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.
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Friday, 7 September 2012
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 :)
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 :)
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