Alma

Got here last night, hoping to spend some time with Axel, but it turned out he had vastly more work than I realised, and so, in being-at-Warwick fashion, here is a blow by blow factly account of my night.

8pm: Arrived on campus, headed straight for Sam's. Giggles and music. Helped him procrastinate while pressuring him to work.

9.00: called Axel. He's gonna be here for a while. OK then. Costies with Sam for a big bottle of Jack Daniels honey to go with my chocolate-covered Morello cherries from Poland. See this post from Boston to read about the Back Deck Manhattan I would later attempt to recreate.

9.40: Axel met me at Engineering to let me in to the study room where he'd been working. As I'd just found out, Jack was there as well, along with his mate Lewis and Axel's, uh, 'bros'. :) Spent an hour chatting/watching them ladding about to avoid finishing their projects.

Around 10.30, headed back to Sam's for a bit... and then an hour later to Terrace Bar for a brief catch up with Jack (who works far too hard and sleeps far too little, but seems to have his future pretty much sorted so I guess that works well!) over a bottle of Brothers Toffee Apple Cider... mmm, seasonal. So yummy. Then headed to Leam with Axel, who proceeded to do an all nighter! Kindly (eventually) letting me kip on his bed as his awesome youtube mixes played in the background and him and Ali exchanged answers to engineering questions and memories from Uganda.

Right!

So today, amazingly, was amazing. Had a quick shop for tonight in Leam after an early wakeup with Axel and his housemates, then met Sheila in the chaplaincy... couldn't be happier to see her. It felt so completely normal being back, and I'd missed our chats. In a way Warwick will always feel like somewhere I belong, and it'll always feel like slipping back in when I'm there - despite also feeling like I have no place there anymore and being aware how different the situation of my friends still there is to my own (actually Francesca told me she felt a bit like she wasn't wanted there a few days later and I knew exactly what she meant, despite us both knowing it wasn't true. I think it's because we were acting like visitors or guests in a place where we were so used to having the ultimate independence, and feeling more like hosts than anywhere else we've lived yet). Still, I could have been returning after a long Summer break for all I knew.

Then to the train station to meet Fran, and bumped into her old friends from Westwood on the way. Headed with them to Coventry for a veeery filling buffet (and so cheap!), and back to campus. Sam's after his exam, letting him work for a little while, but really just disturbing him as much as possible. Gav came on to campus and I redirected him to Terrace bar so Sam could get some work done before predrinks, and luckily I bumped into Adrien on the way and was reminded to invite him, so after another drink there with Jack, Adrien turned up and then Gav, and the three of us old housemates had an hour or so (Axel even turned up for a sec before circling), and then headed to Sam's.

Predrinks with Gav, Sam, and four of his housemates - all of whom are so so funny, friendly and beautiful! OH, I almost forgot - while listening to music in Sam's room earlier I remembered that I'd seen Kesha and Pitbull in a video together at the gym but not heard the song... so looked for it... This. Is. The best thing I've ever seen. I was so excited and happy when we heard it that I actually couldn't eat for a while. It combines my three favourite things. Predrinks song, oh yeah.

Fun fun fun, and then POP. Everyone was there, although I mostly stayed with Sam and his Tocil friends. Jack was out. What!? Jack punting?! What the hell does drop trou mean?! Found Francesca eventually, too. Aah, Waiting All Night and all that jazz.

Sam let me sleep on his floor. Generous!

:)