Epic Fail

So, this whole blogging thing has been a huge fail on my part. I just recently posted about a trip that happened almost 2 weeks ago. I apologize to my followers for not being consistent with my postings. So to catch up, I am going to do a quick update on my travels.

After London, I went to Ireland for my 21st birthday weekend. We spent a couple of days in Dublin, which consisted of the Guinness tour, Dublin Castle, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. After Dublin, we went on a beautiful bus ride to Wicklow (where PS I Love You was filmed). The countryside was absolutely stunning and words nor pictures could do it justice. My birthday was amazing, except for the fact that I wanted my family and Jake to be there. It was extremely depressing not having my birthday pancakes or family dinner.

Once I got back from Ireland we had our last week of seminar and then I ventured off to Paris, France! Paris was incredible. I got to go to the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Versailles, Arc de Triumph, and Notre Dame. The best part about going to all of the museums and cathedrals, was that they were all FREE! Apparently, if you are a student you get in free to the Louvre and palace of Versailles. I indulged into my first french crepe and baguette :) I ended up filling out the tourist stereotype and ended up buying a burette. I also got the famous burette and striped shirt picture in front of the Eiffel tower (I am proud to be American). It was Hannah's birthday during Paris, so we had chocolate cake and wine underneath the Eiffel tower during the light show at night. The France trip was a huge success and I want to go back with Jake and the Fam.

Well, that pretty much sums up the 2 weeks I haven't been blogging. I will end with saying that I am starting to get home sick and miss 3 main things:
                        1. Good Food
                        2. Jake
                        3. Family (Mom, Dad, and Lucy)
I will try to blog more often and give a better description of my adventures. Sorry for the long and delayed update and I will talk to you all soon.

Cheers,
Liv

Why haven't we taken a picture with those lions?

Due to a bank holiday, the british people have a week long vacation!!! My EDEL-O group stayed at the Royal National Hotel in London on May 30th- June 1st. I was extremely excited to start off my birthday week with a mini-vacation in London. The first day, I did a hop on-hop off bus tour. It was great to see the city and all of the famous landmarks I have always seen on movies. A list of sights we saw were: Big ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Parliament, and many more! I also had the pleasure of seeing Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre (the theatre it premiered at!). Phantom was absolutely phenomenal and words cannot describe it. Overall, London was a huge success!

Cheers,
Liv

Can't Buy Me Love

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes. My group decided to take the Fab Four taxi tour around Liverpool to see all of the sights and sounds of the Beatles. There are no words to describe how awesome the Beatles tour in Liverpool was. I have always been a Beatles fan, so this experience was a dream come true. I got to see the childhood homes of each Beatle and also Penny Lane. Strawberry fields, and many other exciting places, were on the way as well.
Right now I have currently had 3 hours of sleep and I'm heading to the train station to go to London/Ireland for the week! I will not have access to the internet, so I will have to post when I get back next Sunday.
My 21st birthday will be spent in the company of a few friends in Ireland. I cannot complain about being in Ireland, but I wish my family and Jake could be there for one of my biggest birthday celebrations. This just means I will be partying when I get home :) Well I'm signing off and the next time I will be writing to you, I'll be 21!!!

Cheers,
Liv

If we make it to Scotland!!!

It was my first weekend traveling and we decided to go to Glasgow and Edinburgh Scotland. What an adventure it was! We ended up getting on the wrong train, but eventually made our way to the right one. After that misunderstanding we arrived at Glasgow. We quickly found out that there was not that much to do there so we ended up sitting at an Irish Pub for 3 hours listening to a band called "The Detours". It was fun just kicking back and listening to some cultural music. By the time our dinner was over, it was time for bed. The next day we took a bus trip to Edinburgh (home of the massive castle and also the capital). It was here where we spent all day at the Edinburgh Castle. It was incredible! The sights and views were unrealistic and I had to have Jon and Holly keep pinching me so that I knew I was there. At the castle I got to dance to Scottish music and saw many people in kilts walking around. It made my day :) Besides the trip on the way back to Liverpool (train doors not opening, walking alongside a highway, etc.) I had a blast in Scotland and can't wait to go on more adventures!!!

