The Final Lap

I’ll be on a plane back home to L.A. in 9 days. 9. That’s it. I can’t wait to see my family again, waiting for me to get out of customs, and hug my dog again, and feel constant sunshine on my skin, go to the beach and Disneyland and eat Mexican food and Goldfish crackers. All of these things are exciting to me, but I have to leave to do them. I realized that it’s so hard to leave because it isn’t just a vacation spot, a brief blip on my radar where I happened to be in York, but this is my life now. I have people here I care about, and routines, and things to look forward to, and I’ve just managed to figure it all out. So leaving feels…weird, to say the least. It is still a bit unreal to even think that I’ve been here long enough to have to say my goodbyes now. But this last week has been amazing so that makes it worth it. Time to update you all and I think I’ll try to go in chronological order!

• Last weekend, my friends and I went shopping for Ascot and bought our hats finally! (more on those later) and went to the York Dungeons as a big group. I thought it was going to be terrifying but it was just a sort of  fun scary thing. Since we were such a big group of giggling, screaming students we got picked on a lot by the people working there and many of us got to “volunteer” and go up to participate in some way, like screaming or being killed or executed or put on trial. It was silly and I’m actually really glad we went.
•  Then this past Monday I went to the X-Factor auditions in Newcastle. We had to wait outside in the queue area for a really long time, but once we got inside it was really fun. Most of the audition performances were actually good, so it felt more like a fun concert rather than a painful talent show.
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• The day after, the Olympic Torch came through York! It was super exciting; the streets were full of people, festive decorations were up, and people were just excited to see the torch bearers bring the torch through York. 
• Such a fun day!
• Then, on Wednesday, the event I’ve been waiting for all term finally came! ROYAL ASCOT! The Royal Ascot horse races happen every year outside of London and everyone gets dressed and has picnics and drinks and bets on the horses and well, it was wonderful. It was such a uniquely British experience, and one I don’t think I’ll be lucky enough to experience again. The day was just lovely, and the weather was spectacular too. Here’s some of my favorite pictures from the day:
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• My betting slips and a glass of Pimm’s!
• I love my hat so much. We saw the Queen! So exciting! (that’s her in the pink, sorry for the blurriness)
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• Also, on the journey back up to York we had a few hours to kill in King’s Cross Station so…this happened! I got to see Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter and fulfill another childhood dream. Gahh so lucky. It was a pretty amazing day, with such an amazing feel to the entire experience. It’s things like this are so worth being over here.
• I’m working on writing an essay that will be the last academic thing before I leave. But my marks in my other courses were all really good so I feel good about it.
• I eat mayo a lot more than I did before. With french fries I like mostly ketchup with a bit of mayo as well, and sandwiches taste better with it now. I don’t know who I am.
• Our oven is broken again so that means a depleted amount of foods that can be eaten warm.
• I have to start taking everything off of my walls and pretty much start packing which is bizarre.
• Everyone should watch The Legend of Korra. It’s wonderful.
• I’m kind of excited for my flight because it’s just exciting to travel.
• Saying goodbye is only getting harder. Two of my flatmates left uni yesterday and saying goodbye brought me to tears. I’m just going to miss them all so much.
• There’s some sort of surprise planned for me this weekend. I think I’m excited. hahaha
• When I think back on my Europe trip it almost doesn’t seem real, which is incredibly odd.
• I’m so excited for mine and my family’s various birthday plans this summer.
• I’m reading the first part of A Dance with Dragons, the latest book in the A Song of Ice and Fire Series, and I still absolutely love these characters. The books are just so rich and wonderful that I love being in their world.
• Is it bad that I’m excited to sleep on the plane back?
• Headaches are so annoying.
• I honestly love food so much. I can’t wait to properly cook again.
• I’m suddenly rather exhausted so I think I’ll read a bit more then go to sleep.
• Playlist for this post: The Weeknd

The Countdown has begun.

A month from now it will be the 4th of July, and I will be home. Not one of the many places I’ve called home over the last few years, but back to my house with my family. That just feels crazy and almost nonsensical.

In unrelated news, it’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations the past few days. They’ve been rather fun and it’s cool to see the patriotism of my adopted country.  The River Pageant yesterday was a huge parade of boats down the Thames, and right now I’m listening to the eclectic mix of musicians performing for the Jubilee Concert on BBC radio. Pretty cool to be here for such an historic event.

Now for some updates!

