The Halfway Point

Hi Everyone,

I have made it to the halfway point!! Time is going by so fast. The campus is pretty quiet this week. Reading Week which is basically like Fall Break is going on, so a lot of students went home for the week and the International Students are going on little trips to places like Italy, Spain, and Amsterdam just to name a few.

Here is an update of what's been going on with me:

TENNIS: So, as you all probably remember we lost our very first tennis match, but we were not discouraged as a team and are looking to bounce back. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to play last week due to rain, which caused the match to be cancelled. Tomorrow however, our tennis match is in-doors so we will for sure play. We had a good practice on Monday...early, but still good.  I am looking forward to helping the team to our first win. I will let you know how it goes!

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: I was super excited to see this musical. And it was AMAZING. Visually it was very appealing and there a lot of nice flashes of fire and light through out the performance. I have to say I was also very impressed with the singing. I have the upmost respect for Opera singers. It really was a fun night! The seats were perfect!! I will say I didn't realize how long the show was it definitely was over two hours with the intermission. It was also the 25 year anniversary here for the show which made it special as well.

I don't have a musical on the calendar for this week but next week its...CATS! I can't wait for this show!! I look forward to sharing that experience with you all in the near future.

Classes are going well! I actually turned in my first graded assignment today!! It was for my Media Production class. Basically, we had to record a three min radio "talk" (story) and then today we had to edit and submit it. I chose to talk about when I became 5th in the Nation for Poetry. It was an odd feeling to only now be turning in my first graded assignment. Hopefully it goes well. I have my first paper due coming up in early November and I am beginning to put it together.

During Thanksgiving, which isn't celebrated here in the UK, myself and five of my other friends are going to Barcelona!!! I am super excited! We were able to split the cost of the apartment we are staying in to only $70 between the six of us and our flight came out to around $75 dollars. We will be there for just three nights and plan to cook a little Thanksgiving dinner! I cannot wait for this!

I am really enjoying my time here and I am making so many new friends. It is going to be sad to leave, but also a big part of me misses the US. Time really is flying and before I know it I will be looking back on my journey. I still have so much to do and see while I am here! This study abroad experience has definitely changed my life.

Well that's all for now. Until next time. CHEERS!

Ty G.  

You can't win them all

Hey everyone,


I hope mid-terms went well and that Fall Break is relaxing. There is no Fall Break here or mid-terms! With that being said my first paper deadline is coming up in the beginning of November. Thankfully, I still have plenty of time to complete this assignment. The struggle is going to be too real when I return home and actually have to study for a mid-term, what is that? 


WICKED the Musical: SOOOO I went to see Wicked and I was super excited because I love the music and visually it's amazing! First off I had extremely close seats!! Uni really hooked me up! I was about the 7th row back and just off to the right. Overall, I thought the show was great as always however, I do have to say that sound wise, I wasn't impressed. I don't know if it was the stereo equipment or acoustics in the theatre but the overall sound quality from the orchestra and singers was weak. Vocally, I felt like the performers were soft and not as powerful as the show back in the states. Acting wise I thought the cast was phenomenal and there were definitely some UK touches added to the script which made it original. It was a fun night and I was glad to spend it with my Uni friend, Rosa. We also had a fun adventure coming back to Uni after the show. We took the wrong train and ended up having to catch the very last train back to our station and we were running at one of the stations with our "take away" from McDonalds! Haha. It was quite the scene. 



TENNIS: The first match of the season...and WE LOST: Not to make excueses BUT it was FREEZING, RAINING and WINDY! Haha but in all honest the team we played had to deal with the same elements and according to my teammates they are the top team that we face all season. I felt a little better after losing and hearing that. It was also the first match I have played in months. Moving forward I look to work hard at practice and win the next. I hate to lose more than I love to win! I live by that quote when I compete. As a team four of us went to the match and we all lost. It was a tough at the office, however we are going to come back stronger and learn from this match. Stay tuned for more updates! 



SCREEN & SCRIPT CLASS: I am currently working on three different short film scripts and they are coming along nicely. I am really enjoying the class and the feedback from my classmates and lecturer.  My goal is to come back with at least two final scripts for short films and have ready to pitch to a producer for a film festival! There is also a competition amongst us students in the class. At least two scripts will be chose by the production students here and they will choose the scripts they like the most and film. Finally, the will enter those films into the British Film Festival for next year. It would be cool if my script was chosen! I will keep you all updated on if one of my scripts is chosen. 



