Holy Frozen %$#@.

Well folks.  I have a lot to write about this week, because it was Thanksgiving, and let's be honest, it's only the second best holiday of the year!  At first I was kind of down about the whole thing because 1) I wasn't going to be with any of my family this year and 2) there would be no christmas decorations happening up in this beyotch.  But as it turns out, when you live with people everyday for 2 months they become your family.  This was one of the best thanksgivings that I can ever remember.  Everything was great, and there really isn't much more to say about it.  It was fairly uneventful, but it was full of love and food, which, let's be honest, is all Thanksgiving is really about anyway.

Friday night, IT SNOWED!  My dear friends Tam and Dean saw snow for the first time and that was a fantastic experience to share with them.  Therefore, we had an impromptu snow party at 4am...and you would be surprised how many people were actually out doing the same thing!  We climbed trees, people attempted to teach me how to make snowballs, it was a great deal of fun.  The party wound down around 5:15 and I was pretty happy about that.
  The next morning it started all over again but was 10 times bigger.  We wandered around the botanic gardens and people kept throwing snow at me (ahem Prash) and that kind of sucked because I flashed back to when Zach used to sit on me and shove my face in the snow, and then I would cry, and Debbie would tell me to stop or my tears would freeze to my face...and people wonder why I hate when snow gets near my face.  But anyway!  That was special, fun was had by all, and it was probably one of the best weekends I have had here with all of my friends.  It was one of those almost perfect days that makes me very sad to be leaving in 3 weeks.  And now I'm going to bed.

In the Words of my New Friend Alicia...WTFN?

Ok, so I'm going to go ahead and warn you people:  I have been awake since 4 am and am SUPER exhausted but I have to stay up for another 3 hours so I'm blogging...and after some things that I've accidentally said tonight, nothing I can write here can be much worse.
OK so.  This past weekend I got tired of Leicester and ventured out to Paris!  The city of lights...and love...and all things awesome that start with L...like Louvre, and Louboutin, and Louis Vuitton, (not to be confused Debbie!)

The cab came to pick me up at 3:15...or it was supposed to.  It actually arrived at 3:40 and I almost missed the shuttle...but I didn't!  Then the airline couldn't find my reservation, so after a big to do they were able to find it and I was on the plane woo!  Yeah, I pretty much passed the ef out.  So I land in Paris, I'm super proud of myself because I got on the right train and everything.  Enter Claver.  He didn't speak so much English, but he asked me a question in French and I responded.  Apparently, he saw that as his go time card.  He kept kissing my hand and telling me that I could move to Paris and be his wife.  At this point (in French) I told him I was engaged and my fiance wouldn't really like me moving to Paris to be someones wife...at that point he gave me his email address then tried to get my phone number.  After saying no about 20 times he finally gave in and then hugged me on the effing train.  I mean I hate hugs anyway...especially from strange creepers.  After this long embrace, he kissed my hand again and then decided to hold it...well I'll leave that at that.  So we get off the train and he asked me which hotel I was staying and where I was meeting my friends and at this point I pretty much just walked away from him and talked to a Po-lice man...exit Claver and my first encounter with a Frenchman.

I finally found the hostel, got all settled in and met my first roommate, Amy, from Korea.  She was a super sweet girl.  I hung out in the room long enough the charge my phone then decided to go exploring.  I'm pretty sure I got somewhat lost...but I don't think getting lost in Paris is a bad thing...it's more of an adventure.  I found the bridge from the very last episode of Sex and the City where Big tells Carrie she's the one...ahhh the romance.  I had a tender moment reliving that moment on the bridge...well really I was just thinking about her dress, because I do love that dress...but this is getting off topic.  SO.  After that I went to the Louvre...words cannoy describe, it's fantastic.  I got lost...for several hours...in heels...so that kind of sucked.  But whatever, at least I looked fashionable.  After the Louvre I made my way back to the hostel.  On the way there I was using the GPS on my phone to find my way back, and I got lost because I'm me, and ended up on this sketch alley road and my GPS map said "Christian Louboutin" and I thought I misread...but then I started flipping out and looked up and was standing right in front of God's Gift to Footwear.  One of the best surprises of my life.  After that I finally made it to the hostel where I met my Russian roommate.

This girl deserves a paragraph all to herself.  I tried to be friendly, I really did.  But she literally wouldn't talk.  She got there before I left for the Louvre and she went straight to sleep.  I got home and she was still sleeping.  She got up, said a curse word, grabbed her stuff and left, came back 20 minutes later, went in the bathroom, snorted around for a while, then went back to sleep...only to repeat this several hours later...and throughout the night.  I'm convinced she's a crack whore, but that's just me.  Then, at 1 am the 4th girl in our room showed up and couldn't find her key and said Russian ho-bag made a big deal out of  it and pretty much yelled at this girl...then tried to get me in on it, but since she woke me up every time she left for a rendez-vous I told the girl to take her time finding the key and to leave the light on (I was tired and grouchy, sue me).

