Greetings and Salutations!
Allow me to apologize for not having posted anything in the past.... three days. Oh, that's right, I HAVE BEEN POSTING. It's just that my readership has gone significantly down. I know who you are.
Anyway, the tide is turning and I am slowly getting used to this life--except for the fact that the town dies of old age every Sunday at 5 p.m. only to resurrect Monday morning, hung over and worried about school assignments.
On that note, let's recap what's been going on in a little segment I like to call... Small Triumphs and Gigantic Failures.
1. Small Triumph: going to Tesco (Wal-mart equivalent) and finding a small Mexican food section (food that we would deem Tex-Mex in the US, but it will do). Products include: flour tortillas, pickled jalapenos (yaa-llaa-pee-noes, as they call them here), sour cream "topping" (which I will be trying soon), guacamole "topping" (hell no), fajita seasoning, and canned refried beans. PRAISE GOD!
2. Gigantic Failure: I tried for the University's soccer team. With no ACL and all. So you can imagine this over-weight, out-of-shape Mexican (who is terrified of rough sport contact and soccer balls flying at a great speed) running around trying to look busy in the field. Also, about 6 years older than the majority of the team. Anyway, I figured I'd give it a try, and I "convinced" myself that I was going to be fine if I didn't make it to the team (which I knew deep down I wouldn't). Yet, we got the email saying "thanks but no thanks" yesterday and my little competitive ego got mortally wounded.
3. Small Triumph: I am a badass at economizing. I have had zero money for the past 5 days and I have manage to be absolutely fine. I used my last 40 pounds for groceries and have not been going to any restaurants. My student loans should come in about 10 days. Can you say fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-cha-ching!
4. Gigantic Failure: seeing people here who remind me of people back home SO MUCH but being unable to actually say WHO they remind me of.
5. Small Triumph: classes are only every fortnight. Only have four classes. The break down: odd weeks I only have class on Thursdays for two hours; even weeks I have class Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, two hours each day. This blog ain't going anywhere.
6. Gigantic Failure: I fell. In the middle of the street. Slowly, all the way to the ground. While wearing my expensive "walking boots."
7. Small Triumph: I cooked! I cooked chicken and pasta with a special chipotle sauce. My mom's recipe. First time doing it and it was delicious. My flatmate ate some too:
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| To be fair, he is Indian. He knows nothing of Chipotle sauce. |
8. Gigantic Failure: I shopped for clothes without trying them on... turns out, the size 12 here for blouses is like a size 6 in America. Can't even get my wrist through the sleeves.
10. Gigantic Failure: I hung the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe above my bed using some self-adhesive hook I bought. It fell on me in the middle of the night. Didn't even last up there 24 hours.
11. Small Triumph: the city market. It's like your favorite flea market... British version. I bought some locally produced bacon. And a little shopping basket with wheels so I don't have to cut my wrists with heavy plastic bags.
12. Gigantic Failure: my little trolley for shopping. The streets of Durham are not the most evenly smooth streets. So my little shopping cart tips over... all the time. And the groceries fall out. And I paid 15 pounds for the thing.
13. Small Triumph: I'm walking somewhere between 5 to 10 miles each day. Which means I can eat, like... forreals. It's comforting to know that I won't put on weight (losing weight is out of the question--try walking 5 miles every day and see if you're not starving all the time).
14. Gigantic Failure: I have not been able to do ANY work since I arrived to Durham. I can't read for more than 30 minutes without falling asleep. What am I going to do?
9. Small Triumph: I found a parish and have been attending regularly. I met the priest and some of the people of the Catholic Society. I also had Soup Lunch on Friday with some of the parishioners. Might not have known anyone, but I felt at home.
11. Small Triumph: the city market. It's like your favorite flea market... British version. I bought some locally produced bacon. And a little shopping basket with wheels so I don't have to cut my wrists with heavy plastic bags.
12. Gigantic Failure: my little trolley for shopping. The streets of Durham are not the most evenly smooth streets. So my little shopping cart tips over... all the time. And the groceries fall out. And I paid 15 pounds for the thing.
13. Small Triumph: I'm walking somewhere between 5 to 10 miles each day. Which means I can eat, like... forreals. It's comforting to know that I won't put on weight (losing weight is out of the question--try walking 5 miles every day and see if you're not starving all the time).
14. Gigantic Failure: I have not been able to do ANY work since I arrived to Durham. I can't read for more than 30 minutes without falling asleep. What am I going to do?
Loving your blog. The office gifs are hilarious
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