What do you mean it's week 10 already????

I woke up this morning, went to the gym, had some breakfast, walked to class, sat down in the lecture theatre, got out my pen and notebook, started to write the date and week number on the top of the page... WEEK 10!? Already!? That has gone so ridiculously quick! That means there are only a couple of weeks left of classes! I'm not actually sure if there is 12 or 13 weeks...either way- not long to go!

On one hand I feel excited because I know I get 3 weeks away from classes for Christmas, but on the other hand I feel so sad because a lot of my friends will not be returning after the break! When I think about it I get this little stab of anxiety in my belly- I am going to miss my friends...

So with that mentality- we have been making the most of it!

I will warn you, this post has a lot of random stuff in it- I have been a bit lazy on the updates! So this is what I have been up to in the past week...

Last Monday I went with a group of people to the Lumiere Festival in Durham. The festival is a celebration of light and the advertisements for it on YouTube looked really interesting- plus I had never been to Durham so I was very keen to go!

There was a group of about 8 of us and we all caught a taxi to Durham. When we got there, we were a bit early for the festival and a few of us (me included) were really hungry. So we went to a Thai restaurant to pass the time and fill our tummies! They had these really cool green teas on the menu- each one had a different type of flower in it which opened up and expanded as you drank the tea. I wish my green tea was like this everyday!

After eating and walking around Durham for a little while, we made our way into the festival. Durham is so pretty- but I have to admit it was hard to see a lot of it because the streets were absolutely packed with festival-goers! 

I can't wait to go back to Durham for a day trip! It looked like such a cute little town,
even at night!

The Lumiere Festival was really cool- I enjoyed seeing it. The main attraction was a light installation that was projected onto the town cathedral. It was really impressive...

The streets of Durham were also lit up- this was my favourite alley way because I thought the lanterns were so pretty...

...But when we looked closer it turned out that the lanterns were made from rubbish bags!
It was an environmentally-concsious piece!

This was one was one of the more interesting installations- it must have taken sooooo long to set up! The little figures were made to look as if they were crawling all over the building and dancing on the top- it made me laugh!

But this was my FAVOURITE light piece from the night- It is hard to tell from the photo,
but this classic red phone box was full of fish!!! 

Such a strange a wonderful idea- I stared at it for as long as I could! I thought it was so funny that the
fish swimming around in there were so oblivious to the crowd taking photos around them...

This was another cool one- for areas in the world where people cannot even afford light, a guy invented
a way of making light in coke bottles by mixing water and bleach... some people are so smart! 

You could hear this guy from miles away- stamping his feet and blowing his trunk the whole night!
He looked so realistic, and when you walked under the bridge and looked back, you could see him from behind as well!

The festival was really cool. Some of the installations were so clever and I liked how a lot of them had a really eerie feel...

The idea behind the festival was to create light during a time of year in which many people struggle, so I thought that was a lovely sentiment...

Missing my gorgeous friends from home xxxx

As much as I will miss all my amazing new mates, I do miss the ones back home, too! I have had such heightened emotions lately- anxiety about missing my new friends, excitement about seeing my old ones again soon! I'm feeling quite torn to be honest- but it is something that everyone has to deal with... I know I have made some life long friends here and it is awesome to have so many of them sprinkled around the world! Because you know what that means? PRESENTS IN THE MAIL!!!!....

My best friends from home sent me this Christmas jumper and some
cute new gloves! Bless them! (please excuse the ridiculous photo of me- it is a
silly one I sent to them when I received the present!)

After a few late nights in the library as well as a few social-life sacrifices, I finished my biggest assignment of the semester- my Shakespeare essay. Would I be a complete nerd if I said I actually enjoyed writing it? Hopefully that means I will get a good grade back?!

I am pretty proud of myself for staying on top of all my uni work while being here- it is hard with so much going on! But I have got a few grades back and so far I have done really well!

Oh...and something else happened last week...no big deal or anything...but....

IT SNOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was sitting in the library cafe when Beth called me- she said 'Look out the window!' Expecting to see her out there waving, I looked outside to find snow falling instead!!!!

I was so excited that I ran outside to stand in it, looked up into the sky and got some snow right in my eye! It hurt! My German friends could not stop laughing at my excitement (and my pain after I got snow in my eyeball!) 

Look- snow in Rose's hair!!!!

Look how excited we are!

Friday night was Matt's 20th Birthday! Beth and I spent all day making a cake out of his favourite American candies- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! The cake was chocolate, but the icing was peanut butter, cream cheese, butter and icing sugar and it was soooooooo good! We had a party for him that night in our kitchen and it was really fun- I don't have any photos from the night yet but I will put them in my next post!

