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!