This post has taken me FOREVER to get round to finishing, so although it's a little late, please forgive this poor student with tons of work and appreciate the effort I went to to get this done :)
Last week was Thanksgiving break, and boy it was needed. I honestly don't think without it I'd have been able to cope with the last three weeks of school in the run up to Christmas.
A few weeks back Caragh and I had a little discussion of what our plans would be, so after a lot of pondering we decided we were going to get the Amtrak California Zephyr from Denver to San Francisco. It was a little bitter sweet actually. My initial idea was to go to on Washington D.C. and for Aisling to fly over from back home and join me. Due to our change in plans, it wouldn't really have been worth it for her to spend all that money to just come for a few days. However, I've always wanted to go to San Francisco and it was one of the only cities I haven't been to yet that I really wanted to go during Thanksgiving. So although Ash's visit didn't work out, it's not that long until I'm back home anyway.
The first day of Thanksgiving break was actually Caragh's birthday, so we decided to spend the day exploring Denver before we got the train on Sunday. We visited a (very tiny) German market, and did the typical tourist thing of getting pictures at the mile high sign on the Capitol building. Maybe it was the time of year, but I actually wasn't too impressed with the amount of things to do in Denver. It's definitely one of those cities that the bar scene helps a lot. I also have a bad impression on the place since it was there I realized that my trusty Pooh Bear was still sat on my bed at CSU and wouldn't be making the trip to San Francisco with me.
Our day perked up when we headed to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, one of the only birthday requests Caragh had from day one of the trip planning. The portions were huge, so we got garlic bread and split garlic noodles... failing to remember we were going to be spending 32 hours on a train and would probably be stinking the place out with garlic. Oh well. Disaster struck when it came to cheesecake ordering time, as after a 5 minute long decision making process, Caragh's choice of lemon meringue was sold out. Back to the drawing board she went, while in the meantime I was secretly plotting with our waiter for a little birthday surprise. The great combination of my accent and Caragh's impending approach led to him thinking her name was "mcaragh", thank god he checked with me on that one afterwards! After finally joining me in a piece of key lime cheesecake, I was rewarded with a look of death as hers was brought by singing waiters complete with a candle. What can I say, I had to embarrass her in some way!
The train journey really dragged since there was a rock slide in Rocky Mountain National Park, so we had to detour through before Wyoming before making it to Salt Lake City. It was a very welcomed change of scenery when we woke up to desert in Nevada, however that got boring quickly too, so it was exciting to near the end of our trip. It was a shame that because of our delay we didn't get to see San Francisco for the first time in the daylight, but both Caragh and I have never been so excited to see city lights for a long time! We spent our first evening at Pier 39 and instantly fell in love with the place.
The next day we did so much! We got up bright and early to try and get Alcatraz tickets, but it turned out people had been queuing since 4:45am and there were none left. Off we went on a little adventure walking the streets of San Fran... you know it's too early when even Chinatown isn't open. That first day we walked to Union Square, Chinatown, back to the Pier 39 in the day and were at the Golden Gate Bridge by noon. The views were so amazing when we walked a long it, and you really noticed what a strange city San Francisco actually looks like. It's strange to have such skyscrapers mixing in with what looks similar to a Greek town with houses perched on hill sides.
Afterwards we went to Lombard Street, the "crookedest street" which my roomie Liv had recommended to me. We were definitely grateful for the Colorado altitude when we got there, talk about steep hills! It was a shame because of the plants all the pictures I took you couldn't actually see how crazy Lombard Street was, but I'm sure you get the idea. We went to Fisherman's Wharf in the afternoon and headed back a little early since we were walked out and had a busy day ahead.
We decided if we were getting up early for Alcatraz tickets, we were getting up early. Major props to Caragh for going along with me on that one since she knew Alcatraz was a bucket list thing for me. So there we were, first in the line at 4:30am. I'm pretty sure she'll back me up when I say I had a cheesy grin on my face all morning during the tour and I'm soooooo glad I finally got to go! We did more walking around Chinatown (it was actually open) and I got my fix off my all time favourite spicy eggplant :D Sadly, the place with the best egg tarts in the city was shut due to vacation, very inconsiderate, but we visited the shop where fortune cookies where actually invented, hidden away in a back alley and smelling glorious.
The next day was Thanksgiving, and since we'd done pretty much all the tourist traps, we decided to take a day to relax. We headed to Golden Gate Park with the intention of spending the day looking around, however that changed when we realized not only how big the place was, but how badly signposted things were inside. Instead we headed for the beach and had a makeshift picnic while watching those Cali waves. Needless to say, typical clumsy me got caught in one of said waves, so while we waited for my jean to dry, we got to watch the sunset.
Friday we did some Black Friday shopping upon the realization we were heading back soon, needed one last final break from work and hunting for something hilarious to buy Leif as a present. All in all, I loved San Francisco more than I thought I would and had the best first Thanksgiving I could have asked for. Also, after 10 full days Caragh and I didn't murder each other which is always a bonus.
This past week winter came early to Fort Collins with temperatures reaching -20ºC... yes that's celsuis. Despite the fact it was bloody freezing, it was a nice chance to get to see campus looking all wintery once fall was ending everywhere lacked a bit of colour. One evening Leif, Chrissie, Jack, Leni and Katie decided we wanted to go and see what downtown looked like after class, and what a bright idea that was! We ended up having a huge snowball fight, which some people like me not prepared with waterproof gloves, and had to walk home feeling extra chilly. By the time we got back to change before a little study session, my legs were glowing pink where I'd been pelted, not pleasant to say the least!
The next day Leif and I went on a little scout of a tattoo parlour where he was planning to get his own little design done. Since it was so cold on the walk back, we decided to go to Lucille's for a chai to warm up. We both knew it wouldn't just be a chai whem we saw the menu, and we felt like we were cheating on Caragh since she wasn't us. Sadly, I couldn't be there for his actually tattoo appointment the next day since I had to leave to meet my parents at the airport.
