Many of you have asked whether or not I would be doing anything for Thanksgiving since I'm in a country that didn't slaughter Native Americans for their land. Well, the answer is YES! Sam, a co-worker of mine, graciously offered his flat so Ellen (an American co-worker) and I could take the day off and cook an amazing feast for friends...and we did just that. It ended up being an amazing day and probably the best Thanksgiving I've ever had. I have to warn you that the following pictures contain a lot of food in all forms. A lot.
Pics here: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbergey/Thanksgiving#
Preparations actually started weeks ago when Ellen and I visited a small shop we found that sold a lot of American food staples. We picked up things like canned pumpkin, creamed corn, ritz crackers, cornbread mix, stove top (as a back up) and a few things for us like Kraft mac and cheese. Then last weekend Hayley drove us to a large supermarket where we bought everything else we needed...including way too many lbs of potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, stuffing fixins (including some wonderful British sausage), green beans, gravy flour, butter, extra serving platters/bowls/utensils, and tons more. Finally, on Wednesday after work we picked up our 9kg (20lb) fresh turkey from Whole Foods. It was an amazing, free-range bird that had never been frozen. It even had some real skin left on it's legs and some random feathers sticking out here and there. On Thursday morning we were ready to start cooking!
First went the pies...three pumpkins pies to be exact. Then the turkey covered in seasoned butter and stuffed with veggies to flavour the gravy. While the turkey cooked we prepared everything else and had everything prepared to be warmed up in the oven once the turkey was done. People started arriving around 6pm, bringing appetizers and drinks, football (soccer) came on the tele and everyone was having a great time. We eventually ate, and kept eating, and then ate some more. There was plenty of food for everyone and by the end of the night we still had half of the mashed potatoes, half of the stuffing, half of the rolls and almost half of a turkey left!! It was amazing.
Due to a few visitors from the States, the crowd was about half American and half English. We even went around and made everyone say what they were thankful for. I'm not sure what made it such a great day. It could be because it was just me and Ellen that planned and prepared everything which is quite an accomplishment for about 15 people. But it also had to do with the people that were there and the great time had by all. It will definitely be one to remember.
Sam deserves the biggest thanks of all for letting us use his flat (and double oven) for the day and hosting a bunch of annoying Americans when he wasn't feeling very well. Thanks also goes to Hayley for being the greatest friend and always doing whatever she can to help out. Thanks guys, it was great!
11.28.2008
11.25.2008
Watch out UK, I'm 100% really and fully official now!
Well today was a pretty important day for me. After traveling by train through the wonderfully disguisting urban sprawl of London, I visited the UK Border Agency in Croydon to receive my further leave to remain. This is a fancy way of giving me further permission to stay in the UK. After waiting in line outside, then another line inside, then sitting in a chair for another hour, the agent looked through my application and documents and granted me permission to stay. I now have this fancy sticker (that's actually in color) in the back of my passport! My terrorist-style picture is due to the fact that I had to get the picture taken a couple weeks ago during my beard phase. I'm cleared to stay in the UK until 2nd July, 2010. So plenty of time for all of you to come visit me. Sweet.
11.21.2008
Ode to the Cornish Pasty
This post is to celebrate the Cornish Pasty, properly pronounced Past-ee (not paste-ee). What many of you only know as a frozen food item, a pasty is a staple here often found in malls, street corners and gastropubs. Usually sought by fast-food lovers and those who recently consumed too much alcohol, a pasty is like a pastry. A delicate, flaky crust filled with nothing but goodness. A traditional pasty is filled with meat, sliced potatoes and onion and baked to perfection. However, dozens and dozens of flavors can be found at any local pasty shop. My recent choice was a rather fine chicken and vegetable pasty, and my friend enjoyed a lamb and mint pasty. You can also find fruit variations such as pork and apple or turkey and cherry. In my opinion, the filling choices are truly endless and apparently it's possible to even find dessert pastys like chocolate and banana!The origin of the pasty itself is largely unknown but they have been around since at least the 13th century. It is commonly agreed to that their birthplace was in Cornwall, UK, a coastal region at the southwest tip of the kingdom. I would encourage each and every one of you to enjoy a pasty at some point in your life.
