Some Basics

Nothing too exciting is happening today, so I thought I would give some basics about my program. The English fall term runs from October to December, and they aren't tested on their material until the next term ends in June. This doesn't exactly fit with the American semester system, so the University of Sussex created a Sussex in September program where International Students can take one course during the month of September and get acquainted with the school. So that's what I'm doing right now! The class I'm taking is called Children's Literature, and it's all about Children's Lit written in Britain (we read Peter Pan, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, and more!) Then from October through December, the rest of the students fill out the University and I'll be taking English classes with them. The majority of the other international students are from the US so while I am looking forward to my September class, I'm also looking forward to getting a better grasp of English culture when term starts.

Now for a little bit about how my dorm is set up: I live in a single on the top floor with twelve singles in my hallway. There is a kitchen at one end and a row of bathrooms at the other. Unfortunately, the bathrooms are not the best set-up- there are two toilet rooms, one shower room, and two bathtubs (that cannot be showers). So this means there is only one shower for all of us! Right now, all the international students are housed in my dorm, but it's not full, so I heard that British students will fill the rest out in October. I hope this is the case so I can meet some British students outside of my classes! I have to cook all my own meals, so that will be a challenge, but luckily the kitchen is close and I've already gone to the supermarket on the bus to get some food.

It's very strange being in an English speaking country, but knowing that every time you open your mouth it's a dead give-away that you're a foreigner. Some things that I would do in a flash at home, I'm hesitant to do here, just in case it's wrong! Hopefully I'll get used to this! We've been lucky because it's been mostly sunny the whole time we've been here, and all the English are excited for the nice weather. All the Americans think it's a bit chilly for September though! Tomorrow we're off for a day trip to London!