The boa constrictor. Koryn
Boa Constrictor
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Author Archives: pricemv
Turtle Eggs
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The turtle laying its eggs!
Week 2 Tamarindo
We went to Tamarindo the second week which is also on the Pacific side. We stayed in an adorable hostel and did some more surfing. Before we went our tica mama told us that there are mucho gringos in Tamarindo… she was very right. It was very Americanized with a bunch of American food, stores, and resorts. We saw parrots on the drive down and
got to watch a green turtle lay its eggs though and we saw a boa constrictor too! Koryn
Manuel Antonio
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The national park. Koryn
First Week in San Jose
Orientation was the day after arrived and then school was the following day. On orientation day we went and walked to a nearby cafe which was adorable… That was also my first experience trying to order food when I don’t know any Spanish. I also met a bunch of new people which is to be expected, however I found out that one of the students that I went to middle school and high school with was also studying abroad through a different school. That weekend we went to Manuel Antonio which is a beach on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. We did a tour of the national park there and saw tropical plants, bugs, and animals. We saw crocodiles, sloths, and raccoon like things. The raccoons were really funny because they (and the monkeys) will come out onto the beach and steal your things so someone has to be closely watching your things at all times. We also went surfing which is a ton of fun 🙂 Koryn
The Crocodiles 
Costa Rican Cuisine!
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The food is super delicious…. there are a ton of rice and beans though. Koryn
arrival in costa rica
I arrived in Costa Rica in the night time so when I looked out of the plane window I could see all of the twinkly lights in San Jose. It was beautiful! More and more Spanish was being used as well. The drive to the school from the airport was probably one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced. When I met my tica mama I quickly realized that she spoke as much English as I did Spanish… which is close to none. It was frustrating not being able to communicate with her, especially because I knew that I need to learn Spanish rather than the other way around. However, she was very kind and was able to get major concepts across with a lot of charades. My roommate arrived later and was able to help translate a little. Koryn
This is my new home 🙂
From Rainy London to Sunny… Oregon?
Arriving in England was, let’s face it, terrifying. Don’t get me wrong, it was wonderful and exciting, but it was a new city in a new country in a new part of the world that I had never ventured into before. The entire trip felt like one big heart attack mixed with a shot of adrenaline. You know, in a good way. I’ve learned so many things and met so many amazing people… I can’t express enough how much of an impact this trip has had on me. Not only have I learned so much about the UK, but I’ve challenged myself and passed with flying colors. (Meaning that I wasn’t pick-pocketed or caused an international uproar. Always a plus.)
Matt Smith is incredibly hard to draw.
There are a couple things that could have been better, but every mistake turned into something fantastic. For example, I went to Ireland for a weekend thinking that I would be meeting up with others, but they were nowhere to be found. However, that weekend was one of the best I had abroad. In another instance, this time in Whales, I was lost for an hour because I couldn’t cross a river. This led me to one of the most beautiful shorelines I’ve seen in my life and guided me through an apartment complex where one of my favorite actors supposedly lives. These little accidental adventures will most likely be some of the best memories from this trip. Lets look at some statistics, shall we?
Before London After/During Trip
Countries Visited: 2 5
Average Walking Stamina: 45 min 2-2.5 hrs
Average Hours of Sleep: 10 hrs 7 hrs
Daily Use of Public Transit: None Bus and underground
6 plane rides
6 train rides
Average Tea/Coffee Intake: 1/day 4-5/day
# of Currencies in wallet: 1 3
# of Full Sketchbook pages: 0 76
While abroad, I’ve met 2 men involved heavily in Doctor Who, 1 actor from from Harry Potter, seen 2 plays, fallen on a bus or tube 0 times, met 1 relative in Ireland, cried out of joy 7 times, saw 3 of the actual TARDISes, drank countless cups of tea, made friends with 7 bobbies, taken 2,409 photos and videos, finished 30 journals against all odds, and gained an enormous new confidence in myself. I know that everyone says how beneficial traveling the world is and how much it can change your perspective, but I’m going to say it anyway; this trip has changed my life. There are very few instances I have used that sentence.
My guide Moira from the Tower of London saw me off at the airport!
After returning I’ve seen surprisingly little of my friends here. Many are leaving soon for their respective colleges while I don’t have to return until new student week (one month from now). My daily regimen has consisted of drinking three cups of tea a day, reading Norse mythology and Sherlock Holmes, sketching constantly, and watching Doctor Who and Sherlock. I suppose you can take a girl to England, but England will NEVER leave the girl. Becky
Pip Pip, Cheerio!
This last week has been such a scramble with packing and finals that I decided to do my own thing this weekend. I also wanted to finish my list of things I must do while abroad as well as go back to my favorite spots in the city and, to my amazement, I mostly achieved these goals within three days!
Go Inside of a Phone Box
– This was one of the less enjoyable things on my list, it turns out. I didn’t actually have a call to make, I just wanted to be able to say that I’ve done it. I was on a crowded street in Hampstead when I decided to check this on one off my list. I pretended I needed to make a call, spent a couple seconds inside the phone box feigning searching for change, then exited while a couple people watched my horrible acting. Unfortunately I was not transported through time. Oh, well.
