It began with the trek to the airport on Thursday, January 10. We checked in our luggage; one of Rachel’s bags was just under 50 pounds–48 lbs.! We ate at Atlanta Bread Company with Rachel’s parents and began to feel that first sense of panic–oh wait, that was just Rachel–and were confronted with the realization that we were actually voluntarily stepping onto a metal tube that hurtles through the air at amazing speeds and heights to a completely foreign destination, a place we had only “seen” in tiny photos on the Edge Hill website.

After bidding farewell to Rachel’s parents, Joe handed our passports to the airport official, who then asked if Joe was “Rachel” or “Joe.” How a grown man wearing his glasses could possibly mistake Joe for “Rachel” when he was looking at the passport photo page completely eludes us. After recovering from the shock that somehow we look interchangeable, we waited in line to go through security. Everything went smoothly there. In fact, it actually took more time collecting our belongings and restoring them to their proper place than it did to walk through the metal security gate sans shoes (which is completely unnecessary and unhygienic, in Rachel’s opinion).

With everything once again secured within our bags, we rode the subway train to Concourse E, a practice which we would discover was complicated and tiring when done anywhere other than in the airport where the route is a straight shot. We took our first pictures when we found the display board of flight information. Then we checked in at our gate. We sat around for a little while, letting the sounds of British accents and laughing children wash over us and make us realize, once again, that we were going to England!

Eventually we grew tired of sitting–especially after we found out about the slight delay in the flight–so we walked around the surrounding shops. We (of course) checked out the bookstore before heading back to the seating area. Rachel found it interesting how many people around us were impatient to board. Why be impatient over something that only leads to more waiting? No, we enjoyed our last few moments in the States, watching an episode of Gilmore Girls and knowing that things would be different when we returned. While only four months, nothing stays exactly how you left it when you leave. For one, we are sad to be missing Joe’s sister’s wedding celebration and the birth of his first nephew; when we return it will seem like Joe has obtained a brother-in-law and baby nephew in an instant. In essence, feel free to e-mail us pictures of any major events such as these that we miss and know that we are there in spirit!

Joe: darkenedcorridor at gmail dot com

Rachel: kauffmanr2 at winthrop dot edu or 20429487 at edgehill dot ac dot uk

[NOTE: at = @, dot = .]

We boarded the plane, found our seats, and settled in for too long a time to be horribly uncomfortable. Our plane was third in line for takeoff so Rachel had too much time to contemplate all the things that could go wrong and began to feel panicky. As the wheels lifted from the ground and the back pieces of the wings tilted to catch updrafts, Joe bent down and rummaged through his bag to get a piece of gum, or so he claimed. He started saying all these really sweet things, which Rachel just assumed were meant to put her at ease. In short, instead of gum, Joe offered a beautiful engagement ring. And Rachel did indeed feel better–and said yes, of course.

Here is another (poor quality) picture of the ring. It has three circular stones: two deep blue sapphires flanking a diamond. There are also three small square inset diamonds on either side of the sapphires. It is a very elegant ring that reminds Rachel of something a royal would wear (probably because of the sapphires).

Rachel thinks that the flight was only tolerable because of her happiness. In truth, the flight was really bumpy and loud; although it was hard to be angry for the loudness since most of it came from an adorable baby boy. But, as a result, neither of us were able to get rest beyond a brief closing of eyes. We spent our time talking and watching Gilmore Girls.

Fortunately, the flight ended almost 20 minutes earlier than expected and we were able to use a full-sized bathroom. We went through customs, which proved much easier than anticipated. We discovered that we didn’t need any of the documents that we were told to get for entry into the country. We collected our luggage and found the Edge Hill representative outside. Apparently, we were supposed to find the representative inside and then he would lead us outside to the university van. Why did the university provide us with instructions for finding the van then?

We loaded our luggage and then traveled 45 minutes to Ormskirk with two other future Edge Hill students. It was extremely disconcerting to watch cars stream past on the right and to see all the wide open space filled with knobby trees and stone buildings. Everything looked historical and covered with a light sheen of dirt that gave it that pleasantly aged look, not grimy.

Derrick, our driver, navigated the way through the campus, which looked deceivingly huge, and dropped the four of us off at our hall. We were greeted by Paul, a member of the international office team, who escorted us into Lady Openshaw Hall and formally introduced us to Jason, the person who had been sending us e-mails from Edge Hill. Then we were allowed to put our luggage into our rooms before we had to head out for the campus tour.

Here is a picture of Rachel’s room the day she unpacked, with Joe using her computer.

The hall is all right–not wonderful, but definitely no worse than Wofford or Richardson (the two freshman residence halls at Winthrop University). However, everyone gets his or her own room equipped with a bed and linens, a nightstand, a desk, a bookshelf, a desk chair, a slightly more comfortable chair, a shelving unit behind doors, a closet, and a sink. Rachel’s room also has another nightstand-like piece near her desk that Joe is jealous of since it is perfect for school supplies. The previous resident also strung ropes from pipes near the ceiling, so Rachel also has two clothes lines–convenient!

