Week 2, First week at school and trip to Lancaster

Week 2 rushed so quickly, I found myself every day something else to do (like scrolling Facebook) and I should have written this earlier when memories were fresh...

My school started on Monday and I met my classmates for the first time. If I have to say something about them...well...they are funny guys. That they are. We have also really funny teacher Rob, who doesn't stay on the topic sometimes, but that's not problem. I like it when people can joke around little bit like me. :D

We started with Rob, Product Design Studies module and first I got in my hands this 6 pages long assignment briefing which is me a lot cause I haven't ever had so specific tasks. Task is to design new kind of luggage product for some specific area. I have had this problem travelling with my big 17,3 inch laptop. I rarely bring it with me, but when I do it's huge problem to me. It doesn't fit to my backpack and I have to have this separate bag for laptop. And every time I also have my schoolbag with me. I have found some backpacks where my laptop fits, but those are kind of expensive for student or looks like crap for my eyes.

So, I think this is realistic problem and in this course I try to solve it and design it. Because now it's too boring and there's many bags already there I will also list some requirements more. Inside backpack I could also fit my big camera and those pockets in backpack should be something different than usually those are.

Our school have this kind of guy.
I assume it's Tardis from Doctor Who :D

Other course I have is Concept Design 2. At those lessons we have this nice teacher Graham who have this discipline in the classroom. He is easy to understand and speaks quite normal English, I guess, or it's me who just thinks so. :D And I think at that course is also other teacher Joanna.

At this module I had to choose company and task was to create shoe for that company. We don't really do it for the company. This is just realistic assignment. So, I chose Fiskars. It's Finnish company from 1649 and best known for their scissors. They also make something for kitchen and garden, like spatulas, pans and shovels.  

Some examples what they have been doing in this module.

At Digital Visualisation -module I had to choose one designer, Filip Chaeder, and in next 3 months I'm drawing his sketches and trying to understand his design process. Quite interesting process and during it my digital drawing skills might get better. :D Our young teacher Joanna is nice and I think it will be easier her to teach us, cause she have had these modules at UCLan several years back. I also have this Computer Aided Design -module. I think name tells everything... :D

Here's some examples of Filip Chaeder's Design

Just loving these lines and colours...

I am actually big loose tea drinker, so I knew I have to find that somewhere. Luckily I brought from Finland some orange rooibos tea. I tried to find loose tea, but didn't find it from here Preston. I know I can find it from Whittard. It's tea, coffee and hot chocolate shop. And nearest is at Manchester. But my issues were not over. I had to find something where to put my loose tea. Like tea infuser or tea ball. I found one after hour search from Tiger! The joy I had. :D

I had this idea at one evening "I want to buy flower", so I did on the next day. :D I went looking for flowers and one flower shop had this plant with green long leafs and white flowers. I don't know what is that flower called, but it was beautiful and it freshens air.  I also found dark pink pot for it. 

I named her "Ilopisara" it means Drop of joy.

At Saturday I had trip to Lancaster. It was nice to be there, I had hole day alone time! :D Even I spend lot of time alone in my room doing schoolworks, it's nice to go somewhere especially alone. Anyway, it was one of those UCLan's trips, so we arrived at Lancaster and everyone had this tour together in Lancaster castle. They were renewing castle so I didn't get any pictures of main entrance. Castle was used as a courthouse, it was really beautiful, but British law says that you can't take pictures of courtroom. That was pity. But under courtrooms, was this old prisons sell area and I took some pictures from there.

It was really cold and windy day, even sun shined!

 Some details from castle....

  

 

After tour, I went wondering to town of Lancaster. I spent almost two hours in a bookstore just looking how beautiful covers books have here! I bought book what I was looking many times at different airports. It's Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking fast and slow". And when I finally found my way out, I searched my way to the Williamson Park. I think I just needed some green around me. It was lovely park with many parents with small children playing all around. 

They even had Moomin books! :D

Ashton Memoria, Williamson Park

Next day I went to Avenham and Miller Parks in Preston. It was another chill day. My hands were so cold and red. Walking there about hour was nice. More green and nature around me! :)

It was just green grass and some trees around rouds...

When it's going to be foggy, this is the best place to take pictures! 

I saw squirrels!

 

Week 1, Trip to Windermere

At Sunday there was trip to Windermere, which is part of the Lake District National Park. Windermere, Cumbia is town near to England's biggest lake called Windermere. The lake is 18 km long and surface area is 14,73km² .Compared to where I come from it's quite same size as one of the lakes near my home. But the thing is that our home lake is small, just one drop from Finland's lakes. Biggest lake in Finland is Saimaa and it's surface area is 4400km².

We left from Preston 9 am and arrived little bit over 10 to Windermere by buss. There was opportunity to go to boat trip around the lake, but my firen Nina and I though it would be just too boring! :D So we decided to hike all day and started journey toward Wray Castle. We had to find ferry to pick up us to the other side of the lake first. That cost only 50 p to one way and it took only 10 min. Yeah, there was small boats everywhere just hanging around.

