One Month!

Today is my one month anniversary of being in the States!
        This time last month I was on a plane flying out to New York, ready to explore the city with my parents. This month I'm settled into my new home in Maine, with my Uncle and Aunt, working at the university and getting used to the different way of life.

        It feels like forever since my parents left, but it's only been two weeks - I'm not going to lie and say it has been easy, because it has definitely been far from that! Suffering from m.e, anxiety and minor OCD traits has really made getting used to a new routine of living extremely difficult... but I am strong and I am determined that I will get through this, even if it takes a hell of a lot longer for me than it would for normal people. I just keep having to remind myself (or have my family remind me) that I am unique and that there is a plan for me, even if I don't know it yet.

        I've found some new coping strategies for my anxiety - relaxation tapes and music are perfect for when I am getting ready for bed and trying to turn off my overly active, nuisance of a brain. These are slowly helping me, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone who needs to relax. Another thing that has really helped me is having a friend who knows what I'm going through, and is doing everything that she possibly can to make me feel more comfortable and less homesick!

       It feels like I have been away for a lot longer than a month, and I'm missing my family and friends tonnes. It's hard to see all my friends getting together, and being excited to go to university, when I'm sitting on another continent missing them loads - but I know that they miss me to, and it will make the reunion a much bigger deal.

The American Folk Festival

        After being dubious about going, I braved my anxiety and took up the offer to spend an afternoon at the American folk festival in Bangor. The weather and setting were perfect - blue skies and the Bangor waterfront parks.

        I didn't really know what to expect, as to me a folk festival would focus on folk music, however it was completely the opposite with music from around the world! Upon arriving we wandered for a while to see what was on, and decided on the 2 rivers stage, a small stage next to the waters edge. The grass was full when we got there, but we sat and listened to a lovely Irish band, who were incredible at playing the fiddle.
        Next up was my first experience of blue grass music, which is a mixture of country and folk music. The band that we watched were The James King Band, and they have been quoted saying "I think the beauty of bluegrass is that it's music that can reach people on so many different levels" and that is exactly what it did for me.
        We saw the next performers arriving, and automatically decided to stay and watch - The Chankas. The Chankas are a Peruvian scissor dance group, with two musicians and two dancers; although the dancers use their scissors are instruments to clap the rhythm. It was truly phenomenal. Their costumes, their dancing and the music.

New Room

My bedroom has always been a sanctuary - to read, relax and just feel peaceful.

My parents have always been there to help me change it when I wanted (which wasn't often, I'm too indecisive), so making my new bedroom feel comforting and homely was a big deal for me.
       I haven't quite got it together yet, but here's what I've got so far:

Before I left I visited my Auntie Sand and Uncle Pete on their canal boat, and my Aunt who sells her crafts gave me some gorgeous strawberry bunting, which is now hung on the wall above my bed - making the plain walls seem a little less plain.

These cards are each from friends or family who wanted to wish me all the luck and love in the world. They now have pride of place above my book stand, and make me feel blessed each and every day that I miss them.

My Uncle gave me this mirror when I arrived, and in the box it looked really quite strange, but now that  it is up on the wall (thanks to my Dad) I love it - especially the abalone shell and pearls.

        I also have a picture wall, and other pictures around the room to remind me of home and the amazing times I've had. Hopefully I will expand this wall with new pictures and inspirational quotes to make me feel happy on my lowest days. I have also invested in a cross stitch, which has the lovely phrase 'Home is Where the Heart is' to complete and hang on my wall, so I will always feel a little more at home.

My First Week As An Intern

        My first week of being a UMaine food science intern (well that's what I've called myself) has gone so quickly! My Uncle sorted everything out for me, to give me experience so I can decide whether I am interested in studying food science at university, either at home or out here. I've started working with the loveliest girl called Brianna, who is currently undertaking her PhD, and am assisting her with her study on abalone.

        The first couple of days were the normal, safety training, getting to know the labs and the building - which is a complete maze to me, which I know will get worse when there are hundreds of students wandering the halls as well. Yesterday we started some distillation and titration, which is a gorgeous colour change experiment, that showed how much ammonia is in the sample, therefore allowing us to determine how 'off' the abalone are.
       Today was my first day of doing micro - using a stomacher to squash the samples and then adding solution them to create different levels of dilution. These slides are now being kept to allow the bacteria to grow, and next week these will be counted and recorded.

      The University of Maine campus is completely stunning, and I haven't even explored a quarter of it yet. The hall I am working in is really central, and near the Union; the walk between the two is great, green grass, flowers and trees surround it, with the quaint, Georgian style buildings posing perfect backdrops.

        Term begins early September, so the campus will soon fill up and overflow with new students. However, the benefit of this is that classes will start, and I will get to experience what university lectures are like, and get more of an insight into food science, and other topics - hopefully biomedical sciences. It also means that there will be new people, my age, who I can meet and hopefully be friends with... if I build up the courage to actually talk to any of them.

New York

        New York was such a lovely city to visit! My mum and I had been planning it for ages, trying to find the best places to go and the best location to stay, and we were so thrilled when everything worked out well.

        Our hotel was in the most perfect location, right in the middle of Manhattan, perfect for getting around to all the sights. The hotel was also really great, with amazingly friendly staff, an awesome breakfast buffet and free cookies in the afternoon (nothing beats waffles and free cookies). Our room was located on the 17th floor and had a gorgeous view of the surrounding area, and enormous beds that were so comfortable!

        Being complete tourists we visited all the main sights, including, the Empire State, Rockefeller Centre, Central Park, 5th Avenue, Grand Central Station, the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial - which truly took my breath away, it was so moving and such a fitting tribute.

They represent so much spirit and peace in the busy surroundings.

        I now know that if I ever go back, I can visit these places again and discover new places, because there is so much change and so many little back streets that secretly store hidden gems and quaint places.

      Another thing that surprised me was the phrase 'the city that never sleeps' - I never realised how true that would be; people, cars, sirens, alarms, music, shows and street performers go on all day and throughout the night, I mean you'd never get bored!

View from Top of the Rock

        I'd definitely recommend New York to anybody travelling, as I'm not the most adventurous or spontaneous, but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that you can truly make your own, by following a guide or discovering a little bit of New York in your own time.

What just happened?!

After recently finishing my A-Levels I had no idea what to do with myself or my life; all my friends decided on universities or jobs and I decided to take a gap year - spending part of it out here in Maine.

The plan came about to stay with my Uncle and Aunt for just under 5 months, and do a volunteering internship at UMaine in Food Science (something I was contemplating for university) - however, I never thought this would materialise, as I am so indecisive and hate leaving my family at the best of times.

The time came around super quick, and next thing I know I had finished my A-Levels and was at my surprise (well, sort of) leaving party!

My parents and I travelled over to New York and spent an amazing week sight seeing and discovering the city. From here we travelled (in style, on a mega bus) to Boston, from where we drove up to Maine - stopping along the way at Freeport, of course! Staying with my Uncle and Aunt for just over a week with my parents was lovely, visiting different places like Portland and Moosehead Lake, and my dad got to catch up with his brother who we don't see loads because of the distance;
but saying goodbye was the hardest thing in the world. After already saying goodbye to my sister, I knew that this would be hard.
         The past few years of my life have been extremely challenging due to having m.e. and my family are my strength and I couldn't imagine coping without them. However, I let them go and they let me stay.

         And now here I am, still trying to take in what has just happened and how different everything is going to be for the next few months.