Cambridge

Since I've nearly depleted my supply of undergarments, I did laundry for the first time yesterday at the laundrette on campus. It cost me a whopping 4 pounds (~ $6.40) for a wash and dry. Carzee expensive but totally necessary because clean underwear is a must!

Anyway, I visited Cambridge University this past Sunday. One word: GORGEOUS. Let's recap, shall we?

Before I start, I thought it might be nice to provide some background information: Cambridge is a renowned university, comprised of a whopping 31 smaller colleges. Similar to how it works at UCSD, the college one attends only determines his/her living quarters and general stomping grounds. However, a student may take classes that are located in different colleges. The campus is unique in that it is not centralized or secluded; the buildings are spread throughout the entire city, so it's normal to be taking a class in a building that's across the street from a liquor store. It's the fourth oldest university in the world, with the oldest college established in the 1200s and the youngest, in 1977.

So at 8AM on Sunday, we left campus and commenced the 2 1/2 hour drive to Cambridge. Upon arrival, we walked to Scudamore's Punting Company for a punt tour. For those of you who don't know, a punt is basically a gondola; the only difference is that a punt is not propelled by an oar, but rather by a very long pole. The punt moves forward when one uses the pole to push against the river bed. Six of us hopped into a punt, and off we went on the River Cam with our punter/guide named Guy to see the college backs. Looking at the backs of buildings sounds janky, but it was actually pretty epic. We passed numerous edifices which were palatial and jaw-droppingly beautiful. What's more amazing is the fact that these buildings were erected in a time with very limited technology and resources. Although Guy provided us with names, dates, and facts, I didn't pick up much because it was difficult for me to understand him at times -- he couldn't pronounce his R's correctly (i.e., "I'm hungwy"). On top of that, he spoke super fast. It didn't matter, though, because he was easy on the eyes, hehehehe. Anyway, we also passed under a number of famous bridges, constructed during various time periods. Again, names and dates elude me.


After our punt tour concluded, Tommy, Andrew, Little Luu, OG Mike, Brian, Kaitlyn, and I grabbed some hot dogs and checked out the Farmer's Market nearby. Hoped to find some cheap souvenirs there, but no luck.

Post-lunch break, we met up with the rest of the group for a walking tour of the campus grounds. Our guide, Andy, looked like a grown-up version of Randall from Disney's "Recess". Andy was really legit, though, and definitely not a snitch.


Anyway, the first place we visited was King's College Chapel, which was magnificent in every way. Upon entering the chapel, I was amazed at the inconceivably intricate carvings on the walls as well as the stained glass collages. It was mind-blowing to be in a chapel that took the efforts of three kings and the carzee mastery/skill of many men (and women?) to complete. Even the chapel's ceiling put me in awe! I was most excited when I saw an engraving of "HA" on one of the church's walls, which allegedly stands for "Henry (the VIII) & Anne." If you've seen The Other Boleyn Girl, you know whassup!





We also visited Trinity College, where famed physicist Isaac Newton studied. We didn't get to go inside, but they supposedly have a lock of his hair on display somewhere in the library. That's kind of bizarre, but maybe I'm not stoked about it because I'm not a science luvah. Another stop was Cavendish Labs where Watson and Crick studied DNA and eventually suggested its double helix structure. Tommy, my bio-major boyfrand, was totally jazzed about all the scholars who once resided in Cambridge. As a social science major, I didn't pee my pants but it was still enjoyable to learn about it.

One of our last stops was Pembroke College's courtyard. Just like the other colleges which preceded it, it was beautiful. We actually weren't allowed to walk on the grass because that is a privilege reserved for superiors of the college. Seriously.


Oh, check out student housing at Cambridge:



Cambridge kids pretty much live in castles!!!

Sorry for the overload of Kathleen-and-Tommy pictures. They were all taken on a frand's camera because Tommy unfortunately dropped and broke his camera a couple days ago :( A replacement camera is on the way, though!

Sussex Countryside Tour

The heat wave in Brighton has passed and the weather is much, much cooler now. In fact, it has been really unpredictable, and I sometimes experience all four seasons within a single day. True story! Also, it's quite shocking how much it rains here. This past Saturday, I literally stayed in bed the entire day and gazed outside my window as sheets of rain came down for hours and hours. Rainy days always put me in the mood for hot tea/chocolate, movie marathons, and cuddling.

