Day #42

 YAY HALLOWEEN!! Because this may be the only Halloween I spend outside of the United States, I decided to go for an America themed costume. And because George Washington's authentic wooden teeth seemed like a big commitment, I went with something a little more modern: Rosie the Riveter! 

Please ignore the toilet paper roll; the bathroom has the best lighting and is where I applied my make up.

Before the Halloween festivities went down, I got to talk to my professor about my midterm, of which the only guidelines are "be creative." Since that is a very intimidating concept for me, my professor and I decided on a happy medium with which I am very... Well, happy. Let's just say it involves mirrors, a small insane child, and potentially a ManChild Werewolf. We will see how this pans out.

Again, I hope everyone is having a fabulously fun and culturally sensitive Halloween! Enjoy everything Reese's, because I have yet to find any here, and those are my absolute favorite candy of all time. 

Day #41

Since I didn't receive any replies, I'm going to assume it was just as hard for everyone else to think of a 40-days-40-nights joke. I'm glad it wasn't just me.

As of right now in the UK, IT'S HALLOWEEN! MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY! The day that you can dress as any character ever and I guess candy is okay too but MOSTLY CHARACTER COSTUMES and also pumpkins. Speaking of pumpkins, my friends and I carved ours today!

If you've never watched the tv series Avatar the Last Airbender, you should do yourself a solid- drop whatever you're doing and start watching immediately. Watch with your friends, your kids, your parents, your pets, your class, your work associates. This is also my second ATLA-themed pumpkin in two years; last year I carved a flying bison!

My Norwegian friend had never carved pumpkins before, so to counter our American tradition she made authentic Norwegian pancakes for dinner, which were an absolute treat. Speaking of food (when am I not?), Tescos delivered our groceries today! What a pleasant experience. And now I have food again!

Oh yeah, also I had class. It was nice. We talked about Kafka's Metamorphosis and bugs and Benedict Cumberbatch and identity crisis. 

Happy Halloween!! Have lots of fun and make sure your costume does not perpetuate any negative and/or potentially disrespectful cultural stereotypes! Yay for cultural appropriation and fun for all!

Day #40

Even a day later, I'm still basking in the resplendent curve of Bath's smile. Oh, Bath, you've won a special place in my heart. 

(Even though they kept using a quote from Northanger Abbey about a character saying she loves Bath, and misattributing it to a personal Jane Austen quote; Jane Austen actually kind of resented Bath because she was forced to move away from her books and thought the people in Bath were really snobby and mostly stuck up so making that a personal quote is extremely misleading, but I digress)

We went to Caffe Nero again today, and I did the housekeeping I haven't been doing during this busy week of London, wifi outage, class, and Bath. I also learned how to order groceries online for the very low delivery price of £1! This deal is great because the bus costs £1.70 one way, so even if we were to walk down then get the bus back because of heavy groceries, getting them delivered is still cheaper. Aw yis. 

Two of my friends and I also booked our trip to CARDIFF! The entire trip cost about £35, compared to a one-way ticket on the train which, at best, was £48. Finding deals on things is almost as good as food. Thank you, parents, for instilling me with an intense sense of frugality.

Finally, we closed out the night by getting pumpkins to carve for tomorrow (HALLOWEEN I AM SO EXCITED IT'S MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY) before going to our second Canterbury couch surfing meet up! 

I've been trying to think of a funny way to incorporate a reference to Jesus in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights since this is my 40th post, but it's late and I'm tired and I really did give it the good old college try. Let me know if you can come up with anything!

Day #39

And what a Jane Austen day it was.

Our hostel came with free breakfast, and if you've read literally any of my other blog posts, you know that free is my favorite price, especially when it comes to food. Tummys happy, we headed to the Fashion Museum of Bath. The museum had a guided audio tour and we got to see outfits from every era of England's history... AND TRY ON A FEW. COMPLETE WITH A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO POSE IN FRONT OF.

Not to mention the men's costumes...

We moved on to have tea and scones at the Pump Room, where much of the first half of Northanger Abbey takes place. No wonder- that food was delicious.