We headed into Denver, ate some good food then went to see the Black Keys at the Pepsi Centere. The highlight had to be some guy smoking a spliff in the middle of the arena, something I didnt realise I considered normal until I saw their faces! The weekend in Breckenridge that followed was stupidly cold and blizzard like, so what did the Puzzars do? Go in an outdoor hot tub... bright idea until you want to get out but have to face snow with no shoes on.
I couldn't spend much time with them while they were in Fort Collins because of my classes and crazy workload, but I did get to show them the Chi O house, something I'm pretty happy about :) On that note, it also got confirmed this week that the national president of Chi O is letting me be initiated early which I am so excited about :D I'm so grateful to Bree and Sara especially for their hard work in making that happen, and it was definitely worth it to hear my pledge classes reaction to the announcement after our Christmas photo taking!
Finally, the last dayof my parent's visit ended with a trip to Sundance! We brought along Leif, Caragh, Megan, Jonny and Carly... all fun and games until my dad posted a video of Leif and I line dancing without our knowledge. What can I say, after learning the dance to Footloose and it not being played, we weren't going to let that hard work go to waste!
In my last post, I told you all how I had a little drama to write about. Apparently that drama also caused me to lose my memory for the week after, since I've just spent 20 minutes trying to remember what I did that week and am none the wiser.
Monday night I came back from my weekly Chi O meeting with the intention of an early night... that wasn't the case. I came home to find my poor roomie Liv crying, having a panic attack and struggling to breathe while lying in bed. Cue me having to call the medical team, which resulted in three cops, three RA's and three paramedics flooding into my room and kicking me out while they checked her vitals.
Next thing I know, Liv was being taken to Poudre Valley Hospital. Thankfully, we managed to rally people together and Katie, Kate, Whitney, Ben, Adam and I all hopped in the car to join her. My first impression of a FoCo hospital was an interesting one, with a metal detector at the entrance and security asking me if I was carrying a knife. Everyone left around 11 and I stayed with Liv until she got discharged. Turns out she has a viral infection that came upon her all of a sudden, so thankfully she's okay now, nothing some roomie love couldn't fix!
Friday night was the Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony, so a few members of Team Commonwealth took a nice stroll up to Old Town to see the switch on. It was very picturesque, and the American vibe was amplified by the CSU Marching Band playing while cookies and cider were being passed around. Later Caragh and I went to chill with Jack, Leni, Chrissie and some of the others to watch The Inbetweeners 2. No better time to watch an English comedy set in Australia with natives. Even funnier when the Americans in the room didn't have a clue what was being said, what we were laughing at, or what was going on in general!
In other news, after Janny P searching high and low for Union Jack fabric back home, Caragh and I finally went to get our letters made. We decided we wanted matching letters for Chi Omega and Kappa Alpha Theta which are our sororities, and they actually look pretty good!
Continuing with the theme, Saturday was the World Unity Fair, which Leif had signed us up for. It was held in the LSC ballroom for the young people of Fort Collins and had stands representing various countries and cultures. We greatly misjudged how much of a big deal this was, so after a panicked meet up in the library we'd managed to figure out what we could do with what we had. That night I proceeded to cut out 17 pictures of the Queen for out games of "Spot the Queen" and "Pin The Crown on the Queen". I spent the next morning cutting out bunting online which is currently decorating my bed and proving to be more trouble than it's worth!
Considering we spent a total of around a dollar in printing to make the stand, we did pretty well. There was English money, landmarks, food, and of course Harry Potter. After the Vietnamese kindly lent us an extension cord, music was blaring too. However dodgy the taste might have been... S Club 7, 5ive and Steps mega mixes may or may not have been danced to throughout the day.
The highlight was the fact we had tea with biscuits and scones with strawberry jam next door. This caused issues for the Americans being too thick to distinguish between biscuits and cookies, but it played to our advantage since there was some left for us!
After a successful day, Leif, Jack, Jonny, Megan and I chilled out and played Cards Against Humanity for the first time. It got pretty rowdy, as can be expected for us lot, which resulted in a 4 hour breakfast/dinner recovery period in the dining hall on Sunday morning discussing DELTA SIGMA WINE, Team Commonwealth's new FRATORITY. More on that soon!
I knew the Americans took Halloween seriously, but I didn't realize how serious it was. This wasn't the time for a make-do costume from Poundland like this year, this had to take some serious dedication. However, due to our wonderful lack of planning ability, the day before Halloween we headed to the thrift store, still with no idea what our costumes would be. First stop though, a trip to Whole Foods, and oh my god I think I died and went to heaven! The craving for English foods has been very prominent lately, and the fact this place had "proper food" almost made it better. The fact that it sold baklava did.
Off we went to the thrift store, and I ended up leaving as a Greek goddess (props to Leif for finding that gem of a costume, which was a joke initially) and Caragh finally got her Woody from Toy Story outfit sorted. I completed the look on Halloween by writing "Andy" on the sole of her shoe in nail varnish for added effect. I was on point with outfit design since I helped Liv figure out an outfit from her wardrobe in 10 minutes too. I'm not quite sure where this artistic flair has come from, but it won't last long. Must be all the crafting that goes on in Chi O.
And so the shenanigans began, but I have to say, after all of the hype Halloween turned out to be a bit crap. I was definitely wishing I could have been at the SU even though we went to a frat party. That's one of the many things I miss about Keele, you don't have to constantly plan what parties are happening or where. Spontaneous nights out are usually the best anyway, and I know being away from the SU has really made me appreciate it's snakebite covered floors even more.
On the Saturday we booked tickets to go and see Cherub at the Aggies Theatre downtown. An hour to get ready called for the revival of the zebra costumes from the Chi O social, this time with slightly zombie looking makeup courtesy of Leif. Leif, Caragh, Ben, Jack and I went, not forgetting the one lone American, Whitney, who could handle another night out unlike the rest. It was such an enjoyable night, topped off by a late night visit to Alleycat for grilled cheese and a soy chai. Always a winning combination.