Anyway, onto the good stuff! On July 5th, I toured the Sussex Countryside. Since the day was packed with activity, I'll try to keep my summary short and concise.

I woke up bright and early and met up with the group at 7:45 AM. After leaving campus, it took only a few minutes for our coach to enter the countryside, which was breathtaking with it's rolling hills and green pastures. I wish I could better describe it with words, but the scenery was gorgeous. We drove through quaint, little towns with cobblestone streets and little cottages, including New Haven, Peace Haven, Seaford and Rottingdean (I even saw Rudyard Kipling's house!). Unfortunately, we weren't able to walk around because these towns are too small to accommodate a coach bus.

The very first stop of the tour was The Seven Sisters in The South Downs. The Seven Sisters is a series of chalk cliffs that overlook the sea. I hiked up to the top of a lookout point, and the panoramic view from there was magnificent! The juxtaposition of the bright blue ocean, the blindingly white cliffs, and the vast green landscapes was unlike anything I'd ever seen before.




Afterwards, the coach made its way to Beachy Head, home to Belle Toute Lighthouse. Apparently, it is very famous and its image has been used time and again in numerous commercial advertisements. The tour guide led us on a short walk to a place where we could catch a glimpse of it. I was jazzed about the lighthouse and told Tommy to whip out his camera so he could snap a photo of me standing next to it. When we arrived, what I saw did not meet my expectations because 1) the lighthouse was partially obscured by cliffs and 2)we were so far away that it appeared as small as a salt shaker! I'm not going to lie, it was pretty anticlimactic.


Next, the coach took us to Eastbourne which is basically a facsimile of Brighton but not as posh or trendy. Like Brighton, it is adjacent to the beach and has many hotels, restaurants, and shops; however, it had a more upscale feel to it. In Eastbourne, Tommy, Michael, Dee Dee, Andrew, and I went to The Terminus pub and had a legit English lunch. I had roast beef with veggies and a side of Yorkshire pudding. When it came out, I asked the waiter where the pudding was because there wasn't anything on my plate that looked remotely creamy, gooey, or pudding-y. It turns out that Yorkshire pudding refers to a fried biscuit of sorts made from flour batter. Vair interesting! Although my dish was edible and I appreciated the fact that I was getting veggies into my system, it wasn't very flavorful. After our meal, we spent a little bit of time walking around the shopping center and then left for our next destination.


After a 15 minute drive, the coach dropped us off at Pevensey Castle. It wasn't as grand as I had initially imagined because it was ruined and crumbling. Although I didn't hear much about the history, I recall the tour guide mentioning that it was built by the Romans. When World War II came around, Americans and Canadians used it as a military camp.


Our last stop was Alfriston, yet another little town. There, we visited Badger's for afternoon tea. They seated us in the garden, which was adorable. We had hot tea served in dainty china complete with warm and flaky scones smothered in strawberry jam and clotted cream. Although I wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion, I felt so fancy and frou frou (in a good way). 'Twas dope and srsly the perfect way to conclude the tour.



El fin!

Pub Crawl!

Last Thursday's pub crawl can be summarized as follows: three pubs, four drinks, and one nightclub. I won't bore you with the details, but we did the damn thang. I must note that over here, the nightlife isn't poppin' until very late into the evening. In fact, most bars and clubs stay open until 5 AM, which is so wild to me.

Boo looking sharp.

Homeguhs Amy & Mary.

Taking a shot of apple sambucca with Dee Dee & Elaine at The Buddha Lounge. It tasted like spicy licowice.

Getting my jig on at Honey Club.

Although I initially had a lot of fun, the novelty wore off quickly. I don't know why, but I've never been the clubbing type. Deep down, I'm really a 80 year old grandma who likes to watch Jeopardy and sleep early. Forreal!

Time for bed, luvahs.

Brighton is for hipsters

Damn daddy, it is hot. Brighton's currently experiencing a heat wave, and so I'm sticky icky all day, every day. Since hot weather is few and far in between here, none of the buildings on campus have AC. This makes sitting through a 2 1/2 hour class somewhat dreadful, but I'm not complaining! Even though the heat makes me sluggish and lazy, I'm loving everything here.

