So it happened… I forgot to write my blog for ages. I guess I have commitment issues with this blog or I’m just lazy. (Defo the second option me thinks)
To address the title of this post, I think my lack of blog posting has been because the initial excitement of moving to Maine and being overwhelmed by everything has died down a lot. Now I’m more relaxed into the way of life here and literally drowning in all of the school work I’ve been given. Seriously,I was told before I came out here that North Americans uni’s gave out a lot more assessments and homework but I didn’t believe it until it happened. As an example, I have a test worth 10% tomorrow afternoon which I quote from the professor is ‘easy’. I’m sat here instead writing a blog post, priorities again sorted. My classes are still really interesting though, I’m just pulling a lot more late nighters than I would like. I appreciate and miss my sleep.
So a lot has happened in the last 6 weeks (slacking loads) since I posted last. Fall has now passed which I’m sad about because the trees were soooooooooo pretty and lovely.. now they’re just naked and boring. I complain about the amount of trees Maine has (evidence snapchat stories) but they really look amazing in Fall and I wish the season lasted longer. Instead, the weather is just grey, murky and so fricking cold I can’t handle it. Yet I keep being reminded that soon, some days will not get above minus temperatures.
With Fall came Fall break, a 4 day ‘holiday’ which was essentially a week long for me (praise my timetable). Literally everyone went home because most people here live in Maine so it’s not too far.. However, home is just that little bit too far for me to travel home for 4 days. Sad times. Instead, my group (Joe, Laura, Callum, Sophie, Katie and Ben) went to Boston for 2 days to be tourists and explore. I now want to live in Boston, I loved it there. It was a 5 hour coach journey down to Mass which back home is just waaaaay too far and long to spend on a coach for but in America, 5 hours is like no time. That’s so weird. But yeah, Boston.. It’s a smaller city than New York but it still has city vibes except it is a lot more laid back and I think cooler than New York. It’s a bit ironic because when we got there, Laura and I went straight to Primark to do our winter shopping.. We come to an American city for the first time yet check out the most British thing Boston probably has. Oh well, cheap relatively stylish clothes. Anyway, the winter shop was so cheap (cheers Mass and no sales tax on clothes, appreciated), I now have a huge khaki puffer jacket, jumpers and my thermals, all of which will be worn until they die.
The second day we were there, Joe, Callum, Ben and I explored Harvard and the neighbourhood. It’s such a lovely place!! It was weird being there and thinking that so many influential famous people went to Harvard, I don’t think I quite have what it takes to attend though. I can dream. We did probably the most touristy thing here… take a picture with a policeman because we fell in love with the police dog. I have no regrets about it, apart from the fact that I should have tried to steal the dog. I miss my pets.
In the afternoon, we checked out Quincy Market, Boston Harbour and the sky platform in the Prudential Centre. To start, Quincy Market is so cute and lovely. It’s a little shopping district which took us ages to find because I got lost but Callum found the way smugly. For lunch, I had my first Maine lobster roll and OH MY GOD it’s amazing. If lobster wasn’t so expensive I’d eat it a hella more. The roll, a drink and crisps cost $16 which is about £10. It was definitely worth it though. Another thing ticked off my year abroad list.
Being the budding American studies students we are, Laura and I checked out the harbour and took touristy photos whilst trying to remember what we learnt about the Tea Party. I didn’t remember much whoopsie. To end the afternoon, all of us walked (for miles) to the Prudential Centre which is a tall tower block with a sky platform to look out over Boston. We were lucky because it was incredibly warm and sunny in Boston so we had amazing views of the city and just fell in love with Boston more. To end our last night in Boston, the group and I met up with Matt our friend from Birmingham -who’s in Rhode Island for the year -for an evening meal. It was really nice seeing Matt again and sharing our experiences of America so far. Conclusion? Loads of Dunkin Donuts. Loads. It was odd coming back to Orono after being in Boston. Orono is verrrrry small town living and Boston is big with people walking everywhere,shops and convenient public transport. It kinda made me miss home and the convenient lifestyle I have back home but I don’t know how much more I could have learned about another culture if I moved to an American city from a British one.
On the subject of culture, I have finally experienced the sport in America.. American Football I still have no idea on and hockey I absolutely love. College sport is really big over here but I cannot for the life of me understand American Football.. To me it’s just a group of beefy guys chucking a ball and tackling each other. But hey, the ticket was free and I can say I’ve been to a football game. On the other hand, hockey is so GOOD. I went with my friends Jake and Seth who kindly accepted an annoying British girl to accompany them to the game. The atmosphere at the hockey game (which we lost but hey ho) was incredible. I still have no idea on what the chants are but I understand the rules (I think). I’m also jealous of Jake and Seth, they got asked to play on the ice in the intermission. I DIDN’T GET ASKED. Probably for the best though, the last time I stepped on an ice rink, I bruised my tailbone. Always living up to my name of being graceful..
Since my last post, I have also (kinda) kept up the outdoorsy spirit I first adopted when I came out here. Laura very kindly let me tag along with her to the Cru Women’s Weekend to Acadia National Park. In this weekend, I met a lovely group of women who were really friendly and interested in the British culture who I hope to stay friends with. We hiked up a mountain which was so cool and gave me a real sense of accomplishment. Yes I was red and out of breath at the top but the views were incredible, looking out on to the Atlantic ocean. I love nature.
As well as all of the touristy things I’ve done in the past two months, I’ve also done more normal studenty kind of things here such as going to the bars and checking out parties. Being 21 has its perks.. e.g. I can go to a bar and buy alcohol in shops but it means my passport photo always gets laughed at. Shit. For British people, bars are not like home! They are a lot smaller here and a more chilled atmosphere so I like it. I’ve worked out that drinking over here is a lot cheaper! To buy a 1.75 litre of vodka it costs $26 which is about £16ish. THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP! The British always get told we have a drinking problem but alcohol is expensive back home compared to here so it shouldn’t be the case..
It’s going to be Halloween soon here which I’m excited about, going shopping in Walmart made me realise how serious Americans take Halloween. They have warehouses dedicated to Halloween costumes and pumpkins are everywhere. People also decide their costumes ages in advance, I’m being the Day of the Dead so kinda halloweeny and scary ish.
To link back to the title of this blog, now that I have settled in and the honeymoon period is over, the homesickness has happened! I miss aspects of British life which I can’t get out here, I miss my friends looooooooads (sorry home friends if my messages annoy you). The homesickness has made me realise how important it is to surround yourself with good friends in a new environment. Originally being put with other British people, I thought would hinder my experience here slightly. However, it’s good to have the support network of them and people who get what it’s like out here… Even if Callum takes the piss constantly out of me and calls me Queen Kong, it’s still supportive (ish). I’ve made some good American friends out here too who I appreciate loads and only just realised I’ll probably miss a lot when I’m back in the UK for good. It’s weird.
I also realised today that I’ve been in the country for 9 weeks now and have 8 weeks until I’m flying home for Christmas! Who knows what could happen in the next two months?!
Till next time, G x
Grace and the Maine Attraction 