Wow. It’s actually been weeks since my last Awkward and Awesome Thursday. And behold! it’s my first A&A in England! So exciting!
Awkward
- Having a super long conversation with someone, and realizing that you STILL don’t remember their name, and knowing it’s way too late to ask them.
- Having my phone go off three times in a row about thirty seconds after I sit down to have a meeting with an esteemed professor. And then scrambling to find it in my massive bag, and just having him sit there while it ring and rings and I nearly throw everything out of my purse trying to find the blasted thing.
- Tripping. A lot. Me+cobblestones+listening to my iPod=disastrous.
- Going to other people’s colleges. By this time I pretty much know my way around John’s. But then I got to Corpus Christi today and could not have been more lost. This was even after the porters pulled out a map and showed me where to go. Really, it was a maze with random courtyards with no exits, big circular paths, creepy alleys, and stairs that look they’re going to lead into a basement but actually lead into a garden. What? What? And then I asked like ten different people at CC for directions and none of them knew where I was going. I wanted to yell, "Do you even GO here?!"
- So. We have these people called bedders. They come in to our hostels and clean the shared areas, as well as do minor cleaning in our rooms. And my room is trashed. I just haven’t fully settled in yet and my posters keep falling off the walls so they’re draped over furniture like they’re melting clocks in a Dali painting. And every day when I go into my room to find my garbage changed, I cringe because I know the bedder must think I’m a complete slob. Which I guess I sort of am. At the moment. But not all the time, I promise!
- One day, whilst wearing skinny kakhi pants tucked into brown combat boots…
- British Professor: Do you ride horses?
- Me: What?
- Professor: [gestures to attire]
- Me: Oh. No.
- Professor: Oh, well, I guess you are from the Midwest so…
- Me: [internally] What is THAT supposed to mean?! Do I make generalizations about Brits and their attire just because you're British and happen to wear penny loafers and tweed?!
Awesome
- Dinner in Hall. I can’t get over it. It’s so awesome. I love wearing my gown. I love having to stand for Latin prayer. I love the hilarious (and sometimes disgusting) Cambridge traditions that involve food and money (for another post, perhaps…). I love that when I walk to Hall at night in my gown I seriously feel like I’m at Hogwarts.
- “The Balcony” by The Rumour Said Fire. I cannot stop listening to it.
- Müller Corner Yogurt. It has yogurt on one side and fruit compote on the other. It’s soooo delicious. I had it for the first time in Ireland back in March and was so excited to find it in England. The yogurt itself is delicious but then you add the fruit and it tastes like a melted shake. I have no idea how many calories it is but I totally don’t care.
- Getting a package in the mail from my mom. Among the contents (which pretty much sum me up as a person): five Shakespeare plays, one pair of Oxford shoes, my Jurassic Park box set, and massive amounts of candy corn. Guess who’s munching on a mellowcreme pumpkin right now…
- All the Freshers’ guides said to get to know the porters (these guys who are essentially a mix of security guard, bouncer, and tour guide) at your college. Oh man, did that come in handy. One of the lovely gents I’ve met is Peter. Not only does Peter save me every time I’m running late to a meeting and have no idea where I’m going, but he also presented me with this (once more...please disregard how unflattering this picture is...the wind is not good to my bangs and a cold is not good to my face):
He said a mother of an undergraduate from years ago brought it to the Lodge and told him to give it to a Fresher. And to whom did he give it? Moi. A lovely St. John’s scarf (priced at around £30) for free. Yeah, Peter’s definitely getting a Christmas card from me.
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