My First Weekend in Reading...

...was spent anywhere but. After an enjoyably drunken night out in Oxford I went to Newbury for paintballing to celebrate Nikos' birthday. I enjoyed the full paintballing experience by getting shot in the left testicle, and the less said about that the better. After this I went out to The Cube and the Black Swan in Bristol to celebrate Rog and Cat's emigration to Australia, and if you don't believe me you can see for yourself here. Luke Vibert played at the Black Swan, and he is a bit of a genius if you like that sort of thing (very very random, hardcore, hectic drum and bass).

Freshers' Week

I spent my first week in Reading feeling rather old - freshers all over the place reminding me of just how long ago it was that I was in their position. This is such a cliche, but they all look so young! Thinking about it, too, I must have looked even younger, seeing as I have normally looked about half my age throughout my life so far. That would have made me appear 9. Yep, that's probably about it. My week was mostly spent playing cards of various kinds with a few new found friends - mostly Emilie, Nicki and Amy (all staying in my Halls; from Canada, Devon and Paris respectively), and also going to mediocre pubs with these guys, Richard (another guy from my house) and a large group of Amy's French friends. Seeing as Nicki has just spent a year and a half in Paris, and Emilie is from French Canada, I think I should be fluent by the end of the year...

Titbits

Here's a few random things about Costa Rica and/or Panama that have been brought to my attention over the past few weeks...

• I have never eaten so much beans (of the kidney variety) and rice in my life! Gallo Pinto (a mixture of these two) makes an appearance in most traditional Costa Rican meals; for desayuno, almuerzo y cena.
• It is impossible, it seems, to write a song in Spanish without using the word "corazon" - and as if to prove my point, at exactly the same time as I wrote that, Black Francis said the very same thing on the song Evil Hearted You (which is in Spanish).
  
• "Puta" is by far the most commonly used word in CR.
  
• I have never sweated so much in my life as in these two countries
• The company "Dos Pinos" is the antithesis to Nestle, writing on their cartons that "breast milk is the healthiest thing for babies". Because of that I've been trying to buy as many Dos Pinos products as possible, so I suppose it's all marketing (to be cynical).
  
• Iguanas are amazing to see, but get boring after seeing your millionth.
  
• Song of the trip - Velouria by The Pixies, sung to myself more than any other whilst waiting for waves. Either this or Gasolina by Daddy Yankee - played everywhere by everyone, often on repeat (as Reggaeton is sweeping the nation at the moment).