Then, it was time. The moment is been waiting for. This was it. THE JANE AUSTEN CENTRE. We took a tour, watched a short video, and probably my favorite part was waking through the hall of pictures of Jane Austen, where one of them was captioned "probably Jane Austen" since they're not actually sure what she really looked like. We were able to dress up more, and this time one of my friends took on the role of Mr. Darcy.

To finish off the day before having dinner and getting on the bus, we stopped at the Fine Cheese Company store. Just in case you were worried the day couldn't get any more perfect, we got lots of free samples and I am now the proud owner of £8.21 worth of fine cheeses. 

I regret absolutely nothing. 

This is me pretending to eat all of the cheese. And with that, I bid you good night.

Day #38

The biggest news of the day- we have arrived safely in Bath! 

We have checked into our hostel and are excited for the day ahead of us tomorrow! Many pictures to follow.

Although we still didn't have wifi when we all woke up this morning, it was fixed by about noon today, which made absolutely everything better. I went to class from 12-3, used our newly reinstated wifi to listen to some music while I packed, and we all met at the bus stop at 6 to go into Canterbury for our bus to Bath at 7. I packed 2 sandwiches, carrots, and crackers for dinner (which, although not necessarily a culinary feat to behold, were delicious), and listened to Benedict Cumberbatch read Kafka's Metamorphosis first and Disney and Queen songs second. All in all, a successful ride. 

It was only a 10 minute walk to our hostel, which was extremely easy to locate, and we even walked past the Roman Baths on the way here! I'll post the view from our hostel window tonight- it's gorgeous. Jane Austen, I can't wait until tomorrow!

Day #37

Well, it has been a day. Hopefully the new week brings some good luck! The wifi has been out at the house where I'm staying all day, so I've been on the other side of campus doing homework and (wait for it...) BOOKING TICKETS TO DUBLIN! After many websites and numbers and whatnot, the tickets are finally paid for, and it is official. Yay for another country!

In case anyone forgot, three of my friends and I leave tomorrow evening for Bath, and I couldn't be more excited! Jane Austen, HERE I COME.

It wouldn't be a blog post without food- feast your eyes on this beauty. Butternut squash and sweet potatoes cooked with onion and bathed in vegetable stock with some spices of choice.

It's been an extremely busy weekend, but here's hoping Bath will be as beautiful as Jane Bennet, as entertaining as Mrs. Bennet, and as enjoyable as reading any Jane Austen ever.

Day #36

By now, you all know that I'm not one to complain (cue sitcom laugh track). Instead of complaining, let me give you a play-by-play for what should be next summer's hottest blockbuster:

Sleep-deprived girl takes bus to Canterbury bus station, where she boards her second bus, 2 hours long to London. Though most of the trip is uneventful, it should be noted that she tried to use the bathroom (since it's free and most of the bathrooms in London cost money), but there was no toilet paper and the door wouldn't stay closed, so she forewent that plan.

the face of tube confusion

Since she doesn't have wifi in London, she mapped out the exact tube routes, complete with lines and changes, to get to both the theaters and then back to the bus station with lots of extra time. Those plans were not to be; both the lines she needed were under construction, so she had to find another, slightly more roundabout route.

Two stops away from her final destination (with an hour to go until the play, thanks to all the delays), there is an announcement on the tube that there has been a "point failure on the line" and people should probably "find alternate means of transportation" since they were "experiencing severe delays". Like everyone else, she gets off the tube, slightly worried about the time and being in an unfamiliar city with no way to get out.



She walks into a shop to ask for directions, but the shop owners don't speak English. Instead, some of the customers tell her that there is a bus, but it takes half an hour to get to her destination, costs money, and she'll also have to wait for it to actually come. Instead, she goes back to the tube station to inquire when... she sees that the train she was on not 10 minutes ago had apparently fixed its delays and was already gone. And has to wait for the next one.

With half an hour until the first show, she finally gets to her destination. It should be noted that her last meal was at 9am and it was then 2:30pm. Hangry and frazzled, she tries to use Starbucks wifi to find the theater without success. She buys a small sandwich, finally gets some directions from the 3rd person she asked, and sprints the last leg of her journey while eating.

