excerpts from a narrative

I'm coming up on the end of my Advanced Composition class at FSU, and our final project is to write a long report.   The whole semester we've focused on building an idea for a business, and mine was a bookstore/art gallery in Carlisle, England.  One of the options for our long report was a business plan, but seeing as I've done one of those for another (business) class, I decided to skip that and go with a traditional research paper.  However, we are not allowed to write a 100% research paper; it has to be at least 50% our own thoughts and ideas.  I'm just about halfway done with my paper, which is about Carlisle and other places in the UK, and I'm having a lot of fun with it.  I love being given freedom by professors to do basically what I want.  I thought I'd share a couple excerpts from what I have thus far:

"Growing up, I was always intrigued by the unknown and attracted to the spontaneity of travel.  I longed to go to Africa and India; to see the pyramids in Cairo and the elephants in Jaipur.  I dreamt of Belize and other tropical paradises.  Never, however, except for when watching the 1993 film version of The Secret Garden, did I imagine going to England.

When I reflect on it, it is unclear to me as to why the desire was never stronger.  Countless brilliant literary figures have come from the United Kingdom, namely William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Brontës, T.S. Eliot, Oscar Wilde . . . I could go on.  The grass there is greener than any place I’ve ever been.  The roads are quainter than ours and the air holds a faint trace of sea.  You can walk anywhere you want in a reasonable amount of time.  The buildings are chockfull of stories and centuries of history echo through the lands.  It is so unlike America, where everything has only been in existence for a couple hundred years, if that.

. . .

            At this point you may find yourself asking, “Why in the world does she have an entire section of this report devoted to pubs?”  Well, the answer is simple, you see.  I knew from the instant I walked into my first real English pub that they are amongst the most magnificent places on earth, and that alone is reason enough.  They’re dark and dingy and smell of beer and pork crackling.  The clinking of glasses and rumbling of laughter can be heard above the low hum of the jukebox.  Dark wood tables and fireplaces are the norm.  People who’ve grown up going to these pubs would likely say I’m off my rocker for speaking so highly of them, but I think they’re full of things that make the soul come alive."

Maybe if I'm feeling really out there, I'll post the whole thing when it's done...
-teddy x

england : day four

Things were pretty low-key on Friday, partially because we were leaving early Saturday to go camping and partially because of slightly excessive amounts of vodka the night before.

After fish n' chips for lunch (Chip Shop Friday!!!... Seriously one of the highlights of my trips) we did a little walking around town. I wanted to check out a few shops, Topshop being one of them as the closest one to me at home is Chicago, I think.

The city of Carlisle intrigues me. I feel myself falling more in love with it with each visit I make.

Ohh, I also bought an Arsenal t-shirt from JD Sports seeing as I'm a newly decided Arsenal supporter.

Before my trip, Tom and I were planning things to do while I was going to be there. Originally we were thinking camping for Friday, but then I realized that I was only going to be there for one. Once I figured that out, I told Tom we definitely had to reschedule camping. Friday evenings we go to the pub!!

I've gone to the pub with Tom and his parents every Friday, every trip. I love all the people there and I meet new ones each time. I would say the main people I go to see are Derek and his wife, Linda, and Kenny and his wife, Jean. They're all such lovely people and they always seem so happy to see me. It makes me smile! This time, Derek and Linda were ecstatic when Tom told them that I said we had to reschedule camping so that we didn't miss them at the pub.

Everyone's favorite question when I come in seems to be "when are you two getting married?" and it's so funny because they always ask me and I always tell them they're asking the wrong person!

We headed home fairly early that night to pack for camping, order take-out, and watch Breaking Bad.

