Hi viewers... I greatly apologise for the 2 weeks without a blog update. The main reason for this is that the first week I was very busy packing, organising my return home, etc and the second week was spent recovering from jet lag at home.
So... this will be a very short blog, just tying up some loose ends!
The last week spent in America was quite stressful; I tried to cram all my things into my suitcase. This shouldn't have been a difficult task (my suitcase almost as big as me!) but I have a knack of acquiring things when I go away.
The last rotary meeting was quite surreal. Nobody could quite believe I had spent 7 weeks in America; it felt like a few days! I gave a short "goodbye" speech (and when I say short, I mean my version of short i.e. a good 5-10 minutes!?) and just said some "thank you"s. I handed over the District 1090 badges (Banbury District) and received a very bright orange banner of the Auburn Rotary. I was also given a number of small gifts for me... A mug with pictures of all the places I worked, some postcards of the Finger Lakes in different seasons, a beautiful navy scarf with the Rotary symbol on it and a book of Auburn in the last century. Whilst I was very very grateful for the generosity of the gifts, as I received more and more, I was becoming more and more concerned about the space (or lack thereof) in my suitcase. I did NOT want to get stopped in customs.
But, somehow, by sitting on my suitcase until it squashed down enough, I got everything in, said goodbyes to the Ferros and got into the waiting car that would take me to Rochester Airport. That journey was so surreal; we listened to country music, I saw the last of the American scenery, heard my last American accent, I'm getting a little teary just thinking about it now!
So, 2 flights, 16 hours later, a car ride home and I sit in my room. It feels like the past 2 months have been a particularly well thought out dream. But then I remember that it was all real, Niagara Falls, the Law Courts, EVERYTHING!
I got so much out of the Rotary Exchange. Maybe a little list might help?
Smaller communities are amazing
There are no stereotypical addicts; addiction can affect anyone at any stage
According to every lawyer I met over there, law is a terrible career choice!
That roller skating is a bit dangerous, but also the most fun I've had in a long time
Niagara Falls will no longer exist in 10,000 years
That my complete obsession with Country music can only be explained by the hypothesis that I have some Southern blood in me
That English people in America face two situations: Americans either love the way we speak or they tease us mercilessly
Interrupt boys watching basketball at your own risk!
NO TRACE OF AN AMERICAN ACCENT (for all my family members who are claiming I have a slight accent)
I have lived through a broken wrist, snow storms, temperatures lower than Antarctica, a hundred "Oh my gaaaad, you're English!?", 3 different work places, 7 intense weeks... And the best part is that I don't regret a second of it!
So... the last britabroad2013 blog! Don't start weeping into your pillows. You don't need to worry about withdrawal symptoms... I am still going to blog!
Uncork the champagne, Luce is now blogging from Italy for the next 4 months! I have a new blog address....
http://britaly2014.blogspot.com
So, add this link to your favourites and be sure to check every week because this Blogger is far from finished.
Time: 7:01pm Temperature: -2F... this is getting ridiculous! Location: Joanne Butler's house Emotion: Tired. The cold and constant blizzards really start to get exhausting
Hi Everyone,
Happy Day-After-Valentine's-Day (aka Happy Cheap Chocolate Day)!! I hope you've had a wonderful week full of love, pink, flowers, ridiculously sized teddy-bears, etc.
I actually relished the opportunity to eat chocolate, ice-cream and watch the historically inaccurate, but deeply compelling "Troy" on TV. I had Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom for company, which was more than sufficient. To be quite honest (call me Scrooge or whatever the equivalent is for Valentine's Day), I don't really see much point in having Valentine's Day; if you're in love, you should be in love every day of the year. Besides, the whole notion of a man spending an exorbitant amount of money on a woman for one day which celebrates a concept which should be present all year round is frankly ridiculous. I think it's sad that in this day and age, Valentine's Day encourages diabetes more than it does love. If we're going to create a nation of morbidly obese people, why honey-coat a food day into a day supposedly about love? Why not just make it about food in the first place!? Calling it Bacon day or Chocolate day would be more honest!