When I woke up the next morning creepy crack whore had vacated the premises (thank heavens) and I left to enjoy my sunny day of the Champs-Elysees.  More importantly, Chanel.  My day started in the Jardin des Tuileries.  I walked around there for a while, then made my way to the Place de la Concorde.  Where, I might add!  I had my very first crepe, and it was delectable.  After that it was time for the Champs-Elysees...which was everything that I've ever imagined it to be.  I first walked all the way up to the Arc de Triomphe, then climbed the tiny spiral staircase to the top of that and saw Paris, then I made my way back down that sweet, sweet road.  I stopped at Cartier, Swarovski, and Louis Vuitton, which, I might add had a book store inside of it.  Happiest thing in the world.  After Louis, I made my way to the Ave. Montaigne where I was instantly surrounded by Ralph Lauren, Dolce and Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Dior, Fendi, Valentino, Celine, Harry Winston, and CHANEL! Ok, let me just tell you how effing fantastic this experience was.  There was literally a runway in front of Chanel...a runway.  And!  when you walk up to the door there are sexy Frenchmen in suits to open every single door and greet you...It was literally heaven on earth.  I think I could have died there and would have already thought that I was in heaven.  In fact, thinking back on it I'm still kind of fantasizing about it...Moving on!

After heaven on Ave. Montaigne, I ended up at the Eiffle Tower...which is quite breath taking the first time...well until the gypsies show up and start jingling Eiffle Tower figurines in your face (Priss and Chelsey...you're welcome.  I got some gypsy goods for you haha) I didn't really find out until after the fact that that's illegal...so let's keep that on the DL...thank heavens not many people read my blog.  Anyway!  in addition to being ridiculously annoying...these gypsies also try to rob you.  My friend Alicia got her iPhone4 stolen by a gypsy and here's how it happens.  They come up and shove things in your face, be it babies, or fliers donating money to the deaf/dumb association or something (that's what they tried with me) and then when you are distracted, their henchmen come up and steal your stuff.  Which is how her phone got jacked.  Luckily, All of my valuables were either in my pockets or buried at the bottom of my ridiculously huge handbag. TAKE THAT GYPSIES.  Yes, in a Borat voice I did ask if I could steal their tears (in my head at least).  Once up in the tower, I couldn't go all the way to the top because it was "closed due to congestion"? Granted, if it's congested I REALLY don't want to be up there, someone would push me off, I just know it.

After the Eiffle tower, I got lost...so I went to a random bistro for dinner and ended up talking to a really nice guy who worked there about why Paris was better than England.  He kept me company, it was nice.    After that I got REALLY lost, good thing Kristi taught me how to find the metro in French last semester.  However, on the way I managed to find a random store that had really great christmas decorations...I had to indulge.  Needless to say when I finally made it back to my Hostel I passed out.  Very quickly.

The next day when I woke up Alicia was in my room.  I kind of love her, she's fantastic.  That morning we all went and had brunch...oh PS.  Sunday will from here on out be known as the day of amazing food.  I ate way too much, and then came vintage shopping.  Ok, well she was vintage shopping, I was pastry shopping.  I had the best pastry of my life, and will now describe it.  It had a graham cracker crust, followed by a layer of cheesecake, and then cherries, raspberries, blackberrys blueberries, and just about any other kind of berry you can think of.  I think I literally blacked out while I was eating it.  It was seriously that amazing.  After that she shopped for a while longer, and then decided to get dinner.  WHERE! I am pleased to announce that I ate escargot.  Yes people.  I ate snails.  I have to admit they were actually kind of awesome!  Not at all disgusting like I thought they would be. I am actually kind of craving them right now if we are being honest here.   After that we ate frois gras (which is goose liver) and creme brulee to complete our Parisian experience and I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life.

All in all it was a great weekend, psycho crack whore roommates and gypsies included, Alicia was telling me how people kept asking her why she came to Paris alone and she would just tell them WTFN, why the fuck not? and that was her motto.  So People who are wondering why I took a vacation alone, I ask, why not?

Tutu's, and Glowsticks, and Neon, OH MY!

Well, I feel like I should blog before I get too behind...and it's not because I really want to, I would rather be sleeping right now.  So you people better appreciate this.  Well!  Thursday night was the "Study Abroad Society UV Rave Bar Crawl"...that's the longest name ever.  ANYWAY!  I had a lot of work to do so I wasn't going to go, but then I realized that even if I didn't go I still wouldn't get any work done, so I picked the social option.  Before that started my good friend Jessie and I went to hear Mike sing/play at Open Mic Night, and he was amazing (Which is why he won 1st place...ya know, no big deal).  But the other acts...(if any of you read this I'm sorry).  This one guy sang a song about a Scientist, Darwin actually...he got really angry and started screaming "Why are they still alive!?' I was scared...and confused...it was just not good...But anyway, after Mike sang Jess and I left to get to the bar crawl.  On the bus we had no idea exactly where we were going, so we just followed people similarly dressed in neon colors...it worked out!