A few of you have asked me to start posting more pics and information about the foods I eat when I travel. As many of you know, I have a rather dangerous addiction to food. Therefore, I would love nothing more than to include food in my blog from now on. For your enjoyment, I have included some pictures below of food that I have already enjoyed. I still doubt most of you are as excited as I am to see these pics, but I hope you enjoy them regardless!
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbergey/FoodRound1#
11.16.2008
A New Look!
Welcome! I obviously spent some time changing my blog up a bit so I hope you like the new look. The picture behind the title is one that I took in Switzerland. I also have one pic from all of the main places I have traveled on the right side of the page. You are probably also noticing the fact that I have a really corny looking picture situated to the left. I have been "dared" to grow a mustache during the month of November. This is a trend the Australians started called Movember. The overall goal is to grow a mustache and raise money for prostate cancer. The picture here shows my progress so far...basically I just decided not to shave for the first half of the month. However, today I did shaved and sculped the mustache (and handlebars) themselves. You'll have to wait for a pic of that though!
11.11.2008
Seville, Espana
Hola! So things in Spain are small. Well, I don't know about the entirety of Spain, but at least Seville, which lies in the heart of the Andalucia region of southern Spain. Specifically, the drinks (especially beer), the food (tapas), the roads, the people, the cars, and probably a lot more things. Many of you question my ability to travel to such foreign places on my own. I have to admit it's both nice and boring at the same time. I can do what I want, when I want, and at any time. I can see what I want to see and only I live the consequences if I make a bad choice. With all of that said, I let myself do a lot of relaxing this trip...something I don't usually let myself do. I spent some time sitting in the park reading a book or sitting at a coffee shop writing in my journal. That's right, I have an actual journal outside of my blog where I keep things that all of you can't read. During this trip I wrote about some of my experiences and I'm going to give you some excerpts of those entries in this blog, so it may be a little different than previous blogs. Oh, and I'm sorry for the length.
Pics Here: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbergey/SevilleSpain#
I arrived late on Friday night after heading straight to Stansted airport from work. Stansted is a huge hub for the budget airlines, but it's a major pain to get to and get back from. After catching the bus into town, and another bus to my hostel, I randomly walked around trying to get my bearings straight. I figured the printed map I had would get me to the right spot, but I had to ask two taxi drivers for directions before I finally made my way to the hostel. The hostel itself was very nice and I was in a room with 7 others. There was a bar on the street level and a outdoor terrace on the top with a kitchen. They also have nightly optional activities which I took part in the following nights. I unloaded my pack and decided to go for a walk around the area before heading to bed.
The next day my frustration with the city continued. I had thought about trying to do a walking tour that started at 10:30am, but got to the meeting place late because I was pretty much lost the hour prior. The streets of Seville are like a hamster on crack. If you got the hamster high and put it on a large piece of paper with a marker attached to it's tail and let it free, you would have a mess. If you then gave the piece of paper to a city planner and said "I want a city that looks like this," you would have Seville. To be fair, you would probably have a lot of European cities, but Seville is the craziest I have experienced. The streets, mostly made of cobblestone or large bricks, are only wide enough for the smallest of vehicles. One road seems like it may go north, west, south, and east all before you get to the next intersection. The sidewalks, if any, are about a yard wide. Although I got the hang of things after a while, to be completely efficient you have to have a map out at all times with your finger wherever you are. In my opinion, a lot of these roads "wouldn't count" on a normal map - they are far too small and insignificant in the scheme of things. However, I eventually changed my mind. It is fascinating that it's possible to get from point A to point B about 8 different ways, each taking the same amount of time. Every road has it's own characteristic and a number of shops, cafes and restaurants that you could so easily miss if you picked another. One minute you might be on your own on a darker street that actually never sees sunlight on the road, lined with doors that surely lead to people's flats. The next minute you are dodging tables and chairs from a tapas bar, smelling the fresh aroma of one of the orange trees that line many streets, or snapping pics of one of the dozens and dozens of churches scattered throughout the city. And then there are the places invisible to the passerby that are the heart of the city, places like the Flamenco bar that you will read about later.