We are both on the same floor and must share the one toilet and one shower with everyone else on the floor. We thought that “hall bath” meant a room with multiple toilets and showers, but apparently not. Instead we get one tiny room that has a toilet and one slightly larger one with a shower/tub. While it eliminates the horribleness that would have been a co-ed bathroom experience, at least another toilet would have been appreciated.

After dropping off our luggage, we toured the campus with all the Americans that had arrived on Friday. We talked to many of them as we walked. It seems like most of them come from northern United States. We ended at the international office where we were given one call–like jail! We both briefly talked to our moms before leaving for a tour of Ormskirk in which we saw highly recommended restaurants, the information center, the train station, and the main square. The group stopped to eat at a crowded sandwich shop and we decided to go into Scoozi next door. The owner is charming and the price is right. We have been back several times and always receive something, like garlic bread, for free.

Here are some pictures of Ormskirk.

The Golden Lion: a cute little pub on the main drag. One day, one day we will actually step through the threshold… once we get over feeling strange that we are old enough to go into English pubs.

A covered shopping district/street, home to some very posh (if a bit crammed) shops.

Parish Church, Gothic and imposing… and rather large for such a small town.

The Ormskirk Gardens (or so-called “Conservation Centre”), which span a triangular area between roads.

Ormskirk is such a quaint little town. We have explored it on several occasions, mostly when we are trying to find something random like coat hangers.

And finally… Duckies! Flocks, gaggles, hordes and whatever other nouns describe a group of birds. Droves of ducks squawking and bobbing down muddy lanes. We have been told tales of a few innocent crumbs left outside one’s window for the “poor little ducks,” which turned into constant commotion outside the window at night. Sorry to go on so about the ducks, but Rachel really likes this picture. The front duck was literally a foot from her and when she snapped the photo they just formed a line.

Returning to the story, we returned to campus and unpacked. Then we attended a dinner for the American students and had a “quiz,” which turned out to be a trivia game on British culture. Our first taste of English food was not too bad, although Rachel did have a run-in with a cheese and onion sandwich that was not pleasant.

After the game, we both disappeared into our rooms seeking sleep and thus ended our first day in England.

On Saturday, we decided to explore Edge Hill beyond the whirlwind tour and then go into Ormskirk by ourselves. The campus is really not as big as it seems; everything is within a 5-minute walk. Although, the campus is really muddy and mucky, so Rachel is really happy with her rain boot purchase. Joe even bought a pair that was on sale when we went into Ormskirk.

Before going into town we had an extremely frustrating experience where we couldn’t find our way to the international office. We went all the way out the main entrance and around the side way, which entailed a lot of wind because of the cars whizzing by us. Turns out that the campus is undergoing some construction so the normal path was blocked and the path that is open we just overlooked–when we were only a couple feet away! We asked our questions about testing our electrical items and then left for town.

We are happy to report that so far we have walked the distance to town (at least 1 mile one way) every time but once. Once in town we walked around and purchased a few things. We found out that the large market days are Wednesday and Saturday, though stalls and booths line the main square all the time. We found this out from a friendly old man who sold Rachel a small purse since she forgot to pack anything but the bulky one she took on the plane. We also purchased a cellphone for use in emergencies.

Our final stop was Aldi to pick up some cheap snack foods and drinks to stock our rooms. Then we trekked back to Edge Hill and promptly went to sleep when we got back! And apparently while we slept most of the other American students partied and did things that we’re glad we missed. It seems like stupid antics and overzealous (not to mention loud) partying occur everywhere–unfortunately.

We ventured into Liverpool on Sunday. Before we walked all the way into town to catch the train we stopped by the campus security office located next to the main entrance to ask if they thought things would be open on Sunday and to ask if the main hall was open for breakfast. The guy there was really friendly and talkative. We have seen him around campus since then and he recognized us!

After being told that breakfast wasn’t until 11 and that things would be open, we went into town and got a snack before catching the train. In under 30 minutes we were in Liverpool–which was voted European Capital of Culture for 2008–and wondering what we were going to see on this ill-planned trip. Luckily for us, after walking down a few large, crowded, and overwhelming streets, we spotted a row of museums that turned out to be free. We went to the Walker Art Gallery and saw an exhibit on Greek sculptures. We walked through a park to the World Museum of Liverpool, a five-level museum featuring a small aquarium, an exhibit on the ancient world, and the only free planetarium in England (lucky for us). We spent a lot of time there just looking over the different exhibits. The museum was clearly geared more toward children, but we found it enjoyable nonetheless. We even went to the show at the planetarium. Lastly, we went to the National Conservation Centre, which was currently housing an exhibit called “Reveal.” The second story that opened onto the main entrance was a cafe and the sound of jazzy notes found our ears as we entered the building. We listened to the band before entering a room with photography of the Beatles by some famous photographer whose name we have since forgotten.

