It's not all fun and games

I need people to realize that my trip to Europe is not all fun and games, it's actually really tough.

This is how it works: I have seven days to get through 500+ pages of reading, write a superb 1,500 word paper, for one class. All the while, for another class I have another hundred pages of reading and a four page paper to compose, alongside a long term research paper on the rivalry between opera singers Faustina Bordoni and Francesca Cuzzoni. On top of this, for my own health, physical and mental, I need to work out five days a week, consisting of 20 minutes of cardio and an 40 minutes of strength training. I need to keep my room clean, my clothes washed, I need to eat (at least) three well rounded meals a day. And of course, I must get adequate sleep to recharge.

While I've been keeping up with most of these, I prioritize work and exercise, then comes food, and finally sleep and cleanliness. Needless to say, my room is a mess and I am pretty much a zombie at this point.

Unfortunately, for me, the balancing everything is not the hardest part. The hardest part for me is the lack of connection. The distance from the ones I love. Ask me when the last time someone hugged me? It was 15 days ago.

I am only here for six weeks and while I would love to meet new people, make new friends,I also need to keep up with my school work and my fitness, and I am talking to new people but I'm not sure any of these people will be my friends for life. The crew that came from Catholic U, I am closer with and I know I'll keep up with post-UK. Especially today we spent some great quality time together, having intellectual conversations and drinking coffee. They don't realize how badly I needed it.

So, that's just how it is, and I'm coping how I can. This Saturday, 'coping' meant skipping the trip to Windsor Castle (I know, I missed out). It meant waking up at 11am, going about my day at my own pace. It meant getting ahead on my work for the week so that I could have time to breathe in between school work, working out, and eating. Luckily at the end of the day my housemate brought me back a keychain from Windsor, so I guess I didn't miss out on everything.

I have to say the Oxford Canal towpath was pretty busy on a Saturday, which was quite unfortunate for me. It meant that while running on the vegetated, unpaved part of the path, to get out of families' way, I ran past, and brisked against some bushes, some bushes that I apparently am quite allergic to. By the time I reached home, my leg was covered with hives from ankle to thigh. A shower and some Benadryl did the trick but just for the meantime, it recurs daily. It's fine, I'm fine.

Other than that my days have consisted of lots of reading and writing and not much else that is fun. Except maybe doing my laundry that was an event. It became such a task because it took six, whole, hours for one load. I never got a second one in. I kept trying to run the dryer because my clothes wouldn't dry, but no matter how long they stayed in the dry cycle, they stayed wet. This led to me hanging my clothes wherever I could, off the staircase, on my door, off the ironing board that stood on my desk by the window, and actual hanging racks. Needless to say, the clothes are all dry. Have I put it away yet? No, sorry, Momma. I know you taught me better.

Looking ahead though, I booked another trip! I will be going to Venice at the end of my journey. It was another impulse buy, but if I didn't do it impulsively I would not have done it at all. I think my friend Anna might be going with me but she still needs to buy her ticket.

Well, thanks for listening to my sob story, next time I guarantee you all some positive content!

-xx