After missing the walking tour, I decided to explore the city's sights on my own. The first stop was the Caterdral y Giralda, which is the Cathedral and the Giralda tower. The Seville cathedral is the third largest in the world, just behind St. Peters in Rome and St. Pauls in London. It's style, however, is very different. Built in the 12th century, it was built by the Morrish Almohad rulers and is apparently very similar to architecture in Morroco. The Giralda tower, connected to the cathedral, is a huge tower taller than any other building in town. The views from the top were excellent! I continued exploring the area, finding a lot of things by accident while lost, and ended up at a tapas bar for lunch in the Barrio de Santa Cruz area of town. This was my first dining experience in Spain and I was a bit nervous about it. I ended up ordering a tapas sized Paella and a baguette sandwich with roast pork and a spicy sauce. It was excellent! On a full stomach I decided to head toward the river and the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza, which is the famous bullring in town. The fighting season ended in September and they offer tours of the bullring which is widely known as the finest in the world. The tour guide told us how the fights work and explained many items found in the museum as well. I really enjoyed the bullring and thought it was beautiful. The sand was finely manicured and the building so simple. I was a little bummed we had to stay with the tour guide and couldn't explore more on our own. I also spent a large portion of the afternoon at Plaza de Espana and Parque de Maria Luisa. The park of Maria Luisa was an outstanding escape in the middle of the city filled with huge trees, towering palm trees, and open lawns and fountains. I read in the grass for a while and finally headed back to the hostel before dusk. The hostel was about a 10 minutes walk to the river which had a pathway that followed it's length. I decided to go for a run and it was an excellent choice. The temperature was perfect and the sun was setting. A great way to start a long night.
Since it was Saturday, the busiest night in the hostel, one of the workers led a tapas and Flamenco tour for anyone who wanted to join. Our first stop was a traditional tapas bar where we all ordered tons of food and enjoyed some fine Spanish cerveca. There were about 12 of us in the group, most all of us from either the US or Australia. I ordered breaded eggplant with a queso sauce and chorizo sausage on bread. We then followed our host to a local Flamenco bar.
Flamenco originates in Andalucia, and Seville is known as the heart of this awesome tradition. The bar itself was on a quiet, lonely street. We stopped outside a double door; the building was non-descript and there was no sign of anything worthwhile around. It was just like any other set of doors on any other building on any other street. After telling us the "rules," he opened the door and we entered. To our astonishment we entered a room greeted by a small, burning fireplace. The walls were white stucco and the ceilings very high. As we walked through the white room framed by exposed wooden beams, we saw that it opened into another room in the back. This room was lined with rows of tables and benches. A small, almost hidden stage sat against the front wall, and was only raised a foot or two. A long bar was against another wall and bartenders were busy mixing drinks, pouring cerveca and making sangria while flipping ice cubes in the air with tongs. Clay pots hung from the ceiling filled with greenery. We grabbed one of the last tables in the corner and got some drinks. I decided I had to try some real Spanish Sangria, which is red wine mixed with fruit and lemonade. Since the drink sizes are small, I decided to order an entire jug. When he gave it to me, he asked how many glasses I wanted with it. I looked surprised, grabbed a straw sitting on the bar, and put it in the jug. He looked completely shocked but smiled and took my money. Fortunately I wasn't the only one in our group that did the same, but we were probably the only one in the entire bar that did.
The show was absolutely incredible. Flamenco is more than an art. The beginning of the show starts with music; usually flute, then guitar and finally singing - each getting their chance to have priority. It sounds as if there is a method and plan behind the whole thing, but I'm not sure how much there really is. Either way, they are amazing improvisers or talented musicians able to keep a raw and genuine sound. As the rhythm increases and the music becomes more intense, the clapping and stomping play a larger role in the sound. The singers voice is gentle, yet loud and powerful. When the show started the crowd fell silent, yet the singers voice could pierce through all of them. Eventually the dancer stands, her elaborate dress falling to the floor. She starts slow, clapping and tapping to the beat. She uses her entire body to clap - chest, stomach, thighs - and is able to stomp and tap while keeping composure. The show isn't just about the dance. It's about contributing to the music in different ways. It's about keeping in beat. Most important it's about an invisible line of communication between all performers. Each musician playing as one to achieve Flamenco. The music becomes more intense and the dancing more involved. She twirls, jumps and taps amazingly fast. All while keeping a steady upper body, moving her arms and floating around the stage. Her hair whips around with her dress and her face glows with sweat. The music only pauses for short periods of time - long enough for the audience to clap - and then fall silent again. The show ends on a high, the dancer using the entire stage moving her feet incredibly. Not knowing whether to focus on her or the music it stops and it's over. After a short intermission, the same group comes back and does it again. The dancer in a new dress and this time with a Spanish hand fan. For over an hour you are literally engulfed by Spanish culture. Moving your head and tapping your feet with the beat without even noticing.
