So, life is back to normal. I am back in school and feeling stressed out. This term I am taking 5 classes. Urban planning: Environmental Issues, Environmental Engineering, Linear Algebra, Introduction to Business, Marketing. It is a BIG load for me. Homework will probably take 15-25 hours per week if I am lucky.
To our surprise I also got a job offer this past week. It is with the City of Portland, working with most of the people I worked with at my last internship. So, now that I have loaded up on classes I also have a job.... This could be a really bad term... I gotta keep my cool and keep focused and I should be okay.
Also this week I got approved for graduation. Woohoo... Its official, I am graduating after spring term. Now all that is left is to send out announcements and buy a cap and gown.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Thursday, December 25, 2008
I'm Home!
Hi Everyone, I'm home. I got home on Monday 15th of December. The flight home seemed to take forever. It was 10.5 hours. It was supposed to be longer but the pilot changed the course so we could have a tailwind and land about 45 minutes early. I watched three movies and read my book on the way. I really wanted to sleep to help my body adjust to the time change, but I was just to excited to get my eyes shut.
Just so everyone knows, I am NOT going back to London as planned. I really hated the University I was at in London. And more importantly I could not be away from Cody anymore. Being away from him for 85 days was the hardest thing I have ever done. The plan now is to graduate in June and start working (while taking a class a term from my masters degree).
On Wednesday Cody and I headed up to Mt. Hood for some alone time before the holidays. (we have 2 roommates). We were really worried that there would not be enough snow for good skiing, but the snow fell and we had a great time. We stayed in a cabin with a kitchen and fireplace. On Friday (the 19th) we headed back to Portland. We went through Hood River to get back home and the gorge was a mess. We had the chains on and didn't have a problem in the car, it just took forever to get home.
When we got home on Friday we went to pick up my engagement/wedding ring. We had picked it out on Tuesday and they had to set the center stone. We went to the pickup counter and got the ring and Cody put it on my finger and asked me " will you marry me?". I will remember it forever. After graduation we will set a date for a wedding.
Now (December 24) we are in The Dalles. We have sent some time with Thody grandparents and up at Dads house. We went sledding with Ashley in the Orchard. It was SOO fun. We got covered in snow each time down the hill. Some of the crashes were really comical. Tomorrow we are going to spend time with Cody's mom and then Cody's dad on Friday.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Catching Up....
Hi everyone,
I didn't realize that it has been three weeks since I blogged last. This post is going to be pretty long, but it will catch you up on what I have been up to. I have also updated Picasa with recent photos.
3 November Week
This week I had two papers due. So most of the week was spent trying my best to focus and get them done.
Saturday and Sunday (8 and 9 November)
This weekend I went to Wales with the University of Westminster Study Abroad Social Program. We started at school and took buses all over wales. On Saturday we had 3 stops.
The first was Roman barricades ruins. These were uncovered in the 80's but were from the time when the Romans were taking over the UK. There were foundations of the living quarters and a large amphitheatre. The living quarters had the first sewer systems that were seen in the UK. The would divert river water upstream and had channels that went through the barracks. The channels are where you did your business and the flow of the river water would take the nasty downstream in the channel where it would flow back into the river. It was really neat. There is a picture of me sitting on a stone bridge. There used to be a pathway here and a stone like the one I am sitting on would be where you would cross the sewage channel. There was also channels for freshwater. There was also a museum of the thing that have been dug up at the site. Bowls, armor, weapons and the like.
The next stop was Caerphilly Castle. It was in ruin as well but still really neat. From our tour guide we learned about the history of the castle and had time to explore the passageways and rooms that still remained.
The last stop of the day was an outdoor museum of Welsh life. The museum was created to preserve the history of the Welsh. Each time an important building had to be torn down the museum would go and get it and reconstruct it on the land owned by the museum. There were all types of building. There were also people in each building to tell you all about it.
Saturday night we spend in a hotel in a small town. It was nothing special but it had a real bathroom that I didn't have to share with 3 boys, so it was a treat. I roomed with a fun girl named Deborah.
Sunday the first stop was a coal mine. Wales was very prosperous at one time in history because of its coal mining. It was the place where the energy came from for the industrial revolution. It still has the highest quality of coal in the world. It is not being mined now because of bad management by Margret Thatcher. It is really sad because the unemployment rate is still huge. At the coal mine we got to wear hardhats with lights and go on a tour inside the mine. It was 30 m down into the earth. We were taught how the miners would get the coal out and how the technologies have changed over time. There was even a horse stable down there. The horses would pull the loads of coal through the tunnel to the lift to be brought out of the ground. The horses would live down there the hole lives without seeing light. Then, when they got to old or injured they would be killed for dog meat. What a terrible life. The center also had a museum above ground that we also visited.