But issues aside, I will say that being single on Valentine's Day in America is much harder than it is in the UK. I mean I wouldn't consider myself one of the people that have this reaction to Valentine's Day:
The problem is, you can't avoid it over here! Every store has entire aisles dedicated to candy, chocolates, flowers and grotesque pink bears that would give any child nightmares. For anyone single, this rubs it in your face a bit! In England, I wouldn't say Valentine's Day is particularly hyped up. In America, I saw Valentine's chocolates on sale a month before. Apparently most special and festive days (like St Patrick's Day) are similarly celebrated in the US.
Niagara Falls
Last weekend, Joanne, her boyfriend Randy, Craig and I went on a road trip up to Niagara County.
In
short, the day was fantastic.The first place we visited on this cold, icy day was the Niagara Aquarium. I haven't been to an aquarium in some time so I was really keen to go. I saw:
Lots of pretty fishes (which I individually named)
I saw Nemo (Plot twist is that after finding his father in Sydney, they swam the world together. Nemo however was recaptured in the Pacific near North America and was brought to the Niagara Aquarium. So far, all attempts to escape have failed. I apologise for any distress this turn of events has caused. Shark bait, oo ha ha)
Sharks and the jaw bone of a megalomlom-something-something (I can't quite remember its actual name) which was a prehistoric animal from around the time of the dinosaurs
Sea lions! These were unbelievably cute (just like my labrador back home) and did lots of wonderful tricks and jumps
After the aquarium, we went to the Falls themselves. Nothing could have prepared me for how beautiful and terrifying they are. Sadly, because it was winter, the Maid of the Mist wasn't open. However, the view I got of the Falls was pretty stunning. It was also extremely cold (I'd around -15F if you consider wind chill!). I tried to take Selfies with the Falls but it was so cold and too bright so they failed massively. I think it's really sad when you realise that such a beautiful water formation will probably no longer exist in 10,000 years. The humans in the future (assuming humanity has survived that long... at the rate we're going, we'll be lucky to live out the century!) will never see the Falls. And on that cheerful note... As well as seeing the Falls, I watched a documentary about the Falls in the IMAX theatre in the information building. I learnt about the Native American tribes that lived around and respected the 'Thunder of Waters', the stunts performed over its perilous rocks and various amazing stories of people who fell over the waterfall and survived!
After the excitement of Niagara, we stopped off for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. I became extremely
excited and hyperactive when I realised I was eating my Mac'n'Cheese under a genuine Jimi Hendrix guitar which was hanging on the walls. Looking round, I found a Bob Dylan guitar, an Avril Lavigne Electric guitar, and a Goo Goo Dolls guitar. I was itching to try them, but unfortunately no-one was allowed to play them.
We then finished the day going to the Old Fort Niagara, nicknamed 'The French Castle'; an old French fort designed and built to look like an every day house. This fort was pivotal in the battle for independance and changed hands between the British and the French on several occasions. It was really interesting to hear the American side of the history I know, particularly when their version was slightly different to the British. In the end, we didn't spend a huge amount of time there, simply because it was too cold to stand outside for long periods of time. In all of the tourist sites however, I picked up souvenirs.
American Conversation
Alright, this is a point of general conversation which I have noticed about the American culture. I'll put it as a little dialogue: American acquaintance: Hey, how are you?
Lucinda: I'm great, thanks, how are you? American: Lucinda: ... American: Lucinda: ...!?!? American: Lucinda:*sweats nervously*
So this is my point: When asked how you are, the usual response is to say you are good and to inquire as to the other person's state of well being. This time-honoured tradition is agreed upon on both sides of the Pond. However, in America, you are much less likely to get a response. I've realised that it's not from a lack of courtesy, on the contrary; they are very hospitable! I think it must just be a cultural thing!
Just something I thought was amusing!
Anyway, charmed that you are reading my blog, as ever! Less than 2 weeks left over here in the States, so I'm making the most of it!
Time: 5:35pm Temperature: 6F Location: Sprawled across my bed which has become a graveyard of chocolate wrappers (yes, parents, I know you are saying to yourselves "What's new with that?") Emotion: Contented. Hello? Those chocolate wrappers weren't always empty...
