Just 1 week until touchdown

Hi! My name is Sophie, I study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nottingham and I'm just about to embark on the trip of a lifetime to study my third year at Oregon State University. Originally from Huntingdon, a small town in Cambridgeshire, I've been keen to explore more of the world for as long as I can remember and have been seizing every opportunity I've had since I left for university. The fact I'm writing this from Italy having just been to the Grand Prix at Monza helps to prove that point!

 

Me on the start line at Monza

Having family in the states has meant I have been able to visit many times already including trips to Texas, Michigan, Florida and most recently Oregon. It was great to get to visit where I will be studying and its made me really excited to get there. I got a taster of what's on offer visiting some of the waterfalls and national parks and getting a good view of Mount Hood where you can go skiing all year round. That is definately on my to do list! Only problem now is I have to wait 7 days to fly out and that's going to seem like forever, especially seeing friends who are abroad already! But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a daunting prospect to be moving so far away in a weeks time.

 

A refreshing drink on the hike to the top!

When I started university I never thought I would be studying abroad but after being dragged along to a meeting by a friend I became hooked on the idea. I knew straight away I would be keen to go to North America as I have always been fascinated by the USA and Canada, perhaps from the trips when I was younger or maybe its the way its portrayed on TV! One thing I was particularly keen to experience is the team spirit present at universities there and am really excited to go to my first football game when I arrive. GO BEAVS!!

 

Reser Stadium, Home of the Oregon State Beavers

The only downside I've found so far is that the climate will be similar to that of the UK so I've had to make sure I have my waterproof coat packed, oh and the long day at the embassy waiting for my visa...

But even that doesn't dampen my spirits when I think about how much fun I going to have in the next 9 months, literally living the American dream!

3 Continents down ...

Hi, I'm Shane and I study English and American Studies at the University of Nottingham. My roots are in Africa, yet I had my adolescent upbringing and majority of my schooling in a small country town in the South West of England and about three weeks ago I packed up and set off in search of my American Dream. Home-base has become the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois: a beautiful place in the Midwest that is much more than Cornfields, although the locals continue to ask me "why did you come to a cornfield?" 

Well, because the University of Illinois is so much more than Cornfields; it was my top choice of Institution when I applied for the incredible opportunity to visit the land of the free and the home of the brave. At home I'm obsessed with American T.V. shows from Greys Anatomy and Brothers and Sisters to New Girl and Friends. Having watched these from a young age I became obsessed with the phenomenon that was America, then when i got to University and had the opportunity to study it's history and literature, my American Dream was born. 

I admire America greatly for their patriotism, pride for their sports teams, their optimism and determination to always fight for their rights and stand up for their beliefs, as cliche as that might sound. I believe there is no other place in the world like it so an opportunity to spend a year interacting with these people and experiencing their home and their way of life was too good to pass up. My first taste of this was offered at Quad day, which for English University Students is Freshers Fair'. All the clubs and societies have stalls on the quad and the band performed with all the pride and enthusiasm the Americans are so well known for. 

Illinois was my top choice because it ticked all the boxes for the aspects of America life I wanted to experience. It is part of a football league called the Big 10 and therefore offered a fantastic American Football culture, something unique to us Brits. It boasts the biggest Greek System in the country (Fraternities and Sororities for those who don't know) which is a quintessentially American college experience that is too good to pass up, it is home to 40, 000 students to provide the 'big college experience' and it such a diverse range of courses that I would not have the opportunity to study at home. 

I arrived after almost 24 hours of no sleep, onto what I could only fathom at that point was a movie set similar to that of American Pie or Beaver Falls. The Fraternity Houses, the crossroads and road signs, the novelty of where I was struck me as both amazing and overwhelming. When I checked into my halls I was sure I was in the wrong place because the dorm I was shown to resembled a hotel. I think the University was trying to impress the international students because they put some of us in a brand new hall that had been built over the summer, fit with a marble bathroom. That's right, marble!

Although I've only been here for three weeks, I've already and the opportunity to travel to the beautiful city of St. Louis in Missouri, over Labor Day Weekend. The journey started off rocky when we were stuck on a broken down bus 10 minutes before we were meant to catch up greyhound to St. Louis. Luckily my Australian roommate had the idea to hitchhike, so we flagged down a kind American gentleman who sped us to the bus terminal and refused to take any money despite us insisting. His generosity sums up how the majority of Americans I've interacted with have been so far. 

