Some Pictures!

Now for some pictures! I know you have all been anxiously awaiting these. Thanks to Lan for sharing her photos with me since she knows how to work her camera - I can't get the flash working on mine. :-( Anyway, here ya go!




This is my bed rooom - it's very small!


Flatmates Alice (from France), Matthew (from San Fran, CA), Hannah (from Germany - but she doesn't live in our flat), and Me


Here we are cleaning up after dinner - Matthew took this for us while he swept the floor. We had a great assembly line going - I washed dishes, Hannah and Alice dried them, and Lan (flatmate from China) put them away.

Dinner was great tonight because Alice made a tuna and tomato quiche. She wasn't sure it would turn out well, but it was yummy! Hannah brought a bottle of red wine, and I had made the banana nut bread, which was a hit. Lan has asked for the recipe. Matt said he was in heaven while I cooked it because he could smell it from his room. Here's what dinner looked like. :-)

Banana Bread, Lemon Coke, & Cooking?

So I've got these bananas that are about to go bad. I HAD to do something with them since I am not eating them as quickly as I thought I would. So what do I decide to do? Oh yes, you know it! Make Banana Nut Bread - my absolute favorite food (ok, that's a lie) in the world. But it is my favorite bread to make. So off I went to the Tesco to buy supplies - i.e. EVERYTHING because we have nothing here. Spent about $200 (sorry Dad - a girl's got to eat though!) & found everything BUT shortening. Now, shortening is an essential ingredient when it comes to bread making. Basically it is a solid cooking oil (thanks to Mom for telling me this at 7am Owensboro time - yes, I called her that early in the morning). The Welsh have no such thing as shortening. So off I go back to the Village, down-trodden and all because I can't make my bread. Alas, mom calls - use lard! Well, the Spar in the Village does not have lard. OK, how about buttermilk (my suggestion). Which means I need lemon juice ... hmmm ... can't find lemon juice. But, right as I am about to give up, what od I spy? A plastic lemon filled with lemon juice! Woohoo! I'm set. So I have made my banana bread - the batter was YUMMY, raw eggs and all! The bread, however, is a little burnt thanks to the funky oven temperatures. Oh well, I am sure it will still be good. It's just cooling now.

Next task - make Lemon Coke. Now you ask, what in the world? Well, it's a European beverage, very popular in France. Coke bottles it - just adds a touch of lemon & it is divine. Well, I bought some coke. I've got lemon juice! I miss them together AND ... yeah, no difference. Guess I have to go back to France for my lemon coke. Or I should just stop drinking coke all together because I have had quite a few while here.

So I've cooked and I've cleaned & it's been an adventure. Next will be dinner ... hmmm, I'm making chicken with green beans, new potatoes, & maybe asparagus. We'll see what happens with that one ... new update later on that one. Will try to post a picture of the bread later so you can see how it turned out. And I do have some pics of the place, so I'll have to figure out how to put those on the computer as well & upload them.

Give five one-word descriptions of yourself.

Give five one-word descriptions of yourself.

Now, ponder that one. Only five ONE-word descriptions. Kinda tough, isn’t it? Well, that was one of the questions on my Body Shop job application. So after some thought, I think I came up with a really good one-word description for me that can be discussed on many levels.

Solitaire. Now, don’t think of Solitaire the card game because that is not what I mean at all! I’m thinking expensive … diamonds … jewelry. THAT type of solitaire. Now you are probably looking at your computer screen and thinking that I have gone absolutely crazy to describe myself as if I was a solitaire, but I swear I’m not. Think of the movie Shrek and how Donkey, I believe, tells Shrek that he (being Shrek) is an onion with many layers. Well, that’s the way I think of a solitaire.

We all know solitaires are very expensive. Well, I’m sure my parents, especially my dad, can attest to the fact that I can be high maintenance (hey, it’s not MY fault they treat me like a princess)!

Solitaires are also singular. There is only one. Therefore there is only one – I hope to God there is no other red-headed Katie Bartlett running around in the world ‘cause if there were … well, we would really be in trouble. I don’t think the world could handle two of me!

Solitaires can be any type of precious gem … and we ALL know that my favorite colors when I was little were gold, silver, and diamonds. Yes, my mother taught me well at an early age.

Solitaires also have many layers. When first mined, they can be very rough around the edges, but can be smoothed down over time. Well, that’s me again. My personality can be very rough sometimes, depending on the situation I am in and who is around. But if you know me well enough, you know how to find my smoother side.

