American Football

So on Saturday I went to my first ever American Football game. It wasn't really the best weather for it as it was a burning 40+ degrees in the sun and we were given the seats that didn't have any shade. 

However, there was a big group of the exchange students going and there seemed to be a lot going on outside the stadium as it was homecoming. 

We were thoroughly searched before we entered the stadium and were given lots of Mean Green merchandise including pompoms and stickers. There were a lot of people at the game including students and family members. It seemed to be a really big event for the university. I still couldn't get over the size of all the facilities. After talking to a few of the American students, they were extremely surprised that the British didn't have such a big following on university sports. 

It must be said, I didn't really learn many of the rules of the game. I learned that it was important to chuck the ball at the end of the pitch (this is known as a touch down) and that you were to try and stop the opposing team from doing the same. 

However, I learned some more valuable things during this time: 

1) I could sweat from places that I never knew I could sweat from. The only way I can describe the heat here is that it's like a hairdryer. It doesn't burn you, it just consumes you and sitting in it for so long was starting to make me feel really grubby. My lips were starting to taste pretty salty. 

Nomnomnomnomnom. 

2) American football is not just about the football. It is essentially one giant party. You have the marching band that plays throughout the game, during the half-time and before the match (by the way, they were incredible). You have the cheerleaders who perform during the game and run on the pitch with flags every time the home team has a touchdown. You have dancers that perform with the marching band during half time. You have cannons that go off whenever the home team score. You have members of the military bring in the flags at the beginning of the game. I have only been here for a week and I have already sung the national anthem twice. 

3. Fifteen minutes is never fifteen minutes in American Football. 

x

Exploring... McDonald's

Being surrounded by fast food has inspired me and Inge to try every single delicacy before we leave the States. We have seen everything from McDonald's to Wendy's to Taco Bell and we want to try it and we want to review it. 

It seemed obvious to start with one of the planets most popular fast-food joints. 

Bryony and Inge explore.... McDonald's

So we have decided compare the Denton McDonald's to the British/Dutch McDonald's. Obviously we won't be able to compare every food place as many of these companies do not exist in our countries (Wendy's, Whataburger etc.) 

Anyway, this is what we discovered... 

Service: 

The service was fairly slow, but in England this varies wherever I go across the country. The one in Luton is fairly speedy, whilst the one that was a five minute walk away in Edgbaston took about fifteen minutes to order and another fifteen minutes to actually get the meal. We both agreed that we couldn't base it on one experience. 

Winner: Draw 

Food: 

Big Mac 

A few of my friends have been abroad recently and have told me about this 'double big mac' they had come across. However, I was pretty disappointed to discover that they didn't have one in Denton. They did have a few things on the menu that I had never seen before (the McRib, Chicken Club sandwich), but I decided to stick to a home favourite. 

I was pretty disappointed to find that the Big Mac was the same size as the British Big Mac. I was hoping for a mega burger, but I was rather let down! Initially the taste was very similar, however it was clear that the thousand island sauce inside was rather different, but pretty good in it's own way. 

However, Inge and I were pretty disappointed by the bun. The bun in Europe is a lot harder, whilst the American bun is softer and as a result, it was crumbling and I found myself gripping just the burger by the end. 

Thank God I had some tissues. 

Winner: Europe 

Chips 

The quantity of chips was American size. That is, I ordered a medium and was given a British large sized. They were pretty damn good, I couldn't complain. Enough salt on them and hot and tasty. 

Nom nom nom. 

Winner: USA 

Drink 

Again, I ordered a medium and the drink was massive - the size of a British large. I ordered a coke and like the home, it was largely watered down and disappointing for coke. 

McDonald's - sort it out. 

Winner: Draw 

Overall, I would have preferred the burger to have been bigger, just to complete the American experience. That and a harder bun, would have made it into the greatest burger on the planet. All in all, it was pretty good, but if I go back before I leave, I reckon I'll try one of the burgers we don't get back home and see how that tastes.

x

'Welcome to the land of the free'. 'No. I've just left there'.

I have officially arrived in one piece and there were no disasters of any kind!! I'm starting to settle into my new accommodation and I'm slowly starting to locate things around campus. It's day 2 and I'm tired if I'm honest. 

