Standard Last Words (Final Post)

As is customary, this will be a brief, un-detailed reflection upon my time here and a pathetic excuse for a goodbye to those I couldn't see in person.

I can't even begin to describe how amazing my time has been here.  As I said in my previous post, this place has become a second home to me.  I'm sure I'll constantly be making references to experiences and funny sayings back home and no one (except Paul, Mike, and Amy) will know what I'm talking about.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

To the 27 crew (this includes Jon and Jaddy): you are all crazy people.  Keep it up.  I expect no less when I see all of you again.

To the Stevo crew (this, for simplicity's sake, includes Jacob): I love all of you.  You're another family to me.  I'm still trying to think of all the family relationships this would entail, but all I can muster up so far is that Watto would have to be the father (skin color aside).  Seriously, if his hair turned gray, I wouldn't notice.

To Michelle, Nicci, Filli, Tany, and Guy: I miss all of you dearly and it'll only get worse when I get home.  I actually tear up a bit when I see the picture of all of you together.  I can't wait to see all of you again and I promise I will try my best to make it back to Switzerland next summer.

To Diane: Keep spreading the positive message of Drum & Bass.  We DnB'ers need to make sure the good word gets out.

To John: I totally wish I could have asked you to help me with my rugby skills.  My younger brother is picking it up quickly and I need to get better than him.  Perhaps another time when I return...

To Monique: I promise to try and speak with better English.  And I'll try to retain my manners when I get home.  Also, I'll be sure to let you know if/when I make plans for the European backpacking thing.

Finally, to anyone I missed, thank you very much for making this trip the spectacular experience that it was.

Definitely Not Enough Time

How do I know I haven't spent enough time here?  Simple: I still remember exactly what I'll order at Chipotle as soon as I leave O'Hare.

Looking back on my time here, I notice two very interesting phenomena: one is that this experience in Europe doesn't seem like a discontinuity with respect to the rest of my life.  It's almost as if this was supposed to happen and that there was nothing special about me leaving the United States to spend 4.5 months in South Yorkshire.  The second thing is that this place has become my second home, without a shadow of a doubt.  I already find myself using Yorkshire/English vernacular (calling me' mates 'Duck' and replying with 'Cheers' instead of 'Thank You', etc.).  I know many who've asked if I could spend my life here have heard from me that I probably wouldn't be able to, but I think that opinion may have taken a complete 360.  Maybe it's just the pre-departure blues, but I seriously think I could make a good life here if the opportunity arose.

Most importantly though, I've come to realize that one semester abroad simply isn't enough at all.  Many had said the full year was necessary and I agreed with them; if it wasn't for obligations back home, I undoubtedly would have come for all of Junior year.

But for now, I appreciate, to no end, the time I've had here and the new friends I've made.  Hopefully, that 'around the world' trip will come to fruition at some point so I can get to see them again.

And to those considering study abroad in Europe, do the full year if you can.  Seriously, it's worth double what you'll pay, at least.

England hates its students

Why do I say England hates its students?  See the picture below:

It's currently 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 celsius) and there isn't a cloud in the sky.  Only yesterday did this weather start.  And according to forecasts, it will probably be like this all throughout the week.

In my almost 4 months here, this is the first time I've encountered such weather anywhere.  And best of all, it decides to arrive right when students are supposed to be studying for exams, which, by the way, begin in 2 days.  Yet as this picture shows, many students have other things on their mind, like finally getting that tan they've always wanted (frankly, a lost cause because the only tan people I've seen here are either not from here or are using spray-ons so thick you could wipe it off them with your finger).

I, meanwhile, am using all my willpower to stay in my room and read for my upcoming mechanical design exam.  I've got my window open and some concentration music playing softly in the background to get me in that proper study mood, but every time I glance outside, I just wish more and more that I could grab my football and play some catch outside.

Closing in on the End

It's May 17th now and I'm right around 3 weeks away from leaving this country that I now love to death.

As the realization of departure has been setting in amongst the internationals here, emotions have been running high.  People are suddenly unable to focus on their studies (though to be honest, no one ever could, but with finals looming, this can be a problem) and the inevitable sadness of leaving some of one's best friends is becoming a harsh reality.

However, as classes have essentially ended, many of us found a great opportunity to squeeze in one more small trip to explore the country.  For me, that trip ended up leading me to Dover and Canterbury with a few of my friends.

The funny thing about this is that most English people whom I told this to would reply "you're going to... Dover?" in a way that made it seem like the town was no place for a student to go.  However, the town was the exact opposite.  Between the white cliffs, the view over the English Channel, and the old Dover Castle, the town was riddled with amazingly interesting and beautiful things to see.  For those on Facebook, the pictures are up (for those who aren't, I totally understand why you wouldn't want to join with all their privacy issues, but I've run out of room on my Picasa account).

And although we only saw the massive cathedral in Canterbury, I can safely say it's one of the most intricate and spectacular ones I've seen in all of Europe.

We finally capped off the weekend with a massive party at the usual international party house, the supposed last one of the semester.  Needless to say, the experience was bittersweet.

So now, we've come to the final stages of the study abroad experience: exams, exchanging contact info, and making rather unfeasible plans to visit one another in our respective countries whenever we find time.  As sad and pathetic as it seems, all this only reinforces the positive experiences one gains by studying in another country.

Believe me, the sadness is worth it in the end.


