a week slipped by...

So, I still don't have pictures from Kim, so I will just wait until I have hers before I put up any from Paris. This week was the first week of second semester classes and it was a little crazy. On Sunday, Mary went to London to pick up her friend Caroline (who was studying for the month of January in Greece and Turkey) at the airport and came back on the same day. Kevin also went to London, except he went with UNott to pick up some study abroad students from the airport and then came back to help them move into their spring accommodations... The flat was once again full and people were excited for classes to start. OK, so excited isn't the right word, we were ready to do something other than stay in the flat. I actually only have classes this semester on Tuesday and Thursday, so on the other days I entertain myself with homework, running and who knows what else. This Monday, we decided to show Caroline a bit of Nottingham and that night we went out to show her the biggest club in town. An early night in (after a long walk back) provided good conversation and fun.

My first day of classes proved to be quite interesting. My Cognitive psych class is much the same, but from there I have to run across campus to get to my other psych course on time... Social Psychology of Exercise and Sport. I was pleasantly surprised to find a room full of people actually my age. It is a third (final) year course for psych majors and it should be really good. Our convener is a young professor who actually wrote the book for the course, because of the lack of good texts in the field. Although it is an upper level course, I feel as though Luther has actually prepared me for it well enough that I should be able to enjoy it... especially because it is PERFECT for my major and minor. With a successful day of classes behind me, I came home just in time to run out the door with Kevin to go to the bus station. Two of our friends from Luther who are studying in Grenada, Spain are travelling during their break and made it up to Nottingham. We met Eda and Katie and came back to the flat for a nice dinner (which Brandon had been making by himself in the kitchen from 1:30 until 7... what a dedicated kid). Mark and Carol were still gone on a weekend trip of their own... so it was very strange to have twelve people sitting at our table, and all of them our age.... no adults, no lecturers, no directors... anyway, it was a fun dinner. That night, Kev and I showed Katie and Eda a bit of Nottingham and we visited the Lion and 'Pitcher and Piano' and had a relatively early night in.

Wednesday I didn't have class as usual, so I went to the city centre with the girls (it is great to have visitors from Luther, but especially female visitors... it was nice having John here, but it is always good to have girls here too). Eda found some boots, she has been looking for ever, and we showed the girls TopShop... after about an hour inside the store, Em and I left to come home and cook while Kev stayed with the girls. After hours of failed attempts at using British charcoal, we convinced Ryan to let us cook the pork in the oven. Even though it wasn't grilled, the pork tenderloin turned out very, very well. Eda and Katie were nice enough to point out that we really do eat like royalty here ... and that we have all turned into gourmet chefs. I'm not sure about the gourmet chef claim, but it is true, we always eat well... we have been lucky to have Mark and Carol buy us good ingredients and encourage good meals. That night, we just stayed in and entertained ourselves...

Thursday, I ventured to the Sutton-Bonnington Campus to take my first Nutrition class. When I got there, the lecture room was filled with first year students... the professor came in and it seemed as though it would be a reasonable course. Five minutes into the lecture, I realized I was in for way more than I bargained for... apparently, I am going to have to remember everything I learned in AP Chem, my one semester of Luther Chem and then teach myself some more... all for INTRO to nutrition... who knew? oh well, it will be a challenge, that's for sure. Katie and Eda headed off to Dublin and will be back on Monday for one last night. I hope it's a good one :)

Friday was nothing too terribly exciting. I went for a looong run in the beautiful weather (it is sunny and warm and perfect... the crocuses are blooming... in the beginning of February... what's going on?) and had tea with Mark and Carol to chat about the trip to Wales I am taking with my dad in a few weeks. Last night, I headed out with Aaron and Emily to see the Moscow State Orchestra. It was an excellent concert, but a little strange. After the scheduled pieces, the applause went on for several minutes. The conductor came back out on stage and they played an encore... how odd. It was enjoyable and we all applauded again. AGAIN they played an encore.... I was beginning to feel a little odd about the whole thing while we were applauding again, when they began to play a THIRD ENCORE. The music was wonderful, but the whole audience was very uneasy... heaven forbid someone break tradition... especially in the music world. It was actually a little amusing. Hurray for easy access to amazing cultural experiences!

Today is another beautiful day, I am waiting for a phone call from my dad and then am off for another perfect run. More later, I'm sure ;)