Falling into Fall

Oh dear...it has been too long since I last wrote something here.

I've been consuming book after book after article after theory after book after play..after a couple more articles. Or, rather, it feels more like they've been consuming me. I don't mean most of this in a pleasant way.

The focus of my classes is sometimes disappointing, because it isn't really what I came here thinking I would study. I supposed it is good to get a more overall picture of London in the nineteenth century, but I miss reading novels.

I did have one week where I was just on cloud nine, the whole week about/relating to Oscar Wilde, the Wilde Trials, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and a bunch of theory/critical texts to go along with it. I'm fascinated by him, his works, the trials, the fin de siècle period (1890's) and so much that was happening at that time. That was a fun week.

My beautiful home away from home <3

I remembered recently how I came to be so clean and tidy, and to love cooking/baking. It is all a mode of stress release to me (with a hint of procrastination!). So, I've been cleaning like crazy, but that didn't satisfy me enough. There is only so much one can clean before it's all just..clean! I then decided to go on a search around the city of London for some holiday cheer (and by holiday I do not mean the European meaning of vacation, and by holiday I do not mean Christmas. It's only October, y'all! Let's first celebrate fall!).

A beautiful view of the fall leaves outside my window.
Perfect view for studying. 

They don't do any of the fall festivities that we have (as far as I've gathered from observation and talking with my English friends) like picking out a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, haunted houses, hay rides, corn mazes, or eat anything to do with pumpkin (pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin-flavored-everything-else-you-can-think-of). There is no pumpkin pie spice to shake on things or flavor foods with. If you love Starbucks (or even if you don't you've probably at least gathered this from others) you know that the day the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks is almost a more official marker for the beginning of fall than the actual date on the calendar. It is SO exciting, and SO delicious. Well, the UK is doing a "trial-run" of the PSL this year for approximately four weeks. Most people haven't heard of it it seems...except by other Americans raving about it. I had about four or five, worried that it would end any day, but the sad thing is only one of them really tasted like a true PSL. And when I asked the barista (is it baristo if it's a guy?) if he knew where I could buy some pumpkin pie spice like he was shaking on top of my drink he--through his broken English, because not many people who work at coffee shops and the like are English-- said "No! Not for sale!"...and that was the end of that. Luckily my loving parents sent a loving care package with TWO containers of pumpkin pie spice, mulling spices for apple cider, and all kinds of wonderful tastes and smells to remind me of home. It should arrive any day now.

The leaves are falling!

So back to the topic of my baking craving... I luckily have made friends who like to eat too. One night a friend came over and we baked the most heavenly cupcakes. They were especially special because I'd found a little, over-priced American foods store just past Notting Hill, and bought yellow cake mix!! As heavenly as they were supposed to be, they weren't quite perfect, as adjusting fahrenheit (it's embarrassing that I have to stop and google fahrenheit every time I use it just to remember how to spell it) to celsius doesn't always work properly. They were a bit crispy, but nevertheless proved profitable. Literally. My friend sold one on the tube on the way home! We should start a business together.

The next week I really got my fall-fix. What was supposed to be a night at a really cool wine bar, turned into an even better night (thanks to a day of relentless rain, wind, cold, and just pure yuckiness) of wine, pumpkin bread, and a movie. This loaf was especially good too (and had to be considering I paid about $7 for the box, again at the over-priced American foods store). In fact, it was so especially good that there was none left by the end of the night. And a great night it was.

Unfortunately, to continue to satisfy my fall cravings I realize I cannot go on purchasing pumpkin bread mixes for $7 each, so I went on a ravenous search for canned pumpkin...and success!! at Harvey Nichols! They have such a fun little food court on the top level, and a small cart with about 4 shelves all dedicated to American foods! and there it was...beautiful cans of Pumpkin :) Only about $4 each. I have to add other ingredients, but that's doable. I bought two. One for a pumpkin pie, one for another loaf of pumpkin bread, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to return very soon for some more, after discovering a gagillion new pumpkin recipes on Pinterest!



 I mustn't close this entry without including my proudest baking moment so far... cake balls! They definitely don't look nearly as perfect as they do on Pinterest, or in Starbucks (cake-pops), but I tried my best, and it was my first time. Here's what I did:

Found Betty Crocker cake mix at Tesco!
Heavenly!