P.S. Even though most plans to visit our new friends will never come to fruition, there are some things that I have learned in recent times that have definitely brightened my day.  For one, my good friend Steph from Australia is spending her next semester in Madison, Wisconsin, just a short drive away from Champaign.  Additionally, it looks like a few of the Texans plan on visiting Champaign for spring break.  And with the Minnesotans not too far off, it looks like we could have one huge "USA in Sheffield" reunion in the near future.  And oh, how awesome that would be...

Ringing Ears

NOTE: This post is me expressing my inner electronic music nerd.  To fully appreciate this piece, you might want to look up some of the songs I mention.  If this doesn't sound like your kinda thing, then I won't feel the slightest bit bad if you choose to ignore this post.  If I were normal, I'd definitely skip it.

If I'll be completely honest, there's really only one major reason why I wanted to study in the United Kingdom this semester... and I got to live out that reason tonight for the first time.

The organizer was called Detonation (in conjunction with Hospital Records' travelling showcase, Hospitality), it was held at The Plug (a major club in Sheffield), and it was a night of extreme Drum & Bass music from some of the top artists in the game.

Those who know me well know that I might be the only individual in the United States (ok, maybe just the only individual in the midwest) who even listens to Drum & Bass music, let alone appreciates it.  My own parents ridicule me for liking music that's so fast and frantic.

And it's true, maybe it's a bit unorthodox to have a bunch of it on you iPod and listen to it everywhere you go, no matter what mood you're in (but to be fair, there are enough sub-genres in Drum & Bass that you can find the right tune for almost any state of mind).  But once you're in the club and your favorite producer is behind the decks giving you one straight hour of non-stop mayhem of his own creation, everything changes.

First up for the night was Logistics.  A great producer (already own two of his albums, "Now More Than Ever" and "Crash, Bang, Wallop"), but as a DJ, I have to admit his music selection was a bit sub-par compared to those who would come after.  Additionally, and this is by no fault of his own (rather, it's Hospital Records' fault), his MC sorta sucked.

Next up was one of my all time favorite producers and an individual who's making a name for himself as an outright electronic artist capable of entertaining the masses rather than just us junglists: Sub Focus.  His music selection was absolutely prime, his manipulation of the decks to rile up the crowd was spot-on, and the MC Ram Records selected for him was definitely on top of his game.  Everyone in attendance went absolutely crazy for him, especially when he dropped his hits "Rock It" and "Could This Be Real".  It was also a good opportunity to see the usual Drum & Bass crowd occasionally dance to some slower, more mainstream electro-oriented beats (but still having that massive bass that is a staple of Drum & Bass music).

The third DJ was, in effect, a sort of interlude: London Elektricity (in reality, just Tony Coleman, CEO of Hospital Records and the main guy behind the band London Elektricity).  Still a great DJ with an awesome selection, but that selection was a bit more jazzy, atmospheric, and a well-deserved calm-down period for the dancers.  The main highlight: his playing of the Apex remix of his band's "Just One Second"... quite possible the most beautiful song I've ever heard (Chris H., you can back me up on that one).

The final DJ (well, the last one I stayed for) was by far the best of the night: Noisia's Martijn Van Sonderen.  With Noisia just coming out with their debut album not even a month ago, most of the set was a self-dedication.  Not that this is a bad thing; quite the contrary, it was epic to say the least.  The Noisia sound was a complete 180 from the previous DJ's as it was dominated by incredibly complex synth patterns, dark atmospherics, and a bass so crazy and deep that no one has ever been able to replicate it (seriously, music production forums are packed with people trying to find the secret to "Noisia Bass").  I have never seen a dance floor rock so hard.  Even though people were visibly getting tired just before he came on (who wouldn't be after some intense dancing to 3 previous hours of DNB?), Martijn's tunes brought out the craziness in everyone, causing some of the most intense dancing of the night.  Highlights would definitely include his playing of Noisia and Foreign Beggars' "Shellshock" and the sudden slowdown/speedup/slowdown-again of Noisia's "Machine Gun".  Making things even better was when the one song encore was 16 Bit's dubstep remix of "Machine Gun", a truly epic and heavy tune.

By this time, it was closing in on 4 AM and I was, for lack of a better term, properly knackered.  There was one more DJ up (Netsky, one of the newest members at Hospital Records), but I simply had to get home.  But it must be said, for the 15 or so minutes that I heard his set, he was quite good for a newbie.

All in all, my experience on the Drum & Bass dance floor was... enlightening.  There are so many things one would expect when they first walk in to such a club, with its fast and loud music and kids dancing like they're high on crack.  And yet when I came in with these preconceptions, they were all quickly destroyed.  Some of the key things that really made me like Drum & Bass parties way way more:

1.) Alcohol is a deterrent to the experience.  Because of Drum & Bass's tempo (175 to 180 BPM in a live setting), dancing requires a great deal of coordination and an even large amount of stamina.  Even the slightest bit of excess alcohol would ruin the experience.

2.) Everyone is super friendly.  When people are packed on a Drum & Bass dance floor dancing to 180 BPM music, people are constantly running into each other or bumping each other.  And yet not a single fight broke out.  In fact, everyone would apologize profusely if they even thought they hit you too hard accidentally.  An even better example was when me and my friend who came with got separated on the dance floor.  The big guy in between us noticed we were trying to get to one another and moved himself and his friends out of the way so I could get back to her (even gave me a pat on the back).  Contrary to all this, at pretty much every other club I've gone to, it seems that dancing to pop music brings out the fight in guys.  At one club, I seriously saw a fight break out during the Macarena.

