Craziness

Saturday 3rd October
OK, before I get started on what happened today, I’d better wrap up Friday. The weekend starts after lunch on Friday. There is something in the evening which I think we have to go to, but it isn’t long and it isn’t a lecture-type-thingy (to use the technical term). This week it was Family Night, where we met with our family groups and just did crazy stuff.

My family group started with each person showing pictures of their family and talking about them. Some people had actual photos, a few of us had laptops and for those who forgot/didn’t have any, paper was provided and they drew their pictures – which provided a few giggles. Then came the games. The first one was ‘Who am I?’ which is where you have a name stuck on your back and you have to ask yes/no questions to figure out who you are. It was either Bible characters, people who helped put the Bible together like Luther and Guttenberg, or Bible School people. I was Rob Whittaker – not quite the boss! Some of them were pretty tough but we did alright (even if I did help a bit with some good-natured cheating!)

Then it was the Yes/No game where you aren’t allowed to say Yes or No. Amazingly, I ended up with the most number of peas at the end. I think it helped that I sat in my chair and caught people out more rather than trying to strike up too many conversations.

After that . . . I’m not sure what this one was called, so I’ll call it ‘La-di-da’. We were in a circle on the floor with a Jenga piece in front of us and we had to sing (although thankfully we just said) the song: La-di-da, la-di-da, la-di-da-di-da-di-da. On the two la-di-da’s, we picked up the block in front of us and put it down in front of the person next to us, let go then started again with the new block. On the long one, you moved the block on, then back, then on, then back, only letting go on the last ‘di-da’. It took a few go’s before everyone got the hang of it, and the song kept getting faster! It probably sounds more complicated than it is, but it’s great fun – and you really have to concentrate. I was out pretty early on the first time round, but then I got to the last six or so.

Then we played the clapping game where you’re still a circle, hands on the floor but crossed with the person next to you, so you have someone else’s hands directly in front of you. You smack your hand on the ground but the hands have to go in order and you change direction with a double clap. It’s so easy to get out on that one because if you lift a finger out of turn then you’re out!

After this one, the few who knew introduced everyone else to the wonderful world of Chicken Goggles. When I was on holiday a table of people randomly started playing this at dinner one time and I wondered why they were making ninja chicken noises. Again, in a circle. The game starts by everyone holding their hands out in front of them, shaking them and saying with lots of exaggerated enthusiasm ‘Chicken . . . goggles . . . up!’ then you put your hands on your eyes like goggles. Whoever starts pulls on hand away from their eye then back whilst making a chicken noise. If it’s left, it goes left. If it’s right, it goes right. Both goggles skips the next person and you can change direction any time. The chicken noises were hilarious!! Especially the European ones. You do have to concentrate on that game but everyone’s laughing so I think it’s more fun.
After that, we had some food and just nattered. We were going to have smores on the fire, but everyone filled up on Doritos and Penguins, so we’re saving that for another night.

It was great just to hang out with people, do silly things but to be in someone’s home. The girls in my room really seemed to feel that. I don’t mind so much because with having been here before, this place does feel like home to me. But their feelings towards it mean that we’re going to have to travel home one weekend. That should be fun!!

Back to Saturday . . .

It was the trip to Grasmere and walk to Ambleside today. This is the walk that wasn’t a walk anymore but people could do it if they wanted to anyway. Oh! We had a full English for brunch, as well as cereal and fruit options. Cracking way to start any day!! The only thing missing from the breakfast was beans (and bigger plates!) If we’d had beans, it really would have been a full English. It was fantastic anyway though. At breakfast we had an absolutely torrential shower. The rain was coming down at a really flat angle and it was so heavy! One girl (who obviously isn’t used to English weather) stood outside for a few seconds and managed to get completely soaked.

Fortunately the weather cleared up and with the exception of a few showers was actually quite nice. And sunny! It always strikes as a little odd when that big shiny orb thingy in the sky appears and starts blinding and frying me, but in moderation it is rather pleasant. (English humour there in case anyone wonders what I’m on about) Grasmere was a nice little village, a few craft and souvenir shops that reminded me of Hebden Bridge. There was a gingerbread shop that smelled absolutely wonderful and they make it fresh every day. The shop itself was tiny but they had a lot of stuff in there and the girls were wearing caps and aprons like Victorian maids which was lovely. Holly (Canadian roommate) and I wandered towards the lake a bit and got some great pictures.