Solitaires also reflect light. I think that whatever mood I am in reflects the weather. Yes, it’s strange, but it’s true. If it is grey and rainy outside, then I find it very difficult to be my normally bubbly self. If it is sunny and warm and just absolutely gorgeous outside, then I am going to be upbeat, insatiable, and bubbly. Get the drift?

Solitaires, particularly diamonds, are very tough, i.e. stubborn. Last I heard, it was very difficult to break a diamond. They are a pretty stubborn gem. I think stubborn is my middle name – thanks to that German and Irish background.

And lastly, flawless solitaires are hard to find. Well, not to toot my own horn, but I think I’m pretty incredible and maybe not flawless, but pretty darn close.

So, that’s me … in ONE-word, not five. How’s that for a job application? Think they would hire me??

29 September 2006 Thoughts

Today has been a fun day I must say. First off, I have a new power cord for my laptop that WILL NOT overheat! Secondly, I think I’m about to have an internet connection. Thirdly, it is NO longer raining! And lastly, I met some people in my program and actually know what the hell is going on! So, where to start?
I guess we’ll start with my program. So, as you recall, I am taking those “damn feminist classes” again. I met the professors – Caroline Franklin for the “Unsex’d Female” class and Helen Fulton for Professional Writing. Both professors seem very nice and I think we will get along just fine. Also, in my Unsex’d class, there are only TWO of us! That’s right! TWO STUDENTS! I’m going to love it! But that means I can’t miss class and I have to do the reading. But that’s okay still. I really think I am going to like that ratio. In the PW class, there are 6, I believe. Lucy, the student from Bath, is in there with me and we get along very well. Not sure how this class will run because right now we do not have a time or location to meet!

I met another postgrad student today named Connor. He is from Vancouver, Canada (over by Washington state). He is TALL – I insulted him by asking him if he was 6’0”. Yeah, well, he’s 6’8”! Dad, you are NOT 6’7” because this guy is way taller than you are! Anyway, as the two resident North Americans, we shared stories. He is learning to surf, so I told him that once he had mastered it, he should teach me. He says he’s not very good right now, but hey … that’s ok! We all know how TERRIBLE I was at water skiing in the beginning – right Sarah? How many years/summers did it take me to learn? Oh, and the absolute COOLEST thing about him, is that we SHARE the same BIRTHDAY! But I am a year older than he is. But how cool is that? And random! Some how we got to talking about ages – oh yes, about drinking and the under 21 American international student’s love of alcohol – and he asked me how old I was. Then he asked when my birthday was. When I said February, he was even more curious and had to ask the day. And sure enough, we were BOTH born on February 6 – me in 1984 and he in 1985. And we will have class together on our birthday, which falls on a Tuesday, so we will probably celebrate after class lets out at 4pm. Oh yes, we will. Craziness. It’s like fate or something …  But yes, so Connor is great. He lives in the Village, but on the other side. Claims he’ll stop by one day. We’ll see.

What else? What else? Oh, went to an International Student Induction/Orientation talk this am. I can do a host stay for a weekend, if I would like which seems like something I would be up for. You list a few weekends you are available and a host family will adopt you for the weekend and entertain you AND, the best part of all, feed you a HOME-COOKED British meal. So that might be a possibility.

When I went into the market today, I stopped by The Body Shop to browse – can’t really help it since I was a Bath & Body Works employee. Anyway, they are hiring! So I picked up an application – the only problem is that they want someone who can work 38 hours a week and my Visa only allows me to work 20. However, I do have sales experience in this line of work because of my stint as a BBW sales associate. The ladies I talked to there were very encouraging, so I think I will turn in the application and see what happens. They do insist that we work Christmas Eve, so if I am hired, we would have to see if there was anyway around that depending on what my own plans were for Christmas.

Nothing else spectacular has happened today. Still waiting for the internet to be officially up and working on my computer. That is a pain in the arse, as the British say. Connor and I were lamenting over this whole internet deal – it sucks! You have to be a registered student before you can access anything! He can’t even register because his university in Canada failed to send all the transcripts, so the uni won’t even recognize him as a postgraduate student! But I think he talked to Steve Vine, the coordinator of everything in the English department (but not department head), and they worked something out.

It is the start of the weekend and I have survived my first week away. I think I will sleep in tomorrow and go into town later that afternoon and pick up some things. I’m craving some vegetables – the pasta and the chicken/edam sandwiches aren’t cutting it anymore – and I need to buy some cleaning supplies. Might just do a lot of browsing tomorrow, see what’s going on, what’s on sale … you know me and shopping!

