#BLOGMAS Day Thirteen to Eighteen - Cambridge Calling

Day 13

So the shoes I bought look lovely and all, especially the overknee-sweater combination I got going on, but I'm kinda already limping with pain and we haven't even made it to my oldest friend's house. But hey, I'm here, the sun is out, the town looks like a made-for-TV British Christmas special and I so absolutely love to finally see my friend again. She takes me to a coffee shop for a jetlag-fighting brownie and extremely expensive macchiato (hi, Pound) and I meet her Asian housemate, who studies linguistics (am I already violating data protection? Oh well) and seemed very sweet. I'm sleeping on a military style futon in my friend's dorm, but having never lived in a dorm myself, even that excites me. As does the town itself - there are so so many different colleges, and they all are built like small separate castles, with a square yard, lots of bricks, old chapels and romantic bridges - oh, and the cutest bridge is the one we have to cross on our way home, which goes right over the Cam (if you ever wondered how that name came to be, it's quite obvious) and is so narrow that you have to watch your step instead of watching the traditional Punting boats in order not to trip in front of a bus. Adorable, really. The Christmas lights are out and we make plans to do all our gift shopping in one go, maximising our luggage limit and credit card bills for good fun.


In the evening, you go sit in the college's own bar (everyone who regularly goes to college is probably yawning by now, but to me, a commuting, fashion-school-where-everything-is-different alumni who had nowhere to go at school but to the basement to enjoy not having phone service and/or food, everything I'll be describing has made an everlasting impression on me), which we did with another girl who's from India and doing economics. She's also really funny, even though I'm not sure she means to be, but whatever. Another guy comes in, gets a drink and asks to sit with us, so I assume he's also part of the group (he wasn't - apparently at other schools, you can dare to sit with strangers without getting stare-daggered) and introduce myself. We end up playing Activity and he compares me to Snow White, which I like to hear. He has curls, though (I've said it before and I'll say it again, can't take those seriously on a man).



Day 14

Receipts everywhere, gifts on the floor, my futon and stuffed into bags, all mixed with my pajamas, hair extensions and clothes I'm changing into for tonight. I got my whole family covered for Christmas, even members I've never met before. My feet are killing me, although I skipped my unnecessarily polished fashion sense and put on some of my friend's sneakers that are two sizes too big for me for the day. We are asked to watch a movie with some people, and then they put on a Netflix show that is way too scary for me so I try to blend that out and think of something warm, such as my new Cambridge sweater that I could not resist getting, even though it is a bit hypocritical of me, because I never had one of my own (see, getting overly excited again).



Day 15

There's supposedly brunch available at some colleges, but since most students are gone for the holidays and there are formal parties going out every day, my friend and I spent the better part of the morning touring the town on the lookout for some English Breakfast (not gonna lie, I like those tomato beans) and then "settling" for authentic Indian food instead. "Settling" is not the right word though - I have no idea what I had but it was amazing. I got no food pictures from this trip by the way 'cause I always dove right in. Then it started pouring and we did the cultural part duty with some museum-hopping (they were all free, which I like since I sometimes really don't get the art and slouch around aimlessly for hours to get my money's worth, searching for a chair to sit on that's not ancient. These ones were more entertaining, though).



Now we're back at the bar, I got a glass of red and have been playfully interrogating one of the guys in the group. He's a nice boy, younger than me and already looking into his Phd, and usually, as he claims, not very talkative. But I am somehow struck by the urge to share my every random thought with him and, in turn, ask him all sorts of inappropriate questions (not that sort, I'm not completely useless in social settings). He doesn't seem to mind too much, though; I think he has taken to the idea to open up to a stranger with purple wine stains on her lips, which are sealed, obviously. My attention shifts now, however, as the guy from the first night has shown up again and is talking to me, leaning in quite closely. He did that before, as well as watching me a bit too intently. At one point he takes my ring to show me some reflecting light, and I am a bit bemused when he slides it back onto my finger (I'm so influenced by romantic comedies, it's a serious condition). He proposes (haha) to show me and my friend a place where they actually serve brunch the next morning, and we agree to go.



Day 16

There's no brunch, and my friend decides to go to the library (everyone but me is shooting for a Phd around here, it seems), but he suggests that brownie serving place and somehow, I am on my way to meet him. Alone. Now I don't know about the cultural differences (British or college related respectively), but in my book that's a bit of a situation. Wish me enough poise to not let this turn awkward.

I think I'm doing fine - I have not brought up anything romance /heartbreak/ textationship related, neither asked inappropriate questions, so that's good so far. We're on safe territory, talking family, careers (well, his), New Year's resolutions. Location changes to a gallery and I still can't tell if he just lacks a sense of personal space or is purposefully getting closer to me. I don't really mind either way - I'm not exactly overcome with desire, but I'm nice and comfortable. We're walking around town and he's got all these anectodes and knows every special corner, showing me a lovely spot near the bridge, and I wonder if he's trying to set a mood. I'm too busy congratulating myself for being so comfortable to notice, anyways. I also forget to watch the clock and we turn up at my friend's house when it's already getting dark (I have shown an alarming sense for poor priorities when it comes to guys), where he joins us for tea. While the others are discussing their uni system, I play with my hair elastic and he absentmindedly pulls it away from me like we're holding a bow between us (as in bow and arrow). He keeps asking what we should do for my last night, but my friend and I are invited to dinner and have to keep it pretty vague. (Though me, with my bad priorities, would totally sneak away from a group thing to see a guy. Too bad I'm too polite to actually suggest that)

Dinner is just lovely, still. We're at a Chinese place and my friend's roomate has chosen all these dishes that look fabulous and I'm non-stop refilling my plate. Good thing I was so busy being comfortable I forgot to eat all day.

Eventually we end up in a common room, where I further bond with the shy guy from before (and spam him with my confusion over the other guy's intentions, to which he only says "well, do you need anything from him?". He's so much more self-actualized than me in some ways, bless his heart). Then the other guy drops by and we share some fruity cider (I wasn't aware that there was alcohol in that until I asked, and that's the good stuff), but since we're all playing a game that does not allow much talking, no scandalous whispering in dark corners happens, and the evening fades out in a somewhat anti-climaxing fashion. Meaning I am wearing a rain-soaked fur coat and my teeth are uncontrollably rattling from the cold when we hug goodbye in breathing distance to my friend.

Day 17 

On my flight back home. Very tired, very sad to be leaving this marvelous place where everyone is nice and chatty to (and maybe even hitting on) you, there's books everywhere (the libraries are so pretty I could cry) and I am completely cut loose from all responsibility while walking that narrow bridge and breathing in the cold December air.