Roma

So.
Rome.

I feel like I don't need to say anything else except:
1. The food was actually spectacular,
2. The men really are romantics,
3. The monuments are incredibly breathtaking, and
4. No, but seriously, the food.

Getting to Rome was impossible, and honestly, had it not been for Mr Bell, it probably wouldn't have happened. But, to avoid me getting all in a huff again in attempts to describe to you my new born hatred for the National Express bus system, you can always ask me about my Roman endeavors personally, so I can really embellish and justify the way I feel and how much I loathe bus stations.

ANYWAY, I made it, some eight hours later, and finally found Kate in Termini Station for the beginning of five wonderful days with one of my besties in Rome :)

I feel like no matter what, Rome will be best described in pictures (and I took over 100! Can you believe it?) Also, I apologize for how awful some of these pictures are, my camera is quite old and not of the greatest quality. 

We went to the Christmas Market, which was filled with crepes and candies and donut-y goodness, and lots of toys and jewelery and cute Merry-go-rounds.  We bought awesome little leather bracelets and sat by the fountain and ate gelato. Life's so hard sometimes, y'know?

After that, it was basically a big adventure of waiting/finding buses, more gelato and crepes, a lot of home cooked pasta, and pizza to go. Pizza here is just like, the ultimate snack. They sell it everywhere, by the square piece, and you get it and continue walking. SO MUCH WALKING.

Trevi Fountain! This was amazing, a stopping point for the aqueducts that are still running! A very romantic spot, as well, Kate and I got cozy ;)

We so cute.

Sorry I didn't turn this picture on the right side, but, 1. I don't know how, and 2. I just really wanted to show you the lights! How cool? This is on the most famous shopping street in Italy. We went for you mum! Although they wouldn't let us in Feragammo... there were chefs in there walking around serving tumblers of really cool coloured alcoholic beverages, and something tells me they didn't like the look of our fake leather jackets...

*sigh* so beautiful.

I think my favourite part, besides being with Kate (awwwwww :) ) was definitely the Vatican museum (I have now seen the School of Athens in person. How crazy is that? I have this poster in my dorm at the COW!) and St Peters Basilica. I'll post some pictures, but I'm really sorry at how bad the quality of my camera is, it's pretty old.

This is Laocoon. I have studied Latin and the Aeneid throughout my high school career, and this statue is so monumental in Roman history and I actually stood in front of it to take this picture. How fantastic is that?

This is Rafael's School of Athens. I guess back when he was commissioned to make this fresco, "philosophy was the hip thing" and so he painted all the philosopher's hanging out and philosophizin'. Pretty badass (excuse my language, but there's really no other word for it. Plato and Aristotle are arguing right in the middle of it!)

This is in St Peter's Bisillica. It was so cool to be standing in the building that I've watched the Pope deliver Midnight Mass to every Christmas Eve. Plus, there were people singing and praying in it while we walked around, so it even felt more alive.

Home in less than a week!

Ciao!

Ciao, Bella!

In Rome.

The food is amazing.
So is Kate.

Will update more later, going to the Pantheon and eating Nutella Crepes.

SCORE.

An Addendum

Just got an email from my tutor next term.

I have to write to long essays and an abstract of the Nicomachean Ethics over break.
Thank God the rugby team just decided to factor in study session for the Portugal Tour. I'll sure as hell need them.

FMLLLLL.

Everybody's Working for VA-CA-TION!

ahhh... finally...
a nice Subway wrap in my tummy, my head feeling better from my freak two-day sinus infection, a ticket to Lancaster to see the Mz. Hunter tomorrow, and Modern Warfare 3, with my bffl, on a comfy couch.

So much has happened in the last two weeks, and now, it's all done. I can't believe it.
I have completed my first semester at Oxford.

And my "grades"?
They're solid.
Yes.

Anyway, let's start with the Sunday of Eighth week, yeah?

My parents left the day before, and I worked all day in the library to try and catch up. Come dinner, I was ready to have fun.
We all put our nice clothes on, our gowns, and made our way to Wolfson. I was sitting between the Americans and all my new English friends :) Except Fez, he was sitting with the Christian Union :( but that's ok, because Tom and I threw little peas at him throughout the meal to remind him of his poor choice in seating, it's a lot harder to throw peas at someone right next to you.

The dinner was amazing, and we had twice as much wine as usual. And, we all know wine tastes better when you're wearing those little Christmas crowns you get out of the Christmas poppers and everyone around you (besides Sam sitting next to you) is speaking in a British accent.
After our really amazing food, the principle smacked his gavel and stood up on his chair, drunk as a skunk and said: "This Christmas dinner, we will not be departing with our usual graces, but instead, in song. Everybody!" and with that, the moment Matt had been bracing me for for weeks came:

the singing.

We all stood on our chairs with our extra bottles of wine and belted out Christmas tunes like, Good King Wenceslas and We Wish You a Merry Christmas but the best, the best of all was yet to come: Teddy Bears Picnic. Matt had been complaining about having to sing this for the past two weeks, so, naturally, I couldn't wait. Apparently "Teddy Bears Picnic" is a beloved nursery rhyme that many and many a drunk generations of Teddy Hallers love to sing. So, what do we do?

We BELT it!