Baked the cake, let it cool, added 1/2 can of frosting, mash together!

Made cake into balls, refrigerated them for a bit...

Dunked the balls in melted white chocolate..and decorated!

yummmm!

London is getting grayer and wetter and colder by the day. However, I've got some exciting things coming up to look very forward to!...a trip to Amsterdam to visit some of my wonderful friends I met while I lived in Italy, a trip to the countryside to be super English and celebrate Guy Fawkes day!, and last but definitely not least, a trip home for Christmas!!

Classes begin!

I feel as though I am always doing something, going somewhere, busy with something. At the end of each day here I'm exhausted! Therefore I never know how to condense these blog posts, as SO much has happened since the last, but I'll try.

Last week classes FINALLY began! On Monday I went to the first class for my optional module (we take one optional (that we've chosen), and one core (that everyone must take). Unfortunately, I hated it! While the title, 18th Century Writing, Gender, and Culture, seemed like something I would really enjoy, the material-- mostly obscure articles, letters, diary entries, criticisms, etc.-- were all completely obscure, with no "real" text to read along side them. The professor spoke barely above a whisper, with no linearity to what she spoke about over the two hour class period at all. She merely pulled random thoughts from there air, and whispered about whatever obscure thoughts came to mind. The eighteenth century is not my favorite, and I really have only briefly studied few, very specific subjects, within it. Therefore, I felt completely lost during nearly the whole two hours of random 18th century disorganization. (Additionally, the paper which gave our required readings gave no suggestion for how to locate these random pieces of text--be it letters, articles, or whatever-- and had no separation even between the names of texts; they were simply all one GIANT line of text). My brain which lives on organization just wanted to die.

I must thank my mom (several times this week) for teaching me to recognize that feeling inside that tells you when something is really right or really wrong for you, and to go with it, trust it. I thought I might be able to kill myself working for this class, disagree with the professor a lot, and spend copious hours simply searching for the texts before even beginning to read them, but I decided to fight my way out of that class, and into a different module. To simplify the story by a lot of back and forth communication with the English office, loads of stress and anxiety, I'll just say that by Friday I was changed to a module that I cannot wait to begin! It is called Colonial and Post Colonial Women Writers, taught by Dr. Zoe Norridge, who, should you google her, is quite the impressive, young woman herself! She already has communicated with me ten times more than the last professor (and I haven't even been to her class yet!). The class seems to consist of reading one novel per week with a few pieces of criticism alongside. PERFECT!

Ok. Enough of classes. I'll have to elaborate on the other one at a later time.

The rest of the week was spent doing a lot of reading, running lots of random errands, getting to know some friends better, eating a delicious nutella and caramel crepe, and going to church again. I really cannot say enough good things about this church. I'm so excited for the service every week, and last night's sermon was absolutely incredible. I've got some wonderful people to go with, and some exciting things coming up to get involved with there, including a Wednesday night student's Bible study. I can't wait!

Today is a jam-packed day, but I'm kind of beginning to realize that every day in London is, and sometimes just because with the way one has to travel here (as in not zipping around in my cute little jetta), things take a LOT more time than they do back home. Today I've got to exchange a book from my old module for one for my new module at Waterstone's, then head to an AKC (associate of King's College) lecture at King's (It's a pretty cool thing! ...http://www.kcl.ac.uk/aboutkings/principal/dean/akc/index.aspx). Then I've got to go to the V&A Museum with a "worksheet" of pretty in-depth questions to ponder while there for my core module. Then I'm going to hit up a highly-overpriced American foods store I found online yesterday (am feeling quite homesick for the feel of autumn in Texas, the smells, the foods...) so hopefully I can find some apple-cinnamon scents, pumpkin flavors, and a few other things to remind me of home :) and THEN I get to make dinner at a friend's. It's going to be a great day...but if I stall here telling you all about it any longer I'll never get it all done! So thanks for reading my not-always-interesting accounts of my weeks. See you soon! :)

GIANT Dutch pancake I had for dinner last week!

One of the most incredible crepes ever.. <3

(I'll try to take a few more pictures that aren't just of food for next time!)