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Thursday, January 7, 2010

I wish I could use the Indiana Jones song as a title...















January 6th

The last couple days have just been great.


January 7th

Well I’ll follow that brief and helpful last entry with a longer one J

My first week is over half way through. It hasn’t been exactly the same as being a freshman again, but it has been close. Which is sort of like being here, everything is exactly the same but totally different. I’ve really bonded with the other American students, especially the ones in the English department. I’m taking Absurdism, Shakespeare, and Victorian Lit this term, and in May I’ll be taking Varieties of Writing. Shakespeare and Absurdism seem great, I love the Tutors (they don’t call themselves Profs over here) and they are both seminar classes which is also quite nice. I’m super appreciative of my Whitworth background right now, I am prepared for everything and in a lot of areas more prepared than the students over here it seems. However, I don’t speak French which is a bit of an issue in their Literature department, but I’ll get through.

Victorian Lit was cancelled today and I assume will be cancelled tomorrow due to weather. It’s been snowing off and on all week, and the British have been going mad. They both love it and hate it. Apparently it never snows here like this (we have probably 8 inches on the ground) and England has been virtually shut down. School has been closed early every day, and more than 10% of people didn’t go to work or anywhere for the last three days. They have no idea how to function in it. They’re all worried about how this is going to affect the economy, but more importantly how to heat the UK. There was a break in a main gas line from Scandinavia and prices went up so now there’s a shortage, but I don’t really see what the problem is because from the feel of it they never heat anything anyways! I am convinced that the people over here just are adjusted to being freezing all the time. We sang “In the Bleak Midwinter” in chapel yesterday, and it seemed altogether too appropriate to me.

I think I like the Anglicans. The service was in the eons old chapel on campus, all lit up with candles and the PowerPoint presentation. Michelle, one of my new friends a Theology major/Lit minor from Texas, another gal, and I went. It was nice. Afterwards they served dinner (yummy little finger sandwiches and wine) and talked. They were really nice kids; I hope I get to hang out with them more. It was funny, alcohol was very much a part of all church things, which makes sense because it seems to be the driving force in most things over here.

Alcohol and walking everywhere. I think I’ve walked at least 3 miles every day since I got here. Because petrol is so pricey, and all the gas is being used theoretically to heat things, and since they love checking up on the weather, everyone walks everywhere. I now understand why British people think places are so far away within the UK, it’s because they calculate everything at a walking distance.

Here’s how most of my conversations go:

Brit: Oi, ye’alright?

Me: Yeah, thanks how are you?

Brit: Fine thanks, just thinkin about the snow and ice. Strange weather we’ve been having? Coldest in thirty years.

Me: Indeed, it’s quite snowy out.

Brit: More than quite! I had to phone me mum three times yesterday to see how it was in [insert various small towns in places I don’t know about yet]. Don’t know how they do it up in Norway.

Me: Yea, no kidding or Canada.

Brit: Pardon?

Me: I just meant it’s cold in Canada.

Brit: Oh right, that’s like the states’ version of Wales huh.

Me: What?

Person from anywhere north of London: Mehafaffawwumm. Bop.

Me: (blank stare)

Brit: I agree, it is lookin’ like some sort of new an’ interesting weather outside.

It is interesting hearing and reading a new version of English (or old I guess). For example, they still use articles over here more than we do in the US. Like a fire extinguisher had a label on it that said “Use in case of the fire”. I wondered when I would know that this fire was the one. Another tricky thing is that they’re hyper polite but also quite blunt. The other day I asked a lady where the restroom was, to which she replied, quite softly and gently “do you need a rest my love, we have some very comfy chairs right here.” I now say toilets.

It really is beautiful here now though. Saturday we get a historic tour of the city, I’m quite excited. I walk to class every day and get to see the mountains of Wales in the distance next to the river all lit up by this gorgeous pink light that dances across the valley and the snow. It gets dark here even earlier than Spokane. I’m still a little jet lagged, so today I woke up at 2 pm, and had to get outside quick to get the one hour of sunshine left. Oh well, sleep was nice J


Next week will probably mean less cancelled classes, starting choir, CSU, going to the gym and who knows what else! Carpe Chester.

Well, I should probably get started on reading the Bard. Ugh.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

loved reading about your days

Laura said...

Me too! I was laughing out loud. Great pictures too! :)

Madeline said...

these make me nostalgic and excited for you all at the same time :)

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