On Sunday I decided to take a bus to a small white village in the mountains about 2 hours southeast. The mountain countryside is filled with small white villages and Rondo is one of the more well known villages. The village sits atop a huge cliff that is severed by a deep gorge cutting the town in half. An incredible old bridge, Puente Nuevo, crosses the gorge at it's highest point creating a dramatic sight, especially from below. I explored the streets of Rondo and eventually took a short hike to the bottom of the gorge for an excellent view of the bridge. I also visited Plaza de Toros, the bullring which is recognized as one of the oldest and most monumental in the world. This bullring was great because you were able to roam freely inside, including on the sand itself! Eventually I decided I needed some lunch, so I stopped in a small shop that sold meats, cheeses and breads. I noticed that throughout Italy and Spain they sell whole boar's legs that are smoked or dried or something. So I decided that it was time to try some. I went into the shop and saw one hoisted on the counter, so I asked the shopkeeper for some. He cut the skin off of a portion of the leg and tossed it in the trash. Then he started cutting thin slices of meat off of the leg. At one point a fly landed on the meat that he smashed with his knife and then continued to cut meat from the leg. I also got some cheese and bread and headed to the large park that sits atop the edge of the cliff in town. Randomly, there was a helicopter show going on with 5 helicopters doing tricks that it seemed like helicopters shouldn't do. It was really cool because we were on top of a huge cliff so the helicopters were literally at eye level.
Sunday night was Paella night in the hostel and it was excellent! I talked with some people in the bar as we ate and then I went to the Flamenco bar again, joined by the two guys that live down the road from me in London. It was another excellent show and I managed to get us there and back with only a couple wrong turns. I decided to stay in Seville on Monday and explore all of the stores and shops and chill in the park. I spent a lot of time walking around visiting tons of shops and plazas. I also read in the park and even stopped at Starbucks for some chai. I felt like I owed them some patronage since I had used their bathrooms all weekend without buying anything. Finally I stopped for one last tapas dinner and enjoyed 3 wonderful dishes and some churros! I eventually made my way back to the airport and got my late flight back to London, getting back to my flat at 2am.
Despite my original hesitation, I really ended up liking Seville. It made me think that sometimes you just need to spend some time in a place getting used to how things work. You have to be ok with stepping out of your comfort zone, especially if you're by yourself, and take some chances. For all of you that are jealous of my adventures (which I often hear), you really should think about doing your own. For some reason, us Americans forget about the huge continent of South America that is so close. Looking back, I'm completely shocked that I've never been anywhere but Mexico and can't wait to explore South America more whenever I return. If anything, let me motivate you to do the same!
Pics Here: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbergey/SevilleSpain#
I arrived late on Friday night after heading straight to Stansted airport from work. Stansted is a huge hub for the budget airlines, but it's a major pain to get to and get back from. After catching the bus into town, and another bus to my hostel, I randomly walked around trying to get my bearings straight. I figured the printed map I had would get me to the right spot, but I had to ask two taxi drivers for directions before I finally made my way to the hostel. The hostel itself was very nice and I was in a room with 7 others. There was a bar on the street level and a outdoor terrace on the top with a kitchen. They also have nightly optional activities which I took part in the following nights. I unloaded my pack and decided to go for a walk around the area before heading to bed.
