Black and White Town

So I've been here for four days now.  First of all, I really think I'm going to love it.  However, it's not been the easiest of starts.  Not that starts usually are, I suppose.  Here are the basics:  I have no place to live yet, my University, as affordable as it is, just plain sucks at communication, my loan cheque is going to be later than expected (due to said poor communication), took me days to find a plug adaptor that actually worked and it's completely freezing cold.  BUT, it's also exactly what I wanted and pretty much what I expected.  For some reason, I feel right here - like I fit right in.  Manchester is nothing like London.  It's a city - 3rd largest in Britain! - but it's hardly a sprawling metropolitan.  I have thrice traversed the city center and included all of the main drag of campus on one day, as well.  However, there is an urban feel to it - it's certainly a working class town, still, and it is considered the birthplace of THE Industrial Revolution.  And all around there are nods to the old days - factories that now house upscale lofts and cafes and pubs dot the city center and fancy, new, modern structures are peppered about. It's a little bit disjointed, but a testament to the city's ambition to not be stuck in the 19th century, which, as I understand, it kinda was until the last 10 or 15 years...

Besides kickstarting the modernization of the industrial world, Manchester is also famous for music.  If you are a geek like me, you may already know that.  But you may not.  It may not have the cache of being home to the Beatles that neighboring Liverpool has, but Manchester has produced some of the greatest bands of the last 30 years, as well as pretty much inventing the concept of the DJ and house music.  Pretty sure Ecstacy also got its start here, but that's a whole different blog.  Anyway, The Joy Division, The Buzzcocks, New Order, The Smiths, James and Oasis all came from Manchester, with many in between.  I happen to be a fan of many of those bands and I have several geek out days planned - of course a trip to Liverpool, a bus ride down to Macclesfield where Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, lived and died and hopefully going to see my current favorite Manchester bands, Elbow and Doves, play live.  Suggested Film Watching:  Control (The Story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division) and 24 Hour Party People (Starring Steve Coogan, about the music scene in Manchester in the 70s and 80s).

But enough history.  Back to the present day.  I spent the first couple of days at an overpriced chain hotel  conveniently located smashed between the northern section of campus and the southern part of the city center.  I walked a lot.  I slept a lot (jetlag is always a bitch, is it not?).  I learned to ride the bus.  I tried to do some flat-hunting (def:  flat =apartment) to no real success.  I found the grocery shops (Sainsburys or Tescos), the coffee shop (Nero - like Starbucks but better and with a much friendlier staff), a SIM card for my phone and Primark (like an H&M, but cheaper and more crowded.  Kindof awesome, though, and the stuff of retail legend as my female English friends would tell it).  I enjoyed the crisp (read fucking cold) air.  It's hard to believe that it's still probably in the 80s and 90s at home.  There was actually a frost in some nearby areas on Friday night.  But I've packed appropriately and am getting used to walking in boots not flip flops.  It feels all very mod and like I should be in a black and white film from the 60s...

I spent a lot of time by myself so far.  Mostly I've been so off the clock time-wise, and just trying to figure out which end is up, that I've been spending time alone just to keep it together.  And I've really enjoyed watching TV in my room.  Now, I know that sounds lame, but let me explain:  I'm a fan of TV and in particular, British TV.  So having not one BBC America channel, but SEVEN was a little bit like crack.  Besides learning about a lot of good music from my English friends while traveling, I also learned some awesome TV shows.  In particular - The Inbetweeners.  Find it if you can.  I got to watch the first episode of the new season IN REAL TIME.  It made my night.  Also, football.  (Def:  football=soccer).  Oh, and the Pope is here in England, apparently.  Massive deal according to the BBC.  So that's taken up a lot of my time. DId I mention that I also traversed the city 3 times??

Today, however, I've moved to a hostel further in town (with no in-room tele (def: tele=TV).  I can say without a doubt, though, it is the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in.  It's actually clean and the staff more friendly than the 58pound/night (almost 100USD) hotel I was in, except that I have to share a room with a couple of girls.  Not the end of the world! And I already feel more social.  The pub (Def: pub = bar/restaurant) area is lively at the moment.  Manchester United beat Liverpool today 3-2, so people are in a good mood and there are even cozy little candles lit and some good tunes playing.

Tomorrow I start "Induction Week" at school. It's an orientation week where we learn about the course we are taking and pick our classes.  It's a very different way of doing things, but I will get the hang of it, I'm sure.  I don't actually start classes until next Monday (something conveniently not communicated to me, ever, by my school), but that works out fine since I need to find a place to live this week!  I'm meeting my roommate, Hannah from Finland, on Tuesday night, and I imagine I'll meet some people in my program this week.  So there will be plenty to blog about in the coming days.  Stay tuned!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRir5AyF6dQ