I can't wait to see them all again next time! :)

-teddy x

england : day three

Time really went entirely too fast on this trip. It normally seems to go quickly, but I definitely think this one went by quicker than any of the previous three. Wish I'd been able to stay longer. :(

On Thursdays, Tom goes to visit an elderly man named Les. It's part of some community involvement thing he does (sweet, isn't he?). Les's wife passed away within the last couple years so he's on his own most of the time. Tom just goes to his house once a week to keep him company for a few hours. This Thursday, I got to go with him. Les was really kind. He made us tea and biscuits and we watched a Daniel O'Donnell (an Irish singer with brilliant dance moves) VHS from the '90s. It was a good afternoon!

These pictures were from the walk to his house:

Everything in England is so much cuter than America. I love it.

Later that night, we headed over to Martyn and Jimmy's house for the England v. Uruguay World Cup match. There were a few of us: Martyn, Jimmy, Tom, Niall, Daniel, Nathan, Doodles, and myself. Unfortunately, England lost 2-1 but on the bright side we had plenty  of vodka to help us forget! I must say I had no idea Brits get as loud and rowdy as Americans when it comes to sports. Also, if you're a huge football fan, please forgive me; Tom says I sound too American and that I need to work on my terminology... I'm trying!!

Nathan and Tom when Rooney equalized in the 75th minute.

Nathan and Martyn!

Martyn and I :) Great lad (how English do I sound!? haha)

So, in the end, even though England lost, I think it's safe to say we all had a pretty good night. And also I have to say that the more I understand football, the more I enjoy it. One of the only sports I can actually sit and watch!

-teddy x

england : day two

Wednesday morning I felt refreshed after getting a good night's sleep to catch up from the overnight flight. Tom unfortunately had to attend the funeral of a fellow councillor, so I unpacked while he was away.

When he returned, him, his mum, and I took a trip to The Animal Refuge. We wanted to check out a super grumpy looking cat ("beautiful", as Tom called it...) that was up for adoption. Sadly, Bagpuss didn't get on with other cats (or children) and had been sent back to The Animal Refuge three times previously. Since Tom has three other cats, they didn't want to allow Bagpuss to go home with him.

There were loads of other animals to see, including horses, goats, dogs, and cats. It was really a nice place and much bigger than I expected it to be. They also had a little gift shop where I bought a quaint little tea pot (I'm obsessed with tea pots) and an England pint glass.

After leaving the refuge, we headed back to Tom's to get cleaned up because that evening we were meant to be having dinner with the mayor... Yes, the mayor. The actual real live mayor of Carlisle. 

I must say it was one of the more nerve-wracking things I've done, but it turned out to be a really nice night. I wish I had pictures; their house was seriously lovely! I ended up deciding against whipping out my iPhone to document things...

In attendance were the mayor (Steven) and his wife (Christine), Tom's parents, and the two of us. When we got there, we sat in the garden (which was so cute and cozy) for an hour or so, drinking wine and chatting, before going in to eat. Everything was so relaxed and Steven and Christine were so welcoming and friendly. It was really nice getting to know them a little bit.

The dinner they had prepared for us was perfect. We started off with fruit bowls and bread. Next came salad, potatoes, and Ullswater Pie. I was a little apprehensive of the pie to begin, as I'd never heard of it before, but it turned out to be soo tasty. I wonder if there's anywhere around here that makes it... highly doubt it.

Pudding (dessert) was an apple crumble and vanilla ice cream, washed down with coffee.

By then it was getting late, so we called a taxi and got ready to go. Whilst waiting for our ride, Steven gave me a tour of his basement. Now, if you're from Michigan, you're probably wondering why in the world  we'd want to see his basement. However, this was much different from your typical "Michigan basement".

He informed me that servants had lived in the house until the 1950s, and the basement had actually been their living quarters. I got to see where they slept, cooked meals, and did laundry. It was fascinating.

At the end of the mini tour, we walked out of a door that took us into their garage, where Steven showed me his gorgeous, shiny, bright red 1960 MG. I can't pretend to know much about cars, but I will say that this one was a true beauty. He was very proud of it, and I don't blame him!

By that time, the taxi was waiting out front. Tom, his parents, and I got in to head back home.

All in all, it was an exceptional evening.

-teddy x