Brown Smith UK 2023

Hello bruvs, today was a mighty fine day full of clouds and rain. It all began at around 7:30 when (almost) everyone rolled out of bed on time and made the trek to breakfast. After a nutritious meal, we started learning all there is to know about academic integrity. Splitting into three groups, we discussed the meaning and merits of academic integrity. We described it as staying true to our moral code, regardless of the circumstances or consequences. That informed our understanding of what a world without academic integrity, where innovation and productivity would cease to exist. We then learned about differences between high school and college, and learned about the importance of personal initiative. From office hours to advisor appointments to degree planning, taking ownership of our future careers in college will be a necessity. We also shared examples of good leaders in our lives, from our principals and teachers to Jacinda Arden! From empathy to compassion to charisma, there are many qualities that have made these touted such role models in our lives. They’ve inspired us to become leaders in our own communities. After the lesson, we went for a quick, exhilarating break to pick up our laundry and stock up on snacks. Afterwards we went over the differences between high school and university and got to know about the many rich traditions that form the backbone of the A&M culture

With our knowledge of Aggie Muster, Silver Taps, Midnight Yell, and many more still marinating in our brains, we were set free to explore York and prepare for the next day. Some of the group ventured off to face the mighty cliffs of the Red Goat climbing club, a bouldering gym perfect for the likes of Dhruv (who is an avid climber). Another group set off to attend a highly esteemed cheese tasting event. After many cheeses (and much deliberation), the group decided on an innovative and unique “charcoal cheese”, a unique, jet black cheese. And last but not least, the final group headed into the walls surrounding the center of York to shop, wander, and look at cute dogs.

When 6 o’clock rolled around, we all headed to the dorms for a dinner of potato lasagna and fried chicken. Despite the food being quite delectable, many of us ate lightly in preparation for a delightful York tradition: curry night. Every Friday, the locals (and hungry A&M students) gather at the Indian restaurants of York for a nice, hot meal of curry. After having our fill of wonderful food, we chatted for a while and finally retired to our dorms to get enough rest for the next exciting day in York. Cheers!

–Arjun and Athul

Howdy Fellow York & A&M Enthusiasts,

The morning began gracefully around 7:30 for the group as we scrambled around rooms attempting to get everyone ready for the day. After a hearty breakfast, we headed for the famous university classroom for some heartfelt discussions about imposter syndrome, a common problem it seems for the average college student.

From it, many of us learned we have at least a few symptoms of it in our lives, but thankfully we were educated on healthy ways of validating ourselves! There were certainly many imposters among us, but we were able to weed out some subtle feelings that resided within us, allowing to reveal our true, beautiful personalities. In a confusing yet educationally orchestrated game of blackout bingo, Arjun stood above the rest as the valiant winner. With his story cards and dice in hand, it seems that he may never be short of good story ever again. Although possible feelings of resentment arose from falling short in the great bingo race, we headed to the buses and were immediately greeted by Sarah, our passionate Yorkshire tour guide. As we silently shuffled between seats, the comfortable, padded material stood out as a pleasant contrast to the hard, vinyl seats of the past. Some of us drifted in and out of sleep as our passionate tour guide explained the golden fields we saw past our windows, while others listened intently with their phones readily in hand to snag the next quick pic.

As soon as we entered the garden there, beautiful, well-kept vegetation met our eyes, along with several bugs buzzing around us. It was almost as if we had entered another planet. Green fields stretched across the horizon of view and the isolated mansion seemed larger-than-life. 

However, as a small group of adventurers traveled to the outer walls, they found something that made the mansion falter in comparison. In fact, a statue with an incredibly interesting and incongruous figure certainly “took the cake.”

A short while later, after taking pictures with the  rival mascot of a school that shall not be named, we boarded the bus and headed towards Malton, the self proclaimed “food capital of Yorkshire.” Employees of the deli took a particular interest in our group that ventured all the way from Texas. After speaking about whether they planned to visit the states one day, we bought a 3 for $2 potato deal to experiment with cooking in the dorm. 

A few of the others also went on a challenging 2-mile run in order to get our steps in during our time away from home. Thankfully, the temperatures were only in the 60s unlike the 100+ degree weather many of us are accustomed to back home in Texas. Some people took a journey to the National Railway Museum and observed several trains ranging from the 18th center to the most modern high-speed bulling ones, including the Eurostar, which allows travelers to seamlessly move between 6 countries in Europe. They also saw a miniature train exhibit with several little motorized trains that could go into tunnels and come out the other end. You could even change their path which was very interesting to visualize. In addition, the whole exhibit was located in a warehouse and was very easy to navigate. The museum did close at 5, but they saw enough and took enough pictures to have a jolly good time!

To cap off the day, a dramatic stage was set at the Rowntree Park tennis courts. With Gavin’s tweeners holding parallels to the graceful lobs of Alcaraz and Tejas’ consistent play showing similarities to Djokovic, a clash of rivals began like nothing else. In a tightly contested, Wimbledon-esque match, Tejas managed to closely edge out the lead. However, they both fell into the trap of being late to dinner, running through the streets and taking a few wrong turns. 

Greetings from Yorkshire 🫡,

Tejas & Dylan

Today was a test of trust that shook the group to its very core. Despite a restful night before, the group met the early morning breakfast with yawns all around. This was most definitely not brought about by several individuals remaining awake to an ungodly hour. However, the restfulness was just an illusion. Waiting for the travelers after breakfast was Word Assassins, a game of deception and lies that would turn friend against friend, each trying to assassinate another at the mention of a single word. After the last person, Valerie, left through the dining hall doors, the game was afoot.

The first domino to fall was Akhil at the whims of Nick’s pop culture references to the classic song: Fergalicious. And he was far from the first to go. The trickery ranged from website-form-building to kind requests to backstabbing subterfuge, and the death toll was steadily mounting. Alliances crumbled, and paranoia was everywhere.

But despite the chaos, the day had to go on. After several morning sessions, the leaders gave the group a different type of assignment: an all-out hunt to find spots around the great city of York. Students were divided into several groups, with objectives including a trio of swanish pubs, a quintet of elusive stone cats, and scattered structures of various historical significance.  Again, the explorers were pitted against each other as this scavenger hunt had a unique twist: the ability to block other’s scavenging goals. Some groups went straight for their objectives, while other groups played the menacing role of sabotaging as many groups as possible. After running, walking, scootering, and countless ussies (slang for selfie for the Brits), the groups all completed the objectives they could and returned to base. The winning team, AAAK, was neither the fastest nor the slowest, but returned the most pictures before the other teams could prevent their victory. 

After the scavenger hunt game, a freshly hungry team raced to the dining hall for some chicken Kebabs and Belgian waffles before splitting yet again. They ventured out across York, some journeying to lush parks near York Minster, some to the magnificent train station, and still others to find a pitch (field for sports), to varying degrees of success. With promises of more excitement tomorrow, our heroes returned to the dorm to hit the bed. Until tomorrow…

Written by the now wordily deceased ghosts of Aidan and Dhruv

Note: If you weren’t reading this blog in an English accent, you clearly haven’t been traveling with us. Might be worth re-reading for the full experience 🤓