Different kind of Melting Pot.

'Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.'

~Seneca

Time flies.  My sincere apologies for the delay of my second blog post.  It has now been just under a months time since I arrived on UK soil.  As you all know I am here to get my masters and coach at the very prestigious Durham University.  English University's have a tradition that is novel to Americans or most international students for that matter.  The University essentially divides up the students and allocates them to a specific college.  Each student is a member of a college - with a dining hall, bar, support systems, commons rooms etc.  I am the proud Sports Coach Resident at Grey College.  Grey is awesome besides the fact that it sits on one of the highest points in Durham (aka I have to walk up a serious and steep %$*&# hill multiple times a day!!!  At least my legs will look nice and the exertion blocks my cognizance of the actual outside temperature).   Durham is a quaint town with some remarkable history and views that I get to experience from my Grey College window.  

Luckily, I have so-far experienced very good weather for the typically rainy and overcast country.  Despite the fact that the leaves were changing and falling weeks ago we have been fortunate to have a few days of sunbathing sunshine.  Here are a few pictures I have captured on the British Mobile of Durham, early fall at Grey, the sunrise one my way to the pitch during preseason - superb, some of the spectacular views: 

An early Fall

7 am preseason start - motivation

Castle

Town: these ppl drive on the wrong damn side

river

 

To play on my previous blog I want continue educating my followers and share some more observations of the English dialect.  We are supposed to speak the same language but sometimes I can't help but ask 'are you taking a piss?!'.  In America this would obviously be asking someone if they are going to the bathroom or urinating.  Some foreshadowing or indicators being over consumption of alcohol, over hydration, pant-lowering, the sound of a faucet - you get the point.  However, apparently this can be translated into 'are you f'in kidding me?' in British English.  How this expression came about I'm not really sure.  Although this saying may not become part of my everyday conversation there are a few others that have already started to squeak out unconsciously.  But the words that I have adopted may only be because they are over used.  I do fancy some - fancy being one.  Quite is another.  Quite honestly is an overused combo (Anna Derrick can be awarded for this one).  Keen is overused.  Lastly, appreciate is a common substitute for understand - 'I appreciate that y'all (tribute to my southern folk) have obligations to attend to...'.  So in summary:

'taking a piss' = 'are you f'in kidding me'

Fancy = like 

quite --> quite honesty overused

keen --> overused  

appreciate - understand

The Durham Wildcats - my team! - had a smashing win last Sunday!  We want to succeed as bad as we need to breath.  We will keep getting after it on the pitch, during fitness and in the weight room.  Here is an article from the Nothern Echo - the newspaper distributed in NE England prior to our match:  

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/9282578.Wildcats_hope_for_FA_Cup_victory/

I have done a bit of traveling as well.  I took the train into the city of Newcastle to shop and have dinner with Hannah and Gemma - my two want to be Americans.  We had dinner on the water just a little ways past the Tyne Bridge and the Millennium Bridge.  Here was our view:

Millennium Bridge

Tyne Bridge

Preseason is through, the Wildcats have claimed our first FA cup victory, I have moved into my permanent accommodations, I have experienced 'Love Shack' or the other Durham's version of good old 'Shooters' [except this night life arena is lacking a mechanical bull and is packed with much more attractive accents ;) ], I have wandered into the city of Newcastle and officially started my masters programme.  Embracing a land of culture and opportunity.