Eating, Entertainment and Washing....Daily? (#5)

Adapting....isn't it wonderful? In theory, yes. In reality, eh, not always. The whimsical days at home, eating at any hour I pleased and whatever I was in the mood for at the time are gone--here are the days of regimented eating hours and limited choices. Where are we--the army? No, we are simply eating dormstyle in Harlaxton with 3 squares a day, or about the towns of Haworth or Edinburgh where food isn't served past 9 (10, if you are lucky). Luckily, I am mostly ok with trying new "cottage pies" (definitely it is NOT a pie) and hot banana tacos---fantastic in name but, in actuality, not so hot (see pic right). Thankfully, peanut butter and toast is always on hand to swoop in when needed (only during dining hours, of course). I also find myself filling my water bottle and taking it everywhere because I do not know when I will see water again--sounds very dramatic but it is true that you just can't find it sometimes. My consideration of food must be quicker than at home when I might wander to the fridge three times and opening cupboards endlessly looking at what I know is already there; I have to make snap judgments which makes me feel a little like I am on the front lines, or under cannon fire, and a life might be lost if I choose wrongly. So much pressure, but what can you do? As Robin Hood says, "What is done is done; and the egg cracked cannot be cured" (Pyle).



Entertainment is actually quite refreshing here. Again, you must work just slightly harder than at home to achieve entertainment: no tvs in your room, laptops to carry around with you at all times, etc. It is not all that painful to walk the 3-4 flights of stairs and part way across a manor to gain access to your internet or an amazing home theater for viewing just about any film you desire. I find myself reading more for entertainment and interacting more with my peers, which is ultimately more satisfying than other enjoyments anyhow. Oh, and having a library within my own residence is quite fantastic--dream come true! So...essentially, Harlaxton and our "travel lodging" (sounds much more agreeable than "hostel") are improving my entertainment on the whole because I am much more engaged and active with my own thoughts and other human beings. Acting out America's Next Top Model at the Edinburgh Castle succeeds as Oh-so-interesting compared to just watching it on dvr'd television!



Washing....here comes the EH. Washing should not be all that different; we do have access to showers at every place we've stayed and, yes, I have all the toiletries I need. However, the flashbacks of dorm showers have returned! It actually does make a huge difference to carry around your shampoo, soap, etc. in a little plastic baggie, which inevitably has no place to sit once you actually make it inside the shower and have taken painstaking care to hang your robe and towel somewhere they will remain water-free. There is almost always a moment whilst my face is slathered in stringent facewash that a loud crash erupts from the little baggie sliding off whatever precarious faucet ledge I have decided is an acceptable shelf. This results in my jumping in horrific tension at the sound while I remind myself that I cannot open my eyes just yet until all soap has been rinsed off. And don't even get me started on the hostel showers--I am sure they are just dandy; however, we all mostly determined we would rather be "rugged travelers" (to put it nicely) than partake in a hostel shower. The fear of the unknown--largely guided by American horror films is everywhere.



Overall, the changes here have made me appreciate using all minutes of my day productively. I know that it makes the most sense to get up for breakfast and take with me items for class or leisure rather than trooping up and down the stairs over and over again. I plan my days out to fit everything in and save time rather than lie around waiting for the divine inspiration for my eating, showering and entertainment. I love food--so the adventurous part of having to choose new things to eat has been fun; the cravings for pizza, skyline or a Jersey Mikes sub at 2 or 9 pm has been a change. I can't decide if this new plan is making me eat healthier or not--on the one hand, I am working in the "veg" that I often seem to slight; on the other, they have dessert at every meal. The change in entertainment will perhaps inspire me to work harder at home to cut some more TV out because I forget sometimes about how much I appreciate other forms of entertainment. Lastly, I have realized that I take for granted and desperately appreciate feeling clean and having my own personal shower space already constructed for me. I have never pined for shampoo before this past weekend away.