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At Manchester, the first weekend of May is a big deal. We celebrate May Day weekend with student events starting on Thursday and end Saturday with mud volleyball. It's the main weekend all students look forward to. And, this year, I spent my "May Day" in Devon (the county Sophie's live in) celebrating May Bank Holiday. I asked why they celebrate this and the only answer I could get was, "All banks get Monday off." haha. So, we went to Sophie's house for a long weekend - very much needed!
We left Friday after Soph finished teaching at about 5:30ish and hit nothing but solid traffic. It was quite entertaining, our drive down. I love to creep in other vehicles and see what they're all about, and well, when you're in stopped traffic, you often find other drivers doing the same thing. I made a lot of eye contact with random people to say the least. Our mission on the way down was to get two pictures, just TWO! One of the awkward, wicker man and the other of the "Welcome to Devon" sign. We found the awkward man with no troubles as he sticks out like a sore thumb, the sign, not so much. Once we hit her county, we knew it had to be right around the corner, or the next corner, maybe at the bottom of this hill, or after this exit? It kept us entertained and often Soph would drive in the slow lane just so we made sure not to miss it. The whole time we were looking for a short cream colored sign as every other county sign looked like this. We see this large blue sign up ahead, (camera not ready), and realize it's it! Few, barely, but we managed to get it. This little photo challenge kept us entertained for at least an hour. And, we finally make it home. :)
That night we met her parents in town with some of their friends for a drink. Then, Sophie and I went across the street for Chinese at like 9pm or later. yum! It was an actual restaurant, not a buffet. I've never had Chinese this way, so I let her do all of the ordering. I was amazed at how they served it, but it was very good! We scarfed it down in no time. Then, we met back up with her parents and headed home. We stopped by a few pubs on the way, and one of them had a live band playing. It was so much fun. Mom would have LOVED it. I seriously could have pictured mom and dad and their dinner club in there.
Saturday, we got up and headed North for the day. We went to a place called Darts Farm for breakfast. It used to just be a little farmer and his family selling their fresh produce. And, over the years as it's grown, it is now this elaborate old barn filled with all sorts of things. There is a cute cafe (where we had breakfast), there are different little shops for anything and everything from cards, coffee mugs, to bathtubs, couches, lamps, pillows, stoves, everything.
Then, we went up to her granddads. He lives in the gate house to the Killerton Home. This house used to be a family home for Sir Richard Acland, but he gave it to the National Trust because of political beliefs. (The history behind the home and it's relation to Sophie's family is incredible, but too deep for me to write it all, so just ask if you're interested.) Anyway, Sophie's granddad used to work for the family before it was acquired by the Trust, and even after, he continued to work there. He helped build The Bear Hut by putting all of the acorns and ceiling together. He also found the marble arches whilst he was only supposed to be scraping off the "old" paint, so they could repaint them. We toured the inside of the home and saw all sorts of neat stuff. Outside, the view is just amazing. Along with The Bear Hut, we also saw the Ice Cave. There are so many different plants, flowers and trees. The paths throughout the woods are endless. Sophie's dad grew up here, as well as Soph did when she was little and would visit her grandparents, so they took me on paths that only they knew about. We made friends with cows, birds, squirrels and rabbits. They showed me all around the country side. Right behind her granddads house is a little Chapel. It is so old looking on the outside, and the inside is so simple. There are stained glass windows on the ends, the pews all face the isle, and the isle itself is about 15 feet long. Above the door, there is a decoration of two birds nests on either side of the window. Why? Because when it was being built, two mother birds had put their nests there and inside were the eggs. The builders stopped during this time and let the eggs hatch and fly away. The morning itself was gorgeous, something I've never seen before. Everything was so green, the flowers were full of color, and the sun hit us in between the trees. The buildings were filled with so much history, and even so, it home for Sophie and her dad. I'm so very blessed to have met such a wonderful, loving and caring family.
After this, Sophie and I went into Exeter to do a bit of shopping for a few hours. When we came home, she worked on lesson planning and we all sat around talking and watching The Voice. At about 9pm we decided we should go get some food, so we ventured into a little town next to them. Everything had stopped serving food by this time, so we ended up at a place called The Rumblin Tum. We shut the place down, but the food was delicious. We headed back home and soon went to bed.
On Sunday, also known as, Super Cider Sunday, we celebrated. In the morning, Soph was working on her lessons, so I went into town with her parents for breakfast and a walk throughout Exmouth. They took me down past the cricket pitch and the place where the old men like to play bowls. They have an entertainment bit with like a tourists area. There was a little charity sale type thing going on, and lots of people out walking. It was a very nice morning. We walked along the seafront and they enlightened me on all sorts of interesting information about where they live and their family. I could talk days on end with them. They are such lovely people. :)
Then, around two, Soph and I started to get ready and met Matt around 4:30pm to start celebrating! We caught the train to Topsham with hopes of doing "the Topsham Ten." It's the idea of a pub crawl, except nowadays there are only about four pubs. We enjoyed drinks and watching old, drunk people sing karaoke. If we had time, I was about to be the next person up there singing God Bless America, but we had to catch the train back to Exmouth. We figured we had eight minutes and we were about a three minute walk from the train station. Nope, wrong thought. We ended up sprinting for the train. We get to the tracks and realize we need to be on the OTHER side and the arm bars are down. Thankfully, they went up and we were able to barely make the train. On our way back, we stopped at the next town/village to maybe get some food. Nope, again. They were booked full, so instead we went to the bar side and had a drink. We finally went back to Exmouth, got KFC, and went back to Sophie's to eat. Then, we decided we would go back out. haha. Let me tell you about the experience of night life in Exmouth. There were about two or three bars, combined by the outside garden area on rocks with picnic tables, and random games. Most of the people drinking looked way too young to have a drink, or way to old to be in this place. haha. It was entertaining though. Then, we moved on and went to a few other places. We found home, our beds, a little after 3am. Successful night. :)
Before I wrap it up about travelling home on Monday, let's talk about something. I know I have another blog about the language barrier between us, but this came up this weekend. When a home is up for sale, we have open houses when people can come and look at the home. Here, they call them viewings. I'm sorry, a viewing is for dead people, I tell ya what. Oh and! When you're asked what time is it, and you reply, "It's a quarter til three." They laugh! Apparently, we're supposed to say a "quarter to." So, yeah. We all enjoyed a few laughs this weekend from different ways to speak.
Anyway, the weekend at Sophie's was amazing. Her parents are the nicest people ever. They treat me like their own, which makes it feel so unreal. I do not want to leave this family, at all. I would give anything to be able to stay here for the summer. Words can't even describe the experience I have received through them. I believe this has been my true experience as well, sure I'm here to study, but that just stresses me out. Knowing that I've seen so many different things than most students on study abroad have, and the relationships I've built, are unforgettable. Sophie and her family forever have a part of my heart. Bless them, truly. Saying goodbye will be the hardest part of being here, but knowing that I'll see them again one day, keeps me smiling.
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