Hello everyone, how are you? I'm doing great, thanks for asking! Everything's fine, weather's cold, and... I'm procrastinating! So far in the past hour I have discovered:
The king of hearts in a card pack is the only king without a moustache
Elephants are the only mammals which can't jump
There is a town in both West Norway and in Michigan, USA called Hell and every year, both freeze over
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. The list of amazing things in this world is endless. I have discovered something incredible/astounding over here in America. I had mentally prepared myself for the excitement of Drive Thru food places, such as McDonalds, but I had no idea that America had Drive Thru banks and pharmacies! Whilst I may not approve of fast-food Drive Thrus (call me traditional, but you can't beat a sit-down, candlelit dinner in McDonalds), Drive Thru banks and pharmacies are revolutionary! Why do we not have these in the UK!? Rome Canzano and I stopped off at a Drive Thru bank so he could make a deposit. I have never been so excited, not even the day I discovered the remarkable likeness between an otter and Boris Johnson yawning.
NFL Superbowl
Okay, so many of you will know I'm not exactly Jessica Ennis when it comes to sport. To be quite honest, I'm more Honey Boo Boo's Mum when it comes to sport (if you don't know Honey Boo Boo or her Mum, good for you! It's a cantankerous reality TV program based on a six year old devil child who partakes in "Beauty" Pageants (with her intolerant, racist family) who all earn an exorbitant amount of money for their ignorance). I digress, back to what I was saying: I am not a huge sporting fanatic.
Sums up most of the game...
However, I decided to get into the spirit of things and experience one of America's most popular weekends of the year. And it was big. Tensions were rising throughout the week preceding the game. I don't know American Football. I don't know the rules of American Football, I don't know any famous players of American Football. So I'll admit it was probably a little pointless tuning in to 4 hours of American football (I say 4 hours, actually about 3 and a half hours were commercials and the half time was an hour and half long). I surprised myself by actually quite enjoying it. True, I wasn't staring at the TV for every second; I was mostly nostalgically reading Harry Potter. But it was fun watching the bits I did see and learning that it was the Broncos playing, not the Bronkies (as I previously believed).
Oh, and whilst I'm on the subject of sport, I feel I should quickly tell you that I, Lucinda Bourne Swinton Hunter, who managed to get out of all serious exercise for her entire time at school, went to the gym for the first time in 8 months last week. I have gone to the Y (the gym) every day, morning and evening, for the past two weeks and actually exercised! Please restrain yourselves... try not to have a heart attack... If you feel the need to hyperventilate from shock, please breathe! It is a shock, I know, but this is something I hope to continue. There was a slight mishap which I feel I should share. This Monday, I went to the Y and, as I was zipping up my rucksack with one hand (broken wrist is still a bit sore at this point), I punched myself in the eye with my good hand. Yes, you read that right. My hand dropped the rucksack and somehow connected to my eye. I then had to go to drug court with a watery, slightly bloodshot eye. This is not ideal when you are walking around a court designed to check for signs of drug or alcohol abuse.
For the literary among you, here's a poem:
There once was a gym called "The Y"
The finest from here to Dubai,
Luce gave it a go,
Pumped weights like a pro
Before punching herself in the eye.
Just call me Shakespeare. Blizzard
If I'm asked what I'm getting out of this Rotary Exchange, my immediate response would be Pneumonia. We have reached temperatures cold enough to make Antarctica seem Mediterranean. The most extreme weather conditions I've seen were on Friday; it was a full-on, can't-see-more-than-a-metre ahead blizzard. Imagine old, analog television white noise. However clogged up the roads got initially (because it was swimming pool depth snow), the way the North Americans deal with snow is unbelievable. The roads were clear within a couple of hours. England, please adapt accordingly.
Dinner with Kelly Guy
It took a couple of tries getting
everyone together........
But eventually we got a semi -decent pic!
On Wednesday, I had the great pleasure of having dinner with my Rotary counselor, Kelly Guy, and her family. She has the cutest little family ever; she and her husband (although he was working when I was there), three adorable boys, two crazy dogs and two cats. Not only were her boys there for dinner, but they also had invited two of their friends over to play so there were five hyperactive boys, all under the age of ten, playing ninjas and pirates. Oh, and there was me, of course! I'd never pass over the opportunity to be a ninja! Dinner was amazing; she'd cooked spaghetti and cookies for dessert. We shared our mutual love/guilty pleasure which was country music and had a pretty awesome time. Two highlights of the evening were as follows.
