Rain

Today is the second day of rain in London and I can only think of the Sound. Everyone asks how people cope with the lack of sun in the Pacific Northwest, but that is a loaded question. It assumes that sun is needed for happiness. The gloom and wet pavement makes me feel at ease. It means I can sit cozy inside with coffee and feel free to work or chat the day away. I'm always on the go and the rain gives me an excuse to slow down.

Last week went well. I took my first quiz which was frighteningly easy. I barely studied, knew every answer on the test, and genuinely regurgitated my notes words for word. That hasn't happened since high school. I suppose it attests to the type of education I am getting at UPS and I hear from my friends that they are attempting to boost Puget Sound's rigor so as to be part of the nation's top tier of liberal arts universities. Good for my school, bad for me next semester. Good thing I have a month off between semesters so I can regroup and get back into my usual swing.

My trip to Norway is booked. I'm going with three other people and we will be gone from October 21-15. We are traveling to Tromso the first day (with a layover in Oslo) and will stay until Saturday. Then, we will go back to Oslo, spend one night there and come home. Karina (the girl we are staying with in Tromso) says we should get a chance to see the Northern Lights and possibly some killer whales. Everyone else on the program is going to Italy or Spain for the most part, but I think an obscure, "When are you ever going to do that again?" trip is worth it. I'll make it to Italy some day, but the Arctic circle? That seems less likely.

Cork is also almost ready. We are staying in a Bed and Breakfast the first night, whale watching and kissing the Blarney Stone on Saturday, and then heading home Sunday. Still hasn't hit me that I'm going to all of these places and it probably won't until I'm there. It's just so easy here.

On Wednesday night, a friend invited me to a party her internship company was throwing. She works for a place the promotes tourism to Thailand (they have two more branches in LA and NYC) and they set up a fake street fair to look like one found in Thailand. There was free green curry, pad Thai, beach massages (they actually brought in sand), etc. I had a fantastic time. They also gave out piggy banks that you could paint and they were supposed to encourage you to save for your next trip. I've attached a picture of mine below (he's on the right). His name is Rupert.

On Friday, I hung out with Kaitlin and our friend Stephanie from home. She did my study abroad program two years ago and decided to take a 27 day tour of Europe. She let us know ahead of time so we could all meet up. We spent the day at the Tate Modern (modern art museum) and I was rather disappointed. You either love it or hate it and I felt the latter. I did see Monet's Water Lillies though, so that was cool. Definitely more expressionist than I remembered from pictures.

Pretty much everyone else is off to Scotland this weekend and I am looking forward to the quiet. I hope the rain keeps up so I keep this cozy feeling going.