BUT on the bright side, she did make it on time! And she made some more friends in her class, enjoyed the show, and was able to follow native English students from the first theater to the second (a much less stressful ride!). After a wonderful dinner with lovely company, she saw the second show and enjoyed that as well.

Unfortunately, she was not able to make her bus due to more delays on public transportation, and had to buy another bus ticket home. BUT AGAIN ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, one of her new friends was taking the later bus back, so she had good company. Which was definitely a positive since this later coach from London got back to Canterbury station 4 minutes after the last bus back to the university. So the friends had a nice walk back together. And another plus: Daylight savings kicked in just in time, so instead of getting back home at 2am, they technically got back an hour earlier, at 1am!

Although it starts out with some frustration and conflict with public transportation, I definitely think this story has many more positives than negatives. Also, I'm alive, so there's another positive! And now, SLEEP.

Day #35

After much frustration with broken washing machines and wasted detergent (they really should label the broken ones), then the eventual renewal of faith in humanity in the form of kind people offering pens and sticky notes and empty machines and such, my laundry is finally done. And hanging in my room to dry, as per usual.

We tried out a Starbucks to study today, but were ambushed by at least 50 (this may be a very slight exaggeration, but my honest-to-goodness guess is around 35 or 40) high school kids who were only interested in milkshakes and noise. To console myself, I finished some homework and planned my trip to Dublin!  We are just waiting on a few details, but I should (hopefully)be buying the tickets tomorrow! *knocks incessantly on wood*

We then met up with an adorable Kent international organization that was hosting a fish & chips get together in Canterbury. So that you can share this joy with me, I shamelessly took a picture of my meal:

It doesn't get any more british than that. Afterwards, we bonded with some wonderful people (from Finland, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and various areas of the UK) over Harry Potter, Benedict Cumberbatch, and a vast number of things very near and dear to my heart  

Wish me luck with navigating the tube in London by myself tomorrow- my goal is to get from the bus stop to the first show, to the second show, and back to the bus stop all in one piece. That's not too much to ask, right? Fingers crossed!

Day #34

Remember that International Students thing I went to this weekend that had free cakes and tea and I did a survey thing? Well they randomly drew my survey and I won a £40 Amazon.com voucher! Now if only Amazon sold train tickets.... Though I'm sure I'll find some use for it sooner or later!

Friends in my English class informed me that two pizza places in the area do Two for One Tuesday's. This is very exciting information, and I am very excited to take advantage of this discovery. More on the topic of food, my English class is from 3-6, so we decided that next week we will order pizza for after class and bond over greasy cheese and tomato sauce on deliciously toasted bread. Who invented pizza? They deserve puppies that don't poop or pee on the rug.

[edit: according to Dictionary.com, 

1. "Supposedly, this pizza was first created by the baker Raffaele Esposito in Naples. His creation was immediately a favorite, and Esposito was called to make a pizza for the visit of King Umberto and Queen Margherita of Italy in 1889."

   
   

   Ah, knowledge. Thank you, kind Raffaele.]

   
   

   English class was also wonderful today because we learned that Benedict Cumberbatch did a recording of Kafka's Metamorphosis, which, incidentally, we have to read for class before next week. This is a lucky discovery indeed.

   
   

   After some homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu (not to be confused with High School Musical's Corbin Bleu),

   

   I did a little more travel research and homework before calling it a night. Tomorrow is laundry day (thank goodness), so hello clean clothes that will adorn my room until they dry!

Day #33

Today I was very British (and productive!) by going to the English equivalent of a Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks (even though they still have Starbucks here), called Caffe Nero to do homework. Not only did I finish all my assignments due before Monday, but I also completed by list of potential classes at Heidelberg (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) which is a big deal because the entire website is, understandably, entirely in German. There was a lot of Google Translate going on. But I triumphed over this seemingly insurmountable predicament, and I have now submitted 6 possible classes, their descriptions, and what the corresponding class or classes would be at UMass so that I can get credit for them. Also I had a deliciously hipster-looking coffee.