• I’ve not been sleeping well and as such I feel run down and tired a lot. My usual headaches are worse too since I’m not properly rested. Hopefully this will pass soon though.
• In doing my reading for one of my presentations, I’ve come across some really interesting findings related to book covers. It’s nice to find my research interesting.
• There are actually so many hours of sunlight now. The sun rises really early and sets incredibly late as well.
• I’m trying to figure out the cheapest way to ship some of my stuff home ahead of me so I’ll have less to deal with when flying back.
• Skype is honestly the most amazing thing ever.
• I can’t wait for Ascot.
• There are so many things I have to look forward to this summer(birthdays, Disneyland, the beach, friends, family) that it almost makes leaving bearable.
• I really don’t have much else to report, and sorry there aren’t any pictures for this one. 😦
• Playlist for this post: Diamond Jubilee Concert on BBC Radio

An English Summer

As I’m writing this, it is a delightful 72°F outside. The sun is shining, there’s a breeze, the sky is so blue, and people keep walking by in shorts eating ice cream and popsicles. It’s fantastic. I couldn’t ask for better weather anywhere, much less the North of England.

•  I only have like 6 weeks left! It seems like a lot but nothing at all when I think about it.
• I watched the Eurovision Song Competition last night with half of my hall, and it was so fun. If you’ve never really heard of Eurovision or don’t know much about it, I recommend looking into it. It’s hilarious. The basic premise is that European countries pick a group or person to sing a song, sometimes in English other times in their native language, in hopes of receiving enough votes from the panel and phone-in votes to win. It’s actually really political in the voting, and the performances are cheesy fantastic. Just a lot of fun.
• My love for ice cream and fruit and salad has been rekindled by this warm weather. Yummmmm
• I finished “A Feast for Crows” in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, the books by George R. R. Martin that the TV show Game of Thrones is based on. The books are so detailed and crazy and I love them.
• I’m fairly certain I’m going to spontaneously combust when I touch down at LAX.
• My dreams came true this week when I visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour outside of London. It was incredible. I cried twice because it was so cool and I became overwhelmed with happiness (yea, it happens ok?). We were in the tour for over 4 hours, saw EVERYTHING, met the carpenter from the films who happens to still work there, accidentally got a free private tour from two of the Interactors that worked there for half of the tour, and were the last ones to leave for the day. It was just special and an experience I’ll definitely never forget.
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• This picture is actually from my friend Sahana, since at the moment he opened the Great Hall doors I started to flail around a little and tear up. It was so insane to walk in there after so  long picturing what it would be like.
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• Me with my hand in the hand print Daniel Radcliffe left. We’ve held hands now, no big deal.
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• In the Gyffindor common room, where I belong. Wish it wasn’t so blurry though.
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• Just some of the amazing props they had inside and at the Backlot. So cool.
• We also tried butterbeer, bought souvenirs, made friends with some security guards and all in all had an absolutely amazing time. So worth it
• I’m feeling a little ehhh about the presentations that are the final grade for this term in English. I hate doing group presentations because they’re stressful and awkward but my group mates are alright so far and we have some pretty cool ideas so now it’s just a matter of making it work.
• I cleaned my room and washed some clothes and made my bed today. Go me.
• I am very close to being broke. Very close. It’s a little scary but I’m sure somehow it will work out. After all, I still have just over 6 weeks left in England.
• My hair is SO LONG. Probably going to end up cutting it soon because it will start bugging me.
• I did not bring nearly enough warm weather clothing. I was so focused on not being cold that I never stopped to consider that it might get warm. Awkward.
• I think I don’t have anything else to say.
• Playlist for this post: Sigur Ros

Well it’s been a month folks

I can’t believe it. I’ve officially been abroad for a month and the utterly surreal feeling hasn’t gone away. I still walk around campus marveling at everything I pass, and I smile each time the bus takes me into town. What’s even more bizarre is the fact that I still have 5!!! months here. Ridiculous.

As far as school goes, I took a mini field trip with my Milton seminar class to the York Minster Palace Library Archives today. I was a bit late because I forgot it does actually take a while to get into town on the bus, but nevertheless I got there in time to see and touch some really old books. We looked at a few books whose authors touched on major themes reflected in Paradise Lost as well as an extremely old copy of Paradise Lost itself. We had to be careful with the delicate pages and the fragile binding, and the entire time we were in a reading room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves packed with old books. So cool. I couldn’t take any pictures, but the university website has this one of the inside which gives you an idea.

It was cool. Walking to the library gave me a really neat view of the backside of the Minster and Dean’s Park that I was walking through. Here are some of the shots I snapped on my little walk through

  

Gahh so pretty. The grass was still a bit icy from the below zero temperatures the night before but the sun was shining bright and the sky was clear as you can see.

Here are some more pictures I’ve taken of the outside of the Minster since I’ve been here.

