Shoot the moon and miss completely

West Jefferson, North Carolina.


Listening to:
'Shoot the Moon' by Norah Jones.
Listen here

emphasise.

Not happy.

Why is it that when I make the quite embarrassing effort to go up to a teacher to introduce myself in the second week of term in a very clear British accent, explaining I am an exchange student, I am still later on met with those very condescending two letters, 'sp', when I use the English - no, wait - the correct spelling of words from a language which was only adopted as the official language of this country some 240 years ago? Would Chaucer have spelt 'emphasise' with a 'z'? Why should I have to change my spelling and grammar, in an attempt to squeeze a couple of extra marks out of an essay, only to have to go home to Manchester in September to start writing a dissertation in real English? Why do some professors really think it necessary in their roles as educators to correct spellings which are clearly due to cultural difference rather than mistake or ignorance?

Stage 2 of culture shock (according to Wikipedia and seconded by NCSU in our induction talks back in January):

"After some time (usually three months but sometimes sooner or later, depending on the individual), differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety. 

Excitement may eventually give way to new and unpleasant feelings of frustration and anger as one continues to have unfavorable events that may be perceived as strange and offensive of one's cultural sensitivity. 

Language barrier, stark differences in public hygiene, traffic safety, food accessibility and quality may heighten the sense of disconnection from the surrounding."

Well, I guess I can't say they didn't warn us. I find this spelling of emphasise very offensive of my cultural sensitivity indeed. 

Okay okay rant over! 

A few pictures of last weekend for you to lighten the mood - some stolen frat paddles and a lovely valentines card from my Mum, depressingly marking my first Feb 14th alone for a good 5 or 6 years... Who needs a boyfriend when you have a mother who sends you cash in a soppy hallmark card in the post anyway? Gotta love her.

x

Listening to: The Swimming Song by Loudon Wainwright III. 

- Lovely song which reminds me of the Beckleberry ladies back in Newcastle and our happy festival times.

Have a listen here.

If you give a little love, you can get a little love of your own

So the past few days here have been a little weird to be honest - a lot of reminders of things going on back home made the freakishly gorgeous weather on Sunday a little bittersweet.
 But as always, I can't underestimate the powers of my best friends in Newcastle to be incredibly grounded and understanding and put things into perspective. Not to mention the beautiful multi-national ladies of Alexander who are an amazing distraction from anything and everything serious- bring on spring break in the Bahamas! 

Speaking of which, I was directed towards this little beauty last night during a bit of escapist holiday excitement. Needless to say it looks like a nightmare. I can't wait. 

Saturday night was another of Raleigh's finest house parties: I actually say this without the irony, it was pretty cool. They had turned the basement into a little dubstep hub with an ACTUAL DJ (unusual- most hosts seem to think that an ipod with a pair of free speakers from a local bank should suffice) and pretty lights and things. 

There was even a keg and red cups. 

But, as we have now come to expect- the cops came. I of course responded with the immediate dropping of my red cup and a silent grip of Emily, my fellow English and underage friend's arm. Proceeded by a mini freak-out, an assessment of the garden fence and whether we reckoned we could jump it, then eventually a surprisingly easy little jog out the front door, singing 'Rule Britannia' all the way down the road. I have since learned that the owners of the house were fined something around the $400 mark for a combination of noise pollution and serving alcohol to minors (that would include myself i guess, sorry guys) so won't be in the financial situation to have another one for about a year. But ultimate respect to them for taking one for the team! A good night anyway, and much needed.

Today my poetry class was cancelled, so in place of that I need to get down to writing our poem of the week, to submit by 9pm. The theme this time is a speaker addressing someone, so writing it to 'you', set in a particular situation. Perhaps trying to be overly clever, I've been sitting here brainstorming, trying to figure out what a young female speaker might say to an unborn child in the womb. But somehow I can't get inspired. I don't want to cause any abortion controversy. This is the south, after all. Anyone have any better ideas? 

There's only so long I can sit here drawing foetuses (foeti?) in the margin of my notebook.

x

Listening to: Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down by Noah and the Whale. 

Post title from 'Give a Little Love'
Have a listen here.

"I Gots Me A Dream"

Reading back through the past few entries, I am slightly worried to see that almost every time I write anything up here I manage to squeeze in something about One Tree Hill... not even very subtly. In fact I think it's safe to say that my last entry was based entirely on it. So you'll probably be happy to know I have now decided to make a conscious effort to seem a little less crazy and move onto actual real life! A scary thought, I know, but I think it's for the best. 

So I thought one good way of doing this would be to give you a list of some strange/exciting/funny things I did this past week or so. 

Also, just a quick little side-note: quite a few of you lovely people have told me privately that you like keeping up with my bloggage. If this is the case and you aren't actually 'following' it, please take the couple of minutes to make an account and do so! Not only would I love to see who actually reads (and bump up my measely 9 followers of course), and have you be able to comment if you feel inclined to, but I also think you should all also check out some other bloggeroos on here because some of the ones I follow are pretty darn good. More about them another time. 

Anyhoo! Hope you are all having a great week wherever you are: here is my list of wacky shizz i've been up to. Enjoy!

1) Wrote a poem about canine teeth. Genuine set homework for an english class. Written from the perspective of the tooth. Poem itself may be provided upon request, but trust me it's not the most captivating read.

2) Got a tattoo of the Australian flag on my wrist. Ok well it was a stick-on one, but had you going there though didn't I? This was in honour of Australia day yesterday, and with such a ridiculous Aussie proportion in Alexander Global Village, we of course had to have a little celebration- consisting of some beautiful cakey goods and a quiz on Australian slang. I learn the words 'arvo' and 'budgie-smugglers'. A great experience all round.

