NC--PA--LA--TX.

Studying done. Semester over. Summer is finally here. 

The last few days in Granville were so sad. My friends made me a huge card, bought a Carolina bear and a cupcake from sugarland, and got all the people on our hall to sign it... So sweet of them, and it's nice to have some evidence of the life I have had out here, something to make me believe that the experience and he friends I have made are actually real!!

Ginger, Me with the giant card and cupcakee, Melissa, Anna and Ryan.

Finals were a bit of a blur of libraries, stress and far too much caffeine, and proved a completely different experience to that at King's (i.e. streakers and 10 minute raves). So glad they are done! Though I was sad to leave each exam knowing I'd probably not see any of the other kids again, or the professors. Feels very odd.

Its also been Royal-Wedding hype ahoy around the States recently...In the last couple of classes a few people approached me to ask if I was excited, and if I was going to watch it, and how wonderful it all was....blady bla. It was quite exciting, except for the reason I saw it all live was due to the fact I had 3x 10-page papers due, and so was still in the Library at 5am when they began airing it... Got an A- on that one though! :)

I tried to catch up with most people before leaving, class friends, my mentor Imani (though Im seeing her again in DC) hall friends, etc. So it was a gradual process of bereavement at least, haha. Imani and I went to Yo-Po, the best fro-yo place in Chapel Hill, and had a bit of a teary-moment in there. We must have looked like such idiots sat blubbing into our little cups, haha. But I really will miss her and her absolute craziness, along  with most things here in the hill... 

Anyway, amidst the blurr of finals, packing, goodbye's and final parties, we actually left Chapel Hill. I can't quite believe it, and it's only because every day since then has been so jam packed that I think we haven't taken it in completely. Plus I know I'm going back for a day so it's not quite goodbye.

Fresh Prince'ing it up...

After a disastrous start of missing our mega bus, we ended up driving up to Philadelphia the Saturday after the end of term (!) with two other exchange guys, Sam and Lawrence.

We couch surfed with a guy there, Joe, which was amazing. He was great and showed us around town and best of all, freee accommodation. :) Philly was interesting. It's an odd city, with a lot of poverty which really struck us. There are cool markets, and we went and did the constitution stuff, seeing where it was signed etc. and went to the site of Rocky, running up the steps in true tourist fashion, and we even made it across the border to New Jersey, though it was slightly scary over there so we quickly returned, taking only Italian-made pizza back across with us. We also met up with two other Kings people who studied at UPENN this semester, Alex and Christine. The campus is beautiful, v. Oxbridge'y and although I think UNC has an incredible campus, you can tell that that school is private and has money...seriously. 

Joining the already splintered international group, (it's crazy seeing how far everyone is across the states, there are people everywhere!), we left the boys behind there, as they drove up to Canada as Faye and I flew down to New Orleans to meet Jodie.

N'Orleans

New Orelans New Orleans New Orleans... basically what it says on the tin. Town of partying, tourism, and an all year round mardi gras feel. The tourisity feel to the place was quite overwhelming at first, as we felt as though we were being conned left right and center... We took a boat trip up the Mississippi which was cool, though overpriced and with little to see, really. But after a day or so we got a bit more used to it, unfortunately close to leaving. 

It's interesting though, as a place evidently scarred yet living alongside the natural disasters it frequently faces. It was strange to speak to people who actually experienced Katrina, and see how they coped and what the atmosphere was like. Flooding to them is normal, one barman told me. Most of the buildings are waterproofed up to about 4 feet above ground level as that sort of flooding isn't a big deal at all to them. In fact the banks of the river were high whilst we were there and there was supposed to be an influx of water into the river coming soon after we left...

The French Quarter is also beautiful, in parts really feels like being in Paris or something. And there are buskers everywhere, which is awesome. When we got off of the plane there was a marching band in the airport, (!) and they gave us a tip off to get free entry to see a jazz band! So that was  our first night there, pretty nice. It felt like we were just getting to know the place and know our way around a bit more when it was time to leave for Texas already...

Hanging out on that there Guadalupe, Austin. 

Texas is not how I expected at all. Austin is such a lovely city, just not....texan how I imagined!! No cowboys, you know? Its clean and buzzing, and like London in that its very walkable, too. Felt much more at home here, and less bombarded with leering men (being three girls is so annoying sometimes), and people begging and shouting at you. We went up to the springs today and swam in part of the river which has been made into a huge natural swimming pool. One you get over the sensation of swimming around with algae it was great! We also hired canoes and paddled down the river for a while, which was so beautiful. The river was full of turtles and fish, we got up so close to some of them whilst gliding along in the boats! That again was surreal as we came to sections of the river where you could just see the city skyline, whilst being sat in a canoe on a river.... so strange. 

Anyway, with a flight up to Denver tomorrow I am going to join the other two and sleep. Hope everyone's doing ok, and a very HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY to my lovely friend Gem, so sad I wasn't there to share it with you my dear and I can't wait to see you.

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