        

It’s pretty spectacular, and quite hard to fit into a frame by itself but I’ll keep trying. After our library visit today, I sat outside the Minster and had some lunch on a little bench.

 See? (That lady behind me is confused why I’m taking a picture. I don’t care)

Now to wrap things up with  bulleted highlight blurbs!

• I cannot seem to make nail polish stay on my nails longer than 2 days. It’s lame.
• It’s been really cold the last two days. Like bone chilling cold; with below freezing temperatures at night and barely above during the day AND slight winds which make it so much worse. But it just means more layers!
• I’m starting to become familiar with slang here. Some things just can’t be explained so I’ve just been picking up things here and there. It’s kind of fun
• My sinuses are all messed up again because the weather changed. Oh well
• Spray on deodorant is slightly exciting.
• Their chips here (french fries) always need salt for me.
• I found a patisserie while wandering through town today that had absolutely fantastic looking desserts. I plan to go back and have an afternoon of sampling while reading.
• It’s Wizard Week at the National Railway Museum here in York  starting next weekend and I’m so excited! (More info here: http://www.nrm.org.uk/PlanaVisit/Events/wizardweek2012.aspx)
• Boys talked to me at the club last night. Sweet. I’m not completely unappealing.
• I need to do laundry again but it’s quite expensive. Ahh well what can you do.
• I have re-discovered my ability to nap again recently and it has been wonderful.
• I’ve been having Disneyland withdrawals but then I remembered that I’m going to visit Disneyland Paris soon and felt better.
• There’s a gnarly bruise on my thigh from someone bumping me into a table while I was out and it hurts really bad and is turning all sorts of fun colors.
• My bulletin board will soon have a border on it. Pictures will be taken!
• Having friends here really is the most magical thing. I love having people to talk to; both my hallmates and my girlfriends. Fantastic I tell you.
• Now to turn in for an early night.
• Playlist for this post: William Fitzsimmons and Bon Iver

A bit of a smorgasbord today

So since it’s really cold and might actually rain I thought I would do a little homey, everyday life post. You know, what my room looks like and such. But first an update on everything else I suppose. I had my first seminar for my Milton class today, and I think I’m going to really like it. The class feels like one of my honors discussion sections (except without the horrible soul crushing that came with anything to do with honors) because of it’s small class size. I think there are only 12 people in the seminar which can either be incredibly awkward or a lovely sort of intimacy. Today it was pleasant but we’ll see. There was only one guy in the class, actually there was only one in my other seminar too. Good to see the English program is female dominated. Well maybe not so if I want to go on a date but ehh. My professor was really animated which is always a good way for me to become engaged in a class. Overall so far so good. Dinner wasn’t bad tonight either; school cafeterias probably shouldn’t make risotto but at least it had flavor.

Now to my house. I live in one of the older buildings on campus, but like we would always say on housing tours, it has history.

But my room itself is cute. It felt cozy as soon as I started unpacking and now it really feels like home.  Here’s some of the things in there that make me happy

 

My collages on the giant bulletin board on the wall. It’s seriously like 6 ft wide. It’s one of the coolest things about my room. And it’s nice to have room to add on to it with things I collect while I’m here.

Also hanging on the bulletin board is all of my jewelry. I hung my necklaces from tacks, while the travel toiletry case hangs holding my earrings, bracelets, and rings. I was quite proud of my creativity here.

Now on to the clothes! I tweeted the other day about my closet looking like the inside of Hollister, and now you all may judge for yourselves. There’s something about those wooden shelves…  And next to that we have pretty much my new favorite things, the faux leather boots I bought at  Primark in Edinburgh for £10! They’re pretty fantastic.

 

   

And just a few more random shots. My school stuff (Kindle, planner and notebook), sweater shelf again, and my little sink area in my room which is super convenient.

Oh! And the view out my window

Now for some closing remarks:

• We still haven’t gotten any real rain. So strange
• Everyone here must either be independently wealthy or heiresses or oil barons’ kids or something because they all have so much disposable income for food out in restaurants and groceries and alcohol and clubbing. It’s insane.
• I think I want some sort of border paper for my bulletin board.
• Every time I come home and want to socialize with my hall mates, no one’s home, and then the second I get cozy in my room or get sleepy or a headache crops up, everybody pours out of their rooms to party it up. Terrible timing people
• I’m irritated and a little ashamed that I’m not at Riverside today, yesterday too. There are incredible protests and changes happening that I saw the beginnings of last year but to not be there for the Regents’ meeting and the awesome power of the frustrated student body is disappointing. I’ll stay glued to the computer then
• Being able to drink tap water is quite literally refreshing
• Playlist for this post: Ed Sheeran, courtesy of Jake