The next musical on my list this week is, "The Phantom of the Opera" I can't wait to go and see this show! The last time I remember seeing this musical was when I was too young to appreciate it. I look  forward to the different style of the musical and vocal performance! I have always loved Opera! 


Overall my experience here in London is going well and I am taking in everything I can. I can't believe it is almost the end of October! It still hasn't hit me that this my Junior year. I am having the time of my life!! As always leave comments and if you have any questions you want answered just leave a comment!

CHEERS!,

Ty G. 

This will be over before I know it

Hi Everyone,


I can't believe how fast time is flying and that it is already the middle of October! Before I know it my journey will be over and I will be back in the states to complete the second semester of my Junior year! While I am excited for what the future holds I also realize that I must take advantage of every opportunity to build connections and network and prepare for Graduate School applications. Yes!, I am planning to go for my Master's degree in Writing for Stage and Screen! And I am looking at some pretty competitive and top colleges. This means that I have to start putting together a portfolio and body of work. 



My Screen and Script class is helping me to start creating pieces of work that I can use for multiple projects in the future. And right now I am currently working on two separate scripts that can be made into short films. I am really enjoying being able to tell stories and create characters that I feel anyone could relate to. I am definitely learning the difference between writing for stage and screen. With writing for screen it's more visual and what is shown. Less is more.  I have also become close with the lecturer of the class who is a film producer and writer. She also gave me word of a Master's program she and some other faculty are creating that focuses on Screen Writing and producing. I told her to keep me in mind. 



TENNIS: Tomorrow October 14, is my first tennis match for St. Mary's. I feeling good about my game and confident in the men's team. We have a really strong group of guys and I look forward to competing tomorrow in both singles and doubles. Our opponent is Queen Mary's and I know absolutely nothing about their team. I also received my official Tennis Kit (Shirt) as they call it. It's a collard shirt which is a bit more fancy than the tennis shirts we wear back at W&J but I like it. And I will get to keep it as a souvenir. 



"WICKED" The Musical: Thursday I am going to see one of my favorite musical's WICKED! I  can't wait to see how it compares to the previous performance of the show I have seen. I will be going with some other international students who also took advantage of the discounted ticket offers! I will be sure to give a report on how it was, everything from the music, stage design and performances by the actors. 




CHIPOTLE and other Food places: My friend Ashley and I went to Chipotle here in the UK and it was AMAZING! I don't know if it was just because we were starving and literally inhaled our burritos in like ten minutes or what, but it was some of the best food I have eaten since I've been here! It compares very similarly to Chipotle back in the US.  Five Guys is another food chain that is common here, I haven't tried it yet. I will say Domino's Pizza is way better here...not as greasy and it tastes more authentic. McDonalds and Burger King are more healthy here as well. 




I guess one area that is bothering me is actually the lack of rigor. I am someone who constantly loves to be on the move or at least have something to do. Classes here are laid back in the sense that I have three classes that are two hours each but we meet one day a week. At times I find myself disengaged by the material because of the gap in-between the next class. This coming from being used to having a class MWF or TR. I'm not saying this is a bad thing however, I think there is a bigger emphasis on one's own willingness to learn and absorb the material. The lectures themselves are interesting when you think about it. A lecturer will talk for almost the entire two or three hour class. This is a long time of just information after information. And when it comes to assessments, for me at least, I have no exams or quizzes. I have papers that only need to be about 5-6 pages max. I just hope I am able to bounce back to having class five days a week instead of only three days. 



HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER: I 100% recommend you check out this show if you haven't already. The first season is on Netflix and the second season has started and you can catch the episodes on ABC watch or on Thursday's after Scandal. I watched the first season in two days, I could not stop! The cast is amazing and Viola Davis recently won the Emmy for her performance in the series! 



Well that's all for now. Look forward to an update on how the tennis match went, Wicked and any other fun stories that WILL happen along the way! As always if you have questions or anything you want me to write about or find out about just leave me a comment! 


CHEERS!!!

Ty G. 

Missing the small things from W&J

Hi all,

As I sit here in my room thinking about life...yes life in general, I find myself missing W&J. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it here in London and this has always been my dream to come here, but it is different from home. For example, the fact that classes only meet once a week can really throw me off. I find myself disconnected from the content being presented in class because there are five days between every meeting. The education system here for undergrad in my opinion seems very laid back. Not having a class every other day or at least twice a week really does take an effect on how engaged one is on the subject. I enjoy each of my classes, but I feel that they are not as rigorous as I had hoped. Despite some disappointment my goal is to take away everything I can. 