3.) A sense of community.  Everyone there is there to enjoy the music and help one another become better acquainted with it.  Those who started the night on the sidelines were in the middle of the floor dancing like crazy within one DJ set because of the encouragement of the rest of the attendees.  The more people that got involved, the more fun it became.

In closing: Mad props going out to the Hospital Records crew, Logistics, London Elektricity, big up to the Ram Records crew and Sub Focus, and 'nuff respect to the Noisia crew who tore down Plug with some of the most epic bass ever.

Now, if only I could convert more of my friends here to the religion of the Amen Break...

Reflections on Italy

I was a bit bored in Modena, Italy one day after visiting the Galleria Ferrari and decided to note down the impression I received from the northern part of the country that I hadn't visited before:
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1.) All Italians speak with their hands as well, even on the phone.  However, their sign language conveys no meaning whatsoever, as it’s all forceful hand gestures no matter the sentiment.

2.) Italian, as much as a “romantic” language as it may seem, is only romantic when spoken slowly by beautiful people.  Which it almost never is.  Not to say people here are ugly, it’s just that you never get a combination of both.

3.) It’s quite apparent that most schools here don’t teach English.  Which makes them a minority in the parts of the world I’ve seen.  Then again, I haven’t seen much so I won’t hold that judgement against them.

4.) Italians almost always are wearing something very fashionable and expensive.  I have no idea where everyone can have this kind of money.

5.) Institutions which bring Italian pride onto the world stage are worshipped in Italy.  Case and point: the entire town of Maranello is a shrine unto Enzo Ferrari and the creations of his company.

6.) Everyone in Italy smokes.  Doesn’t matter where, when, who’s around (kids), or what the smoking rules are in that area (no smoking allowed!).  Everyone is smoking and no one cares.

7.) The police are practically non-existent, kind of like unstylish clothing.  Or maybe that’s just Modena and Maranello.  Though let’s be honest, with a bunch of Ferrari’s driving around, Maranello might need it’s fair share of cops.  Hell, I busted out a 120 MPH run today.  And while we’re at it, Sant’agata probably needs some extra patrols as well.  Rampant bulls parading are no better than an army of prancing horses.

8.) Each village/town almost has a soundtrack to it.  For Modena, it was a quite one; occasional electric busses passing by (which, by the way, are genius in design), the quick chatter of people discussing clothing stores, etc.  For Maranello, it’s quite literally the sound of Ferrari V8’s and V12’s at wide open throttle.  No matter where one is around Maranello, so long as they are within a mile of it an the Fiorano Test Track, one can hear old F1 cars, 599 GTO’s, and FXX’s being wrung around the track at full blast.  It would probably take a town full of petrolheads to live in such a place.  My kind of town for sure!

9.) All negatives aside, Italy is a wonderful place.  When it comes to language, sure, I can’t understand them, but at least I can read a bit (thank you Latin!).  The architecture is beyond gorgeous and the whole country seems vibrant and full of life.  Passion is a big thing here, no matter what you invest it in.  And this is big with me.  Could I see myself living in a place like Italy?  Maybe, as long as it’s Maranello.  That town has the best soundtrack of any town/village/city/hamlet on Earth.

Proof that I actually went to all these places

EDIT: All pictures are finally up.  Links are below.

Finally made it back to Sheffield last night after a flight that almost got cancelled yet again.  Seriously, EasyJet needs to be run into the ground, they aren't fit to transport people or goods.

Pictures of the trip are below...

Brussels: http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/Brussels?feat=directlink

Mercedes Benz Museum: http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/MercedesBenzMuseum?feat=directlink

Stuttgart: http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/Stuttgart?feat=directlink

Vienna: http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/Vienna?feat=directlink

Modena: http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/Modena?feat=directlink

Maranello & Ferrari: http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/MaranelloFerrari?feat=directlink

Lucerne & Swiss Transportation Museum: http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/LucerneSwissTransportationMuseum?feat=directlink

Zurich: http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/WanderingAroundZurich?feat=directlink

DO NOT FLY EASYJET!

Many of you know already, but my flight from Munich back to Manchester to restart school was cancelled.  I've been put up in a hotel by the Munich airport for two nights, awaiting a flight to London and a train back to Sheffield.

Between finding out that the flight was cancelled and making it to the hotel, at no point in time did anyone know what was going on.  EasyJet had no reps at the airport, leaving generic airport staff to figure out what was going on and what to do with us displaced passengers.

So yeah, don't fly EasyJet.

The Mainland. Alone.

It was a tough choice to make, deciding whether to stick with the group or break off on my own.  Whether to spend time on the beaches of Spain partying every night or trying to find my way from city to city and learn to live without knowing the native language.

As this last week of break starts to wind down, I'm glad I chose my own path.  In the end, I learned how to get by in places like Brussels, Stuttgart, Vienna, and now Zurich.  Even picked up a bit of German on the way and met an absolutely wonderful Swiss-Italian family that took me in as one of their own.

Needless to say, much of my travels revolved around site-seeing (castles, palaces, all sorts of old architecture), cars (Mercedes Benz, Ferrari), and now, mountains.  And it has all been beyond beautiful.  Most of my story can be told in pictures, most of which are already up on Facebook.

As for highlights, I'm pretty sure two stand out.  The first is everything I've done since Saturday; exploring central Switzerland with my friend Michelle, whom I only met two weeks ago in Ireland.  She gladly took me into her flat for the week and introduced me to her family.  Having spent time with them travelling around to different towns and cities (Zug, Lucerne, etc.),  I've learned that no matter where one is in the world, the way families work is often the same.  Being with Michelle's family felt just like I was with my own, joking around and just enjoying each other's company.  They all took such good care of me and I am forever grateful to them.

