Getting into month #3

Its nearly 3 months since I arrived here in the USA. I can honestly say it has been the most emotional learning experience, and I still have the feeling like I am settling in.

I had good reason to behave like a tourist recently, having a truly amazing opportunity to road trip to Vegas and LA. To be honest a road trip to anywhere would have let me feel like I was living the dream, but to get the opportunity to go to those places was unreal. Vegas could be best described to my British friends and Brighton crossed with Blackpool on steroids. Hotels with roller coasters wrapped around them and hotels shaped like castles or replicating New York's high rise buildings, the place is ridiculous. You find yourself continually asking "Why?", and then realizing it doesn't matter, "We're in Vegas". There were tourists everywhere, and I got excited every time I heard a British accent. This also gave me license to take pictures of everything as you can see. Vegas was everything you imagine, just like you see in the movies. It's truly mind blowing, and I cannot wait to return.

I shouldn't go without mentioning we also saw a Lakers game in Vegas. It was only a preseason game, but I got to watch the Lakers play none-the-less.

I actually made my first visit to McDonald's in Vegas, where better to have your first McD's than Vegas? McDonald's here is not the same as at home in the UK. Firstly, as with most fast food places here, they've numbered all the meals, and the meals in question are different. Of course there is a meal that includes two cheeseburgers, not just one, and the drinks and fries come bigger. I find it crazy that I can go into somewhere as familiar as McDonald's and still need to ask my buddy to order for me. "Can I get a number 3 please?". How lazy is that? Whats wrong with just saying what you want? As with everything here the American culture has found an easier way to do something that was easy in the first place.

The trip to L.A wasn't so much for the tourist experience, but to see a USC football game. We arrived a couple of hours early for my first "Tailgate" experience. Tailgating, for my British friends, involves parking up 3/4 hours early and having a BBQ out the back of your truck. There is potential for beer pong and other games, and of course the main objective is to have a few drinks before the football. The true tailgater shows up with a flashy trailer/caravan and TV hooked up to watch other college games in preparation. I think if is wasn't for the poor weather and the strict rules on promoting heavy drinking and hooliganism, Tailgating would certainly have taken off in the UK because its our style. It's one step away from the BBQ's before the champions league.

The game itself was somewhat unreal when you consider it was a college/university game. The stadium was huge (the Colosseum previously used in the LA Olympics) and was packed full of fans. The football would have been fairly slow to watch, but by that point everyone had had just enough to drink that they we're too excited to get bored by the breaks in play. USC dominated.

The weekend showed me some real life American culture, and if I take away my sarcasm and cynicism, I have to say I was impressed. Everything is bigger and bolder than at home. Granted there are a few situations where I thought, "this is too much", the Trojan on a horse at the football for example, but it seems to work. Just like in the movies, you know that there are some things that would never work in the UK, but in the USA it works. Today I said "fool around" in a sentence and I didn't sound like an idiot because I'm in America. Say that in the UK and people think your trying to do an impression of someone in the movies.

On the whole I'd say I'm getting used to living here. I'm used to people not knowing or understanding what I'm saying, and I'm adapting my language to help smooth the process. I managed to teach my first undergrad class today without loosing them in translation. Conversation has become easier. I think people are getting used to me being the British girl too, and finally my British language has become "charming". Saying that, the day to day is still hard. Going to the store or getting to school is still complicated and you loose the feeling of independence.

To conclude, I would like to say "Go Giants" as the first baseball team I've ever supported wins the worlds series (even though I'm mad that it delayed Glee). I would also like to say well done to the Americans for voting Obama to stay in the White House allowing the rest of the world to breathe a sigh of relief.

Peace out. (Which I can now say and it be cool because I live in America)

All Settled in... sort of

So remember all those novelty things I was getting excited about? Now I just hate them. Honestly, I'd give anything for a conversation about Corrie, or a massive bar of Cadburys chocolate. After 6 weeks the novelty has pretty much worn off. People asking me if I'm from New Zealand isn't cute anymore, in fact its getting frustrating beyond belief. 

