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Happy Easter!

'This is gonna be a great story....' | Stranded in Southern Idaho.

So, last week was Spring Break for MSU students, meaning we get a week off classes to travel and see things and have some adventures outside of Bozeman. After toying around with a few different options, and failing to rent a car due to strange rules, S found a suitable car through a local dealership, to use for travelling while we are here and to sell on before we leave in the summer.

We both got very excited about the possibility that the car gave us neither of us having had our own car before, and the fact that America is huge so a car is kind of necessary to get anywhere other than the corner shop, especially if travelling around is something you want to do, which for us it is. Excitement is definitely the word, after driving around campus with Max + Mia on the first night we had it, and then taking it for its first drive up to Hyalite Canyon one evening to see the sunset and walk on the frozen reservoir, it was so cool to suddenly have the freedom to be able to plan to our own agenda.

Sean and the car up at Hyalite!

We spent the weekend catching up on all the work we had to do, gathering camping supplies and figuring out our itinerary to Moab, Utah even scheduling a stop to see friends in Salt Lake. Everyone here puts such emphasis on travelling during Spring Break and it's our only week off during the semester so we really wanted to make the most of it. I have always dreamed of seeing the red rocks of Arches and the deep crevices of Canyonlands so was super excited to finally fulfil those dreams.

We set off on Monday morning, playing music, chatting, taking in the breathtaking Montana mountain views and eating road trip snacks (Sean's favourite part). The car was driving well and we were so excited, to get there, set up camp and try out the paddleboards we rented on the Colorado river. The sun was shining, there were blue skies and everything was awesome (in the words of the lego movie song.) About 2 hours into the journey, the car began to make a very strange ticking sound.   I know next to nothing about cars, but even so, we both realised that it probably wasn't a good noise for it to be making. The ticking increased more and more, and we began to get more and more worried. We also hadn't been through a town in an hour and there were none on the horizon, and hardly any other cars on the road, so we decided to keep going in case we stopped, had a look, and then the car wouldn't start again, leaving us stranded in the middle of a snowy wonderland.

On the road! Before....

Ennis, MT

Towed!

Dinner date in the motel.

We passed into Idaho and soon after that, the ticking intensified, then everything happened pretty quickly, the engine cut out, Sean had to swerve to the side of the road, and the whole front of the car filled up with smoke, S shouted for me to get out of the car....quickly and for a second, I thought the engine was on fire as I coughed the smoke out of my lungs. For a second, we didn't know what to do. Here we were, two brits stranded on the side of a road in rural Idaho with no phone signal and no car. Then, the guy who had been driving behind us, stopped, got out of his car and walked over to us. He introduced himself as Shane, helped Sean open the bonnet and had a look at the car, he said he didn't know too much about cars, but there was no way he could leave two kids out on the road in the middle of nowhere. He was so kind to us and we are forever grateful for him towing our car to his town and putting us in the hands of Travis, his friend and the local mechanic.

We checked into a motel and explored a little of what there was of the town, it was very small, and many of the businesses had closed down leaving lots of derelict buildings and echoes of the past. We had our first taste of the american ready meal that evening (not one I would recommend!) and watched a beautiful sunset over the river. But we were also told the news, that there was a problem with the car's engine, and it would take 4 days to fix. Spring break plans to be postponed.

Well and truly stranded.

A few things not to be forgotten.

This last fortnight or so has been busy but fun. I feel so rooted here in Bozeman, like I've set up home here, made a little life for myself. I love the place, the people and the opportunities, the classes and the culture. I wish I could stay here to finish off university, but sadly that isn't the case, and I know once I am back in Plymouth in six months time, I will appreciate the people there and the seaside surroundings. Also, being within train travel of my family will be much appreciated.

A few memories from the past few weeks:

-A dorm room dinner party with Sean, Mia and Max the night Spring break began, sneaking the food and beer up into the dorms was fun as well as the catching up and getting to have some of Tesco's finest fudge courtesy of Mia.

