Transition to Travel

This morning was a sad morning- it was my last in London.

It was also an exciting morning- the first morning on the Garfield Weston Exchange!

My hour long train to Coventry was quick and painless. The countryside that I passed through was beautiful, of course. Arriving in Coventry, I jumped into a black cab and headed to my hotel, the Quality Inn

The hotel was nice; not a five star joint by any means, but it had everything I needed and the staff was friendly and helpful.



My room was cozy, but it had everything I needed

I met Emily from Young Farmers at about 2pm. She organized this entire exchange for myself and the other exchangees. She’s pretty fantastic. We had tea- the first of my most British adventures. Shortly after, Margaret (another YFC staff member), David (YFC again) and the two other Canadians arrived.

The other girls are Jennifer and Meredith. Jennifer is the youngest and is from Manitoba. She comes from a bee-keeping background and works with horses. Meredith is the same age as me and is from a beef farm in Quebec. She is friends with the dear Gillian, a 4-H YAC friend.

L to R: Jennifer, Meredith and I

We had sandwiches whilst being prepped for the coming weeks. The challenge: 4 weeks in rural Britain.

After a few hours of relaxation (aka Youtube) it was dinner time. I cannot explain to you how delicious the food was. I wish I had photos.

First of all, we had the entire dining room to ourselves. Private dinner party? Sure, why not!

Also, we were having a hard time deciding so the waitress had the chef come out to chat with us. Um, star treatment much?
We shared some potato skins as a starter, followed by our mains. I had the most delicious spinach and ricotta pasta.

Dessert, or ‘pudding’ as the Brits call it, was a rhubarb tart. It was scrumptious.
We went for a walk into Coventry to work off our dinner ;) and then headed off to bed as we had an early morning.

You see, I woke up at 6am. That folks, is not natural. But alas, I had a train to catch and there were adventures waiting for me.

Before I go, I should let you all know that here in Coventry , they have ‘Ladies Parking.’ Yes, ladies, we get our own- how charming!

A Danger to UK Security?

Morning everyone! It's 8:45am here in London, which would make it 4:45am for all of my NB friends. I'm up to head into town to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace- I am beyond excited!

It has been crazy busy here so far- I've been doing all of the touristy things, so I haven't been able to do a daily update. No worries though, I'll fill you in as quick as possible- today will be a recap of day 1 :)

My flight to Halifax had to be the tiniest plane I have ever seen! It had 2 rows of seating and fit maybe 16 people. The flight was nice though- quick and not too much turbulence. Not to mention the 2 pilots weren't too shabby ;)

My 5.5 hour layover in Halifax went by super fast. Before I knew it I was on my flight to Heathrow. The plane was HUGE this time- there were 7 seats across and even a real first class!! It was crazy. They even gave us pillows and blankets, which I both loved and appreciated :)



I was supposed to have a window seat (exciting), but a man snagged it before I got on the plane. I didn't have the heart to ask him to move and sat in an aisle seat instead. He seemed to enjoy the window, so it was definitely worth it.

Going through customs was horrible! I didn't think they were going to let me in! I was there for like 10-20 mins and the guy was grilling me. He couldn't understand why I was visiting my 2nd cousin who has lived here for 10 years who I haven't visited before. He even made me sit down at one point before letting me continue. I was terrified! I made it through in the end, but I would like to reiterate how terrifying it was!

I jumped in the cab and headed to Melissa's once I made it out of the line of fire.


This was my cab driver- he had a sign with my name. Let's just say that I was beyond excited!
More about London after I get back from the Changing of the Guard!
<3

'Twas the night before travel...

And all through the house, the Ginger was stirring- she was finishing packing!

Tomorrow is the big day- the day that I head to England! I am proud to say that I am (almost) packed! I have a hard time doing things a head of time, it's a procrastination thing ;) but oddly enough, I packed the day before yesterday (Thursday). Crazy, eh?!

