England @ MindSay 
london
I started off the summer by teaching some grade 12 English and I was channeling Mr. Keating from Dead Poets Society the entire time. The kids really seemed to respond and they all did well, save for that one girl who didn't show up for the last few days, thus missing out on 30% of her grade. The day summer school ended, I was on a plane to Scotland. I didn't know what was waiting for me when I got there but I was ready to face it. The plan was to spend a week in Scotland, 10 days in England, and a week in Ireland. I would joke around with my friends before I left, saying that I would find my destiny there. I found something much better. I found joy.
Scotland blew me away. Every time I had planned my trip to the UK in my mind, I had always envisioned walking around in museums and libraries. I was finally there and I spent the majority of the time hiking through the highlands, looking out over the water, hearing stories about the locals and the bloody history that is marked across the country, drinking with friends until the wee hours of the morning. It was beautiful and the best moments were the free ones. The first glimpse of Glencoe was enough to take your breath away. Watching the salmon jump at Rogie Falls was another moment that will stay with me forever. I made many friends in Scotland and they all helped me realize something- I can do whatever I set my mind to. I can take chances and take that ever scary leap of faith.
From there I took the train to England. It broke my heart to leave Scotland but I knew that I had many more exciting moments ahead. In Nottingham I stayed with a friend (and got to have a hot shower!!!)and learned about cricket (which is really nothing like baseball in any way). It was nice to just relax and see a friendly face. After that, it was off to Cambridge. Cambridge is a beautiful city. I truly loved it there. Walking around the city was fun and I'm really glad that I went punting down the river Cam. The universities are beautiful and the people there seemed to be nice. I got lost many times though, and that was a little frustrating. I managed to find the Catholic church there and went to mass before getting instructions on how to get back to my hotel. After Cambridge, I took the train to London. I arrived at Kings Cross, took the Victoria line to my hotel, saw Wicked (which was my favourite thing about London), saw Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, and many other places. I didn't really enjoy it there though, mostly because I was alone, and partly because the people there don't actually talk to people. From there, it was off to Oxford. Oxford is also a beautiful city. I took a walking tour through the colleges and while it rained for the majority of my time there, I did manage to find something very important/valuable. I found, in the bottom corner of a little basement bookshop, a 1905 copy of Emma by Jane Austen. After Oxford, I took the train into Bath. Bath was my favourite city in all of England. It's beautiful there and it's safe. Also, the people there are really nice and helpful. I experienced as much as I could there, including the theatre, the Roman Baths, the culture, the Jane Austen Centre, the Assembly Rooms, and many other places. The next morning, I was off to the Bristol airport to catch a flight to Dublin.
Dublin was my second favourite city I visited on my trip, the first being Edinburgh. Ireland is a beautiful and enchanting country. Everyone who visits understands why everyone wants to claim a bit of Irish blood. I took a 5 day tour through the republic of Ireland (there's the ROI and Northern Ireland) and I truly fell in love with the place. I can't wait to go back. While I was in England, I saw many beautiful sights but they were all man made structures. In Ireland, much like it is in Scotland, the beauty is in the natural world, taking your breath away at least once a day. Our first day saw us walking on the Hill of Tara, amongst sheep and, well, more sheep. The next day we found ourselves spending the night in Galway, a charming, seaside city, bustling with activity. We watched Irish dancing at one pub and ended the evening at another, sharing pints and laughing. I formed some very strong friendships that night. The next night was in Doolin, home of traditional celtic music. We all sat around, sipping our pints, while we listened to a few of the locals sing and play. I wouldn't trade that memory for all the money in the world. We then went to Killarney and our bonds of friendship strengthened even more in that small town. When we got back to Dublin, none of us wanted to say goodbye. I was glad when I ran into a friend from the tour that night, while walking down the street. I saw some things that blew my mind in Ireland. I saw the Cliffs of Moher (aka the Cliffs of Insanity in The Princess Bride), I walked in the Atlantic ocean, and I stood on the most western point of Europe, arguing with Kevin, our tour guide, over the correct pronunciation of Newfoundland (he said that because it was discovered by an Irishman, they get naming rights. I told him that it's my feckin' country. I get naming rights. He said, "fair enough.".
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and with a heavy heart, I boarded a plane the next morning bound for Canada.
So I learned three important things about myself on this trip, one for each country.
