Around the World

This past weekend our program, FIE, organized a trip for us in Pembrokeshire, Wales. We received an email telling us what all to pack - extra pair of shoes, lots of warm clothes, a bathing suit, and big towels. From that list I could tell this was going to be an active weekend. It took us SO long to get there: two trains and about 6 hours. We arrived at night so it was hard to tell what was around us. We get to the lodge where we are staying and get all settled in. The lodge had one side for bedrooms and the other side was the dinning room and lounging area. We get all unpacked and head in for dinner. It was really nice to have a fresh cooked meal and not have to do the dishes :)

The next day we went on a seven mile hike around the coast. It was absolutly gorgeous and sunny outside. Click HERE for pictures! It was nice to get some sun as I was starting to get pretty pale due to the cloudy London skies. Through out the hike we saw lots of sheeps, small pebble beaches, and old stone buildings. We arrived back at the lodge and washed our shoes as they had gotten pretty muddy from the hike. Lunch and a nap were much needed as we were going kayaking in the afternoon!

Kayaking was an adventure. We had to get in a wetsuit and life jacket. The kayaks were singles. We got a waterproof camera to take pictures so I will post those later once I get them developed. We got to go explore caves and paddle around for a while - and then my hands and feet began to freeze :( Dinner was chicken curry and paan bread with cheese cake for dessert! When I got in bed, I was literally asleep in about 5 seconds. That was the most physical activity I have done this entire time abroad.

On Sunday (our last day), We get up for breakfast and then head down to the kit shed. Kit is the word the use for equipment. Once again, we take about 45 minutes to get all of our gear on (wetsuit, warm shorts, warm vest, water boots, life jacket, and helmet). We get in the van and head down to a new pebble beach. The whole ride I was preparing myself for swimming in FREEZING water. Once we got in, it really wasn't that bad. We scaled the rocks close to the water. It felt like rock climbing but we were moving sideways instead of upwards. Then we get to a small area where there is an old quarry. It was probably about 15 feet over the water. We swim over to the side of the cliff and begin our climb up. We all get on top of the quarry - there is a flat section that we all stand on. Then we all, one by one, jump off! Right when I hit the water, the cold water began to enter my wetsuit. My head was so cold. I had never expereinces a brain freeze that bad. We did this for about another 20 minutes and then headed back to the van where they had hot chocolate waiting for us!

We took the train home and finally got into our flat that night. This week is our finals week. I had a group presentation, two exams, and one 2500 word paper due in two days: that means lots of coffee and not so much sleep. I did survive and have started to prepare for spring break which starts this friday!! I am going with Roxanne, Jordan, and Casey to Spain and Morocco! I finally get to see my friends Alex and May who are both studying abroad in Barcelona!

Cheers.
xo
callie

Went on another class field trip - Chelsea Football Stadium. The Chelsea Football team is nicknamed The Blues and was formed in 1905. The stadium holds around 42,000 fans. On the tour we were able to visit both the away and home locker rooms. They have actually hired someone to come in and design the away team's locker room to effect their emotional state before the game - very relaxed lighting to make them tired, lockers that are small and all the way down on the ground so they have to lean down to put things in it, only 10 hooks when there are 11 players, a poorly placed white board, etc. The home team's room is so much larger and equipped with ice baths, gatorade/red bull refrigerator, 5 massage chairs, two big screen tvs, and each player has their own tall locker. Inside they have a drawer called the 'bling' drawer where they put their earrings, necklaces, and what not to wear after a win!



I had my first travel weekend - We went to Amsterdam... and let me tell you... it was quite the experience. I was going with eight other people who are on the FIE program with me. I was on a different flight than them and was leaving about an hour earlier so I was left to find my own way to the airport. We have no printer in our Flat so I had to carry my bag (which probably had way too many extra clothes in it) back to the school to print out the ticket, then stopped for some food, then walked to the Underground Station. At this point I thought my shoulder was going to fall off. Then I got to the train station off of the Victoria Tube Stop. They have trains running from that station to Gatwick every 15 minutes. I had purchased my ticket way in advance for really cheap which was a good idea. I got there WAY to early and waited for about 45 minutes in the freezing Train station. There are about 20 different platforms and about half of them said heading to Gatwick. I used the 45 minutes to figure out which station my ticket was for. Finally hopped on the train and was off to the airport! The plane was very empty. I was sitting in a row all to myself.

Arrived in Amsterdam around 9:00pm and met up with the rest of the group and headed to the hotel. It was so nice to stay in a clean place with our own bathroom and big beds!! After we all cleaned up it was time to venture out into the city. It was such a different world. There were a lot of tourists walking around and people standing outside of venues shouting out drink deals to get people to come inside. There are 'coffee' shops on every corner.

The next day we went exploring around the city. It is absolutely gorgeous. All of the buildings are stacked up next to each other but all have a different distinct architectural design. Everyone rides bikes in that city! They even have cross walk lights specifically for bike riders. The city is situated on several canals and the streets sort of look like a spider web on a map. We went to the Van Gogh museum. It was HUGE - about 5 large floors full of art. The next stop was The Pancake Bakery down the street from the Ann Frank Museum. I got a savory pancake with chicken and cheese - so delicious :)



The Ann Frank Museum was incredible. You really got to feel how small the Annex was. The stairs were so narrow and steep. When you walked into the kitchen, the blackout curtains are drawn and there is a slight eerie feeling to the room. Everything was so silent. They had preserved the walls in her room with her magazine cut outs of celebrities. The original wall paper was still there. They also had videos of Miep and her father talking about the whole experience.

Next update will be about our weekend in Wales!

Cheers
xo
callie