A quick update this time, but that's due to a crazy workload this week in trying to complete all of my assignments before my parents arrive. Especially since my next post involves a lot of drama to say the least, I'll leave that for another night.
The title says it all really, what better to way to celebrate the halfway point of this whole study abroad experience!
Earlier this month Leif and Caragh had spotted a cute little cafe not too far from campus, so we all decided to go on a little brunch date on Tuesday. Lucille's is a New Orleans style joint, and what can I say, the food was to die for. Homemade buttermilk biscuits with apple butter, orange marmalade, blueberry and strawberry rhubarb jam. Eggs galore. It was definitely a pleasant change from the dining hall food! Needless to say we all had food babies, or more like triplets, after we left. Thankfully though our decision not to order beignets too (much to Caragh's distaste) was a good one, so it looks like we'll have to go back again to try them.
That night we decided to go to Sundance for the second time, but this time with the rest of "Team Commonwealth" in tow. We must have been the most annoying people in the world, since we proceeded to dance like we would in the SU right in the middle of the dancefloor. Thankfully, we were too drunk to notice the glares we were most likely getting from everyone trying to line dance.
Wednesday night Caragh and I went to Zeta Tau Alpha's "Think Pink Dessert Party" to raise money for breast cancer. I have no idea why we thought it would be English desserts, but god were we so wrong. I don't think I've ever been anywhere with as much peanut butter, sugary, brightly pink food-coloured stuff in my life! But hey, all for a good cause.
Thursday was Chi O's first social, which was "day at the zoo themed". I'd invited Caragh as my date, and we didn't have an absolute clue what to wear. Running low on ideas, I had a brain wave the night before, and thanks to my current obsession with animal print clothing, I conveniently had two things that matched for us to wear. Now came the zebra make up to complete the look... never again will I draw in my eyebrows with liquid eyeliner, talk about an effort to get them off. All in all everyone loved how we matched clothes and loved our make ups, so I'm blowing my own trumpet for a second at the design skills I didn't know I had!
The social was in the basement of Washington's sports bar downtown, and it was nice to have it to ourselves. I still can't get used to the craziness of Americans at things like this though, Caragh and I were stood in shock for the majority of the night at how crazy they are without even having a drink.
On Sunday we had another sisterhood retreat at the house which was pumpkin patch themed. We got the chance to carve pumpkins, make smores and generally just bond. I know remember why I don't like carving pumpkins, the insides I can only compare to picking up someone else's sick. Not pleasant.
I couldn't stay for the whole time sadly since I had another midterm due at the end of the week, something that is becoming a common occurrence here. Leif hit the nail on the head, "there's not time for hangovers or illness in America, you get way behind too quickly".
Homecoming week on campus was crazy with so many different events going on before the actual weekend. The sororities and fraternities on campus teamed up and competed through the week on all of these different events.
Chi Omega joined with Theta Chi (a fraternity) to become Team Skyline. The first event was called Ram Rhythm, were all the teams make an elaborate dance routine and perform them on the basketball court for judges to score. I really wanted to be involved, but sadly the rehearsal schedules clashed with the other stuff I had going on. Eager to support, Caragh and I went to watch, and I can say this because it was my team, but we blew everyone out of the water. Sadly, the judges scored us joint second, but it was a great start to our team. We couldn't help but laugh at how eager the frat guys were to perform and how much they got into the dances, something that definitely wouldn't happen back home!!
We had to leave early because Caragh's friend Jess was taking us, along with Leif, to Sundance. It's a saloon that plays country music and everyone line dances and swing dances.
We went with open minds, however I don't think we've all felt as British as we did when we first walked in. Nothing makes you feel like an outsider like everyone wearing cowboys boots, hats and a wagon above the dance floor to complete the saloon vibe. It took us a while to get into it, especially since everyone already seemed to know what they were doing. After our fair few attempts at the line dancing, we were happy to hear the random "normal" music breakdown which made us revert back to our usual SU antics.
Leif and I managed to get a little swing routine going which we're planning to use every time we go, meanwhile Caragh got ambushed for a dance by a cowboy. Maybe that's where I'm going wrong. Instead of playing the "I'm a dainty British girl card" like her, I proceeded to dance the Inbetweeners dance and gallop around the dance floor, much to Leif's amusement/disapproval... I couldn't really tell.
Another way to earn points for homecoming was to go to Starbucks. Being the "basic white bitches" the Chi O girls claim to be, they went all out ordering pumpkin spice lattes and Team Skyline won that part of the competition too. Other events were chalking the plaza and a game of capturing the flag of other teams around the campus, but I couldn't go to either... yay for my class schedule!
It was announced the other day that Team Skyline actually won the entire of homecoming :D However, I have no idea what that actually means so you'll have to bear with me on that.
Friday marked the beginning of parents weekend, which seemed a little weird having so many families on campus. The Chi O house was open for parents to tour which was annoying since I won't be able to do that until mine visit in November, but it's making more excited to show them it.
It couldn't have been a better weekend for this, as all the trees were starting to change and it's definitely the prettiest campus has looked by far. The homecoming parade began in the late afternoon and we headed to watch all the floats go by at the Oval. My highlight from the 100th homecoming parade was getting the chance to embarrass my roommate Olivia while she was representing her Chinese class float. It was a little annoying that a lot of the events overlapped each other, so Leif, Caragh and I actually missed the bonfire and fireworks display because we were at the concert in Moby Arena. Compared to Macklemore last year, the acts weren't as great, but we were front row and joined the Americans in their rowdiness while listening to Splyt, Mike Posner and Nico & Vinz.
Saturday was time for the homecoming football game, but since we were knackered from the week Leif, Caragh and I decided to trade the first half for wings and wine. Good choice, as when we got there the game had apparently been nothing to write home about. We met up with the Australians and stayed for the rest of the game, leaving 3 minutes before the end. We missed a drop-goal in the final seconds and the crowd flooding the pitch in celebration... typical.
