#exeter 2015

[cybersexuality]

“...I have no son!”

Father Conway {Stephen Lang}; Exeter (2015)

[always-in-a-fog]

angered!!!!!!!!!!!!!

angered

Michael Ormsby or Rory from Exeter (2015)

There is literally nothing on or about him one tumblr. I searched Fanfiction, Archive Our Own. Even just plane Goggled him. Theirs only a few pictures. Of course all related to Exeter.  Yeah I’m weird I think he’s cute. I just wan to see more, or read some fanfiction. I’d do it, but I suck at writing if you can’t tell already.

#fanfiction request

#fanfiction

#Michael Ormsby

#Exeter 2015

#Rory from Exeter

#Helllllllllllllllllppppppppp Please

#help please

#Request for fanfiction

#Stupid

#cute guy tho

[paperbagstories]

Exiting Exeter

Well, I definitely did not write as much during the last week of the program as I had intended to. Admittedly, I was sort of trying to cram in as much time hanging out with my new friends as possible before we all had to go home, so I think that I used my time spent not writing wisely (sort of. I might have to document some of the experiences because they were relatively funny. Or, at least, I thought they were). The last few days were a blur of trying to do as much as possible and trying not to think about leaving. Unfortunately, the last day came, the Gala Dinner closing ceremony thing was attended, the coach took us to Heathrow, and we all flew home.

I’ve been home for about a week now, so I think this is probably a good time to try to reflect on the experience I had. Maybe even see how I grew as a person. This is going to be exciting, I’m sure.

I feel like this is the most growing up I’ve done yet. I came home feeling like I could handle anything and like I was ready to actually take control over my life. It’s like I’m finally ready to actually try to make something happen. A lot of this came from spending a month living by myself in a completely new place. A lot more of it is from the people I met there. Everyone else was hyper-motivated with lots of plans and really big goals. You try spending a month with a guy running his own start-up, probably the future President, a lawyer with a degree from the number one law school in Brazil, a chemical engineer researching new biofuel technology, a world-traveller who speaks three languages, and a million other frighteningly accomplished people and see if you don’t come home feeling like you really need to step up your game. Especially if the current game plan is no game plan. Basically, I feel really motivated to get my shit together. If any of you ever stumble across this, thanks for being awesome motivators, and never tell me that you found my blog because I don’t want to know.

I finally gave up Diet Coke! This may sound minor, but you are definitely underestimating how much of that stuff I was drinking. I only had three the entire time I was gone, and now I don’t even want it. Also, I’m trying to minimize my junk food intake. Not eating fried foods for a month made my skin look amazing, and I am shallow enough that that’s all it took for me to want to give it up. Health benefits, whatever, but perfect, beautiful, clear skin? That’s what I’m talking about. 

...don’t judge me.

This summer made me push myself out of my comfort zone. You know all the super-awesome people who are literally amazing that I mentioned? Yeah, I would never have talked to any of them if it hadn’t been for this program. Outside of the fact that we would have never met, I would have been way too intimidated. I have a tendency to be afraid of people that I perceive as being “better” than I am, be that smarter or cooler or more accomplished or whatever, but I found out this past month that the people I was too afraid to talk to before are awesome and the types of smart, passionate people I want to be friends with. Plus, I definitely held my own and these smarties wanted to be friends with me, too, I think. Nothing like learning how to be slightly less socially awkward. I’m really hoping that the confidence I found in Exeter sticks around for the school year. I want to try to meet new people and try new things. I always feel a little out of place. Maybe this will help me find my niche.

The best take-away from this summer for me is that I now have friends all over the world, or at least from a few other places. It’s so cool getting to interact with people not from the Corn State (also known as Indiana). It was amazing to find people that I felt like I fit with from all over the world. I feel like I learned so much about so many places that I’ve never been. It’s hard to explain why this is my favorite outcome of the summer school program. There’s just something amazing about it. Go make some international friends, then I don’t have to explain. Plus, it’s definitely a good excuse to travel. (I already have tentative plans to meet up with one of my UK friends in New York City for New Years, so stay tuned for that maybe happening!) 

