The Last Update

For those wondering what I've been up to since getting back, I refer you to my old blog. If you don't know where that is, ask me and I might tell you (or might not... it's more personal than this blog was, so I don't want it to be as open, no offense meant.)

Endings

Obviously, that last entry wasn't actually my final one from the UK; I couldn't let it rest there. Perhaps I'm guilty of trying to hard to narrative-ize, but I think this needs more closure.

It feels like an eternity since I left the states, and the thought of being back there in just a little over 24 hours from this writing (assuming the flight is on time) is surreal. So, it's appropriate to look back a little.

This is not a personal blog, nor will it become one, so it is not an entirely complete account of my experiences. Suffice it to say that the experience of being here has not always been perfectly happy. But I look back on the things I've seen and done, the stuff I've learned (the academic aspect of things should not be overlooked) the people I've met, the places I've been...

Are there things that I would have, in hindsight, done differently? Of course. But do I regret coming here in the first place? Would I regret not having come?

The answers are, I think, obvious.

Over and out,
--Aaron

Things I've Learned From British Commercials That Run Before Movies

1. Buying bootleg DVDs will result in bizarre encounters with strange old men in pubs who sing insulting songs that will cause your girlfriend to leave you and basically destroy your life.
2. Guinness reverses time and freezes things. (I don't get it, either.) (1, 2, 3).

(This is kinda weird to have as what may well be my last post from the UK, but then, I'm quirky.)

Not much to report on this end. Packing is still going smoothly. Mailed a lot of books home (at considerable expense -- no, parents, it was not cheap in the slightest), but I'm going to have to get rid of a few (say goodbye to the travel guides).

Said some needed goodbyes to friends here, and took a few last photos of the campus.

It'll be weird to be back. Weird that Nathan will be in NYC, and I'm still in Philly... ah, well.

Packing is thus far going smoothly. Meanwhile, I have to recommend the film This Is England, which I just saw. It's deservedly gotten rave reviews from the UK press -- it's not out in the US until July (in limited release), but I do recommend it, either then or whenever it hits DVD. What was particularly weird about watching it was that it was mostly shot in and around Nottingham (the director lived in the area for a number of years, and has set most of his films here) -- and several scenes were shot in places about two minutes' walk from the theatre where I was sitting. First time I can say that about a movie.

Photos!

First: yes, I made it back safely. And I've actually managed to complete a substantial amount of packing -- enough to give me faith that I can pull this off, if I make judicious usage of every nook and cranny of my luggage. Of course, that feeling may well evaporate once I finish this huge load of laundry.

Anyway, what you've all been waiting for:
Edinburgh
Amsterdam
And a few more photos of Nottingham for good measure.

Amsterdam, Day 2

Even with all the weird things I've seen in this city, this has to take the cake: a guy in a black hooded robe, wearing a goofy mask, playing a guitar right next to Damrak (sort of the city's main street). What pushed this into the upper stratosphere of weirdness was the inexplicable presence of a large plastic toy of Baby, from the early-90s sitcom Dinosaurs, attached to the guitar. (No, I am not embarrassed to recognize this. I can't be the only one who remembers that show, if only vaguely.) I'd have taken a photo, but I'm not sure the guy would've appreciated it.

I am utterly worn out, but have had a very good day thus far. Spent most of the day on a free (but actually quite good) tour of the city, with the same company that ran last night's tour of the Red Light District. Very informative, and lots of good opportunities for photo taking [insert qualifier regarding the condition of my camera here]. Then visited Oude Kerk, a massive church, incongruously located in the Red Light District. Currently, it's hosting a fascinating (and, in some cases, disturbing -- lots of war images) exhibit of the award winners for the World Press Photo competition (according to Wikipedia, the church is also where the awards ceremony is held.

My feet are sore as hell, which I guess says that I've done a lot (even if I at times feel like the one person who apparently didn't come to the city for the primary purpose of toking up... ) It'll be good to be back in Nottingham... not that there's much relaxation on that end, what with packing. Probably not doing to much in the way of that tomorrow, though -- I have to get up around 6:30 or 6:45 tomorrow, and though I plan on hitting the sack early tonight, I fully expect to be exhausted nonetheless.

After all this time, it's surreal to think that I'll be back in the States in only 4 days. It'll be weird leaving again so quickly, however temporarily. (To non-family members: I'm leaving for California on the 14th (along with my dad and my brothers) to visit my grandmother. It's just for the weekend, though.