It's nothing compared to the ones I'm used to, like I did in Canada, but I did some shopping when the whole school went to Brighton today. (At first I thought Brighton was a nickname for Britain...)
This was the first time I've been there so I wouldn't know if it's busy like this all the time. It kind of reminded me of Myeong-dong in Korea. Maybe it was because it's the heritage week this weekend, but there were lots of tents selling a variety of food. I bought a pork BBQ on a stick which cost 1 pound. (It's really simple to calculate cost here because unlike Canada there's no GST or PST. What's displayed as the price is what you'll be asked for.) It was pretty good, except it was a bit cold. Had it been sizzling, it would've been better.
And then Ryiko and I went to the Body Shop. Not many people know this but the U.K. is the home of the Body Shop, so in I went. I couldn't tell if it's any cheaper than it is in Canada. I had already bought shampoo, conditioner and body wash at the Castle shop (which I find it moderately satisfying... although I haven't used it yet) so I only bought a coconut-scented hand wash and a pair of body wash gloves.
We went to the several sportswear shops and then were joined by Leah and Rebecca, girls from my corridor group. (Rebecca is only visiting though.) And then Ryiko had to settle her cellphone problem. We went to a store named 'Phone4u.' Ryiko couldn't get any help from there because it wasn't their job to unlock the phone. So she had to go to another place.
But I actually got a cellphone. (Or a mobile, as they say it here.) Like my original phone, it's a Sony Ericsson, but an older model. I thought of getting the cheapest one but I knew that I wouldn't even want to look at it. Still the one I picked is among the cheap ones. I had a bit of panic attack when they didn't accept my credit card. They only accepted cards with chips, for some reason. The salesperson couldn't explain which cards had those. Anyways, luckily I had cash on me so I topped up 50 pounds worth of talk & txt. This is a pay-as-you-go phone so if I don't use them all while I stay here, I can use it when I come back or lend it to someone who will go to England. I think, once Ryiko gets a cellphone, it'll be pretty much gone.
Because I'm still sick, it was tiresome for me to walk around. I feel like I've been beaten like a thin metal. Although I can breathe, breaths go out very unevenly. Sometimes I feel chilling air through the nostrils and I can tell you it's a very very unpleasant feeling. AAAGH. The throat still feels a little tough but better than yesterday. I've eaten almost 20 halls candies now. I might empty the Castle shops' halls stock...
Now that I buy some stuff of my own, I feel a bit settled. Sharing everything with everyone has been a bit uncomfortable for me. Especially when I go into the shower, I feel a little grossed out because who knows what kinds of bacteria live on the surface? I'm not a total neat freak but still...
We were supposed to pack lunch for this trip (we left at 10am and came back at 4:30pm.) I made a bit of tortilla-style wrap with lettus, tomatoes, chicken, tuna and some tabasco sauce. I didn't have much time to eat it during the trip. So I ate it just now and it was better than I thought. I should give myself more credit on that...
Oh, and we went to the University of Sussex library. But it was very pointless. Basically what they wanted to do was to show us that the library was there and we can use it for research. It's good to know, but was it really necessary to be there for almost an hour?
Tonight I get to meet professors. And tomorrow is when the classes start. I only have two math classes tomorrow. But in a row... that kind of sucks.
I've been looking forward to study all week and now I'm a bit scared. I hope I survive.
Tired tired tired...
