Recap

This is the day when I got all that stuff done that I haven’t had time to do the past week. I’ve done my laundry (much needed, according to my closet), went for a jog (much needed according to my heart and lungs) and got started on applying for a possible master’s degree in Sweden (much needed according to the deadline, which is on the 15th). And now I’m writing on my blog, trying to get everything up to date.

First up; my last day in London before returning home for Christmas! Milla and I checked out of the hostel, and went out to town for a few hours. She suggested we’d go to Camden Market, which I hadn’t even heard of. If I ever go back to London, I’m going back there! I just wish I’d had more time and possibly walked by myself, so that I could have used insanely amounts of time in some of the shops. They had all kinds of cool accessories, and I bought myself an earring from Virginia the Wolf, made out of the jaw of a rodent, and a tiny wooden turtle. At Kings Cross we finished off by buying some food from the food market.

My dad had said we ought to get to Heathrow early, as it apparently was very difficult to get around, but I think perhaps it’s been a while since my dad last visited, because there was no problem what so ever. I just checked which terminal to go to online the night before. The great thing about Heathrow is that you can take the tube all the way in! The not so great thing about Heathrow is that it is way too expensive. Kinda felt like when I looked at that coat at Harrods, which turned out to cost 3000 pounds. 

Back home in Norway, it was about 30 degrees less than in London. From being able to walk without a jacket, to almost not being able to walk at all because I didn’t wear thick enough socks, and my toes started hurting. It was -25 degrees in Alvdal this Christmas, so I only got to go skiing once.

My dad took a picture of me freezing.

In Norway, we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, so we eat a fancy dinner and unwrap presents in the afternoon and evening. Even though it was just me and my parents, we had a nice evening. My mom had been very curious on what Dad had gotten her for Christmas. Apparently, it was the first Christmas in years when she didn’t know what he had bought. It turned out Dad had booked a weekend for them in Rome for Mom’s birthday, and she, of course, got super excited and happy. When there was only one present left, for me, she got out the camera and had me sit in front of the Christmas tree to film me. I had no idea what they could have bought for me that would make them so excited that they had to film it, but it sure was heavy. I was so happy when I found it to be a copy of Animal Earth, after all, Ross Piper had said the hardcovers were almost all sold out. I could not understand how Mom and Dad had gotten their hands on it, until they made me open it up to see a greeting inside from Ross. My first though was “Is there some kind of hacking system which scientists use to find the address and email of all students in Aber”, because I still don’t know how David Wilcockson and Roger Santer found out who I was and got my email when they asked me to interview Ross. It turned out that Mom had been emailing with him for weeks in order to get a copy of Animal Earth for me, and the book was probably one of the very last hardcovers left! He had even helped out by paying for the book. So if he were to pop by this blog at some point, I would like to say a big thank you. It really made my Christmas.

Sadly, I didn’t get to read much in either Animal Earth, or the book about spiders and the one about bees that I got from my boyfriend (tusen takk, kjære). Whoever thought up the idea of having exams in January must have hated Christmas. I felt really guilty for not studying enough, and once I got back to Aberystwyth, I more or less moved into Hugh Owen. I had three exams in three days, and I am still not sure if I passed Marine Biology. I’m crossing my fingers. There’s only one exam left now; ethology. But once that one is done, I have to hand in the key for my room in Pantycelyn, as the semester finishes the day after. I think I will book a hotel for a couple of nights, in order to say good-bye to all the great friends I’ve gotten before I have to leave. No need to say, that is something I am not looking forward to.

A thypical exam dinner.

It's amazing how creative you become during exams. All you need is nailpolish, a plastic fork and a pen.