Studying Abroad (Part II): Problems Settling In
This is a continuation of the last post, hence it is "Part II"
University of East Anglia Accommodation
We arrived at the Norwich train station last Tuesday and to my pleasant surprise there was a university provided bus service provided, so I was able to stop worrying about getting the necessary information about registration and accommodation, that is until I found out I would be staying at the only University provided accommodation not at the University. I am staying in Mary Chapman Court which is in the Norwich City Center, a 45 minute walk from the University.
This seems like an opportune time to include my mailing address (which like all British addresses has way too many lines):
Matthew McHale (AMS)
Flat 24
Mary Chapman Court
Duke Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 3DX
So now you can send me snail mail if you so wish. But, I don't know how packages are delivered yet.
When I got to see my room for the first time, I was understandably disappointed its shitty quality. There is nothing in here (building or furniture) which looks like it postdates the 70s. The mattress is thin, foam, and shorter than me and the bedding was so scratchy I had to cover my pillowcase with a t-shirt. Furthermore I had been expecting an en suite room (a room with my own bathroom) and not having to share with three other people.
Power Adapters, Fuses, Networks and the Internet
Since I first arrived in England, I had tried to connect to the internet (so I could get in contact with UEA) but the hotel we stayed at did not have internet ports and there was not an open wireless network to be found. So I was really looking forward to being able to connect to the internet when I arrived in my accommodations. If only I had known what I had in store.
Before I even tried doing anything internet related I connected my US power-strip to my UK to US power converter and blew the fuse on both. Next I blew out the fuse on my alarm clock and other power converter. So I was essentially without any source of power. We bought another one at the store the next day, and finally I was able to charge my laptop. After having seen my parents for the last time in 9 months, in a foreign city where the only people I knew I had spent only a few hours with, as silly as it may sound, I could take comfort in the fact that I could at least use my computer. So when the power converter stopped working somewhere within the next 2 hours, I sunk into despair; I was so filled with worry that I did not fall asleep until four (and I had to be up at 7:30). As I found out later this thankfully did not damage my laptop's power supply and I only had to buy a replacement fuse.
The Internet was a completely different (and equally frustrating) ordeal. Plugging into the ethernet port gave me no signal and so I went on campus to find out that I could not get on the internet until I got my username and password which I would not get until registration the next day (Thursday). Of course I didn't get it then either, it wasn't until Friday that I was able to get my campus ID and get on the internet. Not that it made a difference either way, because the internet was so slow and I was barely able to do anything as I was constantly losing my connection. Although I wrote my last blog entry late Friday/early Saturday I was not able to post it until the networks were working properly on Monday.
Thankfully, this was not the sum of my experiences and things quickly improved...
University of East Anglia Accommodation
We arrived at the Norwich train station last Tuesday and to my pleasant surprise there was a university provided bus service provided, so I was able to stop worrying about getting the necessary information about registration and accommodation, that is until I found out I would be staying at the only University provided accommodation not at the University. I am staying in Mary Chapman Court which is in the Norwich City Center, a 45 minute walk from the University.
This seems like an opportune time to include my mailing address (which like all British addresses has way too many lines):
Matthew McHale (AMS)
Flat 24
Mary Chapman Court
Duke Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 3DX
So now you can send me snail mail if you so wish. But, I don't know how packages are delivered yet.
When I got to see my room for the first time, I was understandably disappointed its shitty quality. There is nothing in here (building or furniture) which looks like it postdates the 70s. The mattress is thin, foam, and shorter than me and the bedding was so scratchy I had to cover my pillowcase with a t-shirt. Furthermore I had been expecting an en suite room (a room with my own bathroom) and not having to share with three other people.
Power Adapters, Fuses, Networks and the Internet
Since I first arrived in England, I had tried to connect to the internet (so I could get in contact with UEA) but the hotel we stayed at did not have internet ports and there was not an open wireless network to be found. So I was really looking forward to being able to connect to the internet when I arrived in my accommodations. If only I had known what I had in store.
Before I even tried doing anything internet related I connected my US power-strip to my UK to US power converter and blew the fuse on both. Next I blew out the fuse on my alarm clock and other power converter. So I was essentially without any source of power. We bought another one at the store the next day, and finally I was able to charge my laptop. After having seen my parents for the last time in 9 months, in a foreign city where the only people I knew I had spent only a few hours with, as silly as it may sound, I could take comfort in the fact that I could at least use my computer. So when the power converter stopped working somewhere within the next 2 hours, I sunk into despair; I was so filled with worry that I did not fall asleep until four (and I had to be up at 7:30). As I found out later this thankfully did not damage my laptop's power supply and I only had to buy a replacement fuse.
The Internet was a completely different (and equally frustrating) ordeal. Plugging into the ethernet port gave me no signal and so I went on campus to find out that I could not get on the internet until I got my username and password which I would not get until registration the next day (Thursday). Of course I didn't get it then either, it wasn't until Friday that I was able to get my campus ID and get on the internet. Not that it made a difference either way, because the internet was so slow and I was barely able to do anything as I was constantly losing my connection. Although I wrote my last blog entry late Friday/early Saturday I was not able to post it until the networks were working properly on Monday.
Thankfully, this was not the sum of my experiences and things quickly improved...