All in all, homecoming was a fun, typically American experience, one that sadly marks the halfway point of my study abroad experience! Two months down, two more to go.
This past week has been filled with Chi O events and the ball seems to be rolling, in more ways than one.
Our philanthropy event, Chi Olympics was this past Sunday, which consisted of various inflatables and obstacle courses. Almost 50 teams signed up, with the funds raise going to Make A Wish foundation. The little girl who we were raising money for, Alexis, actually attended the event and we were raising money for her to go to Disney World.
The IM fields were filled with a variety of inflatables (jousting, bouncy castle and hamster balls, hence by pun earlier) and other games like shot put and tug of war.
I was a team coach, and my team were a lot of fun to work with even though we stood no chance of winning. I didn't manage to take pictures at the actual event because we were too busy running it, but I did get one of the token super-American banner we had.
For the rest of the week, we began the process of choosing our "big", someone who is assigned to us and who becomes my role model during my time in the sorority. Apparently the bond between big and little is very special, and is often a lifetime bond.
Every day for four days I had to collect gifts from my big, in an attempt to guess who she was from any hints she left me. It's really nice since I got mason jars from her that spell C-H-I-O and my first pair of letters, things I'll be able to take home. Which I appreciate a lot more than a girl in my pledge class who got a fish.
One day 2 there was the traditional giving of hand-me-down Chi O clothing as some way of showing the continued sisterhood. I conveniently got a "Potter" one, which was obviously a nod to my British-ness.
I had no idea who my big would be, so on reveal day everyone was given t-shirts by their big, and they were all lined up in the garden wearing sweatshirts. On the count of three they all took off their sweatshirts and we had to find our big by our corresponding t-shirts.
I was so happy, since my big is Sarah. I've got along with her really well ever since recruitment, and it's nice since she is studying abroad at Swansea next semester. Goes to prove Chi O can go international when we have a big/little reunion once I'm back home!
I actually wrote this last Monday intending to get something up before my midterms, but obviously that didn't happen. I've now learnt the error in my ways regarding the very unreliable CSU wifi, which is also a hassle when you're trying to watch Netflix. So here's my 'flashback' post, written while I sit in Caragh's room having a 2000's music flashback session to complete the theme.
Last weekend actually started off in a pretty chill fashion, with Caragh and I going on yet another date for froyo (that girl is obsessed). After a night of more snuggling, we woke up Saturday and decided we'd be going to the football game at Hughes Stadium that afternoon.
Off I went to the liquor store, so at 11:30am I was roaming the streets of Fort Collins with 3.5 litres of vodka smuggled into my backpack, in the hope I didn't encounter the bike police. Once I got back Leif, Caragh and I hurriedly transferred this into our new sunscreen flasks to take to the game. After all, who would question three British kids taking sunscreen to an outdoor event? Clever I know.
The game was what is known as an orange out, where people wear orange to honour the "Aggie era" of CSU. This was before the ram was adopted as an official mascot, and currently the most recognizable reference to this era is the "A" located on the mountain side above Hughes Stadium. Every year the freshman class hike to the "A" and re-paint it,but we never got the chance to go cause it clashed with plans we already had.
We met the Australians there, and in all honesty I don't think any of us paid attention to any of the game. All I know is that the Rams won, cue my loud chanting of "I said I'm proud, to be, a CSU rammm".
We headed back, raided the dining centre for scran and all headed for naps to help ourselves prepare for the night ahead. Worst idea ever. It definitely sped up whatever hangover was going to hit us the next day. We all felt very grim, but being the troopers we are, we headed to Leif's room for round 2. This was when the drama for the evening started...
We headed to a block party not too far away from campus. When we arrived the cul-de-sac was crammed with a tleast 300 students,and if I'm honest, it wasn't any fun. We tried to scout alcohol, but with no music and everyone surrounding us acting like idiots, Caragh, Leif, Jack and I decided we'd leave.
Talk about perfect timing. Once we crossed the street and reached campus, a convoy of police cars came hurtling around the corner, sirens blaring, in an attempt to control the party. As many of my friends/family know since they saw the news articles, this did result in a riot, which apparently is becoming a common thing with CSU students and parties. My favourite article the next day described how "rambunctious students wreck havoc, citizens tomato plant destroyed". Needless to say, we left with very smug grins on our faces knowing we weren't involved in the riot, and the closest claim to fame we have is we were actually there.
These past few days have definitely brought the whole study abroad experience down to reality. It's so weird having all my friends back home move back to Keele and me not be there with them.
I'm starting to see pictures from freshers week now and that's made it really sink in.
I arrived back from the mountains (I'll explain later) to a late birthday package from Jane and it couldn't have come at a better time. The one weekend I'm missing being at uni, I get all the things that make me feel at home from her. Milk tea being the main one. She introduced me to the stuff and I'd always go down to her bedroom whenever I fancied one. Since it's Hong Kong style tea, it's a lot different than normal cuppas you'd be used to, but something about sitting here drinking it, with the rain pouring outside makes me feel very much like I'm back at Keele even though I'm 4,507 miles away.
I skyped the girls at the new house a few days ago while they were planning Jasmine's 21st birthday party. I've already missed a lot of developments in that house, for example Larry the house hamster. God help the poor thing when I get back, apparently he lives in between mine and Jenny's room, and we've been known on occasion to get quite rowdy.
Skyping Haruka this morning was a lot stranger since she lives in the block two away from where we lived last year. It was nice seeing her new room filled with posters I'd given her early last year (SHINee related of course) but also made me really sad when she said she keeps expecting me to keep popping in like I always would. I miss that girl a lot, and I can tell she will a lot more this week since we usually drunkenly snuggle in her room after a night out!
Snuggling ties me in nicely to our weekend in the mountains, a trip to CSU's Pingree Park organized for the internationals. It's about two hours away so we had to be up bright and early, and the day started great for me since I'd spilled an entire flask of hot chocolate on my jacket before we'd even got on the coach. We headed there, wonderful mountain roads causing us to all feel a bit sickly, and got stuck into the days activities as soon as we arrived. The low ropes course was a bit patronizing and reminded me of PGL back in the day, but Caragh and I (okay, mainly me) spent the majority of the day staring at the attractive leader in our group called Shane.
