Fall is here!

This past weekend being my first weekend in the city without needing to go to some orientation thing was nice, but I wanted to do something fun, so at 10:30 I got a phone call from my friend Jenn saying want to go to Liverpool tomorrow (Saturday)? I said sure. Liverpool is of course well known because of the Beatles. We got on a bus at 8:45 am the next morning and was there in 50 minutes. The main reason we wanted to go was because there was a huge international art festival called Liverpool Biennial (http://www.biennial.com/). We went to three museums of contemporary artists. It was incredible some of the imaginations these people have. We went to the well known museum called the Tate. We then went down to the water, where we were both surprised to smell the sea. The city of Liverpool has amazing architecture and proceeded to blow two roles of film on the amazing buildings. Those pictures will be up soon. After exploring the city we went out to dinner at China town and then went out with some locals to a bar before heading home.


This weekend I also went to explore a near by
park called Birchfield park. It was a surprisingly
nice day out, so I took my digital and my friend
Jenn and we went and explored this vast
park.


this was the play ground that is at the entrance. I have observed that European play grounds are so much more fun then American. At this particular park, there was a number of things that spun, and those crazy one person sea horse contraptions that are fun at any age I've found.

We found that this lovely place had hidden secrets that you might not see if you just drive by. One was this typical British landscape.
Yes that's right the typical row of trees lining a road. I personally love this landscape. What also made is special was that there were fallen leaves, which reminded me of Vermont again. I miss the changing leaves a lot. Jenn and I made quite a scene trying to make the leaves crackle under our feet. It didn't work out very well.





This weekend we also met up with our Australian friends who had problems finding a home and it had been a long time since we'd scene them. We decided to meet them at a local bar called the Footage. This is a really cool place they have these huge TVs that when they aren't playing sports you can text the number on the screen and text something to someone that's in the bar. Its kind of crazy the things that get written but its really fun to sit and read the crazy and sometimes inappropriate things that get texted.




School is now in session. The official term has begun. However, its not the same layout as in the states I found out when I went to schedule my classes. They are very laid back and just want you to have fun. I was worried about my credits transfering and having a good schedule and they just kept saying, why are you worrying, just have a good time. It will be weird to make that change. But they have already assigned a really intense project. We have to enter into the Nikon Discovery Awards with BJP 2008. We have to enter in a portfolio of 2-20 photos on a disc and the one printed photo. All very professional or they won't look at it at all. they told us to research the judges, what they like, and research the past winners. I also now have to keep a journal of everything related to photography. In terms of potential ideas for shoots and why. This is a new concept, but I'm excited to get started. The image I will leave you with is one at dinner time of Manchester that I took after dinner with Caitlin and Jenn.

Have a great week :)

Love

More pictures

Hello all so I'm going to do my best to put up an array of pictures concering what i've done thus far. First of all is the theme park called Alton towers, which was the most amazing theme park I've ever been too. the pictures will speak for themselves I think.








This ride was called the oblivion, and its a ride were you free fall. It was crazy scary, but super fun. I have a video of this, which I will show you all at a later date.















This is a castle called the Towers. It was hard to find
a history of this but they were working on the inside
to make it into a haunted house type of deal. it's going to be amazing.













These are my friends that I met while at this orientation, we had quite a day of exploring this site.

















We were looking for some more rides and
came across all of these beautiful parks. The next
couple of pictures are of those.

PICTURES!!!

this is a formal entrance into the Art Building. I just thought it was pretty!








this was where i stayed when i didn't have a place yet. They called it a "holding Cell" I of course thought it was a jail. This made me want to live on campus.




first meal. Pizza and beer, how American right?

I"m off to eat sushi with Kathryn. more pictures later tonight.


Ok I'm back with more pictures :)

this is Piccadilly Gardens its, Manchester's City center. Every store you could ever want is here.

Freshers Week!

It's the first week before classes really begin. We have a sort of intro to what to expect for the year and enroll officially. This week is also "homecoming" but not like that in the states. This week is called Freshers week, where there is a different party every single night. Its crazy and everyone ends up sick at the end because they went out so much. But its fun, the drinks are half off, and you and dance the night away and then go hung over to your classes. I went out once with my other old roomies Sasha and Gabriel and we went dancing. The music was not hip hop but techno and then tunes that came out in the U.S. like three years ago. Kind of odd to be dancing to a song that reminds me of high school.


I found a new home as well. It is a bit further then my other place and with not so fun roomies. But the condition of the house is much nicer and its close to stores, so that's ok with me. I will hopefully keep in touch with the boys.

I have been moved up to second year in the Photography school, which is nice because its it would have been the same thing, this is how you use your camera, this is how you use the darkroom, ect. The second years have a lot of freedom and they basically give you an assignment and you go and do it, and then we get together and discuss our ideas. The facilities are amazing, there's like a wet darkroom, a developing room, a color dark room. A store where you can rent anything, digital camera's, lights, tripods, for a week at a time. there's both a pc and mac computer lab. Each of these groups also have a tech support staff to help you with anything. I think I had my mouth open the whole time I was being shown all of this.

Pictures will be up tomorrow! I hope everyone whose reading this is doing well.

love.

Manchester

I arrived safely to Manchester! woooooo. its been a worlwind since day one, first off looking for a place to live. which is so hard to do, in a city that you've never been to and also don't live in a city. I've have seemed to have horrible luck since the minute I got there. I didn't get picked up from the airport until half an hour after my arrival. Then the apartment that I looked at was crap, I set the alarm off when I accidently leaned against the wall, which did get the attention of the one guy who lived there, who looked like he was hung over and that I woke him up from a deep sleep.....whoops. That room wasn't very nice.

When I couldn't find a place to live that first day I was told by the accommodation people who I know knew quite well that they had a holding cell for me to stay in for the night. I was like a holding cell, thinking like jail cell. But in fact it was not a jail cell but a room in one of the dorms, which just made me pissed that I couldn't live there.


I finally found a place to live, which was in fact the place I wanted to live least. The kitchen looks like it got sludge hammered. the bathroom door won't close and my door you have to slam to close. Also I can't get into the house with my key. I got really lost the first night I tried to get back to it, instead walking around the town for hours trying to find a row of houses that look exactly like with the number 20 on it. I finally found it hours later, and then my key wouldn't work....alas some things are looking up. I got home last night to find the other two rooms of the house filled, one with a guy from Germany and the other from Italy. We had a fun evening of talking and walking to the store to buy them beer and dinner. They hired me as the english coach to perfect there english skills. They have been the people that make feel like I'm at home, which is nice.

The city of Manchester is surprisingly quieter then any city I've been to thus far. The main form of transportation is bus. Which I guess explains the quieter factor. Last night I went to the City Center which is massive and full of shops where you can find anything imaginable. There's a gorgeous park there where there are many statues of well known people. It was kind of crazy, I didn't even know it existed. That was where I saw the first tram of the city. Which I was told was very expensive to ride on. I didn't buy anything on that outing but chose to look around, take in the sights, but I plan to go back and buy things this weekend.

I myself am stressed beyond belief what with housing problems to money and trying to figure out which bus will take me home. It is fun but overwhelming to not have my support system but I am managing and can't wait to travel and take millions of pictures. Speaking of pictures I will upload tons, when i have internet.

That's all for now, I hope all that are reading this are well. I miss you all.

love.

Goodbye to Vermont.

Exactly a week from today I will be leaving for Manchester England to Study photography at Manchester Metropolitan University. This blog is here to keep all you crazy people in on what I'm doing across the pond. I will write in a week.

love.