Conversations about Corrie, that's what I've started to miss, and I don't even like Corrie. When you're at home you massively take it for granted how you can start any conversation with some one and they probably know what happened in Xfactor or how Katie Price has managed to write another terrible book with the same story as the last one. You know things are getting desperate when One Direction is your go-to conversation maker because they are BIG out here - how they managed it, I will never understand, but I expect Simon Cowell has something to do with it. In fact I'm the only one who actually knows how One Direction came about. I watched them get put together on Xfactor at home in England like everyone else. Shamefully its become my small talk, how awful.

On a more serious note, it's less about the idol gossip, and more about the ease of talking to the people around you. At home I could start up a conversation with someone, and it'd flow easily without stopping to explain what words mean. Whats more, with your close friends you could talk without the niceties or introductions, or you wouldn't even have to talk at all if you didn't want and it would be completely acceptable. I've found myself at a real loss in this new culture where people don't know me yet. They don't know I love dinosaurs or that being a field hockey player means you love getting drunk just as much as playing (or maybe that's just being English). At home when you ask some one where they're from or what they do you get a picture of who they are pretty fast, but here that means nothing to people. They don't know what it's like growing up and living in England, and I don't know what it's like growing up here. While stereotypes are mostly seen as a bad thing, in a world where you don't have stereotypes you will find yourself completely lost. As a result, every interaction becomes hard work. The conversation doesn't flow and you have more awkward or feeling stupid moments than you would care to experience.

Luckily I have some very understanding and patient people around me, and more than that I have friends who aren't afraid to laugh in my face when I say something dumb. The people here really are friendly, even the people who work in stores and fast food restaurants. Naturally, I feel like a bad person every time I encounter these people, simply because I expect them to be like the moody English people that work in Next or Halfords. In fact I'm constantly looking for rude people in an attempt to feel more at home.

I've never been one to get homesick, but you start to miss things that you would never have considered before. When I got here, I would wake up every morning and see how sunny it was outside, and my English brain would say "I should get out in the sun today, make the most of it" as if it was one of the three sunny days we get in England. My brain was doing that for four weeks until I finally drilled it into my brain that the sun wasn't going anywhere. Now I'm hoping for a change in the weather. I never thought I'd be jealous of my friends at home telling me how cold, windy, and rainy it's getting. I cannot wait for the day I go home and it's so cold we all wrap up warm, have a cuppa, and put the fire on watching Strictly Come Dancing.

I miss wearing my onesie!

So its safe to say the novelty is wearing off. I'm very much settled into my new life here, and starting to miss home as a consequence. It's not all bad though, this place still has its moments of amazement where it just hits me how lucky I am to be here. After a week of being envious of those enjoying freshers week at home, I realised I would never choose to go back to my old uni life. I live in California now.

Three Weeks Later...

That's right, I've been here three weeks now. It's hard to believe its only three weeks when so much has happened. I'm not even sure where to start, so I'll try to give an idea of what my days are like for those interested friends and relatives, and perhaps give you an insight to my life out here in the US. Please be warned that the following doesn't really follow a particular theme or story, and I am completely aware it is not my best writing.

First and foremost, I'm working as a Graduate Assitant 20 hours a week, or full-time as I like to call it. In lamens terms that means I work in the Sport Sciences Department of a university in California. I primarily assist the sports pedagogy (PE teaching) professor in the department (teaching assistant i.e. photocopying, grading work, amending grades online etc), I teach my own undergraduate activity classes (currently Badminton & Tennis) twice a week, and I have the opportunity to be involved in research projects throughout my stay, including one that I oversee and others that may become published work at a later time. I often get a bunch of other tasks thrown my way, but that is the basis of my day. I have an desk in an office! Thats the exciting part lets be honest, and it is now adequatly decorated with a London 2012 GB flag and a "Keep calm and carry on" poster (much to the distaste of the American lads I share my office with). So without sounding too boring, I mostly feel like I have a 9-5 job. I go to work, teach my own classes, assist the teaching in others, then sit in my office working away doing research or little tasks my boss gives me. I have office hours too, I'm a teacher now remember, so you graduates out there who know what that means can be a little impressed. I've also found myself important enough to add a signature to the end of my emails.