But the real event of the day is that there was a Couch Surfing meet-up in downtown Canterbury so that people who are both hosting and staying in the area can meet each other and find other people who are interested in traveling. I met people from all over the UK and others from Germany, France, Italy, and Romania, just to name a few. Don't worry mom and dad, we met in a public setting and one of my house mates came with me, so I was safe. But everyone I met (there were about 12-15 of us) were very normal and extremely friendly; one offered to help me with my German, another offered to show me around the Cliffs of Dover, and all of them wanted to recommend places to see around Europe and talk with me about the United States. One of them have even been to Worcester. And liked it. (????????)

(Sorry to anyone from Worcester, I didn't mean any offense) (Mostly directed at Kayla) (Why do I use so many parentheses) (Good night world, I am sleep.)

Day #32

Though it started out sunny and beautiful this morning and there was no rain in the forecast, my friend and I got caught in a small monsoon on our way back from the library. But I'll start from the beginning.

I attended another International Students Welcome something-or-other, which was, again, free with food. We had to answer questions about different things on campus to get our names in the drawing for prizes. We took a few surveys, met some people, ate some cakes, drank some tea; all very British. After our stomachs were satisfied, we went to the library and explored for a bit before settling down to study. For 3 hours. Then... the monsoon.

It came out of no where- one moment we were walking innocently along the path, and the next second the wind was howling in our faces and blowing us in all different directions; the sky darkened and the drops of rain grew bigger and bigger as we were tossed left and right, to and fro, every which way in our quest to get back to our house alive. Drenched and cold to the bone, we speed walked the last leg of the journey just before we were blown all the way out to sea!

(Not a lot happened today okay so I'm trying to make it really interesting and dramatic so you feel as though you're getting your money's worth out of reading this post)

(Wait, I'm not making any money off of this?)

(...............)

But we DID plan some of our trip to Bath today! So far, the day's events include an hour and a half audio walking tour of Jane Austen's Bath, a visit to Jane Austen's Tea Room, a place where we can dress up in Victorian clothing, the Fine Cheese Shop in Bath, and, of course, the Pump Room that Jane Austen's characters and she herself visited.

Food and Jane... these are a few of my favorite things.

Day #31

In the aftermath of the emotional roller coaster of seeing Pride and Prejudice on stage last night, I didn't think anything could top that feeling of joy or Jane Austen's level of sass. I was wrong.

It started out like any other ordinary day; class dragged on, as did my feet from one slow lesson to the next underwhelming lecture. But the sky was blue and I held my head high, hoping that I could bring some Jane (I'm using her name as interchangeable with "happiness") into this drudgery we called our lives. Little did I know, Jane was right around the corner.

(Metaphorically speaking, that is. As much as I'd love to meet her in person, I fear that's not a very plausible possibility at present, what with her death and all)

Because, my friends, after hours of trial and error on every bus, train, tube, rent-a-car, rent-a-horse, sell-your-soul-to-get-there website on the vast internet, we have finally, FINALLY BOOKED OUT TICKETS TO VISIT BATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is Mrs. Bennet doing a perfect replica of my face when we finally got all the details to work out. One week from today, I will be in Bath!

Though that's the main excitement of the day, my blog post wouldn't be complete without an account of at least one of my meals. Today I discovered the beauty of boiled zucchini (which apparently they call something else here? It's all very confusing), stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, onion, and spices, topped with cheese. Here's the delicious visual from the website I used: 

Ours looked delicious as well, but we devoured them too quickly to take a picture. It should also be noted that, as you can see, the website I used had the instructions in Spanish. BUT by using a combination of my 8 years of Spanish classes and Google Translate, we were able to use the recipe anyway! YAY SPANISH! Our meal also included cheesey bread, which is a baguette that we cut about halfway into, then stuffed cheese in the crevices every two inches or so. More extremely successful food.

BATH, YEAH!

Day #30

...30 days already? That's terrifying.

Since a lot of my friends here are going to be here for the holidays, we brainstormed a few things we could do to bring about holiday spirit come December. Our list is long, and our anticipation is high.

