BURGERS, BATHS, & STONES

This week is an exciting week! My friend Erika is going to come and visit me! What is so exciting is I haven’t seen her for nearly a year. She happens to go to NAU with me amd we both lived in Sechrist freshman! She is currently studying over in Groningen in The Netherlands and I seriously was flipping out with excitement for her arrival. Katie volunteered to come with me to the station so I didn’t have to walk there alone and we waited several minutes before Erika’s train arrived. At first, I thought she wasn’t in the mass crowd of people that walked out but then she popped out and I ran over to her open arms for a hug. I seriously was so happy that she decided to come and visit me. 

That day it also happened to be Eric’s (USAC buddy from Chico State) twenty first birthday so of course, we all went out and ended up at Pryzm. Before we went over to the club a few of us were starving and we went to grab a bite at Grubb Burgers which never fails to hit the spot. Erika was a trooper after a day of travel and joined us all as well with this adventure. Although we got elbows to our faces and such, it was a great night of crazy lights and dancing.

The next day it was raining and we both were tired from the night before that we chose to stay in and head over to 29B for a movie day where we ate lots of popcorn and drank plenty of tea. Friday, Erika and I hopped on a train to head out to London. We got free tickets for the London Eye so of course, we accepted them. We immediately took the underground towards London Eye and jumped in line, which moved fairly quickly! I had yet to ride the Eye being in England and so you could imagine how excited I was to do so, especially with Erika to create this memory with. 

We wandered the streets a bit afterwards and visited all the touristy things and hit most of what Erika wanted to see before we knew it, the sun was down and it was time to head back to Brighton. 

The next morning was an early one. Tom, Tiana, Katie, Erika, and I were off to Bristol. We explored the streets of Bristol, took a visit to the campus, dropped into Weatherspoons to grab a drink and some lunch, and we happened to come a cross a free museum as well which was pretty neat!

Next, we went to go check into our bed & breakfast which happened to be very nice! We had the whole building almost to ourselves and I was even more excited that the kitchen had tubs of cereal. Once we took a mini break, we all jumped back into the car to head to Bath. Although it was a short visit to that city; it was beautiful and worth it. Katie and I went to the visit the Roman Baths Exhibition which we had handy audio tour guide to teach us about the history on the baths and how it was built, it was actually really neat experience. We then reached the end of the tour and took a few silly pictures right to close.

Afterwards, we went on and found the rest of the group then we went back to our B&B. We changed into our pajamas, snuggled into bed and watched a movie until all of us fell asleep one by one. Sunday morning was our last day in Bristol and had Stonehenge on our agenda for the day. For breakfast, a neighbourhood cat joined us since Katie insisted we let it inside, I ate lots of cereal and toast, and of course had a cup of tea. Before heading out of Bristol, we went to try and find the market, which sadly wasn’t open but we did happen to come across a street market where locals sold jewellery and their art, it was awesome. I actually found my mom a present for Mother’s Day which I hope she will end up liking! After we wrapped up our time in Bristol, we were off to go see some stones! Alas, we arrive to the car park for Stonehenge and we had a nice welcoming present of wind but no stupid wind ain’t stopping us. We grabbed some audio tour guides where we learned about the area of Stonehenge and some history, but the question on “why” was not answered, no one really seems to know why Stonehenge exists and what’s its purpose. Besides that, it wasn’t lame at all! I thought it was really cool to see and I definitely suggest to take a visit if you get the chance in England.

At the end of the tour, we got on the shuttle and looked around in the gift shop. Right outside the shop, they had a display of one of the stones and how they believe they transported the stones over and it gave anyone the chance to try and pull it, let me tell you it wasn’t easy but it said that I needed 99 more men to help me pull it rather than 100. I’ll take it.

Erika, Payton, Kasey, and I decided to walk over to Stanmer House the following morning for some breakfast, tea, and lovely conversation; which happened to be SO bloody good.

Since Erika was departing that day and Kasey had class, we had to cut our visit short and went on with our days. I got to show Erika the city centre where we explored my favourite areas and of course we took a photo booth picture.

Time went by so fast that day and sadly we had to head home so she wouldn’t miss her train. Once we got home, she packed up her last bit of stuff and we were off to the station. We hugged and said our goodbyes and I walked back to my flat without her. Although I was sad saying bye, I know for a fact it wasn’t the last time I will be seeing her! I had such an amazing week during her visit and I can’t wait to see where life will take our friendship next. x

Until next time,
Amanda x

Now Playing: XO – Beyoncé

NEWBIES, AVOCADOS, & VALENTINES

The time had finally come where the new group of USAC kids arrived to Brighton and to be honest, I was quite nervous to meet everyone. We all decided to go to a pub with whoever was already there to grab a drink and get to know one another. It was nice sitting down hearing about where everyone was from and what they were studying, it was just the beginning but I knew that I would like this new group.