So thats what I get paid to do, my job, but then on top of that I'm working towards my Masters degree paid for by the department. I attend classes, just like everyone else. Its so interesting how you get right back into it. It's just like being at my old university, almost like I never left, except everything here is orange instead of blue. I have assignments to be getting on with just like all the other students, and instead of going home to doing admin for the hockey club, im sitting in my office doing research for the department.

As a Brit, you don't really notice the cultural difference on campus. Again its just like I never left uni. That is until you go into the canteen. It would be simple if it was the traditional burger options you'd expect from the US, but no, of course my posh private university has a more upmarket approach! With four different food choices, I had to make a choice between Mexican, Italian, Asian, and some other kind of food that wasn't labelled "English". So there I am spinning on the spot trying to decide which culture I wanted to be part of and which one wouldn't make me look ignorant to the dinner lady serving me. Luckily "Nachos" lit up infront of me and I chose to be from Mexico for the sake of my lunch. I say "Nachos" to the lady as if she doesn't understand English, only to find they don't have any. In my panic I read the next option "Burrito?", and she doesn't understand me. So in my best American accent I say "Burrido" and she understands (Mental note -don't pronouce your T's in future). So shes heating up this tortilla wrap and I'm just standing like a melon completely unaware of what I've just ordered (my previous mexican experience to this being limited to Old El Paso's Fajitas and Enchiladas). "Rice? Beans? Chicken?" she says, and I just nod like an idiot as she fills the wrap with every possible filling known to man. I'm fairly sure I came away with 3 different meants and 6 different carbohydrates. I have never seen so much food packed in to a tortilla. So I sit down to eat the buritto that is bigger than my head and I'm thinking "how the hell am I meant to eat this?!" I went for the cutlery option, but even that was messy. Man it was good food, and I suffered with full stomach pains for a long time afterwards.

I got a burrito the next day.

So the food is different, not how you would expect. It's much more complicated too. Ordering a coffee is like giving some one a secret coded message in another language. I just wanted a Latte and even then she didn't understand what I was saying as I pronounced the T's!

I have great housemates. Honestly it was a risky business just signing the lease for a house when you don't know who you're going to be living with, but it paid off big time. I'm also completely aware of what a special case I am with no car, still no money, and no idea where I am or where I need to go half the time, so I don't know how they haven't already disowned me. Quite the contrary, they're looking after me big time, and I'd definately be stuck with out them. Shout out to the housemates! And of course the other friends I've made who have been so helpful.

It's so interesting spending time with people here, whether we're just driving around or in a shop, but obviously they don't appreciate the novelty things since they live here. I bought my first Hershey bar the other day. My housemate didn't really understand why this was such a big deal firstly, and secondly it tasted like shit. The same happened when we went to Taco Bell, which was a big deal to me, especially with the giant Pepsi I came away with, but then I must just look like an idiot to my American friends. In fact I'm asked to tell the "Burrito Story" every time I meet new people.

Things are diferent here. Once you're over the initial shock of how everything is so much bigger, you feel like you're back in England for a while, but then you start noticing the little things. Adverts don't have London backdrops any more, adverts aren't called adverts but commercials, chocolate doesn't taste the same, large meals at home are smaller that regular meals here, you're given tacos even if you only asked for a burrito meal, Netflix has different films and shows, google and ebay know your in the US and don't give you the same options, Dizzie Rascal isn't on the radio, there's no xfactor and no ones talking about it, and you don't have to prepare for a cold or rainy day anymore. It's the little things that get to you and make you miss home, but then on the flip side you sometimes you find something here that you cant get at home. Light beer is one of those things, or Disney themed bank cards (Im getting one). The movies don't prepare you for those little things. Thats why I'm going home for Christmas, because its the little things that make Christmas great and there's no way I con't be at home for those.