To start our Liverpool pictures off with a bang, we would like to draw your attention to the bottom center of the lovely sign pictured above. Get a good look… Why, yes, that is a steaming pile of dog poo, an expensive one at that–1000 pounds! Apparently this is a rather grievous crime as we have since seen such warnings against “fouling” in other locales.

Here is a random shot of a rather interesting street. We have no idea where the middle road leads; however, after finishing at the World Museum, we walked along the bottom street to the left in search of more free adventures.

This is a bank. Yes, that’s right. Just a bank.

Our final goal in Liverpool was to scrounge up some dinner. We walked down various streets looking for a deal before finally settling on the first place we had seen across the street from the National Conservation Centre–go figure. The food was tasty, though we did have some trouble ordering it. First we didn’t know whether to seat ourselves or wait to be seated, so we had to ask. Then we looked at the menu and didn’t see the pie, chips, and drink deal listed. We knew it had to be there since it was so prominently displayed on several posters around the building. Finally Joe just asked for the “pie deal” and was bombarded with a list of all the pies. He just randomly picked one and we hoped for the best.

The eatery we finally settled on… after walking about half a mile away from it!

Here is one of the mocking (albeit amusing) signs from the Rat and Parrot.

After eating we walked back to the station and rode back to Ormskirk. When we got back to Lady O (as our hall is known), everyone in the common-room asked us where we had been. We stayed up only a little while longer before the exhaustion of the day kicked in, at which point we both went to sleep.

And thus concludes the tale of our first weekend. We feel that we are better informed travelers now than then and we have also gotten over the whole going to bed freakishly early only to get up at 3 a.m. and then go back to bed at 7 a.m.

The next installment will detail our first full week at Edge Hill, which includes our travels in London. Hopefully, we will get the journal updated sometime soon so that the timeline is less confusing.

Some recent happenings: Joe’s paper abstract got accepted at the Undergrad NCUR22 Conference; the reading for classes remains elusive (more explanation later); a fellow American shoved his head through a window last night (he’s a nice enough guy, but just not one that we want to hang around); and Rachel (and maybe Joe) will be moving out of Lady Openshaw to a much quieter hall slightly off campus called Milton House.

We realize that the delay may have caused some of you to worry and for that we apologize. Needless to say, we have been trudging onwards through all the strangeness and newness and, most importantly, the jet lag.

For this installment, we offer only a brief post with several pictures to satiate your curiosity. We will post another entry shortly, once we have finalized our courses and met with our academic department heads within the next few days. We have already accumulated several interesting/amusing stories to share, but we want to do the tales justice and, as such, will hold them for a moment when we are less pressed for time and brain function.

As a summary of our travels thus far:

The plane ride went well except for the turbulence and we find our new surroundings exceedingly pleasant. We discovered that Ormskirk (the town where we will be staying for the next 3.5 months) is actually the safest town in the safest county in England–so, essentially, we are in the safest place possible, given the circumstances.

The international office staff members seem helpful and friendly, if a bit unorganized. Orientation has proved less filled with activities than originally anticipated, but we chose to think of this as an opportunity to get settled in and adjusted. In fact, we have made several jaunts into downtown Ormskirk and even opted to go into Liverpool on Sunday instead of with the scheduled optional orientation tours. Jason, one of the advisers for US students, told us that we are the only ones of the group that ventured anywhere on our own–which made us feel special and like savvy travelers. Liverpool was amazing–mostly because we discovered that most museums are free.

Monday began our first official orientation day in which we met various campus officials and registered for our Uni card, which is used to pay for meals on campus. Today we listened to a lecture on academic affairs and then obtained our schedules that we must get signed off by department heads by Friday. We both have to rearrange a few classes, but at least our schedules were not a complete disaster!

Upcoming: Future travels to either north or south of Ormskirk this weekend…

Stay tuned for a more in-depth update of our adventures abroad, but for now we leave you with some pictures.

Yes, it is official now… We are engaged!!! (This is on the airplane over.)

A view of England from the plane.

The beautiful Edge Hill campus.

Our hall Lady Openshaw.

Ormskirk on market day.

Scoozi, our favorite place to eat (so far) in Ormskirk.

Joe in a phone booth in Liverpool, making a face because of the not so pleasant smell inside.

The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

An interesting kid section of a museum in Liverpool.

A tired and slightly confused Rachel in a pub in Liverpool; we had trouble figuring out how to order the pie special.

This is the home of Joe and Rachel’s travel journal. So, if that’s what you were searching for, search no further.

We will periodically update the site with details of our happenings abroad and accompanying pictures.

We decided to begin with an excerpt from a classic poem from the immortal Dr. Seuss.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.