Reading "Week" and Parks

Now that I am looking at the finished product of what has been two weeks work in my first assessment at SOAS I am very excited for what starts tonight at 5pm once I submit my essay: Reading week.

Reading week, for my American followers who haven't experienced studying abroad, is a week without any classes, assignments, or tutorial obligations. Sure, you will probably have at least one assessment (assignment/paper) due when you get back but reading week is meant to allow people to catch up on work and, (see previous posts on reading) the readings. I should also clarify that reading week can be more than just one week. For example, since I am done with classes Wednesday evenings this term, my reading week technically started yesterday an will go to the 13th. That's 11 days. Reading weeks are also sometimes referred to as "half-term" which when you have a three term school year with term breaks thrown in there as well; you end up with quite a bit of time-off.

So, since I haven't fallen utterly behind in my readings and I already have a head start on my second assessment that means I get to enjoy a week and a half of non-class adventure time.

Now originally Shane and I were planning on taking a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland for a couple of days but we have decided to hang around the city and maybe take a day trip out to Cambridge or Bath.

The city in particular, never ceases to fill up hours an hours of entertainment. There are movies, musicals, and so many coffee shops that I really don't think there will be much of a struggle in enjoying the time off from class.

This weekend is also the MN State Cross Country race and I am really excited to see how my old high school will do. The boys are running really well this year so I will probably be pestering my dad, who is going to watch, into giving me updates.

Speaking of running, one of my favorite parts of living situated between Finsbury Park and Crouch End is the accessibility we have to trails and the parks. Honestly, we didn't plan it but there are several beautiful parks the closest of which is maybe four minutes jogging on a running trail and it is 110 acres of green space and ponds and trees. What is more, is in the park there is a track and field facility which we absolutely did look into while we were looking for places to live.

Shane has been volunteer coaching with the community track and field team over there and starting this week I am joining up to compete and train with them as well. Now that I have a better sense of how much time I have and where it needs to be spent I am really excited to get involved with a team.

It has been a long time since I have been interested in competing and training but I am

really looking forward to this.

In addition to Finsbury Park there is one of my absolute favorite places in the entire city near by called Queens Wood. It's a smaller park but its beautifully wooded and walking through there in the late afternoon, especially in the fall, is an absolute dream.

I am hoping that this week, with the extra time off, that I will be able to put together a list of all of the big nature hits that the city has to offer for other people to check out with pictures :)

Anywho, I am going to eat some food, shower up, and get ready for what I am hoping will be an exciting (and restful) 10 days <3