... just finishing the second week of being here @ manchester, uk...
As I embark onto a new journey in a new country, new school, new people (well for the most part), and new culture, being by myself being thousands away from home and my parents, that I am independent, responsible and can, for the most part, take care of myself. Revisiting the past week, I truely have stuck to who I am, and my OWN personality, being of "legal" age and such, I am surprised that I haven't gone happy go lucky and partying all night. In a way, I think I have a guilty conscience which keeps me knowing the boundries of life and what I should or should not do. Yes, I have gone to bars and pubs to socialize, but I haven't actually done anything that I regret like drinking till I'm pissed drunk or making a fool out of myself. I am able to meet new people and carry on conversations and not be the quiet person who doesn't talk to anyone at all.
Though throughout this week, life has been difficult, frustrating, and agitating, I believe it's a learning experience where I have to get away from the norm and experience the different culture and how the UK society functions. Going through registration, alone, has been a pain! ... being a HUGE school, we had to do academic and financial registration all by ourself. Therefore, this means getting in a massive long line at a hall and stand there waiting your turn for hours!... then there's also school registration... where we have a approximate time to register with the school you're going to attend... and then the CRB check... (especially for nursing) to check our background and such... and then health occupation such... where they have to make sure my health is alright and that they need all the immunization records and such... and INTERNET... we have to register and sign up for our school's email address and THEN register our computer to receive their internet... and then GP (aka Doctor) registration...
So, pretty much.. i feel like I was spoiled by Villanova where everything was done and provided for you BEFORE you arrive and once you arrive, everything's taken care of and done for you. At The University of Manchester, this is UNHEARD OF!!!!! Everything you do/get... you have to do it yourself... people may give directions, but they aren't actually crystal clear.. so you have to be the one on top of things and figure out.
Yah... and a lot of the stuff I found out that I needed to do, the nursing department neglected to tell us.. so we're left in the smoke not knowing what to do... and people will bark at you for not having it done and such.Hopefully after this week, everything will smooth itself out and this experience will go uphill from here. I want to come out of here knowing that this was a GREAT decision... and I wouldn't have traded this experience with anything...
Oh a higher note, today, my friends and I decided to go to this music store, "Music Zone," where a band called, okgo, played live. It was such a fun experience and getting to see this bad play. They were actually pretty good, considering up to a few days ago, I didn't know who they were! Here's so pics...
<the lead singer... he's actually pretty cute in person...
<another person in the band
It was AWESOME!!! despite the fact that... since they were on chairs.. we all sat down so everyone else could see.. so all of us were pretty much sitting on top of each other! And the best part is... afterwards... we got to get their AUTOGRAPHS!!!! YUP! ... so.. i have a poster and a card of their autographs!!
Here's one of their videos...
...and finally.. next week.. i offically start my classes... so.. hopefully it'll all be great!