Kelly: So boys, we're going to do our tradition! *Turns to me* We basically have this tradition when we have guests over; we all go round and say something in the day we are grateful for. *Everyone says something nice that has happened to them* Kelly: Right, Jordan, do you want to go next? (FYI, Jordan is the youngest and unbelievably small and cute) Jordan: My favourite thing today was meeting Lucinda and having her for supper. Lucinda: *Almost cries from the adorableness*
... Later in the evening, Jordan proceeds to make me a little bracelet out of elastic and I thank him for it... Jordan: You will tell your family about me, won't you? You'll show them the bracelet and say I made it? Lucinda: *I JUST CAN'T TAKE THE CUTENESS PLEASE JUST STOP*
Clock Tower
All readers, thank you for your patience: I realise this blog is a little longer than it normally is. I've just been doing a lot the past week or so. This picture on the left is the Phoenix building where I work with Rome Canzano and, as you can probably see, it has a very beautiful clock tower. The building is owned by a very cultured, interesting man called Andrew Simkin and he offered to take me up onto the roof and into the clock tower. Naturally, I eagerly accepted the offer. Not only did I get to see the mechanics of the clock, but I even got to wind up the Counter weight. I'll post a few pictures so you can see...
Okey dokey, that's probably enough to be getting on with for the moment! As per usual, a cat picture to brighten up your day (if my blog hasn't brightened it already...
can i licks this
Kisses,
Luce
xx
Oh, and here's a picture of Benedict Cumberbatch, simply because he is Benedict Cumberbatch:
Time: 2:02pm Temperature: 13F (much much warmer than it was before!) Location: On my bed at Joanne's house, snuggled up in 4 blankets Emotion: Elated by the fact I bought a massive tub of Dunkin' Doughnuts this morning.
Buongiorno, persone... sono inglese ma impero Italiano. Sono felice in Americano!
Hi everyone, sorry for the Italian; I'm trying to teach myself a bit before I go to Italy in a month or so.
The good news:
My rhetorical/lawyerly hand gestures are completely compatible with modern Italian.
If you speak English and use said hand gestures, you automatically slip into an Italian accent.
Super Mario Bros has improved my pronunciation and emphasis of many Italian words, such as 'Mario' or 'Luigi'
The bad news:
Not being able to roll my 'r's is giving me the Italian equivalent of a lisp
The sudden realization that no how much you wave your arms about whilst saying 'molto bene', you won't convince anyone you're Italian with skin paler than a vampire
Right, let's skip over a continent back to America. So, what's been happening over here? To sum it up; a lot more attorney-related chat, a lot more 'oh my gaad'ing about my accent (this is really starting to grow on me) and a lot more experiencing American cuisine. The snow has been pretty bad the past week and it's really slippy on the ground; I've spent 95% of the time as a metaphorical Bambi. You know that one scene where he can't walk across a lake without slipping? The americans are the metaphorical Thumper, who slides on the ice with complete ease.
Watch from about 1:10 in the video...
It doesn't help that I'm walking in 4 inch heeled boots, but even so. I intended to look confident and sophisticated as I power-walked down the pavement but ended up tottering like a little old lady.
Rotary Presentation
Like every other Tuesday, I went to the Rotary meeting at lunch time (I say lunchtime, but for some reason, lunch in America falls at about 11:30am...). This week was different however; normally, a guest
speaker from an organisation/charity is brought in to talk for 15 minutes about their work. This week, I was given the task to give a presentation about myself, my life and the Rotary back home. I am a very confident public speaker when it comes to talking about classics, world politics or even cute little puppies, but I always feel a bit self-absorbed talking about myself for too long. I get a sick feeling in my stomach when someone asks for my full name, let alone when someone asks me about my life!
But, my time to speak arrived and I gave my presentation, showing a multitude of pictures of my house, Stratford-Upon-Avon, my family/dog, my favourite foods (this took up a good 6 slides, four pictures a slide), classic english things, the Banbury Rotary etc. To be frank, I'm not sure if they were actually interested in my talk or just fascinated by my accent. Either way, they looked intrigued and I really enjoyed myself.
I must be quite vain because what was supposed to be a 15 minute talk turned into a half hour talk. It was really fun though and I loved explaining the English way of things and linking in my Scottish heritage. Throughout the talk, I was expecting to be asked deep questions about my life/my future. Instead, when I showed a picture of a scottish man in full garb (kilt, bagpipes, ginger hair etc), I was immediately asked the question of whether Scottish men wore underwear underneath their kilts. Ah well, c'est la vie. At least they were showing interest!
