Living Back at Home

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Joleen Braasch

Monmouth, in the Summer (A Ghost Town) The Famous PDX Carpet

Wow. The transition to home was pretty weird. I was sooooo excited to get back into Portland, but as I write this, I am just now starting to get over the reverse culture shock that I was feeling. I came from a bustling city into Monmouth in the summer time: a ghost town. I came back to very underdeveloped transportation. I came back to food that is very different than the food that I ate in London. And I even came back to a new apartment.

I think that coming back to a new apartment is part of what made my transition home so difficult. I came back to a room that was all packed up, save my bed (Thank you Shannon!) and had to try to feel like I was at my own home. My first night here, I woke up in the middle of the night and had a mini-anxiety attack because I didn’t know where I was at. I was also very confused about what day it was, I was a day behind for half of the week, and unfortunately missed an outdoor skate I had planned to go on.

I also was struck suddenly with the lack of public transportation here. I walked around for the first couple days, like I was doing in London, but it so much hotter here! And I can’t walk to Salem to skate. I was hit with the need to drive, which makes me sad. I very much wish that we could have and underground here, so that people would take that, instead of driving. If it was possible for me to get to my weekly activities without a car, I would love it.

The food was a big issue for me. I came back and wanted London food, but all I had was processed American food. I hate to admit it, but I gorged a little on unhealthy American food when I got back, so that I could get used to it again. But fortunately, I really didn’t enjoy it. And now I have started on a healthier diet. I lost quite a bit of weight in London, and I want to keep it off. So I have been motivated not only to eat healthier, but to get back into the outdoor activities that I love, like surfing and hiking. I am ashamed to say that it took a trip out of the country to get this motivation back, but I am glad that it worked.

Now that I am back in the groove, I am feeling better about being at home. I appreciate the things that I enjoy about Monmouth/Independence, rather than desperately wishing that I was back in London. I feel like I belong here again: this is my town, not London. I have friends and family here, and a job, and school. Of course, that is not to say that I never want to leave again! The travel bug bit me, and I cannot wait for my next adventure: are you ready for me Ireland?

There Was Nowhere to go but Everywhere… Jack Kerouac

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Joleen Braasch

From Left to Right and Top to Bottom: (1) The Docks at Gloucester (2) The London Eye at Night (3) The Coast at Brighton (4) The Thames at Night (5) The Docks at Gloucester, Without my Face (6) The Crypt at Gloucester Cathedral (7) Afternoon Tea at the Cambridge Pub

My last week in London was interesting, to say the least. I felt like I did more in London this week than I had done the entire time, though in reality I did less. I went to Gloucester, went on a Jack the Ripper tour, went on a small pub crawl, completed finals, wandered the city at night, and had afternoon tea. But through all of this, I was fighting mixed emotions. I felt extremely homesick, but I also felt sad that I was leaving; I wanted to experience even more than I already had. These mixed feelings were pretty exhausting. As I was having fun on my new adventures, I could not help but to count down the days until I would return home. However, although this was exhausting, it was good for me to experience. I have never really felt like this before; it was a new adventure.

I believe that the reason that I felt like I did so much more in the last week, even though I probably did less in reality, is because I got to experience some of the cultural activities. I finally went to afternoon tea! I also wandered the city at night, rather than just walking through town to get home. And I rode on one of the famous public bikes.

Afternoon Tea was one of my favorite experiences in London. I went to the Cambridge Pub with Jenna, and we were served two little teapots (which contained three teacups of tea, each). We were also served a bowl of sugar cubes, both brown and white (how much more fun that loose sugar!). Then we were given a three-tiered food platter. The general rule is that you eat from the top down, so you eat the sweet scones, with clotted cream and jam, and then the savory finger sandwiches, and finally, the sweet desserts. All of the food was delicious, and the tea was some of the best I have ever had. During this little adventure, we also learned that Afternoon Tea was started by one of the Queens, who felt like there was too much time between lunch and dinner, and wanted something to snack on.