I’m sure there are so many other things I should be reflecting on, but currently these are the big things on my mind. This summer was incredible in every way possible, and I think it’s probably made an impact on where my life is headed (even if I still don’t know where my life is headed). In the immortal words of my faves, thanks for the memories, Exeter.

[paperbagstories]

Consonants for Days

We went to Wales this weekend! Cardiff, specifically. It was the best weekend trip ever because basically all we did was eat. That is the kind of vacation I am about. There was a bit of a struggle in getting to Cardiff, though, as a member of our traveling party got on the wrong train. We thought this guy was going to Manchester for about 15 minutes. It was a bad moment. I panicked a bit (actually, I basically spent this weekend being group mom and trying to keep everything in order). Both of the trains stopped in Taunton, which was good as it meant we could pick up our lost friend. Everyone managed to make it to Cardiff.

We went into Cardiff Castle the afternoon we arrived. Basically it was just a tower, some battlements, a grassy area, and a house we couldn’t go in because we had the cheap tickets. The tower was pretty standard ancient tower, but the insides of the battlements were very cool. Apparently they had been used as air raid shelters during World War II, so they’re now open for the public to walk through. They have some very loud bomb sound effects and recordings of Winston Churchill playing; it’s all very weird and atmospheric. It was strange to me being in a place where the threat of air raids was immediate. They were never an omnipresent threat in the US. They were something to fear and prepare for, but they weren’t a daily fact of life. The whole experience was just not something I had ever been exposed to.

That night, we celebrated a birthday at a terrible gay bar. Seriously, it was sort of a club but also not, and it was full of old people. It was just so weird. BUT it was pop hits night, so we got great music and hammed it up on the dance floor for a few hours. It was a great time while also being sort of terrible.

On Sunday everyone got up super late because that’s what you do when you go to bed at 3. We went on a hunt for brunch, then into National Museum Wales. I went through the coolest ceramics exhibition (by myself because everyone else was lame). It was called Fragile, and it was amazing. There was a work called Mute that was just mind-bogglingly cool. Basically the idea was to play two records simultaneously in an attempt to bring the whole thing crumbling down like the walls of Jericho, according to the artist. The viewers were asked to choose records and put them on the record players. I loved the way the entire exhibit tried to encourage user response and engagement. In addition to actually being part of the art creation experiences, visitors were given questions to answer and asked to provide feedback on the experience for other visitors to see. It was just so good.

We had a proper Welsh cream tea after, which included a pastry called Bara Brith. I do not know what Bara Brith is, but I do know that I loved it. We then walked through a park and basically just hung around doing nothing until our train left. It was actually quite nice. Cardiff was a lovely city to visit and explore.

[paperbagstories]

Beach-each

We took a day trip to St. Ives today instead of having class! It was great. I did absolutely nothing today. We arrived after having been on a bus for way too long, got off, and went down to the beach. Everybody changed into swimsuits and ran into the water. I think we were maybe a bit too optimistic about how warm the water would be. It was freezing. I couldn’t feel my legs after about five minutes, so we took a group photo to prove we had done the swim then ran out of the water to get some lunch.

After lunch we went back to the beach. A few people went exploring. I fell asleep in the sunshine, and it was glorious. Even after waking back up I just sort of lay around on my towel. We got to stay for all of the great weather, and it started raining basically as soon as we got on the bus back. I would say our timing was pretty great. I was sort of hoping to make it to Tate St. Ives, but I think my day was a success nonetheless.

