Episode 4: A Pox Upon My Shoddy Endurance

My first Saturday of the trip was mild. I hung around the dorm and did my Creative Writing homework. I had to write a 14 line, non-rhyming poem and a 300 word flash fiction story. If you are not familiar with flash fiction, this is an entire short story told within 250-500 words (and 500 words is a word piece). I have come to detest this form of fiction. Not reading it, just writing it.

For you see, I think and write in novels. Large, sprawling pieces of fiction that give a writer time to ease you into the characters, set up plots, and work out problems. Short stories are a difficult thing for me to manage and there you get 10-15 (or if you write a very long piece 20) pages to make the reader care about the characters, set up the problems, and get them solved. I've decided to simply think of these stories as simple anecdotes when I am called to produce one.

Thankfully, I finished both of these pieces by early afternoon. And oddly enough, both were inspired by gravestones I saw through StumbleUpon online. I also took a shower again and learned how to wash my hair without banging my elbow. I have to turn sideways, but it works. I figured out that the shower is about two inches wider than my laptop, just to give you a frame of reference for how small this shower is.

I also shaved my legs, which is slightly dangerous. It involves raising my leg up, bent at the knee, and bracing it (toes and pad) against the front wall (which I can do because as mentioned before, the shower is tiny). Now, the wall is wet so my foot slips sometimes and I end up only standing on one leg during the tiring process. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about the water being sticky (which in turn makes my hair kind of sticky).

Then this evening Jessie asked if I wanted to walk into Kingston with her. I said sure and tried to find what bus we could take so that we didn't have to walk very far. Alex also came with us. Now, there's a bus stop right across from the entrance to the dorms. So we go and stand out there, checking the timetable for when the next bus is due to appear.

Well, first we read the timetable wrong. We read the time for the stop we wanted rather than the stop we were at. But we saw a bus and hailed it (because in London if you don't raise your arm to indicate you want the bus to pick you up, it's not going to stop). Here's where it got frustrating. I showed the driver my Travelcard and he said that his bus didn't take travel cards. Because apparently there are also independent bus companies driving around and confusing us poor Americans with no public transportation experience (I've ridden the bus once in my entire life) So we got back off and waited a bit more for a bus to show up. Which never happened.

So we just started walking to town. I guess we figured it couldn't be that far away. And I keep falling further and further behind. They're still in sight and Jessie keeps glancing back to see where I am, but I'm not exactly walking with them. And my back had begun to hurt, which happens when I started to feel winded.

And I wish I knew what was wrong with me. I know I can't be the only person who doesn't exercise regularly, but I seem to be the only one with issues. And I've always had terrible endurance. I still get a little tired walking to Comm most nights I have clubs. And I've always had terrible endurance that never seems to improve. I just wish I could figure out why. And why my back hurts rather than just feeling out of breath.

Anyway, I finally give up and tell Jessie and Alex I have to catch a bus back. We spotted a bus stop and I went to read the timetable to figure out when the next bus would be by. But I couldn't figure it out, and said "screw it, a bus, some bus, will be by soon. There's still times on here until almost eight."

I told Alex and Jessie they could go ahead into Kingston without me and to have fun. Jessie gave me her number just in case anything happened to me. Then I hailed a bus coming towards me. it was an independent company again so I just sucked it up and paid the fare. Once I could actually figure out which of my coins would pay for the fare (1 pound 80 pence). The coins are confusing to me still.

When I got back to Seething Wells I decided I wanted a soda from the vending machines. Because I screwed up my body during the past year at Western by drinking mostly Diet 7-Up and now my system craves soda (but I have been drinking a lot of water. I fill my bottle up every morning). But to get a bottle of soda is 1 pound and I don't have any 1 pound coins. And my other change doesn't equal a pound.

At this point I'm feeling a little weepy and overwhelmed (yes soda was the breaking point. Don't judge me). So I go into reception (the front building where helpful people man the desk to deal with issues) and the person is in the back. I wait for them to come out when I see the sign that says they can't provide change for the vending machines. So with a heavy heart I turn to leave.

Just then the guy on duty comes out and asks if he can help me. I said I was going to ask for change but I saw the sign and I turned to leave again. I must have looked pretty pathetic (Mom and I have a theory that when I get sad or upset I look like a sad little puppy and people want to help me and make me feel better. Which is why I get mothered a lot as well) because he asked what I needed change for. I said I had a 5 pound note and he said, "Let me check my car to see if I have enough change." So he left and came back with five 1 pound coins. I thanked him, very warmly, and got my soda.

I then went back to the dorm and got on Facebook. I must have been a bit more on edge than I believed because Mom made a joking comment on Facebook and I snapped at her. I really don't know what came over me. I even knew she was joking and it's a long-standing joke so it's not like she was teasing me over something I'm sensitive about.

So we got on Skype and my goofy, wonderful family made me laugh when I felt like crying. Dad helped me figure out the bus route I needed for Hampton Court tomorrow and showed me how to better use the travel site I'd been given. Plus they told me it was okay to feel weepy and overwhelmed. And that I didn't need to feel guilty about paying bus fare just because I had a Travelcard. I'm so glad I live in the world of modern technology where I can see and speak with my family while they're thousands of miles away.

Today's lesson: Remembered to take deep breaths and sometimes, just when you hit a low point, a little kindness can make you feel so much better. Ciao.