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!

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.

Peets Hill at Sunset.

Just wanted to share a snowy sunset from a few weeks back. Peets Hill is so pretty!

First month in Big Sky Country.

Our front porch decoration - #murica

I can't believe how quickly the last month has gone, in some ways it feels like an eternity has passed and in others it seems to have gone so quickly. Thinking back to those first few days when I felt a bit like Bambi both figuratively and literally due to the ice covering the ground. The ice has since melted for the most part and the sun has been shining for the last week, with it melting all our chances of outdoor ice skating for the time being at least.

Big sky country.

The ice skates I found at the pawn shop - $18 - what a steal!

I really like Bozeman so far, the houses are all so pretty and colourful and different to each other, the people are so friendly, the skies are often blue and you can see the mountains from almost every direction. Have found some favourite cafes now for study sessions with friends as well as the best place to go for food in the middle of the night - 'Taco Montes' - tortillas at 3am are always a good idea!

My favourite house in Bozeman - such a pretty colour!

It has been interesting adjusting to the cold and the altitude, it's freezing in the mornings and cycling on ice takes a kind of grace that I am trying to learn to possess. It's really cool though, seeing everything covered in snow, and passing deer on the way home from uni. Very different to Plymouth life indeed.

A normal winters day in Montana. 

It's strange how quickly something can become the new normal, I ride my bike up to campus everyday, usually after a breakfast of eggs or avocado toast, lock it up for the day and then go to class, I'm taking Portraiture, Cinematography, Scriptwriting, Directing and Yoga. Isn't it cool how I can take a yoga class towards my degree here? I did seriously consider a bowling class too - because why not? But sadly, it was not meant to be as it didn't fit my schedule. After class is done, I will either head to the gym for a climb in the bouldering room or attempt a work out in the gym and then get intimidated by all the muscly people and the fact that I don't understand what half the machines do...or head to one of the dining halls to meet the boy for food, the all you can eat meal plan is very handy after a long 8 hour day of classes with no breaks for lunch. (But that's only Tuesdays so I can't complain) - I also have Wednesdays off which means a lie in and usually a day of catching up on 'busy' work and exploring a little more.

My transport. 

I feel like I am going to learn a ton in this classes and will also be pushing myself a lot. In scriptwriting, we have to present our ideas every week in front of the whole class and then get feedback and expand on ideas, which is actually really cool and I'm sure it will get easier over time, I actually volunteered to go first last week in order to get it over with, which was actually really helpful and made me relax for the rest of class. In directing, I had to act, which is a little scary too, but it was all fun, and everyone in my class is super nice which makes it a lot easier not to be nervous.

The view from the library - Campus. 

Another view of campus on a snowier day.

It has also been really fun exploring downtown, riding the free bus service, seeing the huge vastness that is Walmart, scouring TJ Maxx (not TK) for warm clothes and making portraits for fun, there are lots of super cool backdrops in Bozeman and I cannot wait to get started on my semester long portraiture project soon.

A sign company downtown. 

Main street is an electic mix of stores and restaurants, almost all locally owned with signs stating they support the university football team (go Bobcats) in every window, if there's one thing Bozeman does well, it is the team spirit. Also, it's super strange how they sell Bobcats merchandise everywhere. They really do love American football and basketball! I've been told that the teams are treated like royalty wherever they go in town. 

Main street. 

Last week I attended my first basketball game, which was a rather unique experience, there were a ton of ad breaks and things like the 'muscle cam' and 'kiss cam' where they randomly put a camera on some unsuspecting audience member in the hope they would do the task at hand. I watched in the company of lots of lovely internationals who were all as amazed as I was at how american it was and how random lots of things were. Bobcats one though - hooray!  

First Basketball game of the season.

Bonfires have also become a house ritual, because over here, you have to pay to recycle cardboard - seems a bit backwards to me so we burn it instead. Snowy barbecues all round. Complete with friends, a beverage of your choice and cheesy campfire songs - or an attempt to sing them at least. 

Our first bonfire - can you spot me? 

I feel like one of the best things about being here is getting to meet people from all over the world, and hanging out with them, there are Aussies, Norwegians, a few English, some Dutch and one lone New Zealander. We had a fun international party last week which involved bowling (in the university bowling alley!) and pool (which I completely failed at - so much so that S started to despair.) Have also been to a party in which my hair was described as a 'waterfall of dreams' (Thanks Megan) and a huge husky showed up randomly with an owner who was a friend of a friend. We also hosted our own party, where I was introduced to Beer pong by two freshman, and also heard the funniest pick up line ever - 'your arms look strong, I bet they could carry a family' - it was good fun and got to meet lots of new people and get to know others a bit more. We ended the night with a chilly walk to the taco place, meeting our new zealandish friend (Dillon) and another random guy who wanted to befriend everyone in sight.