Taking a little stroll at night was so much fun. Jenna, Jenny and I walked down and back up the other. We saw so much on this little trip; it was unbelievable. All of the city lights were gorgeous, and there were buskers, (people playing the guitar, the oboe, the bass and the violin), filling the night air with beautiful music. We also saw many, different-themed party boats. There was an Indian wedding, a dance boat, and even a fetish boat (we don’t know what was going on there, but there were lots of people in leather costumes walking to it). As we were walking down the Thames, looking at all of the boats, we decided that we would finally ride the famous Santander bikes. These are bikes that are stationed all around the city. You take a bike, use it, and return it at any station. The first 30 minutes is free, and after that it is just two pounds for 24 hours. As fun as the bikes were, my favorite part of this whole night was standing on the bridge, looking out and London, and listening to beautiful guitar music. It made for the perfect last night and London.

I will definitely be traveling out of the country in the future, hopefully at least once every other year. And so I leave this post with a quote by Jack Kerouac:

“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” -Jack Kerouac

Fueling My Inner Nerd, and Feeling a Bit Homesick

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Joleen Braasch

I apologize for the sideways images; I could not get them to rotate this time around. From top to bottom: (1) Standing next to the entrance to Dumbledore’s Office! (2) Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes (3) A Police Horse: Hampstead (4) George Eliot’s Tombstone: Highgate Cemetery (5) Most of the Myth, Legend and Horror Class in the Eagle and Child Pub (where the Oxford Inklings would gather!)

As my adventure in London continues, I grow more thankful for this opportunity every day. This week has especially catered to my literature side, and my nerdy side! I have been to Coleridge’s home, the Keats House, Highgate Cemetery (resting place of such big names as George Eliot and Karl Marx), back to Oxford (and still have not seen all that it has to offer!), the Harry Potter Studio Tour, and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

I could spend all day talking about the Harry Potter Studio Tour, so let me just say that it was better than I ever could have hoped for. I learned so much about the filming process; it really changed my perspective on the adaptation of books to film. It takes a lot more work than we think. For example, the Inferi, who only appear in the background of the films, took almost one year to create and use! On the other hand, I had an underwhelming experience at the Sherlock Holmes museum. For what there was to offer, the 15 pound price was quite high.

Although I had a ton of fun nerding out this week, the visit that really hit me was Highgate cemetery. Most of the gravestones are quite large, and the whole area is surrounded by trees and ivy, and small gravel paths break off of the large main path for access to the many graves. To be quite honest, as weird as it may seem, it was quite beautiful. Families really took the time to immortalize their loved ones with the elaborate gravestones, and this made the area seem to be more of a celebration of life than a dreary graveyard. I am not used to such grandeur in a cemetery. In my family’s resting place, back in Oregon, there are no large protruding gravestones; they are all flat tombstones at the heads of the graves, and it is just a grass field with a few trees. As the plots in this cemetery are all taken, I think I’ll look for a more wild final resting place for myself (in the very distant future). It is so strange that traveling to the UK has given me a whole different perspective on death! Who would have thought?

Although I am having a fantastic experience, I am also growing a little more homesick every day. This did not hit me until this weekend, but it is really taking hold (probably because I am exhausted!) There is something about the little things that make me miss my life in Oregon. One such little thing is the friendliness that is so prevalent in our small university town. I have found myself to be a little less caring about smiling at everyone that I see, and saying excuse me for the hundredth time; this makes me kind of sad, as I pride myself on being friendly to others. I am also pining for fresh air, my own bed, and I am missing my roommate (sorry if I am embarrassing you Shannon ;).

But I only have one week left over here in the UK, so I am going to make the most of it! See you soon Oregon!

The End, and the Beginning, of Another Amazing Week

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Joleen Braasch

Before I start throwing out all the words, here are some visuals to help describe my adventures for the last week!

From left to right, and up to down. (1) Armor from the period of Roman Britain (what the Hobbits may have had in their collection, and what Arthur and Lancelot would have worn: British Museum, London. (2) Headed to Hogwarts, at platform 9 and 3/4: King’s Cross Station. (3) The Traditional English Breakfast, with Vegetarian Sausage: Glastonbury. (4) The (supposed) original tomb of the legendary Arthur and Guinevere: Glastonbury Abbey. (5) A group selfie, with Glastonbury in the background: Glastonbury Tor. (6) A bagpiper: Edinburgh, Scotland. (7) Glorious Hot Sauce: Edinburgh: Scotland. (8) The view from above: Edinburgh: Scotland.

