the "Tales" begin

My European wardrobe may have to adopt some colors other than my typical pink and green, but my blog sure won’t!

Hello, hello to my family, friends, and any and all clickers-by. I also extend a special greeting to the agent who is lucky enough to stumble upon this blog. Ideally, after reading it, you’ll take me on as a client and help fulfill my life-long goal of publishing the greatest American novel imaginable. Let’s make it happen! Anyhow, welcome to “Tales from Canterbury,” my obvious English-major take on my three-month trip to Canterbury, England. As I’m sure many of you know, I’ll be spending the Fall semester of my Junior year as a Stonehill Skyhawk at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England -- mascot unknown at press-time. Map-wise, Canterbury a small city set in the English countryside with fabulous proximity to London, Paris, and Brussels. The city is supposed to be utterly quaint, and has a lot more charm than is conveyed in Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” which I was totally blessed to have read last Fall. Please note that I say that with writhing sarcasm. The Kent campus overlooks the city, and by city I mean the CASTLES OF CANTERBURY. Hey Dad, now I really am a princess! I’ll know more when I get there, and it will all be recorded right here. The fabulous thing about blogs (which, for those of you aren’t as tech-savvy, is the shortened form of “Web Log”) is that they don’t take up room in your suitcase, and, unless the computers of the world crash, leaving us all dazed and confused without e-mail, can’t get lost. A blog seems like the perfect match for a girl like me who 1. will by no means stay within the suitcase weight limit (I blame my shoe collection) and 2. loses things as often as she opens her mouth. You all know me well. You all know that’s a whole lot!

I decided to start this blog today, a few minutes ago, basically out of sheer boredom. But more importantly, I want to take you all with me on my trip. I want you to help me hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I want you to sit with me at pubs (!) in Ireland, and I want you to be there when I make my cross-country flight. Unfortunately, all those hearty Christmas dinners have caught up with us, and my bright red luggage (I know, it totally going to clash with my pink motif) just won’t be able to fit you all. So, instead, I opted to print a few photos (so you'll all be with me in essence) and write this blog to keep you all in the know of my European travels, and, oh yeah, studies, too. (Just kidding. I really am exceptionally psyched about one class in particular, which takes its students on tours of the places Charles Dickens wrote about back in the 1800s! He is one of my favorite authors, so I am naturally thrilled about this opportunity in particular. But I'll have more to say about that once classes start. The English nerd within me will really blossom. I mean, come on, I worked at a library for almost 6 years. Books make me tick!)

While it’s just July, and my flight a few months away, I figured, why not start blogging now? I’ll need some place to vent out my frustrations about Europeans not wearing prints, plaid, argyle, and bright colors (oh, the tears) or the fact that it’s a social sin to smile at a stranger while across the pond. Yeah, I might not follow that rule. I’ve been educated otherwise.

I’ll probably blog again ASAP. I am really liking this. I hope you’ll all comment, enjoy, and hey, totally share this with your friends who may want to travel back to their days as a carefree college student. Or maybe they know a book agent who will make me the newest, youngest gal to top the Times' book review... =) Ulterior motives aside, I really hope you'll all read and enjoy. I'll be thinking of you all with each cobblestone street step I make.

Have a fabulous 4th of July Weekend. Perhaps I'll see some of you soon!

Cheers to Independence and XOXO,

Kaitlyn, your Canterbury Tale-Teller