I am also noticing the fact that as an international student, the language barrier can be a challenge more than I suspected. I find myself often raising my hand for clarification on what is being said. For example today in my media production class, which is a class that focuses half on radio and half on t.v., both of which I have experience in, the lecturer made the following statement, "A cue is when an anchor introduces the speaker." Originally I was told a "queue" was a line, however this is also known as a "tease," as I was taught at KDKA CBS. Another example, is a "CV," which is known as a Resume. I found myself really confused by that one! 


While I am used to having to read an extended amount of reading on my own. I have to say here the phrase, "learn on your own" and "teaching yourself," has been taken to a new level. I find this method interesting. On the syllabus for my classes there is a page or two of "suggested" readings but not required. Therefore, the idea is that we as the students, will retrieve and read the books on our own. I guess one benefit is you don't have textbook fees. You either find the readings online, check out the books at the library or the lecturer will handout a think...and I mean big booklet of all the readings needed for the class (I was lucky enough to have this privilege and not have to worry about checking out books from the library). 


In other news it is now October and there is a campaign going on here in London called "Go Sober in October." As you may or may not know the legal drinking age here is 18. From what I have researched the campaign is geared more toward 18-25 year olds, the challenge is for anyone who wishes to participate. 


Two musicals next up on my list are, "Wicked" and "The Phantom of the Opera!" I am super excited about both of these productions. I am very interested in the stylistic differences in theatre here in London versus in the US. Stay tuned for an update on these performances. 


Tennis is going well and our first match is this week! I am ready to compete and feel that overall both the guys and girls teams are strong. All of the matches will be played in doors which is nice with the up and down weather here as of lately. 


I hope everyone is doing well and I want to give a special shout out to the cast and crew of "Avenue Q." Also, a big shout out to my advisor and the director of the musical, Dr. Maresh!!! Break a leg everyone!


CHEERS,

Ty G. :) 






  

Things don't always go as planned, but we adjust.

Hi Everyone,

I will keep this first part short in saying that due to an unexpected situation beyond my control, I have needed to change my living situation from my host family to a residence hall. It is unfortunate that the homestay did not work out, but St. Mary's has been very supportive throughout this process. 

Anyway, moving forward I am now living on campus in a "hall" as they call it and it has actually been going very well. The first day I moved in with my new roommate, Josh, everyone that was in the house came down to greet me as if I was some celebrity. All of the other students in the house are first year students accept for our senior Res who is a third year. In the UK students only go to "Uni" for three years and obtain their B.A. The conversations so far have been endless questions of the differences and comparisons to the US. Let's just say there is never a dull moment in conversation. Overall, I love how there is a sense of community now that I am on campus and in my new residence. Every night most of us go to dinner together or try to meet up for lunch. And at night we all hang out to do homework or order pizza and watch movies together. There is definitely a sense of supporting one another. 

Some fun events I have been up to include:

Going to a "Disclosure" concert at a club with some of my tennis mates. This was such a fun experience! The duo just released their new album on the night of the concert and anyone who bought tickets in advance will be mailed a copy of the new album! The line to get in was one of the longest lines I have ever endured. Yes, endured. It was freezing outside and windy. However, it was well worth the wait. Disclosure played for about an hour and half and shut down the club! I am looking forward to more concerts hopefully. 

"Matilda" The Musical: 

I went to see Matilda the musical with a mate and it was amazing. I had never seen this musical before and I actually don't remember the movie all that well. It was a great show and the kids and the little girl who played, Matilda were adorable. The show was filled with lots of singing and music number and surprisingly a lot of nice lighting effects that enhanced the overall experience of the show. By the end of the show I still had all of tunes stuck in my head. 

Booking more MUSICALS: I have booked my tickets to see so many shows while I am here to gain the full theatre experience in London!!! I am excited!! Coming up in October I will be seeing, "Wicked" and "The Phantom of the Opera" I can't wait!! I will be sure to tell you all about them. And then November is jam packed with shows!! Stay tuned for updates...more may be added to the list. 

Two things we I LOVE about my college that I don't have here: Number one is free printing!!! I have never been so thankful for free printing until coming here to St. Mary's where you have to pay for printing!! AND second FREE LAUNDRY!! Paying for Laundry services here is a struggle!! I am telling you it's the little things that you miss the most about your home school when you are gone. 