3) Went to the gym for the first time. Not ever, but the first time in the NC State one. Now we get free entry, and the front door of the building is no more than 25 steps from the front door of Alexander. And we have been here three weeks. Pretty awful effort, especially since we have all vowed to shed the pounds for Spring Break. Plus I only stayed about half an hour. Oh well.

4) Collected a package from home, and somehow, on the 3 minute walk home, lost it. What can I say. The search is still underway. It was from Jim, bless him- apparently contained chai tea and it smelled freaking amazing. For the 10 seconds that I actually held it. 

New Development- Package found and anonymously posted in my mailbox! Hurrah! Chai tea in bed proving to be the best feeling in the world ever.

5) Got dropped on my head by a Frenchman. The only way I can possibly explain how I managed to achieve 4). Have felt the effects mentally ever since.

And finally, one last thought to leave you with.  This humorous little sight I found pinned up proudly on a wall the other day: priceless misquote of possibly the most famous speech in American history.

x

Lucas, I miss you

Yesterday was amazing. Not quite the lazy Sunday I had planned- but so much better.

 My idea to spend the day catching up on work, sleep, laundry and reading went down the pan the second my very impulsive friend Megan and her friend Camilla, who was visiting from Australia, came into my room babbling a spur of the moment plan to rent a car and drive to the coast. To a gorgeous little town called Wilmington, more specifically. Which I had heard of plenty of times before, simply for the fact that my beloved One Tree Hill is filmed there. So, despite all the work I now still have to slog through, I was never really going to say no was I?

For those of you unfamiliar with OTH (and i don't judge you- it is cheesey and unrealistic to an extent but just so you know you ARE missing out...) I will just explain that the rivercourt is pretty iconic and epitomal to the story. A bit of a hotspot for all that teenage angst as well as a beautiful setting to emphasise the small-town homely atmosphere and, come to think of it, actually just a place for all the basketball players to get topless and bring in a few thousand extra viewers, it couldn't be more perfect a place for 3 out-of-towners who have sat through 8 seasons of emotional adolescent drama to bring us to this life-defining point.

- example of said angst.

Okay, so maybe life-defining was a slightly strong term. 

It was amazing though. Particularly in the stunning backdrop of that blazing red North Carolina sunset. The lights on the river started to remind me of Newcastle: the river Tyne with the slowly merging lights of the Millenium Bridge and all the quayside's nightlife reflecting off the water. Perhaps for the first time since being here, I felt the first pang of home-sickness. In retrospect, it was more of an appreciation of home as seen through the sights of North Carolina, rather than a real desire to be back there. I know the Tyne will always be there the next time my Northern Rail train chugs over the bridge and pulls into Central Station. 

But for now, the crisp southern-coastal air is more than enough to keep me content.

x

Papa was a Rodeo

Well what a long week it's been! 

In a good way, of course; the Alexander hall honeymoon period is most definitely still in full flow. Had one of those strange nights you know you'll never forget in a lifetime the other night at the "The World's Toughest Cowboy" down at the RBC Centre in Raleigh - my friend Tom stumbled upon this website during a lazy night in a hotel room when we first arrived here, and we made a pact to go. And what an experience it was! 

I'm pretty sure my vegan friend will be choking on her soy latte right about now (sorry Katie)- as I have to say it definitely wasn't the most ethical production out there. We asked a slightly more seasoned rodeo-goer how exactly they got the horses and bulls to buck so much in the stadium when they seemed so calm beforehand. 

Wish I hadn't asked.

Moving swiftly on. After the show we went outside to find a cab back to campus, but in a slightly intoxicated state of pure elation decided that a more appropriate mode of transport would be the back of some guy's truck. 

Turns out this is legal in the state of North Carolina?

Amazing night, topped off by some really quite dire house parties, one at which we were shuffled out of a back door having heard 'the cops are here' (doubtful- it wasn't particularly worth raiding), but being under 21 in this new place, we bought the story, dropped our cans and ran like hell. Bloody tourists, eh. 

In more present news, very much enjoying the celebration of Martin Luther King Day today. Our celebrations being getting the day off classes. My personal celebration being sitting in my pyjamas with wet hair and no makeup trying to edit a shockingly bad essay on African American music to submit to Manchester by midnight. What boring people we Manchester students must seem to all the other people in Alexander! Once this essay is done, Raleigh and its one dirty over-18 club better prepare to be hit HARD. 

x

Walmart.

Well, months on from the last time i even considered blogging, here I am in beautiful North Carolina! 


Moved into NC State's incredibly active and diverse international halls, the Alexander Global Village, two nights ago and despite feeling quite overwhelmed by the tugging forces of going out/finishing essays set by Manchester, the overall consensus seems to be that we love college. 


I am quite ashamed to say that by day 3 I still have yet to experience the likes of of beer pong and frat parties due to aforementioned essay-writing, but I have gone for fro-yo, bought Reese's Pieces, eaten pizza by the slice (struggling to find an experience which doesn't include food)... oh yes, and spent three consecutive days in the main attraction of the glorious USofA. Walmart.

I could easily go on for a good portion of the rest of the night about how much I love this little diamond, and all the cheapy crap it offers to us international students trying to make our dorms pretty. But since I have my first class at 8am in the morning i'll spare you the details. Long story short: three girls, three days, three different Walmarts.
'Nuff said.


Must be off, but here are a few pictures I took around campus to make this actually informative and a semi-worthwhile read for those of you who are interested in how I'm doing:

x