In St. Louis we had the opportunity to visit the Gateway Arch, famous was symbolising the westward expansion into America (a history lesson: you're welcome). We also visited a Blues festival in Downtown St. Louis and experienced the stunning view from a rooftop bar with a 360 view of the city. This weekend I proudly put on my Orange stash and took my place amongst a stadium of cheering fans for my first American Football Game. Ever. However, I would describe it more as a show. Every time we scored a touchdown fireworks were set off in celebration. This was fairly regularly as we smashed Cincinnati 45-17. One of my favourite parts was the band who accompanied the game throughout and performed renditions of Rihanna's we found love and Carly Rae Jepson's 'Call Me Maybe' during the halftime show. I love football. 

As well as further football games, I'm hoping to experience every sporting game the University offers including basketball, baseball, Ice-Hockey and Volleyball. A unique social event in the Cornfields are Barn dances which I also can't wait for as well as Halloween America. I hear they go BIG for Halloween. Away from the home base I'm hoping to do a lot more travelling both to the East and West coast as well as a few places in between. This weekend I'm actually heading to Chicago for the very first time with some friends to tick off Willis Tower, Millennium Park, Chicago Town Pizza (in Chicago) and Navy Pier. Mostly I just want to meet some amazing people and experience things I've never done before.

Well thats a little introduction to me beginning my American Dream. Hopefully a lot more exciting things to come. For now I'm gonna head to the pool and make the most of Illinois' stunning weather. Cheers for now! 

Stuck on a Cruise Missile Bound for the American Dream

CONNECTICUT

My name is Richard Rowlands, and I'm a 20 year old English and American Studies student at the University of Nottingham, currently on a year abroad at the University of Connecticut (UCONN).

Originally from a small, Welsh speaking town in North Wales, I am still regularly baffled as to how a long series of events and decisions has successfully resulted in me leaving the comfortingly banal embrace of the Clwydian Mountain Range and has instead placed me amidst the vast and varied expanse of the North American continent. I know that it has something to do with the following:

1) A desire to experience and to immerse myself in the hyper-real world that is the United States.
2) An intuitive need to live life in another country in order to learn more about myself as well as the rest of the world.
3) A vague notion of being in pursuit of the American Dream, both spiritually and physically.
4) Having girls obsess over me because of my British accent.

At an American Football game with some Australian exchange students

Originally, my intention was to live in somewhere that would be considered 'real America': my conception of 'real America' at this time was somewhere where there would be a lot of hillbillies driving around in trucks with a shotgun over one shoulder and a dead alligator over the other, shouting "'Murica!" at every possible opportunity and where most of the people wouldn't be sure whether or not Britain was in Europe, let alone whether or not Wales was in Britain. In other words, I wanted to go to Louisiana. The decision to come to UCONN was more my dad's than it was my own. When I told him the options I had of which American universities to go to, he began to research them all obsessively, mostly in terms of safety and academic reputation. As he was doing so, I started to think a bit more soberly about whether or not I really wanted to go to somewhere where I might still be mistaken for a spy working for the Red Coats, and I simultaneously realised that I wanted to stay as far away from lenient gun laws as possible. It was around this time that my dad suggested UCONN: located in a small New England state rich with American history; in close proximity to both New York City and Boston; also close to the Canadian border, should I wish to travel there; and a place of high academic repute, whilst still boasting a reputation of being something of a partying college. I realised then that this was the place that I wanted to go to.

We visited Yale university on our travels. Elihu Yale- the benefactor- was actually from North Wales, and there's a Yale college in Wrexham. It isn't quite as famous as its North American equivalent though

I arrived approximately four weeks ago with my dad and brother, seven days before college began: we spent that week driving around some of New England. My first impression was as follows: After getting briefly detained at the airport for not having a DS-2019 form, dad rented a car and his atrocious driving on the interstate led to a woman leaning out of her SUV and screaming/ flipping the bird at us as she drove past. We finally arrived at the hotel and while dad and I were checking in, we noticed that a dubious looking woman was talking to my hilariously naive brother on a sofa whilst being watched by a guy making tense hand signals to her, and when we approached they both ran off to a lift and the woman's tracksuit trousers fell down, revealing a sight that will forever be tattooed into my irises. That night, I asked myself: what on earth have I gotten myself into by coming here for a year?