So here's an update on what has happened so far. 

I woke up at 4am to leave for the airport. I think I slept for about half an hour that night, so I was shattered when Mum woke me up. I collected my suitcase (which was 6kg over the limit), my new Cambridge satchel and my laptop case and left for Heathrow Airport. 

Security was tight. I was thoroughly questioned and felt rather nervous. It doesn't seem like a very good time to be a young woman, travelling alone after recent events in Peru. I gave my suitcase in and paid £39 for the extra weight. 

I said goodbye to Mum and Dad and that was emotional. It was a long time until Christmas and I had never been this far away from home for this amount of time before. However, I knew they were incredibly proud and would always be there if I ever did get into any trouble.

I went through security and was taken in for further searches. I was extremely tired and feeling really on edge the whole time - it was a really frustrating process.

However, I got through to departures and had a two hour wait. I spent most of the time drifting in and out of sleep, feeling scared that I would be so tired that I would forget my laptop case or my satchel. I nearly forgot my debit card in WHSmiths and was chased by the man after me.

The gate was announced and I left to get on the flight. I was originally told I was flying with British Airways, but instead my flight was changed to American Airlines. It was a very pleasant journey. At first I thought economy looked ridiculously cramped - something similar to cattle herding. However, it was quite pleasant and I was one away from the window.

I looked outside and knew it would be a long time until I saw sunny England again.

I would say for the nine hours on the plane, I slept for about seven of them and ate for the other two. The food was pleasant, nice microwaved pasta, loads of crackers, lots of tea, some sort of pizza pie, biscuits, kitkats etc. I was given a pillow and a blanket - it felt like bliss.

There was even an opera section on the TV set, so I spent a lot of the journey listening to Joyce DiDonato's new album. The woman next to me was very nice and was telling me how she was visiting her sister and nephew in Sacramento. 

Before I had left, my Nan gave me some advice. 

 'Be confident. Even if you don't know where you are or what you're meant to be doing, pretend that you do'.

 And actually. I didn't feel nervous at all... 

Well, apart from one thing. 

Luggage. I was terrified that I wouldn't find my luggage. My entire life was in that suitcase and if it was to be taken by someone else, my life would be over. It took ages for it to come out on the conveyor belt before it even came through and so I could feel myself panicking, praying that it would arrive. 

However, it did arrive and I had to ask someone to get it off the conveyor belt for me. This happened throughout the day...

I'm not the sort of person people look at and think 'yeah, she's a girl who works out'.

The 28kg was impossible for me to lift, especially since the handle on my luggage was broken during the flight. I was really beginning to regret everything I had taken. However, I now realise that there were a number of things that I should have brought with me.  

I rang the coach pool to get the coach that I had pre-booked. I followed the directions and turned up at the rank. As I arrived, I met two guys who were sharing my coach: a German named Philipp and a Fin called Antton. We started talking and it turned out that we were all exchange students at UNT and that we were all going to be living in the Santa Fe Square halls. I was so happy that I had met some people before I had arrived. 

First impressions: it was hot. It wasn't hot in the sense that the sun was burning me. It was hot in the sense that it was smothering me. 

I couldn't get over how big the roads were. They were the size of runways. It was incredible, I had never seen anything like it before. 

I kept seeing advertisements for fast food restaurants and health insurance - the later is never seen in the U.K.

It took half an hour to get to campus from Dallas Fort Worth airport and we finally arrived at our accommodation. We signed in and got our room keys. By this point, Anton was merrily carrying my suitcase to my room - win! I unlocked the door and was really surprised by the room. It was huge. It had a small kitchen area and an en-suite bathroom - it was rather impressive.  

I didn't really get a chance to unpack as we were going to a communal barbecue and a speech twenty minutes after we arrived. The barbecue was interesting - there was no vegetarian option for a start, which I found hilarious. 

ONLY MEAT IN TEXAS. 

We went on to the Coliseum to see the speech and it was huge. I  found it astonishing that college's in America have professional sized arenas for their own students. I didn't have my camera at the time, but this was it. Huge.  

