Differences

This has been a really interesting week for me. I took a lot of time to myself the beginning of this week and I explored a lot of the local shops here in Brighton. We have this lovely little town (okay so its not actually all that little) that is right on the coast. I spent a lot of time on my own at first, I was kind of homesick for awhile, but I've started to make good friendships here and it makes being away from home a bit easier. I became friends with a girl named Allie and she introduced me to her friend Jerry. Turns out she goes to UC Merced as well! Completely random that in a large room full of people I happened to talk to her, and out of everyone there what are the odds that shes a fellow bobcat?

Allie and I ended up playing pool.. but its not really pool here. I have listed out a few things below that are different here.. billiards being one of them.




Pool.. is called Snooker.. (Snookah if you say it with the English accent, the guy teaching me said I couldn't say it right). Its played with red and yellow balls instead of stripes and solids. Its similar to billiards in that the first one you hit is your ball that you have to try to make in the rest of the game... but its different because if I accidentally hit their ball or if you bounce off of theirs to hit yours then they get two extra shots. There is a whole bunch of other rules to it, but its hard to tell what is the local version and what is the real version of Snooker. But it was definitely a lot of fun, and Allie and I won!

 Bacon.. Bacon is different here too. The whole breakfast really. Its so much meat! - Okay I guess that's not really that different. The bacon is actually big slices of ham that are crispy like bacon, its really really delicious. And if you ask for a coffee they automatically give you an Americano (espresso and water) Their portions for drinks here are much smaller but really concentrated and their large is usually smaller than our medium drinks!

And then there are the beaches... The beautiful pebbly beaches of the UK. The way that people regard the beaches here is far different than at home. When in California I think of laying out on the sand, going swimming and playing in the waves. Here its a completely different atmosphere. People go hang out in large groups on the beach and sit and have barbecues.  There really aren't any waves at all either. And people don't really take off their shoes because its rocks. But its full of music and groups of people out until late just sitting and talking.

Okay, I know there are places in the US like this too.. but for me it was completely different, I grew up hanging out in SoCal beaches and it wasn't anything I had experienced before!

So thats it for my list of differences until I add more later. :)

There is this really beautiful and fun pier really close too. It is full of arcades and junk food and amusement park rides. So of course when tempted... 

                                                         
                                                       A waffle on a stick is a must!

It has definitely been a great week, and I made a couple of new friends. 

We went out to a restaurant the other night and on our way in the host grabbed me and started salsa dancing with me right in the entry way to the patio. He ended up hanging out at our table with us later and told us he was actually a part owner of the business. The people here are so friendly and they have a really witty sense of humor. The people I have met and befriended have made this trip such a great experience.