Meg

Finally, the sweltering heat has broken. Shorts and flip flops have been banished for another year and in their place are rain boots (apparently welly isn’t a word here) and umbrellas. Moans about rain and the cold are rife amongst conversation here but I am secretly harbouring a masochistic pleasure in damp feet, a cold nose, and wind whipped cheeks. I take immense enjoyment from my walks to class first thing in a morning when the leaves are slick on the path, the sun has not quite risen over the tops of the buildings and the cold air stings every exposed bit of flesh. Perhaps it is just adoration for this time of year – there is a lot going for autumn. Crispy, crackly leaves to march through in boots, scarves and hats to snuggle into, that bliss of a hot *insert the Starbucks Autumn flavoured coffee of your preference here* cradled in cold hands, heavy downpours that give way to cornflower blue skies, riots of colour as trees change from green to every shade of gold, red, burnished copper etc., and the promise that before long the time for staying in, getting cosy under blankets and hibernating in front of the fire will soon be upon us.  I think a more accurate reason that I am taking delight in soggy socks is that it is completing my adjustment to Iowa. I have felt so much more at home here recently. Things seem to be clicking into place and making sense. And now there is finally weather I understand too.

Autumn has brought with it a plethora of fun activities to get involved with. Starting with an authentically American experience – Homecoming! I have never been to a Homecoming before and I am still not convinced that I truly understand what happened and why but I know that I enjoyed it. The parade on Friday was brilliant and impressively large. I had not expected such a lengthy or diverse spectacle. I was amused to see that the members of the marching bands from one of the high schools participating exceeded the entire student population of my high school. Think that I’ve confirmed my status as a country bumpkin with that sentence.  The Pentacrest looked beautiful that night with all the pretty lights from the outdoor concert. My highlight of Homecoming had to be the Football Game. A very lovely and generous friend allowed me to tag along with her and so I was able to experience the joys of tailgating. My friend’s uncle is an ex-football player and so we were invited to join him at an enormous RV serving food and drinks and where the other patrons were also ex-football players. I have come to understand that tailgating is like being at festival but rather than bands playing there are cool boxes that double as speakers. I loved that Saturday.

Lastly, I have been in America exactly two months now! It feels extraordinary that the time should have gone so fast. I was informed in one of my classes today that we only have one more small group meeting before that module is finished. Mid-terms are nearly finished and then there is only November before exams start in December. Christmas will be here before I know it, and that will pose a whole new set of adventures that I am ridiculously excited about! See you soon, Canada!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2014 at 7:42 pm and is filed under General, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.