Don't run away from your feelings! (#3)

I'd have to say that since we have arrived, the most prevalent feeling for me is awe-struck. I am still amazed at how old everything is and the painstaking care that goes into its upkeep. We took a cab last night to the Blue Pig (local pub) and I sat in the front left-hand side (where the steering wheel should have been) and talked to our cabbie. He was telling us all about the different places we were driving by and the different spots we should see in Granthum (city near the Manor we are staying at). He said that the Angels restaurant/pub was from the 1400s- and that if we wanted we could also visit where the Magna Carta was signed. They are only slightly older than our entire country. No big deal.


I have really enjoyed wandering around the Manor- it is so big that I have trouble figuring out where I am without the visual aid of the windows to outside. I got to play the baby grand piano that is in the long room that the ladies used to walk in and it was just wonderful to sit and relax and enjoy myself in such a beautiful atmosphere. Even with all the hustle-bustle of traveling, I really feel totally up for anything and very much ready to go with the flow.


Our group's dynamics are working out really well. All of the women in our group are getting along and are very helpful. Everyone is pretty even-keeled and drama-free (minus some issues
with a straightener). It really easy to opt out of anything that you don't want to do or include yourself in anything you do.


I think we as a group have noticed that the biggest difference between our group of Americans and those around us was the volume level. We are just a loud people. I have had a lot of trouble catching what Ruth (our instructor) says sometimes because she has the European volume down pat- I even noticed myself asking the cab's telephone operator to repeat herself when I called for the cab. Not sure if my hearing issues are just from everyone being loud normally or just working with a bunch of loud second graders... either is entirely possible. In our defense though, the other college-age group of people staying on the 5th floor with us are WAY MORE OBNOXIOUS. There were three girls leaving to go out about the same time last night and they were yelling and foul-mouthed the entire 5 floors down. Maybe I'm just getting old, but they did not make the best impression on me.


Another observation I have made is that the people I have dealt with directly have been very polite- the older lady I purchased my Kinder Egg (YAY) from earlier called me "love" and it made my day. However, most people that you just walk by in the street don't make eye contact or smile- which is personally frustrating. The people who are actually from Europe here seem much more reserved, which I'm sure changes once you become friends with them. I'm just so naturally shy *SARCASM* that it just strikes me as odd. Perhaps it is a cultural thing to be more private. I know my family in Sweden is much more demur and mellow than any of my family at home.


Although, some of the stories that the cab driver and people we talked to at the Blue Pig were the same types of things that happen at home. Our cab driver told us about the "soap opera" drama that had gone on at the Pig a few weeks before between the owner and his 30 years younger girlfriend... involving throwing glasses and arrests at the pub. When we got there it was significantly less dramatic- but still someone else told us about the "soap opera" that was going on across the bar between some girl and a guy that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Poor guys- apparently not everything is different across the pond.


It was amazing to listen to our tour guide last night (another cute old woman) talk about the different people who lived here. The sense of history is so important to really appreciating your surroundings (hmmm... perhaps that is why were are studying the landscapes with the literature... SHOCKING). The little quirks of the building- like the random marble pieces that have been placed everywhere and the grandiose mirrors, ceilings, woodworking details that fill all of the "public" rooms in the Manor- are totally what give the building character.

Loving life so far- no complaints, no ordeals. Can't wait to keep exploring more of Harlaxton!