Oreintation

August 5^th, 2011

So this past four to five days have been our orientation for the program. Unfortunately since school does not start until early/mid September campus is a ghost town-but it is also our preseason. Orientation has consisted of the basic “freshman orientation week” events, along with placement tests, another tour of downtown Leeds, meetings with faculty and staff, campus tour and loads more.

Click here to see pictures of my flat (dorm) and campus

Click here for more pictures of the Leeds (Headingley)

It has been crazy trying to adjust to the new environment and culture of England. For basics I still say dollars and cents instead of pounds and pence, I still say soccer instead of football, everybody says cheers to end every conversation, phone numbers start with 0 instead of 1, and when I tell British people I am from Tallahassee, Florida there first response is “Oh that is where Disney World is right”? It still boggles my mind they have self checkout grocery stores here, that I have to cook my own food, that I am living on my own (and practically wiping my own butt in a foreign country), and that there is toilet literally in my shower. I have been trying to get a job this past week, but just like getting my student visa it is a very complicated process that takes time and tons of patience on my part.  I set up a bank account, registered with a doctor, and have been looking for a cheap phone to use, but that is still in the works, as I need to earn some dinero. It finally dawned on me how much I never appreciated having a car till I got here, because now I have to walk everywhere, unless I want to pay around 5 dollars to take a bus downtown, or walk around 10 minutes to the Headingley shopping centers. And think going up hills with all of those groceries in your hands, really makes you rethink how much “junk” you are going to purchase.  It has been really fun to get to know the other first years over this week. All of us have come here for the same dream, yet are all in support of each other and I can tell this is a good group. We have kids from Egypt, Peru, Canada, Scotland, South Korea, and all over the United States. It will be interesting to see how these relationships develop, if any problems occur, and we are all anxious to see the arrival of the second years.

As well, this week the rest of the first years and I have started a class called “Sports and Society”. So far it has actually been interesting (it is about sports how could it not be interesting?) and we watch movies ever other day. The only down side is that it is a seminar so it is a three hour class 9-12…oh and it is Monday-Friday. We are taking it before school so we can get one class out of the way before so during the first semester we can have one less class to take and will have less stress/class work and can focus more on the football. Because it has been so crazy this week we have not been practicing at all which has been a bummer. Some of us have been playing pickup during the week and there is a gym on campus. At the moment there is construction being done on two or three new fields for us, which I am excited about because our practice field now is a tad bumpy. Tomorrow we are supposed to have a small practice/scrimmage against a Missouri ODP team who is doing an England tour and is ending here at Leeds so that should be fun to get out and run around.  Even though tomorrow is the first showing and the coach cannot judge too much off this performance, I am hoping I make a good first impression. Wish me luck!