious gelato at Hooray's. I really love towns like this, and I wish we could've stayed longer to look around and shop some more, but we were on a tight schedule. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable day!

the good, the bad, and the nic cage

 

 

 

 

The Good:
- Today's weather being breezy, bright, and beautiful
- Being able to switch into the tutorial/discussion session I wanted for one of my classes. SO RELIEVED.
- Having breakfast at Home Sweet Home reminding me of home as I ate an Eggs Benedict dish called "The Cali"
- Also: their latte art!
- Exploring the Northern Quarter (a.k.a. hipster central) and the neat stores of Affleck's
- Trying boba that actually turned out to be decent
- Eating delicious fried rice at Wagamama
- My phone's camera being a sufficient replacement for my actual camera (which I didn't bring along) today

The Bad:
- Waking up early for a 9 AM class
- Not being able to do my laundry again. There's only one laundry room with 6 washers (minus 1 that's broken) and 6 dryers, which were probably made in the 1970's, for ALL of the halls. So this one room is supposed to accommodate HUNDREDS of students. Ridiculous.
- Stacie's iPhone being unresponsive and having to wait for more than 2 hours to get help at the Apple Store's Genius Bar. Only to be told that she has to wait 5-6 more days for a replacement since they don't have any American phones in stock. Beware of Apple software updates, you guys!
- Stacie also met a man named Stacy in the store who turned out to be the most unhelpful person there. The lesson here: Never trust a person who has the same, but differently spelled name from you.

The Nic Cage:
- Something wonderful happening in the Apple Store. Click to reveal.

first day of school

First off, I want to share with you part of an email I received from Steve, one of the organizers of the International Society on campus:

Hello everyone,  

Manchester wants to rain on you.
It wants to rain on you to show you that it loves you.
Embrace Manchester's sweet rainy love.
And leave your umbrella at home.
Manchester wants to give you a lovely wet hug. 

All the best,
Steve

Don't you just love that? I think I might print that out and put it on my wall.

Anyway, today was officially my first day of school! It felt so strange to start on a Tuesday, let alone at a different university in a different country. Also, it just hit me more that I actually have to study while I'm here at the university. It is study abroad after all!

Before class, I met up with Kyle, who is also a sociology major and apart of the UCEAP program. I'm so glad she was there; I would have felt very out of place without her! The course is the "Sociology of Popular Music," which sounds more interesting than it actually is. But I guess I shouldn't make judgements based on the first day. Some parts of the class were fun, though. We took a music survey where the questions asked about our feelings towards different types of music. One of the genres was"Americana." Kyle and I were so confused on what that even meant, and we still have no idea. I've also met some great people, who are coincidentally all international students. And I understood the professor the entire lecture. Yay!

a coat post

Whoa, what is this? Some kind of fashion-related post in the middle of a travel blog? You betcha! I had no classes today, so that only meant one thing: shopping spree! I went to the Manchester Arndale again, and spent a few hours browsing through a bunch of stores. But ultimately, I bought clothes from, you guessed it: Primark. The very first time I went into Primark, I almost purchased a really nice black, floral top. But for some reason, I left the store without it. Today, however, I found it on sale for only 5 pounds (half price)! There were only a couple of sizes left, and thankfully I fit into one of them. It was meant to be. I also stopped by Boots, a pharmacy chain in the UK, and made some purchases on UK beauty products to try out. Damage was definitely done.

But I'm on the lookout for a really good coat (or two) to keep me warm this autumn/early winter. I'm so happy that I can finally wear coats! California weather rarely allows me to break one out of my closet. Sadly, I had no luck in finding a coat I liked in stores today, so I continued my search online. Here are some of my favorites that I've found so far:

1. Louche Baine Coat from Joy
2. Stone Brushed Funnel Coat from New Look
3. Lena Jacket from Monki
4. Slim Pocket Coat from Topshop

I really love the coat from Monki, and the one from New Look is a close second. Which one do you think I should get?

up all night eating food

I am writing this post as I listen to One Direction's first album, Up All Night. Those were the days, am I right ladies? Where all of them had really good hair (I'm directing this to you, Harry Styles) and "What Makes You Beautiful" played everywhere you went. I wouldn't say I'm totally crazy about them, but they did ruin my life for quite some time. I would deny that I liked them, but truth was: I loved them. I think they're still pretty good now, but nothing beats the first album. I should take pictures of all the One Direction merchandise I've found in England. I've seen everything from masks, to tissue covers, and candy. I'm very tempted to buy myself a Niall Horan t-shirt. He is my favorite, and he will be yours too if you watch this hilarious interview.