The last stop was the Tintern Abby ruins. The ruins absolutely took my breath away. It was so tall and the building was huge. It was all done without machines. You have to look at the pictures, it is amazing. This was probably one of my favorite things I have seen in Europe.
Friday 14 November-Tuesday 18 November
Prague, Czech Republic
I went to Prague with a group of friends. There was 14 of us total, in 4 different hostels. The hostel Erin and I stayed in was really clean (nice for a hostel). The screwed up on our room placement and we ended up having to move around two of the nights but it was OK. While in Prague we visited the castle complex, the St. Charles Bridge, went to a club, city squares and some really nice cafes. The castle complex had a really nice cathedral that had some really amazing stained glass and statues. The complex itself had lots of cute little shops that were really short. The castle itself was really not that impressive compared to the other houses that I have seen. It was just a large stone building with different rooms.
The St. Charles bridge is really long and has statues of people all along it. There were also vender's and street performers all along.
The club we went to is the largest one in Eastern Europe. It had 5 floors and there were tons of people there. We danced the night away, it was fun.
The city squares and cafes were really fun. The two major city squares are from different times in history, so they are extremely different. One is really old and one is very modern. There are also cafes from different times in history all over the place. We went to one that was a replica of one in the 1900's. It was fun.
This Week
This week I have been trying to do more London tourist things. I have been to the Natural History Museum, St. Pauls Cathedral, Tower of London and the Victoria and Albert Museum. This Saturday it was a friends birthday, so a large group went dancing, it was fun.
Next weekend I am going to Paris with my friend Emily. We are going to all the big sites, the sewer museum, and Christmas Markets. I am so excited...
I didn't realize that it has been three weeks since I blogged last. This post is going to be pretty long, but it will catch you up on what I have been up to. I have also updated Picasa with recent photos.
3 November Week
This week I had two papers due. So most of the week was spent trying my best to focus and get them done.
Saturday and Sunday (8 and 9 November)
This weekend I went to Wales with the University of Westminster Study Abroad Social Program. We started at school and took buses all over wales. On Saturday we had 3 stops.
The first was Roman barricades ruins. These were uncovered in the 80's but were from the time when the Romans were taking over the UK. There were foundations of the living quarters and a large amphitheatre. The living quarters had the first sewer systems that were seen in the UK. The would divert river water upstream and had channels that went through the barracks. The channels are where you did your business and the flow of the river water would take the nasty downstream in the channel where it would flow back into the river. It was really neat. There is a picture of me sitting on a stone bridge. There used to be a pathway here and a stone like the one I am sitting on would be where you would cross the sewage channel. There was also channels for freshwater. There was also a museum of the thing that have been dug up at the site. Bowls, armor, weapons and the like.
The next stop was Caerphilly Castle. It was in ruin as well but still really neat. From our tour guide we learned about the history of the castle and had time to explore the passageways and rooms that still remained.
The last stop of the day was an outdoor museum of Welsh life. The museum was created to preserve the history of the Welsh. Each time an important building had to be torn down the museum would go and get it and reconstruct it on the land owned by the museum. There were all types of building. There were also people in each building to tell you all about it.
Saturday night we spend in a hotel in a small town. It was nothing special but it had a real bathroom that I didn't have to share with 3 boys, so it was a treat. I roomed with a fun girl named Deborah.
Sunday the first stop was a coal mine. Wales was very prosperous at one time in history because of its coal mining. It was the place where the energy came from for the industrial revolution. It still has the highest quality of coal in the world. It is not being mined now because of bad management by Margret Thatcher. It is really sad because the unemployment rate is still huge. At the coal mine we got to wear hardhats with lights and go on a tour inside the mine. It was 30 m down into the earth. We were taught how the miners would get the coal out and how the technologies have changed over time. There was even a horse stable down there. The horses would pull the loads of coal through the tunnel to the lift to be brought out of the ground. The horses would live down there the hole lives without seeing light. Then, when they got to old or injured they would be killed for dog meat. What a terrible life. The center also had a museum above ground that we also visited.
The last stop was the Tintern Abby ruins. The ruins absolutely took my breath away. It was so tall and the building was huge. It was all done without machines. You have to look at the pictures, it is amazing. This was probably one of my favorite things I have seen in Europe.
