Today was my last day in Oxford. Tomorrow morning I am waking up really early to ride a bus and an airplane in order to arrive back int he US.
I honest cannot believe it. It is not that I don't want to believe it, my mind literally cannot seem to grasp this concept. Everyone I know is sad that our time was dwindling, and a bit happy to see their families again, I am not. Not because I have no heart, I just cannot seem to understand what is happening.
I seem to have this idea that I am going to get in a car tomorrow and drive an hour or two and be home, and then in a few weeks I will drive the few hours back. No problem. Except, that is not at all what is happening. In reality I will be dragging a 50 pound mammouth suitcase up a giant hill and then riding over an hour on a bus that will take me to the airport, where I will then check in, check my suitcase, go through security wait for a few hours, get on an eight hour plane, go through customs, get my suitcase, meet my mom, and ride in a car for three more hours until finally arriving home at almost 11 PM (AKA 4 AM in my brain). Sounds like a party, right?
I am very concerned about the day after tomorrow, December 23rd, when I will wake up in my old bed. I will look around the room and everything will be as it always is when I am home. It will be like I never left, like my entire Oxford adventure never even happened. the entire trip will just be a memory. I think this is what my brain is trying to keep itself from realizing, but there is no way that I will not get the full blast that morning.
I am however, excited to see my family and friends from home. And it will be Christmas! There will be plenty of activities to keep me busy until going back to college, allowing me to try and bury any sad feelings I may find about leaving Oxford.
When I get home, my mom has already said that we are going to make some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and other tasty snacks. I also will need to wrap gifts, make gifts, buy gifts, and give gifts! And then there is all the Christmas classic movies that I will have to be caught up on. So much to do, so little time!
Speaking of time, I am going to have to bid you all adieu for now. Sorry about the strange, short post. I will post some more once I get readjusted into the United States and I hope you have a happy holidays!
Until next time...
Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin
"The author of the Iliad is either Homer or, if not Homer, somebody else of the same name." -Alduos Huxley
Showing posts with label America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label America. Show all posts
Friday, 21 December 2012
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Giving Thanks for Maniacs
Today I want to talk about that lovely American (and Canadian) holiday called 'Thanksgiving'. I feel like I have talked a lot about holidays recently, but there are just a lot happening all around the same time in the fall/early winter.
Thanksgiving, for those who may not be aware, is the celebration of food, people you care about, and other things you are thankful for. For a long time, I thought the holiday was celebrated because back in pilgram times there had been a big feast between the pilgrams and the Native Americans, which is because that is what my teachers told me. Well, that is all a lie. It was probably a celebration in honor of stealing other people's food and having stored up enough food for the winter. But now a days, it is more of a day to eat enormous amounts of food and be surrounded by family you love/are forced to love.
My extended family lives rather far away, so Thanksgivings at my house are just my parents, sister, and me. Although I am not missing Thanksgiving too much (most likely due to that we are having a Thanksgiving party here in England), I cannot imagine what it must be like at my house. When only four people attend Thanksgiving, one person missing is quite a large percentage.
I also find myself wondering if they will go 'Black Friday' shopping. (That is when people go to stores really early in the morning (like 12 AM) to try and buy really cheap stuff.) Last year I had to stand in line for four hours, waiting for a TV to be released. You could not even go to the restroom, because you would lose your spot. I ended up being the first person in line since I got there so early, and it turned out I did not need to stand in line, because hardly anyone even wanted those TVs.
But the main thing I remember was being glad that I was in line instead of walking around the store (we were in Walmart, which pretty much turns into some variation of hell on Black Friday). At Walmart there are certain items, which are not released until 10 PM, midnight, 2 AM, etc. and these items are wrapped in plastic wrap so you can find them but not take any until they are opened by the employees. There were literally people walking around with box cutters out, slashing randomly at wrapped items, taking the items, and then running off. Specifically, I saw them do this with a Dora the Explorer coloring set. What? Is Dora's array of colored pencils really worth it?
There were also people who would stand next to you looking at an item and then when you looked away, they would steal items out of your cart. And speaking of carts, I saw at least three carts entirely full of mini crock pots. What? How many fondues are you planning to make at once? Maybe just one large one would suffice?
Oe woman who was in line behind me, told her husband about how she had tried to get an electric car for their young son, but that these other women had box cutters and were threatening to cut her with them. Again, what? You do have to go back to real life after tonight. A real life where stabbing people is illegal.
Yes, I was glad to be in line, safely behind a barrier where I could watch as thousands of years of building a civilization came crashing down, because of some colored pencils. It was probably one of the scariest moments in my life. Only second to when I was in ninth grade and some insane girl was screaming at the bus driver and we almost crashed about three times.