The rest of the week was, in stark contrast, a wonderful experience. What struck us was just how friendly everyone was: every person whom we asked for directions would stop what they were doing and go out of their way to make sure that we'd find our desired destination. Everyone was fascinated by our accents and wanted to know where we were from, and seemed overjoyed to have us in their country. Then we discovered Dunkin' Donuts. It is huge here- Boston alone has 131 of them (apparently). It is the quintessential American experience: within any of its outlets' four hallowed walls, you will find a huge range of diversity (in terms of doughnuts); the freedom to do and have whatever you can think of, providing you can afford it (you must have a large strawberry frozen coffee with extra cream at some point before you die); gluttony and excess; consumerism (I bought a Dunkin' Doughnuts t-shirt); and finally, friendly customer service.

What the American Dream actually looks like

The college experience here is vastly different to our own in Nottingham. Firstly, I share a room with three other people: which, so far, has only been great fun. Sports here are so much bigger: the people from all over the State come to watch the different teams play in huge stadiums. The men's soccer team (I am already calling it soccer- I'll probably be crucified when I get home) are currently the best team in the nation- and a season ticket is only $20. Just going to see one Wrexham game costs more than that, and they're absolutely hopeless at the moment. The people are different too: everyone is a lot louder and more extroverted, which at times is irritating, but on the whole I think it will be a good way of improving one's confidence by simply being around them. Also, you will perhaps be surprised as to how un-stylish the Americans are: in Nottingham, not wearing something from Jack Wills is an admission of irreversible poverty and self-loathing, whereas here, everyone wears horrendously garish running shoes, shapeless beige shorts and ketchup stained sleeveless vests. No one cares, and I like it.

Finally (and let's be honest, most importantly) what they say about the British accent in America is true: I feel like a celebrity every time a word comes out of my mouth. It truly is amazing. The other night, I managed to convince a busload of students to sing the American national anthem for me: it was one of the most bizarre- but amazing- experiences of my life. I've only been here for a month but time is already going by too quickly. Hopefully in nine months time I will have achieved my dream of waking up in a prison cell in Las Vegas, with a dead alligator draped over one shoulder and Donald Trump's daughter over the other, and with a Dunkin' Doughnuts iced coffee spilled over my horrendously garish running shoes. In the time in between however, UCONN has already proven that it has the ability to cater for my every narcissistic need and I'm savouring every moment.

‘’Basically the middle of nowhere‘’

Hi, my name is Kieran, I am a 3^rd Year American Studies Undergraduate at the University of Nottingham and I’m studying here at Emory and Henry College in Southwest Virginia for this academic year. The primary motivation behind me choosing this course was that I would be given the opportunity to study abroad, so to say that this year is a big deal for me is something of an understatement. When we grow up we are bombarded with images of America and American culture, so perhaps maybe that’s why the United States fascinates me so much.

I chose Emory and Henry primarily because of its location (the school is basically set in the middle of a mountain range), which suggested a great deal of outdoor extracurricular activities in prospect. The downside to this arrangement is the remoteness – not only did I have to take a connecting flight from Atlanta, it took another hour’s drive from the tiny local airport in Johnson City to make it to the town of Emory, Virginia, which is essentially just the campus and a couple of shops. ’We’re basically in the middle of nowhere’, was how one student put it.

The people here are startlingly friendly even to strangers, which makes a strange though welcome contrast to living in Nottingham – you would be hard pressed to take a walk around campus in the daytime and not see someone you knew. The strangest thing I’ve noticed is how much difficulty people have had pronouncing my name correctly. While I can understand having to repeat my name if I had an inordinately large forename and a triple barrelled surname, I have never before encountered an entire culture of people who struggle wrap their tongues around my own. I have been asked if I was a Karen, a Kareem and even a Quran –unsurprisingly, I have had to content myself with being known simply as ‘that British guy’.

While I make it seem as though the pace of life here is slow and without excitement, one American institution that endures even here is one catalogued by a number of my fellow bloggers, the never ending obsession with college football. The number of people on campus increased five-fold as people flooded to watch the Emory and Henry ‘’Wasps’’ in action for the season opener (‘Why Wasps?’ I asked a fellow student. ‘We’re the only ones in the country with that mascot’, was the enigmatic reply). With a travelling support of around 100, there were around as many opposition players as supporters, which either says a lot about their support base or our remoteness, and in the absence of an away dressing room the opposition had to spend half time clustered together under the shade of a nearby tree, in full view of the home stands. Even in the face of these inconveniences, they would surely have been less than content to leave with their tails between their legs, having been trounced 49-14. While the score meant for a less than enthralling second half to the game, I get the impression a closer game will be more than worth the free admission price.

In all, my first few weeks in Emory have been enjoyable and infrequently exciting. While I find myself struggling to say I have actually achieved anything over recent days except make a few friends and study Harry Potter, I get the impression there is far more to this place than meets the eye.

