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.
skype! we'll have to chat sometime this week. i remember you were one of the few aside from my parents that i actually talked to while i was over there. it was nice. let me know when you're available!
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