Lost in the Dark

I'll explain the title after a few paragraphs explaining my adventures thus far.

DEPARTURE DAY:
Primero, mis padres y yo estámos comer en un restaurante de las costillas en los momentos antes de mi vuelo. My parents and I were eating at a rib restaurant before my flight from Dulles on Monday evening. Our dessert had literally just arrived at the table when I get a call from Alex's mom saying that our flight to Heathrow had been cancelled due to inclement weather. When you think of the UK, you think of a cold, wet climate. However, the Brits don't like snow. So, they rebooked us on a KLM flight to Amsterdam (from Amsterdam we flew to Manchester). KLM is amazing and though I doubt I'll ever be able to afford such amazing airline service, I highly recommend it. I'd say they had easily over 200 movie choices. Stellar. The flight attendant was also quite pleasant... she nudged my arm while I was resting my head on my backpack to offer me all sorts of spring water assortments, hot towels, and diet coke. I think she thought I was sleeping, but really I was deeply immersed in Hancock, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Of the three, Hancock was my favorite, but I'd say they were all only mediocre. Two and a half stars for sure. Anyway, we got to hang with the Dutch for an hour and I enjoyed a whole wheat baguette with strawberry jam. Delish.

DAY ONE:
After finally arriving to our hotel- heavy luggage in tow- Alex and I were totally pooped. 7 am on the East Coast, 2 pm here. But we were determined not to fall too far off our schedule, so we explored Sheffield's "City Centre" and shopped a bit. Then, we went to Pizza Hut because we were too tired to do anything else. They butchered our sweet pizza hut. By then, I was hoping for some kind of WIFI access just to email my mom and let her know I was okay, but we couldn't find any place that offered it for free.... I have since come to realize that America offers many things for free- WIFI being one of them- and that I took them all for granted. You have to pay for everything here. We also got cell phones, which are friggin expensive. If you're local, don't call me unless it's after 7 on a weekday or it's the weekend b/c I'm sick of paying 2o pence/minute. From there, we gave up trying to put off sleep. We were sound asleep at 1830... you do the math. Then, we both woke up sweating and frantically searching for a plug for the fan that was so conveniently placed in our room. Alex, in her alert yet sleep-deprived stupor, began conversation with:
Alex: "AHH. WHAT TIME IS IT?"
Me: "9:30."
Alex: "IN THE MORNING?!"
Me: "HAHAHAHA, NO. PM."
Alex: "WHAT THE FRICK?!"

DAY TWO:
After showering fully and enjoying a delicious meal of fruit&fiber cereal with soy milk, we proceeded to walk to the University of Sheffield to check it out. We stumbled upon a "UNI-Bus" and got off at a university that was not Sheffield. Come to find out, there's more than one Uni here. So, we walk another 20 or so minutes up a steep hill and take random turns that the Brits told us to take and then upon reaching the fantastically amazing, Sheffield Student Union, we walked to our appropriate homes for the coming months. Hills and icy sidewalks everywhere. Cars flying at us from the left... depth perception off. We were nearly hit 4 times... I counted. Naturally, my residence hall = ghetto. I think that's a new trend in my life. Basically, it's the single most hideous building in all of Sheffield. It's true. But, it's so hideously old and run-down that it offers a unique feeling of belonging and homeliness. Also, it is fully equipped with a bar and dining hall. How many residence halls do you know offer a full bar? Get my point? After venturing through the hills of Sheffield, we became weary and hungry, and so set off to return to the hotel. Some person lied to us and told us that the University of Sheffield was a 4 mile walk from the City Centre. We've since come to find out that it's a 15 minute walk. But, at the time we still trusted this Brit, and so spent an hour trying to catch the "Uni-Bus" back to the hotel. If you're wondering why it took us an hour to catch the bus, especially when it came every 10 minutes, that would be because we weren't aware of the fact that you have to hold out your arm and flag the bus down to get it to stop at the bus stop. Fortunately, Alex asked a British woman why none were stopping for us and she told us. We finally made it back, shed our wet shoes and clothes, and then, proceeded to the HAHA Bar and Grill. Appetizers and a Meal for 10 pounds, babay. Delicious. I had my first taste of fish & chips... and mushy peas. Delicious. We went to bed at 9:30.

