When it really came down to it though, I realized I had once again exaggerated the 'agonizing pain' that final essays bring with them (this is an every-single-semester issue) and only needed a couple of days of delving into the books to come up with what I needed, and only a few hours in order to get it all out on paper, organized, proofread, and handed in. I have to admit, while the company was nice, I was rather relieved to not be sharing a bed with my research.
So! I exchanged my essays for my freedom -- that's right, school is out! At least, until May 21 and May 24, when I have my final exams. My first day of freedom, I spent booking flights to my two most sought after destinations: Italy! and Spain! I'll be heading to Italia the first week of May and España for the second week of the month. Very excited. I haven't planned out my entire journey yet, but I do have my top priorities for both. I'll be spending the majority of my time in Rome, Venice, and Barcelona. I still have to plan my trip to Amsterdam, Munich, and Paris. Tomorrow or Tuesday, I'll be purchasing a Eurail pass... and I'll be sure to update you on when that trip is happening as soon as I know.
In the meantime, the plan is to see as much of England as I can while I've got the time. The two month countdown to home is beginning and I'm kind of in a panic. This year has gone by so much quicker than I had planned, it's unreal. Fortunately, I chose the right place to study. Canterbury is close to so many historic, beautiful, and perfectly English-esque towns, many of which I'm able to access for free with my bus pass! Which brings me to:
The American Girls'
Great Sandwichian Adventure
The sun's warmly orange rays shone through the split of the curtain on the morning of Saturday, April 9, waking Aly, who continues to be referred to as "The American" by all other nationalities on her university's campus. After a quick stretch and a smile, she gladly hopped out of bed and sent a text (what do you expect, she's a 20-something) to her friend Leigh Anne (who is also referred to not by name, but simply as, "The American," or, if the two are together, they're often dubbed "Thelma and Louise," however for the sake of this story we shall refer to both girls by their individual names so that things don't get confusing.) The two decided that such a glorious Spring day should not be wasted indoors, and so, they decided to visit the land of Sandwich, yes, where the term 'sandwich' is claimed to have been coined by the Earl of Sandwich himself many a year ago. Luckily for the two American girls, the bus ride is short, and the scenery sweet.
After passing through several quaint English towns, and fields full of British sheep, and enduring many exclamations of, "Oh! Is this it?" and "Wait, is this it?" and "Where are we?!" the bus came to a stop in front of a very strange, mobile seafood stand in what looked like what could possibly be considered a town, of some sort in any case, so the girls decided to follow the crowd and exit the bus. They came upon a map in which they struggled terribly to comprehend and decided to begin their journey.
Right away, they came upon a vintage thrift store, full of obnoxiously furry fur coats, old postcards with real, handwritten notes to loved ones on the back, and antique jewelry. Leigh Anne donned a classy hat, while Aly spotted what she thought to be a few Bossons Heads that her mother had asked her to keep an eye out for, which she will be going back to purchase soon because she has since confirmed that these are indeed the collectibles her mother fancies.
From there, the two Americans took a little walk through the nature preserve Sandwich had to offer, partly because they love nature of course, and partly because they may have gotten a little lost.
The wildlife attempted to greet them, but because they are English wildlife and speak only in British, the two failed miserably to understand. They kindly said hello back to the birds and the squeaks in the rustling brush in their native American tongue, however, and continued to make their way through the forest. There were grasses, and leaves, and plants, and air, and anything else one might suspect to exist in a nature preserve, to which the two Americans excitedly attempted to document on film - or more precisely, modern digital disks.
Aly was particularly interested in the brightly colored flowers dotted here and there throughout the many paths the two explored, as well as the cute ducks and bunnies. Leigh Anne took her exploration to new levels and new heights in order to get a bird's eye view of the preserve and become, if only for a moment, one with nature. If a Brit had passed by, it is likely he or she would have mistaken Leigh Anne for a creature from the Americas, integrating herself into Britsh wildlife, as her ascent and descent into the tree was very elegant (bahaha, who am I kidding) and too natural to be human.
During the walk, Aly could not help but regress into her elementary school years and recite the Winnie-the-Pooh poem in her head that described the English nature she was seeing perfectly, and awarded herself bonus points because the memory of this poem came in the country in which it was written. You know the one...
"Noise"
by A.A. Milne
Oh, the butterflies are flying,
Now the winter days are dying,
And the primroses are trying
To be seen.
And the turtle-doves are cooing,
And the woods are up and doing,
For the violets are blue-ing
In the green.
Oh, the honey bees are gumming
On their little wings, and humming
That the summer, which is coming
Will be fun.
And the cows are almost cooing,
And the turtle-doves are mooing,
Which is why a Pooh is poohing
In the sun.
For the spring is really springing,
You can see a skylark singing,
And the blue-bells which are ringing,
Can be heard.
And the cuckoo isn't cooing,
But he's cucking and he's ooing,
And a Pooh is simply poohing
Like a bird.
