Got 68 on the Essay? AWESOME!

 Hey there world, I know it’s been a while since my last entry. I’d like to give some excuse that sounds relatable, like overwhelming amounts of homework or a job, but I can’t. I’ve been busy, but it has been the good, fun sort of busy doing stuff like beach BBQs and movie nights with a bunch of my flatmates. Academic life here is very different from back in the states. Besides the grading scale being funky, homework is nearly unheard of. Don’t let it fool you though; it’s not as carefree as it might trick one into believing. I don’t have assigned readings, journals, or research anymore, but I do have to have a depth of knowledge and comprehension of material on the subject matter. My lecturers and seminar professors introduce a lot of material in class, and I have the choice of what material I want to go more in depth in during individual study. I’m in Medieval Encounters and Arthurian Adaptations, so I try to find material to study that is useful to both classes. One might ask, if no homework, why study at all? Quite simply, I’m scared to death of the finals, which count for nearly the entire grade of the classes. At that point, the professors will know which students studied and which one slacked off all semester. That and, of course, the fact that I am here to learn, despite the overwhelming feel of this being an extended vacation. It really is excellent, this whole Welsh experience. I highly recommend it. Let me build it up some more. So far, I’ve gone on a camping trip with people from around the world, been to numerous beach bonfires (that would be beaches along the ocean), gone hiking for seven miles in the middle of the night, done a different daytime hike every Wednesday, lost more pub quizzes than the Scotland rugby team has lost games, dressed up as Captain America for a Thursday night social (everyone else dressed up as something too, I’m not that weird), eaten delicious kebabs on the beach with intermittent Frisbee time with friends, marathoned the extended editions of  the Lord of the Rings trilogy with my flatmates, and am currently in London contemplating my upcoming travels through Barcelona, Madrid, Florence, Rome, Scotland, Ireland, and possibly Egypt. And no homework. Again, I love Wales. I do miss home, but not so much as to fail to appreciate the excellence of this semester abroad. There are so many different opportunities to take here, from reading tons of books for the pure joy of it, to joining a club that teaches one to fence or parasail. If not for the wretched public transit, this would be paradise (seriously, two hours just to go get a few groceries from Tesco? blegh). Those are my thoughts for the day. More to come after Easter holiday. Later!