Posing with the one and only Big Ben
Kelsey Hoyt
A senior English major with Teacher’s certification from Highland, IL, Kelsey studied in Winchester, England for a full semester.
Q. Tell us about the food. The good, the bad, the ugly.
A. You would think the best dish would be fish and chips, but it was actually very difficult to find! They served mostly Indian/Thai dishes such as curry and things like that. I really enjoyed Pad-Thai soup and the weekly roasts that the campus served. However, one night there was Yorkshire Pudding which to my dismay is definitely NOT pudding of any kind. It was a soppy mess of bread, gravy, and meat, and was not tasty in the least! They also served baked beans with their breakfast, which I eat at home now!
Q. Do you have a favorite spot in Winchester?
A. My favorite spot was a small café that my friend and I would always go for breakfast. It was just so quaint and tiny, we felt like we had found a well-kept secret of Winchester. There was also a very small coffee place ran by a man named Harry in London. We came back to visit him and he remembered us every time!
Q. Let us in on a local tip, what do you recommend?
A. If anyone is in Winchester, head to Ginger Two’s! A wonderful little tea and pastry shop with the best cakes around! There is also a pub called William Walker that we spent every Tuesday night at. It was so delightful and we quickly became regulars as the servers learned our orders and even reserved a table for us!
Q. American English vs. British English. Discuss!
A. Quote: “This queue is dreadful!” Translation: “This line is so long!”
Quote: “Add a bit of colour, would you?” Translation: “That needs more color.”
Quote: “As you wish!” Translation: “Do whatever you want to do.”
Quote: “I’m so pissed!” Translation: “I’m a bit tipsy!”
They also don’t do double letters in some words which threw me off and got me a lot of papers sent back. They also don’t use the word cooperate. They use co-ooperate.
Q. You could hardly believe your eyes when you saw … What? Why?
A. The first time I saw Big Ben, I cried. I also cried when I saw the Globe Theatre. I just never thought that it would happen. My fairy godmothers made my wildest dreams come true, and I will never forget what I felt when I saw those landmarks.
We’re glad those fairy godmothers support study abroad 🙂 Thanks, Kelsey!
A weekend trip to Ireland, seen here at the Cliffs of Moher
EIU Study Ablog 