And did I mention there ‘s a TRAIN that runs through the campus?

"Texas Y'all" - Texas A&M University 2013-14

Dave Ford.

   Hi, I’m Dave, a third year studying Politics & American studies.  Given that I’ve never even read a blog before, writing one is  certainly a daunting prospect, but here goes. I’ll start then by saying that my decision to come to Texas A&M was not entirely   my own – in fact Texas A&M was at the absolute bottom of my   list of preferred US universities – it was allocated to me! (Due in most part to my lack of organisation) So after a summer  of much trepidation, it would be an understatement to say that I  was a little unenthused on the morning of my departure to  Dallas. This coupled with my abhorrence for air-travel made the  8-hour connecting flight from Heathrow to Dallas an interesting  one. That said, and as my personal note to the nervous  traveller, I will mention at this point that a Gin & Tonic at regular  intervals  will make air travel an altogether more enjoyable  experience (I  shan’t disclose the exact number of G&T’s I  consumed en transit).

However (and in spite of my irretrievably negative start), I could not be happier to be at Texas A&M. In fact I think that it could well be the making of me! Going into this experience I had certain preconceived ideas about Texas (anyone would), many of which turned out to be true, but many turned out to be untrue. For example, and I have my mother and her unabashed love of the 80’s hit show Dallas to thank for this, I came to Texas with the firm belief that every man woman and child would be adorned in a Stetson, cow boy boots and  gun holsters, whilst championing wayward political views and harbouring a questionable attitude to anyone who wasn’t a white Texan. This is not true (well partially). In fact, many of the people who I have met, have been extremely normal and extremely nice, which has come as a huge relief to this English boy who point blank refused to engage in any form of Country & Western contact before even arriving in Texas.

Though I’d happily ramble on about the various nuances of Texan Culture, I suppose I am obliged at some point to mention the more serious matters of life at Texas A&M. I’ll start by mentioning Hart Hall, which is where I was designated to live for my two semesters at A&M. I’ll choose my words carefully when I say that Hart Hall attracts those from the stranger side of the personality spectrum – which is both a blessing and a curse – but I can conclusively say that is never boring. The classes (lectures) are definitely my highlight so far, and although Texas is renowned for its engineering and business majors, there are certainly alternatives (I’m doing History of Art and Film). Football is unsurprisingly a big deal in Texas, but there are a range of sports that can be enjoyed – including ice hockey, baseball, basketball and soccer. Most importantly though, never underestimate the potency of an English accent in America, you wouldn’t believe the perks it gets you – including free tickets to Football games!

To Sum up, I Love Texas. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that there is not one thing I haven’t enjoyed since being here. Even the quirky little A&M traditions that I had originally mocked (I’m English, and therefore allowed to be condescending), I have come to love. Traditions including Reveille the mascot Dog – A Dog surrounded by so much mythology and so much mystery that it is to be addressed as “Ma’am” if seen around Campus. A Dog that is so highly revered that if caught barking in a lecture, the Class is deemed boring and irrelevant and immediately dismissed (My question is – why does the dog go to lectures in the first place? Weird) In Short, Come to Texas A&M, it might not be your first choice, but you will absolutely not regret coming here.

I personally feel that this image speaks for itself - Long live Texan House parties!

  

New England

New England 

Hi everyone! My name is Victoria Cure and I study Law with American Law at the University of Nottingham. For the next year I will be studying at the University of Connecticut, School of Law. Living in New England is not a totally foreign concept to me – between the ages of two and six, I called Massachusetts home. I went to an American school, had American friends and even had an American accent! Since moving home to the UK I had always had a soft spot for America and so when the opportunity came up to study abroad in the USA, I just had to apply!

On a rather sunny morning on the 12^th August 2013 I boarded a plane to Newark from Heathrow, feeling slightly nervous at the prospect of moving 3372 miles from home. The feeling was somewhat different to that I had experienced when moving into Hugh Stewart Hall at the start of my freshers week in 2011. Back then I always knew that my family weren’t more than a couple of hours drive away and effectively that I could pop back to Solihull for home comforts whenever I fancied. Now though, I knew the next time I would be able to drink orange squash, have proper Dairy Milk chocolate and see home was going to be in four months time, at Christmas. But you know what, that knowledge, although slightly nerve wracking was actually pretty exciting!

As soon as the plane touched down at Newark, things started to get interesting! As I stood up to wait to leave the plane, I noticed a women standing at the front of the cabin. After trying to work out whether she was just a lookalike (because it appears the camera puts on a few inches in height and because I think she may have had some plastic surgery since I last saw her on TV) I realized that Sharon Osborne had been on the flight. Unfortunately though, there are no photos – airport security is pretty strict.