The other would probably be the fact that I drove a Ferrari F430 Coupe in Maranello, Italy, the hometown of Ferrari.  The video tells the whole story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7wRlszOHJo

The Art of Wandering Around Europe: High-Tech Style

It's all I've pretty much been up to.

Between my last post in Sheffield and now, I've spent time in London, Brussels, Stuttgart, and now Vienna.  Needless to say the past few days of incessant travel has been a bit stressful and is only a sign of what's to come later on with even more travel.  But then again, as I get used to it, I think I may end up enjoying the nomadic lifestyle in the end.

First up was the train between London and Brussels.  Most Europeans wouldn't see anything special about it, but going through the Chunnel was a huge thing for me.  The English Channel Tunnel is regarded as one of the greatest engineering feats ever accomplished.  Thus, it would almost be a right of passage for me to travel through it.  Only problem; no matter how close of attention you pay to it, you'll never notice you went through it until you come out the other side and see the beautiful farmland of Northern France.  This was exactly my case.  But then again, perhaps that's another one of the tunnel's most amazing feats.  It takes you deep underneath an already-deep channel of water without you ever noticing how far into the Earth's crust you've just gone.

This brings me to my second point: high speed rail is definitely one of the coolest forms of transportation ever.  While on the train between Stuttgart and Vienna, the train I was on (the Railjet) was actually just like a jet.  A screen displayed where in Europe we were at the time and what speed we were moving at (average of about 185 KPH or 114 MPH).  The Eurostar train from London to Brussels was even faster, hitting speeds as high as 186 MPH.  The best part is that this speed is barely noticeable unless you're constantly checking your watch (in which case, you'll realize you're crossing Europe in little to no time at all).  It's a shame we haven't gotten this in the States.

Erin Go Bragh!

EDIT: Pictures are now up. I took around 430 pictures so no part of the trip goes undocumented (well, almost no part goes undocumented).

http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/Ireland2010?feat=directlink

It's 1:09 PM on Thursday, March 25th, and I just returned to Sheffield from an amazing week in Ireland.

A brief synopsis of what we did there:

1.) Started on Friday morning with the 3-day Paddywagon Tour of Southern Ireland. Started in Dublin, spent nights in Galway and Killarney. Got to see many landmarks along the way, including the Monastery at Clonmacnoise, a few castles, the Cliffs of Moher, and Blarney Castle (yes, I kissed the Blarney Stone and have proof of it).

2.) Visited the Guinness Storehouse and the Jameson Distillery in Dublin. Learned how to pour a perfect pint of Guinness from a tap. Also compared scotch, irish whiskey, and bourbon to determine the best of the three.

3.) Northern Ireland: arrived in Belfast, took a tour around Belfast to see how the city has been affected by the racial tensions in the country. Got to write a short message on one of the peace walls running through the city, dividing the Catholic and Protestant sides. Also took a 1-day Paddywagon Tour to Derry and back.

As usual, those on Facebook should have access to the picture log of this trip. I'll be uploading them to Picasa soon as well and will edit this post with a link to it.

A Week lived out of a knapsack

The time's come for some Easter Break travel. As I write this, I'm only 2 hours away from beginning my 1 hour walk to the train station. Now one would think that such a journey would call for a cab or a bus, but there are a few factors that stand in the way of this:

1.) Despite having lived here for around 6 weeks, I still have no knowledge of the bus routes around here
2.) Due to my genius planning, I now have only enough British currency to pay for one cab ride which I need to get to the airport from the Horsforth train station

And either way, the weather isn't too bad, so perhaps it is a good day for a walk.

Anyway, first up is the Paddywagon Tour taking place over the weekend, going to Killarney from Dublin and back. After this, our group will be heading up to Galway for a day or two, then finally up to Belfast. After this, I'll be splitting off from the group, returning to Sheffield for a night to recoup, and then it's on to the 2nd portion of my journey: a week in Germany, Austria, and Italy by myself (in terms of travel... don't worry, I'll find other people to hang out with).

Not sure if I'll be able to update the blog very often or with very much detail if I can get internet access, but I will be sure to document my travels as best I can.

Shorts weather and a failed mission

First off, I apologize for not having posted in a while. To be honest, not a whole lot has been going on here. However, with Easter Break rapidly approaching, that will most certainly change.

Anyway, a few days ago, my friend Sam and I got a real hankering for some good ole' fashioned ice cream. We'd looked around various shops in our area of Sheffield but hadn't found anything particularly amazing. This led us to an internet search which in turn gave us the address of a quaint dairy farm about 9 miles outside the city. Now as terrific as this would have seemed, getting there proved to be very expensive. Thus, we settled for what we thought was second best: an ice cream parlor that was apparently a 40 minute walk away at the Northeastern side of the city.

Thankfully, the weather today was the best it's ever been here. Temperatures were in the high 40's/low 50's, thus necessitating my use of shorts (finally!). As we trekked up and down Sheffield's hills (we may have seen up to 3 of the 7), we were treated to some wonderful scenery thanks to the presence of the sun and the lack of clouds. At the top of each hill, we had amazing views of the surrounding area and were able to spot many of the landmarks we had only seen up close.

Unfortunately, upon reaching the location given online, we were treated to a bit of a shock; we were basically in the "bad" part of town, far away from anything familiar. And the address of the ice cream parlor led us to a random house. Needless to say, we were rather disappointed. This was only added to when we finally got back into town and went to a coffee shop that served the ice cream typically made at the aforementioned dairy farm. Their version of a chocolate milkshake ended up being a glass of chocolate milk with not enough chocolate.

