Drinks! Hostels! Rugby!

Sorry I've been away so long.  The sun has been villainous in its absence the last few days so my energy level has been at an all time low.  However, today the sun was out in full for the first time since I've been here.  It was amazing.  Every ray was like a small reassurance that England is actually habitable by human beings!

No complaints though.  I've had a pretty wonderful couple of weeks.  I went out to Battle of the Uni's last Monday (Feb. 18), which was the biggest party I've ever been to.  It was my school, the University of Leicester, versus DeMontfort University just up the road... the returning champions.  If you're wondering how our universities battled, then go on wondering because I can't help you.  All I know is, there was a lot of cheering and then the DJ announced that we won and then there was lots more cheering.  I'm compressing time a bit, of course.  There was music and dancing and drunk people, of which I was one.  It was the first time I'd been out with my dorm mates so we all went super hard.  For them, I'm sure it was about proving English dominance in drinking ability; but for me it was about proving English dominance in drinking ability... I was hopeless.  I'm sorry, America!  I've failed you as a representative.  I wore my giant sky-high stilettos and I only fell twice! I twisted my ankle pretty badly, but I've made a full recovery... No need for hysterics!  That means you, Mom.  Don't book a plane ticket just yet.

I went out again Friday for International Student Night at Club Republic.  When we walked in the door, there was a large table full of stickers of flags from around the world.  The idea was to wear your flag in place of a name tag and perhaps find fellow countrymen studying here as well... the only problem with that was that there is a ridiculous amount of Americans studying here, so by the time I got the table, the great stars and stripes were all gone.  *sad face*  But the lady behind the table smiled and gave me a union jack sticker instead.

Yeah, so I'm basically British now.  That's pretty much the naturalization process, right?  Before that night, I had no idea that there were so many South Koreans here... but that all changed when GANGNAM STYLE started playing.  It was like everyone was riding a miniature horse, but the South Koreans were true artist equestrians.  It was beautiful in the most wonderful and ridiculous way!

I also booked a week in Dublin, Ireland.  I'm staying 6 nights in a hostel called Ashfield House; and before any of you gasp and holler at "hostel", it's more like a bed and breakfast, and not at all like the film.  I'll show you a picture:

See?  It's nicer than many of the motels back home!  And I'm told there will be no more than 3 men with criminal histories in my room at any one time.  KIDDING!  I'm kidding, Mom.

I've also booked my trip to London for the weekend of March 9th and 10th, during which I'll be seeing Macbeth starring James McAvoy live in a West End theater!!!

I am so excited for this!

But let's catch up to today. I went to my first rugby match to see Lucy (my roommate) play.  That is the most violent game I've ever seen.  Those girls aren't messing around!

There were two injuries while I was watching.  1) A girl fell to the ground and did not get up, but she was clutching her face... I thought she had broken her nose at first, but when she finally stood up there were tears streaming from her eyes and Lucy told me she got poked in the eye.  Poked in the eye bad enough to lay on the ground for 5 minutes in agony!  "She'll just get over it", was Lucy's explanation to the look of horror on my face.  Next, after a particularly eventful "scrum" (which is maybe the most intimidating part of rugby.  The team all link together in 3 lines and run head first like a battering ram into the opposing team who are doing the same.), a girl fell and started screaming holding her knee.  She started crying bloody murder, and I've recently found out that it takes a lot to make a rugby girl cry... like a broken kneecap and torn ligaments.  Ouch.  They might need to work on the efficiency of treating injuries because they just carried her off the field in their arms.  The walk is a good quarter mile from the field to the road where the ambulance was waiting.  Yeesh.  

After the game, Lucy came back home and took a bath... and then showed me her war wounds from the game.

Ouch.

Everybody remind me to never piss my roommate off.  Ever.

I promise to post copious pictures from London and Dublin! Stay tuned, my lovelies!