After emerging from the forest, the two Americans once again began their search for the actual town of Sandwich. They came across many interesting sights, including the bay and its boats, houses with amusing door-knockers, and very medieval looking streets.
The girls enjoyed seeing all of the sights surrounding the tiny town of Sandwich, especially admiring its well-preserved historic buildings and alleyways. However, they were becoming a little bothered, as Americans often do when they cannot get what they want. And what these two Americans wanted was to see the town of Sandwich. It was so quiet and abandoned, they were afraid they had lost their minds, not having come across it yet. Where was the bustling main street, the row of banks, the honking cars, or simply living people for that matter? They realized that they had quite possibly seen more tombstones on their journey than living people walking the streets - which was a bit of a concern, especially on a Saturday.
And so, the two decided to pass through a cemetery or two, or five, mainly because one cannot help passing through cemeteries in Sandwich, but also perhaps to feel that they had "met" some Sandwichians. However, a frighteningly potential meeting became nearly all too real when Aly spotted an ancient, open, above-ground casket, and after slowly inching closer in curiosity for further inspection, Leigh Anne gasped, "I'm not sure if that's a foot I see." The two quickly fled, and resumed their search for the city's center.
They stopped occasionally to take photos and stare in wonder at the beautiful architecture...
And wave to some of the only life they witnessed on that day, which came towards them in a shiny, green Volkswagen bug...
And take a time out to make daisy chains outside of the city wall...
And glare at their giant purses, which have caused them much inconvenience over the last few months while traveling, while the bags sobbed into each others company upon being left behind all day and overhearing that they will soon be replaced...
And although the girls spent all of this time laughing, taking in the scenery and the sun, and reiterating how fortunate they are to be in such a place, they could not help but wonder why on earth they had spent an entire day in Sandwich, and had yet to see what they had expected to see.
So, they followed the signs that pointed to the "Town Centre" once more, in hopes of finding a light lunch/dinner on the main street. Once again, they wandered aimlessly, stopping to look in store windows, try on jewelry, and read menus posted on pub doors, all on what they assumed to be the side streets of town. Aly, concerned that the two were able to navigate a city like London, but not a small town like Sandwich, stopped into a shop where a very nice local woman was working and asked if she could point the two in the direction of the main part of town. The woman smiled and told the two not to worry, they hadn't missed anything.
It dawned on the two then, that Sandwich was the first English town they had visited that was just that - an English town. No hustle, no bustle, no waiting in lines or yelling to hear one another over the rush of a Saturday afternoon. They realized that Sandwich is a town of side streets, of nature, of history, and of relaxation. And, as the two discussed, over sandwiches in Sandwich as the sun began to set, they were perfectly content with never having found what the town didn't have. Because, what better way is there to appreciate a beautiful, warm, Spring day than by talks and laughs between friends while walking in the footsteps of history in a quiet, ancient town that remains nearly perfectly preserved, even after being overrun year after year, for hundreds of years, by all the newness that Springtime brings? Nothing.
The End.
Yes, it was a wonderful adventure, and a lesson that sometimes it's so much better to get, and to embrace, exactly what you were not expecting. Sandwich was beautiful and it felt so different than anywhere I've been so far, very medieval and very laid back! I am so lucky to have such amazing places so close by.
Although it's been warm enough for laying out in bikinis during the day, as soon as the sun sets, the temperature drops... fast. So, once we got back to campus, we parted ways in order to get warmer clothes and figure out what we wanted to do on our first Saturday night without studies. Leigh Anne's housemate, Jose, who is from Spain, had loads of friends visiting for the weekend, so we decided to trade in our outdoor adventures for indoor socializing and join them for a house party and a night out at a bar in town.
I still find it funny, that the majority of my time here has been spent with Americans, French, or Spanish. However, when studying abroad, that's bound to happen - for example, now that it's Easter Break, nearly all of the British are able to go home while all of us Internationals remain on campus. I enjoyed being around the guys from Madrid though, because I was able to practice my Spanish, which I haven't been able to do in a very long time, learn a bit about Spain and what to expect when I go, and not feel totally ridiculous dancing, because (as awesome as all of them were) their dance moves are just about as non-cool as mine. A day of relaxation and a night of fun were definitely the kind of reward I'd like at the end of every stressful semester!
Well! I feel as if I've been writing for ages... I think it's time to crack open a book that I want to read, plan the rest of my travels, and get on with some new journeys so that I can share them with you. Only two measly months to squeeze so much in!
I think the perfect ending to this post, as I've gone on and on about the sun, would be to mention that not only has the sun made the days remarkable, but the sunsets have been breathtaking day after day as well...
When nature provides us with such perfect endings to such perfect days, doesn't it seem silly to trouble ourselves with anything that might cause us to take it for granted?
I hope this finds you welcoming Spring, embracing newness, and loving all things...
Until next time,
Aly
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