[b said:
Quote[/b] (chaco27saf @ June 13 2004,07:14)]My school does an exchange program with the University of East Anglia in Norwich and I was just wondering if anyone could tell me if this is a cool town or not.
Wow... Norwich and Norfolk is probably as unlike Colorado as you could probably get!
Denver - the mile high City; Norfolk - plenty of it below sea level. Colorado - home of Vail and the Rockies; Norfolk - flat as a pancake.
If your school has an exchange programme with UEA and nowhere else, then I'd go anyway - the opportunity to travel whilst studying is surely one to be grasped by both hands.
There are probably towns and cities in which I'd rather study (e.g. Edinburgh, Durham, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester, Oxford, Cambridge, London, Bristol, Cardiff, Brighton)... but if it's Norwich or not at all, then I'd definitely go for that semester at UEA, so long as your tutors are happy with it Stateside and so long as it won't affect your studies.
Norwich is an extremely old & historic city - between the 11th and 15th Centuries, it was one of the three largest and most important cities in England (along with York & London). It boasts a wonderful cathedral, 365 pubs... erm, and I don't know an awful lot else about it!
Downsides? Norfolk is one of the colder parts of the country, but then coming from Colorado it'll probably seem mild! It's also a bit cut-off as an area, certainly in terms of the roads. Also, once out of Norwich itself, some of the locals and towns may seem a bit "hicksville" to you.
Still, Norfolk is only a long way from other parts of the country in UK terms... there's a little saying which is a good metaphor for the relative US & UK outlook in terms of distance & time:
<span style='color:blue'>
In the UK, 100 miles is a long way; in the US, 100 years is a long time</span>
In Norfolk, in particular, churches built in the 1200s are very, very common indeed... in other words, almost 300 years before Columbus set foot in the States!
As for travelling times, a train to London takes between 1h40m and 2h; a train to Southend takes 2h15m. The train is definitely quicker than driving - my Granny lives in Holt (just to the north of Norwich) and it takes me 2h40 - 3h to drive to hers.
What else can I tell you? Some of the coastline (particularly to the north) is beautiful in its bleakness and desertion - Wells, Cley, Burnham and Brancaster are all worth visiting; and there's a cool steam train place to visit in Sheringham, as well as some interesting stately homes at Holkham and Sandringham (the latter is still used by the Royal Family). And one of my favourite pub/restaurants in the country is in Norfolk - the
Hoste Arms, in the village of Burnham Market.
"Bootiful!", as they say in that part of the world...
One final thought? If only for the thought of having a completely different experience, then come. You will be amazed at how two countries (US & UK), with ostensibly so much in common historically and culturally, can be so different. If Norwich has anything in common with Denver or Colorado, I'd be amazed - even the language is different! You'll get used to the concepts of fortnights, loos, b*llocks and football soon enough, though!
Good luck with your decision-making, Seth - hope that little bit of info helps.
And if you do come to the UK, we look forward to seeing you at Roots Hall, Southend, very soon indeed.
Matt