-A talk by Neil Degrasse Tyson with S at the University one Wednesday night. It was a really cool event, with all of Bozeman (it seemed!) filling the basketball stadium turned lecture theatre. He was a wonderful speaker with a wealth of knowledge and thought provoking scenarios to teach everyone about. He was also hilarious and ever so charismatic which made it a really good night. We ended it with a walk home with Ben and a discussion about life's many burning questions.
-I wrote about Bozeman on Lu's blog: http://www.frauleinlouise.com/frauleinlouise/2015/3/5/city-slicker-guide-to-bozeman-montana#comments-54f8ce99e4b083d0ec2a947f= and how much I love the damn place.
-February 2015 on video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpMwCriLNQY&feature=youtu.be as part of my ongoing monthly video series (it is now in its fourth year which is crazy to think) but I'm happy I have a backlog of memories to watch back now!

Campus on a sunny day!

-The cold came back. Montana does like to keep you guessing doesn't it? 14 degrees one day, -22 the next.
-Yoga! I 'm loving my yoga class that counts for 1 credit, I've made some lovely friends in the class and am really enjoying the practice of yoga, even incorporating it into my daily routine at home.
-A potluck at Ben's one saturday night with cous cous, aubergines and sugar free banana bread (which Ben raved about all night - baking win I think) with the international crew, followed by some of the girls heading to mine for tea and talking into the early hours.
-A photoshoot full of flying sparks in the freezing cold with good friends, followed by ice cream and excitement at cold stone creamery. So tasty!

Me and Natalie - I'm way too excited about ice cream ha

-Signs of spring - can't wait for it to get warm again and to feel the sun (for real)

-Cycling home late at night and seeing the mountains lit up by the snow as well as the amazing views of the stars.

-Acting in Directing class and doing improv, reminding me of drama school days and actually really enjoy playing different characters. It was really fun and made me wanna get involved in some sort of acting club or something - we'll see. 

-Hot chocolate or herbal tea on freezing days drunk out of huge mugs with friends or a book.

-Weekly Wednesday 'dates' with Mia - usually a coffee shop working morning or a stroll round town, it's always fun, whatever we do.

We found beard hats in the MSU colours. 

-Actually sorting out my job and getting some shifts - I start the first day back after Spring Break. The other staff seem really nice, and I can sense some english accent banter coming on. 

-Scriptwriting class - getting feedback on ideas and having really interesting conversations with my lecturer out of class. He has been an editor, a sound man, a screenwriter and a weather man so has many cool stories to share.

-Thrift store shopping with Meg for her upcoming Jamaica adventure. You find some cool things in there and also some amusing things!

Thrift store = goldmine!

-Skype catch ups with the bestie (Lici) - always missing her but it kinda feels like we actually hung out after a 2 hour catch up!

 -Brunching with Becca outside (despite it being -2 outside) and taking in the fresh air and views of the mountains.
-Going into a shop and looking for a chalk bag for climbing and being met by a wall of deer heads. And a display of guns (why america why).

-The perfect cup of herbal tea. So welcome after cycling home in the cold.

-Visiting my lecturer's house for portraiture to do some indoor lighting demos, and in turn meeting his very cute puppies and using his pet ferrets as props. How very strange. 

Zoe the model ferret. 

-Going for a sunset run with S - it was so nice to run up to Peets hill and watch the sun set as we did. Trying to prioritise things like running and yoga - I always feel so good afterwards, I just need to make time for it.
-The prospect of spring break travels! So excited to get out of Bozeman and venture out to see some more of the USA. 

-Pretty icy patterns on the windows on frosty mornings.

-Buying a CAR! We had planned to rent one for Spring break, and then it turned out that it was not an option so after searching for weeks on craigslist - one happened to pop up that was perfect on the exact day we needed it to. Crazy good timing! It feels so good to be part owner of a car (despite the fact that I cannot drive it) - I really appreciate the freedom and opportunities it is going to give us living in such a space out area of the USA. It is also big enough to seat lots of friends, so excited for the group adventures that will be had as well as travel with S. We will also hopefully be able to sell it on when we leave so long as we take good care of it!