After a little over two full weeks in London, I am feeling pretty run down, and starting to get a bit homesick. But even though it has been overwhelming, I am having the time of my life.The trips never end! With two classes, I am going on about three to four excursions per week. This last week, I went to the British museum (3 times!), the British Library, Glastonbury (the first burial site of the legendary Arthur and Guinevere), Lacock (a village where some Harry Potter scenes were filmed), and Scotland (a personal trip). I didn’t think that it was possible, but I had even more fun this week than I did last week. I was able to admire many items and locations that inspired my inner (or outer, it is obvious) English nerd.

One of my the fun locations for this last week was the British Museum, three times. Now, this may seem like overkill, but I still have not seen everything that that museum has to offer! It is the biggest building I have ever been in, and more items stored than would fit in our university. Someone could go there every day of the week, and still not feel as though they had seen everything, not to mention they change the exhibits often. You would think that such an awesome museum would be expensive, but entrance was free! Of course, I still had to buy some books at the gift shop, since I didn’t have to spend money on admission. 😉 I also bought some books at the British Library, which was the most amazing archival/English experience that I have ever had. Our class explored the treasures room, which includes such original documents as Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (My absolute favorite novel) and Beowulf, written in Old English (My favorite Epic).

Glastonbury was absolutely beautiful. I got to see the ruins of the Glastonbury Abbey, as well as the tomb that the legendary Arthur and Guinevere would have been buried in (of course, this is all legend). And I also got to climb up to the Tor, in which one can see to “the ends of the earth.” I am not exaggerating when I say that this was the most beautiful view that I have ever laid eyes upon; I felt like I was on top of the world: it actually inspired some tears.

Lacock was a cute little village, which is apparently a prime filming spot, as there was filming going on during our visit. This cut off our access to the Harry Potter film sites that we had come to see, but it was still fun to explore pieces of the little village. I had some delicious dark chocolate, and took a picture as an English prisoner.

Scotland was my favorite trip. Although Edinburgh is also metropolitan, it was much quieter and less crowded than London. Also, residents have worked very hard to protect the look of the city; new construction has to fit in with the old buildings. This makes it very fun to visit, as you really get the feel of a complete city, rather than the parts and pieces that arise in London. I also appreciated Scotland because the people there were much nicer; they smiled at us, an occurrence that is rare in London. I was also able to hear multiple Scottish accents; it is easy to tell which accents come from a “higher” class. Hearing the “lower” class accents made me feel like a fit in a little more, since I always feel like I am mumbling in London; I couldn’t understand the “lower” accents that ran together. Now I know how Londoners feel when I talk to them; I should get a cone installed on my neck…

I am still discovering cultural differences, every single day. One of these was quite shocking. This last weekend, I decided to chop all my hair off in Scotland, (don’t worry, I have been planning on doing this for forever,) but I could not find a barber shop that would serve me. Apparently, even with a short cut, barbers only cut male hair in Scotland. When I did find an actual hair salon, a woman, not a man, had to cut my hair. This was pretty surprising to me, as it is not like this in Oregon. I felt a little bit oppressed, even though I know that this was not the intent.

Even though I am feeling a tad homesick, since I never have time to sit down and just relax, I can’t picture living in the states for the rest of my life. As I stated in my last post, I am seriously considering graduate school in the United Kingdom. And even if this does not happen, I will definitely be coming back to visit even more places next year, such as Ireland and Paris.