So I think I'll stop talking now. Thanks for reading and I'll try and keep you all updated with my progress :)

Move successful!

So I write to you all now from the hot and sunny and beautiful California having successfully made the journey across the pond. I won't lie to you, the journey did start to eat away at my soul at one point, but 21 hours after leaving my home I was tucking myself into my new bed complete with improvised sheets.

Even on the plane you can see the differences between here and home. England's fields and roads are so misshapen and curvey, twisting around the landscape, they have such character. The USA is so different from a birds eye view; everything is so square, the roads are perfecly straight, and the crossroads at perfect right angles. Ths doesn't change in the car, you can drive straight with no turns for miles.

Here, everything I need is on two main roads. One road has malls, supermarkets, banks, sports stores, mcdonalds', and even a Taco bell along it. You could drive down this road for 10 minutes and there are shops after bars after restauraunts; but its not a "strip" like you Brits will imagine, each shop is huge with its own carpark, and half of them with have a Starbucks attatched. They are so spread out, and they have so much space there are no buildings higher then 2 floors. The second road has a small strip more similar to the English imagination, and it's also  the main road that my University sits on.

I live in a gated community, that means I have a remote to open a big gate to get into my road, and so my road is pretty quiet and looks really nice. These gated communities have rules for all the residents to keep the place looking lovely. There's a few of these communities around where I live and some have huge houses! Infact my own house is pretty big compared to houses in the UK. The whole area has beautiful lakes with fountains between the houses, and the rich people have docks backing onto their gardens with boats.

The weather is lovely here, but it is hot. Even the breeze is just hot air. It feels like being on holiday in a really hot country, when you step out the door and the heat just hits every bit of you, but then the are is so green. The place is surrounded by green grass and tress, and so you don't get that 'hot country' look of brown dirt and beige buildings. All the buildings are brick, like the brick houses at home, but are surrounded by palm trees.

For those concerned about me and how I'm getting on, I won't lie to you the first days were tough and I got very homesick. Today though I have managed to man up and get on with things. I bought an $88 (about £50) bike from Walmart and rode it to Uni today. Campus is beautiful, and I've met the field hockey team now, so I've come home pretty pleased with myself after being all grown up and sociable.

So thats my experience of my first 3 days here in the USA, and I will try to keep you updated with things as the weeks go on. :)

Application Successful!

Wahooo!

So it turns out my GRE score was enough for me to complete my application! Thank god to be honest!

Paperwork...

So somehow I've managed to nail and interview that's landed me a 2 year job/masters in California. Don't ask me how I've managed it, because I don't know myself. If I had to guess I would assume it's down to my prize winning smile and my contagious enthusiasm, but who knows. Anyway aside from blowing my own trumpet I have felt very privileged and lucky to be handed such an opportunity, that is until I discovered the mountain of electronic paperwork piled on my non-existent desk. While I shouldn't complain, it is very hard to see past the applications, visa's, phone bills, bank accounts, and tenancy agreements when they stand in the way of you and your dream job. If you have any advice regarding the big move to the US please speak now as I will take anything you've got!

Each chore can only be completed after another, and so the slow process begins hopefully in time for my flights on the 17th August! (My flights being an adventure in their own right, flying into Germany to change flights before reaching San Francisco).

In addition to all this lovely paperwork I've had the pleasure of completing the GRE exam, and I am yet to discover if my score meets the requirements of the University. I shall not disclose my results here, although I have been informed that if I fail I can retake the test again, but I assure you I truly hope this is an unnecessary precaution. The GRE is quite frankly the worst test I have ever had to take! Following the 6am journey into London, the 5 hour exam can only be described to the British public as a road theory test crossed with an IQ test crossed with an A-Level general studies exam. While individually those may not seem difficult to you, I promise you the mix of all 3 is not an easy feat!

So to conclude, if you plan to move to the US be prepared to face the consequences!

All paperwork aside, this is a sister blog to my other blog http://lifeasacheekymonkey.blogspot.co.uk/ and I plan to use it to document my US adventure, and so should it interest you please read along! This is me over and out!