Where Are The Weeks Going?

That's right, followers... two entries within one week of each other!  Unheard of, right?  I thought I should post a little something before my (hopefully) long and exciting update that will appear by next week this time, accounting our adventures in Dublin.  Thankfully, I got just enough post-worthy happenings in this week and have enough to write a bit about.

Last weekend, I finished my language essay by Sunday evening and turned it in on Monday, although it wasn't due until Friday.  That left just enough time to catch up on my reading for my literature course, of which I finished up on Monday afternoon just before the seminar while sitting outside of the library, in the glorious, glorious sunshine - that is, while I wasn't watching other students on the lawn playing frisbee and listening to the chatter of enthusiastic student election campaigners.

On Tuesday, which marked Pancake Day, Mardi Gras, and, most importantly in my book, International Women's Day, I went on an epic quest for refried beans as, on top of all of that, it was also declared Taco Tuesday by Leigh Anne and her two friends who were visiting for the week from North Carolina.  It's a bit of a nuisance being a vegetarian sometimes, and I failed miserably at finding any beans to replace meat (thankfully they had more successfully beat me to it) and instead decided to bring along a few bags of tortilla chips, which I couldn't help but both laugh and shake my head upon seeing when I got to the section.  Every variety, including cool ranch, cheese, lightly salted, what have you, include an image of this guy on the package. No further comment.

Upon walking into Leigh Anne's place, I was amazed to find her cooking, and cooking very well at that... after six months of her telling me she is incapable of even microwaving things!  Her friends were fun and full of laughs, and I'm so glad she was able to have familiar faces around for awhile!  Aside from lots of dancing and exchanging of British/American slang and popular culture, we spent the evening watching British guys rap quite impressively to DMX, reading excerpts from a romance novel aloud, and watching a few...err... interesting videos online.  After heading home around 3 in the morning, I typed up a one page summary for my film seminar the next day, which ended up being cancelled, and crashed, spending Wednesday reading and dozing.

Thursday, I met with my film instructor for a post-essay tutorial (the first one of the term) and was ecstatic to find out I received a 77 on my essay! (An 80 is a perfect score, and average scores don't tend to go above 70.)  I really enjoy getting to meet with professors about papers because the meeting allows not only feedback on essays, but one-on-one feedback for the class in general and a chance to just chat with your instructor about whatever!

Yesterday morning I hastily jumped out of bed, beat the cleaning lady to the kitchen to get my breakfast, and  took off.  Don't get me wrong, I love that our kitchens are cleaned once a week and our bathrooms biweekly, but I've attempted since week one to have a conversation with our cleaning lady, and have yet to hear her say one word.  She typically just smiles or looks to the ground and the awkwardness of it all makes me nervous.  So, anyway, I decided to see where the footpath behind my flat leads to since I've been saying I'll do so forever now.  After just a few minutes, I ended up at a main road and after a few more, realized that if I keep straight, I'll end up in Whitstable (the seaside town we visited in the Autumn) and if I take a left, I'll end up in a place called Blean.  I'm thinking Blean is a part of Canterbury as it's so close and the buses all head to Canterbury's city centre, but I can't be sure.  I never made it to the actual town, though, because I kept seeing signs for Blean Nature Reserve, and ended up walking about 5 miles worth of trails that kept splitting into different trails, and enjoying the warm, sunny, quiet walk through the on-the-verge-of-Spring forest!  Usually to get away, I'll walk into and through town, but this may be one of my new favorite places as it is totally away from all the hustle and bustle and reminds me of home - especially yesterday since the smell of bonfire popped up every now and then!

Last night, Clem hosted an International Students Dinner, like the one she had at the beginning of first term.  She requested that we bring a dish unique to our own country, so I found myself at the grocery store pondering what on earth would be both very American and very easy (I've yet to actually bake anything here, and would rather not attempt it.)  Walking through the frozen food section, I spotted the word "Mississippi" on a box and decided that "Mississippi Mud Pie" would be perfect.

I also attempted the ever popular and much loved USA cuisine Macaroni and Cheese.  FYI - they do not sell boxed macaroni with instructions on the back here.  But, I thought, how can you possibly mess up cooking pasta shells and stirring in cheese?  Except, what happens when you can't find the kind of cheese you'd use at home?  So, I attempted it anyway, and after a taste test, was a little bothered that, although edible, it really had no taste.  Thankfully, the French and the Brits and the Spaniards and the Americans finished it off rather quickly and I was able to enjoy my first crepe experience complete with Nutella.  It was a good night.

I started off my morning today with a thorough cleaning of my room and a spur of the moment decision that, since the sun was shining yet again, I'd head to Herne Bay, a nearby seaside town that I'm able to get to with my bus pass for free.  Little did I know, I would sit for nearly 40 minutes waiting on a bus to come to Parkwood with a large group of other people, in which time the clouds started to roll in. A mad dash across campus to another bus stop (rumor had it the buses were going to a certain point on campus and no further) allowed me to catch one that pulled into the city bus station just before the next bus to Herne Bay took off.  In the thirty minutes it took to get there, the clouds increased even more, and I was a little disheartened, but thankful that at least it wasn't raining.

I didn't spend long in Herne Bay, maybe a little over two hours.  It's a rather tiny town, but I enjoyed being able to sit and watch the waves for a little while, walk along the coast, and look into a few shops along High Street.  In all of my adventures, I think one of my favorite parts always includes the people I come across.  Today, I witnessed a dad teaching his daughter to ride her bike without training wheels for the first time and joined in the cheering, ran into a group of local pub-goers who likely still believe that I'm not an American student, but rather, a newspaper photographer due to my "right big professional camera," and spent five minutes waiting for the bus back with an elderly woman who was speaking such mumbled English I didn't understand a single word, but who was visibly thrilled at my "interest" in her story, to which I smiled and nodded through while she showed me her hospital ID card, a bottle of wine, gourmet chocolates, a puzzle, and a new tin of cigarettes, one of which she struggled time and again to light due to the wind, and in the end just threw to the ground, still smiling.

Now I sit reflecting this quick week, in total disbelief that in three short days, I'll be in Ireland, and that in less than one week, I'll be writing about it for you.  My experience here has led me to appreciate a great many things more than I did before, but I think none more so than time.  Personally, time has always gone by fast for me, but this year has by far been the speediest - my time in England especially.  It seems that when you actually make a point to take it all in and live for every moment, it goes all the more quickly.  Ah, but what can we do... except for enjoy it all while it lasts?

I hope you're making the most of your seconds as they come.

All for now,
Aly