ANYWAY, enough about One Direction. Let's move on to food! I'm sorry if I write/post pictures about food a lot on my blog. I can't help it: I LOVE FOOD. And while I'm here, I might as well eat all of the yummy food I can. So don't be surprised if I come back home 10 lbs heavier. Today, Stacie and I headed to the Manchester Food and Drink Festival at Albert Square. But Albert Square is especially beautiful because of the Manchester Town Hall. According to my tour guide on a bus tour yesterday (nothing much to report other than it being a nice overview of Manchester), it's been a popular filming location for movies including Sherlock Holmes, The Iron Lady, and Victor Frankenstein--coming out next year with Daniel Radcliffe! I'll take more pictures of the area when it's less gloomy (if that even happens) and the tents are gone.

Food that was eaten:
1. Venison Burger from Fair Game
2. Chicken Sandwich from Mumma Schnitzel
3. Churros with Belgian Chocolate from Los Churros Amigos

All of them were amazing, but the churros were THE BEST. They were freshly fried and doused in cinnamon sugar, and dipping them into the chocolate made me tear up a bit.

Churro madness!

So we didn't eat that much, but we were stuffed at the end of the day. We'll probably go back again since a new round of vendors come in next week. I can't wait!

keep calm and drink tea

“Honestly, if you're given the choice between Armageddon and tea, you don't say 'what kind of tea?'”
― Neil Gaiman

I woke up super late this morning―or shall I say, afternoon? But that's okay, because it was the perfect time for afternoon tea! I love tea. My day never feels right unless I've had at least one cup of tea (or "cuppa" as they say here). Green tea is my go-to, but I'm always up to trying new flavors.

It was difficult to choose which tea shop to go to, but Teacup Kitchen was the ultimate decision. Because I'm super cheap, I didn't get the traditional "afternoon tea," which comes with those fancy 3-tier stands filled with finger sandwiches and cakes (I'll probably save that for another special day). Instead, I ordered the "cream tea" which comes with a pot of tea (ordered their special Teacup Brew) and a huge scone with strawberry preserve and clotted cream. This was the first time I've ever had my tea with sugar and milk. And my goodness, I don't know why I've never done such a thing before! Is this what I've been missing out on all my life? Have I been drinking tea wrong all this time? In fact: it was so good Stacie and I had to order another pot! The scone was also delicious. A perfect accompaniment.

Was this post solely dedicated to tea? Why yes, it's that special. And an English classic! Continue to read some interesting tea facts, or learn how to make a PROPER cuppa yourself (or for you Buzzfeed readers, here)!

join this or that?

Ah yes, the Student Fair: aka the event where students try to make you join their club or society and you end up with so many flyers you don't know what to join in the end. I would normally avoid events like these. But I really wanted to see what kind of clubs the university has to offer. I'm pretty sad that there is no Afternoon Tea Society, or something similar to that. I still need to try a proper cuppa and biscuits! But I might join the Motion Picture Society, which hosts movie screenings and film discussions. They mainly caught my attention because one of their first events is a Pulp Fiction 20th Anniversary screening. It's very tempting, but we'll see how my schedule goes.

On the campus's main street, there were also tons of people handing out Domino's Pizza goodie bags and offering free pizza. Stacie and I literally got shoved with those bags every minute, and refused each one with success. Why give up free pizza? I'm probably crazy, but I just didn't feel like eating it at that moment. But by the end of the fair, we had too many tote bags, a few bits of candy, and a good amount of coupon booklets. Yay free stuff!

Afterwards, we went to the Manchester Museum. It's a really lovely museum with a very diverse collection. From fossils, to mummies, and even live animals! Their exhibits are very well put together, and it's awesome how we have it right on campus. I can imagine coming here in between lectures just to sit down and admire the place.

Aww, look at this colorful little dude!

By the way: I'm so sorry for the delay, but I've finally started posting up more of my pictures on flickr. You can view them HERE (and/or by clicking the flickr "see my photos" icon under my description on the right module). Hopefully I'll finish uploading them all by tomorrow or the following day. I'll also be organizing the photos by "Album" to make browsing easier. Enjoy!

it's curry time!

Today was filled with shopping/mainly browsing and eating, and attending a rather boring (but important!) safety meeting in-between. Stacie and I headed to the Manchester Arndale in the afternoon to see what it was all about. But before we went in, we stopped by a neat little music store called Fopp. Manchester is well-known for its music scene, and I really want to attend a local concert while I'm here.

