Where Am I?!

Hello everyone,

Don't worry, I'm not amnesiac, or waking up from a bad dream, or experiencing a sudden bout of homesickness. The title's more what I'm imagining all of you are wondering, seeing as I haven't posted anything but boring intellectual stuff and a few sentimental poems since we got to Durham. Lame, I know. I've been letting my inner Lit major take over. 

In all seriousness though, I'm not sure how best to fill you in on the last three weeks without dragging on forever. Let's put these summarizing skills to the test, shall we? 

Durham: huge, first-floor, single room. Classes again = homework. Really bad cafeteria food. Coffee at Esquires every day... may or may not have made special friends with a certain male barista. 4th of July = throwing tea in the river + singing the national anthem. Two chapels with Wesley Hill (author of Washed and Waiting). Tour of Durham Cathedral, where they filmed part of Harry Potter. Got really bored one night and made a music video to Sk8r Boi. Good week. 

Ambleside: LAKE DISTRICT!!! Absolutely gorgeous. Youth hostel food was better than St. Chad's (college @ Durham). William Wordsworth's house. Grasmere gingerbread. Hike through the fells (see pic). Euchre by the lake. Saw Bridesmaids. Rented a rowboat / crossed the lake to see Wray Castle, among other things Beatrix Potter's vacation spot. Day out on the lake = got very tan. Best blueberry scones EVER. Homework / more Euchre. Saw Larry Crowne. One of the best weekends of my life.

Oxford (first 2 weeks): smaller single room. Very interesting bathroom setup. AMAZING food. Classes again = homework. Have read / will have read 18 books for this trip. Got to see Sam Lee + the Morleys! Three meals so far at The Eagle and Child (meeting place of the Inklings). Visited C.S. Lewis's rooms at Magdalen College (pronounced Maudlin). Harry Potter 7.2, opening day, IN the city Hogwarts was primarily filmed. Found the Oxford boathouses. Discovered Moo-Moo's milkshakes + Ben's Cookies + G&D's ice cream = I am getting fat. Ultimate Frisbee in University Park. Saw Tree of Life. Day trip to Stratford, home of William Shakespeare. Saw Macbeth (Royal Shakespeare Company). King James Bible exhibition at the Bodleian. Lots of souvenirs, lots of postcards, LOTS of Euchre. Yep yep yep!

Well, there you have it. Not a half bad sum-up. It's hard to believe how much we've done in the last six weeks. It's even harder to believe there are just two left. I'll try to be better at posting a variety of good stuff between now and the end! God bless, everybody.

Linnea