Friday 14 November-Tuesday 18 November
Prague, Czech Republic
I went to Prague with a group of friends. There was 14 of us total, in 4 different hostels. The hostel Erin and I stayed in was really clean (nice for a hostel). The screwed up on our room placement and we ended up having to move around two of the nights but it was OK. While in Prague we visited the castle complex, the St. Charles Bridge, went to a club, city squares and some really nice cafes. The castle complex had a really nice cathedral that had some really amazing stained glass and statues. The complex itself had lots of cute little shops that were really short. The castle itself was really not that impressive compared to the other houses that I have seen. It was just a large stone building with different rooms.
The St. Charles bridge is really long and has statues of people all along it. There were also vender's and street performers all along.
The club we went to is the largest one in Eastern Europe. It had 5 floors and there were tons of people there. We danced the night away, it was fun.
The city squares and cafes were really fun. The two major city squares are from different times in history, so they are extremely different. One is really old and one is very modern. There are also cafes from different times in history all over the place. We went to one that was a replica of one in the 1900's. It was fun.
This Week
This week I have been trying to do more London tourist things. I have been to the Natural History Museum, St. Pauls Cathedral, Tower of London and the Victoria and Albert Museum. This Saturday it was a friends birthday, so a large group went dancing, it was fun.
Next weekend I am going to Paris with my friend Emily. We are going to all the big sites, the sewer museum, and Christmas Markets. I am so excited...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
I can't think of a title.
Since I have not blogged in a while I thought I would do a little update. I haven't gone anywhere since Scotland, so nothing really cool has happened.
THE TUBE
The tube was a real pain last week. There kept being fire alarms (people pull them, sometimes by mistake sometimes not), signaling, faulty trains and people under the train. Yes, I did say people under the train. It happens more often than you think. The recorded message goes like this: "Due to a person under a train the Victoria line has no service between "x" and "y". " I don't really know if the people die or if they just are under the train. When it happens people don't seem to be effected by it. With 4.5 million people riding the tube each day it just is apart of life for them.
MY HAIR
I don't know what the deal is, but I have been asked about 6 times in the past week if my hair is real. I am not sure if this is a complement or not. It just bugs me that everyone assumes it is fake.
SCHOOL
I really don't like going to school right now.
COOKING
I have decided that cooking for myself is not fun. I really love cooking at home because I get to see Cody eat it and get to enjoy the time we spend eating and cleaning up.
THE COMING WEEKS
I am doing a lot of traveling in the next few weeks. This is what the next 3 weekends will be: Wales, Prague, and Paris. Wales and Prague are for sure Paris is still being planned.
THE TUBE
The tube was a real pain last week. There kept being fire alarms (people pull them, sometimes by mistake sometimes not), signaling, faulty trains and people under the train. Yes, I did say people under the train. It happens more often than you think. The recorded message goes like this: "Due to a person under a train the Victoria line has no service between "x" and "y". " I don't really know if the people die or if they just are under the train. When it happens people don't seem to be effected by it. With 4.5 million people riding the tube each day it just is apart of life for them.
MY HAIR
I don't know what the deal is, but I have been asked about 6 times in the past week if my hair is real. I am not sure if this is a complement or not. It just bugs me that everyone assumes it is fake.
SCHOOL
I really don't like going to school right now.
COOKING
I have decided that cooking for myself is not fun. I really love cooking at home because I get to see Cody eat it and get to enjoy the time we spend eating and cleaning up.
THE COMING WEEKS
I am doing a lot of traveling in the next few weeks. This is what the next 3 weekends will be: Wales, Prague, and Paris. Wales and Prague are for sure Paris is still being planned.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Edinburgh, Scotland
Mom said to make a post about Scotland. ;)
I went to Scotland.
It was really windy and rainy.
The two big attractions (castle and cathedral) were closed due to the wind.
The hostel was dirty, but they had warm water for showers.
I went on a haunted graveyard tour.
We went to a lot of pubs.
I rode on a train for a long time.
I put some pictures up on Picasa. The best ones were on one of the other girls camera, so I will post those later in the week when I get them from her.
I will edit this post later to have more detail, I just don't feel like it right now....
Hugs to everyone, miss you.
I went to Scotland.
It was really windy and rainy.
The two big attractions (castle and cathedral) were closed due to the wind.
The hostel was dirty, but they had warm water for showers.
I went on a haunted graveyard tour.
We went to a lot of pubs.
I rode on a train for a long time.
I put some pictures up on Picasa. The best ones were on one of the other girls camera, so I will post those later in the week when I get them from her.
I will edit this post later to have more detail, I just don't feel like it right now....
Hugs to everyone, miss you.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Woohoo... MAIL!
