When there’s the off chance of snow, no matter how small,
even if it’s been 20 degrees and beautiful sunshine all day, it makes complete
sense to cancel class! It appears snow is such a rare sighting in South
Carolina that people freak out even more than the British!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Message from the President:
‘January 27, 2014
Dear Students:
It looks as though some inclement weather may be heading in
our direction. Even though it’s a balmy 67° today, weather reports indicate
that a possible winter storm will impact much of South Carolina, including the
Midlands, this Tuesday and Wednesday. We will follow the lead of Richland
County regarding closings or delays.
I imagine you might view the possibility of a snow day with
mixed emotions. It might mean cancelled classes, an opportunity to build a
bigger-than-life snow Cocky, or some additional study time. All are possible,
but I am asking each of you to remember that there are safety issues to
consider as well. Whether participating in outdoor activities, walking or
especially driving, please use good judgment and take reasonable steps to ensure
your safety and the safety of your friends.’
Readers, sincere apologises for the lack of blogging this
month! The last couple of weeks have passed in a whirlwind so I thought I would
write a short post to assure you all that I am indeed alive and well – Hi Mum!
Christmas break has been and gone in a flash, and after two
extraordinarily busy weeks playing role reversal and acting as Lindsay’s
personal ‘tour guide’ in London I am back in the US of A, casually sipping a
cup of tea and munching on the last of my galaxy chocolate. But, as I sit here
wearing a pair of Norts and my bright Nike trainers, I can’t help but think; ‘Oh
no, I’ve conformed!’ But rest assured, I am actually going to the gym today, I
haven’t quite reached the stage of lounging around in my sports gear just because!
Fitting back into American college life has been
surprisingly easy, I haven’t felt as homesick as I thought I would and catching
up with American friends over coffee has made South Carolina feel like my ‘home
away from home’. It’s going to be undeniably hard to say goodbye to some of the
friends I’ve made over here when the school term finishes.
School-wise it’s taken no time at all to get back into the
swing of things, apart from feeling like ‘the new girl’ all over again and receiving
the same shocked looks when I introduce myself, my classes all seem incredibly
interesting so I can’t wait to get stuck in. Auditions, gym classes, going out and
even a cheeky trip to Myrtle Beach have consumed the majority of my time over
the last two weeks, this Semester is looking to be even better than the
last!
For those of you who have already forgotten what I look like;
here’s a picture to confirm my existence…. and bad eating habits. (Yes, I’m guilty;
I have already been back to Pawley’s since the beginning of term!)
2013. A year that will be remembered for the bombing at the Boston
marathon, the deaths of Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela, the birth of a
new heir to the British throne – Kate and Wills babe, and Andy Murray’s success
at Wimbledon.
2013. A year that I will remember as a year of friendship,
heartbreak and of course, the fantastic opportunity to fly half way round the
world and study abroad in my very own bubble that looks an awful lot like a
scene from ‘American Pie’.
This time of year is full of reflection and promises as we
all try to set unbelievably impossible new years resolutions that even ‘A’ list
celebrities and professional athletes cannot maintain.
Even the resolution to NOT make any more resolutions seems
to have failed. So I should probably come up with some more realistic
resolutions other than to become stick thin and glamorous, maintaining a size
zero toned body by going to every fitness class available at the University
multi-million dollar gym. Maybe I should resolve to get rid of all my odd socks
lying in the depths of my sock draw, that is once I've actually figured out how
I would get rid of them – giving them to charity almost seems offensive! Then
there’s the standard new years resolutions that everyone ‘pretends’ they will attempt; travel more, read more, use your iphone less, drink less, lose
weight, exercise more etc etc. Perhaps I should keep mine short and sweet, nothing
too extreme; I resolve to try and maintain my 4.0 GPA and to earn an internship
over the summer in a field I’m actually interested in going into…
New Years Eve plans are always left right up to the last
minute in our household and vary dramatically year to year; from random house
parties to watching fireworks on the piste in the Alps . I vote New Years Eve
as the most problematic night of the year! The friends you want to spend
it with inevitably have boyfriends who they have to spend it with. The
pressure to have ‘the best night of your life’ or even just a good time is
immense, and more often than not, the outcome is rather soul crushing and kind
of depressing. The most ambitious plans seem to be the ones that always go
wrong so I’ve come to conclusion that the best New Year's Eves are the ones
that just happen to fall into place and come about largely by accident. This
year was no exception! With the addition of my American buddy Lindsay to the
mad Barraclough household, there was even more pressure to do something out of
this world amazing so that Lindsay could rant to everyone back across the pond
and bore them to death with jealousy. After being in the country for less than
half a day, I decided to drag jet-lagged Lindsay up to London to watch the magnificent
fireworks that take place on the iconic London-eye. Approaching the evening
with the lowest possible expectations worked absolute wonders; yes there would
be thousands of people pushing up against us all night, yes it would most
likely rain, yes we would have to wait for a good 3 ½ hours on Southbank and
yes it would probably take FOREVER to get home. But, with each other for
company; laughter, giggling and generally just loving life seemed like the
perfect way to end 2013.