Seneca Falls Court
This is Watertown courthouse (NOT seneca falls)
I forgot to put a picture in last week
Sorry, did I say Seneca Falls? I meant Seneca Fails, because that's what Wednesday morning was; a big fail. We drove at least half an hour to get to Seneca Falls for a court case. I discovered that the Court buildings in Seneca used to be an Elementary school and the main court room was a refurbished basketball court. I was fairly nonplussed by this knowledge but was eager to see what an elementary school looked like.
We arrived, got out the car and, as many an attorney in the US does, we swaggered into the court buildings. When we went to sign in, we discovered that there had been some miscommunication and the case was on the 26th February, not the 29th January.
:-/ was my expression in response to this information.
So I got a small glimpse of the main court room and it was absolutely bizarre seeing court tables and chairs surrounded by bleachers and a basketball hoop at each end of the room. Maybe it was a slightly wasted morning... but, like so many other days, the sky was completely blue, everyone covered in snow. It's pretty difficult to be annoyed for long in a place like this!
Attorney Battle
All the other weeks, the cases I have seen in court have been fairly civilised. Not this week! I had the immense pleasure of seeing a murder hearing on Tuesday. Well, actually, maybe "immense pleasure" is the wrong sentiment. "Immense satisfaction" would probably be more appropriate! To say that a few sparks flew would be a gross understatement. The judge looked less pleased to be there than the criminal! The two attorneys were at eachother's throats and every other sentence was greeted by an "Objection!" from the opposition. Honestly, the Hunger Games had less fighting! I found it very amusing to watch grown men bickering over semantics (which sounds a little petty, but the arguments were really starting to get personal between the attorneys!). I was sitting on the edge of my seat for the whole hearing, eagerly awaiting the outcome.
Eating out...
This week, I had the pleasure of eating out in 4 separate locations. I'll try to be fairly brief about this... Underground Cafe:
The Underground Cafe has fantastic cookies and I was taught a number of card games there with Tim Donovan and the other Drug Court assistants Diner:
My only reference to an American diner up until this trip was the movie "A Cinderella story" (favourite quote: Sam, there's something I've always wanted to tell you and I think you're ready to hear it. You're not very pretty, and you're not very bright! I'm so glad we had that talk...). Like most diners, this diner was designed and made out of a train carriage. It amused me no end to see you could buy a 'FREEDOM SANDWICHES' on the menu. All I can say is: thank you, America, for realising the growing international problem of sandwiches being
enslaved. It makes my heart soar with pride to know that if the fate of the world crumbles, at least our sandwiches will be free.
Mesa Grande
Mexican fast food place on the main street.
I have never tried quesadilla or tacos up until this point and I'm so glad I have now - chicken quesadilla is unbeliavable tasty/non-spicy
Mexican restaurant
Since I enjoyed Mexican fast food so much, Rome treated me to a genuine Mexican restaurant (complete with Mexican waiters, sombreros covering the walls, etc) and I had proper quesadilla. Sadly I didn't read the menu properly and ordered a spicy quesadilla. My tongue has never experienced more pain.
Oh dear, it looks like each blog is getting longer and longer. Congratulations if you are still reading; you deserve a medal. See you next week!
Time: 8:16am Temperature: 0F Location: Beardsley Land Managing (workplace of Joanne Butler who I am now living with) Emotion: I don't think 'cultured' really counts as an emotion, but that's how the beginning of this week has been. So I'm just going to go with 'cultured'.
"I have a dream!"
These four words are undoubtedly some of the most famous words not only in American history, but in world history and to put them into context and get the full effect, I would strongly urge you to watch this video:
[This is an edited down speech; for the full speech, click HERE]
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/20/6087150/memorable-quotes-from-martin-luther.html#storylink=cpy
Martin Luther King Jr, 28th August, 1963. If you don't know who this man is, please Google him, then bury your head in shame. This man was the leader of non-violent political activism protesting the racial discrimination in many American laws in the 1950/60s.
If you haven't guessed yet the reason for this politically slanted Blog, Monday 20th January was Martin Luther King Jr Day, which, since the year 2000, has been a national holiday for America.
