Week 4: Gap Year
Graduation Ball was phenomenal fun, except the fact that our
group got conned out of £60 when we didn’t receive a round table, but cooped up
with maybe three hundred other unlucky bastards along straight tables down in
some sort of basement. The table plans were thrown out of the window briefly
and brutally to our dismay. One bottle of wine each and an average meal later,
the moment of the night arrived. James’ Cuban cigars in our DJs, it was one of
the more ideal moments in life, the Cocktail Society Ball was nearly, nearly
the equivalent of a Great Gatsby event. Plenty of glittering, well-dressed
women, a dark underground atmosphere that comes with a Prohibition ball and the
obvious variety in dinner jackets among all the men; black, black, black and
one kilt worn by a very un-Scottish Scot. The dwarves with guns and the
crumpled photo found in my pocket a day later recovering in humid heat of
Nottingham’s city centre summed it all up as well as the burns on my hand and
Tom’s cheek from James flinging his arms around us with the cigar in his hands.
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| Prohibition Ball: Cigars |
The Tuesday evening presented an opportunity to see the
newly released Man of Steel, albeit scrounging for coins and dinner being
comprised of mayonnaise and chips and a one pound box of sushi from Sainsbury’s.
The movie itself was good, but too many trailers had given away much of what to
expect from film and reading criticism of the film. Partly I am to blame
because I watched the trailers too many times, but Hans Zimmer still remains the
master of movie soundtracks! Nevertheless after watching Christopher Nolan’s
Batman trilogy again after watching Man of Steel I came to the conclusion that
the trilogy remains in a league of its own, despite the interesting messages
portrayed by the film.
Exams results were received, albeit in very unexpected
circumstances. I walked to the building to support Lucy for her upcoming nerve
wracking receiving of results after being told by Humanities that I would receive
results the next day. After many celebrations and hugs all round I continued to
stare in interest at the results only to realize after some minutes of staring
through bloodshot eyes (courtesy of Rock City) at one particular piece paper
that my name was in-fact on the list. I just said ‘Oh I got a 2:1’ followed by
a simple hooray, queue a breakdown in laughter. Not many people take 15 minutes
to realise they in-fact HAVE received their results. Some nice results which
culminated in a solid 2:1 with a 67% average left me stunned when my tutor
handed them over the next day. If second year had been slightly better it could
have resulted in a first. Family is pleased and the results have opened
promising doors to a Masters and even the dreaded PHD. Nevertheless the latter
is an opportunity to mull over in the future should I complete a Masters. That
however is easier said then done, with networking started and some work
experience for the Times or the Daily Mail secured between the 17th
September and October 17th in Scotland which is pretty cool. That
will keep me busy immediately when the U.S trip is finished during the preparation
stage for Uganda. The number one warning from everyone is frequently the threat
of malaria, the variety of tablets apparently is quite substantial.
One house party later, packed up and stuck on a train on the
21st. Sat down shattered and found myself in an engaging
conversation with two ladies on a trip to Northern Italy by train which would
take them through England, France and over the Alps to Venice. They were even
kind enough to purchase me a bottle of water, Coca Cola and a Kit-Kat. The
older one had been places I want to go; Singapore, India, South America, the
list was endless but she claimed to say that seeing such a vast array of
culture was very rewarding, that it made England look repetitive, down-beat and
very dull indeed. I can’t say I disagreed with her. It is funny how talking to complete strangers
is often more rewarding than many conversations on University campus . They
noted jokingly that if in ten years I had become a famous explorer or writer,
they could claim they had changed my life with a simple Kit-Kat. We’ll
obviously have to monitor that claim for some time. The conversation was
certainly better than having to deal with a stop-start train, rowdy locals from
Lecister and a ruthless train conductor shouting at everyone.
The rise at 6:30 in the morning was bleary, rainy (nothing
new) and driver Tony reminiscing over firstly his cats followed by his trips to
Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the toughening up the experience
will probably give me. I was slightly perplexed by the story of some guy with a
white mansion being murdered there, but I think he may have been associated
with the wrong groups. I am currently sitting
in the epic wilderness that is the Scottish highlands with barely one bar of
Internet connection. Civilization has well and truly disappeared and it was the
much needed break I have needed from the same-old city lifestyle that has
absorbed all my efforts this past year. A two and a half hour flight, compared
to my parents six hour flight to the Isle of Lewis, the message of the day is
simple; don’t fly on British Airways. The
Indiana Jones style plane ride in a minuscule plane into the mist surrounding
Lewis was particularly intriguing. Dark, jagged cliffs and rolling highland
hills that typify the unique paradise that is northern Scotland, what is not to
like? No people, scenes that very much typified how Skyfall was probably
filmed. Lots of lakes, hills and impressions of William Wallace from Braveheart
on the first day near some pre-historic ruins. Although the parents and family
didn’t appreciate me comparing Stornoway and the surrounding island enveloped
by low lying cloud and rain as a scene similar to one from Shutter Island (a
film about a mental institution on an island).
The wildlife that has been recorded by the family;
- One whale,
- Several dolphins,
- Shetland cows
- One furtive rabbit.
- Spencer Matthews (an agonizing celebrity spot hungover and on his way to Inverness??)
Matthew Williams
