Another week down. Where is the time going? It's crazy to think that I really only have 6 weeks left here.
This week was much calmer than the last, thank goodness. Even work was quiet, which I have to admit was a relief. And we had Thursday afternoon off from Religions, so it really was a fairly uneventful week. Friday a few other girls and I spent the day in Kingston wandering and talking--it was nice just to hang out in the sunshine and enjoy being outside. Afterwards I headed to my aunt's for the weekend. Saturday we we went to Greenwich to make up my assignment from last week. We took a riverboat from Westminster Pier all the way down the Thames, which was really interesting. It was definitely bigger than the boat I work on in the summers........but same concept. They even had volunteer captains, just like the good old Empress. Greenwich was really cool, but it was absolutely packed. The weather here has been beautiful the last few days, and it seems like every single person in the city has been outside making the most of it. We could hardly move in the markets, let alone find an empty piece of grass to sit on. We finally decided to call it a day around 4 and got back on the boat. About halfway through the trip the guy doing the commentary said really casually 'hang on, there's going to be a little bump.' No one really took any notice, but two seconds later there was a gigantic bump as the boat rammed into London Bridge. A couple of people fell down inside the boat, my tea went all over my arm, and quite a few people screamed. The funny (or not so funny...) thing was that the guy just asked everyone if they were okay before continuing with his commentary! I was waiting for the boat to start sinking Titanic style. Seriously, who just steers a boat with nearly 200 people on it into a bridge? I thought about giving the guy the benefit of the doubt, that maybe a current swept him that way, but the boat hit the bridge head on. Anyway. Someone must have called the police because they were there when we docked....my guess is that the boat company is going to have a lot of questions to answer. Plus, there was a sizeable dent/paint damage on the boat. And who knows what damage it did to the bridge? Major oops. Sunday we went to Painshill Park to go walking with Jenny's friend Jane--it was a beautiful park. After we had a late lunch at a little organic cafe before driving around Epsom Downs, a horse racing facility. I do not understand the British obsession with horse races. And why would you dress up for it? Don't get it. Today we did a little shopping (trying to find that little brother of mine a birthday present...) and then I headed back to Vandon.
Since I had such a non-busy week, I had loads of time to think. I still don't know what I want to do, but that's okay. I'll graduate in May with a liberal arts degree that gives me the ability to do a multitude of things if I set my mind to them. I have at least ruled out grad school for now--I know that I would love it, but it's an expensive way to buy more time to decide what I want to do, and what would be the point if I don't have a specific career goal in mind yet anyway?
The other thing I've realised is that when I finally settle down, it won't be in the city. I have loved living in London the past few months, but honestly, I think it's exhausting. I dread going anywhere near the tube during rush hours, and our area is absolutely crawling with people on the weekends. Sometimes it's literally like I can't breathe it feels so crowded. I miss clean air and space and nature. Walking in Painshill Park this weekend really made me see that I won't be totally happy if I don't have those things. It makes sense, I did grow up swimming in the creek and feeding cows after all. And in Wales, I loved Outdoor Pursuits--the adrenaline of doing those things and the insanely beautiful places we went were just so amazing. At the same time, I don't think I want to be totally isolated from the excitement of a city either. I love the fact that there are museums and historical places and new things to see pretty much on my doorstep. So basically, I figured out that I want the best of both worlds, which is probably what everyone wants. Maybe it wasn't as cool of a realisation as I thought.
Anyway. I'll leave you with exciting news--my name is finally in print, in London. My name is on page 3 of this week's edition of This Is London, which you can all check out at www.til.com . It's not attached to a specific article, since articles in the magazine never do unless it's a review, but I did write a few of the pieces. Definitely a cool feeling.
Have a good week!
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