Harlaxton 2016: Class and Afternoon Fun

By:  Sara Saeed

Our 19th day in England started with a 9:00 am quiz over selected works from Lord Byron and Robin Hood Ballads. Class continued with presentations from Cameron, Ruth, Rhiannon, and Aaron over British film, the West End theatre district, double decker buses and black taxi cabs, and the differences between American and British English. After a short break, Professor Rutledge led a discussion on D.H. Lawrence’s, The Odour of Chrysanthemums and gave a lecture on poetry terms that will be on our final in a few short days.

At noon, we were dismissed from class, and most of us rushed straight to the refectory. After lunch, we had the rest of the afternoon and evening to spend how we wanted. I watched a movie, while some took taxis into the town of Grantham to tour the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton, some played a game of croquet on the back lawn of the manor, and some rode bikes into town for lunch. One of the highlights of my day was making my first call in a British red telephone box to, ironically, order Indian food to the manor. When the evening came to a close, many spent their time in ‘The Bistro” (another name for the basement of the manor), took advantage of the plentiful common space, watched movies and ate pizza, threw darts, played sardines, or played cards. Others chose to throw a frisbee on the lawn or play a game of volleyball in the sports hall. Our relaxing day ended with a midnight curfew and we went to bed in preparation for our exciting field trip tomorrow.