2 papers down, 2 to go! (Plus, my busy weekend)

On Friday, I had my second paper due of the term. The grading system is weird here, so just know that my grade translates into an A back in the US. Yay! So far, I have written on...
1. Modern English Language: The use of nonstandard English grammar in spoken English
2. Chaucer: The characterization of male victims of adultery in The Canterbury Tales

My next paper is for Moderns I, and is on the London Blitz. I haven't read the books yet, so I'm not entirely sure what the paper's going to be talking about, but it should be fun. No more Chaucer!

This weekend, I was insanely busy, but in a good way. First up was a trip to Stonehenge. It was a lot smaller than I expected, but it was still really cool and I am so glad I went! Here's me in front of Stonehenge.

After Stonehenge, they drove us a little town called Salisbury. It had a gorgeous cathedral and great shopping. I'd love to go back when it's warmer, so that I could walk around the market and not freeze. I ended up buying some delicious smelling soap and talking about New Orleans with the guy in the soap shop (he's always wanted to go there, apparently). I also met a girl named Karen who's studying anthropology. We both share an interest in midwifery. She studied birth from an anthropological perspective, and part of my honors thesis on motherhood in American literature will be on the representations of childbirth. So, we ended up having a beer and talking for awhile. Although there wasn't a whole lot to do in Salisbury because of how cold it was, it ended up being a pretty good day.

Yesterday, one of my friends from the Hiking Society, Jamie, asked if I wanted to go see the Chinese New Year celebration going on down at Trafalgar Square, so I went. There were so many people! It was absolute chaos, but once we figured out how to get in, we got balloons and little dragons and walked around for awhile, watching really cool performances by Chinese dancers and an opera singer. Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit!

Now I'm back to classes. Upcoming in my year abroad: a Jack the Ripper walk on Thursday, and then on Saturday I'm off to Prague to visit Lizzy! The following Friday, I'll be leaving to go celebrate my birthday in Paris. Yes, sadly, I will not be in the US to celebrate my 21st birthday, but rather in a country where no one really cares about 21. Oh well. I'll have to make the best of a sucky situation. And yes, I know, Paris is cool. But it's not a 21st birthday on a Saturday during the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans.

Whatever. I'm over it. Love you guys!
Emily