In the late afternoon we walked along a small trail through Pingree and managed to get some pretty dodgy looking sunburn from that, Caragh, quote Leif, resembled a battenberg, he had a sunglasses tan and I had a pink rim around my hairline. The Keelites looking as sexy as ever.
We had a cultural talent show later, and in all honestly had no idea what to do. So the Australians (Eleni, Chrissie, Harry & Liam), the Keelites and the rest of the English kids (Jack, Megan, Jonny and Carly) decided to join forces and become "TEAM COMMONWEALTH". The Aussies taught us a dance called the Nutbush, which I can only describe as something similar to the Macarena or Saturday Night being played at the SU. We did it flash mob style, with two of us adding to the dancers every so often. We killed it, even if people stole our flash mob idea later on, and the video of it has proven Jack's amazing ability to exit the stage in a suave fashion.
After the talent show, we headed to a campfire where we sat and made smores under the stars. The sky was super clear, and with us being at 9,000ft you could see way more stars than usual, it actually looked like a 3D painting. We then headed back to the dorm and spent the night laughing over smuggled alcohol.
The next morning, we had to be up super early again, and I think Caragh and I were the only ones who got a good sleep since we had the bright idea to snuggle all night for body warmth. Start of a great friendship right there. It was such a cool place to have visited and as I'm writing this, we're actually planning to go camping again this weekend before it gets too cold.
Now for the sorority update! Short and sweet this time, but I went on yet another owl pal date for fro yo and got informed that I apparently have a huge amount of the girls wanting to go on dates with me. Obviously being the only Brit they've every had is an exciting thing for them! On Friday night we had our new member retreat, which was an optional sleepover, but I couldn't do that due to the weekend in the mountains. We shared stories about things sentimental to us, so obviously I took my Pooh Bear and told them how I take pictures of him everywhere I go. Afterwards we painted mason jars, which I did surprisingly well with since I'm not the most artistically talented of the lot.
All in all, a good weekend!
Blogging has been taking a back seat lately, especially since I have midterms coming up in the next few weeks. A lot of the stuff have been doing this past week has been Chi O related, since the girls in the pledge classes above us want to get to know us.
We had our formal pledging ceremony last week, in which we all repeated a pledge (hand over heart included, very American) and signed our name in the pledge book, I was so happy! I happened to be the first name on a fresh page, and let's be honest, that's the only one anyone really looks at. So looks like I'll forever be remembered in Chi Zeta (the chapter of Chi O at CSU) history. We received our new member pin and one of only 5 white carnations we'll ever receive during our lifetime, so it's considered to be a big deal. Apparently you get one on your wedding day, which I'll definitely be holding them to down the line!
Monday was our first new member meeting, which consisted of a BBQ and then the start of our new member initiation programme. That basically means we learn songs and learn more about the history of Chi O. On Friday afternoon, Sarah took me for fro yo and later on I went with a few other girls to Horsetooth Reservoir. We intended to go on a hike but instead ended up sitting taking pictures of the sunset. Finally, Sunday was our sisterhood retreat, which involved more bonding and getting to know each other through all sorts of games.
On Saturday night the Keelites went to Red Rocks Amphitheater to see Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. Even though we only knew about two songs, we all had a really good time and the atmosphere was amazing. Leif and I managed to turn Caragh into a northerner for the night, something we never expected to succeed in!
We were so lucky with the weather too since thunderstorms were forecast, and we actually got the opportunity to watch them in the distance over downtown Denver. Needless to say, we were very worse for wear the next morning, but it was easily the best night we've had in a while. I felt even worse from the fact I'd headbutted a tree at some point during the night.
I know for certain I've been missing the SU and everyone back home, which is made even harder since they're all moving back in with each other this week. Bonding with Leif and Caragh especially has definitely helped and made it a lot better going through it together!
Before I begin this post describing my fun weekend in the mountains, I feel the need to rant. All I wanted was a nice cup of tea before I wrote this and sat down to continue reading my book. I headed down to the shop to buy a few teabags and milk and came back all happy with myself. First issue, no kettle. I had to settle for the microwave to boil my water, and everything about this cup of tea is so lackluster. However, I won't let my disappointment taint the rest of this post, so I'll just sip it in silence and vow never to venture into that domain of tea making for a while.
So I got invited by my mums friend Sue to go along Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Park. It's the highest continuous paved road in the US, but due to the weather and its height it will get closed soon, so Sue offered to take me on a whistle stop tour so I could at least say I'd been on it.
I invited Caragh with me too, so on Friday after class we blagged a lift from my sorority friend Courtney who was driving home for the weekend and headed to Denver. It was so nice having a home cooked meal waiting for us, and some margaritas too! We got up pretty early on Saturday so we'd have enough time to do everything we planned. First we headed to Estes Park which is a cute little mountain town with so many taffy and sweet shops! It kind of reminded me of Gatlinburg, Tennesse in that sense. There was also a market going on in the town centre so we mooched at that, tried some taffy and headed off along the road.
The road actually have some really nice views, so we stopped off at the lookout points, took as many pictures as we could then headed off again. That was quiet good because those windy mountain turns in the car weren't really agreeing with me, so the fresh air was very much welcomed. The wind was absolutely freezing and there's some pretty funny pictures of us looking wonderfully windswept. Once we got to the top Caragh and I took the final walk up to the highest point, were the elevation is 12,005 feet above sea level. Pooh Bear got whipped out too for a token picture, although I had to hold on tight because there was no way he was getting blown away.
