My place of employment, odds and ends

I shall be working in Oxford for the months of July (Starting June 22nd). I was really hoping to be in Barcelona, but I am still happy to have something to do here in England for the summer. As explained before, I'll be an RA for American teenagers in a cultural immersion program. They will be taking classes for half the day. The other half of the day they will partake in activities and excursions. That's where I come in. I will be creating/running these activities and staffing the excursions. I'm actually kind of psyched about this, because looking through the program website, I will get to see a good amount of interesting stuff free of charge in and around Oxford. While I have seen some of the attractions (like Stonehenge), I've never actually been to Oxford so there is a whole millenium and a half or more of "new" history (like every city in Europe) for me to take in.

I get fed three meals a day (lunch being a stipend that I get to spend wherever I want) and free housing. This is wonderfully excellent as it will bring my general expenses down to somewhere slightly above zero. Besides the various "bits and bobs" (<--- one of many anglicisms I've picked up since being here) like souveners etc., I doubtfully will have much time to get out to the pub for a drink, and even if I do, won't be able to spend anywhere near enough money to get inebriated since my job is technically a 24-hour one. I need to be ready to spring into action at the drop of a hat (or a blacked-out student).

I'm not too certain about the possibility of staffing an additional, albeit shorter, program in Cambridge after the Oxford one is completed. I'd like to, but I haven't received word yet if they will put me on or not.

So enough about work. The strict barbecue/house party regimen I've been on has left me a bit drained and *gasp* tired of barbecue, but that's only because I've been doing it so much in such a short period of time. I think a few days of recovery will have my mouth watering for kebabs and wings again in no time. The weather thus far has been friggen fantastic, although the forecast predicts a week of meh-rainy starting Sunday. It seems rather serendipitous that these two weeks of sunshine have coincided so perfectly with the completion of exams period at the university, especially since it's following on the heels of an entire month of rain. Somehow, however, England still manages to find itself in a drought this year. Go figure.

Matt has to start working at ASDA (Wal-Mart) as much as he can to save up some cash this week. He's been unemployed (or rather not putting in any hours) for the last couple months and wants to buy a car soon since his got wrecked not too long ago. He only works graveyard shifts since he says it's the only way the money becomes worth it. Consequently, I'll be chilling at his house without him, while he lives at his parent's place (which is walking distance from work) putting in as many hours as possible. I don't mind being on my own, as that's what I was doing the first week and a half I was here. Plus, Matt is generous enough to let me stay with him in the first place, so I can't expect him to suspend his life for an entire month just to keep me entertained. I'm quite grateful just to have a free place to stay this entire time.

Being in England has gotten me a bit world-cup crazy since everybody here seems to get obsessively involved. I watched the USA get their asses handed to them in minced up pieces by the Czech Republic yesterday. Considering how well the US fared in 2002 (making it to the quarter-finals), it was pretty pathetic watching them play their first game. They had no strategy, no playmaking ability, and seemed to lack the willingness to pass to their own team. Sure, the three goals the CR scored were all fantastically executed, but the US didn't exactly offer up any sort of offensive resistance. If they have any hopes of making it into the knockout rounds, they are more than likely going to need to win their next two games. Not what I'd call terribly likely.

Alright, I've been lazing around all day so far and need to get up and do something with myself. I shall keep updates as to what my plans are looking like. I still need a new name for my blog since the current one is becoming terribly dated. The sad lack of audience participation has saddened me. Oh well.

Later