The Past Week... (Long Post :/ )

My University from Highfields Park, a long lake side park that runs the length, 1km, of the main campus. The Trent Building can be seen across the lake. Canada Geese, Swans, a myriad of other waterfowl inhabit the lake.


The past week has been a rather fun week. After last Wednesday’s yellow card, (see previous post), I received a fine at our Rugby Social for being sent to the "Sin Bin", or the penalty box. I was given a stuffed turtle of which I was supposed to keep on me at all times until the following week. I was also to produce at least five photos with the turtle taking him around with me. So I took photos in my house, in class, in the shower, and several at the Cider and Ale Fest that I attended on Saturday night. It was rather humorous and luckily another player was sent to the Sin Bin during this weeks game and I was able to pass on the little turtle.

On Saturday, Rob, Ed, Celeste and some others and I went to the Nottingham Cider and Ale Festival. It was a pretty good time. The festival had some 400 true cask ales up for tasting. The entrance fee was only £2, or $4, and then the festival glass was another £2. The glass was specially marked and was a half pint in size. Then you bought tokens for sampling. The tokens were only a £1.10 each and every sample only cost one token for a full half pint. Compared to the Brew Fest I worked at back home this last summer, this was a very good deal. Now Ales are much different than what many people see as beer. They are bubble-less, and served at room temperature. So, needless to say, it takes some getting used to. Plus, the fermentation process creates a simply putrid smell which the ale maintains. So you are trying to sip the ale, and it smells like a public restroom. But it tasted great. I tried about six ales before we left. The turtle had a couple too.


The turtle steals my ale.


Ed, me, Rob enjoying a Saturday night out at the Festival.

This week we received our coursework for many of our classes. Unlike Oregon State University, we receive only one, maybe two, assignments per term for a class. They are not even that large. I have a 2500 word essay for my railway class which will prove a bit demanding as it is an analysis and planning paper for the future of British Railways, which is a bit foreign and unknown to me to say the least. But overall, classes are going well and I am trying to stay ahead of my classes so that I do not take all of the provided free time and waste it.

This past Wednesday, two other players and I were moved up to the 1st Team for their home game due to absences and injury. I did not start but entered the game about 10 minutes in. It was some of the worst weather to play in as it rained heavily the entire time. Luckily it stayed around 45-50 F so it was not necessarily that cold once you got moving. The wet weather changes the time of rugby you can play, causing much more conservative play to be had. This conservative play involves much less passing and more short passes and runs, similar to an all running based American Football game. I had about 8-10 attacks and made some good yardage. A couple of times it would take four guys to bring me down... It was awesome. I played pretty good defense and made a critical solo tackle at one point keeping a player from crossing the try line and scoring. The captain was happy with me and let me know that later that night at our Social. We destroyed the other team, 56-6, and the 2nd squad won as well, but only 6-0.

After Wednesday's game, we had a joint social with the women's netball team. We played Pub Golf which is a very entertaining game that involves the entire town. You split into teams and you are given a list of the locations of each hole, or pub. Then at the pub, a drink is listed, and a par value is given. If you down the drink in as many pulls as are listed on your sheet, you will par the hole. More or less is scored just like true golf with hole-in-one's, birdies, eagles and bogies with the lowest score winning. Afterward, just like every week, the team heads to ISIS, a local nightclub, but I always end up heading home fare earlier than the rest of the team since I have 6 hrs of class the next day. Secondly, I don’t feel like paying taxi there, taxi back, and a cover charge which will get up above an extra £10, or $20.

All in all, Nottingham has been a ton of fun, with the highlight being my awesome housemates and the Rugby team. It is great to enjoy and look forward to coming back to your place of residence as well as having something active to participate in every day. Next weekend, the first in November, I will be heading to Milton Keynes to stay with Ed and his girlfriend at her parents house. We will then shoot down to London for the day to be tourists! I have yet to get there and I may head down there the following weekend too with the International Student's club.

Thanks for your emails, notes, phone calls and especially your prayers, I greatly appreciate them. Remember you can always call me at 503-616-4422 which phones my computer and if I am not here, a voicemail can be left. My email is perryal@onid.orst.edu .

Love,
Alan Perry

First Rugby Game!!

*This is a postdated post from last Wednesday, Oct 18th, that never made it on to the website in time...weird.*



Here is a photo of the massive knot I gained on my forehead from possibly the very first tackle of the game. I never really paid much attention to it especially with my hair covering it. I visited the EMT after the game to get some ice for a charlie-horse in my bicep and she gasped when she saw that. That was the first time I paid any attention to it as well... meh.