Even though a lot of the place names are the same - there’s a Manchester and even a few Nottinghams – don’t be fooled, America is pretty different from the UK. Firstly there was the heat! Although we’ve been assured that the heat was nothing compared to the scorching summer they have had this year, to my pasty British skin mid-August felt pretty hot.  Secondly there are certain words and phrases that when said lead to a few blank looks on people’s faces. Aside from the obvious ones like sidewalk/ pavement, trunk/ boot, there were a few other words that people had never heard of – people think when I talk about orange squash that I’m talking about the vegetable. Thirdly, at every society meeting or event, there will be food. This is definitely something that I think we should start in the UK! If you go to enough meetings you can pretty much not buy groceries for the first week or two! On that note, when you walk into a supermarket over here be prepared to not be able to recognize most of the foods and products even though English is your first language! Lastly the drinking age in the USA is 21… this normally means not only that you can’t drink but also that you won’t be let into the bar. However, turning 21 in the US is a pretty big deal and its cool to be able to say that you celebrated your birthday in Vegas or New York. There is still fun to be had, even if you aren’t 21. Connecticut is located in an ideal position to travel to New York and Boston! In the next few weeks I’m planning on visiting these cities and will keep you up to date on my adventures!

Essex Girl takes on Montreal!!

I’m Katherine, I study Chemistry and I'm originally from Essex but for this year I’m going to be in Montreal, studying at Concordia (Go Stingers!).

I wish I could say that I chose to go on a year abroad because of the opportunities to network and the influence on my CV but if I’m being honest, it was for far less important but more exciting reasons like “It’s cold enough to ski in Canada” and “Ooh, I might see a bear!”. I chose Montreal specifically because I liked the idea that I might improve my appalling schoolgirl French, but having been here two weeks, I can testify that even though the official language of Quebec is French, their English is better than flawless - it’s certainly better than mine, anyway! Having said all that, I can now ask for a metro ticket in French and they don’t immediately switch to English and ask me to repeat myself, so hey, improvement!

Concordia isn’t a very well-known university compared to others in Montreal, but since I’ve been here, it’s never failed to impress me. Concordia has its own chapel, theatre, cinema, cooperative food bank, an underground system connecting the buildings, a non-profit vegan lunch café, the list goes on. I’m lucky enough to be on Loyola campus, which is further out of the city than the main campus, but it is incredibly beautiful. And the Montreal public transport is so good that I never have to walk more than a block to get anywhere anyway!

I have been in Montreal for two weeks, but only started classes a couple of days ago. I can’t say that I’ve absolutely adored every minute of it, but that is mainly because I’ve been starting at 8:45 in the morning, and frankly that’s not my favourite time of day! But the lecturers are all lovely, the classes are really small which is good but weird and I guess getting up early just gives me more time to discover exciting new things, right?

Although I’m sure if you’ve read any others of these about Canada then you’ve already read this, but being in Montreal has confirmed the Canadian stereotype that they are some of the friendliest people in the world. And much to my amusement, they do genuinely insert ‘Eh’ into sentences, and are pretty keen on ice hockey. I guess there are some stereotypes for a reason. But their friendliness is certainly the most striking thing about the Canadians, from the bus drivers to the little old ladies at the supermarket.

Having said that, there was a worrying moment about a week ago when someone attempted to help and instead only managed to scare us somewhat. A couple of friends and I decided to go up Mont Royal, which is one of the highest points in Montreal. We were discussing it on the bus when a girl turned around and told us that we would have to scale sheer cliff faces and we might have to hitchhike back. She left the bus with a friendly “I’m only over this side, so if you do send a flare up…” Believe me, there’s nothing reassuring about that, no matter how nice she was being by offering her advice. On reflection, we should have been more prepared for the trip though, we made a spur of the moment decision so it was getting dark and in the least girly way possible, I was wearing the most inappropriate shoes! Sometimes though, you have to take the risk I guess, because the view of Montreal is worth getting scared out of your skin by a couple of raccoons and having to seriously ask yourself “how do you hitchhike from the top of a hill?!”.

I’ve learnt a lot of things here already, like the national animal of Canada is the beaver and not the moose, $100 bills are scented like maple syrup (really!) and Tim Hortons do the best doughnuts.

But I also know I’ve got a lot to learn yet. I’ve been to a football game but still have no idea of the rules, so maybe that’s a place to start? Regardless, I’m looking forward to it.