liverpool, thanksgiving, and manchester.

{the liverpool harbor}

once again i got the privilege of tagging along on a class trip. a fellow international student {from finland} and i were able to join our teacher along with another of her classes on a free field trip to liverpool. the day would be spent touring in and out of some of the best museums i've yet to see. after arriving in liverpool we spent the first couple of hours exploring the international slavery museum which in detail and with much opportunities for interaction described the history of slavery around the world. it was very moving. We then ventured to the same museums collection of intricate model ships, including the titanic. i learned of the many connection between the titanic and liverpool, including the fact that many of the staff and passengers were liverpool natives, as was the ship itself.

{international slavery exhibit in liverpool}

{titanic, museum in liverpool}

we then, very excitedly, made our way over to "the beatles story" exhibit. this was truly the coolest exhibit that i've seen. each room gave genuinly mapped out the stages of their lives and success. my favorite rooms include the hall of screaming fans, the trippy yellow submarine, and the replica of the cavern, where the beatles got their start (first performed as the quarrymen). as well as learning the fun random facts along the way. we also went to the museum further down the harbor that in more detail covers the life and death of john lennon. did you know that hey jude was written by paul mccartney for john lennon's son? yep, that's right. he wanted to help him cope with his parents separation.

{the beatles story, liverpool}

{replica of the cavern, inside the beatles story exhibit, liverpool}

{john lennon}

{inside the john lennon exhibit, liverpool}

my friend melanie's sister came to town, just in time to help make thanksgiving in wales happen. she came bearing gifts of canned pumpkin, which are close to impossible to find here. for the most part not many people even knew it was thanksgiving. i woke up in time to go to the first of my five classes as usual. (i did receive a happy thanksgiving day post it on my door, thanks john). the day felt no different than any other, until i pushed play on the first sound of christmas tunes. harry connick jr. instantly, nostalgia came rushing to my soul.(couldn't think of word to not make that sound cheesy) it can be said that i've not felt nearly as homesick as i did in that moment. i hurried over to help with the preparations of thanksgiving with a bit of pep in my step. the next few hours would be spent preparing a feast of turkey, green beans, sweet potatoe casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, and individually prepared pumpkin pies with homemade whip cream. it was a neat feeling to share thanksgiving with all of melanie's local british flatmates, who've of course never experienced thanksgiving before. we explained that there are still key ingredients missing such as hot apple cider (can't find that here), a comfy couch for taking naps, and perhaps football, or christmas movies. but, we managed to give the best experience that we could including the tradition of going around the table expressing one thing we're thankful for. while very different than any before, it will be well remembered.

{turkey day in wales, yes, i drew that}

{sharing thanksgiving with local british students}

{individual pumpkin pies}

the program i am here with, arcadia, has subsidized many trips throughout the semester to try and give students opportunities to explore the country for a cheaper price. however, this past weekend they offered a completely free trip to manchester for the weekend to participate in a leadership sympsium. even though i generally try to avoid anything with the words leadership or symposium in it, i figured "when in britiain" and "hey a free trip to manchester". i arrived friday morning in time to jump right into the symposium. there were about 20 arcadia study abroad students from all over the uk participating in the weekend. the first session involved gaining further understanding of the results of the personality test we all took prior to arriving. it was the myers briggs type indicator. according to this test i am an infj. this breaks down as introverted (vs. extroverted), intuition (vs. sensing), feeling (vs. thinking), and judging (vs. perceiving). or as it explains introverted intuition with extroverted feeling. we spent the next couple hours participating in active demonstrations further proving our types. the purpose was largely to help us better know ourselves so that we can better lead others.

{the brittania, our hotel in manchester}

of all the things we learned there were a few things about myself that i absolutely agree with. and as part of the process of further knowing and accepting myself, i'm going to share some of them here. i guess this will be more interesting for people who know me well. so no hurt feelings if you want to skip over the next bit.
at my best:
*i have a visionary grasp of human relationships and possibilities, which, when articulated, can elevate and inspire others.
characteristics of infjs:
*i'm loyal to people and institutions that exemplify my values but have little interest in those that don't.
*i prefer to lead persuasively by sharing my vision, and am likely to be sensitive, compassionate, empathetic and deeply committed to my values.
*i want meaning and purpose in my work, relationships, and even in material possessions.
*i'm reserved at first, but once i feel i have nothing to prove i'm able to freely relate and interact with others without hesitation. and can even gain energy from it.
*however, i ultimately gain energy from a certain amount of solitude.
how others view me:
*others may find me difficult to know, because i tend to only share personal things with people i really trust.
*i often express my internal senses metaphorically with complexity.
*i especially value authenticity and commitment in relationships.
*while reserved i don't hesitate to assert myself when my values are violated.
*individualistic
potential area of growth:
*if i'm not able to find some place for my gifts i may feel frustrated and not give others the information i used to arrive at a decision, and thus seem arbitrary. as well as withdraw my energy and insight. and i might fail to check me insights against reason and practicality, and end up following a vision that has little possibility of being realized.
*if unable to give attention to my sensing and thinking parts i will be unable to verbalize my inner insights in a way that others can understand.
*and lastly under stress i become obsessed with data i would normally consider irrelevant such as watching tv, or buying things that have little meaning.

some of these things were hard for me to accept. mostly because i tend to still think of myself within the boundaries that others have put me into (not intentionally). i've often thought that i have to acquire the personality traits that i have been labeled with, thus convincing myself that i truly possess those traits. when in reality they are often not who i am inside. i feel as if i'm getting closer to knowing what the true me is.
it's interesting how knowing these things can really effect the way you see yourself, but also the way that you choose to talk to/ treat others.

{the manchester christmas market}

the following sessions were entitled intercultural communication skills for global leaders and entrepreneurship for leaders. both of which provided more insight into our surroundings. we later had dinner with a group of manchester students who had joined us for the second and third sessions. these students will all be studying abroad in various places all around the world next semester. of them i was able to connect with a british student who will be studying in tennessee next semester. hopefully i'll be able to provide some sort of support for her experience. we then all ventured over to manchester's super crowded christmas market. in addition to the typical christmas items, there were many more traditionally british treats, mulled wine, lots of meats on a stick, nutella and banana pancakes (crepes), trinkets, handmade gifts, and lots of alcohol.

{used books stand in manchester}

the following day we all gathered for a brief walking tour of manchester, which concluded the sympsium. i had planned to try and take advantage of my free train ticket and see what i could of manchester for the last time, on my own. i luckily, and i think with some credit to the symposium focusing so much on each individuals gifts met several fellow students that i was able to genuinely connect with. the rest of the day was spent along with two new friends (studying in aberdeen,scotland), we had quite an adventure around manchester, and headed back late saturday night to bangor with many new stories, and a greater sense of self. how does it always happen that the situations that you have very little expectations for turn out to be some of the best experiences.
until next time.
cheers.

{for more photos click here}