Then we headed to a place called Grand Lake, which was our last stop of the day. We didn't get to spend much time there after we ate lunch, but it's definitely a place we want to go back to. The lake had pink sparkly paddle-boats which was a selling point in itself. There's the story of my first trip to the Rocky Mountians, hopefully I'll be back there again before and after the snowfall :)
So I know I haven't posted recently, but with valid reason. I wanted to document this entire experience of the past 4 days in one go, especially since I didn't know what the final outcome would be.
This weekend was the beginning of what is known as sorority "rush", or in other words, recruitment. CSU has 7 sororities: Pi Beta Phi, Chi Omega, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Delta Delta, Zeta Tau Alpha and Kappa Delta.
In a very spur of the moment decision, Caragh and I decided to sign up since we knew it would be an experience we'd never get the chance to take part in again. On Saturday about 500 of us potential pledges were split into groups of around 20 and given a Rho Gamma (a sorority girl who leaves her house temporarily to help us find ours).
From 9:00am until 8:00pm that day we visited each sorority, spending 30 minutes in a whirlwind of conversations with the girls, most of mine involving "oh my god you have such a cute accent" or "wow you're from England". I embraced this, but after a while the combination of slowing my speech, refraining from using slang and shouting above the general natter in the houses took it out of me. I even got to the point where I just went along with the fact they assumed I was from London because explaining there's more to England just wasn't worth it. All in all it was a very surreal day, especially since I hadn't quite expected 40+ girls singing at me when we knocked on the front door.
Saturday night ended with us ranking all seven sororities in order of preference and waiting to see which ones we got called back to the next day. I was called back to Kappa Delta, Chi Omega and Delta Delta Delta, and this day was more relaxed in the sense we could actually discuss the values of the sorority and what their main charities and fundraising events were. I was also given the wonderful opportunity of hearing American girl logic at its best, and I quote "I wanted to wear wedges but I've just had knee surgery. What if they don't want me because I'm wearing sandals?".
We also got to have house tours, which we all know is great when you want a good nose. They were really beautiful houses and definitely gave you an insight into what each different sorority was like. That night we ranked the sororities again and awaited Monday, or what was known as preference night. This was a more formal occasion than the others, so everyone was dressed up as I went to Chi Omega and Kappa Delta. Preference night is the one time sororities share some things they do at chapter meetings, and is one of the only times you'll see this without being an actual member.
First I went to Chi Omega and already the atmosphere was different. Instead of walking in alphabetically and pairing up with the first member we saw, each member called for us personally at the front door, holding a white carnation which is symbolic for Chi-O. I spoke to the three members I had on the first day of rush, which was nice since I got to have more deep and meaningful conversations, especially about their involvement with their chosen charity, the Make-A-Wish foundation.
The night was similar when I visited Kappa Delta, but there was just something about Chi Omega that clicked with me more, and hence when we had to chose our ranking for the night, I did what is known as a suicide. Even though it dramatically reduces your chances of joining a sorority, I'd already decided that if Chi-O didn't bid for me, then I wasn't going to join another that I didn't like nearly as much.
Then came today, bid day. Everyone met on the IM fields (including frat boys that think it's hilarious to watch) as all the sororities came together and we were given our envelopes stating our bid. Once they were opened girls began running like maniacs to where they were meant to be, with lots of screaming, hugging, tears and excited jumping. Forever feeling odd in situations like this that are so alien to me, I was dodging these girls with a backpack filled with textbooks from my day of classes. Yes, couldn't get any cooler I know.
As I headed towards Chi Omega, I could see Sarah (who I later found out is my 'owl pal', Chi-O's mascot is an owl, which is perfect since I love owls) holding a paper sunflower decorated with my name. That is currently drying out on my floor as the weather was wonderfully British today in Colorado and rained on cue when we were all outdoors with no shelter. Next thing I knew I was being taken in a car to the Chi-Omega house, given my first t-shirt and being hugged and welcomed by hundreds of smiling girls who I'd barely seen before. Any girls I had met before were even more excited to see me again and were so happy to have me as "part of the family", a phrase I heard a lot this evening.
After some food we did brief introductions, which I got told afterwards the fact I was English (the only one I might add, we're taking Greek Life internationally now) and my fun fact of I'm learning Japanese "blew everyone else's introductions "out of the water". Then we went outside to carry out the tradition of all the new members standing around holding a circle of ribbon, and taking a piece as it is cut which was then pinned on us by our owl pals.
We couldn't take anything inside the houses during recruitment, but now I've infiltrated I'll be snapping away. I have my initiation this Thursday so I'll take some then and keep you all in the loop in my few months as a Hootie!
Well it's official, classes over here work very differently to how they do back at Keele!! I love my Criminal Investigations and Law Enforcement and Society classes, the instructor is a hoot. Quote "I want you to make SWAG in class, which stands for sophisticated wild ass guesses".My other classes are good too, but the dynamic is a little weirder. Strange assessments and senior friendship groups I have to weave my way into, but I'm sure that'll happen over time!
This week has been pretty quiet in the social aspect, but I did go to a burger place called Stuft on Thursday with a group of the internationals. Easily the best burger I've ever eaten in my life, you can build your own and naturally I named mine "The Scouser". However I did notice you could also have a warm glazed doughnut as a bun for your burger, not something I'm ever willing to try.
Yesterday was the Rocky Mountain Showdown, the college rival football game against the University of Colorado which is a big deal! The traffic was manic, and it took us almost 4 hours to make it to Sports Authority at Mile High Stadium in Denver, but the atmosphere inside was definitely worth it. Watching the games live is such a better experience than just watching on tv, so much so Caragh and I are planning to go to as many home games as we can :D The CSU Rams beat the Buffs 31-17, which was pretty hilarious. By the 4th quarter came around almost all of the CU fans had left the stadium out of shame.
On Saturday I went to experience Tour de Fat with Leif and Caragh. It's a bike parade in Fort Collins where everyone wears wacky outfits and then drink as much beer as they want from the various local breweries. I didn't realize you didn't have to have signed up in advance to be a part of the parade, but it's probably a good thing since I would have been a major hazard! We also came to the conclusion we should probably start planning our Halloween outfits now, because we really need to step up our game if we're going to compete with the Americans! I'm definitely glad I experienced it though, even just by walking through the parade since it's such a highlight of Fort Collins' events.
