In which I am back in action

A stomach virus got me my first night here last Thursday which was thoroughly unpleasant (side note: I am excellent in dealing with illnesses of the cold and sinus variety - stomach maladies, not so much). I managed to go to my meeting with my tutor on Friday (I made Sophie come with me to make sure I didn't collapse by the side of the road) but after that I spent the rest of the weekend laying in bed. Jet lag and having to eat hall food made getting better a slow process, but I am finally feeling fine. Though no matter when I have gone to bed, I have woken up at 7:30 or before the past couple mornings. I have no idea what that is about.

Being sick made getting my academic act together that much more difficult. I have always hated going back to school after winter break. Second semester is like this at WashU too - it's like winter break tantalizes you with just a smidge of free time and then it's all yanked away. I was dreading coming back - not because of Keble or England or anything - because I didn't want to go back to school. Of course, coming back and seeing everyone (including Sophie) was the greatest. Things have been a bit different without the Dartmouth kids from last term, but I've been doing more of my own thing and feeling more independent from the Americans which is nice.

This term brings a course called French Society and Culture from Voltaire to Balzac. The format is a bit different this term - I have class at 9:30 AM on Fridays (joy) during which two of the four people in my tutorial will do presentations on the primary texts for the week (tomorrow is Voltaire and Diderot). I then have tutorials with Hannah, one of the other people in the class - the first of which is next Tuesday. This week we're writing on the material problems of the French lower orders in the decades leading up to the Revolution...harvest shortages anyone?

Tangent: one thing which constantly amuses me about the system of studies here is that I am always reading things a) alone in a silent library and b) which no one I know is reading. I find myself wanting to turn to someone and be like "How hilariously bad was the French system of taxation in the 18th century? I mean, come on! Am I right? Anyone?" Oxford: forcing me to become a crazy nerd who laughs to herself since 2009.

Cultural difference of the week: England loves itself some rhubarb flavoring. Oh, I'm sorry, flavOURing. Like for yogurt and pudding. It's just not a flavor. Pair it with something else, like strawberry! I don't get it. I also learned that English people, much like the French and peanut butter and jelly, are repulsed by the idea of pancakes and bacon covered in syrup. And like the French and PB&J, IT'S THEIR LOSS.