One Month

It has been a tad too long since I have posted. However, today I have no urge to do work, and would rather drown myself in watching live videos of Evanescence's latest show and obsessing about their emergence once again. So why not blog as well?

Life the past few weeks has sped up to a rapid speed and only recently have I been able to sit down and soak it all in. I have had three tutorials, three papers, one and half holidays, lots of choir, a lecture and a theatre trip to London since I last posted. AH! Life has no intention of slowing down any time either. Next week shows another lecture, paper and tutorial, a theatre trip to Stratford and Formal Hall at Hertford. And then the Cambridge folk are coming. Then I might go to Brighton, as well as going to Canterbury on the 21st! Mixed in with all of that is more tutorials, random meetings, weekly Evensong, papers and day-to-day excitement! Ahhh!

Needless to say this last month of term is sure to go by quickly. But, I am kind of excited to go home. I need to see the fresh, welcoming faces of the people I love. I love Oxford. Every day I do and see something totally beautiful and exciting. But I also my support structure. I miss being able to go “home.” I was talking to a friend of mine who is also abroad the other day. And he agreed that we wished being in another country was like summer camp. During the day and evening you get to go out and do and see crazy awesome things, but then you get to come home at night and sleep in your warm bed next to the person to love. But, that wouldn't be enjoying the abroad experience, now would it? Part of the experience is living it 24/7. What have I learned from that? I'm not sure yet, but I know I have got to learn something.

Now, about what I have been up to.

Tutorials: My tutorials have been going fairly well. My major tutor always seems to enjoy my papers, but as I don't ever get a grade, I have no idea how I am doing in that regard. He always calls them “good” or “excellent,” so I am hoping that means they are pretty good. My minor tutorial is a little more difficult, because I never seem to make the right connections. My essays are nice and they answer the questions, but the verbal questions I have a harder time with. It seems I need to improve my verbal discussions of things, as these last two years have developed my written discussion only.

Halloween: I didn't do a whole lot. I handed out candy to trick-or-treaters. Penelope told me that some years the Brits do not get very involved, so not to be too disappointed if no one shows up. Well, this year was not one of those years. I had about 40 children (I know because they took all my candy) come to the door in various different outfits. They were all your typical Halloween outfits: ghosts, witches, zombies (including one really cool girl), Star Wars characters, princesses, pirates, etc. The children were also all different ages, ranging from little blokes in toddlers to the ever-annoying middle schoolers (they are annoying in every country). After I ran out of candy, I went to Faulkner house. I made attempts to convince everyone to go out to a pub, but we never made it. Instead people were loud and drunken in the house, and I left after about two hours.

Guy Fawkes Day: This is what I am calling the “half” holiday. Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Day (Look up Guy Fawkes if you are confused), the British form of Independence Day. I did not do much for it yesterday, except watch fireworks from my garden. However, tomorrow I am planning on going to a fireworks display/mini-carnival in honor of the holiday, so I will let you know how it is later.

Choir: It's good.

Lecture/Theatre trip: We went to see An Inspector Calls on Wednesday, and it was FANTASTIC. The stage design and direction was epic, and it made me miss theatre. Nothing in high school was as epic as professional theatre, but it was epic at the time, and for the budget we had. The plot of the play really got me thinking, but mostly I was obsessed with the set. That is how it always is for me: I look at the technical stuff as opposed to obsessing over the acting.

I promise to update again soon with more information about my life and what I am thinking!

Things I am currently missing/craving: Xbox, letters from home

Things that have been acquired: Practice time, the most amazing BLT of my life, a breakfast sandwich from McDonalds