So after Paris, life in Exeter was actually pretty normal for a change. I turned in two papers last Thursday so now I am free of work for the next couple of weekends which is perfect seeing that this is currently my birthday week! But before I get into all my birthday plans, I want to update you on my weekend. It was one of the first weekends in a while that I just stayed and relaxed in Exeter and it was one of the first Friday's since I have been here that I slept until noon (I don't have classes on Friday so sleeping in is allowed). But on Saturday, the entire Kenyon-Exeter group had to get up early to catch a train to Exmouth for a mandatory "cruise". Now, when I think of cruise, I imagine a GIANT ship with sunbathing, laughing, fun people, and happiness. But when I got to Exmouth and got in line for our so called "cruise", all I saw was a little fishing boat, very similar to the little boat that gets slashed and gutted in the movie, Jaws. Not being the nice cruise ship I imagined, I quickly came to realize that this was no beach party either, and instead of sunbathing, I was asking people if I could borrow their gloves to warm up what felt like my frost bitten fingers. And just when I thought it couldn't get any further away from what I pictured, I soon discovered that there would be no laughing on this "cruise" and in fact, no happiness at all due to the fact that it was a bird watching cruise consisting of looking for a goose through binoculars. And every time I put my binoculars down, I was hoping to meet some fun people, but because everyone else on the "cruise" was well over 85 years old and the only other semi-young guy who was around in his thirties kept smiling at me with gaps for teeth and two sleeves of tattoos on his arm, I decided that maybe cruises were not my thing. After watching geese through binoculars for three full hours on a teeny tiny Jaws fishing boat, the "cruise" was over and we were set free onto land. Once we got off the boat, our Professor told everyone to "check their chests". No idea what she was talking about, I peeped under my shirt as I thought I was listening to directions. Caught in the act of "checking my chest", my Professor burst out laughing, saying that she meant for people to make sure that they had returned the binoculars from around their neck back to the boat, not for us to literally check our chest. If you ask me, the phrase "check your chest" does not mean, "make sure you returned your binoculars", and thus, I don't think my literally take on this phrase was all that weird. But anyway, after our cruise, we were allowed to explore Exmouth to our liking. Walking around for some time, my friends and I grew hungry and stopped at a cute little tea shop and ordered cream tea with scones and clotted cream. Words of advice: NEVER order clotted cream. It is 100% fat and has absolutely no taste. I would rather waste away my calories on chocolate cake, ice cream, boba, or in fact, anything that perks my taste buds. Clotted cream was an epic fail.
Later that night a group of us went to see Harry Potter! Unlike the clotted cream, I highly recommend this movie for all. It was especially exciting to see this movie in Exeter because J.K. Rowling went to the University of Exeter and a lot of the places in the books are based off of the city of Exeter. So of course, after the movie, we decided to go to the Firehouse Pub because Rowling bases the broom stick shop off of that building in the movie! After seeing that movie and being in England to watch it, I felt an even deeper connection with Ron Weasley (something that I still have not given up on yet!).
On Sunday I did a little pre-birthday browsing to decided which stores I should actually attack in exactly a week for my actual birthday. I found some good stuff and I am extra excited because two of my best friends are coming to Exeter to visit me this weekend and will help me decide which new article of clothing I should add to my wardrobe. Even though I have met up with one of my friends earlier this semester in Wales, and the other in London and Paris, I am SO EXCITED that they are coming to visit me on my birthday. Even though I have made some great friends here in Exeter, it is always fun to celebrate with some of your closest friends, especially since it is my 21st birthday! Even though turning 21 is not a big deal here in Europe, (since kids here have been drinking since they were 14), I hope that it will still be a big celebration.
Also, when I was in town on Sunday, I could have sworn that I saw the lady who hit me with her motorized wheelchair, and the worst part is, she didn't even look at me. It was as if she didn't remember hitting me...Like it never even happened. Maybe if it wasn't a hit and run she would have known it was me, because when I saw her, I froze up on the sidewalk and clenched my friends hand almost expecting to be hit again. And of course, this woman was in full control over her wheel chair. Still couldn't tell you what went wrong with it when it drove into me.
Tomorrow night the Kenyon-Exeter Program is throwing a huge Thanksgiving dinner at a little pub for all of us Americans and all of our British Professors. Even though I am still homesick over missing my Mom's famously delicious cranberry sauce, I think tomorrow night will be fun seeing that one of my friends and I spent our night making a birthday cake for me for Thanksgiving dessert. And just as my Mom always does, we made homemade cream cheese frosting for a fudge cake. And it actually looks pretty legit. (But, Mom, I am still expecting a cream cheese frosting cake when I come home in December -- this doesn't mean that you are in the clear...and I expect some homemade cranberry sauce.) If any of you have ever tasted this dear lady's cranberry sauce, you would know what I am talking about...and her cream cheese frosting -- tell her when your birthday is and guilt her into making you a cake, it is that good! Anyway, I bought little champagne candle for my cake seeing it is appropriate since I am turning 21! I am looking forward to tomorrow and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Spread the joy and I cannot wait to report back on my birthday weekend. Gobble, Gobble.
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