Find the Doctor
– I found him! Well, one of the Doctors. We attended Antigone at the National Theater and Christopher Eccleston (the ninth incarnation of the Doctor) was starring in it. While eating dinner at the theater we ran into someone else we were not expecting to meet; Mark Gatiss, a writer for Doctor Who and Sherlock, and Mycroft Holmes in Sherlock. Two of my favorite people in one night? I’m still giddy from the experience. They were both very nice blokes and stopped to take pictures. Chris signed my artwork and even held my sonic screwdriver!
Have a Pint of Guinness in Dublin
-It was a long and confusing journey to Dublin, but in the end I wish I’d stayed much longer than a weekend. Ireland is amazing and the people are the kindest I’ve ever met. I had a pint in The Celt Pub near O’Connell Street and met a long lost relative who was eight or nine Guinness for the worse. I’ll forever be telling the story of Uncle Quinn; the poster-boy for Irish drunks.
Erin go Bragh!
Eat a Jaffa Cake
– I mentioned this in a previous post, but it’s worth saying that I ate three packs of 36 Jaffa Cakes. I lost weight in London, guys. That’s how much walking I did. The snack was the one thing I wish I’d had the foresight to send to the US. Darn, I may just have to return to London to get some.
My usual booty from Tesco
The only thing on my list that I wasn’t able to achieve was taking my photo on Abbey Road. I do regret that terribly, but I got so much done by the end that it seems like a small price to pay. We did drive over it on the bus tour, though, so at least I visited and payed my respects. I’m sure John Lennon’s spirit is off somewhere laughing at how much traffic is stopped by that crossing.
Last Friday we attended The Taming of the Shrew at The Globe. We were able to get in for only 5L, too! We were in the yard, so it was standing room and the play was at midnight. By the time we arrived I was already exhausted, but as soon as the play started, I was transfixed on the stage. Immediately I fell in love. I’ve loved this play for a while, but much of the comedy and heart is lost when the play is read rather than experienced. I was also thrilled I was part of the play at one point when the actress who played Kate fell on me and said sorry drunkenly on her way to the stage. The chocolate coin I caught during the finale will have to survive the trip home.
The main place I wanted to explore more was Hyde Park. For those of you that don’t know, Hyde Park is freaking huge. I had forgotten this when I set out on my adventure armed with a pack of water, a box of granola bars, and my sketchbook. This is one of those happy accidents I was talking about earlier. I started at Speakers Corner where a concert for the Olympics was taking place. I’m not usually one for concerts, but it was kind of nice to have music playing from afar. I wanted to find the Peter Pan Statue, but I had started quite far away from it. I walked for about twenty minutes before I took a break to eat something. I lay down under an oak and had a wonderful, relaxing time. I set out again and walked by the Italian Fountains, which I didn’t know existed. They were so gorgeous that I stopped to sketch some of them. While I was there, I met two kids who were busy scaring pigeons. They were from Virginia and had never heard of Oregon. I told them a little bit about myself and they watched me draw for a bit. The little girl (Sophie) asked if I would be her friend. I told her yes, and she was so excited that she ran off to tell her mum! Her mother came over and also watched me draw. Then, when they had to leave, I got a big hug!
A perfect day
Eventually I found the statue. It is situated beside part of the Serpentine that is chock-full of birds. I started to feed the pigeons some of my granola when ducks and coots started to eat it, too. Then a heron appeared along with a mama duck and her babies and a swan. As time passed, other tourists appeared beside me to watch. A group of Italians were marveling at the ducklings and the swan, but obviously they had never heard a swan call before because they jumped when he did and started proclaiming in Italian. I finished the day by walking past the Prince Albert Memorial and meeting several very sweet bobbies in a Starbucks near the tube station. I can’t think of a better way to spend my last week.
My duckling friends
Tomorrow I will be leaving on an eight hour flight to Philadelphia, then a five hour flight to Portland with a heavy heart, but a happy one. Becky
*Cue the Olympic Anthem*
Welcome to the London 2012 Olympic Games! It seriously feels like the entire world is here. I thought the tube was crowded the first week… man was I wrong. Other than the crowds in the tourist spots it hasn’t been very bad, actually! I’m excited to meet all of these different people and get accustomed to living in a big city. Every time I’m in the lounge I’m watching the games. I love seeing them broadcast in different countries than America because it’s a completely different atmosphere. The opening ceremony was fantastic and it was great to watch with native Londoners. (Especially while watching the Queen.) I loved that I recognized almost all of the stars in the show! I laughed especially hard when I saw Kenneth Branagh and Rowan Atkinson. It’s hard to remember just everything that happened, so hopefully these photos will help;
All of a sudden… MARK GATISS!
- Aaaaaand then I met The Doctor. 🙂
I accomplished my mission of having him sign my artwork, too.
I worked right up until the night of the show on this puppy.
We were lucky enough to get tickets to Antigone at The National Theater starring Christopher Eccleston. Little did we know that we’d be meeting Mark Gatiss on the same night!
Look at those wonderful rings!
I honestly couldn’t get over how beautiful the London Bridge looked… especially with the rings gleaming in the sun. It’s like the city itself was proud.
What’s that? The Olympic Torch?!
I went to Dublin!
I fell instantly in love with Dublin. The people there are so accommodating and nice. You just want to stay there forever.
Fandom feelings arising in Cardiff.
The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff was fantastic. I was reverted into a ten year old the second I walked in the doors. (Which was hard because it was windy) I even got to fly the TARDIS! Becky
All of time and space… everything that ever happened or ever will… where do you want to start?