Silly faces at the party. 

favourite boy.

The next morning we headed to a place out in the sticks for brunch, with Becca (who is my school assigned buddy and now friend), Ben (English) and Sean. It was in a shed with a bar for everyone to sit around, we had pancakes and eggs and the others drank pots of coffee, it felt like we were in someone's grandma's living room, everyone had country accent and was watching the world go by, sipping their coffee on a Sunday morning.

Breakfast in the shed.

Dollar bills making us feel rich 

Inside Grandma's living room. 

 It's definitely more challenging to get involved and meet people when living in a house as opposed to a dorm. I have joined the wilderness club so excited to hopefully have some adventures with them. However I do like the freedom the house gives me, and sharing with the boy is awesome, we have been making our way through Sherlock in the evenings and making guacamole by the gallon - seems to be a trend from when I was in Italy. We have made our room cosy with fairy lights and photos but the walls are still a bit bare, I think some posters need to be purchased or maybe we could paint something to make it more homely? I'm sure our landlord would appreciate that. 

Fairy lights making our room cosy. 

It is definitely true, what they say about Montana, and big sky country, the skies go on forever and the sunset hours last so long. It is gorgeous here, S + I have been on some beautiful sunset walks to a Peets Hill which has views of mountains in every direction as well as overlooking the whole city, we even managed to spot our house from up there.

Beautiful winter sunset from my bedroom window. 

Flowers growing through the snow - Peets Hill.

Mountain views - Peets Hill. 

Sunset over Bozeman - Peets Hill.

This week was my first photography field trip to Butte, which involved a 6am wake up for a sunrise road trip with some lovely new friends passing through the most beautiful of snow capped mountain ranges with funny conversations about mountain goats and fire photography to keep us entertained. It was my first time leaving Bozeman since I arrived so I was excited to see another part of Montana. I hadn't really noticed how isolated the city is since while in it you are always surrounded by people. But going on the freeway and seeing these tiny hamlets with one or two houses miles from anything else was kinda crazy, but really cool to see. And those views were so gorgeous. We spent the first part of the morning sipping coffee and smoothies in a locally owned cafe in the centre of town called the hummingbird which was really nice, though I accidentally drank one of my friend's smoothies instead of my own, even though it had very different ingredients to the one I had ordered, I was definitely not fully awake yet and luckily he wasn't too mad, and he and N made fun of me for the rest of the day despite my efforts to try and kill the joke.

Adventure buddies for Butte - Natalie and Sam - spot the pit behind us!

Butte is known to locals as the 'butt' of Montana and everyone was trying to lower my expectations of it but it was actually a really interesting place. Lots of ramshackle houses all the way up the hill, a shop window full of balloons, the friendliest people, and views across the valley all the way to the mountains because it was such a beautiful clear day. We had a lighting photo demo on top of a hill which was fun, learning to use lots of lighting equipment and playing around with Canon 5Ds - the dream camera!

On task for Portraiture - Butte. 

The edges of the deadly Berkley pit - Butte. 

Then we were tasked to go off in our cars and take pictures of strangers (with their permission), which the three of us managed and then we headed off in search of the Berkley Pit which is what Butte is most famous for, being a mining town. The pit is no longer in use, but it is a mile wide and a mile deep and can be seen from space. The three of us made it our mission to try and see it but after many attempts from a variety of angles, all we could see was the edges and none of the toxic pool of water (the main attraction) that (very sadly) once poisoned an unsuspecting herd of geese just looking for a drink. We found an information point, which played creepy 1900s music all by itself even with no one around, also found a bit of home in an english flag displayed there.

Views over Butte from our Photoshoot Location.

Finding an English flag - Butte. 

Famous mining towers - Butte

In other news, thanks to an english friend, I had real life cheese on toast, not gross american cheese, but real english cheddar, thanks M for that. Also, I am hoping to get some hikes in before it snows again. It's also the Super Bowl this weekend which should be fun, and then next week I have a ton of work to do. (Yay!) S is also taking his driving test in the coming weeks, so fingers crossed it all goes well and we can get a car for lots of adventures to come! However, if it does snow, then we are gonna try skiing for the first time and I will hopefully get in lots of skating before the rinks melt again.

Anyway, if you made it this far, I commend you. Hopefully I will be back with more stories soon if I remember this blog exists!