It said it was going to rain little bit so it was so cloudy. There was just so nice foggy and wet weather, it would have been perfect time to go run, but until it started to rain more...

I really liked this misty forest. And there was so much moss everywhere in the trees and rocks. And, and, and...Quite nice I can't find any words to describe. :)

We arrived to the Wray Castle after walking some hour and half maybe. Castle looked just like in the games i have been playing. Birds were yelling and I had so huge flashbacks from game The Dark Eye - Chains of Satinav. The atmosphere was just the same! So amazing. For our bad luck castle was not open, until February, but we sat on the stairs and ate our snack we brought. And no, not those crisps they are selling every store in small packs. View from the castle was quite nice also. (Sorry for bad pictures, there was water in camera lens and I did not see it!)

  

  

We started our journey back when the rain stopped. Now I had more opportunities to take photos, camera lens did not get frosty anymore. Sun was little bit shy but started shining during time i took some photos of swans. Nina said I almost risked my life there being so close to Swans. But I did not go so close, one of those itself came closer! :D Maybe swans are nicer here than Finland, just like people. During that walking way and back almost everyone who were from Britain said morning or hello to us. So amazing, i just got hooked into that habit! No way in Finland anyone stranger says hi to you , or if you do everyone thinks you're crazy. 

  

Speaking of crazy, I have some kind of weird obsession for taking photos of raindrops. Yeah, I could have staid there taking these kind of photos for many hours. There's something so fascinating about water and rain. It also shines and reflects everything. 

Beautiful!

These hills are just like Moominvalley!

Sheep! I see them everywhere! :D

So British gate so I had to take picture. 

Cute Belle Grange Cottage!

Yes. It was really nice day and tired. I found out Windermere is near to where Beatrix Potter lived, there was museum about her, but we did not had any time to check it or even the town. I checked that Potter lived Near Sawrey town which is few kilometers on the left side of the Windermere lake. So I think I will also come back to take amazing photos and visit the rest of I did not see!

Week 1, First days

I have been here first 5 days. And felt all kind of emotions. I don't really like travelling especially by plane. You always have to wait at one place to get another and then move quickly to reach transportation to next place and so on. It didn't help that I had besides travelling other stress. But I'm here now and I'm fine, isn't it the most important?

I got my student card and accommodation keys in first two days. Cause those cards I was allowed to go now everywhere in campus. My friend introduced to me campus area, which is at the same time really big, little bit confusing and amazing! Theres so many people working in different services. Like student info has about 6 workers there at the same time. In Finland there was only few people. 

I just got loved that library, even I have been there once! It's big, there's different floors for different things. Big areas for independent study with and without computers. Also quiet floor. and if I have some tasks to write like essays which I hope is not, I can get free service that someone glance trough my text and they give some tips what's wrong with it!

My flat is for 5 students. I think it looks like some hospitals from horror movies, cause the doors and hallway, but I just have few minutes from my accommodation to my classes. That's good and bad in the same time! Heres's how my accommodation's yard looks like. Quite nice I think :)

I got my accommodation key 2 days later I arrived so at that day I just had huge shopping day. Just what I needed like pillow, blanket, plate, mug, bowl and more cookware, also bought some food. And all those I found from some cheap stores like Aldi and Poundworld. I didn't know it's this cheap. I was expecting to pay way more from food. At shopping center  was cute window still from Christmas decoration.

I just wasn't having any appetite at beginning of the week, every bite felt like forcing and just looking food made my stomach feel bad. At Thursday I made first time some food in here and after that I feel like I got some of my appetite back. I'm normally eating all the time, so it's never been like this... But at next day I had more energy so I turned music on my earphones and cleaned my room from floor to ceiling. Yeah. I think I was first time happy at that day. Cleaning just makes me feel better. Now I have tidy room! Yey! I think I can see I'm visual person cause I like that even inside my closet everything looks good, of course not all the time. :D

Oh yeah. I joined to french course. Again... Third time starting it, or maybe I'm continuing studying, cause I had year ago one course of it. I really like french. It is kind of easier to me pronounce, but I'm good at forgetting languages. :D Bad student here, but at least I'm always trying to learn more. I'm studying it trough Rosette, worldwise language programme so it's independent course. I could study here many more languages also, but I think this is now enough, and if not I can start something else later. :D

And here's some last pictures.

           Trying to be snowy xD                                      I did know I had already roommate

    

    

    Long story, I walked into wall xD                         and one of my random leg pictures...

At last some weird things here:

- Hot and cold water coming in separately 

- Left side traffic, I just don't remember that!

- It feels colder here than in Finland, i prefer dry and cold weather like -5 Celsius degrees more than moist and little     bit warm/cool

- I haven't found right kind of oatmeal for porridge

- I have used to use word course but I think at here it's module, so I use both

- Why there's no cupboard where you can dry your wet cookware? I know it's finnish invention...stil sad :(

- Saunas? I have heard some weird stuff about those. I think I have to find out more where I can find one I can go!