Salsa Weekend

Good morning everyone!! It was an absolutely beautiful morning walk to the gym this morning at half past seven; the sun was just starting to take away the dew on the ground, I swear every bird in the countryside was singing, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. It was definitely a brisk morning walk to the gym, but it felt refreshingly good. The dew was still saturating the ground, and nature was just stirring, even the cows in the pasture were moving slowly this morning. If I could have picked a song to play at that particular moment it would have been the composition “Dawn” from the 2005 adaption of Pride & Prejudice. It was perfectly tranquil and still.

This afternoon I had a lecture, UN Politics, and now I’m waiting for the seminar to begin. Needless to say, I am one of the only Americans in the course and it is quite funny to hear their interpretation of the United State’s role in the UN, government, and just ‘Americans’ in general…I think I’ll keep my lips sealed :) 

Oh, yesterday I spent the afternoon in Hanley and Newcastle with Bella, and we had a delightful late-lunch at some cute cafe in Newcastle. Then we went to PRIMARK, which is kind of like an H&M clothing store and to Wilkinsons, a Target-type store. I finally bought a lamp for my bedroom and a few things to make it more cozy, quite exciting!

This afternoon I plan on heading into Newcastle to buy some essential items such as a “Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake” poster and a local cell phone so I can actually get in contact with other British students! Afterwards I’m planning on cooking one of my first meals since I’ve arrived in England- grilled salmon on a bed of arugula with a balsamic dressing. I’ve discovered that I can not solely exist on pita, peanut butter, and apples so at my parents insisting I forget about how ridiculously expensive it is to eat here and buy real food. Everyone in my block cooks all the time though- even the boys, and like it’s GOOD food. Spaghetti bolognese, beef-and-broccoli stir fry, homemade pies, fajitas, stew and soups…like these boys really know how to cook, it’s quite fascinating. We end up spending most of our time in the kitchen, just hanging out anyways, so it works out nicely. I tried my first Banoffee Pie yesterday courtesy of Liam and it was absolutely delicious. Banoffee is kind of a combination a banana cream pie and banana fosters; quite delicious. 

Tonight kicks off my salsa dancing weekend and I’m already stoked! I’m going to be dancing the weekend away by kicking off my time in Liverpool. I’ll be staying close to university tomorrow night, heading to Birmingham on Saturday, and then to Stoke on Sunday. Can’t wait to get my dancing shoes on :)

Cheers