The next day my frustration with the city continued. I had thought about trying to do a walking tour that started at 10:30am, but got to the meeting place late because I was pretty much lost the hour prior. The streets of Seville are like a hamster on crack. If you got the hamster high and put it on a large piece of paper with a marker attached to it's tail and let it free, you would have a mess. If you then gave the piece of paper to a city planner and said "I want a city that looks like this," you would have Seville. To be fair, you would probably have a lot of European cities, but Seville is the craziest I have experienced. The streets, mostly made of cobblestone or large bricks, are only wide enough for the smallest of vehicles. One road seems like it may go north, west, south, and east all before you get to the next intersection. The sidewalks, if any, are about a yard wide. Although I got the hang of things after a while, to be completely efficient you have to have a map out at all times with your finger wherever you are. In my opinion, a lot of these roads "wouldn't count" on a normal map - they are far too small and insignificant in the scheme of things. However, I eventually changed my mind. It is fascinating that it's possible to get from point A to point B about 8 different ways, each taking the same amount of time. Every road has it's own characteristic and a number of shops, cafes and restaurants that you could so easily miss if you picked another. One minute you might be on your own on a darker street that actually never sees sunlight on the road, lined with doors that surely lead to people's flats. The next minute you are dodging tables and chairs from a tapas bar, smelling the fresh aroma of one of the orange trees that line many streets, or snapping pics of one of the dozens and dozens of churches scattered throughout the city. And then there are the places invisible to the passerby that are the heart of the city, places like the Flamenco bar that you will read about later.
After missing the walking tour, I decided to explore the city's sights on my own. The first stop was the Caterdral y Giralda, which is the Cathedral and the Giralda tower. The Seville cathedral is the third largest in the world, just behind St. Peters in Rome and St. Pauls in London. It's style, however, is very different. Built in the 12th century, it was built by the Morrish Almohad rulers and is apparently very similar to architecture in Morroco. The Giralda tower, connected to the cathedral, is a huge tower taller than any other building in town. The views from the top were excellent! I continued exploring the area, finding a lot of things by accident while lost, and ended up at a tapas bar for lunch in the Barrio de Santa Cruz area of town. This was my first dining experience in Spain and I was a bit nervous about it. I ended up ordering a tapas sized Paella and a baguette sandwich with roast pork and a spicy sauce. It was excellent! On a full stomach I decided to head toward the river and the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza, which is the famous bullring in town. The fighting season ended in September and they offer tours of the bullring which is widely known as the finest in the world. The tour guide told us how the fights work and explained many items found in the museum as well. I really enjoyed the bullring and thought it was beautiful. The sand was finely manicured and the building so simple. I was a little bummed we had to stay with the tour guide and couldn't explore more on our own. I also spent a large portion of the afternoon at Plaza de Espana and Parque de Maria Luisa. The park of Maria Luisa was an outstanding escape in the middle of the city filled with huge trees, towering palm trees, and open lawns and fountains. I read in the grass for a while and finally headed back to the hostel before dusk. The hostel was about a 10 minutes walk to the river which had a pathway that followed it's length. I decided to go for a run and it was an excellent choice. The temperature was perfect and the sun was setting. A great way to start a long night.
Since it was Saturday, the busiest night in the hostel, one of the workers led a tapas and Flamenco tour for anyone who wanted to join. Our first stop was a traditional tapas bar where we all ordered tons of food and enjoyed some fine Spanish cerveca. There were about 12 of us in the group, most all of us from either the US or Australia. I ordered breaded eggplant with a queso sauce and chorizo sausage on bread. We then followed our host to a local Flamenco bar.
Flamenco originates in Andalucia, and Seville is known as the heart of this awesome tradition. The bar itself was on a quiet, lonely street. We stopped outside a double door; the building was non-descript and there was no sign of anything worthwhile around. It was just like any other set of doors on any other building on any other street. After telling us the "rules," he opened the door and we entered. To our astonishment we entered a room greeted by a small, burning fireplace. The walls were white stucco and the ceilings very high. As we walked through the white room framed by exposed wooden beams, we saw that it opened into another room in the back. This room was lined with rows of tables and benches. A small, almost hidden stage sat against the front wall, and was only raised a foot or two. A long bar was against another wall and bartenders were busy mixing drinks, pouring cerveca and making sangria while flipping ice cubes in the air with tongs. Clay pots hung from the ceiling filled with greenery. We grabbed one of the last tables in the corner and got some drinks. I decided I had to try some real Spanish Sangria, which is red wine mixed with fruit and lemonade. Since the drink sizes are small, I decided to order an entire jug. When he gave it to me, he asked how many glasses I wanted with it. I looked surprised, grabbed a straw sitting on the bar, and put it in the jug. He looked completely shocked but smiled and took my money. Fortunately I wasn't the only one in our group that did the same, but we were probably the only one in the entire bar that did.