THE CAKE!

I also went to Newcastle a couple of times in the past week. The first time was on Wednesday with Sascha on the serious business of buying him a new winter jacket. We were very serious shoppers that day, but you will be pleased to know we were successful in our mission!

The Christmas markets were on too! So many nice smells coming from the stalls...

Sascha's new jacket! Very Stylish!

The second time I went to Newcastle was last night- a group of us went for a nice family dinner at Beth and I's usual favourite restaurant. The food was delicious, the wine was awesome, the company was epic- such a good night! I felt sorry for our waiter, though- so many different accents to deal with! We had 2 Australians, 2 Germans, 1 Spanish, 1 Argentinian and 1 American...such a multicultural little group! I think the waiter struggled with switching between all of us!

My friends under the Newcastle Christmas lights- Matt, Ruben,
Theresa, Beth, Rose and Sascha...I adore them!

'What's my age again!?'

I had to quote a song from one of my favourite bands for the title of this post, because this week I really have been acting like a teenager! I know I am only 23, but I have not partied or done this much drinking for a looong time! I am actually a bit of a Granny when I am back at home- preferring movies and cup of tea on a saturday night to going out.... but not here!

On Monday I had a really big night. It was the usual 'cheap drink' student night, and I hadn't been on a Monday in a while...any excuse! I didn't get home until about 5am!

Then Wednesday it was Beth's birthday!!! I think I might have been a little bit more excited than her about this! But I still wanted to make it a good one for her!

I made her this birthday card :)

Even Clanny Cat came to give Beth some birthday wishes!

Beth opening her presents from Sina and Mascha...

Frosties! They even wrapped up a carton of milk to go with them! Beth loves Frosties so this was
the best present ever!

After opening presents and having some pre drinks at my apartment, a group of us went to Revolution Bar. I had gone there earlier in the day to reserve a table and organise a cake to come out- just to make things a little more special!

I also organised for Beth to make her own 'birthday cocktail' behind the bar. The guy that taught her how to do it was a legend and I'm pretty sure beth is an expert cocktail maker now...

So after partying Monday night, resting Tuesday night and then partying again on Wednesday night...by Thursday I was pretty tired. But that didn't stop me from going to classes, finishing two assignments, going to swimming/gym...plus a few walks. I'm getting good at this hang-over business! 

Sunderland on a Sunset walk... not bad hey?

And, of course, there was another special birthday this week- my Mum's! A couple of weeks ago I sent her a present that I bought from Cath Kidston. I didn't think it would reach her in time but she actually got it the day before! I was happy about that because I really wish I could have been there for her birthday...I miss her very very much!

The thing that Mum and I miss most is having a cup of tea together in the afternoons... So I got her
two mugs from Cath Kidston that we can use when I get back. This is the photo she sent me when she
got the present- you will notice only one has tea in it, the other is waiting for me when I get back :)

The boys in my apartment also wanted to wish my Mum a happy birthday- so we
sent her this photo! I think she was pretty pleased with it! Haha!

After resting on Thursday, it was time to party again on Friday night! We had another one of our flat kitchen cocktail parties- but this time we had a dress up theme...1940's- my favourite!

The girls! Theresa, Cassandra, Beth and I :)

When I first got to Sunderland I bought this playsuit from
the vintage fair. I really love it but I have tried it on a couple of times
since buying it and I decided it really is too short for my body :(
Luckily, the 1940's theme led me to lend it to my flatmate, Theresa- and she looked GORGEOUS
in it! It really suited her hair colour and I just thought she looked beautiful. So the playsuit is hers now!

Sascha's costume was very cool. This is a 'normal' photo of us...

...But this is what we are usually like! Hahaha... silly heads!

The cocktail night was really good- just another fun night in Sunderland, and a good way to finish off my week of partying.

This week I am having an alcohol-free week...at least until Friday, which is Matt's birthday- and I will HAVE to drink for that! Should be a fun time! But before then, I am having a healthy week. It started today, actually, with the longest run I have done since being in Sunderland! I ran all the way to the beach and then to the end of the Jetty and back- it took me 1 hour and 15minutes!

It was cool when I got to the end of the Jetty because I could look back and see how far I had run- I couldn't even get it
all into this photo! It was really quiet and peaceful out there... and I had a nice chat with one of the fishermen- it still amazes me how friendly people are here...

This reminded me a bit of home- just a lot colder. It is strange to think that I can stare out at the same ocean from the other side when I am at home in Australia...