Sick, but thankful

I'm getting sick again. Always at the perfect time! I have chills, a headache and a cough. It started after I finished at Charlotte's house digging up the dead tree and mowing more grass. As a result of this, I missed both shows today because I fell asleep on my bed. I had a chance to walk up the hill, but I had no energy to do so. So I stayed inside away from cold weather.

But with that being said, I can't complain; I landed an awesome opportunity here. If I was religious, this would be that much more fantastic because once you walk around the estate you see figures and statues of Christ everywhere. There are a few picturesque ponds around the grounds as well; in fact Charlotte's daughter was married here this past summer.

12/21 - I'm at the point where I'm just sleeping, trying to get rid of this cold. This sucks because I feel like a useless burden. I rested most of the day yesterday after getting some material ready for the torches. Tonight is the cast party, since this is the final night of the play. I hope I'm a bit better for that.

On another note, Christmas is exhausting. It has become the holiday where you can only show how much you care for others based on how much money you spend. It's the advertisements that scream at you to buy things at a reduced cost. It's the Christmas songs that strongly encourage you to buy stuff to get into the holiday spirit. And Black Friday? Disgusting. It's another one of those American things that has come to the UK, and there are Brits who hate it. It's the holiday where people spend too much money they don't have on things no one really needs. How did it devolve into materialistic greed? It's shallow.

22/12 - I'm leaving Wintershall Estate having been sick since Friday and essentially confined to the bed a lot of the time. This morning I felt well enough to offer my help to Duncan, but after about an hour of disassembling the car park, I could tell I shouldn't have been exerting myself like that. So I shut it down. I did make it to the final show of the week but I had a massive headache afterward.

Though I was sick for half the time I was here, I was still able to have a great experience. I'm so thankful these people took in a total stranger and gave me a week to get a feel for the life here. It's beautiful in the winter; I can only imagine what it's like in the summer when everything is green. I've had an experience I wouldn't normally have if I was doing the normal tourist thing. Just visiting a big city for a few days doesn't give you the feel of the people. I think coming to Wintershall was incredibly meaningful, and I feel lucky to have found it.