Today was the last day of the Kent Eye, and a friend and I celebrated by taking a turn round the Ferris wheel to see the beautiful sights. Downtown Canterbury, including all the shops and the cathedral, is downhill from the university, and there's one section of campus that purposely has no trees so there is a clear view of Canterbury. That's where the Kent Eye was situated, and the view was breathtaking.

It was also incredibly windy, but I fought the wind long enough to get one good selfie! You're welcome, internet.

...along with the selfie of my hair being gone with the wind...

With genes like that I'm surprised they haven't offered me money to put this on a Kent brochure yet. It's only a matter of time.                                                                                                         But by far the highlight of my day was SEEING THE STAGE PERFORMANCE OF JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. It was everything I've ever wanted in life and more. I was very skeptical at first because the entire show is done by only two actors (one man, one woman, who happen to be adorably married in real life and created this adaptation of the novel together- is it too much to ask for that to be my life?). How could they possibly play all of my favorite characters and do them justice?!

Well, they did, and brilliantly. There were different signifiers for each character (Mrs. Bennet had a handkerchief, Caroline Bingley a fan, Mr. Bennet a pipe, etc.). The dialogue was completely taken from the original text, and they took turns narrating the story as well so that Jane Austen got to pretty much be a character as well. 

Their gender bending was flawless- the woman played Mr. Bingley, while the man played both Jane and Kitty. What helped were the costumes- the front skirt of the woman's dress detached on one side and could reattach around the back to reveal pants and riding boots, and the remainder of the long skirt looked like the long coats that men wore during that time period. I'm not quite sure if I've been any good at describing that. You might just be more confused now. But rest assured the costumes were incredible, and after working in the costume shop last year and with costuming this past summer, I'd like to give a personal nod to how easy that made such a hard job look.

My favorite part: Mary was literally played by a music stand and background sound of a flute playing out of tune. I almost died from laughing. Also, Catherine's sickly daughter Anne was played by a white pillow: "she was quite sickly and pale."

These people were genius.

Day #29

I got to London around 1:30 after listening to some wonderfully informative history podcasts during the bus ride. Though it was hard to coordinate without being able to text each other (how did people do it back in the dark ages before cell phones when dinosaurs roamed the earth and man discovered fire?), we finally found each other and an open air market that included an enormous range of food, from fudge to pulled pork to jam to coconuts to these beautiful donuts here: 

I hadn't seen these friends in over a year, and it was wonderful to have a day to catch up in such an ideal location (even though a small child named Inez tried to steal our cookies).

As a personal note, I feel very out of place since I forgot to being my razor scooter and all the kids seem to have them. That should have been my carry-on. 

We went to Buckingham Palace at sunset, which was absolutely gorgeous. There was also a fountain right next to the Palace.

After an absolutely delicious dinner of Indian food, I listened to more history podcasts on the way back. 

I'd also like to do a shout-out to my Papa for sending me this email:

That's my ear. From 6 months ago. When my cousin made small paper hats and my Papa decided they were the perfect ear size and proceeded to take a picture. I hope there's no longer any confusion as to where I get my sense of humor.

From old friends to new friends to family, today has definitely been one of the best days so far.

Day #28

Tomorrow I am off to London to see two friends from Goucher! One is studying right outside of London, and the other is studying in Copenhagen, but visiting London for the weekend. My bus tickets are printed, my maps and assignments are downloaded to my phone in preparation for the lack of wifi, and I am READY TO GO!

If you don't want to read about my food for the 28th day in a row (does anyone actually read this, anyway?), feel free to X out now. Food is very important to me. As you can tell (who am I even talking to?).

Last night I reaearched a ton of recipes, and my friend and I visited the lovely Tescos (they should pay me to advertise for them) again and completed the speediest shopping trip I've ever experienced- I don't think it's a stretch to call it a whirlwind adventure. My friend, my 20lb backpack, and I were going to walk back home, but something about the combination of flour, sugar, sweet potatoes, butternut squash (among various other food), and the gradual 35-minute incline walk back to campus made the bus seem very, very appealing.

