moving to Sheffield

leaving the Maryland - D.C. region was difficult


Bethesda offered everything I wanted in a single destination ...


green spaces in my backyard ...


a great home ...


walking distance to one of the world's greatest grocery stores


Living in Bethesda was worth the 2 hour commute to Baltimore (here I am at the Union Station, catching my commuter train)


The commutes got to be too taxing at times.


However, I remember that Johns Hopkins was worth 4 hours of daily travel.


And there I was able to meet lots of great people.


Being in Baltimore did have its charms. For example, there is a clock tower that looks like a ... castle?


And the Inner Harbor was nice.


Mount Vernon was also interesting.


But, I was happiest returning home to Bethesda (here I am at Baltimore's Penn Station)

arriving in Sheffield


I flew to Manchester on bmi airlines, operated by Icelandair, and I got to learn Icelandic from their bilingual signs and safety videos.


Here I am on the bus to Sheffield, passing through the Peak District.



I stayed at Ranmoor Hall for the weeklong international students orientation. The program helped us acclimate to UK life.


Here is a glass of water from the sink in my bedroom. I thought the faucet dispensed tea at first, but the pipes were just absolutely filthy with rusty, milky water.

getting to know Sheffield


Sheffield is built on seven hills and there are some very steep climbs. By the end of this year, my calves will look like Popeye's forearms. (I hope this picture captures how green and hilly Sheffield is.)



Here's an English moment in Sheffield ...



and here's another.


Sheffield is quite a modern city, as large portions of it was destroyed during the Blitz in WWII.


For an example of its modernity, here is the Arts Tower of the University of Sheffield. It is the city's tallest building. The tower has a very interesting elevator system, with open, doorless compartments that move up and down the building like a conveyer built. Take a look here. (I apologize, but to view properly you need to tilt your head 90 degrees to the left. View with the volume on and you can hear the scary noises it makes.)

my home


This is Jonas Court of Halifax Hall, where I will be living for the next 38 weeks. I like it because it is near so much green including ...


the Botanical Gardens


the green spots surrounding the residences


the tree lined pathways


and the tree lined streets.

day trip to Chatsworth


I got to make a day trip to Chatsworth. Excuse the crooked shot, it was raining and I was trying to hold an umbrella at the same time. The new film version of "Pride and Prejudice" was filmed here.


The Derbyshire countryside is nice (please excuse the rain),


as are the gardens at Chatsworth.


I also liked the fountains.



But if you examine closely, you will find less ideal conditions. For example, there are massive weeds. (I still haven't mastered steady-handed photography while holding an umbrella.)



Also, the dining halls could easily cater dinner parties thrown by Barbie. (There were other rooms with even more hot pink.)


Clearly money can't buy taste.


And decorative touches got to be overwhelming.


You can't move an eye without being visually assaulted by Greek nudes, Egyptian artifacts, and expensive knick-knacks.


If ornamentation is crime, this building needs to be executed.