That night Caragh and I went to a sorority party. Never in my life have I seen such stereotypical American white girls grinding on any frat boy they saw. Needless to say we stayed out of that and got talking to some pretty cool people, the Brit card really does work.
On Sunday I went to Old Town Fort Collins with my roommate Olivia to do some exploring. We got dinner at this amazinnnggg sub place called Cheba Hut, which is obviously a Colorado run business since the sandwiches come in nug, pinner and blunt size. Once we got back (after getting lost since Olivia apparently doesn't trust my sense of direction) we headed to Leif's room before going to a few parties. I met some guy from my International security class, so I'm finally starting to branch out! I also got an invite back to our friend Missy's house for Thanksgiving and she's offered to take me snowboarding too.
But for now, I'll be using Labor day to recover from the weekends events and prepare for my classes. Au revoir!
Friday was my first time visiting my department, which is slightly different to how it is at Keele. I'm in the College of Liberal Arts and I technically class as someone taking a Sociology major with a Criminal Justice concentration. Super confusing when it came to me finding where to go because nobody else seemed to know either! The professors I met seem really nice and I can't wait for classes to start :D
The Keelites went to Friday Afternoon Club for a pot-luck BBQ, which is where everyone with international links from Fort Collins and CSU meet up. Then we headed back to Leif's room, since we'd been invited to a birthday party of some girl we'd met earlier in the week... being British has it's good points!
At one point Caragh and I had an entire group speaking in posh accents and using scouse slang during a game,and we also discovered the guy we beat at beer pong a few days earlier was the Student Body Vice President. Two parties later, with many new Facebook friends, we made it back after discovering the grimmest of the cheap American beers, vodka and tequila.
Needless to say, we weren't really feeling the most spirit filled the next morning, but I pushed through and made sure I was in the traditional Class of 2018 picture. You can't see me in the slightest, but I'm somewhere to the top right of the S.
There was a pep rally in the evening, and our RA, Evan, organised all sorts of body painting and stuff beforehand. I felt like an idiot, but go hard or go home right?! I got into it pretty quickly and now I'm even more excited to see the Rocky Mountain Showdown this Friday :D
On Sunday morning there was a trip organised to hike Horsetooth Mountain, which is about 15 minutes drive away from campus. Not going to lie, it killed me, but definitely worth it for the view of Horsetooth Reservoir and Fort Collins! It was nice getting to bond with the guys from Keele even more too, especially since it'll be nice to laugh over these memories when we get back home and not annoy other people with them!
So today my roommate Olivia moved in!! I helped her move in and her family took me to lunch at this place called Austin's in Downtown Fort Collins. Totally yummy.
We headed back and chilled out before our RA floor meeting, where we got to meet everyone living here. Turns out I'm the only foreign person on the entire floor, talk about a novelty! I've found a few people I can watch the footy with, and I've been told my "accent is so cute" by almost every girl I've spoken to so far.
I also managed to finish decorating my side of the room so it looks lived in. Olivia and I somehow managed to colour coordinate pretty well, and I really love the whole set up of our room. We both have our beds lofted high so we have nice places to chill out, and they're far enough away were we don't feel up in each others space.
Later on we went to Moby Arena where the entire freshman class of 2018 filled the place. It was scary seeing so many people and knowing that wasn't near the number of people who go here. This was a "GREEN OUT" event, so we were all wearing our t-shirts we got at orientation. School spirit was high and it was cringe-
worthy at first, but it was pretty cool getting to watch the cheerleaders and marching band do their thing.
Then there was a carnival and picnic on the intramural sports fields, but the heavens opened so we got to eat in the rain and watch the lightening in the distance. Thankfully it cleared it up and Olivia and I went to visit some of her high school friends. I got a picture with Cam the Ram too!!! We walked so much again today but it was a fun experience, and I love having someone else in my room with me now :)
Today was officially my first day as a student at CSU :D It was scattered with numerous presentations about the usual starting uni stuff, but also a lot of crazy cool things too!
During our official welcome, we had to learn the "CSU Fight Song". We've been told we'll have to learn it before the football game, but fist pumping and shouting was so awkward since we definitely don't have the team spirit yet. I'm sure that'll soon change though, plus we got our Forever Green shirt which has the lyrics on the back, no excuses now!
I also went on a little wander around campus during a quick break in the schedule. The campus is on such a bigger scale than Keele, so here's just one picture I took of the Student Recreation Centre. Nice picture, but I didn't realize at the time I was on a designated bike path and was risking death while doing so. I'll have to take a picture of the bike signs on the floor too, they have rams riding the bike :)
For dinner, we got invited back to a host family who had prepared to take me & nine other students back to their home. The others were from Australia, India, Japan, China and Vietnam so we had a lot of fun. Mijka, the wife who was from Slovakia, made us a huge feast and afterwards we played games like Twister with her three children, as two of the internationals had never seen it before!
After I got back to my dorm, I spotted my first signs of civilisation and made my move. Turns out I met two RA's, with one, Evan, being the RA for my floor. We ended up speaking for hours and here I am, planning to have gone to bed much earlier but making the most of meeting as many people as I can. It's nice knowing I'm not alone on my floor tonight too :)
On that note I'm off to bed, I have another jam-packed day tomorrow! However, it wasn't all smooth sailing. Thank god I got in the lift with Carl (the RA from 7th who I met yesterday), the lift doors jammed and we were stuck for 10 minutes before we got out. Next time, I'll take the stairs.
So today was the day! I'm currently very knackered but wanted to write something before the craziness of orientation, which begins tomorrow, and the rest of Ram Welcome is upon me.
The process was actually pretty simple, besides my delayed flight causing me to hang around for the next shuttle bus. It took just over an hour to get to Fort Collins, a pleasant journey to say the least watching the Rockies come into view.