Back to the Manchester Arndale: It's another very large shopping center in the UK. Surprise, surprise. But it was nice to look at more UK shops and some familiar American ones as well. We couldn't resist buying three bars of fancy chocolate from a fancy chocolate store. TREAT YO SELF.

It was so hard to choose.

At night, Stacie and I met up with a few of our friends to eat at a place on Curry Mile. The safety meeting for our hall took longer than expected, so we were late to the original meet-up spot and couldn't find them. Luckily, they were sitting near the entrance at the most vibrant looking restaurant on Curry Mile called mylahore. And what is the Curry Mile, you ask? It's a street filled with South Asian restaurants and shops, and the whole area smells amazing due to the rich spices and ingredients used in their dishes. I absolutely love Indian food, and the chicken masala did not disappoint. Oh, and the garlic naan. You must have the naan! Their portions are also pretty big, so I'm glad I have leftovers for tomorrow's dinner in order to relive the experience. I really think we should start the "Curry Mile Club" and make this a weekly get together where we try a different curry house each time.

This is how it's done.

first weekend in manchester

Yes, I was complaining a bit in my last post, but I shouldn't be. I'm living in a wonderful country studying at a fantastic university, and I've been meeting such kind people with accents I've always wished to have. I should be thrilled to be here―which I totally am! It's just a little hard sometimes. It's been slightly uncomfortable being in an unfamiliar city, but I know it'll get better.

This weekend was basically running a lot of errands and trying to get settled in. There was also a lot of sleeping in. And remember that first night where I didn't have any bedding? Well, I was FREEZING. I don't think I've ever experienced such a cold night. I woke up at both 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM, and putting on layers didn't help at all. I didn't know how to properly turn on my heater either, and I don't know my Celsius from Fahrenheit. But thank goodness for our trip to Primark the next day. Everything there is really cheap and super cute! I'll do a "room tour" post once everything looks... nicer.

Here are a few snapshots from the other days as well:

Excuse the construction.

On Saturday I went on a shopping trip to ASDA, which is the UK equivalent of Walmart. It was packed and I could barely get around. I guess people really love those "rollback" prices. And today I picked up my ID card and joined the International Society on campus, which hosts cultural events and plans various trips around England each weekend. I'm so excited to travel to all of the different places and to meet students from other countries. Also, I had my first Sunday roast dinner--at a bar, nonetheless.

Everything is better smothered in gravy.

And now my flatmates are out for some Welcome Week events. I'm sorry, I don't want to pay 50 pounds for a wristband to get into clubs/parties. It just ain't my kind of thing. Now I'm just all alone in my room eating a Cornetto. I've always wanted to try one because of the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. It's tastes very similar to a Drumstick, but slightly better. I'm glad I bought a box because I'll probably eat another one. Ain't no party like a Cornetto Party.

Cornetto selfies :)

a few thoughts

I feel like a freshman again, and it's a weird and exciting feeling.

I miss my family... A LOT.

Communication is strange when you're in different time zones.

Everytime someone asks me "are you alright?" (which basically means "how are you?") I get so confused.

Why are there 1 and 2 pound coins? Don't make life more difficult for me!

Converting prices makes me sad.

I don't understand some of the sinks here???

Please, I just want warm water!

• Primark is the best.
• Nando's is alright.
• I'm getting sick of eating out. I need to start cooking soon, but I'm too lazy.
• I really miss Asian food. But tonight I found a restaurant that serves different kinds of Asian cuisine that's only steps away from my hall. It can't replace my parents' cooking, that's for sure. But it'll do for now.
• Hmm... I think this was more of a complaint post.

arrival in manchester

This morning we had our last meeting with Monika and Holly, which covered academic life in the UK. Apparently a score of 60 in the UK is equal to an A- in the US. I'm pretty sure I'm going to forget that and freak out whenever I see my scores.

We were then put into small groups based on our accommodation locations, and put into taxis with 10 pounds to cover the trip both ways―from the hotel to Euston station in London, and from Piccadilly station in Manchester to accommodation. But that was not enough. There was a lot of traffic, and the ride ended up being 14 pounds. I'm pretty sure our taxi driver ripped us off because some other groups got to the train station for only 8 pounds. He was also reading the newspaper while driving! Definitely didn't get a tip.

