By: Hunter Boschert
Finley Crebolder is a junior communications major. He is originally from Oxford, England, and studies journalism at Leeds Trinity University. Leeds is known for its huge sports presence and the Leeds Music Festival. Headliners from all over the world come each year to play at this exclusive festival. Crebolder arrived in the United States on Aug. 14 and will return to Leeds at the end of this semester.
Q: What are you involved in on campus?
A: I have not had the chance to become involved in much since I have only been here two weeks, but I am in the International Club and we do a lot together.
Q: What is your favorite Bellarmine event?
A: Once again I have not really had the chance to do much but I have signed up for mud volleyball. I have heard really good things about it.
Q: What do you miss most about home?
A: Not to be too blunt but I miss the drinking age being 18. It was nice being able to go to the pub and just hang out for a bit. I also miss the public transportation. No students in England have cars; you can just hop on a train and go somewhere and that is not the case here.
Q: What is your favorite US city?
A: New York is my favorite by far. I came with my mother and sister when I was 11 for vacation. My favorite memory is we were in queue at the Statue of Liberty and this man told us if we paid $10 to could go to the front. We thought he worked for the Statue of Liberty, but no, he was just a random person that took us all the way to the front, and we made a lot of people mad that day.
Q: Why did you choose to come to the United States to more specifically Bellarmine?
A: I chose to come back because of my trip New York. My university has partnerships with five United States universities, and I knew I wanted to be close to a city. Louisville is similar to Leeds and it is pretty central, so it is easy to get to other cities like Chicago, Cincinnati or Nashville.
Q: Is the U.S. what you expected it to be like?
A: Yes, it is exactly what I thought it would be like. The movie stereotypes are really accurate…in a good way, though. It is so different here. Everyone is proud of his or her university and where they are from, and it is very welcoming. One nice thing is that everyone here has been welcoming and outgoing. Back home everyone is reserved.
Q: What is the strangest social custom you have noticed?
A: The amount of American flags is crazy. They are everywhere! The other day I went into a pub and noticed that a lot of people were just eating and playing cards. Back home, if you are in a pub, you are there to drink. Finally, tipping is very confusing, and I still struggle with that.
Q: What is the weirdest American food you have found?
A: We went to the state fair and the weirdest food was the donut burger. It was not good at all. Two donuts and a burger then with the veggies in the middle was too much. The deep fried Oreos were good, but when eating the deep fried cookie dough, I immediately felt like I was going to have a heart attack. A strange food that I found in store was I went into Wal-Mart and the first candy I saw was Spicy Starburst, and I really didn’t know what I got myself into.
Q: What food do you miss from home?
A: Fish and chips, of course. I really need to find a good fish and chips restaurant.
Q: What challenges did you have coming here?
A: It was difficult to pack as the weather changes. I had to pack for this boiling hot weather, but I have also heard that November gets pretty chilly so I also had to pack for that.