  

The speech was good, it was mostly directed at freshmen to make friends and do stuff at college. However, I could feel myself getting tired and I just wanted to go back and tell my parents that I had got there safely. We went back to the accommodation and I messaged my parents to say I was there okay. 

With Anton, Philipp and Charles, a Nigerian exchange, we went with the Santa Fe mentor Claire to Walmart to pick up some essentials. I couldn't get over the size. I thought supermarkets in Europe were huge, but this place had its own aquarium, McDonalds and home improvements section. The only downside was that their kettles were $32 and up, so in the end I had to buy a saucepan, just to make tea. 

Afterwards we went back and I unpacked and settled in for the night. I somehow managed to hold out until half ten and finally, but I finally went to bed.

The next morning I woke up at eight and Skyped my parents. However, I was still tired and went back to sleep shortly afterwards and slept in until 11. I got dressed and decided to look around the campus. However, as I went downstairs, my roommate Annie had arrived, so I decided to wait and look for lunch with her.

We were looking for one of the food courts and we ended up getting completely lost. What should have been an easy trip, ended up being a complete nightmare. It was overwhelmingly hot and I was starting to feel really sick from the sun - I needed water ASAP.

We eventually came across some RAs from another hall and they were happy enough to show us where Subway was. We chatted and they were very helpful in explaining where things were and what we should aim to do whilst we were here.

I was never so happy to see water in my life. It was so cold, refreshing and wonderful. We sat down and ate our Subways and they started telling us about the obscene amount of food that you could buy in America. For example: fast food restaurants will not charge you in Texas if you are over 300lb.
I don't know what kind of business plan is that... I suppose you should aim for something in life?

If you were really hungry, you could visit the Texas State Fair and help yourself to a lump of butter on a stick. Yes. A lump of butter.
I definitely noticed that on the way home from Walmart last night. We must have gone past every fast food restaurant in existence twice before we arrived back in Denton.
Walmart was 7 minutes away from campus.

Later on, I was shown around campus by one of the Vocal/Music Education majors. I was so glad that I finally knew the locations of the buildings! I couldn't get over the size of the music buildings and the quantity of them as well! I'm so happy that I am in a place that has such an emphasis on music.

I have two auditions tomorrow- one for the opera and one for a choir (not impressed that the later is at 9am in the morning), so I did a bit of practice in the afternoon.

The music labyrinth 

When I was in subway with the RAs, I was told about that I should go and see the One O'Clock Lab Band during my time at UNT. Apparently it is the best university jazz band in the entire country and that they have won the national competitions several years in row. It means that they no longer enter them because they actually beat everyone and so they enter international competitions instead. I'm aware that I am in an incredible jazz environment - a lot of friends from home should really consider this as a jazz opportunity. 

The North Music Practice Block 

As for now, I know where the food court is, so I'm going to get some dinner. I should be able to update in the next fortnight or so. Hopefully I'll be able to shed some light on my course!!

See y'all later. 

x

Partying to working

In the words of George Michael... 'I'm so scared'. 

The last couple of weeks have been good. For the most part it has involved spending time with friends and family, going on holiday, going to the pub, going to house parties and BBQs and to a few 21st birthday's. 

It's been great seeing Emma for the past week as I haven't seen her since Christmas. I guess it will be another year until we both stop travelling and both settle in the U.K. 

I had an early 21st celebration / leaving party on Saturday. It was a fantastic night with so many friends and family that I haven't seen in a couple of months/years. It must be said... I don't remember a lot of it and I'm covered in a lot of bruises and scratches.... However, that means it was a good night, right?

However, I leave in three days time and I am terrified. I'm worrying about everything and I'm sure I'll forget something. On top of that, I have two auditions on the second day. I am going to be jetlagged out of my mind. 

BLLLLLLLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

What I will miss...

Over the last couple of weeks I have been writing my new novel. I haven't written properly in a few years and now seems like the perfect time to start again. I've just hit the 10,000 word mark, so another 50,000 words or so and I should be done.  

Anyway, this recent achievement has given me justification to write a new blog update. 