But here in England, they do not have Black Friday shopping, although they might have a varient of it (like Boxing Day in Canada). And even if they did, I would not be going. Hell is not a place I like to make frequent visits at.
But another thing about Thanksgiving, is that for some people it is more of a seque holiday. Like, we have to get through Thanksgiving before we can get to Christmas. I feel that way, in a sense, in that I refuse to listen to Christmas music until Thanksgiving. I used to not have this rule, but I would then get tired of my favorite tunes way before it was even time for Christmas.
England, does not have Thanksgiving to get through though, so they have had Christmas decorations up since Halloween, some places, even before that. And tons of businesses have signs saying, 'Book Christmas Dinner here', a few restaurants even have New Year's ones.
Overall, I am a bit sad to be away from my family on this family-centered holiday, but I will get to see them in about a month, so nothing to be too sad about. And I am really excited for the Thanksgiving party we have having. All of the study abroad students from our school are getting together to eat together today in celebration. I have never had a big Thanksgiving, so I am excited to experience it.
Until next time...
Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin
"The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer." -Victor Borge
Thanksgiving, for those who may not be aware, is the celebration of food, people you care about, and other things you are thankful for. For a long time, I thought the holiday was celebrated because back in pilgram times there had been a big feast between the pilgrams and the Native Americans, which is because that is what my teachers told me. Well, that is all a lie. It was probably a celebration in honor of stealing other people's food and having stored up enough food for the winter. But now a days, it is more of a day to eat enormous amounts of food and be surrounded by family you love/are forced to love.
My extended family lives rather far away, so Thanksgivings at my house are just my parents, sister, and me. Although I am not missing Thanksgiving too much (most likely due to that we are having a Thanksgiving party here in England), I cannot imagine what it must be like at my house. When only four people attend Thanksgiving, one person missing is quite a large percentage.
I also find myself wondering if they will go 'Black Friday' shopping. (That is when people go to stores really early in the morning (like 12 AM) to try and buy really cheap stuff.) Last year I had to stand in line for four hours, waiting for a TV to be released. You could not even go to the restroom, because you would lose your spot. I ended up being the first person in line since I got there so early, and it turned out I did not need to stand in line, because hardly anyone even wanted those TVs.
But the main thing I remember was being glad that I was in line instead of walking around the store (we were in Walmart, which pretty much turns into some variation of hell on Black Friday). At Walmart there are certain items, which are not released until 10 PM, midnight, 2 AM, etc. and these items are wrapped in plastic wrap so you can find them but not take any until they are opened by the employees. There were literally people walking around with box cutters out, slashing randomly at wrapped items, taking the items, and then running off. Specifically, I saw them do this with a Dora the Explorer coloring set. What? Is Dora's array of colored pencils really worth it?
There were also people who would stand next to you looking at an item and then when you looked away, they would steal items out of your cart. And speaking of carts, I saw at least three carts entirely full of mini crock pots. What? How many fondues are you planning to make at once? Maybe just one large one would suffice?
Oe woman who was in line behind me, told her husband about how she had tried to get an electric car for their young son, but that these other women had box cutters and were threatening to cut her with them. Again, what? You do have to go back to real life after tonight. A real life where stabbing people is illegal.
Yes, I was glad to be in line, safely behind a barrier where I could watch as thousands of years of building a civilization came crashing down, because of some colored pencils. It was probably one of the scariest moments in my life. Only second to when I was in ninth grade and some insane girl was screaming at the bus driver and we almost crashed about three times.
But here in England, they do not have Black Friday shopping, although they might have a varient of it (like Boxing Day in Canada). And even if they did, I would not be going. Hell is not a place I like to make frequent visits at.
But another thing about Thanksgiving, is that for some people it is more of a seque holiday. Like, we have to get through Thanksgiving before we can get to Christmas. I feel that way, in a sense, in that I refuse to listen to Christmas music until Thanksgiving. I used to not have this rule, but I would then get tired of my favorite tunes way before it was even time for Christmas.
England, does not have Thanksgiving to get through though, so they have had Christmas decorations up since Halloween, some places, even before that. And tons of businesses have signs saying, 'Book Christmas Dinner here', a few restaurants even have New Year's ones.
Overall, I am a bit sad to be away from my family on this family-centered holiday, but I will get to see them in about a month, so nothing to be too sad about. And I am really excited for the Thanksgiving party we have having. All of the study abroad students from our school are getting together to eat together today in celebration. I have never had a big Thanksgiving, so I am excited to experience it.
Until next time...
Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin
"The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer." -Victor Borge
Thursday, 1 November 2012
All Hallows' Evening Adventure
Halloween in America is a big holiday, at least for me. It is a day to dress up in random clothes, you would be shunned from society for wearing any other day and to eat a ton of candy while watching scary movies.
