No Kissing, Please!
January 21, 2003 - 6:57 pm
So, the weirdest thing happened to me last night. I was walking home by myself, and this guy came up to me. I was very close to my building too, and this guy looked very much like a student. He was very young (not too young) and very cute and had the most adorable accent. However, he was on the verge of criminal. He approached my saying 'hello, love.' I figured he was just going to ask if I had a cigarette or something (people ask that all the time on the street here). Well, I was wrong. He like totally skipped small talk and threw his arm around me. He wanted me to take him home with me. He wasn't shy or anything, and I didn't really know how to get him to leave me alone. I asked him that I just don't take strangers home with me. He didn't take the hint though. He kept walking with me, with his arm around me. Then, he starting kissing me! I don't mean innocent little cheek-kisses either. I was completely speechless. I got a little scared, because I was obviously not telling this guy that I was attracted to him or anything. I more or less hit him, and he finally walked away. It was a very bizarre experience, because it was just totally confusing. Is that how people are here? I mean I knew the English were a little more racey, but I had no idea it would be to this extreme. Actually, I am so paranoid about pick-pockets here, that's the only thing that was going through my mind when he was there. I kept my hands in pockets, tightly clutching my money. There was no way he was getting it without a fight. If I hadn't been literally 20 feet from my building, I would have been a lot more nervous. The funny thing is, is that Sara walked by and didn't help me, because she thought he was one of my friends. This makes for an interesting story though.
Other topics, I have officially had two days of classes now. Yesterday was the first day of my British Cinema class. I'm a little leary of it, because there are a lot of older movies in the beginning (by older I mean anything that was made before I was born). The teacher seems really interesting though, so it definitely has potential. Tonight was our first movie screening. We watched "The Lodger" directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was a very old (1920s), silent film. Strangely enough, however, I understood everything that was going on. I really hate those kinds of movies though. Earlier today I had my Shakespeare class. It is completely amazing. Our teacher looks like Judi Dench, and she's completely adorable. All of our teachers are British by the way. We are already going to Stratford this Saturday. I think I already mentioned that before, but I figured I'd mention it again. I'm so incredibly excited about the trip. The best part is, is that it's completely free. We are seeing Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" there. There are 3 or 4 people in the class that live in my building, so that makes it nice. I am so glad where I was placed. Not only is the building like 3 minutes from campus, but we're all like a small family (well, without boring adult figures and other mundane family attributes). Whenever we see each other in passing, we smile and talk to each other. It's SO great.
I really need to buy laundry detergent. The washers and dryers are free for us here. However, the detergent is really weird here. There aren't any recognizable brands, and it comes in very small quantities. Oh, and it's pretty much all powder. You can buy the liquid kind, but there is an extremely limited selection. Actually, I think our washer says that you aren't supposed to use the liquid in it. I hate powder detergents. I also need to buy stationary. I've been buying a few postcards, but I'd really rather send a letter. You can write so much more in a letter, and it is only a few pence more to send it.
Last night I went with Sara and Molly to get fish and chips. It's the most popular meal here in London, and even though I hate fish, I decided that I had to try it just once. Chips are fries by the way. So, we arrived at this place Sara had looked up in her travel guide. The chips were only 1 pound and the soda was only 55 pence, so we thought it was a pretty good deal. The fish, however, was outrageous. The had several to choose from, but I got one that cost 3 pounds 50. We got take away (we took it with us), however, it started to pour as soon as we went outside. Hee hee, London rain...anyways...We finally got back to our building. It wasn't that far, but Sara and Molly walk extremely fast. They were like sprinting. That really pisses me off too. I hate it when people do that. It's so inconsiderate. They weren't doing it because of the rain either. Ok, so I ate the chips first. They were absolutely fabulous. SOOO GOOD!!! The fish, however, was disgusting. Here, when the fish is cooked, they leave the skin on the fish. It just looks really gross. It was all mushy too (which is how fish normally is). I don't know why I ever thought I would like it. It made me so sad too, because that fish was so expensive. That's why I am so hestitant to experiment with foreign food. If I don't like it, then I'm out the money that I could have spent on something good. At least I can say I tried it though. (yuck, fish is so disgusting...just thinking of it now makes me want to vomit)