Even though I messed up pretty much every part of the alpine chicken recipe (sage and spices "Just Add Water!" Stuffing instead of regular; England's lack of Swiss cheese; the wrong kind of cooking wine), it still tasted delicious and now I have LEFTOVERS! Every college student's favorite word. Except maybe "nap time". Which I guess is technically two words. But "leftovers" is a compound word, so does that even count...? 

But I digress.

We also made some wonderful apple crisp after discovering that, without a pie pan, we can't actually make any pie. But the apple crisp was delicious and just the right amount of America and college student and Fall, piled into a nice bowl with vanilla I've cream.

We rounded out the night with some AVATAR, and you can see how excited we were about that:

(Okay so I'm the only one who really looks excited but I promise we were all excited) 

Because we are normal college students and watch nickelodeon tv shows on Friday nights HECK YEAH.

See ya tomorrow, London!!

Day #27

It's the moooooost wonderful tiiiiiiiiime of the yearrrrrrrrrrr 

The weather is perfect and the leaves are turning and it's acceptable (even encouraged) to add pumpkin spice to literally all of your food and sweaters and scarves and warm socks and autumn! 

I made a profile on the official couch surfing website so that hopefully my friends and I will not have to pay an arm and a leg to stay in a hostel for 2 nights while visiting Cardiff. My profile has lots of puns, and so far my interests include "Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Jane Austen, and studying English", so hopefully that translates to "will not keep you up at night or break your plates and destroy your home because I am a harmless nerd". I'll keep you updated, avid readers. (Hi, Mom and Dad)

In my English class today I got to draw pictures and talk about mirrors as a form of identity and tell everyone that, technically, one of my middle names is Severus. It was a successful day. 

I bet you thought I was going to go a whole post without barely mentioning food at all BUT YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT WRONG. I am trying to think of new recipes, and spent about an hour figuring out what would be the most delicious/cost-effective/least-likely-to-burn-the-house-down things I can make. Please, friends, if you are reading this, share your favorite College Student Friendly Recipes. I like most all food. (Side story: we had to "pick one word that described us" in class today and I kicked myself after for not writing down "food")

Have a picture of my cousin and I making funny faces as my Throwback Thursday because it's adorable and I wish I still had those shorts with rainbow fish and because I couldn't think of a way to finish this post :)

Day #26

More sports today! My friends and I made it out to the pitch to watch Kent's team play a proper rugby match. Or at least that's what my British friend said. On a scale from 1 to 10, my rugby knowledge level was about -5 prior to today. A lot of learning happened outside the classroom this afternoon (apparently that thing where they try to get the ball out of the middle of the giant huddle is not called Turtle Formantion? That seems like a missed opportunity to me).

I have also booked two trips to London! The first is this Saturday to meet up with other friends studying abroad, and the other is two weeks from now to see 2 plays for my theater class! How British is seeing plays in London I mean seriously.

But the biggest news is that tomorrow I am BOOKING A DAY TRIP TO BATH YAY because Jane Austen who I don't talk about nearly enough I this blog.

^me to Jane Austen literally every day.

Ate some of my meatballs today. Yum to the max. Equal credit for the recipe goes to my mom and her friend Betty Crocker. 

But now I must sleep. Goodnight, Jane, whom I love most ardently. 

Day #25

I was able to get into town today and, along with checking the local shops and touring some aggressively adorable sights, I got (surprise, surprise) MORE FOOD! This cooking thing is fun but it does require trips to the store pretty often so that food doesn't go bad. Congrats on doing a good job all these years, parents.

As an aside, it is alarmingly hard to find Swiss cheese here. No one seems to know what it is, and the selection is limited to about 40 different kinds of cheddar, one of two monzerella, and maybe some Gorgonzola, Parmesan, or Brie if you're really lucky. But mostly cheddar. Lots and lots of cheddar. 

