liverpool

last night, i experienced my first sunset from an airplane, and this morning, i saw my first sunrise from an airplane. so bright and beautiful! i also had my first two meals on a plane. i'll be honest--plane food is not anywhere near the best food i've ever had. squishy chicken drowning in some brownish-red sauce, chewy mashed potatoes (which i ended up dropping on my yellow pants, leaving an orange stain), and crunchy green beans. this morning's breakfast consisted of strawberry yogurt, dried fruits (cranberries and cherries made in traverse city, michigan!), a banana muffin, and a half-frozen banana. the time was about 5.30 am, and i had just woken up. i was not in the mood for eating much, but the yogurt and fruits were good! 8.5 hour flight=tiring.

and now, after months of preparation, i am here!

unbeknownst to me before i arrived, i get my own room and my own bathroom.

while this is nice, i feel isolated. i don't know what anyone else is doing right now.

we flew into manchester at 7am this morning. we then drove straight to liverpool and got our room assignments. the dorms are set up in flats. there are 5 rooms lining a hallway in each flat, and at the end of each hallway there is a common area with a kitchen. there is a main common living area on the ground floor of the building. my bedroom window overlooks a neighborhood. i can see houses upon houses and downtown liverpool in the distance.

our professors left us this morning for their housing, so we have been on our own all morning.

first, we went to the library and got our log-in codes. we checked emails (and, i'll be honest, facebook). we then walked to this little town square and got some snacks. then we explored some more! we found this boutique called classy rags near school. there are so many funky sex and the city-esque dresses there! this shop also had so many awesome big hats and big, flowery headbands. i will not be spending my money there, though. no money for new clothes!

now, i have an hour and a half until we head down for an early dinner.

things i have observed about liverpool thus far:

-this city is dirty

-everything is very small; cars, houses, etc. there is a lot jammed into the little space there is here

-more bird feathers line the sidewalks than leaves

-christopher cox, i miss you. but also: you'd make a great grandpa here. the old men all wear button-up shirts, cardigans, and shoes that look kind of like clarks, only with thicker soles

-every english girl that i have seen wears leggings as pants and has thick, dark eyebrows

-beautiful plants everywhere! and they all grow together--poking out from underneath each other

-lots of big trees and old brick buildings

-everything is SO GREEN. even through the grey mist and fog, the colors of all of the plants are so vivid!