Advertisement
Published: February 25th 2007
Edit Blog Post
As I came down from Thursday's party high to the depressing reality of writing my first essay for Winchester, I was reminded of the real motivatoin for studying abroad - to study. But that doesn't mean I have to like it...
***I don't take my camera out with me...all these pictures are from various Facebook albums!***
Last Thursday (Feb. 22) ranks among my top nights in Winchester. I finally had a chance to go out with the people from my floor - Mark, Laura, Lauren, Jess, Chris - and Reg from the floor below. Anna, Betsy, Mary, Liz came also, and so did Cale from L.A. We went to Porthouse around 8, and the line was already forming at the door. Though we were pretty close to the front, it took almost an hour, since people with memberships can walk in past the line. It wasn't too big a deal, though, since it was interesting just to socialize, watch people and whisper with the American girls about the outrageous outfits the British girls put together, and the trends they follow in a cult-like fashion. (I know there's girls like that in the U.S., too, but the girls here get
ridiculously into a certain style, so they just end up looking exactly the same. They like the long shirts-with-leggings combo, but seem to have missed the "wear it with a skirt!" memo, since most wear shirts that barely cover what they should, with leggings and flats or boots, paired with matching jewelry...not a bad outfit for going out, but why look like clones?)
Thursdays are the big night at this nightclub, and we heard they were only letting 70 more people in, at one point. Luckily, we got there in plenty of time. It's pricey on this night, however -- 4 pounds with a student ID to get in, and a pound to check a coat. I figure I'll only go out one night a week, since I am on a budget - so I'll enjoy my night out!
We did a couple shots right off the bat (Black Sambuca, tastes like black licorice), hung out with the people we came with and met some more, and eventually hit the dance floor. It's all R&B on these nights -- all the music of this genre is from the States, of course -- so it was great for dancing.
We had to convince the guys to join us, but they finally came out and were, surprisingly, not horrible dancers. I had a WKD (blue vodka in a bottle), later, and Reg bought me another one much later on. When we got tired of dancing, we just sat in one of the chill-out areas of the club, which is nice and social. I met a guy named Andy, who's friends with Reg and Mark, and we hit it off. We danced, and such, and ended up talking on the way back.
We all went back together, but took a side stop at a fish and chips place -- they served all these questionable combinations of food, like lamb and chips (US fries) and various sauces...not for me! It was almost 3 a.m. by the time we got back to campus - I couldn't believe we'd been out that late! It was a lot of fun, though, and Andy and I hung out in my room for awhile after, too.
Hard to beat that...so the rest of the weekend has been pretty low-key. Friday night, I was going to go to a pub with Mary and Cale, but ended
up watching Family Guy in Reg's room with a bunch of people, then playing Mario Cart with Anna and Betsy in Mark's room. The latter was actually a lot of fun -- it's the only video game I'll play. Then it was time to sit online...and avoid homework.
Ditto for Saturday. I did walk around town with Anna to a bunch of bookstores, because I need to read this novel by tomorrow for my creative writing class. I'd been waiting for the campus bookstore or library to get it in all week, but no luck. So I resorted to walking all around town...and still didn't find it. Frustrated, I e-mailed my teacher and told her the situation, but she was very short with me and said I should have started looking before the weekend. Which I had! She recommended I borrow it from a friend in the class...of course, the problem is that I don't know anyone in the class. I'm rather frustrated that the campus bookstore doesn't meet students' needs at this university -- at home, required books are in at the beginning of the semester, and there are always enough for every student in the class. Eau
Claire teachers will never expect students to find books they don't request from the bookstore or library!! So to prepare for tomorrow, I read the first chapter online and a bunch of reviews, and hope the discussion doesn't get too over my head! It's not fair of her to expect any more of me.
Saturday night, Ceci invited Anna and I to dinner at one of her friend's flats in West Downs, a student apartment complex past the hospital. It was just us, a girl named Emily and another named Beth. They're all part of the Christian Union organization. It was really fun to talk and hang out -- plus, dinner was delicious!! Beth made chicken curry over rice, and we had red wine to go with it; delicious! We got back around 9 p.m., and I met with Betsy and Mary to nail down our travel plans. We need to start booking hostels, preferably cheap ones, so we picked the route of the cities we're going to visit and divided up the booking responsibilities. We were in a really weird mood, for some reason, very giggly and not serious at all. But we did get some things accomplished!
This morning, I went to church with Anna and Ceci, and some of Ceci's friends. It was all the way across town, about a half hour, and we got there at 9:30 for the free breakfast. All students for this one, and we had crossiants and hot crust buns, with jam and butter and Cadbury milk chocolate spread. Very good! The people were friendly, too.
I wish I could say I enjoyed the "service" as much as the breakfast. I should have known from the name of the place - The Vineyard - that it wasn't a real church! Not that being held in a warehouse didn't throw me off...with all these beautiful, historical churches and cathedrals, I go to church in a warehouse!
It was one of those "churches" where there's no litergy, random people can stand up and tell "testimonies" as a form of worship, and people make a spectacle of themselves during the songs. It was kind of cool to have a live band, but the musical lyrics were rather empty, and I was alarmed by the antics of some of the worshippers. The "message" was actually pre-recorded, since the pastor was sick. It
was thought-provoking, to be sure, about the Prodigal Son, but I felt like I was sitting through a class lecture and not a meaningful sermon. Plus, it was 45 minutes long!
After the "message" came more music and an opportunity for people to go up to the front of church, who wanted to be prayed for, and random people from the congregation went up and put their hands on them and, I presume, prayed privately. It was an interesting tradition, but I was rather unsure about what to do during this time. The service didn't have an official ending, and we just got up, ate donuts, and left. I know I won't be back! Not that there's anything fundamentally WRONG with The Vineyard, but I miss my traditional worship and being able to get something, spiritually, out of a service. I felt that their form of worship was all for show and very shallow.
And the rest of my Sunday has been spent on this 2,000-word essay about Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain for my history class. I've done most of the research, but still need to write it. Oh, and it's due tomorrow! I should get going....
Cheers!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.045s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 11; qc: 25; dbt: 0.0222s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
anonymous
non-member comment
Oh EM! It sounds like you are having lots of fun!!! The pictures look like fun as well!! I'm sorry about the whole church thing :( Hopefully you can find a church that gives you some meaning spiritually but if not, you can always resourt to reading the Bible on your own! I know that's not the same as worshipping with a group of people, but something that can keep you in track. I hope you were able to get your essay done!! Miss you lots dearie!! love ya!! Kathryn