28 September 2006 Thoughts

Today, today, today. Finally! I got to register for classes. Certainly does not mean that I have internet yet. Grrr! Oh well …as Alice says – C’est la vie!  Anyway, I got up today at 8:30, which I might add was VERY difficult. Was at the uni (that’s short for University & apparently is what everyone calls it) by 9:30. I didn’t have to meet with the department until 10, so anticipating this wait, I brought a book. I’m a few chapters into Beloved which is becoming slightly bizarre. Toni Morrison seems to jump around a little with her time frame, and sometimes I am unsure as to which character is speaking and whether they are dreaming or talking about what is actually going on. So it’s a nice project for my head to figure out. Anyway, back to Swansea. So like I said, I finally got to sit down with the other postgrads – I’m not the only one! Of course, if I had been, they would have canceled the program or offered to enroll me in their PhD degree. I met Lucy who is originally from Bath (i.e. Stonehenge area). She completed her graduate (aka undergrad) years at Swansea in Law and then decided that she did not want to pursue a law career. Now she has changed over to English and is doing an MA in English with no background! I am sure she will be fine. She is a very pleasant person. We will have two classes together this semester and one next. From what I can tell of the program, it will be a very diverse group of people. I believe I am the only American. There are two, what I would call, non-traditional students, with one being a part-time student. These women are probably in their 30s, I would guess. There are 3 males and 6 females today. My guess is the program will total 10 or 11 in the end.

Everyone is probably curious about what classes I am going to take, especially those of you who look down on those “damn feminist classes.” Well, guess what! Those damn feminist classes are back and you had better believe I am taking them! This term, I will take 3 classes, one required by the department and two that I get to choose. Same will go for next term. So, starting on Monday, I will be taking “The Unsex’d Females’: Women Writers and the French Revolution,” “Study and Research Skills in the Humanities,” and a new course that was added yesterday called “Writing in Professional Contexts.” Now my hope is that SRS will be a breeze since Transy was hardcore on knowing how to research. Unsex’d Females should be very interesting, as it looks at female authors in the 1790s – our main target will be Mary Wollstonecraft whom I read in a class of Dr. Vital’s. We will focus primarily on two of her texts – Vindication of the Rights of Woman and Maria, or the Wrongs of Woman. Though I am not a fan of her work, I hope that my knowledge from some of my Transy classes will come through for me and help me out. The Writing class will hopefully become a love-hate relationship. Now you probably think I am crazy for saying that, but I really hope it is this because it is going to focus on grammar and language usage within in written communication. Now, the last time I had any type of grammar class was … oh … maybe 7th grade with Mrs. Renshaw? I think? It’s been a long time! One big factor in choosing this class was that I felt like it would fit nicely into my “teaching English after graduation” scheme. I figure that if I cannot construct a sentence correctly, then why in the world would I expect my students to do the same?! So, grammar, here I come! We are going to focus mostly on clause structure and modality, formal and informal writings, specialist genres (i.e. business, journalism, public policy, etc.) and discourses, report writing, and constructing effective presentations, particularly with Powerpoint. Surely these are all issues that are relevant to teaching and just working in any type of job.

Second semester I will be taking two very exciting classes and one not so exciting. The not so exciting is the mandatory one – “Research Practice in English.” Again, I hope Transy pulls through for me and this class will be a breeze as we have to write an annotated bibliography and a research report – ah the memories of FLA! ;-) My fun courses are called “American Wales”: Writing the Transatlantic and “When We Dead Awaken”: Gendered Approaches to Myth and Fairytale. Now the one I am most definitely excited about is WWDA. So, first I’ll explore AW. AW seemed like an interesting course because here I am, an American, studying in Wales. It just made sense! This course is going to look at the literary and cultural manifestations of Welsh interest in the USA and vice versa. It’s going to look at anti-Americanism, the American Dreams (in Wales and in the US), and I think will satisfy my American Studies need since that program was sadly dropped. Now, the super exciting class – WWDA – is going to be, by far, the coolest class ever! Promise! It is going to look at fairytales, myths, and the Bible for various things. We get to compare Snow White and Cinderella to Jane Eyre (I CANNOT WAIT!!! WOOHOO!) and Mansfield Park (I think I’ve read this one? Maybe when I was in Europe … might have been the one I bought at the British Library …). We’ll look at the story of Bluebeard and compare that to Margaret Atwood’s “Bluebeard’s Egg” and du Maurier’s Rebecca, which I read a long time ago (but it is currently on my bookshelf at home – bottom section, far right.) We also look at some Welsh myths that I have never heard of and then we’ll take a look at the Bible, focusing on Jesus and Moses and comparing them to Charles I, Rapunzel, and the 12 Dancing Princesses fairytales. And we’re going to read some book called Sexing the Cherry? Any guesses? Anyone? I’m at a loss for that. So yeah, I’m excited!