This is a list of things that I think that I will miss and the things that I won't miss on my year abroad. Once I have been there for a few months, I'm hoping to update my blog again and actually see whether I was right or not. 

(Please note: Tea is not listed because I am planning to smuggle all the teabags I can into the US). 

Things I will miss in the US

1. Family

A no-brainer really, but just in case you were wondering, I will probably crave being shouted at by my Mother at some point during my time abroad. 

2. Friends 

One of the big risks about taking a year abroad is returning to a year group that has already graduated. This is pretty depressing, especially when you spend two years getting to know your course-mates and you become pretty close. 

3. Livvykins 

She is the one person who has been through it all with me. The best friend anyone could ever ask for. The shoulder when I'm sad, the cuddle when I'm lonely. Love you Liv <3

4. Birmingham  

Everything from the outrageously cheap beer, hundreds of curry houses and horrendous train lines will be missed! 

...well apart from one thing (see other list). 

5. Cheese (Grommit) 

If there are any American's reading my blog, then feel free to correct me. However, I have heard from a number of people that American cheese is nothing to be desired. This is pretty devastating since I strive to get my five a day of cheese every day. 

Might bring my own cow and show them how it's done!

6. Not singing

So my timetable for next year has been confirmed minus one of the choirs (I need to audition for it when I arrive for it). At Birmingham, I would usually have six contact hours a week. At North Texas I will have 33.5 hours a week and this is without my singing lesson and the weekly departmental on a Tuesday. 

My Monday alone is 8am - 10pm and this involves eight hours of singing. By the way, this doesn't include practicing for recitals, opera roles etc. 

No, this is just my modules. 

7. England and being English 

Over the past couple of weeks I have particularly noticed the beauty of England, the distinct differences between Central London and the Devonshire countryside. I am incredibly lucky to live here and I will miss the pheasant shooting, allotment caring and horse riding qualities of my quintessential English family (I wish I was being remotely sarcastic). 

God save the Queen.

8. Sarcasm 

Again this is word of mouth, but I hear that a lot of American's don't have the same concept of sarcasm as the British. This could be problematic as I am fluent in the language. 

9. My size eight body 

I feel that this is self-explanatory. 

10. Security 

So yeah. 

Never been to America before. 

Never been to a foreign country by myself before. 

Never been to music college before. 

Never been to this music college before. 

Never been travelling alone before.

.... 

Things I won't miss in the US

1. Birmingham weather 

If it isn't raining, it's snowing. If it isn't snowing, it's windy. If it isn't windy, it's cold. 

One thing is for sure, it ain't gonna be bloody sunny. 

2. The Left Wing 

Recently I've started getting into twitter and I have a number of American followers online. A few of the Republicans on the page often refer to the Democrats as 'left wing' when hilariously, the Democratic party are probably more right wing than the British Conservative party. I will be interested to see how politics differ in America and I'm hoping to be involved on some level (even if it is purely educational). 

Safe to say, I will enjoy being in a country where I will not be accused of being 'Tory scum' because I have different political views to most of the Student Union... 

3. Writing my dissertation this year 

Ah Puccini. I have an extra year to think about you. 

What a babe. 

4. Cold student digs 

I think any poor university student can recognise this feeling. However, I've heard that coldness isn't a huge problem in Texas. 

5. Let's put all the deadlines... On the same day. 

Yeah music department. I'm talking about you. 

6. Cooking for myself 

I wish this was even an exaggeration. Feeling pretty happy that everything is catered for this year! 

7. The lethargic feeling I've had during second year  

For the majority of second year, I have felt tired, bored and uninspired. I'm really hoping that with three 8am starts and fourteen hour days, I will be able to shake this feeling I've had. 

8. Alcohol 

So I have two weeks before I turn 21 in America. In these two weeks I will not be able to drink legally (even though I have been for the past two and a half years). 

Of course, I could resort back to my younger, rebellious years, but I have decided that it's probably not worth the risk after several discussions with the year abroad staff. One girl who went to America and drank at a house party was arrested and forced to attend Alcoholic Anonymous sessions for the rest of her year abroad. 

There have been other cases where students have been deported or if they have been found to have been supplying to minors, given a prison sentence. 