[paperbagstories]

Monks and Music Fests

Glastonbury is pretty much only famous for a music festival today, but in the twelfth century it was widely believed to be the burial place of King Arthur and Guinevere, thus making it relevant to my course here in Exeter, meaning Wednesday there was a class field trip. Glastonbury is a weird, weird city. On the one hand, there’s loads of Christian stories associated with the place. For example, it’s the place Joseph of Arimathea supposedly brought the Holy Grail and created a healing spring. On the other hand, there’s loads of weird, New Age-y beliefs associated with it, too. It’s supposed to be a place where dozens of ley lines intersect. This means there’s a bizarre mixture of Christian and pagan sites. You can walk from the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey into a shop selling spell books and healing crystals in less than five minutes. I actually think this mixture is appropriate given the association with King Arthur. The Arthurian legends blend religion and magic in much the same way, giving little regard to the contradictions between the two. In the legends and in Glastonbury, both systems just are.

Climbing Glastonbury Tor was a challenge. That hill was ridiculously steep, and I honestly wasn’t sure I would get up it. BUT I totally did. We got some magnificent views from the top. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Wales. Unfortunately, the day was not clear, so we could only see the water between England and Wales. There’s a singe ruined tower from a church left at the top of the tor. It’s amazing that someone managed to lug the materials for a church all the way up that hill, although I suppose that it was surrounded by water in the past. Boating the materials most of the way there was probably not hard. It would have been sort of nice to be able to take a boat and not climb, but I have been enjoying a smug sense of self accomplishment. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

[paperbagstories]

Have Some Class

The past two days have basically been standard college-type days. There’s really not a ton for me to gush about in a blog post. I mean “WOW! Today we talked about tangible connections to Arthur through text, image, and landscapes!” is just boring. Well, the class is super interesting, just not write a long blog post about it interesting. As most of my days are spent in class, that means there’s not a ton here to talk about.

I’ve gotten to spend time hanging out with people in the evenings, which has been very cool. A pun competition was held. Apparently I can only make puns about the ocean. Every other topic was was a wash. None of the puns I made could hold water. I’m trying so hard to pun right now and definitely failing, so I’m going to stop.

In exciting news, my class is going to Glastonbury tomorrow! I am so ready for this. Glastonbury is basically King Arthur central. I mean, they found his supposed grave there! I get to go see it! Not the grave, that was lost during the Reformation!

Also! This weekend I’m going to Cardiff! So that’s exciting! I’ll probably actually have things to say about that.

[paperbagstories]

Bath Time

Well, technically before Bath time. Last night we got a huge group of people together in the common room to play games and hang out. We did some weird games I hadn’t ever heard of, like swoosh and the balance game, and some I did know, like the pretzel game and mafia. Mafia was great because the mafia actually crushed everyone, and I was part of the mafia that round. Winning is always fun.

Unfortunately, doing fun things meant not getting tons of sleep before going to Bath, which meant I basically passed out on the ride there. Everyone else did, too, though, so once we arrived, we all stumbled blearily off the bus and towards the Roman baths. They were pretty cool ruins; lots of mosaics and temple pieces. The bath was still being filled by the hot spring that had fed it when the Romans used it. I think the best part about visiting ruins is imagining all of the people and all of the stories that would have walked in the place you’re standing.

We also went for high tea in the Regency Room at the Jane Austen Center. It was kind of weird (it just isn’t something that really fits in with who I am as a person), but it was tasty. Scones with clotted cream and jam might be my new favorite thing. I still don’t really like tea, though. Plus, we were sat directly beneath a window in the sunlight drinking hot tea. I thought I might actually melt. Luckily, that did not happen.

While we were in Bath, a bunch of people made plans to go to a club when we got back to Exeter. That was a weird, new experience. As someone who likes to dance, even though I’m terrible at it, I figured it would be fun. It was, but by the time we left I was really ready to go. I don’t really like alcohol, so I wasn’t really drunk enough to be around the super drunk people. Still, it was a good time, and I’ll probably go again at some point in my life. Plus, I slept super well afterwards. Dancing will do that to you.