Other than that, nothing too exciting has occurred today. I did sign up officially with the equestrian squad, however, there is a little crimp in my plans as they ride on Wednesday at 1pm and I have class from 12-2 and then 4-6 on Wednesday! Grrr! I’ve got to work something out!! They do ride on Fridays sometimes as well, so I might talk to the trainer and see if we can arrange some private lessons because I really would like to compete on the team if possible. Who knows. I also went to the market today and put in an order for a new power supply for my laptop, which is about to die I might add. The one I have been using is for the US plug-in and when I convert the power over here, it is starting to overheat. I don’t want to fry anything since this is a new laptop and all!! The guy at the computer shop said that he had a student come in with their American laptop and power supply having problems – apparently the student had fried the motherboard trying to convert the power. Certainly something I don’t want to do! So he ordered me a new power cord which will be in tomorrow morning (talk about speedy delivery!) and I only had to pay 52 quid, which I found out is 52 pounds, or $104 for those of you trying to convert with the money rates. So that’s exciting.

While at dinner tonight, Matthew informed us (everyone was in the kitchen at the same time for once!) that Frederich had to go back to Germany for unknown period of time. Apparently Freddy got a call from home the day before – his dad killed himself the previous evening. According to German law/tradition, the oldest male has to make all the funeral arrangements and take care of the estate, so Freddy had to go back to Germany. So we are all very sad for him. Sure was a downer for the rest of the group. Hopefully he will be back soon and his classes can help take his mind off of things …

Anyway, since my laptop is about to die and I do not have internet to entertain myself with, I am going to go down to the kitchen to fix some dinner – I’m thinking pasta with cheese sauce as I have had chicken and edam sandwiches all week and they are getting a little old when it comes to taste. And I think Alice and I are going to go to the market on Saturday and cook up a storm that afternoon, which will be exciting since I plan on cooking banana nut bread (woohoo!) and she wants to make a French dessert (fine by me! Mom, I told her I LOVED fondant au chocolat, so we may make that one day!). So yeah … life is better. But I do need to stop drinking cherry coke … anywho, I’m out!

27 September 2006 Thoughts

I haven’t been too keen on writing because I have had a rough few days. When I first got on the plane, I told myself I would keep a diary or something & write in it everyday. Well, whatever. I should know better. I hate keeping journals, diaries, whatnot. Just not my thing. So instead, I thought I would start a blog that I could update whenever I felt like & post pics & such. Plus people could read it whenever they wanted & I wouldn’t have to send updates all the time. Call me lazy, but it works for me! And I don’t have to remember everyone’s email address each time. So if you are reading this & you want to send me a note, go for it. This just hits a lot more people & they can read it whenever they want.

So, I promise I will update this at least once a week, hopefully more. Kinda depends on how classes go & any other activities I find myself involved.

What has been going on you ask? Well, lots. I flew in on Sunday (the 24th, I think) early in the morning. My plane out of Washington, Dulles to Heathrow landed an HOUR early because of tail winds thanks to those storms that hit the US the day before I left. Hey, whatever works! Customs only took an hour – thank God it didn’t take the 3 that it did when Mom & I came over in June. Omar Obeidat was waiting for me at the airport at 6:30am, like he said, & drove me to Swansea. Paid 130 pounds for it, but it was worth it in my opinion! I got to sleep the entire way! And it rained. And I didn’t have to worry about taxis or train connections or buses or anything of that sort. I literally got door to door service. He even helped carry my heavy luggage up the stairs! (Weighed in at 44 lbs. and 49 lbs!)

