Kicked the habit

Well, it's been a really good week, even though a lot of my closest friends have already left for home. I've gotten to hang out with the Norwegians a lot and get to know them better, which is really nice. They're a great group! We went out to the Habit, my absolute favourite pub in York - they have live music and an Ankh-Morpork atmosphere without all the violence! They also shared with me their love of Pride and Prejudice, and I must admit, it was pretty amazing! Even the guys were getting excited about it, haha! I've also been working up the long, LONG overdue courage to actually speak up in the presence of my flatmates, which has been very rewarding. Woo hoo! And now it's off to adventure and discovery! I'm really looking forward to Norway and Scotland especially! Oh! It's going to be great!

No turning back now...

That's it! The plans are set and ready to be put in motion on Friday! I have everything booked and paid and am getting more and more nervous by the minute. Woo hoo! I'll catch you all up when I get back, but there may be some long periods of silence - sorry in advance! EUROPE AWAITS!

I've got to admit, it's getting better...

Sorry for the wait, but there's been lots of ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

First of all, Lidas came to visit, and that was fun. It was really nice to see her and be able to talk with someone I actually know for a change. Other than that, we didn't really do much except try Quiz Night and meet with Laetitia and her family for crepes and my first ever Nutella experience! No one was in the dorms - NO ONE - and walking around York does get quite boring after a while... On the upside, Lidas unwittingly provided me with my newest favourite New Zealand folk parody duo, Flight of the Conchords. (Incidentally, when we were at Quiz Night this week, they played a FotC song, and no one understood my excitement.)


Anyway, she's off having a much better time now in Paris, so all is well. Good new this week is that I actually had a really enthusiastic and more than satisfactory lecture! In Peace Studies, we talked about the role of Europeans in international security. It was really quite invigorating for me! Globalisation, cultural identity, nationalism! It had it all...

ANYWAY, we also discovered that a direct, 2-hour train to London will only run 11 pound 25 each way, so....there's a future trip not-really-planned-but-at-least-mentioned with Lucy and Kirsten. Woo hoo! Well, we'll see.

This morning, I went out into the newly renevated 'wildlife area' outside my dormitory and played the guitar for a good forty-five minutes.

Also, I had decided to stop bothering the folks upstairs, but when I woke up this morning, I was so restless and sick of relying on the internationals, that I had another go. I actually ended up going out with the group on my floor, though, and it was really fun! I spent about an hour and a half just talking with Sophie and Conor in Sophie's room, but then Chris, Nick and Dan joined us when we went out, and it wasn't bad at all. We actually found SEATS this time and could hear each other talking. I wasn't afraid this time and got in on some good conversation, especially with Chris and Conor - they're hilarious!

It's yet another fresh start, and I have a good feeling about this one. (Sorry for all the vacillation...)

'Abandon sea!' shouted the Bursar cheerfully.

Welcome to beautiful York, Perry Olson!

Hi, everyone! How are you? Everything's going just fine here at YSJ. (Although this post will probably be a bit scattered. I can't seem to write well at all today.) I'm talking to someone about volunteering at a local primary school and also trying to figure out if I can join the choir here, but I think it may be on at the same time as my Peace Studies course. Oh well.
I've been keeping myself entertained with a couple of different groups. Laetitia, Agata, Christina and I have been hanging out pretty regularly in the evenings (at least for the last couple of days), and other internationals often join in. Yesterday, for example, about nine of us went to a Chinese restaurant, where I spoke in Spanish with Monica y Marta, and got to brush up on those skills. We also went to the Jorvik Viking Festival and saw a brilliant and stirring 'battle'. It was a little pathetic. And very cold. And full of enthusiastic children. But it was fun, all the same.

I also spent some time with Kirsten's friends from upstairs, and they're extremely nice and friendly. Mark, Kirsten and I watched a film until three in the morning, but the three of us, Dan and Chris all went to play frisbee in the garden outside at around midnight. They've a wonderful sense of humour, and don't actually drink all that much (which is a nice relief).

Tonight's karaoke night, so Christina and I are planning on making fools of ourselves! Woo hoo! She's really fun, and we have a lot of similar music tastes, so it should be a fun time. Also, she and Agata and almost definitely going on the last leg of my Easter trek with me! Hurrah!

Ah, Scotland for Easter...

The Not-So-Jolly Roger! (Remember those books?)

Last night was...interesting. It was Jamie's birthday, so he asked everybody to dress up like cartoon characters and go down to Toff's, a 'fancy-dress' club. What actually ended up happening was this: they all stayed here for about two hours drinking, then we went down to the Students' Union to buy our tickets, and....they went ahead an had some more drinks. At this point, our group multiplied and eventually, we were about 30 cartoons strong. It was madness.

We proceeded to parade through the streets, some of them completely hammered, talking to the older couples eating in the restaurants and competing for high-fives from strangers. We then went to four different pubs, still without any sign of Toff's. It was a bit surreal. Apparently the fancy dress thing is very common here. People were walking around dressed (and painted) as Smurfs, and no one thought anything of it. Very strange.

Anyway, around 23.00, a group of girls (myself included) decided to just go to Toff's as the rest of the group was planning on heading to another three pubs (ugh). Well, we got there (honestly, the path was like a labyrinth), and it was extremely uncomfortable - for me, anyway. My costume was kinda crappy (I went as Linus, which hardly anyone knew, especially since all I had was a striped shirt and a blue blanket [pillowcase, really].), I was there with only one person that I knew, andthere was nothing to do except drink or dance. I had a Pepsi and stood awkwardly next to my new friends as they 'danced' (I honestly don't understand my generation...).

Anyway, after about 45 minutes, I couldn't take it anymore and decided to leave. It really just wasnt' my kind of scene. So I walked back at midnight alone and talked to Lidas until I arrived safely. At least now I can say I've tried it and clubbing is not my thing. Lesson well learned, I s'pose. Cheers, all!

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Little update: Apparently, I was on a campus-wide pub crawl and didn't even know it. Haha - what fun! Also, I ran into Jamie (still in his Taz suit and anti-hangover sunglasses) this afternoon, and the poor guy didn't even get into Toff's for his own celebration (apparently he was too drunk). Unfortunately, he admitted that that is about all he can remember about the evening. Hmmmm...

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Also, all is well. We all had tea together tonight, and they were all really nice and accepting. Way!

Eclectic

Well, I think I've found a very good group. They all always hang out right next door and are very friendly. They don't mind me sitting in, even when I have nothing to add to the conversation and seem to be just all-around nice people. They're from all over the U.K. and today entered into an hour-long debate about which accents sound stupid. It was insanely entertaining. They go out about twice a week and have invited me along, so this is a very good start. Hurrah! Tonight, we just stayed in and watched 'Groundhog Day'. I did not mention my true feelings for Bill Murray, so the night was quite enjoyable thankyouverymuch. I also introduced them to Potter Puppet Pals, and they were quite amused. Good times, is all I need say. It is a bit awkward as about six of them have bought a house for next year together, so they're all pretty tight, but they haven't left yet, so there's still fun to be had. It's a good day, and a good finish with good friends. Cheers till next time!

The Demon Student of Coney Street

Good, fun-filled day, this. I had a great lecture this morning (as well as a really fun and interesting one last night in Peace Studies. The 70-year-old couple is my favourite!) and had lunch with some new people. We went to a film, so that cut down on boredom time, AND I got to really get to know and have dinner with one of my housemates, which is very helpful. We're planning a weekend trip, even. She's very nice and plans on attending my home uni next year, which is awesome. Huzzah! Anyway, United won, and they even showed Solskjaer for a brief moment, so it is, in fact, a good day.