My mentor, Adrianne, was waiting for me when I arrived with a super cute "welcome to Colorado" sign. She took me to my residence hall, Durward, where I got my keys and got shown to my room by Carl, the rather cute RA on the 7th floor. I have to say I was shocked by what my room is like, and the entire floor. You'd never need a key card to enter a bathroom at Keele, too much drunken vomiting! More pictures will follow once my room doesn't look like a bombsite.
We then made a trip to Target, where I stocked up on all dorm essentials like bedding, towels and of course, some Goldfish to snack on. However my favourite purchase is probably my Hello Kitty bowl, cup and plate set that cost me $2, win win right there. I GOT A BEAN BAG TOO, not that that's a big deal to a 19 year old.
Afterwards we went to a welcome for all the international students and got to mingle before we went back to my dorm. Adrianne was definitely a life saver today, I don't know how I would have settled in so easily if it hadn't been for her, and bonus is we get on really well too!
I'm currently sat in a 12 floor building and so far have seen 3 other people, which is a little weird. I did some investigating earlier but unlit corridors are a no go in strange places. I can hear movement outside, so I'm hoping that's sign of more life and not the fact this place is haunted. And on that note, with a banging headache I can only blame on the altitude adjustments, goodnight :)
The inevitable task of saying goodbye to my friends and family is finally upon me. Last week, Laura and I (a fellow Scouse Keelite who'll be going to Texas) had a joint get together with our closest friends. Needless to say, our last night of legal drinking for some time ended in a very messy way, for me at least. Having to say goodbye to all these people in my life, even just for a few months, has really made me reflect on how amazing my first year at uni has been. So on that note, the soppy and most likely cringe-worthy post begins...
The goodbyes actually began back in June, when I knew realised I'd be apart from my closest friend, Haruka, for 8 months. We'd been preparing ourselves for the separation for some time, but nothing prepared me for how I felt sat in her empty room while everyone said "see you next semester". Yes there were tears, and I did feel very pathetic afterwards, but that's understandable since we really are like a married couple, nightly snuggles included.
I've never known anyone I have as much fun with and have so many memories dating back to the first hours of freshers. She's been there for me through everything, not least helping me fix my bad English attempts at pronouncing Japanese words for my exams.
The next person to leave was my other "Asian Scouser" Janee (with two e's, don't ask). Even though it wasn't as emotional this time, it was weird knowing I'd be going for just the same amount of time without her wonderful logic, the type that makes you wonder how she even survives on a day to day basis.
Thanks to these two, I've had some of the funniest nights at the SU. Their amazing inability to hold alcohol still baffles me, and thanks to me dragging them to k-pop night, I've somehow ended up becoming the secretary for the Keele Korean International Society next year!
The next goodbyes were with the rest of my "Block E family". Even though we've been through a lot of drama, we've stuck together, and I couldn't have wished for a better group of people to live with.
I've met loads of other amazing people this year, too many to name, but I'm really happy I've had the chance to share a lot of memories with them!
There's also a lot more drunken, stupid, crazy pictures I could include, but I think I'll leave it at that. All I can hope is that I make friends in Colorado who are half as amazing as the friends I made in my first year of Keele.
Hey guys!
I've finally decided to create a blog. Long overdue but with my upcoming adventures, I thought what better time to make one and commit myself to it.
Starting this August, I'll be studying abroad at Colorado State University for one semester, or until Christmas for all you English folk. I study criminology so I'll be "majoring in Criminal Justice" once I'm over there.
It's been such a long process to get here it's actually a little surreal. In exactly 3 weeks I'll be flying into Denver, taking a bus to Fort Collins, moving into my halls and starting my orientation. Then on August 25th classes will officially start.
I don't have an assigned room yet, and the entire process of finding a roommate is, well... an experience. I've managed to find one and she seems lovely, plus it's nice having someone in the same boat as me since we both don't know what to expect. Good considering CSU has around 30,000 students, definitely not like the 'Keele bubble' at all!
I'm spending my last few days in Liverpool packing, seeing people and feeling loved when people ask me not to go. I guess that's all left to say really. I'm not sure how often I'll post, but I'll make a promise to keep the majority of my study abroad experience here rather than annoy everyone on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. So if you've bothered to read this, I hope you enjoy hearing about my experiences now and hopefully many more places in the years to come!
The first day of Thanksgiving break was actually Caragh's birthday, so we decided to spend the day exploring Denver before we got the train on Sunday. We visited a (very tiny) German market, and did the typical tourist thing of getting pictures at the mile high sign on the Capitol building. Maybe it was the time of year, but I actually wasn't too impressed with the amount of things to do in Denver. It's definitely one of those cities that the bar scene helps a lot. I also have a bad impression on the place since it was there I realized that my trusty Pooh Bear was still sat on my bed at CSU and wouldn't be making the trip to San Francisco with me.
The next day we did so much! We got up bright and early to try and get Alcatraz tickets, but it turned out people had been queuing since 4:45am and there were none left. Off we went on a little adventure walking the streets of San Fran... you know it's too early when even Chinatown isn't open. That first day we walked to Union Square, Chinatown, back to the Pier 39 in the day and were at the Golden Gate Bridge by noon. The views were so amazing when we walked a long it, and you really noticed what a strange city San Francisco actually looks like. It's strange to have such skyscrapers mixing in with what looks similar to a Greek town with houses perched on hill sides.
We decided if we were getting up early for Alcatraz tickets, we were getting up early. Major props to Caragh for going along with me on that one since she knew Alcatraz was a bucket list thing for me. So there we were, first in the line at 4:30am. I'm pretty sure she'll back me up when I say I had a cheesy grin on my face all morning during the tour and I'm soooooo glad I finally got to go! We did more walking around Chinatown (it was actually open) and I got my fix off my all time favourite spicy eggplant :D Sadly, the place with the best egg tarts in the city was shut due to vacation, very inconsiderate, but we visited the shop where fortune cookies where actually invented, hidden away in a back alley and smelling glorious.