The show was absolutely incredible. Flamenco is more than an art. The beginning of the show starts with music; usually flute, then guitar and finally singing - each getting their chance to have priority. It sounds as if there is a method and plan behind the whole thing, but I'm not sure how much there really is. Either way, they are amazing improvisers or talented musicians able to keep a raw and genuine sound. As the rhythm increases and the music becomes more intense, the clapping and stomping play a larger role in the sound. The singers voice is gentle, yet loud and powerful. When the show started the crowd fell silent, yet the singers voice could pierce through all of them. Eventually the dancer stands, her elaborate dress falling to the floor. She starts slow, clapping and tapping to the beat. She uses her entire body to clap - chest, stomach, thighs - and is able to stomp and tap while keeping composure. The show isn't just about the dance. It's about contributing to the music in different ways. It's about keeping in beat. Most important it's about an invisible line of communication between all performers. Each musician playing as one to achieve Flamenco. The music becomes more intense and the dancing more involved. She twirls, jumps and taps amazingly fast. All while keeping a steady upper body, moving her arms and floating around the stage. Her hair whips around with her dress and her face glows with sweat. The music only pauses for short periods of time - long enough for the audience to clap - and then fall silent again. The show ends on a high, the dancer using the entire stage moving her feet incredibly. Not knowing whether to focus on her or the music it stops and it's over. After a short intermission, the same group comes back and does it again. The dancer in a new dress and this time with a Spanish hand fan. For over an hour you are literally engulfed by Spanish culture. Moving your head and tapping your feet with the beat without even noticing.
On Sunday I decided to take a bus to a small white village in the mountains about 2 hours southeast. The mountain countryside is filled with small white villages and Rondo is one of the more well known villages. The village sits atop a huge cliff that is severed by a deep gorge cutting the town in half. An incredible old bridge, Puente Nuevo, crosses the gorge at it's highest point creating a dramatic sight, especially from below. I explored the streets of Rondo and eventually took a short hike to the bottom of the gorge for an excellent view of the bridge. I also visited Plaza de Toros, the bullring which is recognized as one of the oldest and most monumental in the world. This bullring was great because you were able to roam freely inside, including on the sand itself! Eventually I decided I needed some lunch, so I stopped in a small shop that sold meats, cheeses and breads. I noticed that throughout Italy and Spain they sell whole boar's legs that are smoked or dried or something. So I decided that it was time to try some. I went into the shop and saw one hoisted on the counter, so I asked the shopkeeper for some. He cut the skin off of a portion of the leg and tossed it in the trash. Then he started cutting thin slices of meat off of the leg. At one point a fly landed on the meat that he smashed with his knife and then continued to cut meat from the leg. I also got some cheese and bread and headed to the large park that sits atop the edge of the cliff in town. Randomly, there was a helicopter show going on with 5 helicopters doing tricks that it seemed like helicopters shouldn't do. It was really cool because we were on top of a huge cliff so the helicopters were literally at eye level.
Sunday night was Paella night in the hostel and it was excellent! I talked with some people in the bar as we ate and then I went to the Flamenco bar again, joined by the two guys that live down the road from me in London. It was another excellent show and I managed to get us there and back with only a couple wrong turns. I decided to stay in Seville on Monday and explore all of the stores and shops and chill in the park. I spent a lot of time walking around visiting tons of shops and plazas. I also read in the park and even stopped at Starbucks for some chai. I felt like I owed them some patronage since I had used their bathrooms all weekend without buying anything. Finally I stopped for one last tapas dinner and enjoyed 3 wonderful dishes and some churros! I eventually made my way back to the airport and got my late flight back to London, getting back to my flat at 2am.
Despite my original hesitation, I really ended up liking Seville. It made me think that sometimes you just need to spend some time in a place getting used to how things work. You have to be ok with stepping out of your comfort zone, especially if you're by yourself, and take some chances. For all of you that are jealous of my adventures (which I often hear), you really should think about doing your own. For some reason, us Americans forget about the huge continent of South America that is so close. Looking back, I'm completely shocked that I've never been anywhere but Mexico and can't wait to explore South America more whenever I return. If anything, let me motivate you to do the same!
