transporting the culture

The weather is gorgeous here - 50s, sunny, you would think that its a Missouri spring. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm keeping my window curtains open 24/7 so I don't miss an ounce of sunlight. I thought my plants would appreciate it, but they are all still dying. I must be suffocating them with love, or water, or something.

Last week saw a failed Superbowl party (near midnight + broken tvs = quick loss of interest) and my first Pancake Day (the English celebrate the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday with their own inventive pancakes, which are crispy and served with lemon juice and sugar -- yum!).

I also tried to wow the English with my bowling skills at a Griffens (read: Homerton Sports Clubs) social. However, I turned out to be about average, which was a tad embarrassing considering the massive amount of trash talking I did (not quite). They were amazed, however, when I told that that I took a bowling class for college credit. That stuff doesn't fly at Cambridge, apparently. Too much dedication to the books going on here.

Speaking (typing?) of academics - I'm LOVING my Austen supervision. Jane is a bit more tricky than I originally expected and she's so much more pleasant to read than the stuffy modernists. My mind is in a bit of an odd place these days - switching from TS Eliot's nihilism and Austen's romance - its a shocking literary cocktail. And I'm considering senior honors projects - can you imagine the glory if I could combine my two majors into one essay? I'm thinking of the function of criticism - Brecht's idea that literature should jumpstart social change, and its effects, or what not. Hm. Might be a bit of a sell to the PoliSci, it will require some more thought.

My time here is almost half over, which is weird to think about. I miss Jewell terribly, but I think, when the time comes to leave Cambridgeshire, my heart will break a little. My cold cold heart may be warming to the English these days, I think it just might be.