Orientation Week in Bath!

Hello, everyone!

I have been in the gorgeous city of Bath for almost a week now, so I suppose it's about that time to start posting on all of my adventures! This first week has been a rush of Orientation, acquainting myself with the academic program that is Advanced Studies in England (ASE) and the city that we will be living for the next four months! I have met a bunch of new people, including the fifty-three ASE students in the program as well as all our staff, student helpers, and some of my tutors (here they are called tutors rather than professors). Classes start this upcoming week and I am incredibly excited, if a bit daunted by the amount of reading that I will be doing over the course of the semester... five plays for my "Mythologizing Shakespeare" class, nine novels for "Ghosts and the Gothic: the Literature of Terror," with countless articles comparing the American and the British education systems for "Education in England." I suppose being an English major, the correct response should be... Bring it on!

Already I am awed by the beauty of this city, especially Bath Abbey, which happens to be a two-minute walk from my flat :) I will definitely be taking a guided tour of the Abbey in the future, so more pictures of that to come, but I will include some of the small tour we were given as a Welcome to Bath celebration with our whole program. As the only city in England and one of two cities in Europe (Bath and Venice) with World Heritage Status, the upkeep and protection of historical landmarks takes precedent; therefore the atmosphere and appearance of the city streets gives off the feeling of stepping into an idyllic postcard. Bath, essentially, is the exact opposite of the stereotypical American city by ridding itself of the grime and pollution, characteristic of places like New York City or Philadelphia. Furthermore, all of the buildings are required to look like classic Georgian architecture so even a clothing store built in 2013 looks like it belongs next to the Royal Crescent and the Circus.

I currently am living in a flat (the colloquial term in Bath for an apartment) with two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a small dining room in Nunes House, located right in the heart of the city and just around the corner from Nelson House where ASE's classrooms, offices, and library can be found. I anticipate the closeness will come in handy if I am ever running late to class... I can pop out of bed and be at my class in less than five minutes flat! In terms of discovering what Bath has to offer, it is also quite handy to be located in the center of the city; this way, I can go off in a different direction each time I want to go exploring and always find my way back with the Abbey tower as my geographical guide.

Although I have not been to see the Roman Baths quite yet, I have enjoyed being a tourist for the past few days, walking all over the city to see the Circus, the Royal Crescent, and the Abbey, as well as frequenting a few local pubs and restaurants. I have officially tried fish and chips (good, if a bit greasy) as well as cider (a drink called Beesting is my new favorite!) and just this morning I shopped around the local Saturday markets, which I cannot wait to visit again next Saturday in order to buy fresh bread, fruits and veggies, as well as meats, cheeses, and sweets! Cooking is quickly becoming a new hobby as there is no cafeteria for ASE and we are all given a stipend for groceries every couple weeks. I am happy to say that we have all mastered the basics and have not set off the fire alarm yet! My flatmates and I even baked snicker doodles on the third night :) Shout out to Melanie for being a champ and stirring that batter since we didn’t have an electric hand mixer yet!

Basically, I am having the time of my life already and I cannot believe that I get to partake in the amazing adventure that is studying abroad in Bath, England!!

More to come soon, including.... travels to Stonehenge (tomorrow!!), adventures on my first day of my school placement, and the first week of classes!

Cheers!

This is the view from the window in my room. Right now the canal is completely flooded from the incredible amounts of rain Bath has been getting. And the green section in the middle is actually the Bath Rugby stadium! We can watch a rugby match from the comfort of our bedroom!

Bath Abbey from the side.

Bath Abbey from the front.

Street performers are everywhere in the city!

Chelsi and Madeline, my flatmates, and I in front of Bath Abbey! 

My roommate, Melanie!

Madeline, Chelsi, Amy, and I wandering around the streets of the city.

A typical street in Bath...I wish West Grove looked like this!

The Circus

Amy, Madeline, and Chelsi cheesing in the Circus. Apparently,  Nicholas Cage is rumored to own an apartment in the Circus; his is the only one without a house number. He removed it in order for his residence to be less conspicuous... that kind of defeats the purpose, however. In order to find out which one was his, we all just looked for the only one without a number! 

If only I could have an apartment here!

Melanie making snickerdoodles!

Sipping tea with pinkies out!

Sharing a pizza with Chelsi. So far, Strada is one of the best restaurants that I have eaten at! Their margarita pizza was to die for :) 

Drinks at Belushi's. Met up with Alyssa (on my left), Grace (bottom left),  and her friend Ashton, who is studying at Bath University. 

Pubs in England have such interesting names... The Pig and the Fiddle (apparently Johnny Depp has been spotted here before!)

...And The Slug and the Lettuce.