At school in the States I decorate the door to my flat, as well as inside and usually watch '13 Night of Halloween' on ABC Family. I will spend hours looking up costumes and planning over the perfect thing to wear, although I usually end up with some last minute costume that I bought at Walmart or made from things I already own.
The best Halloween outfit I ever did was being a dead person my Senior year in High School. I had spent almost a month choosing what to dress as and only about a week before Halloween did I pick it. I went to a local Goodwill, bought some nice dress clothes, and got to rip them up. Online it said to bury them for a few days so they would get a nice dirt smell to make the costume more believable, but I was not that into it, so I just soaked the shirt in tea for a few days to make it look stained, and then painted my face entirely white white black eyeliner stitches. It was pretty ridiculous looking, but compared to my usually Dorothy costume, I thought it was a pretty good attempt.
But, getting back to England, and what I am suppose to be talking about...
Halloween is a big thing in America. Even if you do not dress up or have a party, you hand out candy (or leave some on your porch), and see all the nice Halloween and fall decorations that people put out leading up to the day. Well, in England, it is hardly a holiday at all. I saw no trick-or-treaters (then again I live in a college residence community, so where would they come from). No Halloween decorations up, and barely any sold. Minimal people dressed up. And general lack of Halloween movies.
I roommates spent a few nights leading up to Halloween watching 'Little Vampire' and 'Hocus Pocus' to get into the Halloween spirit, but there was hardly any point in doing it. I really wanted to dress up this year and to experience Halloween in England, but I don't think there was much to experience. (And plus I had no money to buy a costume, so I dressed as a Muggle from Harry Potter.) I saw some clubs were putting on Halloween themed parties where you dressed up to go, but that just isn't the same when no one appreciates the day being celebrated.
I think so people were relieved Halloween is not a big thing here because there is less requirement to dress up, or hand out candy, but then what is the point of doing anything? I think of Halloween as a day to be silly and strange with your friends while eating large quantities of candy that no one can judge you for doing. It really just reminds me how different England and the US really are in some ways.
But to end the story on a happy note, my friends and I went to a Ghost Tour around Oxford and got to learn about all the strange and horrible deaths that people have gone through over the ages there. It was rather interesting, as well as a bit spooky. We then went home and watched some Halloweentown in honor of the day. And I plan to watch some Stephen King tonight, as it just isn't Halloween without him.
Until next time...
Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin
"The least of learning is done in the classrooms." -Thomas Merton
At school in the States I decorate the door to my flat, as well as inside and usually watch '13 Night of Halloween' on ABC Family. I will spend hours looking up costumes and planning over the perfect thing to wear, although I usually end up with some last minute costume that I bought at Walmart or made from things I already own.
The best Halloween outfit I ever did was being a dead person my Senior year in High School. I had spent almost a month choosing what to dress as and only about a week before Halloween did I pick it. I went to a local Goodwill, bought some nice dress clothes, and got to rip them up. Online it said to bury them for a few days so they would get a nice dirt smell to make the costume more believable, but I was not that into it, so I just soaked the shirt in tea for a few days to make it look stained, and then painted my face entirely white white black eyeliner stitches. It was pretty ridiculous looking, but compared to my usually Dorothy costume, I thought it was a pretty good attempt.
But, getting back to England, and what I am suppose to be talking about...
Halloween is a big thing in America. Even if you do not dress up or have a party, you hand out candy (or leave some on your porch), and see all the nice Halloween and fall decorations that people put out leading up to the day. Well, in England, it is hardly a holiday at all. I saw no trick-or-treaters (then again I live in a college residence community, so where would they come from). No Halloween decorations up, and barely any sold. Minimal people dressed up. And general lack of Halloween movies.
I roommates spent a few nights leading up to Halloween watching 'Little Vampire' and 'Hocus Pocus' to get into the Halloween spirit, but there was hardly any point in doing it. I really wanted to dress up this year and to experience Halloween in England, but I don't think there was much to experience. (And plus I had no money to buy a costume, so I dressed as a Muggle from Harry Potter.) I saw some clubs were putting on Halloween themed parties where you dressed up to go, but that just isn't the same when no one appreciates the day being celebrated.
I think so people were relieved Halloween is not a big thing here because there is less requirement to dress up, or hand out candy, but then what is the point of doing anything? I think of Halloween as a day to be silly and strange with your friends while eating large quantities of candy that no one can judge you for doing. It really just reminds me how different England and the US really are in some ways.
But to end the story on a happy note, my friends and I went to a Ghost Tour around Oxford and got to learn about all the strange and horrible deaths that people have gone through over the ages there. It was rather interesting, as well as a bit spooky. We then went home and watched some Halloweentown in honor of the day. And I plan to watch some Stephen King tonight, as it just isn't Halloween without him.
Until next time...
Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin
"The least of learning is done in the classrooms." -Thomas Merton
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