It's a Non-Stop Party

Nothing in America absolutely holds a candle to the way the British people party. It is insane. By the time I joined the party at around 10:00-10:30 today, the little square where we sat outside was absolutely littered with different kinds of alcohol bottles. Everyone was already tipsy enough to not know whether they were playing King's Cup or Never Have I Ever. And before you go and think that I'm just running around with the wrong crowd, keep in mind: this was the entire campus. I'm sure there are a few kids who don't partake in this kind of thing but every balcony you may look at or any place to sit that isn't the grass is full of people getting to know each other and sharing their £30 vodka like it's no big deal. There was a party in Flat 59, Flat 4something or another in one of the houses, Flat 134134 in another house, behind some other house, between two buildings on the North side... you get the picture.

The party still rages outside. It's time for me to go find fried chicken since I there's no Chick-Fil-A over here :(

The First Post About London

So this is my third day in London but I've been so jetlagged the last few days, they seem kind of like a blur. Last night though, I finally slept all through the night (which makes me sound like a fussy 1-year-old but whatever) which hopefully means I'll be rested today and won't have to fight the urge to nap.

London is every wonderful thing I thought it would be and then some. It was a lot colder than I figured it would be though. I trotted out of Heathrow in my short-sleeved v-neck and sweater and instantly froze. I'll be lucky if I defrost by May. It hasn't rained yet though so I've been able to walk around and explore some.

The school I'm in now is in the East End of London which means I can see Central London (or "downtown" if you will) which is where all the nifty things are and if I get on the bus (which I accidentally did yesterday), I can see the new Olympic stadium. Well, sort of. It's covered up by machines and little wood walls.

There are cute little shops everywhere but in none of these shops have I been able to find
-a voltage converter
-a pillow
I looked for Argos yesterday (think: Wal-Mart) but I couldn't find it. I did find a mall though, 2 Subways, 1 Burger King and a Starbucks but unfortunately, none of these places sell what I need so I'll keep looking. Luckily, my computer has a built in converter and I bought my phone here (The cheapo, super basic kind but in PINK) so though things are functional. I just want to be able to use my straightener. Even that might not be possible though since I may or may not have fried it my first 20 minutes here. But I won't know until I can get a converter! OH, the suspense!

In other news, my flatmates and I got to know each other last night over vino and creeping on the old people who live next door. (If you leave your curtains open and your lights on, then do interesting things by the window, people will watch you. It's a fact of life.) We talked about the stereotypes we had of each other and this is what they had to say about good ole' Texas:
1. Cowboy hats
2. Cowboy boots
3. Desert
4. "Those cows with the big horns"
5. Hot

They were surprised to learn that they were actually dead-on. For England, they taught me:
1. It's not actually raining all the time.
2. They really do drink a lot of tea.
3. They take dental hygeine seriously.
4. There really are PSAs about being friendly to visitors in preparation for the Olympics
5. They also drink. A lot.

All in all, it's been a good experience so far. I think I'm going to go look for a pillow again today since my last 3 days of searching have come up fruitless.




'

tomorrow's the big day

And yet, I don't think it's sunk in yet. I really don't feel any different than I did before except that I've been scurrying everyone trying to make sure everything's packed. Is it weird that I feel this way?

Next time I write, I'll be in London!
Ciao!

The First Post About Writing

And it's going to be a short one for reasons I shall now disclose. Writing has always been a compulsion for me, more than an actual choice. It's been the way I make sense of the world as well as my outlet. I have no idea when this whole thing started but I find stories tracing back to kindergarten. So it's obviously a long-term thing. It's also a resilient addiction. Back when I tried to get my first book published and I hit rejection after rejection, I told myself 'Clearly, this is not where your strengths lie. Let's find something else to do.' I tried to quit cold turkey but came crawling back not 24 hours later.

Writing is my desire but it also has a gravitational pull for me. It is an intrinsic part of who I am. More specifically, I love to hand-write things. Yes, I hand-wrote my entire first book. And now, I think I may have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Actually, judging from the piercing numbness that has held my hand captive for the past few days, I'm pretty sure I've fallen victim to it. And you know what I want to do? Hand-write my book. But I know for my health and comfort, I should probably try typing things for a little while since it causes me less pain. And who said authors don't suffer for their art?