Scotland- If I try new things and strive to accomplish things, I will find that I (a)like it and (b) will succeed.
England- I can survive on my own and make my way through cities on foot.
Ireland- I'm actually a pretty cool person and I just need to remember to let go and have fun with life.
Apparently I have come back as a changed person. I can see it at times but not as much as everyone else does. All I know is that I'm planning on going back to Ireland next summer.
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Dixie currently feels:
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Blog #97
Countryside Run & Guitar ZEROES
Mam woke me up this morning - wandering around the house "BLASTIN' BANGIN' CHOONS ON HER FONE M8" like a right chav.
I woke up at about half 12 - after falling asleep several times and waking up again.
Mam finally got me to wake up when she asked me to tie a bow on her sleeve.
Apparently the way I tie bows is silly - she thinks my shoes come undone all the time.
The only shoes I wear that come undone all the time are my pink and black striped Converse - and I don't even know why that is.
My Rocketdogs never come undone. Mwah, Velcro for the win.
There's nothing wrong with the way I tie bows.
Just because I don't do funky loops, I take two loops and tie them together instead.
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I went downstairs and told mam I'd came to FORAGE.
David was in the living room - he heard and found it proper piss.
I went and got dressed, after realising there was sod all in to eat.
I was originally planning on having a Muller Corner and some Pom-Bears - but David suggested we go out for a drive to a greasy spoon caff.
Mam didn't want to go to a caff, but they settled on going out to "Lord Stones" - which apparently is off Carlton Bank.
Either way - it was a massive drive through the countryside with endless fields to look at.
Oh, and endless Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack to listen to.
I don't mind the first 4 songs - and the 13th track - Jaiho - that's alright.
Mam proper plays that over and over again. She got David liking it too and ended up bluetoothing him it later.
During the shitty songs, I played my dying iPod.
Dear Lisa has been in the red battery all day - but she hasn't died yet.
She'll have to have a big charge-up before I go back to college on Monday.
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Anyway, we got to Lord Stones - I had Coke and they had coffee.
David got a bacon and egg bun, mam got a black pudding bun (LOLWHAT?!) and I got a burger in a bun. We got a bowl of chips to share between us, but I ate most of them.
The chips were like 7 inches long. Crazy lengths.
We were going to sit outside, but it started getting too breezy, so we ate inside instead.
After we'd eaten, we went for a walk behind the building.
People were flying kites shaped like dragons.
We got to the edge of this massive hill - and we had a debate over whether you'd die or not if you rolled down it.
I didn't stand as close to the edge as they were - I hate heights.
I did enjoy looking out at the English countryside scenery though. If I'd had a camera, I'd have gotten some mint landscape shots.
This hill sparked off a big discussion about cheese-rolling.
Such random shite. My mam can be almost as spontaneous as me sometimes.
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When we got back, mam went to the doctor's to get me some more pills.
I have to make an appointment in a month to get another blood pressure test.
I don't mind those - it's blood tests involving needles that make me shit.
Blood pressure tests just make your arm go proper numb.
When she was gone, I watched A Touch Of Frost.
The bastards though - I was just getting into it - then it ends. The rest of it gets shown on Monday at 4PM.
I should be home by then, so I better remember to watch it.
Mam came back - she'd been to Morrison's too - got me some ham (as I'd said earlier I wanted a ham and cheese omelette) and some Rolo doughnuts.
I ate one and then hid them in the cupboard away from my dad's cake-loving hands. I want to save them so us lot can eat them tomorrow.
I'd give up mine for him if he desparatley wanted one like. That's if he finds them.
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Mam had got some of those natural jelly sweets - the Forbidden Fruits.
We ate those and watched the 300th episode of The Simpsons.
I've seen that one about 4 times. It's not brilliant, but it's alright.
I don't know if I have a favourite episode like.
My favourite character is Lisa, though. :)
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The three of us played Guitar Hero: World Tour after that.
Neither of them could pass Scream Aim Fire on EASY BASS.
There I was busting my arse on EXPERT LEAD and they were the ones failing.
Likewise when I played Mr. Crowley with mam - I was pulling off all these ripping solos (actually doing them a lot better than I normally do), and she was failing on EASY BASS.
Really. 
Both mam and David were attempting to distract each other on Dammit by playing with my thunder tube.
They were actually distracting me a bit at points. I still managed 98% with David and 99% with Mam like.