Tennis: Tennis training has been going well and next week is our first match! I am super excited and ready to represent St. Mary's the best I can! There is a lot of talent on the team and I think we could go undefeated!!! 

Well that's all for now! Be sure to reach out with any questions or anything that you want me to talk about or find out here in London!

CHEERS!

Ty G. 

Rugby World Cup 2015, Tennis & First Day of Classes

Hello Everyone,

My journey in London is continuing to be a life changing experience!!! And since posting last week I have a lot to talk about! I can truly say I am feeling settled in at my new home and University! Everyone here has been extremely helpful and kind regarding my questions and needs. But now back to the fun, crazy and exciting stories….

RUBY WORLD CUP 2015: Never in my life have I followed Rugby or even knew the rules of the game or what is was about. However, Rugby in the UK is like the Super bowl in Football for us in the U.S. I was sitting my room when one of my host brothers, John came running up stairs shouting my name…the conversation went as followed…

John: Ty! Ty! 

Me: Hey John! What’s up

John: Are you not coming with us mate?

Me: Ehh I don’t think so.

John: Why not?!

Me: I don’t know…do you want me to come

John: Of course mate, but only if you want to. It’s going to be really mad! Everyone gets mental! 

Me: Alright, I’ll come! 

John: Perfect, we are going to leave in an hour. CHEERS!

Now you have to understand that since I did not know how this game was played and I didn’t know the rules I was worried I would be bored and not have a good time. However, I thought to myself, “When am I ever going to see a pro Rugby game in the UK again?” My roomie, Ben and our three host brothers David, Peter and John all went together and it ended up being a great time! We joked around and took pictures with an enlarged world cup trophy and had a table in the front of the big screen for the Fan Zone viewing of the game. England beat Fiji and the crowd was amazing! Singing, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and throwing beer in the air for celebration. After the game we all went to MAC Donald’s as it’s pronounced here in the UK and then went home after a long night! (Pictures will be below) 

SIGNING UP FOR THE TENNIS TEAM!: Last Friday there was a big club and sport sign up event. All of the sport teams and clubs had little tables and booths for students to sign up and gather information about a particular sport. Of course I found the Tennis team right away and was excited to know that there were indoor courts available to the members of the team. Apparently, I had been the talk of the team seeing that I was from the U.S. and one of St. Mary’s study abroad ambassadors had bragged about me to the the tennis and said that I would make a great contribution to the team. When I went to sign up, a few of the guys were at the table and the first thing they said to me was, “Are you the American?” I laughed and said, “Yes!” They were excited and said that usually the participation for guys on the team was low and that they would be happy to have me. They gave me a schedule with the practice times and matches. 

The first practice was this Monday from 7am-9am…SO EARLY!! It was a great time though. Everyone was getting back into the game and it was nice to just hit around and shake some rust off. I look forward to knowing the guys on the team better and competing for St. Mary’s!!! 

1^st DAY OF CLASS!! RACE & REPRESENTATION: Monday was also my first class which is called, Race and Representation (Sociology). Originally the class was supposed to be from 10am-1pm but the professors pushed it back to 11am-1pm..YESSS!! It was also nice that we were given a thick and large booklet with all the course readings we would need! SO NO MONEY NEEDED FOR A TEXTBOOK!! I was loving this class already and we hadn’t even started anything! We went over the basic components of the class and the assignments that would make up our grade. Two papers and presentation is our overall assessment!! I am excited and curious to see how the conversation of race will go in the class. I am also very interested in the what the topic of race is like here in the UK. 

AND NOW FINALLY THE MOMENT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR…Peggy!:

Well you will have to keep on waiting just a little longer! The actual days of the funeral was this past Sunday and Monday. I am told Peggy is supposed to return home on Tuesday or Wednesday. I know I am just as curious as all of you!! The suspense is killing me! Everyday people are still asking me, “Have you met Peggy yet?” Haha. She has become famous amongst the fall study abroad students. I am also thinking about adding a part to the blog called “Tea with Peggy.” I’m told she enjoys tea and talking about everything!!! I CAN’T WAIT!!!! I promise next blog I will introduce her to all of you! I hope she likes taking selfies, that way I can post the picture of us two on here! 

I wake up everyday and I am still in shock that I am here….in LONDON!! I am truly thankful for this experience! I can’t wait to share my next bundle of experiences! But until next time…

CHEERS,

Ty G. 