So lessons learned from today:

1.) Don't go to the northeast side of the city
2.) Milkshakes in England are pretty crappy
3.) Sheffield is a really beautiful city once you get to see it in the light. Thankfully, I brought my camera for this excursion. Go to http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/OperationIceCreamFailed?feat=directlink to see pictures.

Just a taste of the continent, nothing more

Easter Break is quickly approaching. 3 weeks of travel and fun all around Europe.

Now 3 weeks is an awful long time for spring break, but even that isn't enough for what I want to see on this spectacular continent. But, being frugal with both time and money, I've finally narrowed down the locations that I'll be going to:

Week 1: Ireland (Dublin, Galway, Killarney), Northern Ireland (Belfast), Scotland
Week 2: Brussels, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg
Week 3: Barcelona, other parts of Spain and maybe Portugal, finishing off in Munich and Stuttgart

Now if I had things my way, a tour of Italy and Greece would be on my list, especially considering my interest in Roman history. Only reason they were cut out was because no one else wanted to go to Greece and I've already been to Italy (though my memory of it is rather vague).

Thankfully, other locations closer to Sheffield will become weekend trips after Easter Break is over. This includes various places in the UK, Paris, Amsterdam, and perhaps Bruges. And we can't forget a return to mighty London.

Anyway, hopefully someday soon (fingers crossed for the summer after graduation), I'll be able to return here with some awesome friends and get to every other place I wanted to go.

Danielle, let's plan this thing out.

Mind The Gap

UPDATE: Pictures from my first London trip are up:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jbird60/UOfIWeekendInLondon#

Many more of London will come up when I go back there.

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If I could describe London in a simple phrase, it would be this: The Clash.

And I'm not necessarily referring to the band. London may be one of the most internationally oriented cities ever. Bits of every culture from around the world are evident in it's 8 million citizens and various boroughs. Add to that the mixture of buildings and architecture from medieval times to just about 10 years ago and you have a city that makes no sense, but at the same time makes perfect sense.

Anyway, to recap my weekend there with the other UK-based U of I students:

Day 1 (Friday) - Took the train from Sheffield to London. Arrived at King's Cross/St. Pancras International Train Station. Truly a magnificent building, the station resembles a massive castle. From there, we (my friends Mike and Paul) walked about 30 minutes to our hotel located in Barbican, an area in the northeast part of the city. Once all the U of I kids showed up, checked into our rooms, and then went out for dinner to a rather nice Mediterranean place located in Covent Gardens. Now to get there, we took what may be the most famous subway system not in the United States: The London Underground. Now I've ridden on the El, the NY subway, and the Washington D.C. subway system. And still, London's is by far the most fun and easiest to use. It might be one of the most idiot-proof public transit systems ever.

Anyway, had a nice dinner, then went to see a show called Havana Rakatan, a Cuban dance show at the Peacock Theatre. After the show, we students were left to ourselves. Now of course because March 5th was Unofficial St. Patrick's day at U of I, we had to celebrate ourselves. Thus, the necessary imbibing occurred, after which we all decided to go to Fabric, one of the most renowned nightclubs in the world. All I can say about the club is this: if you are a fan of awesome dance music and otherwise really damn good electronic music of almost any genre, go there. But don't go with more than three other people. The club has 5 levels (!!!) and losing people with all the bouncers everywhere becomes all too easy.

Day 2 (Saturday): The day started with a bus tour of the city (needless to say, even a 10:30 AM start was a bit rough for those who had massive hangovers from the night before). We drove by almost every major landmark in the city, stopping at a few to take pictures. Afterwards, my friend Mike and I wandered around the city in search of the fabled Texas Embassy Grill. After a good 40 minute trek, we finally found the place and enjoyed some wonderful Tex-Mex cuisine. We finished the night with a pub quiz and dinner at the Olde Cock Tavern.

Day 3 (Sunday): The Tower of London. The fortress on the river Thames that houses the Crown Jewels. Basically, we stared at 778929839823 billion dollars worth of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and gold. Then, after a few pictures on Tower Bridge (the one everyone thinks is London Bridge), took the train back home to Sheffield.

After many miles of walking and a few hundred miles on trains, I'm tired and I've got lots of work to do.

But overall, an awesome weekend in London. A link to the pictures to follow soon.

No, you're doing it all wrong... this is how you do it!

Friday night: Space at the Octagon

4 hours of rip-roaring music, spanning from top-40 hits to the best in house and trance.

Dozens upon dozens of UV lights scattered throughout the venue to give that glow that drives everyone nuts.

Lasers, strobes, floodlights... could it get any better?

Yes it could. As is the case with most UV-light-based parties, the entire idea is to dress up in bright (white or neon colored) clothing, put on some UV body paint, wear glowsticks, and go nuts. And of course, the organizers know this, so they were giving out free body paint and glowsticks at the venue.

And yet, once I'm on the dancefloor, all I see are people in normal clothing (plus some guys who think they're cool with their shirts off) dancing like they normally would...

...What they don't seem to understand is that this is, in effect, a rave. And because it is such, I felt the need to revive the rave culture that England was so esteemed for back in the late 80's and early 90's (don't worry, absolutely no drugs involved... this is strictly a matter of dress and dance style)

So while everyone else was busy pretty much grinding on one another and what not, there I was with my glowsticks, my super huge (and by that, I mean they were roughly a 1.5 feet wide) aviators that had glowsticks woven through them, and my face completely painted in yellow and green glowing paint. And I was raving hardcore, getting my glowstick action on, letting the music take over.

