Allison Luppe, Plymouth UK
I think I might have gotten off whenever I started titling these blog posts because it has not been a month since I got here. I think my main problem was that I was going off of the date that I first started posted and then counted the first week as the second week rather than as the first week. I think.
So, it's been another week in Plymouth and I am finding that I have finally gotten used to how things work around here. I'm setting up a study schedule, more or less, so that I can stay on top of my classes this semester and not worry about falling behind. Whether I stick to this schedule is another question. I really enjoy my classes and the things that we have been going over. My teachers are incredibly nice and they definitely enjoy what they teach about. I haven't met a Professor Snape, so there's no need to worry about that.
Other than classes, I have finally gotten used to the grocery stores that are around here. There are three stores that I have found that are fairly easy to navigate: Sainsbury's, Wilkos, and Poundland (and World). The only reason that I put Poundland and Poundworld together is that they are essentially the same concept except one of them is slightly bigger than the other. Sainsbury's reminds me a lot of Walmart where you can get pretty much everything you need and be on your way fairly quickly. Wilkos is a lot like Target if only for the red decor that they have which is strikingly similar to Target's. And Poundland is a lot like Dollar Tree in that everything there is for a pound, which is really nice for college students.
One thing that I found really cool was that you could order your groceries online and have them delivered if they were over a certain amount. I decided to test this and get some of the basics that I knew that I would be using most regularly. I was able to pick a time and date for the food to be delivered and from there, I got chicken, potatoes, apples and things like that. The delivery guy wasn't entirely sure where to meet me, so I had to meet him at the top of the street. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal if it weren't for the amount of groceries that I decided to get. Thankfully I doubt I'll be needing to get that amount again, but it was definitely jarring to say the least and I got a workout.
I've also been getting to know my flatmates better, especially Anna. Anna is a girl from Cornwall, which is about a two hour drive from here, who is studying Criminal Studies with a minor in Law. She has been helping me a lot in the cooking department, which I am well aware of how I could use some improvement in. I really appreciate that she wants to help me though and she has a car which she has said once it starts working again (the battery seems to have died D: ) we might do some grocery shopping. That should make things at least a little easier.
Apparently the postal service has been very particular about what mail I get from the US. One of the letters that my grandma sent me, which she has been sending me since I was four or five years old, apparently got sent back because it didn't have the right postage and didn't have "ENGLAND" written on it, which was fine. I now have my letter and I got some sweets on Friday, which I decided to take a picture of.
I think I might have gotten off whenever I started titling these blog posts because it has not been a month since I got here. I think my main problem was that I was going off of the date that I first started posted and then counted the first week as the second week rather than as the first week. I think.
So, it's been another week in Plymouth and I am finding that I have finally gotten used to how things work around here. I'm setting up a study schedule, more or less, so that I can stay on top of my classes this semester and not worry about falling behind. Whether I stick to this schedule is another question. I really enjoy my classes and the things that we have been going over. My teachers are incredibly nice and they definitely enjoy what they teach about. I haven't met a Professor Snape, so there's no need to worry about that.
Other than classes, I have finally gotten used to the grocery stores that are around here. There are three stores that I have found that are fairly easy to navigate: Sainsbury's, Wilkos, and Poundland (and World). The only reason that I put Poundland and Poundworld together is that they are essentially the same concept except one of them is slightly bigger than the other. Sainsbury's reminds me a lot of Walmart where you can get pretty much everything you need and be on your way fairly quickly. Wilkos is a lot like Target if only for the red decor that they have which is strikingly similar to Target's. And Poundland is a lot like Dollar Tree in that everything there is for a pound, which is really nice for college students.
One thing that I found really cool was that you could order your groceries online and have them delivered if they were over a certain amount. I decided to test this and get some of the basics that I knew that I would be using most regularly. I was able to pick a time and date for the food to be delivered and from there, I got chicken, potatoes, apples and things like that. The delivery guy wasn't entirely sure where to meet me, so I had to meet him at the top of the street. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal if it weren't for the amount of groceries that I decided to get. Thankfully I doubt I'll be needing to get that amount again, but it was definitely jarring to say the least and I got a workout.
I've also been getting to know my flatmates better, especially Anna. Anna is a girl from Cornwall, which is about a two hour drive from here, who is studying Criminal Studies with a minor in Law. She has been helping me a lot in the cooking department, which I am well aware of how I could use some improvement in. I really appreciate that she wants to help me though and she has a car which she has said once it starts working again (the battery seems to have died D: ) we might do some grocery shopping. That should make things at least a little easier.
Apparently the postal service has been very particular about what mail I get from the US. One of the letters that my grandma sent me, which she has been sending me since I was four or five years old, apparently got sent back because it didn't have the right postage and didn't have "ENGLAND" written on it, which was fine. I now have my letter and I got some sweets on Friday, which I decided to take a picture of.
Do not adjust your screens, people, that hexagonal shaped box that you see next to the letter does in fact say "Smarties" on it. The smarties that they have over here are not the incredibly sweet basically sugar tablets that we have in the US but instead are more like M&Ms, though a little bigger and in different colors like purple and brown. They also have these sweets called "Love Hearts" which are a lot like the conversation hearts we have in the US but a lot sweeter and less chalky.
I also took some pictures over the weekend of the places around Plymouth that I thought were nice. These have been my adventures this week.
(Down at the Hoe)
(On the stairwell up to my room)