Our car! Maybe we should name it!

-Also, taking the car out for a drive with some friends on the first night that we got it, playing some tunes and getting really excited about all the opportunities for travel it holds!

Inaugural trip in the car! Sean, Mia, Max and Me. 

-Feeling grateful for the support of S and getting excited for our road trip next week! Warm weather here we come!

 -And finally Montana Sunsets! Because they are gorgeous and last for hours! I love it :)

And that's it for now! Off to Utah tomorrow for some paddle boarding, bouldering, hiking and camping! Can't wait to see the red rocks :)

Big (pink) sky country!

Skiing for the first time!

Yesterday, I finally did it! I skied! Here in Bozeman, skiing is what everyone loves, most people go every weekend and every day they have off classes. It is not uncommon to hear phrases such as 'shred the gnar' and 'it's a powder day' at any opportunity. S + I have been wanting to try it for a while, to see what all the fuss was about and give it a go. I love adventure sports too, so I was super excited to finally be heading up to the local ski resort: Bridger Bowl. 

We woke up before the sun, to layer up and fuel up for the day ahead, a kind friend picked us up, in his pick up truck just before 8 and then we were on our way. The resort is about 16 miles outside of Bozeman but there was a lot of traffic since we have been told that Saturday was the best ski day of 2015 so far - meaning that it had snowed so much that the powder was nearly at Coldsmoke Standard which is the finest snow powder and best for skiing on! There were debates on the way there about American versus English music and excitement for the unknown. The drive there was stunning and we got deeper and deeper into the Gallatin National Forest and towards Bridger Bowl. 

The view from the slopes.

Once there, after hiring skis and a helmet, we met up with the English crew, two of whom had kindly offered to teach us. I fell at the first hurdle when I couldn't get my boot to connect to my skis, after chants from the others of 'just stamp! Where is your leg strength?' - it turned out that the bindings weren't adjusted correctly or something! After I got them adjusted, it was a lot easier to click the boots into the bindings. Then we got going, up onto the easy slopes first to get to grips with the technique.

Looking cool with his pro skis and googles.

Snowflake Slope - the easiest one!

the view from the bottom of the mountain.

After 4 runs down the easy slope - and finding it really fun to go fast and turn, Meg decided we were ready for the next one up, so off we went. I thought the technique was going to be a lot harder to master - obviously it is once you get into the harder stuff but the general gist was easy to pick up and going really fast down the slopes is so fun, really gives an adrenaline rush which just made me want to do it all day - which was lucky, cause that was exactly what I did.

Obligatory lift selfie with Meg!

It kept snowing all day making the powder very soft when falling, Sean and I both fell down a good few times and it did not hurt at all, but it was very difficult to get back up! Meg and Jess had a good laugh at us for that. Right before lunch we skied the Alpine Trail twice which is at intermediate level which was much harder and steeper but super fun too! To get to the lodge for lunch we skied through the trail merge pass which was a tree lined narrow trail which was so beautiful. I think that was one of my favourite bits of the day.

Skis!

We stopped for lunch meeting up with the rest of the English/American crew, eating crackers and Banana bread and marvelling at the parents who ski with their babies strapped to the front of them.

Post Skiing Adrenaline face!

Lunch was followed by a couple more hours of skiing, trying slightly harder routes on the Alpine run and practicing our new found skills and going really fast! This time the whole group were together so it was fun going with everyone.

Chairlift View!

Towards the end of the day, I lost everyone including Sean and Jess and so skied all the way down to the bottom of the trails alone. It was really fun and I felt really good about it despite falling half way down. Oooops!

The crew/failure of a selfie while trying not to drop phone off the chairlift. 

It was such a fun day, and I cannot wait to go back again, and maybe even try some harder slopes! I want to go up higher since I have heard that the views are breathtaking! Definitely caught the skiing bug!

Heatwaves and Snowstorms.