Worked wonders, actually. Everyone there seemed to love it, got lots of pictures with people, even had the official photographer of the event take a bunch of pictures of me.

Who knows, maybe I'll become the official face of the event (by the way, this is a recurring event... good stuff). And maybe I can influence everyone else to get back in the rave spirit (again, minus the drugs) and take full advantage of those UV lights and the sweet, sweet music.

Again, to those on Facebook, pictures should be up soon.

To prevent homesickness, try this...

Funny story:

My friend Kevin here is returning home from a club the other night, rather drunk. As we always do, he stopped at a kebab shop (one of our personal favorites, the Broomhill Friery) for a big carton of chips.

In his somewhat drunken stupor, he asked the proprietor of the shop if he would deep fry random food if we brought it in. And in a complete surprise to both Kevin and the rest of us, he agreed to it.

And thus this evening, we showed up at the Broomhill Friery with a pack of Oreos, a triple chocolate muffin (chocolate muffin with chocolate chips and chocolate pudding inside), and a Snickers bar. The two girls working behind the counter battered them up and gave them the deep frying of a lifetime.

Now I do know that deep fried Oreos and Snickers have been done before, but it was my first time with these foods... and they were amazing to say the least. Needless to say, the other Brits thought we were quintessential Americans with our obsession with unhealthy food combinations.

No worries though, they liked us a lot. We're apparently welcome back any time. And we are most certainly taking them up on that offer; we have some sinister plans in mind for our next foods to deep fry...

As for pictures of this momentous occasion, those on Facebook should be able to see them.

I suddenly really like football (no, not our kind)

Any doubts I had about English sporting after that rather weak hockey game have just been bombed to bits.

Watching Manchester United pummel West Ham United at Old Trafford tonight was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had at any sporting event (see pictures below). The Brits really know how to support their team.

Throughout the entire 93 minutes of action, there were constant cheers, mainly in the form of songs that I have yet to learn. And they put us college cheering sections to shame; while we may get 2,000 people or so in relative unison, these football fans are singing all together, and there's 73,000 of them. Combine that with the acoustics of the stadium and the result was a thunderous uproar of which only a club like Manchester United would be worthy.

The nearly violent passion these fans have for the sport in general is just staggering. Their knowledge of their respective club extends far beyond the current roster and it's stats; many of these people know the full history of their team and every great player it had dating to the mid-1800's. This was brought to light by the current "scandal" going on with the team right now that has all of Manchester in an uproar.

A few years back, Manchester United was bought out by an American businessman named Malcolm Glazer. Along with his purchase, he saddled the team with a massive debt that has put the world's most valuable sports franchise (worth over $1.5 billion) into a spot it doesn't want to be in; ticket prices have nearly doubled over the past few years and the team is in danger of losing its talent to other clubs if it can't pay the massive salaries its players demand.

To protest this, many fans have been wearing green and yellow rather than the standard red and black livery the team is known for. Back when Manchester United was first founded as Newton Heath, they played under the green and yellow colors. The flying of these colors again acts as a symbol against this new form of team government and expresses the fans' desire to place the team back in the hands of the fans rather than businessmen.

Although I'm rather new to this sport at this level of play, I must say I have already grown quite fond of it and really do hope that Man U can find a way out of this mess. I just hope Malcolm Glazer doesn't do to this team what he did to the other professional team he owns:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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How could I ever leave these people behind?

It's only been a tad over two weeks here and certain facts of life about the future are starting to hit hard.

In such a short time, I have managed to form some amazing friendships with people all over the world. It seriously is almost as if we've known each other forever. Despite heavily differing cultures, there's been so much that we've found in common as rising adults that's it's nearly impossible to not like one another. And although we will most definitely make the most of the 5 months we'll have here, I am almost scared to think what life will be like come the day we have to go back home.

World travel is quite expensive, but I see it as a necessity now; I simply have to go to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Holland, etc. as soon as possible after I get back to the states. I already know that I'm going to miss everyone here incredibly deeply.

Intervarsity: University of Sheffield vs. Sheffield Hallam University

Each year, a charity hockey match takes place between the two universities in Sheffield. Normally, both universities combine to form one team that represents the entire city, so this was just a friendly scrimmage to raise money for the Sheffield Children's Hospital.

Flux

When I was first coming over to the U.K., I had some ridiculously awesome ideas for how I would spend my time here, especially when it came to my three-week Easter break.

But realism has finally set in; moving around this country and the rest of Europe won't be as cheap as I thought it would be. Furthermore, I think I neglected the fact that most people probably won't want to visit a bunch of automotive museums and racetracks with me.

Now I certainly don't mind going to a few of these myself, but I'm hoping I'll be able to find a few interested parties for these excursions. My first priority: a race.

Racing in Europe is far more interesting than it is back home. There are many more series here, most of which run their races on some of the most iconic tracks in the world. Now of course, Formula One is the pinnacle of these, but after looking at the schedule for them, I think making a race will be rather unlikely as their races only return to Europe during my finals sessions.

When I realized this, I began frantically searching for races from any other series that I could attend, either during my break or over a weekend in a nearby town. For those in the know, British Touring Cars, DTM, World Touring Cars, and many others won't start racing here until late May, which is kind of a bummer.