We had our first official Rugby League game today. We played University of Central England which is located in Birmingham. We won 36-10. The team we played was loaded with huge guys but our small squad was more fit and faster than they. I was voted Man of The Match by both my team and the opposing team but that was only after I received a yellow card and was thrown out of the game in the beginning of the 2nd half for ten minutes for unnecessary roughness. I tackled a player on the opposing squad after he completely blindsided my teammate multiple seconds after the whistle had been blown. I was angry. But I made up for my foolishness by making some hard tackles and scoring two trys, the equivalent of an American football touchdown immediately after returning to the game. So I made up for it I guess. It was a very rough game but we kicked butt and had a ton of fun. Next week we will be playing at Lincoln which is about 1.5 hr from Nottingham.

My Roomates (+ Pedro) and I in Birmingham.

Lou and I at her birthday party.

Pedro, Ash, Nick and I

The group of us in front of St Martin's Cathedral in Birmingham.

Nick, Neel, Pedro and Ellie in a Taxi on the way to the train station.

Settled

Well, I regret that it has been so long since my previous post. Part of it is business of Rugby, school, incessant cold I had last week, and most of all forgetfulness. But alas, I am here now to type away.
Classes have been going well. I had to rearrange my schedule a bit and change a class here and there but it has finally been settled and set in stone. The final schedule is Coastal/River Engineering, Structures and Materials 3, Construction Management 3, Construction Planning and Risk, and Railway Transport. Three of them are masters courses and the two classes with the number 3 following them are 3rd year courses, the final year of the undergraduate degree here in England. I am enjoying my classes and the construction classes I have found the most enjoyment in. The teachers for those courses are passionate and enjoyable to listen to which makes all the difference in the world.
Rugby is alot of fun and I am gaining a better appreciation and knowledge for the game with each and every practice. We had a game against University of Birmingham on Wednesday. They brought only one squad so we separated our players into two even teams. One squad played the first half and the other squad the second half. Sadly for Birmingham, they had to play two half games against fresh teams. It was alot of fun and we played well pulling out a strong victory. I have been complimented for my intensity and my consistent tackles. I am really enjoying the game and I imagine I will play when I get back to Oregon State University.
Last weekend was my housemate Lou's birthday and we, as a house, traveled to her hometown of Birmingham and celebrated with friends and family. It is about the same distance as Portland to Salem, but took us about an hour and half on the train with transfers and such. Her party was put on by her parents and the parents of her best friend who was also celebrating her 21st birthday at this party. So there were around 150 guests at this local meetinghouse and we had a night of dancing and celebrating. It was alot of fun and enjoyable to leave Nottingham as it is currently all I know of England.... yes sadly. I visited the city center and went to one of Europe’s largest mall called the Bull Ring. It had every designer store you can think of and the prices to boot. I am pretty sure there will be no clothes shopping while I am over here as it is far too expensive for me to exchange money and buy clothes with such already inflated prices. I guess that means more money for food and travel, oh darn.
Anyway I hope all is well back at home and I look forward to any emails letting me know how everything is. My email is perryal@onid.orst.edu and I also have a Portland phone number that you can call me on. 503-616-4425. This number calls my Skype computer telephone and is only a local call for you all back home. So drop me a line or shoot me a call sometime and let me know how life is on the other side of our world.

Cheers,
English Al

First week of school

Classes started this last Monday and I have found that it is very different than Oregon State. The professors seem a bit more standoffish and the style of teaching is a much more self-taught course instead of strong teaching by an instructor to ensure the students understand and grasp the topics that Oregon State practices. This will take a bit of getting used to and a bit more work on my part to properly learn the material. I am currently taking four classes looking for a fifth to fit my schedule and not weigh me down. I am taking Construction Management 3, Construction Planning and Risk, Concrete Structure, and Coastal/River Engineering. All but Con. Man. 3 are 4th year course over here which can be better describe as master's level courses (read: very difficult). So I guess Natalie and I are in for a bit of a treat...
Along with less teacher input comes less lectures in comparison to back home. Most classes have no more than two hours of lecture per week. Most of my days have only one class. It is a bit strange. Thus, I will need to learn better time management to make use of that extra time and not squander it.
However, I have been making use of my evenings in a proper manner as I am trying out for the University's Rugby League Team. This is a club team that maintains two squads with the 1st team traveling all over England for matches. I have never played rugby before but I am picking it up fast and I am doing well in tryouts. We have an inner-squad match tomorrow afternoon in which we will just play one another in a full force game. One thing that is interesting and admirable about this university is that it clears all Wednesday afternoons of classes each week to allow for club sport games to occur. This encourages students to participate in any of the schools 150 student clubs, societies, and sport teams. I think this is a very good idea and promotes a healthy social and active lifestyle among the students.
Beyond all that, life has more or less settle as a routine is creeping its way into my life. I will soon have a bank account... finally... which will allow me to better budget my money and not mess with pesky international atm fees and exchange rates. Thank you for your emails and notes, I very much appreciate them. Take care and keep checking for further posts.

-English Al

P.S. I have Skype with a local Portland phone number. Call me and if I am online I will be able to speak with you via my computer. If I am not here, you can leave a cheery voicemail for me to receive when I log in next. Thanks! 503-616-4425