Since the sun rises very early and sets extremely late, the days are long and drawn out. I don't constantly feel rushed or stressed here (like I do at UCSD). I can actually take my time to do things and chill when I want to. It's amazing.

Observation: there be beer all up in my grill. The English consume it the way we drink boba or water, and it ain't no thang to them. A few days ago, I visited le pub with some frands and had my first pint of Strongbow, which was tolerable because it tastes like apple cider. Standing at 5'4" and weighing ~105 lbs, I am pleasantly surprised at how much I can drink. I guess I have my pops to thank for that. Relatives, if you are reading this -- I promise that I am being responsible and careful :)

A few days ago, I ventured into town for some groceries. We visited Sainsbury, which looks like a museum from the outside. No joke. The exterior is comprised entirely of dark and weathered bricks, and the place looks enormous because it's attached to a multilevel parking structure. Complete with an escalator for people and shopping carts, Sainsbury is fancier than the supermarkets back at home mos def. In the store, I noticed that items are packaged differently than they are in America. Nothing is Costco-sized, so bigger is not better. All of the portions are reasonable and small, which I appreciate. Oh, and everything expires quickly because the food doesn't contain a grip of preservatives. Downside is that it's not very convenient to have to pick up milk or bread every two to three days, but it is healthier afterall.

I also toured Brighton the same day. It's difficult to capture how I felt walking through the streets of Brighton, but I srsly dig it. One section known as North Laines is a hipster's paradise, full of vintage clothing boutiques, sex shops, and everything avant garde. I definitely got a feel of how liberal this place is upon passing stores called "Penetration" and "Pussy". I'm going to be immature and insert a giggle here, hehehehe! Everything is really compact and close together, and on top of each shop is an apartment. Vair kewl. It's like San Fran meets Universal Studios Hollywood. A lot of people were commenting how it seemed like we were walking through a movie set. There's a lot of tagging and street art found in random alleyways in Brighton, and the pieces are phenomenal. There's also a swanky, "cultured" side of town, lined with pubs, jewelry stores, and expensive eateries. Afterward, we walked along the pebble beach, and people were still sitting by the water, despite it being 9 in the evening. Of course, no one was actually in the water because it's fuhreezing.

When dinner time rolled around, we decided upon FATLeo's which was a bomb Italian restaurant. Since our group was so big, we received VIP treatment and took up the entire second floor. Surprisingly, the food was well-priced AND tasty. I paid about 6 pounds for a plate of mussels and lasagna. SO DANK.

Let the good timez roll.

You alright?

I'm in UK, trick! Yeah, that was corny song reference. But really, I have arrived safely and with little damage, except for some sore shoulders and feet. But man, do they hoit!

Basically, I left on Saturday to LAX at 3 AM with my pops. Equipped with two suitcases, a carry-on, and my ginormous backpack, I sat in the passenger seat -- making scattered conversation with my dad so that he'd stay awake -- while trying to keep my own eyes open. I'd had a lot of trouble sleeping the evening before and probably accumulated a total of 3 hours at most. We made it to the airport, where I met up with Elaine, Tommy, Michael Luuzoid, and Aaron. Retrieved my boading pass, checked my luggage, and made it through security with relative ease. Before making my way to the terminal, I had a heartfelt goodbye with fasha. I asked him if he would miss me, and he said, "of course." I knew he would say that, lulz :).

My first flight to Atlanta was only 4 hours, so I wasn't sitting/exposed to that recycled airplane air for too long. The only problem was the landing. It was ROUGH. In fact, it was the worst one I've ever experienced, and I felt so.utterly.nauseated. Ridiculous, son. After getting off of the plane and finding water/a place to rest, it slowly passed. Since we had 4-5 hours to kill, the group went for some overpriced airport food. Afterward, we played countless rounds of 13s and a game of Mafia. Funzo, fasho!

Boarded our second flight to Gatwick London around 5 pm. Unfortunately, the chairs were not as spacious as the ones on the previous flight. I knew this was going to spell trouble for me lata. Things started off alright, but then we experienced some turbulence which made me feel like barfing again. Thankfully, I didn't. I felt hot and cold and almost feverish the majority of the flight. Because I was conscious practically the entire time and couldn't sleep, I was plagued by major discomfort. I was suffering so much that I cried, but only a little bit. It's true, I can't hang.

