July 2nd
Footsteps on the stairs.
The knob turns, the door opens.
Her hair stands on end.
To commemorate my time here, I've compiled a memory list. Read it if you like; it's mostly a fun note for myself and Leeds friends to highlight our time here.
Memorable Moments from Leeds
1. The annoying ice cream truck that I’ve heard pretty much everyday but NEVER see!
2. Making pies with Roxanne
3. Staying up till 4AM at the Walkabout pub to watch the Packers win the Superbowl
4. Being asked out by a freshman from Manchester
5. Eating at the Old Bar (“Baked beans or mushy peas?!”)
6. Discovering Kopparberg cider in Manchester and then hunting it down in Leeds
7. Flat mate dinners
8. Our oven and toaster
9. The moldy shower curtains!
10. Harry Potter movie nights with Roxanne and Leah in my room
11. The day we discovered POUNDLAND!
12. Accidentally burning off my bangs the first week in England
13. The walks from Morrison’s to our flat with a million bags of HEAVY groceries!
14. Fire alarms in St Mark’s
15. The annoying people from one of the St Mark’s blocks who played the SAME music EVERY SINGLE DAY during the semester
16. “Topping up”
17. Learning the layout of Morrison’s grocery store
18. TESCO!!!!!
19. Vue (a theater) in the Light
20. (Roxanne:) Sneaking into the kitchen to making dinner/tea around 11pm. You know when I mean!!
21. Making homemade applesauce with Roxanne spontaneously at 10pm
22. Discovering the glories of Doctor Who!
23. DAVID TENNANT!
24. (Not so proudly) True Blood
25. Using 1 HUGE knife all semester for everything because no one bought any real knives!
26. Discovering the wonderful taste of tea
27. Trying to figure out how the heck MHRA works
28. Discovering my Museum Studies essay is due in 2 days, not 7…
29. Proving a professor wrong on the date of the aforementioned essay…
30. Making my own beer for my Traditional Alcoholic Beverages class
31. Wandering around campus trying to figure out where my classes are
32. Talking to people who speak the same language as me but still having NO idea what they said because of their British accents! =)
33. Riding on the top of a double decker bus
34. Acting like a tourist
35. Eating real UK custard with Felix
36. Our stupid washer that wrecked my shirts and continued to dye our clothing different colors
37. The unbelievable number of grocery bags we collected AND stored
38. Getting carded at the Eldon (sports pub) by someone who looked younger than me
39. The one and only day it snowed in Leeds
40. The dress code in Leeds…
41. GREGGS!!!!!
42. British “Milkshakes”
43. Getting locked out of my own room WHILE STILL IN my own flat
44. Laughing at the fact that people thought it was REALLY cold at 50˚F (10˚C)
45. Having to eat at Subway on our first night in the UK because everything closes SUPER early.
46. Learning about pounds (GBP)
47. Taking 4th place in a short story competition
48. Vanessa’s amazing fruit/Pimm’s drink
49. Making good friends with people at the END of the semester and finding out you’ve lived in the same building the whole time
50. Mango Rubicon
51. Onion rings from Flames!!
52. Going to a total of 3 classes per week!!!!
53. Laughing at the fact that a lecture of ~80 is supposed to be a BIG class!
54. My mom visiting me for two weeks!
55. Not knowing any brand names in Morrison’s
56. Being disgusted with the fact that Sainsbury’s sells “American Hot Dogs” which are in a can…NO American eats hot dogs out of a can…That’s just wrong…
57. Felix trying to teach me how the UK school system works
58. Getting sick for 3 weeks and going to the doctor’s for the first time in my college career (not funny, but certainly memorable)
59. Learning that Matthew Lewis is from Leeds! (Neville Longbottom)
60. Receiving packages and letters from family and friends! <3
61. Learning just how many friends my age that are now engaged or married…
62. Making late night trips to Tesco for chocolate cake!!!
63. Finding Marvel Milk at Morrison’s and slyly taking a picture of it
64. Sleeping on the hardest beds in the world at St Mark’s
65. Discovering that I’m a princess and am related to Constantine
66. Discovering that my great-great-great-great-great grandpa would have been President of the United States
67. Discovering that I’m related to Andrew Marvell (fairly certain) and the Vikings!
68. Dancing in my room to “Party Rockers,” our Busabout theme song
69. Waiting FOREVER for grades to be posted and especially for the return of essays…
70. People-watching from my room
Memorable Moments Outside of Leeds:
1. Getting my camera stolen in Venice (not funny, but memorable)
2. Caving in Budapest with amazing people
3. My 3 week trip in May/June (London, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Belgium, Spain)
4. My 4 week trip in April (France, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and the Royal Wedding in London)
5. Getting up at 3AM for the Royal Wedding
6. Taking the Tube
7. Paying 21 euro for a taxi ride in Florence (10 cents/10 seconds! SCARY!)
8. Just BEING in Santorini
9. The 24-hour bakery in Santorini
10. Dermott, the tour guide in Ireland
11. Justin D Beaver!!!
12. Plitvice National Park
13. Auschwitz and Birkenau
14. Felix and his pants! XD Sorry, but it’s just still sooo funny!
15. JOSH AND THE BAG OF VOMIT!!!
16. Watching Ben, the Eastern Europe tour guide, dance to Katy Perry’s "Hot and Cold"
17. Spending an 1 ½ hours at the police station in Madrid because Vanessa’s wallet was stolen
18. Making the split-second decision to see "Les Mis" in London
19. Eating terrible Chinese food in Budapest
20. Standing on top of the world on the Eiffel Tower with my mom
21. Kissing the Blarney Stone (on top of a castle and upside down!)
22. Making friends with Barb and Sarah at the beginning of the Ireland tour after we were all dropped off at the wrong hotel!
23. Discovering crazy 6 degrees of separation all over the world
24. Being asked directions about a million times this semester and also all over the world…Apparently I look like I could be from anywhere!
25. Being asked by a Brit if I’m from Germany!
26. Being told MANY times that Chelsea and I look like sisters/twins
27. Seeing Matt Lauer, Anne Curry, and Meredith Vieira in person in London
28. Riding the Hogwart’s Express in York!
29. Taking a ghost tour of York
30. Regretting taking the ghost tour in Prague
31. Doing everything Harry Potter related in Edinburgh
32. Sadly realizing Brian Jacques lived in Liverpool and that I was there a WEEK before he died
33. Going to the Doctor Who Experience in London
34. Realizing that I can live for 4 weeks out of my duffel bag (~10 shirts!)
35. Loving the fact that I could actually give accurate directions to people in Edinburgh after only 2 1/2 days
36. Eating a Belgian waffle in Brussels
37. Simply being in England
38. Adoring the amazing English countryside (especially on the way to the Lake District)
39. Petting (and riding with) Jack, the horse that was in the movie "Pride and Prejudice"!
40. Sitting on an actual royal throne in Dublin Castle
41. Sleeping in the most comfortable beds in the world in Brussels
42. Visiting Sarah V. and Ginny S. in London!
43. Experiencing some of the most awkward moments in my life in Croatia
44. One word: Sausage
45. Silent Disco in Split, Croatia
46. Seeing how sheep herding is done in Ireland
47. Taking a 70-minute boat cruise on Lake Windermere and freezing my butt off
48. Taking a 36-hour ferry from Venice to Patras (on our way to Athens) and sleeping on the floor in the hallway for two nights
49. Nearly EVERYONE in our group reading Julia Quinn’s “Dancing at Midnight” in Greece
50. Meeting a TON of Wisconsinites in Ireland…“Small world” statement never ceases to amaze me
51. Laughing at the fact that in Budapest, without thinking, all 5 Americans on the tour hung out for most of the day
52. Having a 4 hour skype conversation with Pam!
53. Conversing with Felix from 2AM until 4AM in Split and going to bed at 5AM to get up at 7AM the next day and go to bed at 2AM…A bit sleep deprived!
54. Arriving in Leeds on January 13th and heading off to London for the weekend the very next day on the 14th! J
55. Realizing I’d spent more time in London than I had in Leeds by my 5th day in the UK and that I knew London MUCH better! XD
That was an awesome way to sort of sum up your entire semester abroad!! I think a lot of people would like to read this. Did you post on facebook? You have had an AMAZING time in Europe---life-changing I'm sure!
ReplyDeleteI haven't posted it on facebook yet, but I'll probably put it in a note soon. And I'm sure I'll add more to it whenever something pops into my mind! Indeed, life-changing is right!
ReplyDeleteNumber 2 - Now addicted to caving! Loved it! and yes it was with amazing people! The Caving Crew will go caving together again!
ReplyDeleteNumber 11 - The Beave is awesome
Number 12 - The time i got to know you better! yay!
Number 13 - Would it call it fun but it is an experience everyone should have.
Number 14 - I remember laughing so hard my stomach hurt and being able to bug him about it afterwards!
Number 15 - Oh Josh...
Number 16 - So glad there is a video of this!
Number 43 - Awkward... feel so bad that you had to go through that!
Number 45 - We need to start our own silent disco!
Number 52 - That conversation was awesome and i bet there will be more like that!
I miss you Pamspiers!
ReplyDelete