11.05.2008
Election from Afar
If you're like me, US politics and the election process isn't really that exciting. In the past, it's been something I've done because I'm supposed to. I will be the first to admit that I don't educate myself as much as I should about the candidates or issues, and I never fully understood the significance of my opportunity and right to vote. Overall, I felt like my vote isn't really going to change anything or make a difference. And even if it did, why would I want to participate in a system that many of us believe is corrupt.
Taking in the election from oversees has really changed my ideas about our rights as Americans and what our country is all about. Regardless of whether or not our vote makes a real difference, we still have the right to make the vote. We have the privilege of taking part in a system that is for the people and participating in something that most other countries don't get the opportunity to participate in. As seen in recent events, the US and our actions effect the entire world. Each of us had the opportunity to make a global difference.
I'm not sure why it's different now that I'm gone, but it has been really interesting watching the events occur from overseas and hearing people comment on them. For the first time, I think I'm actually proud of my country and what it stands for. It's unfortunate that it took me leaving the country to find that out, but at least now I know. It's pretty cool.
Taking in the election from oversees has really changed my ideas about our rights as Americans and what our country is all about. Regardless of whether or not our vote makes a real difference, we still have the right to make the vote. We have the privilege of taking part in a system that is for the people and participating in something that most other countries don't get the opportunity to participate in. As seen in recent events, the US and our actions effect the entire world. Each of us had the opportunity to make a global difference.
I'm not sure why it's different now that I'm gone, but it has been really interesting watching the events occur from overseas and hearing people comment on them. For the first time, I think I'm actually proud of my country and what it stands for. It's unfortunate that it took me leaving the country to find that out, but at least now I know. It's pretty cool.
11.01.2008
Life in London
Well I can tell that life here is getting pretty normal because I no longer feel the need to write about everything I see and do. With that said, I have been up to a few things the past couple weeks, so I can probably find something to fill some blog space. Here we go!
Coming back to my flat after Italy, I found that it had no electricity! Apparently there was a fire in some circuit board which blew power to the entire block. They were able to fix everything except for three flats, one of which was mine. So my landlord kindly put me up in a hotel for a couple days until it was fixed. Unfortunatley, the couple days turned in to two weeks! So two hotels and no home-cooked meals later, I finally got back into the flat.
I now have tenure in my flat. Both of my other flatmates moved out during the last couple months. One of the new girls, Temi, moved in just before I left for Italy. The other, Celine, got the keys today and will be moving in this week. They both are really nice and I think it will be a good situation.
Last weekend Hayley took me up to the village where she grew up for the weekend. It was a mini roadtrip and felt so good to get out of London, especially in a car! We stayed with her dad and step-mom and enjoyed the local village culture, which meant a lot of time in the pub across the street and the next village down. However, she did show me some of the local highlights which included an indoor skiing/snowboarding slope, Dunstable Downs hill, Clophill Church ruins(which is haunted), and a china buffet. We also hung out with a couple of her childhood friends and went to watch one of them play football (soccer) for the local club. It was a really nice weekend and nice to experience what the UK is really about.
It has certainly become autumn in the UK. It's been pretty cold with highs around 10 degrees celcius (if we're lucky) and lows right around zero. We also had our first snowflakes! It was really light and pretty wet, but it was the first time London has seen snow in October since 1934. Some areas outside of London actually got a decent amount. Halloween is not a big deal here at all, which was depressing. However, I did buy some candy on Friday and set it out in the hallway for all of our neighbors. We do have Bonfire night, or Guy Fawkes Night, on Wednesday which is apparently a much bigger deal and includes fireworks! If you have seen the movie V for Vendetta, I guess this is in honor of that. Obviously they don't have Thanksgiving here either, but the other American in my office and I will be cooking a huge, traditional Thanksgiving feast for friends on Thanksgiving. It should be yummy!
Some of the most exciting news is that my work permit extension has been approved for 18 months! So it looks like I'll be here for a total of 2 years. I still have one more step, which involves going to the UK Border Agency to get further leave to remain, which involves an application and a bunch of other stuff that can apparently take up to 4 hours! My appointment is on the 25th of November.