Travelling alone can be a frightening and nerve-racking
experience for the best of us. Passport? Visa? Boarding pass? So many things to
remember, so many things you end up wishing you’d left at home.
Though most children want the safety of a mother figure
holding their hand during take-off and landing, I learnt from a young age that
my mother preferred instead to squeeze with tremendous strength the arm rest
bars either side of her seat, whilst taking deeper than deep breaths and closing
her eyes shut as tight as possible to wish herself away to some foreign
destination!
You meet the strangest people on flights; lone rangers
travelling the world, young mummy’s and their tiny tots, crazy family’s
attempting the yearly excursion abroad and grouchy businessmen turning their
noses up at anyone in economy class. On my journey back to the UK I had to take
two flights, changing at Atlanta. The first flight was possibly the most
stressful flight I’ve ever undergone; with under an hour to get from the
domestic terminal to the international one, it was going to be a close call,
but to make things worse, the first flight was 45 minutes delayed! (Leaving me
with practically no time at all to make my connection).This meant teeth gritting
facial expressions on my behalf – not to mention the swollen hands obtained from
crushing them with my bony bum.
The 6’ 5’’ Basketball player I ended up sitting next to,
proved to be a light hearted distraction to the disaster at stake if I missed my
flight home on Christmas Eve. The conversation went like this:
Stranger: ‘So you’re an English Literature Major?’
Me: ‘I am indeed’
Stranger: ‘Who’s your favourite author then?’
Me: ‘Well I love Jane Austen – I’m definitely an Austen kind
of girl!’
Stranger: ‘Oh really? My name’s Austin….’
CRINGE
Lucky I managed to clamber onto the flight to London right
at the last minute. Greeted by my Dad at Heathrow, the past 24 hours felt like
the longest in my life, but it was all worth it to surprise the rest of my
family who weren’t expecting my arrival. The look on my mum’s face when I walked
in was absolutely priceless. My simple ‘Surprise! Merry Christmas Mum!’ turned
into endless sobbing and confusion - needless to say my mother refused to let
me out of eye-sight all day. After living across the other side of the world
for 4 ½ months I’m happy to be home for Christmas surrounded by the people I
love. Bring on the New Year! Bring on Semester 2 at USC!
Colorado. Known for the Denver Broncos, the Rocky Mountains,
Pikes Peak, Mesa Verde National Park, Gold mining and ghost towns, rejecting
the Olympics and of course the wide array of outdoor activities, including;
skiing, snow-mobiling, trout fishing and elk hunting.
Before heading back to dreary London for the Christmas
holidays I was kindly invited to stay in Denver, Colorado, with a friend who
was on my Swim team back in Kent last year. Sarah, hospitable and lovely as
ever, ensured that my stay in Colorado was one I wouldn’t forget with a
jam-packed, fun-filled timetable, bursting with activities ranging from
spinning down a tubing hill on the side of a mountain to kicking back and
slurping frozen strawberry margaritas.
As I flew into Denver International Airport the sun was
setting and the sky lit up in the most beautiful blood orange colour outlining
the mountains. Talk about picturesque! This glimpse of landscape was only a
peek at what was to come.
Known as the ‘mile high city’ (as Denver really is a mile
above sea level!) I was pretty much forced by Sarah to down large quantities of
water in order to help my body adjust to the higher altitude. After I
acclimatised to the somewhat colder weather than sunny South Carolina, the
adventures began with trips to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Coors Brewery and the
Denver Zoo lights. With my body
adjusting to the thinner and dryer air, we decided to take a weekend trip up to
the mountains – the White River National Forest. Staying in a cosy ‘condo’ ski
chalet, it was the perfect get away from hectic finals week and exam stress.
The mountains were covered in snow and we woke to fresh fallen powder – a
perfect ‘white Christmas’ scene. Tubing, a sleigh ride, peppermint schnapps hot
chocolate and Rocky Mountain oysters (aka bull testicles) made for a memorable
trip filled with laughter and good company.
While everyone is studying (cramming) for finals, I thought
I would share a video of my group’s final project for our Film and TV Acting
class this semester. Please take into consideration that this is an amateur
production – student written, student directed, student acted and student
produced! Although this may not qualify for a BAFTA award or be an Oscar
nominating performance, we had great fun producing it and I’ve loved the
experience of learning a new skill in front of the camera.