Then I showed David our film trailer.
There'd been random mentions of Ashleigh all day - so I felt I ought to show her in her full Jonathan-esque glory. Lmfao, David was actually convinced she WAS a man at points.
Aw, bless her. :)
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Shelly's texted me saying she can't come tomorrow.
I've texted her back asking why - but I haven't gotten an answer. :(
Hopefully I'll find out why...
Knowing her mam it'll be a fucking stupid reason like.
I still hope if Shelly can't come, that Ash still can.
I'd rather have just one than none.
I like it best when it's all three of us - but maybe I do need to spend a day alone with Ash. I haven't done that in a really long time.
U.K. and the U.S.
Everything seems a bit more, well, adult across the pond, at least in some ways. Britain seems politer in general, except for the occassional prat who judges you immediately for being American despite your reassurance that you voted for Kerry. Same mentality of our Southern racists, really: how is writing someone off because of their country any different than writing them off because of their skin color? Both are mere accidents of birth.
Which brings me to another thought. Americans, I observe, get awfully excited about being American sometimes. There can be a certain youthful charm to this, but we take it too far, and --as a new and very good friend acquired during the trip noted-- start confusing nationalism with patriotism. The citizens of the U.K. seem to quieter in their love of country. I suppose part of our problem here is that we assume --falsely, as we are heirs to the world's history every bit as much as any other nation, including one with Stonehenge-- that we are a young nation. We feel less grounded in being American, and thus have to talk incessantly about our identity since it is not quite resolved in our own minds. Contrast this with England where you brush shoulders with 500-year-old architecture on a daily basis, and where the land has been cultivated for thousands upon thousands of years. You tend to feel a bit more connected in that situation. No need to crow about what you are from the rooftops. You just know.
Anyways, here are a few things I loved about the U.K. at a glance. The list is by no means exhaustive, especially at this late hour.
-Respect of privacy -- contrast with the occassional American habit of asking intrusive questions of strangers about when they are having kids or other deeply personal matters.
-Perhaps tied into the above: the social liberalism. The women's stalls on campus has stickers about where to get emergency contraception. And no one had torn them down! Also, Darwin is on the ten-pound note. That's two things you won't see in the U.S., right there. Another example: one professor who prides himself on being conservative spent a class telling us why the Iraq war violates international law. He's also anti-death penalty. Um, yes, quite conservative there, old chap. I adore a country where he's the Right.
-Of course: the pubs. They're everwhere. Throw a stone and hit one. We need more pubs in the U.S. Bars are not the same.
-More humane treatment of workers. At grocery stores, the checkout personnel have chairs. It's a small thing, but it shows a huge difference in attitudes, in my opinion. Fancy treating employees as actual human beings!
-The T.V. shows. Far less commercials, many of them are quite well written. I'm going to have to pick up Absolute Power, The Robinsons, etc.
And here are a few things that made me glad to get back to the States:
-Customer service, especially the waitstaff.
-Yes, the food. I've never been so grateful for grits and real, crispy thin bacon at breakfast, nor for fresh vegetables at any other meal.
-The directions. Brits can not give directions to save their lives. At the airport, the Information desk gave us directions going the exact opposite way of where we needed to go. Yes, the Information desk. And in one town, I was advised to turn at the "main stoplight", in a place with multiple stoplights. So very, very useful. Thanks muchly. This also ties into the street signs. They are awful. You'll see one sign telling you to be in the far right lane, then you'll enter a roundabout and suddenly the markings painted in your lane will indicate something else entirely. You get forced off onto the wrong road, and you drive 20 miles because there's no sodding place to turn until then. Remember, that's why the British don't have an Empire: they didn't actually loose it. It's still there, but they simply can't find it.
-The water faucets. How hard is it to have two controls and one tap? They have two faucets, one boiling hot, one of Artic cold. Are you supposed to mix the water in the sink bin? Who has time for that? And the air hand dryers don't work particularly well, either.
-Finally --and I must note this after flying back to the Mid-Atlantic in late summer-- we have way cooler insects. The trees and fields are full of the sounds of singing crickets and cicadas, even near a major airport. I didn't hear anything comparable, even in the English countryside.
Yes, in the end, I missed our insects. God bless America.
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HER MAJESTY IS HOLDING A BROLLY.
QUEEN WITH BROLLY. LMAO.
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