A Very Late Night

So one of the things that I've decided to do this semester is get more involved. I'm very conscious of the fact that due to my aforementioned hatred of the cold, I will spend the next 15 weeks of my life cooped up in my room reading Shakespeare like the cool English student that I am. Well I am determined for that not to be the case. Today Rachel, Emily and I held are holding a meeting about what we're going to do this semester. We're hoping to go down to Washington D.C. and to Philadelphia and of course the Mall! I have also just taken a massive leap and booked flights to go to Texas in spring break. Yes you heard me, Emily and I are going to Texas, yeehaaa where hopefully we shall escape the cold and get some sun. Before that of course America is being invaded by my darling mother and four of her crazy friends: look out!

In terms of on campus entertainment Rachel took me along to what is called Late Night. A weekly event at Uconn Student Union in which the cafes and food stores are open until late and various activities are open to the students. It was packed. And Rachel informed me that last semester it had got even busier with people queueing outside in order to be there first for the activities. 'What activities are they so anxiously waiting for?' I can hear you say. Well, Friday nights agenda included: Karaoke. It was like the American Idol Auditions. Various people getting up and singing (or at least trying to) their hearts out - but without the sob story of course. Next up we have 'stuff your own felt pillow' and 'create your own message in a bottle'. Looking around I just could not believe that this was what 18/19 year olds were doing on a Friday night for fun. You would be VERY hard pushed to find anyone in England to do that. And just the thought of someone holding an event like Late Night at Warwick was enough to bring on hysterics!

It was at this point that I really started to miss the pub.

I know I've mentioned it before during last semesters count down to homecoming (Read about it here!) but you really cannot beat a good English pub and it is what America is missing. Now I'm not going to go on another rant about alcohol because I've done that plenty of times (like here!), but its the space that is missing. They are a vital part of any community that can be used by almost anyone. They range in shape and size and cater for different people and different needs. I definitely made the most of them this holiday meeting family for lunches and meeting friends in the evening.  Pubs are an integral part of most English communities with nearly all villages, no matter how small, having one. Samuel Pepys even went so far as to describe pubs as being the heart of England. And who gave us pubs? Why the Romans of course! I couldn't refrain from giving you that little tidbit because "what have the Romans EVER done for us?"...