Montana is known for having strange temperature changes, and apparently the highest to the lowest in a one day period. This past week or so has definitely demonstrated that. Last week was hot! I'm talking 14/15/16 degrees (celsius - still can't get used to that american fahrenheit) most days, t shirt weather by Montana winter standards. It meant a directing class being taught outside which was so nice, we acted on the grass and bathed in the hot sunshine. It was glorious.

Montana Hall in the Sunshine. 

This week involved a trip to Ben's for chilled out catch ups, soup, quinoa stew and beer, a birthday celebration for Mia, excitement for the long weekend (Yay Presidents Day), catch ups with my favourite Norwegians, a drive up to Hyalite Canyon (where it was -5 and freezing with loads of snow) at night to start a bonfire and throw sparks around with steel wool for photography class, along with a 7 hour cinematography shoot where everything that could go wrong did go wrong (yay learning) and a lovely valentines day spent with S exploring Bozeman by bike, and sipping orange beer out of mason jars (so hipster) with Ben and Juliet. Also, there has been a ton of work, my first critique for portraiture, studio days and yoga in between it all. Also got myself a locker in the gym, meaning that every time I want to get to my climbing shoes I have to struggle to open the weird american non sensical combination lock.

The warm weather made for some nice sunset walks for S and I complete with ice cream cones that had us reminiscing about Plymouth summertime. Also, another attempt to go ice skating with Mia failed again, this time we tried to go indoors since its so warm outside there is no chance of that, but the rink was hosting a hockey tournament the whole of that day so we could go on the ice. Did get to watch some ice hockey though. 

I also hosted a movie night with the English girls, we watched zoolander, ate lots, had a bonfire, impersonated harry potter and toasted marshmallows as the snow came down. It was really nice to have some girl time in the house where I am vastly outnumbered by males.

Studio time with the class. 

Sunset walk with S.

Sunset walk. Reflection in the University Barn's window. (Yes-the university has its own barn.)

Pancakes!

Main Street.

Bonfire times!

Birthday Celebrations for M.

I think that's about it for now. Excited for adventures to come!

A week in the life.

Monday:

I managed to get a job, working in the dining halls, which I think was the easiest way to get a job ever. I walked in, asked if they had any jobs and she printed me out a letter straight away, good to know they have high standards....
I also did a ton of homework and then had my cinematography class which involved using analog film video cameras around campus, trying to figure out how they worked and getting to know my group while trying out each other's accents and playing on the swings on campus (productive). Then after a dining hall dinner (so much pasta), along with some of the housemates, I went bowling. It was really fun, and we got in for super cheap due to the fact that one of the housemates works there. I didn't win, but I did beat Sean so that was an achievement :) 

The tiny bit of snow we got this week. 

Tuesday:

Tuesday is always the busiest craziest day of the week! It's started with an early morning and a presentation in portraiture class which was cool, seeing the ideas that everyone had come up with for their semester long project. After that me and Natalie chilled in the VCB (our building) for a while before I grabbed some lunch. Then I headed to yoga which was good, lots of stretching and the sleepy part at the end is my favourite....Then I went to my scriptwriting class which I was super nervous about due to the possibility of having to act out the monologue I had written for my character, but our lecturer changed it and decided that we didn't have to do that, instead we watched a really strange short film and talked about that instead. Went for dinner after that and then up to the 6th floor of the dorm where Sean lived for 6 weeks and hung out with everyone there, with Emily trying to coax me to come on a trip to Mexico with her - we'll see....We ended the night with Peppermint tea and the final episode of Sherlock while the snow came down outside for the first time in two weeks.

