Friday the 13th of January, Day 6: “Reincarnations”
I’m going to reflect on an odd recurring circumstance that keeps happening the more I meet people here. I see resemblances of my friends, especially mannerism but also in looks too, back home in these new friends. My flatmate Marie has a certain likeness to Elsie, in the sense that neither one is intimidated by being the only girl in large groups of guys and also smiles similarly. Matt, another flatmate, is like my old RCTC friend Tanner; Vinny is like Joe Finney; Joseph the Australian student (but actually New Zealander) is an amalgamation of my highly sarcastic friends. Anna is really a near-image of an old theatre friend of mine, Naomi Stern. These were the main ones and on the five-hour scavenger hunt with Anna and Mo (and three girls who kept not sharing the map), I thought about this semester abroad, and about these reincarnations, as glimpses of a parallel universe to my California life. I know absolutely no one here from any part of schooling or childhood, but somehow reflections of the past arise amidst the foreignness. I am meeting people who, for all intents and purposes, I have known before [but yes, my mind is doing it; my reality is building upon what I know]; talking in slang that is contextually the same but so different (as in, American says “smart”, but here it’s clever; “awesome” in US is “decent” or “proper cool” here); being back in dorms but this parallel world is different from how I once went through it. I’m being a more social flatmate, being bolder by running out and picking up the trail as I go along, busting out my ridiculous metaphors shamelessly, and even coming to terms and reevaluating my short-term mindset (in certain areas of my life). It really isn’t a parallel universe, just an old life re-casted into a new light with new characters retaining similar mannerism but different accents.
On the topic of ridiculous metaphors, during the five-hour scavenger hunt around Norwich (this occurred a little after noon, so the UEA Orientation part two on academics was over by 12), I was famished, starved, hungry (yes, each synonym is necessary), and thirsty, tired, sleepy, and weary (think the Seven Dwarves but all in one person, except Sneezy), so I told Anna and Mo that I felt more like a sheep than a wolf on this scavenger hunt. It was silly, sure, but the metaphor became much more hilarious when Anna and I were separated from the group by a red stoplight. Anna said, “Oh no, we’re separated from the herd” and she proceeded to “Baaaa” aloud. At this, I bent over laughing and then joined her in “Baaa”-ing. Soon Mo, who encouraged us to keep going, became “Lil Mo Peep” and we were his sheep. The End…
…was at Subway finally. The three map-hogging girls finally gave up, and Mo and I ran inside Subway to finally eat a 4 o’clock lunch (and our first real meal of the day). The benefit of the hunt had been seeing the beautiful old Cathedral in Norwich, along with cobblestone roads and historical sites and touristy shops, but I forgot my camera today and the hunger definitely offset the fun-ness of the trip around Norwich a little bit.
Now the night, which I did a botched-up job explaining before, happened as follows:
Pre-night: went to the store with Anna and bought apples and her American card didn’t go through; scavenger hunt; around dinnertime, I texted Anna that I didn’t get a chance to go to the campus store to buy food for dinner, so she was really generous and shared pesto pasta with me (derived from the Jumble post [and all quoted material onwards is from that post, so as to put it in order]: “apple earlier in the day, groceries, Anna’s card didn’t work at the store, then scavenger hunt too long and sucked” + “tired on my feet” [on the hunt] + “Anna’s generosity in sharing her food “ + “pesto pasta”)
Actual Night:
1-First there was the “union pub wait for taxi pretty long”, 10 of us were there.
2-taxi #1 with Joe and Anna;
3-Stopping briefly at a gas station, Joe and I did a “hilarious money split” of the cost of a Strongbow cider pack, and “the lady at the cashier at first saying ‘Okay, now, I’m really confused’” was funny too.
4-Then we went to “the kickback at Sean’s” off-campus house where we played “King’s cup—no, ring of fire” and had the television on in the background playing “MTV music videos of the British pop star Olly” Murs.
5-then in came “Michael and other Oregon student (blonde, tall girl and the name is not registering)”
6-taxi #2
7- I had a “discounted price at the entry to the club Project since I knew the British guy Sean”. (He had sent me a facebook invite to the club apparently and included five of us on the guestlist).
8-We were in Club Project and first thing Sean and I did was taste “the Apple” cider (not real apple cider) which had a “fantastic taste” just like “apple juice”. Sean bought me the cider, so I returned the favor (since it’s impolite in Britain not to) by “buying a drink for Sean since he did for me earlier.” There was soon “the blaring music of American throwbacks of 10 years ago (yeah, I’m talking “Stacy’s Mom” and the like)” and “the changing color lights.”
9-As I swam through “the smoke room I had to go through to find the girls from our rather large UEA group” (which I did), I ended up “meeting a random guy [about my age, Sam Burton] outside the main dance floor who discussed his passion for music with me.” He wants to start up a recording studio.
10-On the “congested dance floor,” I remember “being lifted up by Sean and Joe at one time on the dance floor” which was exhilarating.
11-I got a “text from Mo” about him leaving and not long after, I ran out and took a “taxi [taxi #3] home with roomie, nice guy Michael, and Alex” while “not being able to stop talking in a British accent while inebriated, especially in the third taxi”
12-Home. Night.
13-Woke up at 1pm the next day and wrote the Jumble post.
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