english countryside > california countryside

helen put it best when she said "english countryside is so dignified!" i couldn't agree more. as you may remember, i had a strong hankerin' for some natural beauty (other than parks and pigeons) a few weeks ago. imagine my delight last weekend when chris took me down to kent, in a quaint town called maidstone.

the train ride down was lovely in and of itself. i was supposed to be reading my book for class, but i couldn't stop looking out the window. everything was so green! granted, the california coast train is great, too, because of the ocean views--but everything is dry and dead. england is just so fresh and crisp, i love it!

i tried to cherish that crispiness as much as possible--as soon as we stepped off the train, the cold, sweet air was like a drug! i hope no one noticed my rabid hyper ventilation...but it felt like i was ridding my lungs of two decades' worth of LA pollution. if i'm ever rich, i'll make sure to have a cottage in the english countryside. i'll live off of my sheepsies, hahaha. cue lamb voice: "lillllyyyy, i thought you loooooved meeee!" a la the simpsons. om nom nom!

anyways, on with the story! chris's friend doug kindly hosted us for the weekend at his house, which had four other male occupants. i was really glad to meet some more british people, since queen mary seems to have a considerable dearth of them. finally, i was surrounded! we spent friday afternoon watching forrest gump, playing pool (of course i had to have the guys teach me how to shoot, cause i'm a buffoon), and socializing. for dinner, doug made really good burritos; however, hate to say it, they weren't exactly mexican. more like a britito. they had fries in them, hahaha. i loved it, though! a new spin on a classic dish.

that night, we went into maidstone for some clubbing action. chris and i were pretty tired from the night before. oh, that reminds me! the night before, our flat went to an amazing birthday party in a club called "mahiki" in mayfair. the most expensive drink on the menu was 6,000 pounds...it was RIDICULOUS. we feasted on "treasure chests," which were filled with ice, apples, oranges, peach liqeur, and moet & chandon champagne. it pays to have swanky friends! anywho, that night we partied a bit too hard, so friday we took it easy at the maidstone clubs.

on saturday, we took a scenic drive into more countryside, which we then extensively explored by foot. city girl that i am, i had a little bit of trouble on the hike, continually getting my scarf caught in brambles and losing my footing. A for effort, though! some pictures below, for your pleasure...

very attractively squinting in the sunlight

countryside!

and more!

the bridle path, from which we veered off into what i can only describe as "thickets"

lovin' the thicketry

i thought chris looked like a little kid in this, hahaha. he's probably pouting.

see why it was hard for me to hike?

view from the top...of more trees

for some reason, i only took pictures while on this adventure, so sorry that i don't have more photographic evidence. you'll just have to rely on my trusty narration..

so, after the hike, doug & chris & i went for some pub grub. i got a beef and ale pie, which was (to use aunt heidi's word) LUSCIOUS. maybe its because i was famished after our knackering hike, but it thought it tasted so good. so far, the british food i've had i've really liked! but there's still time to find some grossness..

anyways, that night the british boys had a little get-together at their house. i was glad to meet even more brits! there were also a few scottish, irish, and german girls there, which was cool.

it was funny, for a long time people were playing guitar hero, and it just reminded me so much of home. some things really are cross-cultural, haha. we watched a few movies, as well, and ate more delicious brititos.

i was sad to leave the next day, because i so enjoyed being around solely british people (no offense to americans, it was just a nice change of pace). at one point, doug asked me what some main cultural differences were, which got me thinking...shall i list them?

british people...
-tend to swear more
-are merciless teasers
-generally dress much more fashionably than we do
-at work (in restaurants, stores, etc) seem much cheerier, friendlier, and more helpful than american employees back home
-like lording their "superiority" over us, haha.
-don't eat a lot of vegetables
-use their utensils differently. we americans usually pile our food in the scooped, front part of forks. not so for the brits. they use the back of the fork, and place the utensil upside-down in their mouths. when i noticed this i was completely flabbergasted. it seems so dreadfully inefficient. but then again, we americans must seem so horribly rude. whatever, i'm sticking to my uncivilized ways!

granted, this list is based off of my biased, limited experience thus far. i'm sure there will be more generalities to spew as time goes on.

and as for this last week...well, there's not too much to say. i've had oodles of work to do lately, but luckily this week it's mellowed out a little. i had a fantastic time with helen this weekend, but am too tired to post about it at the moment. look for it next time! and on that note, it's time for a pick-me-up and some medieval drama reading!


yearningly (for warmth),
lilly