The second portion of this week has been incredibly enjoyable, making me excited for more experiences in the UK. On Thursday, I had no classes to attend. Because of this, I was able to do many activities with the individuals in my international group. In the afternoon, I got coffee and went shopping with my friend Lexi from Pennsylvania. She is also a student-athlete at her home university and it was helpful to talk with her about similar experiences both in the US and participating in the club sports at the University of Chester. After this, I went home and began finishing some work for MCAT prepping and ended up going to dinner with my friend Parker from Tennessee. We went to a tavern that was over 200 years old called the Olde Kings Head. Continuing to try some more traditional English food, I purchased bangers and mash. I will say that the food in the UK is a little more bland than in the US. To compensate for this, the UK has cheaper options for fruits and vegetables at grocery stores, which I wish the US adopted as well. Parker and I were stopped maybe 4 times by British people to talk about being American or just American figures; some were slightly more intrusive than others. My accent somewhat makes me want to go in and out of places/stores without speaking so my identity is not given away and I can blend in. Being American is a great conversation starter, but makes me feel like an outsider when people raise their eyebrows. The next day felt a little more rushed. I went to the gym and sat down to do homework for 5 hours. However, I was unable to finish all of the studies I wanted to accomplish today, which was very reminiscent of how my schedule works in the US. A group of 9 other students and I traveled to Liverpool and had a fantastic time there going out to participate in the nightlife. Due to this, everyone was extremely exhausted the next day but we managed to see three sights in Liverpool after grabbing breakfast at Cafe Tabac on Broad Street. We went to the Bombed Out Church, which is more of a historical site than a church because the ceiling was blown off. Next, we went to the Liverpool Cathedral and stayed there for a few hours as it was amazing. Finally, we headed to the World Museum and most of us wanted to leave after that point. We were not worried about missing Beatles memorabilia as we knew we will all likely return to Liverpool many times. Everyone slept on the train while I was in charge of staying awake, which was mostly successful. Today, I went to the gym, made my way into the Chester Cathedral, and met one of the men who work there. It was extremely beautiful and I will most likely try to attend one of the church services. I was very happy as I was able to buy all of my groceries under budget and did not hurt as much walking everything home from Tesco. The rest of tonight will be spent doing homework, MCAT studying and planning future trips in England and Europe at large.
Picture Descriptions
Top Left: Me in front of the World Museum in Liverpool
Top Middle: Chester Cathedral
Top Right: Bombed Out Church
Middle Left: The Group of International Students in Liverpool
Middle: Liverpool Cathedral- Front
Middle Right: Back/Entrance of the Liverpool Cathedral
Bottom Left: Liverpool Cathedral Monastery- Stained Glass Window
Bottom Middle: Outside of Liverpool Cathedral
Bottom Right: Chester Cathedral- Front Portion
Overall, I feel very settled in Chester. There are still things to see in Chester but I can easily navigate the city, have a support/friend group, and know what I need to do to succeed in school. Overall, I am just looking forward to traveling throughout England and will try to take a trip almost every weekend. The next cities on the list are Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff, London, and Paris. My roots are growing deeper into Chester and I am ready to explore more of the UK.