All you need is love

The transition to the UK school system has been interesting, and by interesting, I mean a lot of fun. For most of my classes, we're only graded on 2 major assignments (usually 50% each) and we only meet once a week, often for not more than 2 hours. Take The Spectator out of the equation, and I suddenly have a lot of time (for now) for socializing. Is this what it's like to have a life?

Tuesday is my day without classes, so I decided to try being (academically) responsible for the first time since I got here and went to the library to study. I checked out some books, did some reading and took some notes, bought my BOP ticket and a poster to liven up my drab walls, and then bought some groceries! Not bad.

It's so weird to have this free time that I constantly feel like I need to be doing something... studying, spending time with people, working, writing, reading... Welcome to the rest of the world, where not having a watch or cell phone on me all the time isn't that big of a deal, even for someone who's usually late. Today it was 15 degrees (Celsius, 60 Fahrenheit) so I sat in the grass reading with some people.. and not only was it bizarre that it was so ridiculously beautiful outside for a February afternoon, but I was reading... for fun! And I laughed! It's weird, because my acne is uncontrollable most of the time in Eau Claire because of stress, and I've had a clear face since I got here.

People seem generally happier here, but that's probably because I left home in the middle of a blizzard and the peak of Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I wonder if that has something to do with the amount of time we spend working, studying, slaving to the clock? I find myself evaluating my priorities: working myself to pieces or enjoying myself and more importantly, others. At the end of my life, I'll never regret the time I've spent with the people I care about -- my family and my friends. Too bad it took shipping me out of the country to better understand that.