random observations

1. foods with weird names tend to turn out better than they sound. examples: (a) "cullen skink" sounds gross, yes? actually a delicious fish stew. (b) "bangers and mash" whaaaaa? really good sausages and mashed potatoes with delicious oniony gravy. yum. (c) "mushy peas" really just like splitpea soup, in spite of the unfortunate use of the word "mushy".
2. the downs is dark enough at night to see the stars.
3. i extrapolate about people's personalities based on the color of scarf they are wearing.
4. i have a scarf fetish and have bought far too many of them here.
5. i'm finding myself picking up little bits (case in point) of the english language here. "bits" is a big one. i also find myself wanting to say "cheers" instead of "thanks," and then feeling awkward knowing that it comes out sounding weird with my accent. it slips out on occasion though. :)
6. ANYTHING... and i mean ANYTHING tastes good after frisbee practice.
7. brits don't put parmesan on their pasta... they put ketchup on it. ??? weird...
8. ugg boots and mini skirts has got to be the ugliest clothing combination known to man. and the most popular, apparently.
9. old english couples are especially adorable for some reason. i love seeing them walking slowly along, arm in arm.
10. the men here spend far, far more time on their hair than i do. that may be (and probably is) true just about everywhere, but here it's painfully obvious. they have salons that advertise as "men's hair stylists," for goodness' sake.
11. i end up being the quiet one in the group all the time. it's okay though--i like the observer role. and then, eventually, someone will talk to me, and it's usually a good conversation.
12. people on campus are infernally rude when walking on sidewalks. my thoughts as i risk my neck on the way to class: "you really can't move over a few inches so i can walk by without having to step off into the road? really??"
13. there are many various products here that use "bio" in their name and i have no idea what it means. it's on laundry detergent and yogurt. i just don't know what to make of that.
14. sainsbury's basics: a loaf of bread for 30p? a box of cereal for 1 pound 50? amazing! we need this in the states...
15. guys here hold doors open for me. this is also one of the few times they make honest eye contact with me. i hope my smile makes their day go better, the way their courtesy made mine.
16. still no hippie sightings. the closest i got was a weird drink i bought in london, titled "hippie". it was actually rhubarb juice. interesting association...
17. it is really easy to BS your way through a seminar here by asking intelligent questions. not that i ever do that, of course.
18. when i was figuring out how much money to bring here, i failed to budget for the inordinate amount of kleenex i have bought since arriving.
19. the cheapest, bottom-of-the-barrel, supermarket-brand chocolate here is ten times better than the sad, sad stuff we have at home.
20. the british definition of flavor when it comes to food: there are 2 options. option 1: bland. option 2: knock-your-tongue-out spicy.
21. my favorite part of my day is walking around campus. it's brisk and cold and (so far) clear, and the fall colors are gorgeous right now.
22. buying medicine in a different country is a interesting, slightly terrifying endeavor.
23. i constantly crave fresh fruits and vegetables.
24. they use spray deodorant here. ick. i'm sticking with my stick.
25. if you somehow during a conversation let out that you're an Obama supporter, you get all kinds of pats on the back. i wonder what they do if you say you're supporting McCain...
26. everyone here knows all of the same songs, word for word. when i was at the club for the frisbee party this weekend, the funniest part was watching drunk british guys sing along to cheesy, cheesy pop songs by female artists... at the top of their lungs.
27. i have moved up a tier in my coffee drinking since being here: from latte to espresso con panna. so delicious, and STRONG. last time i went to caffe nero and asked for one, the guy raised his eyebrows, smiled, and then proceeded to give me three punches on my loyalty card. i didn't know it was that impressive. ha!
28. skype is amazing.
29. so are two pound coins.
30. and chocolate covered digestives.

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