But lo and behold, my savior finally popped up: the FIA GT Championship will be running at Silverstone during the first weekend in May. Silverstone Circuit is perhaps the most famous racetrack in all of Britain, playing host to Formula One and many other prestigious racing series, the GT Championship being among them. If I'm able to go, I'll be able to watch Maserati MC12's, Saleen S7R's, Dodge Viper Competition Coupes, Corvette C6R's, Aston Martin DBR9's, and many other amazing grand touring machines.

@any FSAE peeps reading this: be jealous. Be very jealous. Don't worry though, I'll take pictures and video if I make it there.

The Peak District - A constant, muddy climb

This past weekend, a tour was led to The Peak District, a national park of sorts located a few miles outside Sheffield. The region, known for its rolling hills and greenery, was the perfect backdrop for my first bit of really touristy photography:

I just don't want any trouble

Second week of classes...

This week, school really got into session. With tutorials and seminars (discussion sections for us) starting, my schedule is now packed.

But those smaller class gatherings got me thinking about how we as Americans may act here and why we do so.

I would say, in general, I can be a shy person. Being in a brand new place where I practically know nobody only exacerbates that situation (at least when it comes to classes; I have yet to meet another American in any of my lectures). Now I have encountered similar situations before, such as that first time going off to U of I, but I quickly overcame that shyness and now am absolutely happy there.

This time might be different though, mainly because there is one more major factor that may be acting against me when it comes to making friends here. A couple nights ago, a few of us were at a kebab shop (greasy fast food) getting some dinner and the guy behind the counter easily recognized us as Americans. His first comment to us was "You guys aren't as loud as I thought you'd be."

This wasn't the first time we heard this, nor would it be the last. It seems that through the media and through other American visitors before us, we have garnered a reputation as a loud, boisterous people that is just plain annoying. And it worries me from time to time. Such a rep would undoubtedly hinder my efforts to make friends while I'm here.

I guess that's why I've been quieter than usual. Hopefully, people will see that we're not all crazy. Some of us just want to have a good time, make some friends, and most importantly, make some lasting memories with people from all over the world.

Ok, that last sentence was too gooey, even for my liking.

Finally, another video!

If it doesn't work upon clicking play, just move the time-tracking marker a bit to get it started.

Cheers!

A taste of things to come

Just finished my first week of classes.

As I said in my previous post, things here are quite different from how they are back home. This first week has been a bit difficult in adjusting to that, but by now, I think I've finally found my routine (though this is about to change as more sessions of class are added next week). But separate from the academic system differences, this has been the first time I had to change classes after the start of a semester. Thankfully, that process is now over and has gone off without a hitch.

Other than that, not much else is going on. Since it's Friday, I'm sure all of us exchange students will be getting together for something or the other. And then this weekend, well, who knows what will happen.

Time to celebrate the most meaningless 21st birthday ever.

Insanity

Just a quick reflection:

THE WEATHER OUT HERE MAKES NO SENSE!!! As I look out my window right now, it appears sunny and quite beautiful. Just from the looks of things, I would imagine I could wear shorts outside.

And yet twenty minutes ago, I couldn't see 20 feet past my window because it was snowing so heavily. To make things even more bizarre, the snow that fell has already melted!

The North Atlantic weather system needs to make up its mind before I lose mine.

Also, note to self, buy an umbrella.

I can finally see stuff!

The sun has finally come out for the first time since I got here. And I must say, this town is even more pretty than I first said it was.

Anyway, two days of classes are now over. The experience has been quite similar to home, but there are a few key differences that will require me to greatly adapt my learning skills. The foremost example of this is the fact that only one or two of my classes have a "homework"-like assignment system that gets graded. Rather, the entire grade for a class is based on the final exam. What this means is that study is completely self-driven rather than influenced by homework assignments. Needless to say, a tough prospect for an American student, but I think I'll manage.

The other major thing is that I'm the only person over the age of 19 in any of my classes (I turn 21 this Saturday). Reason for this is that the sequence of classes for the Mechanical Engineering degree here is reverse of that back home. Rather than taking theory classes first and then taking application-based classes, British students start by taking classes like Manufacturing Technology and design courses. Topics like heat transfer, thermodynamics, and even basic mechanics are saved for the third and fourth years of study. Strange? You be the judge. But more importantly, how this affects me: I feel funny. Too many young ones around me. But on the other hand, many of these students have already taken crash courses in basic manufacturing technologies and design at the end of high school (A-level courses, as they're called here), so they most certainly know their stuff.

Anyway, it's now 1:30 in the afternoon and it's too nice out for me to keep sitting in here. I'm going to go out and take some pictures which I will surely put up later this evening.

Cheerio!

Where I Live

Just went for a saunter around the Endcliffe Village where I live and thought I'd share some visuals:

A view of the outside of Stephenson Hall's common room

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The Edge: houses laundry, dining facilities, village administration, and a wicked bar for students only (watched rugby there last night, it was rather intense, the place was packed and LOUD)

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This is what a standard dorm looks like near the center of the village (my place is farther out, so it's in a renovated old building)

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A view of my living quarters from the outside

The common room at Stephenson

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Boooooo!!!!!

First Visuals

Pictures from my move-in to my new residence at Stephenson Hall in the Endcliffe Village:

The Happiest Place on Earth

For years now, I've listened intently to Drum and Bass music with the sole hope that I'll one day be able to attend a real live Drum and Bass show in the U.K.

And I finally have... and I have never been happier on a dance floor.

