22/2 - I keep having strange dreams that leave me with the feeling I've forgotten something. But then I wake up and realize it's just Saturday or Sunday, so I feel relieved. I can't remember the dreams most of the time; they're just vague feelings. If I try to remember what it was, I end up with some undefined idea, kind of like when you're tying to think of a word you should know but it won't come to mind for some reason.
Since Kate left the apartment, the whole feel has changed. It feels smaller, like it's just Tim and I. I would go so far as to say there's a sense of loss here.
Franky and I took the bus to Studland and went to see Old Harry Rocks. The size of those cliffs is a little intimidating. It makes you wonder how those cliffs get to be so high and vertical. What exactly caused the land to end so abruptly? Why are there individual columns of earth and rock still standing in the ocean? Why are there archways? What caused all of this? But the good thing for Franky is it reminds her of her home in Eastbourne, which is a good thing.
We hiked over the hill, down the other side while dodging mud puddles and gingerly navigating wet and uneven steps, and walked along the beach towards Swanage. The Swanage High Street is really interesting with many different kinds of shops; something the Poole Quay could use. We found a pub to take a rest at and restaurant/hotel shaped like a castle that offered a three-course meal for £13.
And while getting generally lost in town while searching for the bus stop, we were against the clock; Franky had to be at work at 8 p.m. But we were distracted by yet another church with ornate details and tall spires that had its doors open to the public. Franky is like me in that she likes being in a church, not necessarily going to church. We walked through the doors, and like in my adventure in Gillingham, this church was completely empty besides the two of us. It completely blocked out all noise from outside and made anything we did amplified. It's a little unnerving to hear how loud your footsteps are in a place so silent all you can hear is the buzzing in your ears. And there's something about a church that forces you to be completely silent. Perhaps it's respect for the area.
23/2 - I would normally think playing football in the rain and mud is great fun. Not today. That was one of the coldest and wettest I was this season. We were just screwing around, running simple plays while wearing costumes. We called it the Pro Bowl. But the rain was freezing. I fingers were so cold they were stiff. It just wasn't that fun as a result. And I rode the bus back home cold, wet and dirty. I feel sorry for whoever had to use that seat after me.
25/2 - My grades have come out for my business class last semester and I passed. This is the last time I'll have to think about easily the worst class I've ever taken. It was poorly designed and unhelpful. Why would any course need three lecturers to teach? If you say grades are coming out on a date, have them ready by that date. Don't set them back by more than two weeks. Why have a class with more than 150 people in it? And to top off the embarrassment of this course for administration, a spreadsheet was emailed to everyone which had every person's name attached to their actual grade. It's so bad it was comical. But with all that said, I was super excited to pass and had a massive surge of adrenaline.
That was an excellent start to the day. The day was finished off with a class field trip to see Portsmouth FC play Tranmere Rovers at Fratton Park. Portsmouth is my lecturer's club, and he turned into a completely different person at the game. It was quite funny to see him clapping and chanting as loud as he could. (As a side note, I ordered a cheeseburger from a food truck outside the stadium before the game. What I got was a single patty with graded mozzarella thrown unceremoniously on top at the last second. I'll say with confidence that was the worst excuse for a cheeseburger I've ever come across in my life. But this is England, so I shouldn't be that surprised.)
It was an excellent game, no thanks to the referee. Alex, our Greek friend, said that was the worst referee he's ever seen. I agreed. At one point, he didn't see a Tranmere player jump in the air with his arm extended and literally punch the ball towards the goal with his hand, which in turn resulted in an own goal for Portsmouth. It was exactly like Diego Maradona's Hand of God. Portsmouth was down 2-0 late in the second half, but they came back and scored three goals in the space of 20 minutes to steal the game. At that point the Portsmouth fans unleashed a "you fucked up two-nil up" chant directed at the 200 Tranmere fans on the other side of the pitch who had traveled all the way from Liverpool to see the game. It was a great experience for my first League 2 game. That's three divisions below the Premier League and two below Bournemouth in the Championship. That was another great time which will lead to something I'm truly excited for.
I'll be going on an excellent adventure in the morning. I'll take the ferry from Poole to Cherbourg, France and stay overnight. I found a woman who usually hosts guests for a short time on her couch for no charge. I found her on a website called, appropriately, Couchsurfing. She's had some good reviews and we spoke over email and Facebook. While she studies for school tests she has to take after her week of vacation, she said she'll lend me a bicycle so I can explore the coast. There are also some hiking trails around where she lives. But I'm nervous going off by myself because I know only three words in French. It should be great, though. A little spontaneity never hurt anyone, and this person sounds like a genuinely nice person. We'll see.
It takes a lot of trust in total strangers and a bit of naivety to try something like this. But I'm excited to do this. It'll be a great thrill to take a ferry over the channel again. I remember, four years ago, how it felt to see land at the end of the ferry ride and realize it's France. I was so excited. That time I was traveling with a large group of Americans. This time I'm by myself putting faith in a French woman I've never met. This is the thrill of the unknown.
And hopefully she likes the Spanish red wine and 72 percent dark chocolate I got for her for opening her house to me.
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