As a person interested in both law and public speaking, I think this man serves as great inspiration for anyone who believes that however inferior a person is treated, he can make a vast difference in the world.
END OF POLITICAL/INSPIRATIONAL SECTION
Okay, political/inspirational part is over, so for all you ostriches with your heads buried in the sand, you can resurface, try and remove all the sand from various parts of the body (which is impossible - 3 months on from a beach trip and I'll still find sand in my shoes) and continue reading my blog. Back on track!
Luther Celebration
I didn't do much on Martin Luther King Jr Day, but I did get the chance to return to Reva Rollerdrome (not to skate, I hasten to add!) and help bake some celebratory cupcakes which all skaters would receive.
Well... when I say bake, the actual cakes were already cooked and Ellen Ferro proceeded to do the icing, so all I really did was artistically splash hundreds and thousands on the finished cakes. But my efforts were vastly important for the overall effect of the cakes, so a job well done, I think!
Seneca Country Court House
As with every other Tuesday while I've been here, I went to Rome Canzano's office. However, this week was a little different. For starters, I went an hour earlier (there was a lot of internal crying at this fact) because Rome said we would be going to Seneca county court for the morning and return at lunchtime for the Rotary Meeting. So, bright and early on Tuesday morning, Rome and I jumped into his car and drove to Seneca county, arriving about half an hour early. So far so good.
We waited.
And we waited. 9 'o' clock, the supposed starting time came and went with no sign of a judge or most of the court. Rome said these things often took a long time to get started. Another half an hour along and we were still sitting in court, which had been taken over by a drug court. Apparently, it was common that cases were put at the same time to make the process as efficient as possible and to make sure there wasn't any waiting.
We waited for two and a half hours at Seneca County Court for a 5 minute discussion between Rome and the Judge. We then drove all the way back.
Now don't get me wrong, it was interesting to see the drug court in action for some of the waiting time. But if I'd wanted to spend time waiting around, I'd rather have spent that extra time in bed! According to Rome, this scenario happens quite a lot for him, so that's one visible downside to becoming a Lawyer.
The Move to Joanne Butler
This Monday, I left the Ferros to start the next part of my exchange at Joanne Butler's house. After inflicting a broken wrist on me, I could not be more glad to leave.
ONLY JOKING! It was sad saying goodbye, especially to Netflix who had become a firm friend of mine during the extreme cold, but it's great to have variety. Whilst Joanne's house is a lot quieter, it is no less lacking in friendliness, heating and most importantly, FOOD. *Note to self; the visible alteration of priorities to food is becoming quite worrying. Try and locate the source of the problem before it gets out of hand.*
Lack of tourist sites
I am going to apologise (note to Americans the spelling of this word) for the lack of any famous
tourist sites. So far, the most cultured I've been is drive past one of the Finger Lakes and discover that one of America's secretary of States was born here (William Seward). I do have plans to go to Niagra Falls, skiing, etc etc, but I have been really busy the past couple of weeks. When I'm not working, I'm eating *ahem, sorry! Food is making an unwelcome appearance again*. Let's try again; when I'm not working, I'm getting to know the area/its people. When I'm not socialising, I'm sleeping. I promise that I will try to be more interesting and explore all New York has to offer.
Another pronunciation/word confusion
I know... you're probably rolling your eyes for the 100th time and saying "this is becoming a bit of a habit in your blogs, Luce". I get it. But I feel so strongly about it this week, I have to say something. Any Americans reading this, please do not be offended!
Word #1: Burglarized
We all know the word burglar, yes? Derives from anglo-latin. Someone who steals. Also the job of Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit? We also know that some nouns can also be adapted into verbs (e.g. a building <--> to build). In England, the "burglar"'s cognitive verb (thank you for teaching me that phrase, Greek camp. I don't know what I'd do without you) is to burgle or be burgled. But apparently in Amerca, from the noun 'burglar', they created a verb 'to burglarize or be burglarized'. Then from that, they decided they liked the long words so much, they changed the noun to a 'burglarizer'. *26th January: I have been reliably informed that only parts of the US changed the noun to burglarizer. But even so, it seems a little unnecessary!*
Word #2: Niche
"Sacrebleu!" I hear you cry. "This sophisticated French word cannot possible be pronounced as anything but 'neesh'!". Wrong. I have thrice heard this word being pronounced nitch. Oh, America... what did the French ever do to you? Why must they be subjected to such a deep humiliation as this? Would you start eating kitch for dinner rather than Quiche? Oh well, I suppose it's not that important.
