Monday, April 4, 2016

Jäger! Jäger! Jäger! That's the way he likes it, likes it, likes it! Whoaa-o-oo-o-oooo!

Sup, fam.  So, I have fourteen days to recap and seven days to forecast.  As yesterday marked the onset of these seven days of academic turmoil, difficult life decisions, imminent summer and fall course planning, and international travel preparations, I'm allowing myself twenty minutes for this blog starting...now.

Last time we chatted, I finished with my arrival to the warmth and relaxation of my room from beautiful Italy.  The week after carried on with normal coursework and our customary rowdiness, yet behind the scenes I had a whole other world on my mind.  I was offered a position with the TAMHSC Temple Summer Research Program-- an excellent opportunity to be sure.  My supervisor requested an answer by the end of the week...though I had no idea what it would be.  My hesitancy came from the thought that completing summer courses and conducting research and pursing a larger internship next summer may be more beneficial for me and my family academically, fiscally, comfort level, etc.  But should I pass up a great opportunity I worked hard to apply for?  Especially when I could really use money after this trip?  Oh the dilemma... The week ended on early for Easter and as I would be gone for four days, I requested another week and he didn't mind at all.

My Easter set up was incredible-- just three friends (Shawn, Elaine, and I) heading off to a quaint Airbnb in the distant English town of Nottingham to relax, cook, watch movies, and make our own fun.  The reason we chose Nottingham? Cheap flight!  The benefits of Nottingham?  Many!  Flying over the English Channel, visiting Nottingham Castle, seeing Wollaton Hall (from the air and in person!  The filming sight for Wayne Manor in Batman), Peak District National Park and more.  These were the locations we visited, though our experiences there didn't all match up with the ideal pictures online...specifically, I'm referring to Peak District.  This is going to turn into an interactive blog for a sec: GO LOOK UP PICTURES OF PEAK DISTRICT!  Looks incredible, right?  Well, England also has this wonderful stereotype of being impeccably cold, grey, and rainy.  And we just happened to travel to Peak District on the worst weather day of the trip.  Presuming the rain in the forecast would be just a drizzle, we returned from our biking/hiking adventure to the national part with stripes of mud three inches wide splattered up our backs, dripping hair, soggy shoes, and ready to get to warmth only to wait at the bus in the cold for an hour.  I haven't been that cold in months, if ever on this trip, yet I haven't had such a wonderfully carefree and spontaneous nature day in much longer.  :)

But WAIT, THERE'S MORE!  We finally collapsed into our seats on the train, ready to chill, when approximately ten very drunk English old folk crowded the seat all around us busily singing theirs drinking songs about Jäger and Haggis, bragging about their home town of Derby (in comparison to Nottingham), asking us our opinion of Donald Trump upon finding we were American, and telling us we gotta make the world a better place.  I didn't imagine such a rowdy group arriving at the serious topics they did, but the opportunity to hear their thoughts on the world both as older individuals and Europeans was quite cool.

The following week proceeded steadily, allowing me to try to recover from my eternal cold, and do homework.  In retrospect, I should have worked harder last week in preparation for my signals homework, device design work, differential equations test, and physiology test this week.  However, I can finally breathe, smell, and taste again today and haven't coughed at all!  Overall, the rest was worthwhile.  But, now I really gotta hit that study grind.  So, until next time!  Deuces.



 


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