Middlesborough

Random Fact: "University and college are two completely different levels of education within the U.K. In order to enter university, you must go to college. Most kids graduate from high school when they are 16 and attend college for a couple of years to past the necessary tests required to enter uinversity."

Today, I decided to take a little break from everything and went to Middlesborough to help my friend shop for the wedding. Middlesborough is sort of like Durham where you have a whole bunch of small shops to choose from throughout the entire town instead of just one big mall. It reminds me of The Bridges in Sunderland, but this place is bigger and it has more to offer. We couldn't find any shoes that would work for the wedding, so we went back to the car where we bumped into his parents.

They knew that I would be leaving soon, so they bought me a new purse as a surprise. I told them that they didn't need to do it, but they insisted and I graciously thanked them for it. They are such a sweet family and I'm glad that I had the chance to meet them because they seem so traditional. Also, they are glad b/c their son now wants to go back to Uni b/c of all the stories I've told him. He's very interested in attending Sunderland and he wants to get his degree in Forensics Science.

I love it when I can impact someone in such a positive way. I hope he does make a better life for himself and doesn't spend it working $24,000 a year (12,000 pounds a year) working as an IT Technician for a college (which is totally different from Uni). That's one of the reasons why I'm attending Berea and Sunderland: in order to create a better life for myself.