London: Week One

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Joleen Braasch

Pictures, from left to right:(1) Oxford, Christ’s Church College (2) Archery at Warwick Castle (3) The famed red telephone booths (4) Stonehenge (5) Warwick Castle

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Week one of my adventures came to a close yesterday. I say one one week, but it feels as though I have done more in this one week than I have in my lifetime! I have been all over London, and even ventured beyond it. Outside of London, I have visited: Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, Salisbury and Stonehenge. I have also traveled to various sites in London, using the underground rail system. I even went on a London Plague Tour! (Check it out)

Before I came to London, I was not expecting that much would be very different, other than the accent and people driving on the opposite side of the road. However, much more has surprised me; I am definitely in a foreign country. One of the first differences that I noticed is that everyone here dresses very nicely. The men wear suits and women wear slacks, skirts or dresses. It is not common to see people dressed in jeans and t-shirts; even some of the grocery store employees wear suits. I really like this professional attitude, however it makes me feel kind of out of place with my jeans and backpack. I wish that I would have packed some more nice clothes.

Another difference that I have noticed is the portion sizes and the expiration dates on the food here. In the United Kingdom, a lot of the chemicals that we use in our food in America are banned. This means that the food here is smaller and expires quicker, and tastes 10 times better! The portions are also the perfect size for one person; I can shop for food without worrying that everything will go bad before I get to eat it. This, along with the fact that people walk everywhere, means that people here are a lot more fit: I have already lost weight in my first week here!

Another cultural difference is that to-go boxes are not really used here; occasionally a restaurant will have a sign saying that they have “take-away”, but most often, it isn’t an option (unless you wrap things up and stuff them in your backpack). And when you go to a restaurant, you order at the counter, not from the table. As with “take-away,” there are many different words used here for everyday things. “Toilets” or “Loo” is used in place of restroom, “rubbish” for garbage, “footpath” for sidewalk, “tube” for the underground trains, and “lift” for elevator are a few of the differences that I have noticed. It also not at all uncommon to hear different languages while you are walking down the street. It is great fun to listen for new words and different languages.

When thinking about language, I feel very self-conscious about my accent. In comparison to the accent here, it sounds like Americans are mumbling all the time. We don’t enunciate in the same way that they do, and this is apparent when service personnel have to keep asking you what you are saying. This has caused me to think more about how clear I am when I am speaking; I think this will serve me well, even back in the states.

I am having such a wonderful time here. Although I have not been getting enough sleep, in order to get all of my homework done, this is better than I ever could have imagined it to be. I love it here so much that I think I might come back for my graduate degree. Until then, I am going to enjoy my time while it lasts.

Cheerio,

-Jo Braasch

Looking Forward to London

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Joleen Braasch

Studying abroad is an opportunity that I never thought would be available to me. I told myself, during my first year of school, that I would not be studying abroad. But when the perfect opportunity arose I took it: I will be leaving the country on July 10th to study in the United Kingdom.

As a future language arts teacher, I do a lot reading, and much of it is British literature. This trip is going to allow me to see the places where great works of literature were made immortal: where Arthur conquered the hearts of all, and where Keats created his powerful poetry. What better way is there to understand the context of British literature than to be immersed in what inspired it? I am so excited for my classes!

I am also excited for my free time! I will watch the changing of the guards, see some plays, walk into cathedrals, and even travel to Paris! There are so many fun things to do; I don’t know where I am going to start. Maybe this list will help!

However, I cannot help but to feel a bit overwhelmed. Though I am extremely excited for this opportunity, I do have some worries. The first is about my preparedness for classes. Many students, from other universities, that participate in this program are on semester schedules: they finished the term in May. This means that they have had much more study time. I, on the other hand, finished on Saturday of finals week, and I am also currently working Monday through Friday. This does not leave much time for my studies, and I have been dreaming about how much easier it would be to just take one class. But, I can’t imagine giving up either one!

I am also a bit worried about my outgoing personality. It is recommended, when trying to blend in, that one is not upfront, or loud, or touchy. The problem is that this is who I am; I love meeting new people, I am a blabbermouth, and I always offer a handshake or pat on the shoulder.

But, it is perfectly normal to be worried about such things. I accept that I am worried, and I will use it to power through. Tea for me, please!

In the word’s of the great Samuel Johnson (the best procrastinator literature has ever been blessed with): “there is in London all that life can afford.”

WOU Students Abroad

Author Archives: Joleen Braasch