The Terrors of TESCO

Ahhhh.. it's amazing what a good, solid 10 hours of sleep can do for a person.. especially if that person is still suffering from a bit of jet lag. Yep, slept in until 11 or so this morning, then got up and went for a run! Didn't know quite where to go, because I was sure I didn't wanna run through town, so I took off in the opposite direction, careful to keep tabs on the way I was headed so I wouldn't get lost.. because we all know how easy that is for me! But I was quite proud of myself! Found my way down to one of the main roads that led into town and just stayed on that until I came into town. I walked through town, and then chugged up the last, giant hill to the school. Not too awful long, but still a workout with how hilly this place is! I've been checking out Google Earth and trying to plan a run out into the countryside. I'm just worried about being alone.. so I may wait until I can find a running buddy for that one.
So, today, I've just been in town all day, sitting at a pub not too far from my beloved coffee shop that also offers free wi-fi. Although, this place is open until 9pm (21:00) and on Sundays too! Now, the only other thing I absolutely need to find is a bar/pub that will have the Superbowl playing next Sunday! But for now, this little pub will suffice. I ordered a glass of wine when I arrived and just finished with a nice Bramley apple, pear, and raspberry crumble. Delicious! I'm sure I was quite the sight though. A). I've been in here for 4 straight hours. B). I'm sitting by myself. C). I've been skyping off and on, so I'm sitting here with my headphones in, talking to my computer, and making all these strange faces and wild hand gestures, I'm sure. But I have an accent.. people are fascinated with me, right? Ha Ha Ha..
I'm waiting here at least another hour until kick off. But I'm having trouble thinking of things I should update you on.. haven't really done a whole lot today. I guess I will fill you in on my little supermarket trip the other night to Tesco. It was a catastrophe. It was the first time I realized how different Wales was from the U.S.
Let's see. So I walk in and it looks normal enough. But as soon as I go to locate the first item on my list, notebooks and folders, I'm completely lost. I come across an end-cap with filler paper and binders and plastic file holders, but absolutely no regular sized, spiral bound notebooks or plain, cheap paper folders. So I compromised and bought a plastic file holder and two smaller notebooks.
So then off to my next item... that adapter I was looking for, that my life depended upon. Electronics were clearly marked.. check. Were there any adapters there? Nope. So I tried to ask the lady working at the counter. She needed to help a gentleman that had reached her first. Fine by me. I'd just wait and watch Ice Age, which was playing on the television displays. However, as soon as she stops helping that man, she completely ignored me and started helping someone else.. so much for any order. So I gave up on waiting after about 15 minutes and went to search for them on my own. Finally found them in the hardware section which composed approximately 1/5 of an aisle, not even clearly marked. But, they didn't carry the specific adapter I was looking for.
So onto food. Whoa boy. Was this an absolute mess, or what? I went into Tesco, craving Easy Mac.. simply delicious EASY MAC! Closest thing I found was mac and cheese in a can. Gross. Okay, so no Easy Mac.. Spaghetti O's? Nope. Ended up with some Spaghetti Rings, close enough I suppose. After, I realized Tesco was not, in fact, Wal-Mart, I began to calm myself down enough to find all the British junk food in the store. I came across some hot-pocket-like things, good ol' pizza, spaghetti and marinara, two kinds of crackers, some good looking cheese, minuscule containers of milk and juice, some chips (french fries), and soup. All the time thinking, surely this, at least, is the same internationally.. all college students eat junk food.
Turns out.. not so much. Every time I've come into the kitchen to prepare one of those stupendous meals of mine, my flatmates have been cooking full out dinners.. and they smell so good! I'll just have to take some cooking lessons, I guess. As for a return trip back to Tesco, I'm going to pass for the next four months. I'd rather try my luck at another supermarket. The checkout lines were ridiculous! While I do commend the United Kingdom for many differences from the U.S., they're supermarket layouts and processes, just don't make sense. Instead of the turny thing that makes bagging soooo simple, they pull out individual bags and bag things as they go.. And then, if you throw a bookbag up there, for them to fill up, it just throws them off completely! It took me a good 15 mins to wait in line and another 20 mins to check out my groceries.. (not including the 10 mins it took me to figure out how to count the money).
So I've definitely learned my lesson, there ARE places in existence that are crazier than Wal-Mart on a day before a natural disaster is predicted to occur. These places are called Tesco. Never going to visit again, if I can help it. Nope, I'll be sticking to Wilkinson's or the Pound Store.
But, I've gotta go now! I've got the Colts game streaming in (thanks Jake!).. can't miss kickoff!! G'night for now!