The Lake District

First I would like to inform you all of my bad luck, because then I can get to the good stuff. So remember how some asshole stole my phone and used all of my minutes? And remember how the people at my phone company said that they would credit me that 15 pounds? Yeah, not so much. Some cranky phone lady said they wouldn't give me my money back because, ahem, "Who was to say that you didn't just use it all  yourself?" Well, me, but whatever. I will just not text anyone for a couple of weeks. Anyways, the day after that me and the 26 other students from UMD journeyed off to a place you may all recognize from Pride and Prejudice: the lake district. And while it was one of the most exhausting weekends of my life, it was awesome. We got there on Friday night and did not really do anything except get settled in and eat. The next day, however, was an entirely different story.

For some crazy reason I decided to be all adventurous and go on a mountain hike (who did I think I was, Chuck Norris?). Let me just say that I am a short person with asthma. Short people with asthma have short legs (and asthma) so the whole walking straight up a mountain for five hours bit was a little rough. And did I mention that it was pouring? Because it was. I have never been so soaked in my entire life. I even ruined a pair of waterproof shoes, and this was while dressed like a fireman in a big, red waterproof suit, which after and hour or so became basically pointless as I was soaking anyways. But, as not many of you can, I can now say I hiked up a mountain in England. So suck it Chuck.

The next day was nearly as strenuous as the previous. We started the day with a canoeing trip on Lake Coniston. It began a little rough as neither I nor my partner really knew what we were doing in a canoe, but it turned around quickly. Lake Coniston is GORGEOUS. I totally understand now why it is a rich person retreat. If I were a rich person, I would retreat there too. Our guide made us do all sorts of fun, ridiculous little things too. First we played this game where we stood up our paddles and had to catch the one to either side of us depending on what directions the guide called out. I love that game. I wish I had a bunch of paddles just so I could play it all the time. Screw canoeing. Then he had us paddle back out into the lake and things got a little crazy. And by crazy I mean our crazy freaking tour guide made me stand on a buoy in the middle of the lake while people held my legs. WTF. And I did not even volunteer for this. I was volunteered, once again, because I am short. Also apparently they call buoys "boys" so when he started telling us what we would be doing it came out like, "Alright guys, there is a small boy out in the water." And all of us got really wide-eyed like, oh crap, now they are going to send us on a rescue mission. So yeah, I stood on a moving buoy in the middle of a lake. Soon after that we all sailed back together as one moving vessel with a make-shift sail that me and 2 other people held up. It was pretty sweet.

Later that day I did a low ropes course with about 5 other people. Now you may be thinking, "Low ropes? That is pretty lame. I bet everyone else got up 30 feet and did the high ropes course. What is wrong with this chick?" And you would be partially right. But I am not lame. There is absolutely zero chance I could have reached the wire to hold onto in the high ropes course. I am short, guys. Give me a break. And the low ropes course was actually really challenging. They made us get two pitchers of water across the whole thing as a team without spilling (almost) any. Not that I helped with that part, but still. It was more fun than it sounds like.

After that pretty much everyone just wanted to go to sleep, but did they let us? Of course not. Instead they made us get into teams, build rafts, get on said rafts, and race around another "small boy." My team apparently built a, "rather unique" raft that managed to keep us afloat quite nicely and give us a win (which we did NOT cheat to get, thank you very much). So while I am dead tired today, I got an experience out of this weekend like no other.

 My big, red fireman's suit.

 Hiking up the mountain...

 ...and hiking back down.

 Lake Coniston.

Now it is just getting ridiculous.

I swear I must have a sign on my forehead that says "ROB ME" in big, red letters. First it was my cell phone, and now my umbrella of all things. Who steals an umbrella? I mean I know it rains a lot here, but honestly. This new act of theft once again came out of a pretty awesome day. We started out by getting on a big coach bus, and then waiting half an hour for another big coach bus to come pick us up because the first one's door was broken (which somehow the bus driver missed when they got in the bus to drive over and pick us up).

After that little mishap things went pretty smoothly. Our first stop was to an old ruined castle called Kenilworth. May I just say that old, ruined castles are REALLY cool? I should really have a castle to go with my sword... Seriously though, this place was absolutely beautiful. You could still see all of it's grandeur even through it's decay. I love places like that where you can feel the history around you. It was by far the coolest place I have seen yet. Plus they had awesome chocolate cake (and I don't even like chocolate cake).

After that we moved on to Baddesley Clinton, an old British manor house. It was pretty and all, but it got way cooler when we saw all the hidden rooms and passageways where priests used to hide from "priest hunters" after Henry the 8th reformed the church. Betta watch yo' back daddy. Not that my dad is actually a priest. But you know, still.

So it was at this Baddesley Clinton that ANOTHER jackass took my nice, new umbrella. Next time I will have to get a more distinctive one. Like one that says, "This is Heather Blood's umbrella. Please do not steal it. Or else." in neon lettering. In any case, people really need to stop taking my stuff.


Kenilworth Castle

Me...

The gardens at Kenilworth

 Apparently people used to be douches and bait bears. By which I mean have a bunch of dogs attack a bear that is chained up to a tree. And then they made statues about it.

Baddesely Clinton (Somewhere in which resides a no good umbrella stealer)

A priest hidey-hole

More stuff about England.

As you may have learned from Facebook, I lose things a lot. First it was my keys, and then it was my cell phone. Although to be fair, it may have been stolen. At the very least some jackass used up all of my minutes in ONE NIGHT. But I will come back to all of that nonsense.


