So this post will provide a mixture of elements. It will partially provide accounts of my adventures but it will also contain a bit of my opinion on certain subjects. Hopefully you all find that entertaining to read about as well. If not, feel free to let a girl know.
So Thursday was Valentine's day. Isn't that a loaded opening line. For some I'm sure it fills your mind with thoughts of the gifts you got, the gifts you gave, spending the day with the one you love. For others I'm sure you hate me right now for bringing it up. You thought you finally escaped it. The day came and went and you thought you were free to live your life without thinking about it for another 364 days. Believe me, I'm right there with you. The holiday, meant for love in general, leaves no chance of feeling indifference. In America it's considered a capitalistic treasure as people flood the malls spending money on flowers that will soon die, chocolate that will soon be eaten, and cards that will soon be put in a drawer never to be seen again. You thought those were good gifts too, huh? Not when I put that perspective on them. Most people will go out to dinner. Spending money and eating, America's two greatest principles, right? Well readers, I thought I had escaped the capitalistic nature of Valentine's day when I left America and it's behavior of consumption behind. I was terribly wrong. As soon as February began the signs of Valentine's day reared their ugly heads. You couldn't walk down the street without having advertisements for the day shoved down your throat. As the day neared I became hopeful that maybe people wouldn't celebrate the occasion as much as these advertisements had lead on. I sound awfully bitter, don't I? I swear I'm not. Okay, I'm lying. As I recalled Valentine's Day last year I thought about how content I was with my love life, or lack thereof. As I went into the TUB (not a bathtub, the Titan Union Building at Westminster) I saw many people receiving flowers and candy and sharing their love but I saw equally as many people crying or fighting it seemed. And no, I am not that bad of a person. I did not get enjoyment of their despair at all, I did however get enjoyment out of knowing that I felt neither emotion. I was happy with where I was in my life. No overly abundant in love but not upset about that fact either. Valentine's Day this year offered a different scene however. I began my day feeling more bitter than usual about my lack of a male companion in my life. I had it set in my mind that I would not leave my apartment until I realized that I had class that day thus forcing me to do so. As I trudged outside I was immediately hit with the traditions of how this country celebrates Valentine's day, and let me tell you, it was similar to feeling like I was hit by a bus. I did not walk past one man who wasn't carrying a bouquet of flowers or past one couple who wasn't holding hands. Everyone was laughing and smiling in a way that seemed to mock me as I scowled at each and every one of them. Somehow I had made it through the day alive. Maybe it was the ten cupcakes I ate or the bottle of wine I drank to myself. I'm kidding, I'm not that pathetic. I only ate two cupcakes and I only drank half of a bottle of Malibu rum. What kind of person do you think I am? The classiest, of course.
So I'm sure that none of you cared to read about how volatile about love I truly am. For the few of you that made it through that rant, I do have an adventure to tell about. On Friday morning bright and early I boarded a train to Central London donning an acute hangover and an extremely runny nose. Cute, right? For my British Life and Culture class we had tickets to tour Parliament and Shakespeare's Globe Theater. At Parliament we had a fabulous tour guide who gave us an interactive history lesson about the parliament as well as accurate accounts of how it is utilized today. Here in Britain they have a bicameral system, much like in the States. These parties are the House of Lords and the House of Commons which are both held in Parliament. The House of Lords is an unpaid position which 707 members. These are mostly people who have inherited their positions. This house was historically held in esteem. The House of Commons is now representative of the true government and is run by 659 elected members who act as a voice for each constituency in the UK. The building was grand and full of history, as most buildings here in England are. After this we walked to the Globe Theater. The day was absolutely beautiful and perfect for a travel alongside the Thames river. Although the theater is a re-creation of the original theater once worked in by Shakespeare himself, it is historically as accurate as it can possibly be. There was nothing grand about the open air building that offered uncomfortable wooden seats and a lack of any real decoration but that's what was so magnificent about it.
One thing that I have noticed is that it appears that I am allergic to this country. Upon being freed from my facial infection I have contracted a cold that has left me without much of a voice (my worst nightmare) and thus have been bedridden and will continue to be until I feel better or until class on Monday, whichever comes first. I hope that after this horrendous post you all find it in yourself to read my blog in the future. I promise they will not be as crude ;)
Ps. I am sorry that every paragraph begins with the word "so". Apparently I am lacking a broad range of vocabulary today.
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