As some of you may or may not know, I actually dyed my hair teal and it looked sweet with my ombre. It lasted for probably a little over a month but since its time to save up for spring break, I made a sacrifice and dyed my hair back to my natural colour since it was a little pricey to keep up the teal. Moving on, A few of us went to explore Stanmer Park the following day just for kicks which is when I discovered my love for the tea there. It is hands down my favourite tea place by taste so so so much. Not to mention that Stanmer Park is seriously a beautiful area as well. Later that night we had a small super bowl get-together but hardly any of us made it to the half time show because by then it was already 2 AM so all came to the conclusion to just head too bed since we figured we could catch the highlights online. With the new group not having a Tuesday here in Brighton yet; Joel, Katie, Josh and I (the year longs) decided to take them all out for Tequila Tuesday at the Hobgoblin. From there we moved to the green door store which the queue was killer so we decided to pass and go home to play some games back at home, which was just as fun. I was beginning to get good vibes from the newbies. 

That following weekend, flat 31 decided to throw a welcome party for the new USAC group and whoever else that was new between the three “international” flats (I say “international” because this semester majority of flat 30 is from England). Sunday morning resulted in having brunch with Josh, Dan, Roxane, and Katie. It was a nice way to end the weekend after such a hectic week showing the newbies the ropes of Brighton.

What I found interesting here in England is that Valentine’s day isn’t hyped up as it is back in the states which was nice being single and all, BUT I had an awesome day!! It began with a field trip to East Sussex where we visited Beachy Head and Battle of Hastings. The bus rides to the any field trips are always fun; I was surrounded by Bram, Barbra, and Verlee (the dutchies in the USAC group), as well as Mclaren and Katie; we just jammed and chatted, it was quite lovely. 

Later when we got free time – Katie, Allie, Danielle, Bram, Verlee, Barbra and I all decided to sit down for some tea. Since our feet were muddy from the cliffs, we had to put on the booty bags that they provided which cracked me up because it looked hilarious. Besides that, the tea and scones we had were SOOOO GOOD. After Hastings we went this lovely pub where I got Shepard’s Pie and half pint of Thatcher’s (one of my favourites). I got really sad driving by sheep fields after we ate because of my consumption of Shepard’s Pie (which has lamb in it) but we came to the conclusion that I ate the sheep that bullied the other sheep, so it was all good. When we got home, Katie and I exchanged our Valentines gifts (Hint: we were one another friend valentine). I got her a little plush puppy with a heart in its mouth and chocolate; she got me a hedgehog pillow and chocolate. Katie and I thought it’d be a good idea to also start planning for Spring Break which was originally just the two of us but Savannah, McLaren, and Danielle joined in last minute which I am super stoked!! Later that night, a bunch of us decided to stay in and watch movies together; I would say that Valentine’s Day was a success.

One thing that I am learning overseas is how to cook, which I think is a pretty good skill to learn. I am starting off with the basics like learning to boil potatoes and pasta. I think I’m pretty close to perfecting sunny side up eggs! I also have been looking at recipes on Pinterest... I actually found this chicken avocado burrito recipe and its so good!!! I can’t stop making it for myself, it also doesn’t help that I am so obsessed with avocados right now – but you can find the recipe HERE; I can’t wait to take what I have been learning here back to the states and share it with everyone.

MY FIRST BOILED POTATOES

A group of us decided to take the bus over to Hove to explore the other side Brighton including check the colourful beach huts. As we were on the beach, the tide caught me off guard which got me soaked up to my knees. As we got our pictures and hung out a bit, we got a bit chilly so we ventured out to go and find some place we can eat at. We came across a pub, surprise surprise, which was decently priced and tasty. I shared nachos with Katie and it was quite delicious. 

Sam, Savannah, Verlee, Payton, Me, and Katie

The next day happened to be Bram’s 24^th birthday! We started playing a few games in flat 31A which was later joined by cake that Barbra and V provided. We also got these sweet straw glasses for Bram. After the games we then headed towards city centre where we had such a blast celebrating together for Bram’s twenty fourth. T’was a great night with my mates.

By the way: CHECK OUT THE LAST FEW BLOG POSTS VIA YOUTUBE RIGHT HERE

 Until next time, Amanda x

Now Playing: Pools by Glass Animals

SHOPS, MAFIA, & PARTIES

What I realised about studying abroad is how much I enjoy and cherish the quality time that I get with anyone here. I can’t even explain how quickly I have grown to know so many individuals in such a short amount of time. It usually takes me several months or even years to be so comfortable around certain people, I guess it helps how we are live only a few steps away from each other. I just love all of the friends that I have been making her in Brighton and I am so stoked that I get to share this amazing opportunity with so many rad individuals.

One lovely individual I got to spend time with was my lovely French flatmate, Nedale. I showed her one of my favourite juice shops (42juice) in town, we explored around bought some things that we needed and just chatted. It was really nice getting to know her because I lacked on doing this last semester since I was so focused getting to hang out with others outside of my living quarters. Speaking of living quarters and flatmates, my flatmates are so great. I am so thankful to be living with such amazing individuals; yes 31A, I am talking about you (although room 8 is still a mystery, I don’t really know you… he ignores us and plays WOW).