And what does Bjorn do? (The JCR chairman and good friend of mine)

He puts on Teddy Hall's Teddy mascot costume and dances and pelvic thrusts up the aisles of formal hall, dancing with Josh (JCR VP).

Matt, obviously, is horrified, and refuses to sing and downs his wine. But, us Americans, and Tom, we're diggin' it! We're dancing, laughing at Bjorn and signing about Teddy Bears dancing in the woods. It was jolly good.
And, of course, we ended it all with a cheer led by Bjorn and Josh:
TEDDY TEDDY TEDDY!
HALL HALL HALL!
TEDDY TEDDY TEDDY!
HALL HALL HALL!
TEDDY!
HALL!
TEDDY!
HALL!
TEDDY TEDDY TEDDY!
HALL HALL HALL!

After dinner, we all went to the Half Moon for a few and retired to my room to finish off the wine. Nothing like good company in small spaces. Fez, Tom, Matt, Sam, J and Janosz, thanks for being in my Michaelmas term. I love knowing you guys :)

Monday through to Wednesday was just awfully busy.
Rugby practice extended forty five minutes, I was getting sick, and I just didn't have enough in me to finish my essays. I mean, they were finished, it's just, I could not convince my mind to work harder, to take that extra hour in the library, to reread a source, or even my essay. It was tough.
I thought I had been mentally exhausted at the COW during finals, or that one inevitable week where all your projects and readings and essays are due within a day of one another, but, nothing, NOTHING compared to this. I just couldn't think anymore. It was the weirdest sensation. I would randomly stick periods in the middle of my sentences. I would forget to do things like put on socks. I felt like Garrett Thomson. Or like in hockey, when you skate so hard you can't feel your legs anymore, except, it your mind.

Anyway, I've had a day of rest, and tomorrow, I'm headed off to see ANNIEZ! (my turn, Clint! :P )

Thanksgiving

Want to know what's adorable?

All of your English friends coming up to you today and going:

"Hahppy Thanksgiving! Yeah?"
Because, they know you're celebrating something, they're just not quite sure what... or how, or... why, even. The thought is what counts though, and it's pretty cute.

I'm thankful for this experience. But, I feel (at least, hope) that you all know that.
And, I'm thankful for those of you who read my blog, because it means you're at least thinking about what I've been up to :)
Don't worry, I'm thinking about you, too. I miss you!

Updates

Hey guys,

Sorry for my lack of updates, but, the family's here so I've kind of been enjoying my time with them. Don't worry, there will be pictoral evidence soon.

Saturday:
I had rugby in the morning, and then upon showering, my mum, dad, sister and Aunt Gaby just showed up at Dawson! <3
We checked them into their little cabin in the next town over (Marston) and then met up with the Whitmores for a good dinner at a good pub.

Sunday:
We woke up and made bacon samiches with the Whitemores and hung out like it was 1997 and we were back in Africa. Around four we went into Oxford to watch the football match and hit the hay early.

Monday:
Monday was our Oxford day. The Whitmores went back to Manchester and I took Gab, Em, mum and dad around Teddy Hall and Oxford and they met all my friends :}
After rugby practice, we went to go watch the men's Blues rugby team get their buts kicked by the Saints and Emily slept over.
We basically had a dance party and acted like 13 year olds until Matt came and harassed us into the wee hours of the morning.

Tuesday:
We sent the adults shopping and Emi and I worked in the library until Primark was CALLING us. We could NOT resist. I got some cute outfits for the FOUR formal halls I'm attending this week.
Then, I took mum and dad to formal hall, where they met Fez, Janosz and Sam, and we watched Matt have to sit at the High Table. Hysterical. Dad and Fez has INTENSE conversations about God and physics all night long. It was awesome.

Wednesday:
The family went to London for the day, because I had a four hour rugby practice and tutorial today. That's about it :(

Look At All The People

Today I had the most amazing experience with a complete stranger.

(Mum and Dad, prepare to palm your foreheads...)

His name is Pete.

I sat down across from Lizzie in the library today and next to some stranger. I hurled all 1,000 pages of The Brothers Karamazov onto the desk and began to attack it. The stranger next to me puts his hand on the book and goes:

"Wait, you study Russian?"

"Uhm... yeah. I guess so."

"Really?"

"Maybe?"

"You're reading Dostoevsky..."

"Wh-uhm... Yes, yes I am. I'm taking a literature class on him."

"Just him? Really? So like, he's your man, you know everything about him?"

"I guess so, yeah."

"Hi, I'm Pete."

Our conversation carried on for about fifteen minutes until he realized I can't actually speak Russian (God, I am so lame.). I know, I'm a horrible, horrible person. I'm a fake. How can I really even love Dostoevsky if I never actually get to read his words?

"Why aren't you learning?!"

(*insert Mum and Dad face palms*)

"Why? Because! Because I can't just decide to learn a completely new language with a completely new alphabet, and let alone do this at OXFORD."

"Why the bloody hell not?! Oxford will pay for someone to teach you! Just tell college you want to learn Russian to read Dostoevsky. Do it. Do it now. Do it tomorrow!"

 

PEOPLE HERE JUST LOVE TO LEARN! AHHH, I LOVE ITTT!