On Thursday we got to take a tour of the Guildhall, which is like the Mayor's gigantic office building. Everything was old and beautiful and the Mayor was like the funniest politician I have ever met. He brought us into the cells (dungeons) that were underneath the building where there were some highly disturbing mannequins locked up for our viewing pleasure. After all of the touring we came back into the main entrance hall where we were served tea (which honestly smelled like horse crap, but it's the thought that counts) and got to take pictures with the Mayor's swords. Just saying, but I look really good with a sword. I should probably have been a knight. Just ignore the fact that it is as tall as I am.

The next day we did some more touring of the city and decided to go out to a club called "Tramps" (real promising name, I know). It was actually a pretty good time for most of the night, but somewhere in the hour and a half that we were all dancing my phone either flew out of my pocket or was stolen. Honestly I am guessing it just fell out because I also had some change and my inhaler in my pocket, and if they had been a thief I doubt they would have been so considerate of my asthma. But you never know, because when I went to the O2 store to get it replaced they said that whoever "found" my phone used up the 15 pounds that I had put on it, which is really just a jerk move.

Then last night we were given wrist bands to get into a place called "Bushwackers" for free. We walked all the way there, got in line, and were told that it was a 21 plus night. 21 PLUS? What is this the United States? And it was like that at most of the places we walked by! Apparently on Saturdays British clubs shun those of us who are a few birthdays short of a night out in the states. So we all got amazing pizza instead and it was still a pretty darn good night.




The Guildhall

Mr. Mayor...

Me drinking horse tea

Can't you picture me as a knight?

Me Being an Idiot: My second day at Worcester.

So remember how I was raving about the fact that I had a handicapped room yesterday? Yeah not so much. My room is still pretty awesome and huge and everything, but for some reason the people at accommodations decided it was a really good idea to make the door to the handicapped room the only one in the flat that locks automatically. Which if you think about it is really stupid, because what if a person who really needs help falls and has their key in the room with them? Well then someone has to walk all the way to main reception and find a security guard to come back with her and unlock the door. Why do I know this? From experience.

Not that I fell or anything, but 48 hours into my big trip I already locked my keys in my room. Shocker I know. The security guard was really cool about it, so at first I didn't feel like to big of an idiot. He got my door unlocked quick and easy and when he left everything was all good. So my flatmate and I walked into the city to try and find a group of people who had gone to a local pub. We got like halfway there when a pigeon decided Andrea's shoe looked like a really good place to take a dump, which should have told us right away how this little adventure would go. Basically we walked like a mile into the city center in crappy shoes just to find out that people were not at the pub we thought they were going too.

So then we walked back, which honestly was fine, and I bought my first bottle of wine (!!!) and went back to the flats. There were some more people there so we all decided to head out again to a small place close by and a good time was had by all. I was all good and responsible and headed back before midnight because I knew we had to be somewhere the next day by 9:15. So remember the part where I locked myself out of my room? Yeah. Because apparently I am not the sort of girl who can just lock herself out once. I am the sort of girl who loses her key card somewhere and has to stay on someone else's couch (Don't panic mom and dad, this was a very nice girl from Minnesota).

But luckily I also have a cool flatmate who found my card key, which means I don't have to be that girl who tells her adviser that I lost it on the second day. YAY!


Note the pretty pink baby stroller behind the danger keep out sign.

Interesting fact about England: They don't call bathrooms bathrooms. Instead they are either toilets or WC's. Also here they have .1 and 4% milk.

Hey look, I'm in England.

After two plane rides, at least 4 cups of coffee, and 30+ hours without sleep I finally have a minute to sit down and write all about how I am in England now! Let me just say not sleeping for over a day is rough. I apologize in advance for any crazies that my brain throws in here. 

We all had to be at the airport on the 12th by 9:15 (which shockingly we mostly were) and the flight from Minneapolis to Newark (which is apparently in New Jersey, and apparently everyone but me knew that) was pretty uneventful. We didn't die in a fiery plane crash or anything. And really the only things worth mentioning about the layover that we had in Newark were that I got charged like both my arms for a huge cup of Ben and Jerry's when I asked for a small, and that there was a rogue pigeon flying around inside the building next to our gate. I feared for our luggage. 

Then we boarded what had to have been the longest flight of my entire life. It was really only like six hours and two minutes, but it felt like at least ten. And a half. I just have a really hard time sitting still in general and that was like a form of torture during which I was forced to stay awake and watch bad television. However the exception to that was that I finally saw Kung Fu Panda 2, which has to be at least the second cutest movie ever. Better than the first I think. Anyway, after that looonnnggg flight I was feeling a little under the weather, but I perked right back up after I saw how freaking amazing Worcester is. It is one of the prettiest, cutest towns/cities I have ever seen. And I am not just biased, it really is cute and I will get some good pictures up when I have a chance. I was also pleased to see how gigantic my room is. My bedroom and bathroom are both handicap accessible which means I have this big open room and like nothing to put in it. But my wallet will fix that problem sooner or later.

So all in all I have had a pretty good first day here in Worcester. Although to be honest it feels like it should be 1:30 right now and that is kind of messing me up. But that might also have something to do with my lack of sleep, which I will be remedying quickly.    

Saying goodbye to my mom.

Our impressive mileage.

The river Severn.

My desk that is almost twice as long as I am.

My safety conscious bathroom ...

My still very plain but very large bedroom (and I am working on the plain part).