Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5th

On Nov. 5th, Julia and I attended Guildford's annual Guy Fawkes day celebration, locally organized by the Guildford Lions Club. This holiday is based on the events which took place on Nov. 5th, 1605, when Guy Fawkes and a group of English Catholic conspirators planned to detonate parliament and assassinate King James I after he went back on his word to be tolerant of Catholicism in England. Their plan was foiled, however, after Fawkes was caught holding the matches (Gunpowder Plot, wikipedia).

Our night began with a gathering on the town's high street where torches were being sold to eager Guildfordians. Not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to play with fire, Julia and I each bought one and joined the crowd. As the march to the park began, we lit our torches and followed the group, desperately hoping that we would not be burned alive by the careless children that surrounded us. As we walked, I felt as if I was being carried along by a river of tiny flames, a spectacle that reminded Julia of the townspeople storming the castle in Beauty and the Beast.

We arrived shortly at nearby Stoke Park, tossed our half extinguished torches into a barrel and gazed before us at a glowing carnival. Haunted houses and games of skill lined the edges, with the center filled with a variety rides and treat vendors. With a half-hour before the fireworks display, we decided to take a brief walk around to find something to do. The first thing to catch my eye was an American classic, Bumper Cars. After spending so many summers at King's Island, I'm proud to say that I have perfected the art that is Bumper Car driving. The trick, which I imparted to Julia as we were climbing into our vehicle, involves quickly leaning forward moments before striking into an opponent's car. This results in a build up of momentum that launches them several feet backwards after impact!

After the bumper cars, we chose another ride that looped us up high in a circle, hanging us upside down momentarily before swinging back down again. It was during this ride that the fireworks display began. As exciting as it was to view the fireworks from the ride, watching them made Julia and I a little nauseous (and it didn't help when they decided to extend the ride).

Glad to have our feet back on the ground, we made our way to a large field where everyone had gathered to watch the fireworks display. Guildford put on an impressive display that rivaled those I have seen on the 4th of July back in the States. So many continuous clusters of different styles were launched that it seemed like one long finale. The sky was filled with large round explosions of pink, green, red, and blue, clusters of white lights that seemed to swim across the sky like fish, and a spray of red sparks that fanned back and forth like a sprinkler system. The display lasted for about 30 minutes until it finished with the largest fireworks we had seen all night.

Once the fireworks had concluded, Julia and I took one last trip around the carnival before departing. Since we were still recovering from the trip to Spain, we decided make it an early night and get a much needed rest.

First Impressions of England

It was hard leaving my family and friends behind as I began my journey. Everything that I had ever known was in my hometown of Cincinnati. Although it is only a temporary separation, this is the first time in my life that I have felt completely cut-off from home.

As Julia and I arrived in England, the first thing that struck me was how similar it seemed to the United States. Despite the similarity, there was still something subtly different about it that almost felt surreal. The buildings here are older, smaller shops are favored over the larger department stores, and people are just as content to walk or bike as they are to drive. Its amazing to see how few obese people there are in England, which says a lot about the lazy lifestyles of many Americans.

One of the things that I have had to adjust to here is transportation. It was strange at first to travel from place to place without driving. A good thing, because I would probably get myself killed if I tried to drive over here. For one, the British drive on the opposite side of the road as Americans. Secondly, all of the street markings are different. While in the States we use double yellow lines to separate cars that are traveling in opposite directions, here they use a dashed white line. If I ever decided to drive a car, I know that I would merge over to the right hand side of the road without thinking about it and slam headfirst into an oncoming bus! Now that I have adjusted to it, I actually prefer to travel long distances by train. Not only are they faster than cars, it is nice to just sit back and enjoy the scenery while sipping a cup of tea before arriving at our next destination.

The main reason why Julia and I chose to come to England was because neither of us had mastered a foreign language. Still, on occasion, I have had some trouble understanding the heavier british accents. The biggest adjustment however wasn't the accent, but the different phrases that are used. For example, the British use "queue" to mean "get in line" and "trousers" to mean "pants," in fact "pants" means "underwear" over here so be aware of how you use it! It had been my hope to acquire a slight British accent while I am in England, until one of my friends at Surrey actually complimented me on my American accent. I guess the fact that it is different from everyone else makes it special.

On a final note, I believe that many Americans may have the impression that the rest of the world is not quite as technologically advanced as the US. This is not true at all. You will be surprised at how much is the same no matter where you travel. Though there are some differences, the same is true for different parts of America. Someone who has grown up on a farm is going to view the world differently than someone who has grown up in a big city, no matter what country they are from. Don't ever let something like this affect your decision to study abroad. You will find that no matter where you go, everything that you truly need will be provided for you.