Back to school . . .

More photos:

http://jewell.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012655&l=e430a&id=125300053
http://jewell.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012658&l=99041&id=125300053

I'm typing this at my desk in Cambridge, and minus the empty bookshelf (which will be full in a few days, I'm sure - once I hit the libraries), it's creepy how natural this feels. I was not looking forward to coming here - school work pales in comparison to being home and relaxing and traveling Europe, and as I'm sure you can imagine, it's not even a pretty color of pale. School work is an unhealthy, translucent, dead fish color of pale when it stands next to those aspects of winter break. But now that I'm here, it's just . . . routine. And that's nice, especially after the chaos of traveling for two complete weeks out of a heavy backpack. I really enjoyed dumping that backpack out, and hiding it in my closet.

Visiting Oxford (where I spent the past three days) was wonderful. Janeane (and all the Oxford Overseas students) live in houses, so we cooked real meals, and I did THREE loads of laundry while I was there - in a machine and everything. Lovely. I barely left her house - I needed some hermit time after the go-go-go pace of Italy, and it was almost as good as being in the US. I'm sure I'll go back to Oxford in the spring and see more of the city than Janeane's house, two pubs, and a Gap, but as of right now - no regrets. It was a good transition from world traveler to uni student.

We got into Cambridge today at 12:30 PM, and lugged all of our luggage back to school, dropped it off, and then me and John took the bus to Tesco (their "Walmart", you could kind of say) to stock up on some food. I spent 40 pounds, but my cupboard is completely full of delicious food, and I can't wait to get hungry again. I'm going to try harder to make real food this term - (no more toast lunches, I promise, Mom!) and I've already started with a container full of curry chicken salad. Awesome. (AND Diet Coke was on sale (!!) - so I now have two ten packs in my wardrobe, and life doesn't get much better than that!)

Now, its 10:27, and everything is unpacked and ready to go for term. Tomorrow is pretty slow - there's a rowing meeting and I've got to figure out my lectures and get some books, and things really start on Tuesday. So I'm milking the rest of break until Tuesday, you better believe it.

Much love, and I miss you all!