Orientation week

Well, I must say it's been a busy week!

I felt like a freshman all over again: meeting so many new people, trying to remember names, where people are from, and their areas of study... My brain is pretty fried haha. I've had so much fun already and I've grown fond of many people here. Everybody is so friendly. Seriously, no joke - it's like I can have conversations with random people on the road or at the bus stop and it's normal. I love it here!

So what I'll do in this post is put up a few pictures and kind of give a narrative of what I've been up to and the people I've met.

These are some of my hallmates. We play cards and hang out in the hallway since we don't have a common room haha.











Ok, so most of orientation week was us just doing workshops, learning more how the program works, etc. But on the last day, we went on a tour and explored the surrounding area together =)

Boats on the Poole Harbour.
















Here is a bakery I saw in a really cute town we passed through.

















Jurassic Coast tour. You can see the fossil indentation in the rock.

View of the coast. I actually kind of forget the exact location, but I think I was standing somewhere near Durlston Castle in Dorset. Apparently I felt that the coast was more majestic than the castle haha. Sorry I didn't get a picture of it. It was more of a big mansion. 

The Globe in Swanage.

View of the ocean from cliffs in Swanage. 

Eating blackberries along the path. A nice little snack =)

I love the buildings here. They have so much character. (in Swanage)

 

Corfe Castle in Dorset. 

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These pictures below were taken during the weekend opening of the Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival. 

Three funny dancing ladies who shared the power of a proper British cup of tea!

Tractor sculptures!

Hanne and I about to go on a ride. I forget what it's called.. but you know the spinning swing thing that you always see at carnivals? It was her first time going on one haha. She loved it!

I want to do this! A piano on a bike - what could be more fun?

Us trying to figure out where we are =)

So overall, it has been a wonderful week! Or rather, two weeks... Yeah, sorry for not posting sooner. I caught some sort of "fresher's flu" as they call it here. Nothing too serious, but I've been mostly sleeping and resting and just never got up to post. But I'm feeling a bit better now and I'm sooooo ready to get started with my course!

We officially begin on Monday. I'll be meeting all my new classmates and buying all my materials soon. Can't wait!

First day

Hi everyone!

I hope you all are doing well. Thank you for checking out my blog =)

I intend to use this space to record my time here at the Arts University at Bournemouth (otherwise known as AUB). I'll try to post at least once a week, and hopefully more frequently than that. I'm very excited to share about my experiences and thoughts as I grow here this semester. Already, I have been challenged and encouraged in many ways and I am brimming with excitement as I look forward to the coming week of orientation.

To give you a little update on what's already happened:

My flight landed in London without much fuss. I rode a taxi to campus and had a wonderful time conversing with my driver, Mr. Gavin. He has a strong grasp of European history and enjoyed telling me the stories behind the forests and ancient battlefields that we passed on the way here. For some reason he reminded me of Alfred the butler =) Very nice guy.

When I arrived, I was greeted by Maria Quero, an international studies coordinator. She showed me to my room and gave me a brief tour of campus (which is deceivingly confusing, despite being very tiny!). As we passed all the different workshops and art-making spaces, I couldn't help but think "man, I wish I could study all of these things!" There are animation studios, costume and fashion design shops, model-making studios, and so much more. The nice thing about an art university, though, is that there is a continual interaction between the students of each craft: the animators work together with the model makers and costume designers, for example. At least that's what I've been told.

Today one of my neighbors, an acting student who hails from Northern Ireland, accompanied me to the supermarket so I could get some supplies. I'm still a little bit put off by all this driving on the left side of the road, but I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually, haha. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to navigate the bus system myself to find a church nearby. Then in the afternoon, my new friends and I might go check out the Bournemouth town center, which is close to the beach and quite lovely I hear. Can't wait!

One interesting thing that stuck with me today: I met a girl here who will be studying animation. Her quirky personality and slightly challenged nature put me off balance at first, but I felt God was encouraging me to look at her through His eyes. As I've gotten to know her a bit more, I've been struck by how fascinated she is by all her surroundings. She is like a child excited by the simplest toy, finding the beauty and the fun in all that it is. I love that about her and I hope that I too can become one who greets the world around me with childlike joy and shining eyes.

Much love,
Krista