DAY THREE:
First day of orientation. I found Lindsay Saladino. We have a lot in common if you don't already know. Let me put it this way: Lindsay, Lindsay; Charlotte, Charlotte; UNC, UNC; IV, IV; Snakebite, Snakebite (crazy drink we had); Prude, Prude; Dance, Dance. The list goes on... today, we even wore the same outfit out by mistake- black boots, blue jeans, black sweater, and finally flashy scarves. I met a lot of people this day. It was great fun. Highly romantic environment. This was the first time someone said, "Cheers, duck" to me. Alex and I met an Australian named, "Little Bear." When we get back to the states, I'm making her a shirt that says, "Alex <3's>Bear." HAHAHAHA. We developed a little clique at lunch, as the two of us usually do. We met 2 girls from New Mexico, Chelsea and Monique; a girl from Oregon, Genna; a guy from New Zealand, Kohan; and of course, Lindsay. I exchanged greetings with a bunch of random people throughout the day, but these stuck. We went to dinner at a Noodle Bar, which was pretty good. Did I mention that my salivation has changed since I moved here? I'm now able to go 2-4 hours without drinking water or soda because of the slighted drink portions they provide and the "no free refills" signs that they so kindly display on all of the menus. It's kind of funny. All of the Americans are dying of thirst. Good times. Alex and I proceeded to taxi our way back to the hotel because it was late and from there, we went to Cafe Rouge for dessert. Then, bed of course.

DAY FOUR:
Crazy day. Registration day. I guess the school doesn't do it online, so sometimes you have to run across the world from one person to the next to get a department head to sign off on the course that you've chosen. Fortunately, after hours of panting; fighting with the Econ guy to prove to him that yes, I have done regression analysis, multiple regression analysis, and regression analysis with hypothesis testing; and sweating my way through the process, I was able to achieve my goals. Economic Development, Shakespeare & Renaissance Drama, Irish Writing. Then, I was bold enough to ask the question of where I was supposed to meet/what time for my "modules," and I was told that I should have found out from the department heads. When I asked if they were available online, I was told "no." Needless to say, I had to swallow my pride and go find out where and when my courses were, but I'm so ecstatic to finally have that stressor removed that I was okay. Alex and I then had lunch at one of the four bars at the Student Union. Yes, Marius, 4 bars. I love it here. Really, I do. Then, I blew time and shopped with my NM buds, got ready for a night out, and got tipsy enough to dance for 4 hours with Lindsay, who is also not accustomed to alcohol intake. We started at this local hostel/pub which offered live music that happened to be cute Irishmen. Then, proceeded to the union. Sheffield students have literally just finished their exams so they had a big rave party at the Student Union. Basically, you bar hop and dance your way through the student union for 5 hours. The snakebite was our second drink of the night and we were convinced that there was a wizard bartender who had casted a spell over our individual drinks to make it so that it never ended. She gave up about 7/8 of the way and handed her drink to Kohan to finish. I was approx. 3/4 of the way done with my own at that point and so desperate to dance, and so not wanting to slosh it all over my clothes, that I decided it'd be best to gulp. Wow. We danced 2 1/2 more hours after that. I think Kohan made us stay at the UNI clubs on purpose to make us dance it off... that's my theory anyway. My other theory is that black people will dance better than you anywhere you may go...

DAY FIVE:
Move in day. The only place near our hotel that offers WIFI was McDonald's, which happens to constanly be busier than our Chick-fil-a's at the busiest lunch hour at all times of the day. The Brits love the golden arches, I suppose. I was able to get a calling card online so that I could call mis padres for cheap. I talked to them for the first time in 5 days for 32 minutes and it was great... I wanted to keep chatting, but they wanted to go to Home Depot. My room is totally unpacked. And, because of my unwillingness to leave my dorm until everything was unpacked, I lost a great deal of daylight. Hence the title of this very, very long post. Picture P.S. I Love You scene in the dark minus a handsome guy who kissed me. I was trying to book it to the Edge (another on-campus venue that offers a big bar and dining hall), and instead lost my way. After about 35 minutes of walking in the dark uphill with no lights or people in s sight, I started to cry. I ended up at the edge of Sheffield and finally found 3 different people who gave me different directions to Shore Lane. The last guy gave me the right directions and when I hit the first landmark that he told me about, I started to cry again. Plus, he said, "be careful, love" and when I said, "thank you, I really appreciate your help," he responded, "cheers, duck," which is why I love it here. Finally made it to the club about 40 minutes after I was supposed to be there... you see it should have only been a ten minute walk. Oh well. But it was a fun night, nonetheless. I had a cherry vodka that tasted like a sour candy and then a shot of sour apple something or other, both had hardly any alcohol, so don't worry, I'm not an alchie. And that puts me back into my room, writing to all of you. This has been a long entry, and I'm tired, so I'm peacing. I have learned a lot about life over the past 5 days. One, don't judge a book by it's cover. My room maybe old, but it has the best view I could ever ask for. Two, cell phones are expensive when not on a regular plan. Three, talk to everyone. Four, I thought I would have a PS I love you moment, but not on my first day officially "living on campus." Five, water is essential for survival. Six,... Cheers, Duck.