Landing in London, Lost Bags & "Where's Peggy?"

Hi everyone! You alright?,

The past five days have without a doubt been jammed packed with adventures, new discoveries and all around mixed emotions. Where do I even begin?? I guess I will start with seeing my AD for the “Be President” campaign at the Pittsburgh International Airport!!! It was surreal to see myself on multiple screens throughout the airport and knowing that thousands of other people would as well. I am truly proud to be considered one of the faces of W&J!! Go Presidents!!

Once I was finally on the plane to London it was exciting and nerve racking at the same time. I couldn’t stop thinking about EVERYTHING!! What will St. Mary’s University be like, what all will I get involved in, what’s the food like, Am I really ready for this, How will my host family embrace me and I can’t believe I am living my dream!! The plane ride itself was about 8 hours and time went fast between sleeping and watching movies. And finally, the time had come when I touched down to London! This was both scary and exciting at the same time. I had to first go through immigration and get my passport stamped. I thought this process was going to be worst than it actually turned out to be! However, it was fairly quick and then I was off to retrieve my bags...or so I thought!!!

Obstacle #1: Lost Bags!!

As I waited at terminal four for my luggage, I began to notice everyone else grabbing their bags and me still standing there anxiously waiting. After about a half an hour I gave up and went to baggage claim where I was told my bags were still at JFK airport in New York. All I could think was, “of course I had to be the one to have my bags left somewhere else.” I didn’t panic. The representative assured me that I would be reunited with bags more than likely by the end of the day, which was a relieve. Now of course we all know that didn’t happen right?! I must have called baggage claims a hundred times asking them the status of my bags to the point where they knew it was me calling. Thankfully my bags did arrive at my homestay the next day in the afternoon and all was well.

Obstacle #2: Where’s Peggy?

To gain the full cultural experience I chose a homestay for my accommodation. I was simply given an address and a name, Peggy Dean. What made me even more uneasy was while at the airport I began to spark conversation with the other international students about their living arrangements and almost everyone said they were living in the dorms on campus. I became a little concerned about my situation because I had not be in contact with my homestay. I just had a name. I began to wonder, does Peggy live alone?, what will her house look like? does she have kids, and I don’t know why but I just had this image of me and Peggy sitting at the table drinking tea and having conversation. Peggy became very popular in the group and once I arrived at the University I was told my homestay would pick me up at 3pm. Turns out Peggy was married and had five kids! However, it was not Peggy who picked me up, it was her husband! Unfortunately, Peggy’s mom passed away and she was handling the funeral. Still to this day I have yet to meet the infamous Peggy and everyday everyone asks me, “Have you met Peggy yet?” It has become quite the anticipated event.

The past few days have mostly been orientation stuff for international students. Meet and greets, tours of the campus and buildings, informational meetings about what is offered and all the fun we can have. I am beginning to settle in nicely. I have a roomie named Ben, who I actually met in San Francisco at a ice cream shop this summer while teaching and it was crazy that we ended up at the same homestay sharing a room. Initially when we talked about going abroad we didn’t realize we were both going to the same place at the same time. It was nice to see a familiar face.

Most recently, this past Saturday we took a walking tour of central London. My University is located in Twickenham, a nice quite area away from the city. The tour was amazing. Of course, we viewed a lot of the major attractions, Big Ben, The London Eye, Buckingham Palace, etc. I took many pictures and I will post some of my favorites! I look forward to exploring what all London has to offer and of course London Theatre!!!!

We still have the rest of this week before modules (classes) officially start.  Basically, this is time to continue to become familiar with the lay of the land and settle in nicely. There are also a number of events for the incoming first year students and international students to attend to get to know one another! I look forward to an exciting semester.

Fun Facts:

There is a bar on campus!! Yes! A Bar! The legal drinking age here is 18. The bar or “Pub” is open to students and faculty on campus and there are events held in this area such as, “Open Mic Night, Bingo and others social gatherings.

LONDON LINGO: 

MATE = Friend or Pal  

“You alright”= What’s up or How are you? 

PUB = Bar  

“Bunk class”= to Skip 

FAG= a cigarette (Smoking is very common in London!)  

CHEERS= Thank you.

Stay tuned for more exciting stories and updates on my journey here in London. I will also try to make post on Facebook and upload as many photos as I can.

Until next time!

Ty G.