So I got my midterms/essays back.  I did surprisingly well on both (the teachers for both classes are using the grading scale that has the first, upper second/lower second, etc.  I hope.  Because I got a 69 on one midterm which would be a C in the US grading scale but according to the grading scale set out by the teachers it's an A- instead).

I can't believe the month is almost over.  Finals are next week already and I have a paper due on Thursday that I'm working on today.  But still--for some reason I sort of consider Cambridge home.  While I was away in London for one weekend I couldn't wait to get back 'home' to Cambridge and Pembroke college.

(Dude, I am so going to miss Cambridge when I leave.)

I can't believe I've even lasted this long away from my family/friends/home.  (I can't even begin to tell you how much I was having doubts about going on this program the day I left CA.)

For some odd reason, I'm not all that much homesick.  I mean I miss my family and my friends especially, but other than that--IDK.  I've sort of made Cambridge a home for myself and so I now consider it my home.

I mentioned this to my mom but it doesn't even feel as if I'm in England.  I mean the currency is different and there's more Cadbury chocolate that they have here that I can't get in CA, and everyone has some sort of accent, but other than that it just doesn't feel really totally different.  I have no idea why that's so.

Also, I know my way around town now--the first couple of days here I was so afraid of going out on my own because I was afraid of getting lost but now I can walk around town perfectly without getting lost.  Obviously I don't know what some street names are besides Trumpington Street and Pembroke street but I just know where all the stores are located.  And I usually navigate by landmarks/places rather than by street names, which was why I loved Edinburgh so much (because there were so many landmarks for me to navigate by).

I've discovered some awesome foods here--in Edinburgh I had Scottish haggis, which was quite tasty, really.  I really love the chips here--IDK.  They're not skinny and flimsy like American fries.  And I always get them at dinner, for some reason.  (Only because I ask for them but it's like every night at dinner I always get one of the main courses and then a side of chips and, if I remember, something healthy.  It's hard to eat healthy when away from home.  I'm trying to eat more healthier, though, but I have to remind myself to.)

Crisps--they have a smoky bacon flavored crisps here.  I tried it and honestly it wasn't all that good.  (And now I really don't want actual smoky bacon.)  But that's a flavor you can't find in America and I'm wondering why.  I mean we have the ranch flavored crisps in America, and barbeque, and others that I can't remember off the top of my head, but smoky bacon?  (And they have roast chicken flavored crisps here.)  I don't recall ever seeing those in the chip aisle in America.  And I wonder why that's so.

(Or maybe they do have it in America but I just haven't seen it yet because I never look for chips in America.)

Jaffa Cakes--I already had these once in America but I love actually being able to find them here on a daily basis.  And the Jaffa Cakes mini rolls are to die for--they're so tasty.  There's also this Muller's Corner Yogurt which is quite tasty as well--you mix this fruit blend into the yogurt.  They also have ones where you mix chocolate into the yogurt, or honey as well. 

Forbidden Planet--there's one in Cambridge (I went to one in Edinburgh).  And I'm pretty sure they'll have Jim Butcher's Ghost Story in on the 28th of July, considering how they have his other novels at the store.  (I'm buying that book here.  I don't care if I can get it back here, I'm getting it here.

I think my dad's bringing an extra suitcase with him when he visits me at the end of the month because the amount of gifts/souvenirs/random trinkets I'm picking up are accumulating.  My plan to stick to postcards and key chains failed entirely.)

Anyway, I just went to Forbidden Planet today and I picked up something for my friend for her birthday.  Or Christmas.  I'll figure that out when I get there.  But it's an action figure, because she collects action figures, and it's a Futurama one, because I think she just recently got into the Futurama fandom.  (And I already got her a Sherlock Holmes pin and poster from the Sherlock Holmes museum because she also likes Sherlock Holmes.)  And then for myself I got a 'personalize your own sonic screwdriver' kit lol.  It looked awesome.  So I assembled my own sonic screwdriver and it lights up and makes noise.  I'm sure the novelty of it will wear off tomorrow but until then I just like pointing it around my room and pressing the button to make the lights flash.

Last week I went shopping at the local market (they have this market place here where there are just stalls selling stuff--it's pretty interesting to walk through some of the stalls.  One sells old records) and I think I finally found a perfect Blues Brothers hat for my costume.

( Sweet home Chicago... )

I saw Harry Potter last Friday in the local cinema.  I went with other people from the program so I got to hang out with people (okay, I'm trying to be social here, but it's hard.  I have friends but I don't exactly hang out with them.  Not like I do with my friends back home.  Then again, back home I only hang out with my friends when we get together for film meet-ups every other Saturday and we watch a film.  But still, I feel as if I can call them my best friends back home, and the friends I have here are just people I see on a daily basis and I probably won't see them again afterwards.  It's hard to make friends).

( Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--Part 2 )

So I got my midterms/essays back.  I did surprisingly well on both (the teachers for both classes are using the grading scale that has the first, upper second/lower second, etc.  I hope.  Because I got a 69 on one midterm which would be a C in the US grading scale but according to the grading scale set out by the teachers it's an A- instead).

I can't believe the month is almost over.  Finals are next week already and I have a paper due on Thursday that I'm working on today.  But still--for some reason I sort of consider Cambridge home.  While I was away in London for one weekend I couldn't wait to get back 'home' to Cambridge and Pembroke college.

(Dude, I am so going to miss Cambridge when I leave.)

I can't believe I've even lasted this long away from my family/friends/home.  (I can't even begin to tell you how much I was having doubts about going on this program the day I left CA.)

For some odd reason, I'm not all that much homesick.  I mean I miss my family and my friends especially, but other than that--IDK.  I've sort of made Cambridge a home for myself and so I now consider it my home.

I mentioned this to my mom but it doesn't even feel as if I'm in England.  I mean the currency is different and there's more Cadbury chocolate that they have here that I can't get in CA, and everyone has some sort of accent, but other than that it just doesn't feel really totally different.  I have no idea why that's so.

Also, I know my way around town now--the first couple of days here I was so afraid of going out on my own because I was afraid of getting lost but now I can walk around town perfectly without getting lost.  Obviously I don't know what some street names are besides Trumpington Street and Pembroke street but I just know where all the stores are located.  And I usually navigate by landmarks/places rather than by street names, which was why I loved Edinburgh so much (because there were so many landmarks for me to navigate by).

I've discovered some awesome foods here--in Edinburgh I had Scottish haggis, which was quite tasty, really.  I really love the chips here--IDK.  They're not skinny and flimsy like American fries.  And I always get them at dinner, for some reason.  (Only because I ask for them but it's like every night at dinner I always get one of the main courses and then a side of chips and, if I remember, something healthy.  It's hard to eat healthy when away from home.  I'm trying to eat more healthier, though, but I have to remind myself to.)

Crisps--they have a smoky bacon flavored crisps here.  I tried it and honestly it wasn't all that good.  (And now I really don't want actual smoky bacon.)  But that's a flavor you can't find in America and I'm wondering why.  I mean we have the ranch flavored crisps in America, and barbeque, and others that I can't remember off the top of my head, but smoky bacon?  (And they have roast chicken flavored crisps here.)  I don't recall ever seeing those in the chip aisle in America.  And I wonder why that's so.

(Or maybe they do have it in America but I just haven't seen it yet because I never look for chips in America.)

Jaffa Cakes--I already had these once in America but I love actually being able to find them here on a daily basis.  And the Jaffa Cakes mini rolls are to die for--they're so tasty.  There's also this Muller's Corner Yogurt which is quite tasty as well--you mix this fruit blend into the yogurt.  They also have ones where you mix chocolate into the yogurt, or honey as well. 

Forbidden Planet--there's one in Cambridge (I went to one in Edinburgh).  And I'm pretty sure they'll have Jim Butcher's Ghost Story in on the 28th of July, considering how they have his other novels at the store.  (I'm buying that book here.  I don't care if I can get it back here, I'm getting it here.

I think my dad's bringing an extra suitcase with him when he visits me at the end of the month because the amount of gifts/souvenirs/random trinkets I'm picking up are accumulating.  My plan to stick to postcards and key chains failed entirely.)

Anyway, I just went to Forbidden Planet today and I picked up something for my friend for her birthday.  Or Christmas.  I'll figure that out when I get there.  But it's an action figure, because she collects action figures, and it's a Futurama one, because I think she just recently got into the Futurama fandom.  (And I already got her a Sherlock Holmes pin and poster from the Sherlock Holmes museum because she also likes Sherlock Holmes.)  And then for myself I got a 'personalize your own sonic screwdriver' kit lol.  It looked awesome.  So I assembled my own sonic screwdriver and it lights up and makes noise.  I'm sure the novelty of it will wear off tomorrow but until then I just like pointing it around my room and pressing the button to make the lights flash.

Last week I went shopping at the local market (they have this market place here where there are just stalls selling stuff--it's pretty interesting to walk through some of the stalls.  One sells old records) and I think I finally found a perfect Blues Brothers hat for my costume.

( Sweet home Chicago... )

I saw Harry Potter last Friday in the local cinema.  I went with other people from the program so I got to hang out with people (okay, I'm trying to be social here, but it's hard.  I have friends but I don't exactly hang out with them.  Not like I do with my friends back home.  Then again, back home I only hang out with my friends when we get together for film meet-ups every other Saturday and we watch a film.  But still, I feel as if I can call them my best friends back home, and the friends I have here are just people I see on a daily basis and I probably won't see them again afterwards.  It's hard to make friends).

( Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--Part 2 )