After a long day at school today I came home to the best surprise! I had mail! I mean real mail, not junk mail. My mail included my ballot to vote and ranch packets. I know, you might be wondering, ranch packets?!? This country does not have ranch. At restaurants or supermarkets, it is crazy. One of my favorite foods is ranch and frenchfries.
About two weeks ago I was telling my mom that they don't have ranch here, and how much I missed my ranch and frenchfries. So, without telling me until about a week later, mailed me ranch packets. I had a hard time finding a measuring device to make it (have not needed to buy any yet). I ended up using my camelback water bottle that Ashley gave me for Christmas. I ate my frenchfries and ranch... they were SOOO good.
Thanks Mom!
About two weeks ago I was telling my mom that they don't have ranch here, and how much I missed my ranch and frenchfries. So, without telling me until about a week later, mailed me ranch packets. I had a hard time finding a measuring device to make it (have not needed to buy any yet). I ended up using my camelback water bottle that Ashley gave me for Christmas. I ate my frenchfries and ranch... they were SOOO good.
Thanks Mom!
Monday, October 20, 2008
London Eye and Brighton
On Wednesday night 115 international students rode the London Eye and went on a pub walk. The London Eye is a giant faris wheel (450 feet tall) that towers over most of the London buildings. You can see all across the city when at the top. My camera did not take good pictures, but I did post some of them. Parliament was the most memorable to look at. The building is lite up at night to make it more spectacular than in the day. My pictures do not do it justice.
After riding the eye we went on a pub walk. I was really sick, and only went to the first pub (mainly for the free sandwiches). I was like any other pub, not really special.
On Saturday Erin and I went on a tour to Brighton. Brighton is a very popular 'get away' town on the south coast of England. There are lots of casinos, a large pier, great shopping and lots of hiking trails along the coast.
To get there we rode the overground. It took about 90 minutes to get there. We walked through the shopping districts and then went to the Royal Pavilion. The Royal Pavilion was built by Henry IV. He built the Pavilion with Asian architecture. He had never been to Asia, but built the entire thing by copying drawings that had been brought back to him by his explorers. It is known as the most unusual palace in the UK. It had many bright colors inside, dragons and snakes everywhere, and beautiful Asian themed furniture. We could not take pictures inside, but here is a website that has some, it is worth a look http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/default.asp
Next we ate fish and chips on the pier. It was a beautiful day, so there were many people on the pier. We took some pictures and then headed off to a bus that would take us more east.
The bus took us to Seven Sisters. There are seven huge chalk cliffs right in a row, which is where it gets its name. We walked about 3 miles from the bus stop to the water. The beaches in Brighton and Seven Sisters were all big rocks. I found some really neat rocks that I will bring home. There are some pictures that show the size of the rocks on my Picasa.
Back at Brighton we had just enough time to grab some quick dinner before we went back to the train station. Erin and I had crapes with corn, ham and cheese. They were so good. I think savory crapes have become one of my favorite foods since I got here.
This weekend is Scotland, I will tell you about it next week!
After riding the eye we went on a pub walk. I was really sick, and only went to the first pub (mainly for the free sandwiches). I was like any other pub, not really special.
On Saturday Erin and I went on a tour to Brighton. Brighton is a very popular 'get away' town on the south coast of England. There are lots of casinos, a large pier, great shopping and lots of hiking trails along the coast.
To get there we rode the overground. It took about 90 minutes to get there. We walked through the shopping districts and then went to the Royal Pavilion. The Royal Pavilion was built by Henry IV. He built the Pavilion with Asian architecture. He had never been to Asia, but built the entire thing by copying drawings that had been brought back to him by his explorers. It is known as the most unusual palace in the UK. It had many bright colors inside, dragons and snakes everywhere, and beautiful Asian themed furniture. We could not take pictures inside, but here is a website that has some, it is worth a look http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/default.asp
Next we ate fish and chips on the pier. It was a beautiful day, so there were many people on the pier. We took some pictures and then headed off to a bus that would take us more east.
The bus took us to Seven Sisters. There are seven huge chalk cliffs right in a row, which is where it gets its name. We walked about 3 miles from the bus stop to the water. The beaches in Brighton and Seven Sisters were all big rocks. I found some really neat rocks that I will bring home. There are some pictures that show the size of the rocks on my Picasa.
Back at Brighton we had just enough time to grab some quick dinner before we went back to the train station. Erin and I had crapes with corn, ham and cheese. They were so good. I think savory crapes have become one of my favorite foods since I got here.
This weekend is Scotland, I will tell you about it next week!
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