Today was the last day of final exams for the Sheffield students finishing their first semester of study. To celebrate this occasion, the student union held an event called "Big Night Out", an event where every music stage in the Union (four in total, all of which are of professional theatre caliber) is populated by some of the best DJ's in the U.K. (all of whom are far better than any DJ I've ever head in the United States). A massive variety of music was played, from current pop hits, to oldies....

...to my favorite, Drum and Bass, all in one solid mix. I can honestly say that hearing some of my favorite Drum and Bass tunes at such a loud volume on a wicked dance floor made my heart skip multiple beats. I have never, in recent times, felt so happy just going crazy and having a good time to some crazy fast beats and pulsating bass. I figured out that I could go for one of these events by myself and still have an amazing time because of the connection I have with the music.

And that is exactly what I intend to do a few weeks from now. The Valve Sound System, a sound system that is purportedly the world's loudest and designed specifically for Drum and Bass music, will be appearing for a night in Sheffield with some of the most well-known Drum and Bass DJ's playing on it. It's an event I can't wait for, and even if no one else wants to come with me, I know I'll have an amazing time.

I finally feel like I'm home... it's wonderful.

Small Town in a Big City

It's been two days since I arrived here in Sheffield. And I must say, it has been... AWESOME BEYOND BELIEF!

In all seriousness, I have had a wonderful time thus far, getting to know the city I'll be calling home for the next 5 months and meeting the truly terrific students I'll be working with all semester. It ends up that only a few of us are from the U.S. while a large majority have come from Australia and New Zealand.

The funny observation about both our cultures is that each has its parallels and complete differences with the way things are done in the U.K. For example, Aussies and British people can quite easily understand each other as the accents are a bit more similar than, say, my midwestern accent compared to either (and I must say, every once in a while, I can't understand a thing a local Sheffield resident says because of their unique dialect). However, Australia is on the metric system while we in the U.S. and the U.K. still use the old imperial system.

These sometimes subtle differences have made up a good portion of the conversations I've had with some of my new mates here. It's proven to be a great way to get to know them and where they came from a whole lot better. Plus, the talk about what different phrases mean in different countries has also been a real blast. Example: In the U.K., when a hotel asks you if you want to be "knocked up" in the morning, it's merely a wakeup call. Now there are a few others, but I'll save those for individual Skype conversations, if I can remember them all.

Today (Friday, 5 Feb.) is the last day of our orientation. We've already been given a full campus tour (which is set right in the center of the city), a tour of the student union (which, contrary to how it is in the U.S., is the coolest place to be at night), and all the other little things to help us get by here. All this leaves is class registration, which takes place about 2 hours from now.

Which means I should probably get going if I want to be on time. Apparently, its a bit of a mad rush to get the classes one wants (students have to go to the building of each department that houses a class they want and sign up for a class on a first-come-first-served basis).

Cheers!

P.S. sorry for the excessive use of parentheses, there've been a lot of little details that I've found too amusing to omit.

Looks like I'm now on an island in the North Atlantic. Well, at least it's better than being on "Lost".

Anyway, just got into Manchester an hour ago. It's a nice, chilly winter morning here, exactly like home.

As I type this, I'm in the train station adjacent to the airport, waiting for my train out to Sheffield. One complaint about it: the station is just one big room with no place to sit down. It's a bit lame.

More to come later on today.

20 Hours

A little less than a day left until I leave.

Already packed all my stuff (having checked at least 8 times to insure I had everything). All that's left now is to figure out beforehand what cell phone I'll purchase when I get there (anyone with experience on this, your advice would be appreciated to no end).

Surprisingly, it hasn't been all too difficult mentally to grasp the fact that I'm moving to a completely different part of the world. Even the notion that it's almost half a year long doesn't seem to faze me like I thought it would. All that's on my mind is how awesome it will be living in a new country, making new friends, and coming back to a warm summer in Cincinnati where I can earn back the money I'll have ultimately squandered in Europe.

In the end, I know I will have the time of my life there and if the experiences of others are any indication, I will most definitely not want to come home after my time there.

But anyway, time to go. Next post will come from either Manchester or Sheffield itself.

Drastic Change in Appearance

As my father put it to me not too long ago, I looked like a "damn crazy person" with my "excessively long hair" and "ridiculous sideburns".

Only this time, I had to heed his advice. Going to a new country for a while means that I'll probably have to be a bit more modest in appearance, especially if I want to get in (I am, of course, referring to the potential for issues to arise as I go through security and customs with me being Indian).

So after nearly 10 years of rebelling against my parents and keeping my sideburns intact, they are now gone.

I've put up the results only because one or two of you highly objected to me doing this.

I didn't look too dangerous in the beginning though, did I?

Before:

After:

Because I have no imagination...

So my spring break while I'm abroad will be about 3 weeks long (!!!!!!). Needless to say, I plan to make the most of it all over Europe.

However, I have no imagination in choosing where I'll go. So if you have any creative ideas as to where I should go during that time, leave a post below. I could definitely use the suggestions.

Setup

Hey everyone,

As you may now know, I will be spending the spring of 2010 in the United Kingdom at the University of Sheffield. Hopefully, it'll be a ridiculously fun time and a good chance for me to experience some of the most ill Drum & Bass music in the world. Oh yeah, and pass my classes.

For the most part, it'll likely be a tad bit uninteresting, but if you find yourself mind-numbingly bored and have a couple minutes to kill, perhaps you'll consider catching up on what I'm up to? I'll be posting experiences, pictures, the whole nine yards.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Flight to Manchester is in 25 days. w00t!

Big up yourselves, keep it real, respeck.