So 8 hours later, we finally made it to London. I was green in the face and in need of some rest. Too bad for me! We all obtained our student visas, purchased our train tickets to Brighton, and picked up our luggage. There was a lot of it. And that is an understatement. We took a short ride to the South Terminal, where we tried to make it to our platform and catch our train to Brighton. That didn't work out so well because we had to return the carts on which our luggage was piled. A porter came along and picked up all of our luggage. In an amazing display of strength, he piled the luggage of 8-9 people onto two dollies and transported it to where we needed it to be. In short, we hopped on the train and got off at Brighton. Then we hopped onto another one which took us to Falmer. At Falmer, Sussex staff greeted us and we got onto buses that drove us to Lancaster House for check-in.

Greasy, sweating, and having missed a shower and two teeth brushings, I was in no mood to socialize. And plus, it is so hard to make a good impression and look cute after a long trip. I got my welcome packet, my keys, and made it to my room. I unpacked and tidied myself up. Went for Tommy's noodle stash and had some instant pho in a bag. Doesn't sound appetizing, but it was HEAVEN! Really. Afterward, went on the campus tour but was too tired to understand what was going on. Somehow, I made my way back to my room and knocked out for 3 hours. Woke up and stumbled into the Welcome Reception, where there was a ton of beer. A little music, some finger foods. It's true... food here is not all that and a bag of chips. It's just bad. Sorry to say :(

Ok, so for first impressions: I am in the countryside, and I love it. My surroundings are green and lush, which is a nice change from OC. From my dorm window, I can see a ton of rabbits hopping around. I am expecting a flock of sheep to come through any time now. The university is quite old, as are our accomodations. I live in Norwich House, and there is a funky, fishy smell in my corridor. Still, I'm happy to have my own room, complete with its very own bed, desk, closet, and sink (<-- kind of odd, but convenient)! Oh, the bathrooms are co-ed. It was weird peeing alongside Michael Luu. The toilets don't exactly flush when you want them to and the water pressure in the showers is inconceivably weak.

Time to get ready for orientation at 9! More updates soon.

Ready for afternoon tea and scones!

Hello babies,

For those of you who care, I've created this blog for the sole purpose of chronicling my adventures abroad. Early tomorrow morning, I will be flying from LAX to Atlanta and from there, to London! The plan is to study at Uni of Sussex for 8 weeks, during which I will be taking two Communication-related courses. Afterward, I will be traipsing around and playing in Europe for 18 days. Some of my destinations include Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, and Italy. I couldn't be more excited because this will be my first time visiting Europa. All my things are packed up and ready to go, but I'm nervous that I've forgotten something. Since errthang is so expensive over there, I don't want to have to go buy random knick knacks that I carelessly left out.

Because my Aunt Lien tells me that English food is crap in a hat, I'm bringing an entire suitcase full of EZ mac, instant oatmeal, cha bong (dried shredded pork), four different types of breakfast cereal, alfredo pasta sauce, and angel hair pasta. Hopefully this will 1) help me save money and 2) hold me over until I can access good food. As you may have noticed, most of the aforementioned items have little nutritional value. To stave off major constipation, I will be stealing Tommy's Fiber One bars. Solid!

I'd like to take this time to say fanx to my mom and pop as well as my aunts and uncles who helped to finance this trip. Without your help, this surely wouldn't have been possible. Srsly. Oh, major shoutout to my grandma, who helped me stuff all my clothes (not that I have a lot) into my suitcases. Lady is a pro!

To my frands whom I promised I would hang out with but flaked on: I'M SORRY! I'm terrible, I know. To be fair, I got really sick after finals; when I finally got better, it was time to prepare for Europe. Plus, my parents put me on major lockdown. I will send all of you postcards if you give me your addresses! Expect a call from me after I come back on September 8th <3

So basically, check back here if you want to know whassup with me! I'll be sure to include pictures, too, because errbody likes variety.

I can't do the Gossip Girl "xoxo" thing since I already gave that idea to my babygirl Anna so for now, peace and chicken grease.