If anyone has ever suffered from Carpal Tunnel, how do you deal with it?

LDR

So as I mentioned at the very beginning of the blog, I'm in a long distance relationship for one more week with my wonderful boyfriend of 13 months, J. The plan was that he would come next Tuesday but the date has been pushed back to Wednesday and I could not be more impatient and excited!

This is our second time doing long distance. We met last May and because we lived four hours apart when we weren't at school, we decided we were just going to talk and be friends and see where we went from there. Not too long after, we become exclusive and we become "official" when we got back to school. This summer, we were separated at the beginning of May and finally, FINALLY, he's almost back! And we're almost to London!

For those of you going through a long distance relationship of any type, here are a few things I learned. My advice on advice? Take it all with a grain of salt.

1) Trust is hard. But it's important. He's never given me a reason not to trust him and yet there were some nights where I would worry, very randomly. I'd always call him and we'd talk things through. Trust is important though. If you're not going to have it, why even try in a relationship?

2) Communicate. Appreciate :)

3) Everyone loves getting mail!

4) Don't waste in-person time arguing about silly things.

5) Brownies are always a nice gesture.

6) Some days will go by fast and some days will go by unbearingly slow but, rest assured, they will all go by. time will pass and eventually, your separation will be over.

7) Stay entertained! Don't sit at home, filing your nails all day.

8) Celebrate the little milestones.

9) Live and let live

10) When things get rough: remember, it'll all be worth it in the end.

Again, I'm no professional. This is purely anecdotal. And I'd love to hear your stories about long distance relationships! How long were you separated and how  did you get through it?

Maybe They'll Like Me Over There

Alright, don't let the title fool you. I love it here. I have some of the best friends anyone could ask for and I've known them since middle and high school. The problem isn't in where I come from but where I go. I attend a very conservative, religiously affiliated university. I am not conservative. I have no idea why I chose to go there but at first it wasn't so bad. It just so happened that the longer I was there, the more it become apparent that I was very much a 'me' and everyone else was very much a 'them'. It wasn't a self-imposed segregation. Everyone else took care of that for me and in one fell swoop, I realized I didn't belong there.

I wasn't like them and I didn't want to be. I had no idea why my actions that would be considered normal by the overwhelming majority of the outside world were treated with such shock and dismay. I had no idea why people got engaged their sophomore year and married before they graduated. I just knew that most of the world didn't run this way. 

But, as fate would have it, it's too late to transfer. I'll have to finish up my last 3 semesters there and 1 will, thankfully, be spent across the pond. I really hope they'll like me over there. I know London is probably not like Small Town, Texas in a lot of ways. Thank. Goodness. It just makes me sad, though, to think that I haven't made many new friendships in college. Oh well. What can you do?

Where'd the Time Go?

Somewhere between making the most of my last days as a Shoe Store employee and buying as many shoes as my little heart desired for 40% off (on top of 50% discounts!!!!) and trying to see as many people as I could (which is no small feat when everyone you know is dispersed across the great state of Texas), I lost track of the time. And now I have 11 days until I leave for London.

Let me give you a good idea of what I HAVEN'T done.

1) Bought enough long-sleeved shirts. I live in Texas. I have not had need for them until this point.

 

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2) Buy the toiletries I'm low on. I know, I know. They sell concealer and eyeshadow EVERYWHERE but I'm incredibly picky.

 

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 This is NARS concelear in the 'ginger' color. I'd highly recommend this to everyone. It goes on flawlessly, can be used on specific points, and lasts all day.

3) Gotten some currency exchanged. Because, if you didn't know, airports will give you the WORST exchange rate possible. I was a victim of this when I went to Peru. Luckily, my bank has agreed to give me prettily colored British currency for my boring green.

 

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4) Actually packed. :S

 

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But now that I'm unemployed, I'll have time to tackle these things. Tomorrow, I plan on moving my winter clothes out of the closet and into the game room, and storing my summer clothes away. And doing laundry. Very essential.

Now, on an unrelated note! This is my new obsession:

 It's an iced chai tea latte. The first few times I drank it, it made me feel kind of sick but I've grown to love it.

So, does anyone have any last minute advice for me? I'm in desperate need :)