Otherwise, I'm heading down to the Andalucia region of Spain next weekend for three days. I'll be spending my time in Seville, but will hopefully get a day trip in to a nearby town or hiking area. The weekend after Thanksgiving I'm going to Prague for 2 days with Hayley and a few of her friends. I am also currently making my arrangements to come back to the States for Christmas. I should be arriving in Colorado on December 16th, staying there for about a week, and then heading to Oregon for Christmas and New Years. I'll let everyone know my plans when they are finalized.
Today is an exceptionally dreary day in London. Cold, windy, and very very very wet. However, I did run a 5k in Wimbledon this morning before it started raining. They do a free 5k run every Saturday as a time trial. I ran it in just over 23 mins and 30 seconds. It's about what I expected, but I really hoped I would surprise myself. Oh well, there is lots of room for improvement! After taking care of some stuff around the flat, I then went to Whole Foods and did some grocery shopping. I also browsed around some other clothing shops in the area. I can't wait to come home and shop...things are just way too expensive here!
OK, that's it for now!
Coming back to my flat after Italy, I found that it had no electricity! Apparently there was a fire in some circuit board which blew power to the entire block. They were able to fix everything except for three flats, one of which was mine. So my landlord kindly put me up in a hotel for a couple days until it was fixed. Unfortunatley, the couple days turned in to two weeks! So two hotels and no home-cooked meals later, I finally got back into the flat.
I now have tenure in my flat. Both of my other flatmates moved out during the last couple months. One of the new girls, Temi, moved in just before I left for Italy. The other, Celine, got the keys today and will be moving in this week. They both are really nice and I think it will be a good situation.
Last weekend Hayley took me up to the village where she grew up for the weekend. It was a mini roadtrip and felt so good to get out of London, especially in a car! We stayed with her dad and step-mom and enjoyed the local village culture, which meant a lot of time in the pub across the street and the next village down. However, she did show me some of the local highlights which included an indoor skiing/snowboarding slope, Dunstable Downs hill, Clophill Church ruins(which is haunted), and a china buffet. We also hung out with a couple of her childhood friends and went to watch one of them play football (soccer) for the local club. It was a really nice weekend and nice to experience what the UK is really about.
It has certainly become autumn in the UK. It's been pretty cold with highs around 10 degrees celcius (if we're lucky) and lows right around zero. We also had our first snowflakes! It was really light and pretty wet, but it was the first time London has seen snow in October since 1934. Some areas outside of London actually got a decent amount. Halloween is not a big deal here at all, which was depressing. However, I did buy some candy on Friday and set it out in the hallway for all of our neighbors. We do have Bonfire night, or Guy Fawkes Night, on Wednesday which is apparently a much bigger deal and includes fireworks! If you have seen the movie V for Vendetta, I guess this is in honor of that. Obviously they don't have Thanksgiving here either, but the other American in my office and I will be cooking a huge, traditional Thanksgiving feast for friends on Thanksgiving. It should be yummy!
Some of the most exciting news is that my work permit extension has been approved for 18 months! So it looks like I'll be here for a total of 2 years. I still have one more step, which involves going to the UK Border Agency to get further leave to remain, which involves an application and a bunch of other stuff that can apparently take up to 4 hours! My appointment is on the 25th of November.
Otherwise, I'm heading down to the Andalucia region of Spain next weekend for three days. I'll be spending my time in Seville, but will hopefully get a day trip in to a nearby town or hiking area. The weekend after Thanksgiving I'm going to Prague for 2 days with Hayley and a few of her friends. I am also currently making my arrangements to come back to the States for Christmas. I should be arriving in Colorado on December 16th, staying there for about a week, and then heading to Oregon for Christmas and New Years. I'll let everyone know my plans when they are finalized.
Today is an exceptionally dreary day in London. Cold, windy, and very very very wet. However, I did run a 5k in Wimbledon this morning before it started raining. They do a free 5k run every Saturday as a time trial. I ran it in just over 23 mins and 30 seconds. It's about what I expected, but I really hoped I would surprise myself. Oh well, there is lots of room for improvement! After taking care of some stuff around the flat, I then went to Whole Foods and did some grocery shopping. I also browsed around some other clothing shops in the area. I can't wait to come home and shop...things are just way too expensive here!
OK, that's it for now!
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