Week Two

Greetings!

I have officially been here for two weeks and I can say it does not feel that way. Looking back at the first day here feels like months ago, but when thinking about going away for spring break, I feel like I just got here! It's very strange.

Updates: Classes are not formatted the same way here as back home, that's for sure. I think that might be the only thing ISU has over University of Leicester. Our only grade is a very long essay due the last day of classes yet we are required to read quite a bit weekly, even though we won't get any sort of grade for it. That's not at all what I'm used to - when we are assigned a reading, we speak up in class to show we read it, and then get participation points or something. Here, I feel like people are doing school work because... they like it. Another very strange thing. Definitely not the American way. My third class that I finally got accepted into is Renaissance Drama: Shakespeare and His Contemporaries. Each week we read a Shakespeare (or Marlowe or Webster) play and discuss it once a week. This is the class that I'm mostly referring to that requires a good amount of reading. I'm used to reading a lot for Psychology classes back home, but I find Psychology much more interesting than Shakespeare, so that will be my constant semester struggle. I am excited for the class, despite my complaining about reading. I signed up for this class for a reason and I don't regret it (I say that now when I'm only one week in, though!)

Sadly I have no new pictures and not too much of an update because I have been sick :( I came down with something about a week and a half ago and thought in due time it would cease. Wrong. Long story slightly short - I was rejected by the University's Health Services (it's a "hassle" to register a study abroad student), the local pharmacist wouldn't see me (normally they can just prescribe something but I had been sick for too long) but I was able to go to a walk-in health clinic nearby and saw a doctor! Or as they say, a GP (General Practitioner). The visit with the GP was genuinely very odd. He asked like two questions (1. Did I have a rash? Because meningitis - which the main symptom is a rash - is rampant here and I constantly see posters about it. 2. Am I allergic to penicillin?) After that, he printed out a prescription for penicillin and says, "And obviously this is a private prescription"... Right. Obviously. And that means....?? Not sure. Either way I got medication (for what he said is tonsillitis) and should be feeling better soon. That's all I care about at this point.

The main reason I want to get better is because we are going to London this weekend! Therefore my next update will be filled with pictures. We are arriving around 9 AM Saturday and leaving around 6 PM Sunday. Also, although not nearly as exciting, I am going to the City Centre again tomorrow and will hopefully have pictures from that. Leicester is quite cute if I do say so. I went exploring around campus and where our houses are, but haven't really been in the mood to spend the time to take pictures of anything yet. Once I feel better, hopefully soon, I will definitely take pictures of my surroundings to show everyone. :)

- Lauren