Any Americans reading this (if they haven't stopped reading already in protest), I apologise! I know that our great nations differ greatly in spelling/pronunciation and there is no real 'right' version. But when the word is neither English nor American, it is common courtesy to pronounce it as it should be pronounced. God save us if we ever pronounce foie gras as foy grass.
Finally, to dispel any negativity you may feel towards me for my slightly heavy-going/political blog, here are some cat pictures.
Right, enough randomness for one blog. I wish you well, fellow procrastinators,
Kisses,
Luce
P.S. Wrist is doing well... Doctors think only 4-5 weeks in cast so *fingers crossed* I'll be better in time for Banbury Young Musician of the Year.
Before I get into detail about this blog, I'm going to make a quick disclaimer: if you see any typos or if this blog appears a little short, it isn't done intentionally. You'll find out the reason a bit later in the blog.
So where to begin? I guess the best place to start is the serious part and get progressively more jokey as I start to procrastinate. You know things are bad when you are procrastinate from something you enjoy doing! Last weekend was fairly uneventful; netflix was my best friend and it was nice just to hang out with the Ferros.
City Law Courts
Work Experience at the drug courtOn Monday I had the great pleasure of meeting Tim Donovan who works at the local drug courts. Not only did he allow me to follow him around, introduce me to his colleagues and explain everything to me, he even took me out for Breakfast and Lunch. The breakfast was particularly appreciated because a certain Ferro (not mentioning any names) finished all the milk and failed to tell anyone so I had the traumatic experience of no cereal.
The drug court itself was nothing like I expected. I went in expecting a sombre, almost depressing, atmosphere and a lot of men and women from the same backgrounds suffering addictions. I could not have been more wrong. Firstly, the men and women were widely ranging in background and many I would never have guessed had addictions. I guess it just goes to show that it is pointless to stereotype addictions. It was actually really uplifting to see young men and women who had extreme addictions to alcohol and drugs begin the lengthy and difficult path to recovery. Inspiring stuff.
One of the few photos of me skating before I fell...
Rollerskating
I mentioned last week that the Ferros own a rollerskating rink called Reva Rollerdrome and this has given me the opportunity to go skating almost every day. I absolutely love it and I'm definitely going to buy some skates when I get back to England. In the space of a week I learnt to skate backwards, to spin around, do a spread eagle (both heels together, toes pointing outwards in a straight line) and an arabesque (skating on one leg, the other leg high behind). So I was getting quite far until disaster struck.
The disgusting wrist
Over the week and a half I've been skating, I fell over every five minutes and had no real injury aside from black bruises. So far, so good. Then, yesterday evening, I was skating completely normally and managed to fall over backwards. I wasn't doing any tricks, no special skating; just skating forwards. I managed to break my left wrist. And it wasn't pretty. I'd like to think I'm pretty manly when it comes to pain and I managed to last the first 10 minutes tear free. And then I saw that an apple sized lump was growing out of my wrist. So I now get to spend the next 5-8 weeks with a cast and only one hand!
Breakfast with the Ferros
I had the great pleasure of going out for breakfast with the Ferro family this week and experiencing an American breakfast. The majority of the food was extremely unhealthy - sorry, did I say unhealthy? I meant delicious!! There was only one extremely stressful part of the morning. The tea was sub-par, and even that description is optimistic. Problems with the tea:
First off, it was delivered to me in a massive glass container. Everyone knows that tea must be drunk from either a tea cup or a mug. Anything short of that is sacriligious.
The water was lukewarm at best. Tea must be made from boiling water. Nothing less.
Only one teabag + a lot of water = albino tea
No milk. Only packet cream. This was the final straw for me. To give me "tea" and not provide milk is quite frankly disgusting.
I can only hope that the few British citizens who live in the US full-time have the resources for the exorbitant fees that Tea counselling must require.
Okay, I admit that I may be overexaggerating the severity of the situation. Tea and its consumption is a controversial issue. I must point out that the rest of the food was fantastic! I just know not to order tea next time.
So, my hand is starting to hurt from all this typing so what I'll probably do is have a picture montage below for anyone interested.
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