Content With Life :)

Today was the first day of the International Students Orientation...I was hoping to get a lot out of it but it wasn't what I expected but that's ok. My flat mates and I went to it together and the first part of it was telling us information about how we will go about registering for our modules (their word for courses) and introductions of the people that work in the international department. I think the main reason they have the orientation thing is just to give us the opportunity to get to know the other international students. The next part was the part that I was looking forward to, which was a tour of the campus. But then it turns out the tour of campus was just them giving us an hour break to look around for ourselves. I could do that anytime and my flat mates agreed so we decided to ditch (found out orientation is not a requirement). I had other things that I really needed to get done today. Tomorrow's stuff for orientation is nothing important so I am going to be a rebel and skip out. :P Before you get upset mom...the list for tomorrow is CELT (Centre for English Language Teaching (I already speak english...this is irrelevant for me), student fire safety (I believe I can do a good job at not catching anything on fire), chaplaincy (I might go to this part...I think it would be interesting), Accommodation (this part has to do with where we're living...I think it will be boring). The last part of tomorrow's orientation is a shopping trip to abbey centre...as you will see later in today's blog I have been there twice today. So tomorrow is pretty much a skip out on the orientation for me but then I plan on doing parts of Thursday and Friday. On Thursday they will be taking us on a walking trip around Belfast. Then, we will finish around 5pm and go to a local pub to celebrate Arthur's Day. Friday we will be going on a trip to Carrickfergus castle, Andrew Jackson cottage and Carrickfergus museum! Sounds like fun to me!

I DID find out some interesting facts about Northern Ireland today at the Orientation though:
     -  The Titanic was built in Northern Ireland (and actually in Newtownabbey where I'm living). 

     - Northern Ireland has 6 counties...I live in Antrim County
     - There are 2 Universities...University of Ulster (where I am) and Queen's University
     - The DeLorian was manufactured in Belfast, Northern Ireland
     - Liam Neeson is from Northern Ireland
     - They do celebrate halloween...which I did not know!

So like I said...went to the first part of orientation and that went from 9:45 until about 11:45...then I went to the campus bank, Ulster Bank, to get my traveler's checks cashed out for pounds (FINALLY HAVE MONEY)!!! After that I came back to my flat to put some things away and got a taxi to take me to the abbey centre (I've learned it is too far of a walk). At the abbey centre I got a mobile (they don't call them cell phones) and also found a 1 pound store (which is slightly less cool that our dollar stores...because it's the same stuff but costs like 1.7ish dollars if you convert it from pounds). At the one dollar store I found lots of good stuff! I got laundry detergent, a shower curtain, a floor mat for my bathroom, some storage things, a loofa, toilet paper, highlighters, tape, crisps (chips), cereal, milk and candy (had to!). After shopping I came back to my flat from the abbey centre and finally spent some time getting my room fully unpacked. 

This is my cute new little UK mobile. :) The cheapest one they had but I actually really like it! Very different phone number that I doubt I will remember...07926387964 (don't call...just thought I would show how different it is. International is super expensive). Oh! And there is my Excedrin bottle replacement in the background! :)

And here is my no longer boring bathroom. It was all just completely white with a white shower curtain, white sink, white toilet and white walls...now it's pretty. :)

Then, I found out that my flat mates wanted to go back to the abbey centre to get stuff for our kitchen like dishes and pots and pans and go grocery shopping so I went back again with them. When we were in the cab talking two of my flat mates found out that Jessi's mom was Renee's kindergarten teacher. How crazy is that! Anyway...we went back to the 1 pound store for the kitchen stuff. We got silverware, tupperware, napkins, sponges, a pot and a pan, cookie sheet, measuring spoons, a noodle strainer, and probably other stuff that I just can't think of (oh..interesting thing that we learned...you have to be at least 21 to buy knives in Northern Ireland...even butter knives!....Can drink at 18....but can't buy butter knives?). Then we went grocery shopping which took a very long time. It is so hard to shop when every brand seems to be different and they have things we don't have but don't have things that we are used to...and when you spend 10 min looking for the sugar in the baking isle and then finally ask and they show you it's buy the tea (duh..lol). It's really fun that the chips say crisps on them and the cookies say biscuits on them...I mean I know that's what they call them...but it's still fun!

When I got back from my second trip to the abbey centre I got everything put away and then spent some time texting Robert from my email and just hanging out in my room. Oh! I didn't say about what I got at the grocery store...most is just food but I did get some irish tea (I'm really liking that part of Ireland...I love tea!) and a couple movies. I got Life as We Know It and then a three movie dvd that has Revolutionary Road, The Kite Runner and Babel. In Northern Ireland to be able to use your computer to watch things like netflix you have to buy a TV license. I have a thing that explains it and it says, "The Communications Act (2003) says that you have to be covered by a TV Licence to watch television programmes as they're being shown on TV - whether that's on a TV set, a laptop or, well, anything." So I thought, alright, let's buy a TV license...they're 150 pounds! That's almost 300 dollars! I'm not spending 300 dollars to have TV for 3 months so dvds it is. :)

My flat mates have gone out to go to a pub in Belfast. They invited me but unfortunately I turned down the invitation. I don't have anything to wear to go out...and I have nothing to use to do my hair. They were getting very fancy and doing their hair and make up all nice. I have jeans and long sleeve nothing fancy shirts. I didn't even consider wanting to dress up. But it's no big deal. There will be many more nights...I will just need to go buy some fun night out Irish clothes! Also I need to go purchase a straightener and a blow dryer asap! Our program informed us that it would be less expensive to purchase those things here that already have the proper plugs than to buy converters and adapters for ours from home...alot safer too. Makes sense.

So now I'm just hanging out in my room drinking some tea...I'm thinking about grabbing a bowl of cereal because I have the munchies and that sounds delightful. Messaging my mom, Robert and Kay right now and I'm content with life as the title shows. :)