Wednesday: 

Was my day off. Sean and I have alternate days in which we have to wake up early and today was his so we oogled at the fresh snow and ate some eggs before saying bye to each other and to the skiers in the house as they went off early to spend the day at the mountain. I spent the morning finishing the obligatory alcohol education course online which asked me if I felt I needed to change my drinking habits.... After that, I went to the international office to fill out my details in order to get a social security number by order of 'federal law', (a fear inducing phrase they use to describe any government policies here) so I can start my job next week. After that I headed to international coffee (new favourite place to hang out) for hot chocolate and studying, met Ben on the way in who was on his way to class and then Kellie and Mia came to do work as well, with a brief visit from Megan too. Attempted to get lots of work done, but the coffee shop kept playing club classics and dubstep - not the best soundtrack to work to. Then after an attempt to get on to an ice climbing trip (they were full) and a leaking shoe due to the ice, I met Sean for dinner at what I will now refer to as the best dining hall on campus - they had banana bread, hummus and real plates. It was the tastiest. Oh my goodness.  After that, I went to the library for a bit of reading and then up to the 6th floor of one of the dorms, to change for dodgeball. The 6th floor were planning on playing a floor dodgeball league and the RA (who I'm in classes with) invited S and I along - since S used to live there and I have since made friends with a fair amount of people who live on the floor. It was so fun, we played for about 2 hours, and there was a lot of competition, dodging, a climb up the wall to retrieve a stuck ball (putting my rock climbing into practice) and trying to psych each other out. I realised I can't throw, but can dodge, it was super fun, playing sports with friends. Then we all headed to late night bites, for delicious artichoke and three cheese pizza calzone parcels of amazingness and bananas. Then, I hung out upstairs with the girls for a while, got a tour of the floor and their rooms, and had a go on Kellie's penny board round the corridors. Then cycled home for a FaceTime with Mum, and sleep!

View from my favourite spot in the library.

Thursday:
I don't think my weeks are usually as busy as this one is, but maybe that's just because I don't usually write it all down. I had class (portraiture) from 9.25 this morning which involved a studio morning, of all the groups trying to recreate two famous portraits chosen by our lecturer. Sam modelled for the first one, and I had to for the second one. It involved a rush around the building in our socks in search of a fedora, as well as a visit from Dan - the loveliest photography mentor and we finished an hour before class was meant to finish. Natalie invited me to go to a free lunch with her in a church down the road so I joined her for delicious Mac and Cheese and Salad, and met some of her friends which was fun, we talked about cultural differences (me: why the guns? Them: why no guns? me: why is your cheese orange? Them: It scares us too!) and classes and photography and it was lovely to feel so welcome despite not being a church goer myself. Then, I headed back to the VCB for some reading, and then to yoga which was really awesome, she played calm acousticy music throughout class and we did what is called a yoga flow which was much more fluid than what we had done before. We also got into groups to discuss something and one of the girls said to me 'do you have an accent?' - then we chatted a bit more about being an exchange student and her experience of England and then she said 'have you met Princess Kate?' which made me chuckle. Then I took the free bus (yes! Bozeman has free buses - what!) to Walmart to return something, meeting a German friend I hadn't seen since orientation on the bus, we chatted for a while which was nice to catch up, then I went to target, got some new boots on clearance since my old ones were letting water in, and then headed home to finish up homework and make some dinner. The house got excited about the arrival of a new (yet old) sofa to attempt to fill up our very empty living room, and then right before bed, S and I spotted some deer out the window grazing on the field across the street.

Studio time!

Friday:
Sean and I both started to feel a bit ill on Friday, I had directing class, and went to a 90s themed party with Becca which had the earliest friends episodes playing on a tv and people going all out with their costumes. We did some kartwheels in the garden, everyone was drinking out of red cups and shortly after we left, the party was shut down by the police! (MURICA)

Saturday:
Feeling pretty under the weather this weekend, spent the door doing some work, and then in the afternoon hung out with Maria (Norweigan) and Becca (buddy) to take valentine's photos for their boyfriends and explore Bozeman a little more. We went to the most beautiful frozen pond and the colours looked so cool against the stormy grey sky. We also nearly got blown away by the strong winds, very unusual for Bozeman to be windy like that. Once we were super cold, we headed back to Becca's apartment in the suburbs for cat cuddles, tea and chocolate orange (they do that here!) - it was really fun. Then, in the evening, S and I headed to Ben's for soup night (or quinoa for the veggies among us) and a catch up with everyone! It was really nice and good to see the international crew again.

