Half-Way
About a week ago I was having one of those really bad days, for various reasons. I lay around most of the day eating cookies and what not, but in the late afternoon I decided to give up on sulking and go for a run and create some endorphins.
When I left the house it was around 5pm and the entire sky was turning golden because the sun had started to set. I ran past the ponds up the hill that makes up the back of campus to probably my singular most favorite spot in Exeter. Right off of the back of our busy University is rolling farm land and hills, British country side. You can run carefully through the mud and go through a wooden sheep gate built in a tall line of trees and brambles, and as soon as you are over the fence, a crisp wind is hitting you in the face as you are on top of large fields that look down on small brick houses and a green patch work of farm land, surrounded by trees. Muddy little paths crisscross the field and as I ran a huge wall of blue rain clouds started to roll in. The sun was setting just behind these rain clouds making the sky look like it had been punched as it turned amazing colours of pinky, purple then blue.
The landscape in front of me really could have been from anytime in the last few centuries, and I began to think how this is something really amazing about Britain. The whole place is steeped in history. The farmlands that spread out just outside the city have probably been used the same way since my ancestors lived here, and if you just squint your eyes a bit and ignore television antenna I bet the whole view wasn’t that much different for someone standing on the same hill hundreds of years ago. You step off of a modern university campus and you are in the past. Somehow the UK has been built up layer upon layer and is completely modern without really destroying the past. They drive on narrow roads with the most modern smart cars. Everywhere you look the ancient is inextricably mixed up and living with the very modern. In London you can find the oldest abbeys alongside the newest most strange architecture such as the “giant innuendo”.
This week signifies my half-way mark through my exchange at Exeter. It is week twenty, out of the forty weeks I have on my housing contract. Already my thoughts sometimes turn away from here and look forward to where I will live next year, what classes Ill be taking. But at the same time I have equal what I’ve already done ahead of me, and that’s really exciting. I’ve made really good friends, traveled to extraordinary places that I wasn’t sure it was even possible for me to go, and just sort of lived the mundane day to day life of any home. Time is flying.
Speaking of which, I have go pack. I’m off on the train to London at 4:10pm to really get to see the sights for the weekend.
Much Love, Caitlin
posted by CEM @ 4:25 p.m.
4 Comments:
I know how you feel being at the half way point. Its weird because when time has gone by already, it seems to have gone by incredibly fast. When I am looking at my calender, I realize how actually little time I do have left in France, but even though i know how quickly it will go by at the same time another whole half of an exchange seems like lots of time.
We have the impression that going away and living in a foreign country would be something so incredibly amazing, or hard, or different or new, but I too have come to the realization that its just life. Time passes, things happen, but its just life.(With of course the exception of thoses days of vacation that bring amazing opportunities that were never there before)
I think for that reason its hard to get up everyday and go out and try your best to make the most of every second. During one year you have to have ups and downs just like every year of your life. Runs always help though. Do you do races in the UK? That would be so cool to do like a 10k race or something.
I'm running the Paris half Marathon on the 5th of March. You should hit up easy jet, and come run it with me!!!
Anyway that is all. I understand what your talking about. Completely. That is why I love your blog.
Ok I just have one more thing to say; and that is:
Europe rocks. It is so cool to go outside and find yourself 20 minutes later in the middle of an 800 year old road, fence or building. That would never happen in Canada.
Vive la Europe!!
maybe that's why i love england. that and the curry. you just feel like you're a part of something when you're there.
sasha
you are a poet. Brenday
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