Good Job.

OK.
This blog is to keep you all updated on my crazy adventures through my year in NYC.
Thanks to the ESU secondary schools exchange programme I've been given the chance to spend my gap yah in school instead of getting drunk on every continent.

I spent the first few days crying at anybody who would listen due to homesickness but all it took was a couple nights of bonding with my hosts, the wonderful Prince family to get over it.
I then churned out a few e-mails home delighting the fact that not only have they seen British classics such as The Vicar of Dibley and Father Ted but have the Black Books box set!

I decided then that the whole family will be part of my wedding and this was only day 4.

Because I left this first post so late, ima just go ahead and list everything vaguely interesting that has happened or I've discovered so far. Please forgive my lack of imagination, I'm sure I'll get better at this...

1- From what I experienced, Connecticut is just like Stepford Wives. With fewer robots...
2- Only people who have emigrated to the US hug on meeting
3- I joined the YMCA (which for the record is much less homoerotic than I thought it would be. Having said that, its a gym so the potential is there) in an attempt to FINALLY achieve my Adonis-like physique.
4- The first book I bought at Barnes and Noble was by the columnist Caitlin Moran and was a comforting piece of home even though the spelling had been americanised.
5- There is an American Apparel on the way to school, so often times I'd stop in and enter into a bit of retail therapy (something I didn't usually do at home) just because I was so glad to recognise something as I wondered through Brooklyn Heights on the way home.
6- Nobody here has an electric kettle... hugely baffling.
7- A lot about American school that I had previously thought was stereotypical, isn't actually that but commonplace.
8- Shakespeare read in an American accent provides an entirely different perspective on things. (interpret that as you will)
9- American teaching is a lot more... verbose.
10- The Blind Side, Remember the Titans and other such films have been a surprisingly accurate source of american-ness despite having nothing to do with New York. Thank you Hollywood for teaching me most of what I need to get by.
11- There is no Ribena in this god forsaken cranny of hell. LOLJK its just expensive, and lets face it, any hard core addiction is.
12- "Fit", "rank" and "scrape" don't exist here. The words, not brand of person. Rank people plague us everywhere. Otherwise, there is a lot of common ground (thank you internet) as far as I can tell... "cute" has snuck its way into my vocab like a ninja but I can't yet bring myself to describe somebody as "hot" unless the weather dictates I should.
13- Because I'm not applying to college or taking any SAT's I have much less on my mind compared to the rest of the seniors, so the most important dates on my mind are christmas and prom (both vex me in a pleasant way).
14- Reginald D Hunter says "British people drink as much american's eat" which must be true but it depends where you are taking your statistics from... there are just as many sober anorexics in both places.
15- Although the year names in highschool are confusing here, they make more sense than they do at Marlb. Having said that, Marlborough is a minority.
16- People have asked me questions like; "Where are you from?"..."are you welsh?" and even "Why are you here?" and "Stop trying to hug me"
Every time my response is, "I'm English!" and hope that explains it if the obvious accent hasn't already.
17- I have also been compared to Fez from That 70's Show, which I take as a compliment because not only is he a vital comedic device, but he is also now very nom.
18- Vampire Diaries is my Smallville (cite Oliva- my saviour and confidant thus far) and the new series comes out in October, so that will have to happen. WEEEEEEEEE!
20- Homesickness plagued me for the first week, I cried to anybody who was kind enough to listen but thanks to skype its manageable. Although, I miss Pix and Coco like a hole in my heart, I may have to travel home just for them.


Aaanndd that's all I can conjure up for now...
We may all be waiting weeks for the next witty installment. Haaa.