Then we got on the coach and drove to Ambleside. Don’t think we managed to get anywhere near the lake (Windermere, if anyone’s wondering), but the chocolate shop made up for that. I was a bit naughty and bought some cinder toffee – but mainly because I’m trying to broaden everyone’s horizons and introduce them to English culture. The fact that I’ve eaten more than anyone is entirely beside the point! Holly needed walking boots so we spent a while trying to find some, but it was alright because I knew English shops and prices, so it was nice to be a help. I think we after that we just saw the more interesting shops then went and had tea in a cute café called The Apple Pie and legged it back to the coach. It was more sightseeing than anything, but the country on the way there and back was incredible. All the non-English students were taking blurry pictures from the coach, but I think they’ll be gorgeous in spite of that.

This evening, we had the ‘Un-Auction’. I found out after the fact that Bill had thought this up with Dougie’s help – Dougie being the chap who came up with ‘The Great Adventure’ that we did on the 18-30’s holiday. NB That involved running around all evening with a mouthful of Skittles that couldn’t be swallowed, running up the tower, me jumping in the swimming pool fully clothed, doing odd things with catapults etc. You have been warned! In an un-auction, you have to bid either down if it’s a timed event or up if it’s more of a counting event and whichever team put in the lowest or highest respectively then had to complete the challenge. If they did it, they got the points, if they didn’t meet their bid, everyone else got points. Simple right? That’s before you find out what the events were.

First event was a team one – no bidding, just whoever’s quickest. We had to get a toilet roll off the roll and onto a team member without tearing it. My team (I think this may have been my fault) tried putting it on a girl like a mummy, but I think the winning teams just pulled it off the roll and piled it on a team member. Which actually makes a lot more sense. Then came the first bidding event: who can down a bottle of coke quickest. The winning team bid 12 seconds and Ben from Virginia managed to do it in 7. He got bonus points for that.

Team event again: who can build a human pyramid quickest. My team didn’t get close to getting one built. Poor Woody (Steven Wood) managed to end up with someone on his back for the second night in a row! His family group did a scavenger hunt and one of the items on their list was a photo of another family group which they had to be in as well; the crazier the photo, the more points they got. Mark Thomas promptly got down on all fours, everyone arranged themselves and Woody was on all fours with a lad standing on his back surfing! Craziness!

The next one was an individual event again. One which would have made me nauseous – I think everyone else on the team concurred because I don’t remember us putting a bid in on this one. Actually, I think my team was far too sensible because we didn’t really put in many bids, we definitely didn’t win individual events and yet we still managed to come third. Not quite sure how that happened. Anyway, back to event number four: making a cup of coffee. In your mouth. The two winning bids had to go head to head. Each person had four cups: one with instant coffee, one with sugar and one with milk. They had to put the sugar in their mouth, and then the milk, then the coffee, swish it round, spit it into the empty cup, and then drink it. Only when their mouth was empty were they finished.

Team event: everyone had to do 10 press-ups then sit back on their chair. I think my team one that one, amazingly. Next individual event was another head to head, although not simultaneous. Each person had a bowl of Tesco’s own brand custard – no expense spared, as Bill said – into which were put five sweets. Using nothing but their mouth, they had to get the sweets out of the bowl and into the washing up tub in whatever time had been bid. And yes, it did look as gross as it sounds – and I like custard!

Team event: everyone had to take their shoes off and put them in the middle of the conference hall, then get them back, put them on and sit back down. Technical hitch: they turned the lights off once all shoes were in the middle. That was truly demented.
Next team event was a lap of the rose garden just outside the conference hall then back into seats. After this, the scores were announced and there was a tie. Cue for the ‘famous Un-Auction Medley!’

The two leading teams had to do this simultaneously and whoever did it first won. First, a team member had to eat a clove of garlic – which stank out the conference hall – then when their mouth was empty, the next person started. They had hold of a broom and they had to do ten circles on the broom. Once they were suitably dizzy, they had to crawl between the legs of the rest of the team and tag the runner. The runner – along with someone carrying two jugs of water – had to do a lap of the rose garden then drink the jugs of water between them. At least one team – and I think it was the winning team! – tipped half the water away. The runner then had to come to the front of the conference hall and eat three (?) dry crackers then blow up a balloon until it burst. When the balloon burst, it was over.

I headed to bed not long after all that. A bunch of people were playing music in the courtyard and dancing. It was funny when Thriller came on – they didn’t seem to know more than a couple of moves of the dance! – because they realised that there was someone in the window watching so we were ‘serenaded’ with a spot of dancing. Again I say, craziness.

Some of the younger ones (wow, I feel old!) seem to have way too much energy. It makes me wonder if they’re going to crash and burn at some point, but they’re still going strong!

I must say though, it is nice being in a room of girls who understand the value of sleep!