Cheers,
Liv

Hard Day's Night

So I'm listening to the best band ever right now, The Beatles, and I thought this particular song title was appropriate for my lack of blog posts. I have been extremely busy and running around for the past few days. I went to see a movie at City Centre in Liverpool and it was so much fun! Brianna, Hannah, and I went to see Something Borrowed, which turned out to be a pretty good movie. A side note for my dad, the popcorn was really good, but I didn't get the value combo meal. Other than that we have just been hanging out around the town and going to Five ways pub for quality hang out time. At five ways we talked to this old man who had a daughter that went to Ball State to study abroad. I thought it was neat to see that there were fellow Cardinals among us in England. While leaving the pub it is a tradition to "caw" by Dr. Popplewell's window, so some of us achieved this tradition with lots of laughs. Today, I got to experience my first day at Woolten Junior Primary School. The classrooms were so neat and the children were, well, probably the cutest kids alive. Some students asked me if Indiana Jones lived in Indiana or if I was in love with Justin Beiber. I hated to disappoint the students by saying no to the Justin Beiber part of that question (I didn't want to squash their dreams of Indiana Jones not living in IN). I got to grade papers and I actually helped a student understand improper fractions. The teacher was impressed with me getting through to this particular student and was excited to be having me as a part of her classroom. I got to play with the children for their 3 recesses. Everything is so much more laid back in the classrooms and there is no stress of standardized testing!!!
I'm super excited to be leaving for Glasgow & Edinburgh, Scotland tomorrow! First hostel stay here I come :)

Cheers,
Liv

First day in Liverpool

I'm running a little behind on my posts, but I've been extremely busy/worn out. Yesterday was my first official day (without jet-lag) in Liverpool. We had orientation day where we received our lovely student ID cards. After a full day of getting to know campus, the crew and I decided to take our first double decker bus adventure to city centre, downtown Liverpool. On the way to downtown, we passed penny lane and I almost passed out from excitement. I got the whole bus to start singing Penny Lane by the Beatles. I cannot wait for the day where I get to take the FabFour Beatles tour.
The city was amazing and there were so many beautiful buildings. We also stumbled upon the popular store named Primark, where everything is around 3 to 6 pounds each. There were tons of shops, pubs, clubs, and schools. We saw so many children in their school uniforms walking around downtown. They were absolutely adorable with their accents and ballet flats. After we explored the city we had dinner and called it a night. We were all so exhausted. Tuesday we will be starting our first seminars and having things assigned. So it's back to the reality that I'm here for school and not just sight seeing :)

Cheers,
Liv

Jet Lag

So I finally got into my dorm after many confusing conversations with our British advisor. Apparently I'm going to be moving around a lot for the next few weeks, which will be loads of fun. On top of a confusing housing situation, I am suffering the case of jet lag. I decided to take dramamine during dinner on the plane, but due to uncomfortable circumstances, I stayed awake on drowsy medication. Even though the trip was not as smooth/comfortable as I had hoped I arrived in a gorgeous country and can not wait to explore!

When we got out of the airport I had to take my bags to a charter bus. We all were laughing because we had to cross the wrong side of the road to get to it. Also, every car that passed us was either an Audi, BMW, or Land Rover. It is so different seeing compact cars whizzing by you on the wrong side of the street.

It still has not sunk in that I am in England right now. I think it will hit me when I am teaching and being more active in the town of Liverpool. I already miss my sweet tea and Nana's green beans so badly, but tonight I am hoping for some killer fish and chips :)

By my lack of organization in this blog, any person could see that I should not be writing at all right now. I'll end with quick comments about how much I love it here in Liverpool. I cannot wait to begin my traveling experiences...and school of course (cough with sarcasm).

Cheers,
Liv