I haven't done much prep today- just picking up some last minute items and doing some visiting (Holla to Tam, Cara and Court!). Tomorrow I don't leave until 5:45pm, so I basically have all day to run around and do the very last minute errands (but don't tell my Mom- she thinks I'm done haha). I leave from Moncton with a lay-over (5.5 hours...) in Halifax. My flight to London leaves Halifax at 11:45pm- let's hope I sleep a ton!

I am super excited to get over to England. There will be something new each day. I'm ready to see what the UK has to offer- who knows, I may decide to return soon :) I love travel, and I'm happy that this will be my first international trip. Not only because it will be to England (during the Jubilee!!), but because I legitimacy LOVE the Brits and I'm looking forward to learning more about them and the area.

For anyone wondering, as of right now, I have 2 of my 4 host families confirmed:

June 3- 9: Visiting with Melissa in London!
June 11-18: Warwickshire
June 18-25: Dorset
June 25- July 2: Gwent
July 2- 9: Leicestershire

July 9: I'm coming home!

As for my little blog, I will be updating as often as I can. I want to keep all of my dear friends up to date on my Euro-shenanigans ;)

Pack Rat

Hello Friends, it's not very long before I head out to the UK! To say that I am getting excited is an understatement. I spent Yesterday, Last Thursday and Friday at my summer job for our annual training and everyone kept asking about my trip. It made me want to leave sooner. I need to be there. I will accept the frizzy rain hair, damp feet, and fatigue. Take me to the UK!

While my packing list has been in my head since I found out about my trip forever , this week I have been starting to write it all down. I want to make sure that I take everything I need and that I don't forget anything. Now, my biggest fear is that I won't pack enough. <--This, my friends, sums up my life (hahah). I tend to over-pack on EVERY trip just because of that little 'fear.' I will be gone for a full month! I will need a good amount of clothing, but I think it's important to remember that I cannot pack 30 outfits. I need to pack light and mix and match. My reference material (so far) has been: "One Twenty Five": She is a fellow Canadian currently living in Australia. Read this blog. I promise that it will not disappoint. She focuses on weight loss (hence the title "One Twenty Five") but has some great stories about Aussie life. She is an inspiration!

"Answering Oliver": Devon is from Seattle. She is on a Round-the-World trip (I'm so jealous!!) and has a pretty good list. Also- some great travel stories. I'd recommend it- she gives you some great tips and trips for different countries.

"One Pack": I haven't explored this site as much as I would have liked to, but it has proven to have some great tips so far!

That is where I'm at. I've just been looking at lists and trying to come up with my own. It's coming along!

What are some travel essentials that you cannot live without? Any tips for a UK trip?

Tea and Crumpets

If you were to ask me what I wanted to do for the rest of my life I would act awkward and unsure. The reality? If I could just spend the rest of my life travelling the world, I would, and it would be my dream come true. Some girls dream of princes and castles, but me? I dream of museums, historic landmarks, and new experiences (Welll, maybe Prince William too ;) ).

All of this to say, I love to travel. So far, I have traveled in Canada to:
New Brunswick (Born and raised)
Nova Scotia (All over!)
PEI (All over!)
Quebec (Quebec City)
Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa, London)
Manitoba (Rorketon, Winnipeg)
Saskatchewan (Saskatoon)

And in the USA:
Maine (Calais, Houlton, Bangor, Presque Isle...all the typical Maritimer shopping spots ;) )
New York City Boston

Looking over that list I realize that I have actually been to a long list of places, but, I have not yet been abroad. I have not yet left North America to adventure out into the world. I want to see Buckingham Palace, Climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, walk through the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, or stand where the former Berlin Wall separated West and East Berlin. I have yet to experience the world. I haven't been able to see and do everything on my list.

This June, that is all about to change! In June, I will be leaving for the UK. Travelling through a 4-H exchange (Garfield Weston Exchange), I will be travelling around the UK and seeing a new way of life. My 'twin' for the exchange is from Derbyshire, UK. I am still waiting to get some details, but I cannot wait to board my plane to the UK. Even more exciting? Tea and Crumpets. Cannot. Wait. <3