About A Weekend

It's been a little more than a weekend that I've been here. My high ambitions for exploration on Saturday didn't quite work out, as I slept until about two in the afternoon, clocking in at over 16 hours of sleep--a new, personal record. I spent the rest of the day by myself in the city center, getting lost, un-lost, and re-lost--it was wonderful. I wish I could've had someone along with me to walk along the city walls and look out over the greenest yards and gardens I've ever seen. That night, I went to use some of my weekend stipend on reasonably-priced but quite good Indian food and also went to the pub in the Student Union for a while with some people from my building.

Sunday was our trip with the other international students to the seaside towns of Whitby and Scarborough. To get there, we took a shuttle across the Yorkshire Moors, which were covered in heather and sheep. It's nice to see agriculture and livestock incorporated somewhat into the culture here, even in terms of physical space, compared to the monstrous but phantom-intangible industries of the States. Contrary to the cynical opinions of people in the dorms, Whitby (think Bram Stoker and Dracula) was gorgeous. The city spreads from where the Esk River feeds into the North Sea up the steep walls of the river valley. We started with a quick walk-through/around of the ancient Whitby Abbey, which overlooks the city from the East Cliff. After traveling down the 199 steps from the abbey, John and I scooted around town a bit before eating at a place called Gatsby's. Due to our location on the seaside, we felt it necessary to attempt an order of fish and chips, which were remarkably better than my past experiences with the two, but still not exactly what I want out of life. We went on on the beach during low tide and walked out on the pier (where I unfortunately ruined my first role of film) before heading reconvening with our group and heading down the coast to Scarborough. Scarborough was similarly scenic, but less charming and more trash (think casinos and inflatable carnival attractions), so we just ate some apple pie and walked around a bit, searching for bathrooms and something more interesting to look at than billboards.



| left: Gatsby's Cafe and Restaurant--the fish and chips were fresh but greasy, and the tea was even greater
| right: me reading a bit of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (set partially in Whitby) on a path we found behind some houses on the hill

Somehow, the past two days alone have felt like a month's worth of details and miniature experiences, but it was nice today to get introduced to two our two classes with Prof. Smith. It will be nice to study here, I think. Being around so much culture somehow encourages me to get into the books, and although there's so much to do and see, the newness seems just solitary enough to have lots of personal/study time. For example, this afternoon, after returning from the market with school supplies, a potted hyacinth, and some candles, I've holed up here in my room reading and writing--two things that often got squeezed out of life back home but are the sorts of things I think I most need in order to live my life well.