What else I really love is how a few weeks ago, a group of us met in my flat for some beers and we played jungle speed and mafia (not into the beer but loved playing games). Both games got fairly competitive and it got pretty loud! Lots of shouting and frustration but it was a lot of fun, I definitely want to do that again sometime. 

On a random note, Brighton got a light blanket of snow the other day! Woke up to it before lecture but it all melted before I left the flat. Katie and I decided to stay in the following day since neither of us had class and study in my kitchen, its always nice to just relax and hang out.

Earlier I forgot to mention that the friends that left were just the USAC group aka the Americans due to the fact their second semester started in a few short weeks after Christmas; so I still had the European exchange students to cling on too. Like Daniel, who originally studies in Amsterdam. We took advantage of the free time we had with classes being over and explored Brighton before he headed back home. I feel like no matter how many times I go into town, I find a new café I want to try out or a cute shop I want to buy everything in! I JUST LOVE THAT!! Exploring the city centre never gets old to me. 

Later that week, Josh invited a few of us to join him and his classmates to a pub where we ended up Sticky Mike’s Frog bar where we chatted over pints and played some foozeball. Speaking of pints, I am not really a beer person so I go for cider, but I found this cider that tastes like Toffee Apple! It is super good and super sweet, so I couldn’t drink it that often, but it was a nice find.

Fast forwarding a few days: Tiana, Tom, Daniel, and I got into Tom’s car to head over to Eastbourne for Daniel since he was leaving soon and had yet to see the lovely Beachy Head. It was so bloody windy that it could hold my body weight up… it was mental!!! 

NOMM NOMM

After losing feeling in my toes and fingers, we decided to warm up in the restaurant close by where we got hot cocoas and coffee as well as grab a bite to eat. On the drive home, we drove into a parking lot to check out the cliffs on the beach, but since it was so chilly the stay wasn’t that long. Overall, the mini day trip was very pleasant and lovely.

I will be closing this post with a sad but fun memory: the goodbye party that flat 30A had thrown. It was really great to hang out with everyone before they departed back to their home countries. I could honestly say that I made so many lifelong friends this past semester and I am so lucky to be able to say that. Within the next week, everyone starting to leave one by one and it hurt so bad to say goodbye to everyone. IT hurts just thinking about it. Le sigh, oh well...LIFE GOES ON.  Cheers to everyone who made semester one so amazing and to wherever life takes you all. Love you all a lot.

Cheers,

Amanda x

Now Playing: Sugar by Maroon 5

FIREWORKS, GOALS, & GOODBYES.

Happy new year! Yes, it is almost mid-march and I am wishing you a happy new year. So much has happened since I last blogged and I promise (I swear this time) I will keep up with them and post weekly so you aren’t bombarded with long posts. Although, I will be breaking up the next few posts within the next few days so that I can catch up with my blog.

In other news rewinding a few months back to New Years Eve/New Years Day: I got to spend it with my lovely friends Kataraiina (who was visting me from Finland), Hannah, Evan, and Christofer. We hung out, got dressed with silly headbands with these bobbly things on them and we drank our chosen drinks with silly straws. When the time got close to midnight, we all hopped on a city bus to head to the beach hoping to catch some fireworks. We got there and there was a huge crowd of people sitting around bonfires as well as playing with fire, which was frightening when I am pretty sure that they were drunk; there were some people dancing to music, so much good vibes that night. I almost forgot to mention that I was so close to being blasted by a firework by a guy who tripped over a lit firework that was about to go off!!!! Midnight was coming close and people than began the count down. As my phone time change to midnight, we all wished each other a happy new year as we all shared a bottle of wine; we even got hugs from drunken people who were just stoked on life, it was awesome. We also got to enjoy everyone setting off their own fireworks, so we got a small show!! It was a very simple and laid back NYE celebration and I was quite alright with that. The only bummer thing that happened that night was getting into an overpriced cab because the buses were running a little slow that night. As for my new years resolutions you can check out a youtube video I did about that right HERE.

With new years comes the resolutions and one of mine was to take photography a bit more seriously therefore I worked on a new logo and launched a website! You can check that out if you’d like. -- amandaharle.com

Returning back to Brighton after spending Christmas Holiday back in the states was bittersweet… I was excited to be joined by Katariina at the airport to spend a week with her but it was so weird being back at Paddock Field and everyone was gone. It was weird to wrap my mind that I won’t see everyone everyday anymore, I really do miss you all (if you are reading this). By the time I post this, the new group will be here and it will be really strange seeing strangers fill the rooms of the new friends that I made.

As for my modules: my last semester courses I just received my grades back and I did fairly well, which I am glad about. As for this semester, one of my classes is sort of challenging but the other is a breeze; so I guess that evens everything out. At one point within the last few months, I dyed my hair teal but turned it back to brown because it was sort of expensive to keep colouring it. I figured that the money I was paying for the teal dye could go towards spring break in Italy and Scotland.

To wrap up this blog post, all I know is how much I hate saying goodbye (that will never change) but I know that I am so in love with the city I get to call home for the next few months, it will be so hard to leave you Brighton.

Until next time,

Amanda x

NOW PLAYING: Eden by Hozier