Back to School; Gala

Today I realized that I'm actually back in school. Amidst all the scenery, I was distracted by the very thought of studying, and even now, it still seems distant. I don't feel like I'm at school, although I'm always processing what's going on all the time, like the readings, history, culture, and the accent. I have a feeling that this impression of mine is susceptible to change and am curious to how it consequently will.

The affect of the accent is a bit different than I expected, and I find it strange to have it around me all the time. Today while I was visiting a few stores, I would mimic the clerks speech and tersely reply "Hallo" or something to that degree. I say tersely because at first I felt like an outcast speaking with as an American. In the oncoming weeks, I look forward to see whether I will continue to try to acclimate my speech or if I will be the rebellious American many of the English folk see us as, according to my interactions and impressions. As an aside, have spent a lot of the day thinking in a British accent purely out of happenstance. We shall see if the seeds sprout.

Class was interesting, as we have three professors amongst us while we sat at a table discussing what is assumed has been read and consumed while we sipped on tea. Spending almost all my social time with the professors has so far been a different and enthralling experience. So much education!

We had our first Gala dinner this evening, which eventually progressed to the Eagle and the Child Pub, the pub where Tolkien and Lewis shared their drafts of The LOTR and The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. Nonstop wild evening.

I couldn't resist either asking a British person their view of The Simpsons, given our sharing of pop culture/political exchanges. I had heard that it was wildly popular in Europe, and I myself believed it was similar in the British sense of humor while satirizing American life. Dr. Lee, a guest of ours at our eatings tonight confirmed both of the views. Refuge! "Oh, we love the Simpsons. They're very much like our British humour, you know, sarcasm n' all. We're only just now getting some of the older episodes. They've been around a donkeyish number of years".