Beatlemania, British Food, & Bus Catastrophies

Okay so I decided with the power of alliterations to combine one huge entry for some updates.

First: I went to Liverpool last weekend(?) to check out the Beatles. Going to Spain gave me a travel bug so I signed up for the international society and bought a ticket, which included transportation and a bus tour around the city. Turns out the Liverpool Marathon happened to be on the same day..figures..so we couldn’t really get bused around, as many of the main streets were closed off haha. One thing I’ve learned about travelling: if you can’t control something, there is no point in stressing about it. So I tried to have the best attitude with the tour guide taking us to a place across the River Mersey to a town where some factory was made..Lever it was..I also tried to laugh, instead of getting really frustrated, when she said, “And over here is more university accommodation,” for the fifteenth time. But then we finally made it back to Liverpool and she gave us time to walk around. I had met some kids studying abroad from a school in Tennessee, so we walked around and of course gravitated towards Beatles things.

First on the list: The Cavern Club on Matthew Street

This is where the Beatles played a bunch I’ll show a picture of the stage below:

It kind of gave me goosebumps being there and knowing the Beatles also were there. Crazy to think about.

We then walked to Liverpool Cathedral, which was sooo big and beautiful. Not quite sure if it’s more a Cathedral or tourist attraction. There was a welcome desk, gift shop, and cafe there as well..But there was also a service going on, so mixed signals coming from everywhere. I couldn’t take one picture to really show off how big it is, so I’ll just try to find a pretty one:

Can you imagine casually going to service here? It’s so pretty. There was also a sign that said no photography during the choir’s performance..Noticed that one a bit too late..woops..

Next up: Chinatown, Liverpool. Apparently, as our tour guide was proud to announce, the oldest Chinatown in all of Europe. And here it is:

Also chose this one as evidence that the sun exists in England too! Who would have known??

So, all in all Liverpool was a good time. I think I was definitely spoiled with Spain so it didn’t really strike me the way Madrid y Barcelona did, but I’m glad I went. True history made there.

NEXT SEGMENT: British Food

So at the request of the chef himself, I am going to recount a “home-cooked” British meal I had this week: steak and “chips” at a friend’s flat. It was nice to be in a flat that wasn’t university accommodation–now anything without cinderblocks feels like the Ritz. This was the setup:

Steak with tomatoes (spoken with a British accent) and onions I think. It was pretty good..after finishing lacrosse I was pretty hungry so I had no difficulty finishing it in about 5 seconds.

Also I would like to note:

This was also taken from his flat. Him and his flatmate bought this clock and then realised (always the Brit) that it runs backwards. So instead of getting a new one, they acted like the typical college kids they are and posted numbers over it so they could still read it going backwards. Can you tell what time it is? (Feel like I’m a kindergarden teacher…)

NEXT SEGMENT: Bus Catastrophe

So, this past Wednesday was my first Lacrosse match. So for UMan I’m on the second team, which is like the equivalent of “JV.” The good news is we all practice together so yay I get to do suicides and hear the intense American coach yelling..Haha but I do like how it’s setup; the two teams are like one except for matches. Anyway, because both Manchester teams moved up in divisions, our first match was against Leeds’ first team. So their actual Lacrosse team. One of the girls plays for England..AS IN THE COUNTRY. So, needless to say, we got pummeled. They claim the score was 30-nil but we don’t think that’s true. The refs were from Leeds, so yeah I don’t buy it. They had 9 after the first half and def didn’t score as much in the second.

Anyway, what was weird was the whole no eye goggles thing, but I think I’m getting used to it. (Don’t want to be the weird American with them so I’ve stopped using them at practice too.) But I did check a girl to the face. I was mad, not like I mean to though haha…And I was playing center for a little haha the coach asked me if I have before I said a while ago and she said she wanted me to because I was tall. Well, honesty appreciated. Lining up in the center of the circle, I couldn’t help but get distracted and laughing inwardly hearing my teammates saying, “Let’s go Anne” or the British equivalent in their accents..Still can’t really take it seriously. But it was pretty cool, aside from the fact that every time I had the ball I was completely demolished. But to be fair the checks the other team had would have been called. Holding/empties all over the place. (I may have had a couple too).

OMG and the highlight of the game: So at the end, when I automatically go to the sideline to do the team cheer and the peace the eff out of Leeds, I see the other team lining up on the 50 with their sticks touching the line. So then I follow our team where we go to the line as well and face them. One teammate says what will ensue is called “Three Cheers.” And as British as it sounds, it was even more British witnessing it.

The captain of the other team says something to us like, “You guys played really well thanks for coming yaddda yadda. Then three cheers girls. Hip Hip..” “HOORAY,” as cheered by the other team as they lift their sticks in the air. And that happens two more times. Then our team did it, in which I proudly took part. LITERALLY THAT HAPPENED. I was laughing out loud this time, dying and thinking anything whatever that happens in the next two months, that moment just made it worth travelling to this side of the world. It was pretty cool and I’ll be really happy to tell my kids or anyone who’ll listen one day that I played lacrosse in England on a British team.

As good as that experience was, little did I know the day was long from being over. (Recap: we left uni at 10:45am for a 2pm game because we shared a coach (bus) with the girls first hockey team and guys tennis tennis team.) So when the game ends and we get to the parking lot, our coach (bus) is not there. Our captain calls the bus company and they say…get ready for this…a car crashed into it so it had to be towed.

OK, let’s think about this. Not only is it a bus, but it was a YELLOW bus. Is there anything that is more obviously not empty space that a car might think would be okay to drive into?

So, the lady said that another one wouldn’t get to us until 5. We then decide to walk to where the girls hockey team was playing because we’d probably have to go back with them anyway. This was a couple of miles, but luckily it was actually sunny out! I was wearing underarmor and I think I would have been fine without it during the game..a thought that’s hard to believe these days. They were playing at Leeds Metropolitan, so we stop at their student union center and sit outside for a couple of hours. Now the bus won’t get there until 6.

What’s funny about these British girls: they kept complaining about being cold, when there were plenty of free tables inside. I casually tried to throw out the option of sitting inside, but they kept saying they felt weird being from another school. These Brits are pretty stubborn..But we did wind up going inside eventually when the hockey team arrived when they were done with their game.

The hockey girls immediately started drinking (time-5:30ish on a Wednesday-which, to be fair is the day athletes go out). But these girls are the first team, so they must be all amazing athletes, so I just don’t get how they do it. Anyway, we sit on the bus around 6:30 and then find out we need to wait for tennis to finish. We FINALLY leave Leeds at 8.

Around 9 when we’re getting back onto campus, we stop around uni buildings to let the boys off. The hockey girls sitting behind me have been screaming in their drunken shenanigans playing drinking games for the past hour. They see the bus stopping and the three or four girls who’ve been screaming, “I need to wee!” for like 10 minutes sprint of the bus and literally go on the side of the road. I turn around and see them pulling up their pants and running back to the bus as the driver (who I’m sure was not happy) begins to pull away. They get back on, where they are instructed by the older girls to be ready in about 20 minutes to meet at this bar on campus OP. Oh, the life some lead.

Yeah, so in conclusion it is not just the rugby team who is in on the crazy. I am so glad I joined lacrosse. To think I debated trying out a different sport. It seems that the girls on it are the most tame. Yet, this is still before initiation or “Welcome Breakfast” as it is called to avoid the stigma of the term. So I guess I’ll reflect again after Wednesday…

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