My Birthday #HogsAbroad

When I found out that I’d be celebrating my twenty first birthday in England, where the legal age to drink is 18, I was a bit disappointed and worried. I didn’t know what my flat mates would be like, or how outgoing I’d be around them. I thought I might just buy Guinness at the bar with one or two people so that I could try it, since everyone says it’s the best. There’s a joke that goes, “Have low expectations for everything, and you will always be pleasantly surprised.” In this case that held true.


To start my “morning” a few of us from my flat went to a sort of welcome/ welcome back party at one of the pubs on campus. We arrived at 11:30, and stayed until around 2 am. So, I started my birthday there by dancing with my flatmates, and some friends I’d just met that night.

In fact a girl who had just met me bought me a drink to celebrate, even though I had insisted that I didn’t need one. (I have never tried beer that I liked, so I didn’t want her to waste her money). It was surprisingly good, so I wish I had been able to yell loud enough over the music to ask what it was.




In the proper morning time, I opened my door to see sheets of this wrapping paper plastered across the door frame, blocking me from walking out.






After that, a huge group of us exchange students, mostly the people who I’d danced with the previous night and my flatmates, went into town. There we saw the castle garden:

I’m hunching because I doubted the photographers camera/assumed someone was behind my head

After that we walked around town a bit more, and checked out one of the local restaurants. Lastly, as a great end to my day a couple of the girls from the flat made brownies that were some of the best I’ve had in a long while!

Until next time,
Reed

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