... I'll pass on the wine for now. 

A big thank you...

To the Royal Opera House, 

Thank you for such a fantastic year. 

This year I have been incredibly lucky to have been a student ambassador for the Royal Opera House. There were sixteen of us together and we were selected out of 500 applicants. It was the first year that the Royal Opera House have put on this scheme and we were eagerly anticipating to be used as their guinea pigs. 

Our job was to try and promote opera to the 'youth of today'. In other words, how do you convince your friends that it isn't completely bonkers to love opera and spend your summer in one- a challenging feat. In the past I had found it difficult to get my friends to see me in one, how on earth was I to get them to go to see one off their own back? 

With help of the student standby scheme, I think we have persuaded a lot of students to at least try opera. £10 tickets for seats that could be worth up to £225? Yeah I'll take that. 

I think if anyone has the opportunity to go at least once in their life, to take the chance. The building itself is beautiful. Every time I have been this year, I have seen something else that has been fascinating. Whether it has actually been the architecture or the display of historical costumes e.g. Maria Callas' dress from Tosca. It is a very unique building with a very unique history. I found myself stuck in a rut at the beginning of my second year of university and I was thankful that I could just go down to London for a few hours and enter another world.

I have seen some really beautiful productions this year from some of the classics (I saw Die Zauberflöte again, which was the first production I ever saw at the ROH) to some pieces I had never heard of (Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and Puccini's La Rondine). 

I was also introduced to the world of ballet. After never experiencing anything more than Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, I didn't really know what I was letting myself in for. 

However, some of it blew my mind. 

At first I went to see a trio of modern ballet works: Infra/Viscera/Fool's Paradise. I didn't know any of the choreographers, ballerinas or composers, so I was entering the performance with a completely open mind. Whilst Viscera and Fool's Paradise were pleasant enough, Infra was so brilliant. The message was so poignant- how can you feel alone when you are surrounded by crowds. The music was a credit to the performance. I had never heard of Max Richter before, but now I am in love with his style: a combination of minimalism and electro-acoustic sound.

Check some of it out: 

In January, I went to see Onegin. I had seen the opera Eugene Onegin, but I hadn't seen the ballet by the same composer (Tchaikovsky). Again, a really moving production. I suppose as a fan of opera, I had always believed that words were the only way you could transmit a meaning. However, the story was crystal clear and not a word was spoken. The letter scene was particularly moving- a far cry from Tatiana's letter aria. 

Later in March, I saw the most incredible opera that I have ever seen live: Tosca. Strangely, I have only ever seen snippets of the production. I've seen the beginning where Tosca is acting extremely jealous in the chapel and I have seen her aria Vissi d'arte, but that was it. I was not prepared for the end. And I was definitely not prepared for Te Deum. 

Te Deum was orgasmic live. It was such a wonderful wall of sound, yet so sinister at the same time. To date, I haven't seen a performance that has had such a strong impact on me. The Bryn Terfel version is incredible, but it's not very plausible - if this was the case, Tosca would be running to Scarpia (SO SEXY). 

So strong that I have actually decided to write my dissertation on Tosca. 

So year, I'm feeling pretty sad that I won't return to the building for at least a year and with such an incredible season, the sting is a little worse. Classics such as Carmen and La Boheme are being performed as are the more grizzly operas (Wozzeck and Elektra) and I would have loved to have seen their version of Turandot after being in the production myself. Singers such as Elina Garanca, Elizabeth Watts and Veronique Gens will be on the stage- a delight for any opera goers. 

Check out the season for yourself: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/201314-opera-and-music-season-announced 

I have been invited to become a student ambassador when I come back from the States, so I'm hoping the season will be as good and I'm pretty excited to meet new opera and ballet enthusiasts. 

P.S. There is one thing I will not forgive you for ROH. I will never get those four hours of Robert di Diable back- those sexy nuns have scarred me for life.

Completion

So I have finally done it.

Flights are booked.

Shuttle is booked.

Meningitis vaccination has been injected.

Hmm...

Leaving everything I love for... I don't know, a dream...

P.S. Student finance, I want a £861.79 refund ta.