When I get home, I made some delicious meat balls to freeze and used the small amount of ground beef that was left to make a delicious honest to goodness 'murican cheeseburger. Feel free to bask in its beauty: 

And the meat balls:

The recipe said to space them an inch apart from each other, but the small glass contraption was much less expensive, so I took that whole "one inch" thing as a very loose guideline. More of a suggestion, really. They turned out delicious and were cooked all the way through, so no harm, no foul.

While I was in town I also got the passport-style photos I need for Germany done. They definitely look like mug shots because one of the requirements was not to smile. Ideal. 👌

Day #24

Today I present: The tale of 13 October, as told by Avatar the Last Airbender Gifs.

Woke up early on my own, left the house early, and felt pretty good about it.

Had to figure out the printing situation in the library, which apparently costs money...

But eventually it all worked out, and I even got to class early!

Then the lecture began, and the professor started throwing out all these names and dates and people and places related to theater that no one had ever heard of and everyone just sat there like 

But then we got into our seminar group and everything was okay because my professor complimented my review and we started talking about Jane Austen (aka god) and my happiness was overflowing

Until someone was doing a presentation on adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and they had never heard of Colin Firth 

(don't worry, Mom, I was nice about it)

I came back home and made myself some delicious dinner 

Then did a little light reading for class

Before watching some Avatar with friends (PAR-TAY)

But now it's time for me to sleep because I am 

Goodnight, world!

Day #23

Second load of laundry = complete. As it was an extremely humid day today, I'm excited to see how long I'll have all these clothes drying in my room; they do make such lovely decorations. So worth saving the money I would have spent on a dry cycle, and now I have clean sheets!

I attended an official High Noon Tea hosted by the university which, in addition to tea, included scones, finger sandwiches, and chocolate cake. I am loving these free events, especially when they also include a free meal. Additionally, I don't think there is anything better than a scone and jam.

After some homework, my house mates and I rounded out the evening with MORE AVATAR!!! Also I received this snap chat from my family, which made me feel very special. Have you snap chatted your loved ones today?

Day #22

This was my view for the football game today. Not pictured: the double rainbow. Not too shabby, eh?

After exploring Canterbury Castle (not to be confused with Canterbury Cathedral) which was built around 1200 and still standing, getting a group discount on the train (!!!!!!!), and painting our faces with blue eyeliner to show our support for a team we only recently learned exists, we made our way through the rain to Priestfield Stadium, home of the Gillingham Football Club. But as luck would have it, the rain completely stopped as soon as soon as the first whistle blew, just in time to see that double rainbow I mentioned earlier.

Although we lost 3-0, it was more than worth it to hear the old British men behind us swearing at the ref with some very colorful and inventive choice words. We had some of the biggest hot dogs the world has ever seen, then adventured back to campus. THEN MY FRIENDS AND I WATCHED THE FIRST 4 EPISODES OF AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER. The most successful of days.

Day #21

Today I got to skype with two of my favorite people, which was a pleasant way to start off my morning (and continue into the afternoon).

Later in the evening, my friends and I investigated a pub called The Dolphin which is known for its board games on the quiet side of Canterbury. This magical place is where I met Pub Cat.

This majestic being lives at the pub, and is the most casual cat you've ever seen. I'd go so far as to say insta-friend.

When we got back, I [FINALLY] got to watch some long overdue Doctor Who with Nolan, compete with commentary through the episode. The trademark of a successful day.

My first authentic game of English football is tomorrow- wish me luck! 

Day 20

It took until day 20 for me to realize I could put a title on this thing..............

Good.

First group presentation = DONE! The fake improv was a success, and I got to tell everyone about Parry Hotter and the Quest for the Hanger (the YouTube sensation). 

For dinner, we cooked up a little Chicken Marsala, complete with pasta, delicious mushrooms, and side salad. To be honest, cooking all of my own meals makes me feel more adult than living in a foreign country. Now if I could just get that Worcestershire sauce and bread crumbs to make meatballs...

We decided to walk into town tonight and see what was happening, and to be completely honest... There wasn't much. However, Canterbury is fantastically beautiful (and safe), with the cathedral lights and the illuminated cobblestone streets. Without being able to see the sky or anything beyond the front wall of the shops, it almost looked like we were on the set of a movie instead of walking through a real town.

