"I Gots Me A Dream"

Reading back through the past few entries, I am slightly worried to see that almost every time I write anything up here I manage to squeeze in something about One Tree Hill... not even very subtly. In fact I think it's safe to say that my last entry was based entirely on it. So you'll probably be happy to know I have now decided to make a conscious effort to seem a little less crazy and move onto actual real life! A scary thought, I know, but I think it's for the best. 

So I thought one good way of doing this would be to give you a list of some strange/exciting/funny things I did this past week or so. 

Also, just a quick little side-note: quite a few of you lovely people have told me privately that you like keeping up with my bloggage. If this is the case and you aren't actually 'following' it, please take the couple of minutes to make an account and do so! Not only would I love to see who actually reads (and bump up my measely 9 followers of course), and have you be able to comment if you feel inclined to, but I also think you should all also check out some other bloggeroos on here because some of the ones I follow are pretty darn good. More about them another time. 

Anyhoo! Hope you are all having a great week wherever you are: here is my list of wacky shizz i've been up to. Enjoy!

1) Wrote a poem about canine teeth. Genuine set homework for an english class. Written from the perspective of the tooth. Poem itself may be provided upon request, but trust me it's not the most captivating read.

2) Got a tattoo of the Australian flag on my wrist. Ok well it was a stick-on one, but had you going there though didn't I? This was in honour of Australia day yesterday, and with such a ridiculous Aussie proportion in Alexander Global Village, we of course had to have a little celebration- consisting of some beautiful cakey goods and a quiz on Australian slang. I learn the words 'arvo' and 'budgie-smugglers'. A great experience all round.

3) Went to the gym for the first time. Not ever, but the first time in the NC State one. Now we get free entry, and the front door of the building is no more than 25 steps from the front door of Alexander. And we have been here three weeks. Pretty awful effort, especially since we have all vowed to shed the pounds for Spring Break. Plus I only stayed about half an hour. Oh well.

4) Collected a package from home, and somehow, on the 3 minute walk home, lost it. What can I say. The search is still underway. It was from Jim, bless him- apparently contained chai tea and it smelled freaking amazing. For the 10 seconds that I actually held it. 

New Development- Package found and anonymously posted in my mailbox! Hurrah! Chai tea in bed proving to be the best feeling in the world ever.

5) Got dropped on my head by a Frenchman. The only way I can possibly explain how I managed to achieve 4). Have felt the effects mentally ever since.

And finally, one last thought to leave you with.  This humorous little sight I found pinned up proudly on a wall the other day: priceless misquote of possibly the most famous speech in American history.

x

Lucas, I miss you

Yesterday was amazing. Not quite the lazy Sunday I had planned- but so much better.

 My idea to spend the day catching up on work, sleep, laundry and reading went down the pan the second my very impulsive friend Megan and her friend Camilla, who was visiting from Australia, came into my room babbling a spur of the moment plan to rent a car and drive to the coast. To a gorgeous little town called Wilmington, more specifically. Which I had heard of plenty of times before, simply for the fact that my beloved One Tree Hill is filmed there. So, despite all the work I now still have to slog through, I was never really going to say no was I?

For those of you unfamiliar with OTH (and i don't judge you- it is cheesey and unrealistic to an extent but just so you know you ARE missing out...) I will just explain that the rivercourt is pretty iconic and epitomal to the story. A bit of a hotspot for all that teenage angst as well as a beautiful setting to emphasise the small-town homely atmosphere and, come to think of it, actually just a place for all the basketball players to get topless and bring in a few thousand extra viewers, it couldn't be more perfect a place for 3 out-of-towners who have sat through 8 seasons of emotional adolescent drama to bring us to this life-defining point.

- example of said angst.

Okay, so maybe life-defining was a slightly strong term. 

It was amazing though. Particularly in the stunning backdrop of that blazing red North Carolina sunset. The lights on the river started to remind me of Newcastle: the river Tyne with the slowly merging lights of the Millenium Bridge and all the quayside's nightlife reflecting off the water. Perhaps for the first time since being here, I felt the first pang of home-sickness. In retrospect, it was more of an appreciation of home as seen through the sights of North Carolina, rather than a real desire to be back there. I know the Tyne will always be there the next time my Northern Rail train chugs over the bridge and pulls into Central Station. 

But for now, the crisp southern-coastal air is more than enough to keep me content.

x

Papa was a Rodeo

Well what a long week it's been! 

In a good way, of course; the Alexander hall honeymoon period is most definitely still in full flow. Had one of those strange nights you know you'll never forget in a lifetime the other night at the "The World's Toughest Cowboy" down at the RBC Centre in Raleigh - my friend Tom stumbled upon this website during a lazy night in a hotel room when we first arrived here, and we made a pact to go. And what an experience it was! 

I'm pretty sure my vegan friend will be choking on her soy latte right about now (sorry Katie)- as I have to say it definitely wasn't the most ethical production out there. We asked a slightly more seasoned rodeo-goer how exactly they got the horses and bulls to buck so much in the stadium when they seemed so calm beforehand. 

Wish I hadn't asked.

Moving swiftly on. After the show we went outside to find a cab back to campus, but in a slightly intoxicated state of pure elation decided that a more appropriate mode of transport would be the back of some guy's truck. 

Turns out this is legal in the state of North Carolina?

Amazing night, topped off by some really quite dire house parties, one at which we were shuffled out of a back door having heard 'the cops are here' (doubtful- it wasn't particularly worth raiding), but being under 21 in this new place, we bought the story, dropped our cans and ran like hell. Bloody tourists, eh. 

In more present news, very much enjoying the celebration of Martin Luther King Day today. Our celebrations being getting the day off classes. My personal celebration being sitting in my pyjamas with wet hair and no makeup trying to edit a shockingly bad essay on African American music to submit to Manchester by midnight. What boring people we Manchester students must seem to all the other people in Alexander! Once this essay is done, Raleigh and its one dirty over-18 club better prepare to be hit HARD. 

x

Walmart.

Well, months on from the last time i even considered blogging, here I am in beautiful North Carolina! 


Moved into NC State's incredibly active and diverse international halls, the Alexander Global Village, two nights ago and despite feeling quite overwhelmed by the tugging forces of going out/finishing essays set by Manchester, the overall consensus seems to be that we love college. 


I am quite ashamed to say that by day 3 I still have yet to experience the likes of of beer pong and frat parties due to aforementioned essay-writing, but I have gone for fro-yo, bought Reese's Pieces, eaten pizza by the slice (struggling to find an experience which doesn't include food)... oh yes, and spent three consecutive days in the main attraction of the glorious USofA. Walmart.

I could easily go on for a good portion of the rest of the night about how much I love this little diamond, and all the cheapy crap it offers to us international students trying to make our dorms pretty. But since I have my first class at 8am in the morning i'll spare you the details. Long story short: three girls, three days, three different Walmarts.
'Nuff said.


Must be off, but here are a few pictures I took around campus to make this actually informative and a semi-worthwhile read for those of you who are interested in how I'm doing:

x