  We get to the 2nd bar and it is insane.  There are shirtless men with paint all over their bodies, boys in tutu's, I'm still shocked at how well these people party...I've never seen anything like it.  We stayed there a few minutes then made our way to the next bar....and immediately onto the next one. 

  We get to the varsity, people start ordering the stoplights, and the fun really begins.  I owed Jess a drink, so I asked what she wanted, she said something strong, so she got tequila shots...What is stronger than that?    I just want to say that the music was AMAZING.  It was just like being in America again...I mean any DJ who plays Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, and Jason DeRulo is ok by me...in every sense of the word.  Needless to say there was a great deal of dancing happening...So much in fact I was a little sore yesterday...which hasn't happened since senior prom.  Things got intense.  lol.  At one point all of us were on a table dancing...and then Sarah tried to get down and consequently ended up on the floor...so I laughed at that...and I just remembered that at this moment, so you're welcome ;).  We danced into the night, and then this 40 year old creeper randomly made his way into the middle of the circle and kept trying to dance with all of the girls, and by with, I mean on all of the girls.  So Tory took one for the team and suggested he gtfo...which he didn't really understand, but I'm assuming he eventually got the picture.

  Shortly after that I left with Tam, Thandeka, and some of the boys who live in their house.  We got back to their house, I called one of the boys a dick, and he carried me to the house...I don't really remember why I called him that...but I was tired of walking, so it worked out!  We sat in Tam's house for a bit, then everyone went to bed.  On my way home I saw Tilman, Max, and Jen standing outside of Tilmans house (while Tilman was still wearing tights and a tutu) because he lost his key, so they were waiting on the subwarden...that poor man.

  I get home to a quiet house, then Jess pops up on Facebook slightly inebriated...ok, significantly inebriated wanting food.  So we ordered pizza while she skyped with one of her friends...and fell out of her desk chair a couple of times.  Between the two of us we ate large pizza's in about 20 minutes...and then I literally could not stay awake anymore...so it was bed time.  And that is how we do an SAS UV Rave Bar Crawl.

Halloweekend

Well, I wrote this one once...and then it deleted itself...so that was a load of crap.  But whatever.

Before I get to my Halloween adventures, I would like to point out that it is officially November, which means that I can officially start celebrating (aside from Tam's birthday!) CHRISTMAS! I am sooo excited, Christmas-Palooza here I come!  I'm torn though, because I cannot wait to be home, with my family and friends, and my christmas lights (coughdaddycough) and my christmas music.  It will be great.  But at the same time I cannot imagine not seeing my friends everyday.  I've officially been here for a month, and it still blows my mind that it's been that long, but in that month my friends have turned into my little family.  We have had our drama, and at times disliked each other, but we still have dinner every night at 5:30 (the university picked that time, we aren't senior citizens).  I seriously love these people and can't or don't want to imagine everyday life without them.  So I'm moving on before I turn into an emotional little girl.

So! Aside from my Christmas season starting, it was Halloween weekend this past weekend, I know you're all shocked.  But! In England...they celebrate Thursday-Monday.  My friends, being the overachievers that they are, decided to tackle all 5 nights.  Well...we'll get to that.  Queue Thursday night.  Everyone was super excited to get dressed up and go "Shake our tail feathers", if you will.  We had pre-drinks at my house...which is always fun.  We took pictures, played random music and finished getting ready.  By the time we all left pre-drinks, a few of my friends were a little tipsy, which is never a bad thing because it's quite entertaining.  We made friends with some random British girls on the bus.  One was dared to go sit on our friend Josh's lap, but wouldn't do it...I'm not sure why, he's a very nice boy.  But whatever!  So after we traipse through City Centre, we make it to the bar and go inside to shake what our momma's gave us (if you will).  The first thing I noticed was a drink called a stop light.  Basically, it was 3 bottles of VK vodka (Cherry, Apple, and Orange) all turned upside down into a pint glass and drank through a straw.  It certainly looked pretty, and people seemed to be enjoying it...I'm just glad it didn't get spilled on me, lets be honest.  I wish I could talk more about what happened that night, but a few of my friends have asked to never talk about that night again, so I'm going to respect that.  BUT!  Just to ease the curiousity.  After that night, most of my friends made it to the party at Allison's, then about 5 or 6 made it out to the club after...then the next night even fewer made it out...then last night I think maybe 3 people made it out...Maybe.  So, the moral of this story is, if you party right, you only have to do it 1 night a week!

I need to do homework....