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.

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 Until next time, Amanda x

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