Life at Keele after six weeks

I have now been abroad for six weeks, and am finally getting adjusted to life here at Keele. Food and transportation have been the biggest hurdles thus far. They say you don't go to England for the food, and yes this is very true. The food at the restaurants here on campus is terribly bland: hamburgers, pizza, chips, and maybe a pasta dish. So I have been cooking for myself, and have worked out a simple diet: hamburger meat, pasta, frozen lasagna, and sausage. I figure if I can survive off this, I can afford expensive pints of guiness and stella artois at the pubs here on campus.

On another note, it has been interesting living in a block with students from China, India, and Sri Lanka. I mean, I think dudes are having a little trouble adjusting to life outside of the third world. They don't really understand things like flushing the toilet, taking showers, using trash cans, and turning off focits. But they are interesting fellas, always cooking up something exotic.

I made it out to Liverpool this past weekend, saw the Liverpool-Middlesbrough match at Anfield on Saturday. The atmosphere before the game was amazing, with fans spilling out of pubs on every corner into the streets around Anfield. Liverpool won 3-2 on Torres' hat trick. On the train ride back to Stoke I sat with a group of Liverpool fans from Australia, who were hilariously intoxicated and kept chanting 'Gerrard, Gerrard'. Fun times.

I am a little sketched out about hostels after last weekend in Liverpool. At about 4 am on Saturday morning, this dude shows up in my bunk-room, confers with another dude who is sleeping across from me, who brings his bag into the bathroom and they make some sort of swap. After getting into an argument in the hall, dudes leave separately half an hour later. Can I please meet some normal people at a hostel?

I have meta siq Australian fellow here, and we have planned out a trip for late May- early June to the Greek Isles (primarily Santorini), Berlin and then Amsterdam. We booked the flights last night. I found a the website called couchsurfing.com through which you can meet people all over the world and arrainge to stay at their houses for free; they may show you around, hang out, etc. I may also use this over Easter break in eastern europe.

Until something else interesting happens,
Stiff