The Christmas Edition...

...Belated much? Aye, but I'm posting it anyway.

Before I came here, everybody asked me whether or not I would spend Christmas abroad. When I told them I would they all said something along the lines of; poor thing. Once here, everybody at one point started asking if I was going home during the holidays, when I told them no they responded in pretty much the same manner. Personally I have never seen the problem in spending Christmas here and quite frankly, I thought it was brilliant.

I’m guessing most people would think it would be weird not celebrating on the 24^th of December, as the norm is in Norway, but I can’t say I thought too much about it. It was just like any other lazy day in the holiday, with the exception that I talked to both my families on the phone. Ever my brother wanted to talk to me, imagine that! The 25^th however I did find a bit queer, both because of the informality of it all and the happenings through the day. Oddest of all though was the opening of presents in the morning. For those who don’t know this, I am generally speaking more than a little half dead in the mornings, and opening all ones Christmas presents in something bordering on a comatose state was certainly interesting to say the least.

On the 27^th my host family went skiing in Italy – lucky bastards – and I went down to London to visit my aunt and spend the rest of the holidays there with Lena. Remember her? She’s the one that’s supposed to be in Blackpool this year – and telling you all about it. Yes! She really does exist. And no, she has not died.

We spent two memorable days in London in which we actually managed to get around the city by ourselves without getting lost in the tube. But I guess that’s just how it is with such a brilliant guide as myself. Seriously though, for all my bad luck stalking me whenever I try getting anywhere that could be called a journey I actually know my way around London. And I’ve actually got some pictures from the trip as well.

After wasting pretty much all of the first day with shopping – shocking isn’t it? – we visited Tate on the second day after recommendation from my aunt. Which was very cool, but apparently it’s not allowed to take pictures in there. Of course, Lena and I realized that a bit late…

After that I successfully managed to get us to Picadilly Circus where we visited Hamley’s, the toyshop. When I first visited London, that was one of the things that made the biggest impression on me (never mind that was quite a few years ago) and it might sound childish but I still think it’s something worth seeing if you’re around because I dare say it will make quite the impression. Me, never acting my age anyway, was having a blast.

(Here would be a good place to have pictures)

On the 30^th – I think – Lena and I got on a train and, after some minor mockups courtesy of me, managed to get ourselves down to Devon where we spent New Year’s with some friends of my aunt. Our last train – which was really a horrid bus on rails – brought us to the tiny town of Barnsville (which Lena insists on calling Barnstaple by some reason) where my uncle came to pick us up and drive us to the house where we were staying, for those of you who know your way around Devon, a small place called Lee close so Ilacombe and Ilfacombe. I’m sure that made plenty of sense to most of you.

(And here would have been nice too...)

The celebration of New Year’s Eve itself was great – my aunt’s friends were all lovely – waking up the next day with an ear infection and discovering that you had somehow lost your voice while sleeping however was not as great. We went back to London the next day and Lena left for Blackpool the day thereafter again. The plan was that I, who had been blissfully hyped up on painkillers since that wonderful morning, should leave the same afternoon. We decided instead to put it off for a day and visit the doctor instead, who in his turn had a quick look down my throat and in my ears, wrote me a prescription for antibiotics after me and sent me on my merry way.

To sum it up quickly; after that, I left London the next day and spent about a week in bed in Scotland feeling thoroughly sorry for myself, willed myself to get well (the meds might have had something to do with it as well but they’re not gonna claim the honor, are they?), came back to school and have been busy with prelims and NAB’s ever since. It’s all been jolly fun, I tell you. But to those of you who feels like there had been a huge gap since I wrote something last, I just have to say that to me it feels like it was yesterday. And now I’ve written a massive post (which Biljana no doubt will complain about) to make up for it as well, so you can all consider yourself as in the know.

PS! Some may notice that there are next to no pictures in this post, they will be put up later – more specifically when Lena has sent them to me… which I guess will be never. But you’re creative; you can fill in the blanks.