It got pretty stressful at the train station because there's 23 of us, and we had to make sure everyone was together since there was only one ticket for the whole group. We ended up being late to our train, so we had to get on the next one. Not only that, but it was a nightmare getting all of our luggage to fit onboard. Thankfully all was settled in the end, and the train ride was about 2 hours from London to Manchester. I saw lots of the beautiful countryside and plenty of sheep.

Once we arrived (!!!), it was time to take another taxi. Our driver had no idea where our accommodation was, and he ended up dropping us off no where near our housing. My group got so lost, but everyone we asked directions for was really helpful (except for that one guy that pointed us in the wrong direction). We did manage to find it after roaming the streets with our luggage for a good half hour. Bottom line: I hate taking taxis.

At night, all of us decided to meet up again at one of the university's buildings. Everyone was starving, and some of us decided to go into a pub not too far away. The food was really cheap--two meals were only 7.25! Stacie and I got the chicken tikka masala, and it was actually very good. But I'm sure it would be way better on Curry Mile (hopefully, more on that later!).

Playing pool at the pub

After dinner, we tried to find a Primark in order to buy some bedding, but we got sort of lost and went to buy a few groceries and other necessities instead. So tonight, I have no pillows, blankets, and sheets. Let me take a moment to cry.

I'm sorry there's only one photo today. I would take some photos of my room, but it's not the nicest thing to look at right now. I can't say much about Manchester yet, but the campus seems huge and the city is pretty different from London. I'm exhausted, and I have to get up early tomorrow to attend more meetings. What fun!

uceap orientation

Yesterday, we finally got to meet the other UC students who will be studying in Manchester! It's been exciting getting to know all of them. We've attended a couple of (surprisingly) fun meetings at the London Study Centre with our program advisors, Monika and Holly. Both of them have been incredibly helpful, and I can't thank them enough! Because a lot of students flew in that morning, we ended our day early with dinner together at Byron Hamburgers. We were free the rest of the night to go out or go back to the hotel. Stacie and I decided to go back to the hotel to finish watching My Mad Fat Diary and Orphan Black, a few of our favorite British shows.

Today, we had a walking tour of London that took up the majority of our afternoon. I had already seen most of the places we visited on the tour, but it was nice to see everything again and to take some more photos. It was especially interesting to learn about the history of the buildings, streets, and monuments. We had a sweet and funny tour guide who made the whole tour very enjoyable.

Passed by a man painting a lovely picture of Buckingham Palace

At night, we went to watch The Importance of Being Earnest at the Harold Pinter Theatre. I love watching plays, but I had no idea what to expect for this one. Monika described it as being "very British," and indeed it was. It was a bit confusing sometimes because the cast talked really fast, and I didn't understand some of the jokes/British humor (but laughed along with the audience, anyway). But overall, I liked it.

I'm not sure if I was allowed to take pictures of the stage. Shhh.

It's been nice getting to know London. I have to say--I'm going to miss going on the Tube and swiping my oyster card everyday. It was busy and hectic almost everywhere we went, which is definitely something I'm not used to. Especially as a shy person, it was really scary at first. But once I observed the Londoners and their way of life,  I became more confident when I went out and learned to speak up for myself in certain situations. *pats self on back*

Tomorrow, we'll all be going to Manchester! I wonder how different Manchester will be, since it's another large city in England. We'll just have to wait and see...

the harry potter tour

So I didn't really go to Hogwarts, but I came pretty darn close. For one of our last days together in London, Stacie and I decided to go on the The Making of Harry Potter Tour. I absolutely love the Harry Potter films, and going on this tour made me appreciate the movies even more. It was so fun from start to finish. I'll let the photos do most of the explaining.

1. The Entrance

We had a great introduction that led into...

2. The Grand Hall + Sets, Props, Costumes, & Special Effects

3. Butterbeer! & Backlot

I was so excited to finally try butterbeer. It was quite an interesting treat. I have no idea how to describe the flavor. It was a carbonated drink with foam on top--similar to caramel whipped cream.

4. Creature Effects

5. Diagon Alley

6. Arts & Graphics

7. The Hogwarts Model
Words cannot describe how amazing this is to look at up close.

This was probably my favorite part out of our whole week in London. It truly was a "magical" experience. I would totally do it again, and I definitely recommend anyone traveling to London to check it out! I also took a lot more photos, and I'll upload those soon for you to see!

Now I'm off to meet the other UC students at another hotel for orientation. Two more days in London, and then we'll all be heading to Manchester!