Once Upon a Tyne

By the end of our first week in the UK, we had spent more time in London than we had in Newcastle so there was still a lot of exploring, adjusting, and learning to be done. As easy as it is to navigate the city itself, there are still some little things that trip me up on a daily basis that hadn't even occurred to me before living here. Below are some of my first impressions and reactions to the city of Newcastle and life in general in the UK.

1. "Self Catering"

As fancy as this sounds, it's really just a posh way to describe a university student having to not only buy all of their own food, but also cook it. Now some American students do opt out of their meal plans at college but I can assure you that had I stayed at Loyola for my junior year I would not have been one of them. The extent of my cooking skills are pasta, scrambled eggs, and sub-par tuna melts. That being said, I am proud to report that it's not the actual cooking aspect that has been my greatest challenge thus far, but rather finding the foods that I would generally eat as staples in my diet. Granola/protein bars, peanut butter, and even cheap eggs are extremely hard to find in supermarkets (the "international" section of Tesco is primarily just peanut butter, Pop Tarts, and Kraft mac and cheese). In their place are pre-made sandwiches, salads, and probably much more healthy, quick foods to eat, which I suppose I can hardly complain about. There's also so many more open-air markets where culinary-inclined people can buy just about any type of fresh food. The university even required that we take a cooking class in order to learn how to cook in our kitchens- which was super helpful- but also the morning after my flat mates and I spent 2 hours trying to turn on the hob to make pasta... so baby steps. If anything, I may come home eating healthier than ever and just with an empty suitcase in which to stock up on Luna bars and crunchy peanut butter.

2. "The Toon"

Newcastle is notoriously called "the Toon", partly because of the way Geordies pronounce the word "town" and partly because it's a title for the fans of the premier league football club, Newcastle United. I've frequently joked to mum and dad that my biggest regret of my childhood was not being brought up in a family that actually cares about sports, but I've certainly gotten what I wished for here. One of my favorite things about the city is that every time there's a game at St. James Park, what seems like the entire population of the city pours into the pubs first and then the stadium, a massive sea of black and white striped jerseys. Elderly men, young families, and university students alike turn up for these matches and only in Newcastle would you find that kind of devotion to a team that can lose on Wednesday to a non-premier league team and tie Chelsea on Saturday night. On top of that, we're currently in the middle of the Rugby World Cup so there isn't a person who isn't watching those games, especially when England is playing. I don't pretend to understand a single thing about rugby, but even I can get excited about how supportive Brits are of their team. Sorry USA, I've enlisted in the toon army.

3. £££

Money is any university student's worst nightmare regardless of location, but I would say that students having to convert to a currency that only equates to .66 of a dollar struggle just that much more. I like to think of myself as a pretty responsible person when it comes to spending but even I am terrified of this new challenge (shout out to London for making us all grateful we don't live there). Primark, Tesco, and Poundland have become my new favorite places in the world within walking distance and I'm sure by the end of this semester they'll know me by name. For those unfamiliar with these places, Primark is home and clothing, Tesco is food, and Poundland is anything else I can't find in the first two. The good news is that I'm not spending money on much else because the Brits don't believe in textbooks and we walk absolutely everywhere. Perhaps the most confusing thing is that they actually use coins (there are 7 different types) whereas Americans look at you as if you're insane if you use anything less than a quarter. But that's fine by me, if I'm only getting .66 a dollar you bet I'm saving each and every pence.

4. Uni, mates, and other foreign concepts

Each time I meet a group of UK students the reaction is usually processed in four steps:
1) my accent (are you American? where in America?)
2) pretending to know what Connecticut is (that's like New York City right?)
3) my student status (what the hell brought you to Newcastle?)
4) Newcastle University (... oh so you're really clever)

Having been brought up by the cool British mum and also just having spent a whole summer surrounded by British counselors, I'm pretty used to Americans freaking out about their accents but never the other way around (and it never really gets old). The funniest part, though, is that in America when you tell someone that you're studying at Newcastle University they smile politely and pretend to know what that means but here it actually has a pretty good reputation, especially in rivalry with the neighboring school- Northumbria University. In fact, in my university induction the faculty referred to Northumbria as "that other school which we don't mention". That's not to say that we don't associate with them, however, because in a city of about 300,000 people, 50,000 of those are university students between the two schools. I'll never forget the first night we went out in Newcastle we stopped a group of Northumbria boys to ask for directions and after we introduced ourselves as Newcastle University students they responded, "Oh so you're smart American girls" (we then asked how they knew we were from the US and they just laughed and replied, "you're wearing coats").

Befriending our own flatmates has proved to be just as fun. As year-long study abroad students we got placed with other international students as well as traditional British students so already I've gotten to know people from Spain, France, Germany, and of course different parts of the UK. The real challenge will be adjusting from Loyola seminars of 6 people to lectures of over 200 people. Already the differences of a small college and a large university have begun to make themselves clear as we wait in line for hours at a time for things like freshers wristbands and ID cards, but that has yet to take away from the experience of being a freshmen, or "fresher", for the second time. I may be a junior in college, but this week I will proudly wear my neon wristband and accept all of the free things thrown at me (or in the case of sleep... cruelly taken away).

5. Newcastle Upon Tyne

I just have to end with a few words about how beautiful I find this city. From the picturesque Quayside by the River Tyne (which mum has informed me is pronounced "key-side") to the Tyne Moor (a huge park in the middle of the city full of running paths and grazing cows) to the coast of Tynemouth with its beaches and castles. So many people- both here and in the US- are so curious about why in the world I would have chosen to study abroad in North East England but I honestly can't imagine being anywhere else. They may be a little hard to understand at times, drink a little too early in the day, and operate solely on a 24-hour clock (I've switched every electronic device I own and still have to rely on my analog watch), but the Geordies have my heart. Armed with my wardrobe of grey sweaters, my travel-sized umbrella, and my purse full of coins, I'm ready for everything you've got, England.