Until tomorrow- cheers!

Day #19

Today I conquered the evil sleeping dragon that is The Group Project. The assignment was to do "something creative" about our assigned reading. It involves fake improv and is very meta. Take that, creativity.

I helped my friend Rachel make dinner for 12 tonight as we all sat down for a family dinner to discuss TRAVELING! Pasta and wok'd veggies set the mood very well for all of our planning. And in the process, we took a selfie of which Ellen would be very proud. 

Day #18

I am definitely getting my exercise with all these trips to town! But the good part is that town is beautiful and I am shopping all the deals at Tescos (my new favorite grocery store), so the food is fresh and cheap, just the way I like it. I also picked up a ticket for authentic Afternoon Tea for international students, and met someone who grew up in Minnesota, moved to Texas, and has lived in England for the past 11 years, leading to an extremely interesting and cool accent. I would never have been able to figure that one out if she hadn't told me.

During my trip to town I purchased my first lipstick ever, which is a very big deal for me, so I decided to wear it on a test run on the Ferris Wheel at sunset and to a show I saw with a few friends (mmmm, yes, quite the posh life, with all of my sophistication and adult-ness and maturity and whatnot).

(It was a stand-up comedy show, but that's not the point)

Day #17

In case it wasn't obvious to everyone before, my friends here have decided that I am, in fact, a mom. Soccer Mom Kim, to be exact. Have fun, make friends, learn lots!

First success of the day: learning how to use those newfangled contraptions they call printers in the library. Second success of the day: Lemon pasta with tuna, broccoli, and Parmesan, plus some lettuce topped with chicken salad and cheese. We are becoming quite the chefs! Oh, food.

(IN OTHER NEWS I FINISHED SEASON 3 OF BUFFY TODAY this is impressive because it means I have only watched one season the entire time I've been here. I am very proud of my own self-control.)

Lastly, I've been investigating some trips and looking at ticket prices, trains vs. buses vs. flying, hostels, free attractions, the whole shebang. It's all very exciting, and so far I've found information for trips to both Dublin and a combined Edinburgh-York trips. Anyone with recommendations of can't-miss sights, cheap places to stay, or anything else, please do not hesitate to share your knowledge. Ticket prices are on the rise, and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for deals!

Infinity Mom, signing off. To Mom, and Beyond!

Day #16

It's official- tickets to an authentic English football match have been purchased! I'll be seeing Gillingham club team play. It's no premier league, but I'm no Bill Gates. By poor college student standards, this is a great find!

I've listed a few differences between the United States and England, but another important difference is store hours. In the states, stores tend to close between 8 and 10pm, usually a tad earlier on Sundays. In England, they close between 5 and 6pm on the daily. Slightly inconvenient for me, but what about if you're a real actual working adult person with a real actual working adult person job? You work 9-5 and then HAVE TEN MINUTES TO GET ALL OF YOUR GROCERIES IN THE MAD RUSH OF OTHER REAL ACTUAL WORKING ADULT PEOPLE WHO ALSO JUST GOT OUT OF WORK AND NEED TO FEED THEIR FAMILIES. Or what about the real actual adult people working at one of the stores that closes but you want more hours but your boss is like lol sry but we close so no more hrs 4 u

But I digress. We were able to get [almost] everything on our shopping list, and made delicious pasta and meat sauce, complete with chopped onion that we kind of won at karaoke last night. Also included was garlic bread, Parmesan cheese, and Phineas and Ferb.

Mom, if you're reading this, could you reply to my Facebook message? I'm trying to make real food, but need some recipes. Thank you!

Day #15

Not to worry- 100 pages of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland later, I am still alive. Today was the first day with truly English weather which, surprisingly, I quite enjoyed. Thankfully it cleared up in time for my friends and I to attend KARAOKE NIGHT YEAH! Although I was more than a little disappointed that Total Eclipse of the Heart wasn't on the list of available songs, here's a small sampling of what we sang and heard tonight.

And I'll have you know, my air guitar skills are something to behold.