Wednesday.

Wednesday (7.7)
Leo and I went to town early so that we could go to the post office and explore before he had to be in class. We went to a traditional Cornish bakery and bought delicious (cheap!) pasties (no, that is not a typo) for brunch. It was our first experience with them and it was a good one! We'll be going back before we leave.

We also went to the Tudor House. It was not what I expected. It was weird – is that a rude thing to say? I usually refer to things as “different” because that is what they are, but this was weird. I’m glad admission was free, let’s just put it that way. ☺ Leo and I did take a couple of silly photos with a weird doctor statue… so it was a partial success.

We went out with a few of the BSU kiddies to Lloyd’s – which I can’t stop calling Floyd’s for some reason. Probably because it’s a better name. It was fun. We had drinks with cute names: Frilly Tutu to be exact (Debbie – thought of you!)

It’s weird – there are going to be things that I am definitely going to miss when I’m back in the States. I think that biggest thing will be the ability to walk everywhere. I love being close enough to everything I need – and if we’re not close, it is still safe to walk to everything. Sidewalks everywhere! I will also miss the ability to jump on the train and go just about anywhere – for relatively inexpensive. I like not having to rely on a car to get anywhere. We need more trains in the States! ☺

Things to note:
1. All of the cars are little – I think I have said this before. But it makes me think about why everyone has such big cars in the States. These little guys (and seriously, they’re all about the size of a Chevy Aveo) get the job done just fine. I am guilty of loving SUVs and wanting one. I feel my priorities changing. I don’t want to just talk about caring about the environment – I want to be proactive. Leo and I discussed that we should look into buying hybrids when it comes time for us to get new cars (and hopefully we’ll live in a place where we could get away with one car between us). We talked about having one SUV between us and that we would do so if we could find a hybrid SUV. Yes, it will cost more initially but I think it’s beneficial. The reason that I hold onto wanting an SUV is because I feel safer in them in the States – everyone has a massive car so I feel like I would be able to hold my own better. Does any of this make sense or am I just rambling?
2. The credit and debit cards here have little chips in them. People just stick one end into a little machine and it reads the card. This makes it difficult when you have a dinosaur card that you have to swipe. Not everywhere can take them. And, even if they do, you have to have it signed. I like to write “See Photo ID” on my card – not good enough here. I have never been asked for multiple things with my signature on it like I have been here. People don’t even ask to see my ID 99% of the time in the States.
3. England is suffering a dry spell – it was in the papers. They are concerned that they will soon have to limit people’s outside water use. It is strange – it has only rained once for about 10 minutes since we’ve been here. It has been very hot and sunny – out of the ordinary for England. I want to experience some English weather! It feels like we’ve been in Indiana the past two weeks. I hope it rains soon!
4. It is impossible for me to keep myself from calculating the $ amount on items – even groceries. I do it automatically. While something seems cheap here I’ll think, “Well, I wouldn’t pay X amount of $ in America for this!”

Time to end the night with an episode of True Blood... We can thank Colleen for getting us started!