So I live in the Student Village on the backside, which is actually quite nice because it is quiet, but kinda boring because I haven’t met many people. There is a little path I can take that cuts through the buildings to the Spar & the Super’s office, as well as the bus stop. I am living in an 8 bedroom flat with 4 other people. We are not sure if anyone else will move in or not. Anyway, there is Frederich from Germany. He is 23 & is fluent in 4 languages! German, French, Spanish, & English. Those are the classes he will be taking this year. He has been an RA, though the Germans do not call them that, back home, so he is used to managing a house of 140 guys, their finances, & their alcohol. We have dubbed him the RA of our house. J I am the next in age at 22 & act very much the mother. J I clean the kitchen, went to the Super’s office when the 2nd floor toilet was leaking, & translated for some. Matthew is next at 22, though he is 3 semesters away from graduating undergrad (I think he partied too hard in the beginning). He is from San Francisco & is anti-American. He can act very snobby, but whatever. I hardly ever see him, though I have seen him more today than I have since I moved in! I believe he is doing business administration. His girlfriend is studying in Nice, France, currently, so he plans on visiting her in the next few weeks. Alice is 21 & from Lyons, France. She is in the Geography department here. Her English is quite good though she is not very confident in it, but I think with time she will feel better. We have been hanging out some – going into town & to the university. I helped translate some things in town for her. She is just a kind soul & is always concerned about others. Lan is the last of us & is from China. We are not sure how old she is or what department she is in (found out she is in Translation). Her English is so-so & she is not very friendly, especially if she is around other Chinese. That’s okay though. Between the 5 of us, we have 2 floors with the girls on the 2nd & the guys on the bottom. We share a kitchen (complete with microwave, fridge, freezer, & oven) & 2 bathrooms (one with a shower & one with a tub).

Who have I met? Well, aside from my housemates, there has been Mary from Alabama & Suzanne from San Fran. Mary is a riot. She is in international politics & is required to spend a year in the country she is specializing in. Her area is Europe, so here she is! Through her, I met Suzanne from California. Suzanne is an undergrad English major, so we have been discussed the organization, or lack thereof, of our department. As of right now, I have not met any other postgraduate students! Oh well … I’ll survive.

On Thursday, I FINALLY get to register for classes, which means I will FINALLY have internet & email access. Going into town everyday & using the internet café, Crossfire, is getting pricey! Plus it means I have to go into town! ;-) I do go into town a lot because there is nothing much to do right now. I am really bored, so I have read some books (I recommend the Sweet Potato Queen books – hysterical! Thanks, Jennifer!) & have just started reading Toni Morrison’s Beloved which is becoming very interesting. Picked up 2 other books today at the WHSmith store I found in town.

The weather here has been nice, up until today when it started sprinkling. Now, at 7:40 it is pitch black out & raining. Heard a Welshman say that now that it has started raining & is cloudy, we won’t see the sun for a few months. L That makes me sad! I like the sun!

Oh, today & tomorrow is the “Fresher’s Fayre” which is when all the clubs & organizations set up booths & recruit. I met some girls with the equestrian team & I am seriously thinking about joining. I figure I might as well get to ride a horse sometimes! So here goes! I’ll have to learn to jump & ride hunt seat (AAAHHH!) but I think I can manage. They were quite excited that I have been riding for almost 18 years. I hope I get to compete with them! I think I could do quite well in dressage since I have such a strong background in equitation. Apparently their trainer is a 24-year-old guy that they is a riot. And he always has positive things to say! Only the team captain has her own horse, but she does not even ride her horse often, so I’m not really sure how this works. Mom is going to send me my riding jods & boots. If I think I like this & will stick with it, I might invest in some actual hunt seat attire. They said I could ride in jeans, but I just can’t do that because it will rub the skin off of my knees & that is painful & not something I want to do!

I have also thought about joining the surf club, though I have no clue how to surf! I want to learn though! Not sure if I will follow through with it, but we’ll see.

Can’t think of anything else right now … my room is really small – smaller than my Transy dorm room. Maybe the size of my bathroom at home? It has an ugly brown patterned carpet, but whatever. It’s just carpet & if you spill something on it, you can’t tell. Right?

I’m getting over my homesickness now that I am getting out & about the town & I register for classes tomorrow. I think I was just really bored & didn’t have any way to entertain myself. I’m not one to go out to the bars & their party themes just aren’t exactly my cup of tea – Detention Monday & Porn Star Party Wednesdays. I mean really, we are how old? Can we at least act our ages?! Alice agrees with me on this topic at least – neither of us are big partiers.

Can’t think of anything else to write, especially since I am already at 2 pages & that is a lot! Like I said, I will try to update often & post some pics so everyone can see what it’s like over here.

And for those of you who are wondering … no, I have not met any hot single Welshmen yet, but Cynda, I’ll keep looking for you. But I get first dibs. ;-)