20th Birthday!

Hey!

It’s my BIRTHDAY! Today I turn 20 years old and I can tell you that I am already going through a quarter life crisis. I want to return to when I was 8 years old, not because I don’t love what I am doing, but it was just such a simpler time. I feel like I shouldn’t already be having these feelings, but I just cannot help myself. It’s odd because if I was back in America I could be celebrating the fact that I am only one year away from the coveted 21st birthday, but in England turning 20 or even 21 means almost nothing hah. Nothing special will happen when you turn 21 because it already happened when you turned 18.

With that in mind, don’t think that I won’t be celebrating my 20th or my 21st! This year I am going to a couple pre-drinks for the tonight’s big Rubix event and then going out to dinner with my boyfriend. Tomorrow I will be going to Turtle Bay, a really funky Jamaican bar and restraint in Guildford, with my closest friends. Finally, at some point this week I will be heading over to Bath to see the stunning historical buildings and Bristol to cuddle with some cats at the Bag O Nails cat pub! Just to clarify what pre-drinks are, they are the English term for pre-gaming where you drink before you go out so you don’t have to spend as much at the club. Rubix’s event tonight is the Full Moon Rave. It is one of the biggest nights in the club and almost everyone goes. The club doesn’t end until 6am! If you make it to the end, you are given a t-shirt that you get to wear with honor.

Bag O Nails:

The Bag Oí Nails Pub in Bristol which has 15 resident cats. See SWNS story SWCAT; London has its cat cafes, but Bristol has gone one better: a cat pub. A pub in the centre of Bristol will have cat lovers purring with delight when they walk through its modest little door. Bag o' Nails in St George's Road is the talk of the town at the moment and not because of its eclectic selection of fine beers. Sitting at the bar while cute kittens and fat cats step over your pint is all part of the experience ñ and people like it. The landlord of Bag o' Nails has 15 cats and they can all join you for a friendly tipple or two.

Turtle Bay:

Turtle-Bay-9

I have already started thinking about what I will be doing this time next year though! Much to my surprise the English don’t really celebrate St. Patricks Day, especially compared to America. In their defence America likes to celebrate EVERYBODYS holidays, so that’s not really a surprise 😉 Both this year and last I almost forgot that it was St. Patricks Day, so I have decided that next year I will go to the true source of the holiday, Ireland, and celebrate the way it is meant to be celebrated. Next year the holiday is on a Friday and my birthday is the day after on a Saturday, so I will spend it in beautiful Ireland. I looked at tickets to fly to Ireland the other day and they were only £10 (about $15)! It should be really awesome. I have always wanted to go to Ireland and just never have, but St. Patricks Day is the perfect excuse. There are some really interesting things in Ireland, one of which I just must see with my own eyes: The Giants Causeway. It is on the northern coast of Northern Ireland and there are thousands of natural forming octagonal rock pillars. It looks just awesome!

Giant's Causeway 22f1cfbc72d03053874062d4fe5a86cb

It is now only 10 days until I fly off to Croatia for the most epic spring break vacation. Each night has a different theme. The first night we were put into groups and we have to come up with fancy dress (English word for costume) for a drink of our choosing! My group chose Captain Morgan as our drink, so we will be dressing up as pirates. The second night is emoji where two of my friends and I are going as the little monkeys (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil). The third night is Team Surrey blue and gold and I have no idea what I am going to do for that one hah. I may get a really nice blue dress that I could wear again for Colors Ball in May or I could do some tie dying…Ideas are in the air still! The fourth night is under the sea themed, so I will be going as a mermaid. I have a shirt will some shells on it and a skirt to go with. I want to paint some sparkly scales on my face to keep the theme together. I can tell you that the English LOVEEEEE their fancy dress. The amount of fancy dress events that happen during the year is uncountable. The creativity level is unmatched and if you don’t show up in fancy dress for some of these events, you stick out hah. It does make for some really fun nights out!

Those are just a few of the things that I have going on in my life right now. England is a bustling place with plenty to do. It’s almost hard to keep up! Be assured whatever suits your interests, you can find it in England. As always, if you have any questions feel free to email me at the North America email.

Holly