Me, Becca and Maria - and the infamous box....

Pretty colours and stormy skies - Bozeman

Valentine's presents.....

Sunday:
Was kind of a non event, homework, editing and feeling a bit ill, spent most of it at home despite it being a gorgeous day outside. Did manage to have a catch up with Lici on Skype though, which made me miss her lots and also the abundance of chocolate fingers in the UK. S and I walked up to Peet's Hill for a pre sunset walk and to oogle at the cute dogs. Then my photography group came round to work on our group fashion project which involved a hilarious drive out to the sticks, amazing views of the stars and satellites as well as a super cool shoot involving steel wool - i.e. flying sparks that Natalie and I had to duck from. Our model was very good though and I'm really excited for how these images are going to turn out.


That's the week, in a nutshell. (Or a very long way of talking about the week.) - next week's plans involve a birthday celebration, the first week of working for me, lots of classes and the possibility of some hiking hopefully! Only a month till Spring Break! 

The view from Becca's apartment. 

Super Sunday.

This past Sunday was so good, so I thought I would write about it. It started out warm and sunny, with a drive to main street with my friend Becca (school assigned buddy - but we got on really well so became actual friends)  We had hysterics about Becca trying to get into a box on the side of the road for a surprise valentines photo - the box subsequently broke, and we both nearly fell over laughing so hard. We gave up after that, and headed to 'overeasy' on Main Street for a shared brunch of pancakes, and a veggie omelette. So tasty!

After she dropped me home, the next plan was to hike the famous Bozeman M - a pile of rocks on a mountain in the shape of an M! Me and S cycled up to campus to meet our hiking buddies - 2 Aussies and Dillon - the lone New Zealander. I nearly got frostbite on the way there, due to being overconfident about the temperature....bad decision, had to run into the library to warm up and allow my hands to return to their usual colour. We met up with everyone, after farewell crying from Mia who decided to do homework instead of join us for the hike - which meant we could drive the 5 miles as opposed to cycling it in minus 5 temperatures!

We drove, listening to the best music (triple j - thanks aussies for the introduction to that) and got closer and closer to the M - the hill looking steeper and steeper as we did. We parked up and then started the 'easy' climb which involved mud, slippery ice patches and lots of beautiful views. It was really fun getting to chat with the guys and climb up the mountain. We reached the top and were a bit underwhelmed by the M - since you can't really tell its an M from up close but amazed by the views over Bozeman, the mansions below us looked like sheds and you could see so far, to campus and all of the mountain ranges surrounding Bozeman. It was gorgeous. After snacking on some saltines care of Dillon and trying to coax a chipmunk out of the undergrowth that someone saw for a split second, we took a couple of pictures and then began the descent down the 'steep' trail. It was funny, and hard on the knees and seemed so far. I think we were going pretty slow, since one man passed us (he was going up, we were coming down) and then passed us again (he was coming down, and we were still going down) - blaming it on the altitude....

Afterwards, we had some chocolate orange, good tunes and a scenic drive home past the cross country ski trails and the local hospital - 'for such small town, that's big' - F and 'it looks like a fancy chocolate' - D, we headed home after a quick stop for food supplies. We then ate, and promptly tried to do some homework and fell asleep, missing half of the much talked about and anticipated (overrated) Super Bowl.

Once we woke up, we wrapped up warm and headed to Ben's for football watching and tunes, with the international crew, which was fun, involving birthday cake oreos - a staple for these guys and trying not to fall asleep - American football just ain't my thing, it just seemed like a lot of stopping and starting and everyone kept cheering yet the scores didn't move.... maybe I will learn one day!

After commiserating that our 'local' team had lost, we hung out a bit longer, then me and S headed out for a walk around the neighbourhood - no streetlights makes it a little scary sometimes. And then felt super hungry and ordered pizza which we ate while watching Sherlock.

It was a good day. Now to catch up on all that homework and reading I didn't do....ooops.