The past few days have been all about partying.

Ok, maybe not really. But there have been a couple of festivals going on in the villages/cities around our area, and I've definitely made the most of my weekend. All weekend long there's been a food festival in Emsworth. Big to do. Seriously. Like, this thing is perhaps half the size of a New York City street fair, and they close down the center of town, it's all anyone does for the whole weekend, etc. But it's good fun. I tried some food - I tried a chili! it was very spicy - and managed to refrain from buying a lot more. I don't know - am I the only one who has trouble spending money on food? Like I'd eat lunch *before* going to the food festival, which doesn't really make sense. I guess it has to do with food's transitory nature. You buy it, hold onto it for about ten-fifteen minutes, and bam! it's gone, and all you're left with is a warm memory. But it was fun. I went all three days for a little bit of time at least. And we branched out from the usual au pair group and met up with friends of Nadine's from college, a German woman and a Polish guy. We're still working on meeting some English people.

The other festival was the Chichester film festival. It's been going on for two weeks, and I'm sorry that I was only able to make it on the last day, but it was still very cool. Nadine came with me and we had to get seats in the very front row because that was all that was left. It was a small theatre, so it wasn't too bad, and having infinite leg room was nice, though then I didn't know what to *do* with my legs. We saw "Driving Lessons" with Rupert Grint (that's Ron from Harry Potter), Julie Walters (who actually plays Ron's mother, though that's not her best accomplishment) and Laura Linney (who also plays in Love Actually. Great movie). Picking this movie was sort of a gamble. I mean, the synopsis looked interesting and I think Grint's been amazing in the Harry Potter films, but I didn't know anything else about it. It turned out to be great! It was so funny and original and decidedly English. It's a movie I'll want to get when it comes out on DVD not just because it's good, but because it will help me remember England and all the great stuff I've done here. Nadine loved it too, which was great because I had sort of dragged her along with me. The script was pretty excellent, the cinematography was really interesting, and the acting was superb. And it was just funny. I felt so artsy going to a film festival (though most of the audience were, ahem, "older patrons"), and it was a great atmosphere. Everyone just cracked up at the funny bits in a way that doesn't happen in big theatres.

I have nine weeks left in my charming backwater village in England. There's a lot left I want to do - hopefully enough time to do it in. It's a little sad to think it's drawing to a close. In the same way that I couldn't imagine coming here, it's strange to think of going back. I have grown into a life here, albiet definitely not fully and definitely not in a way that I would like to remain long term, but the girls who I would meet up with because they were the other au pairs and the only girls to be my friends really are my friends now. I have been so lucky (though I don't really think it's *luck*) with my host family. They are wonderful, and I've gotten to know these children so well. But I think most of all, I'm worried about leaving all the English people around me, because they have been a constant source of entertainment for us au pairs, and I'm just not sure that Americans will be as funny.

Tomorrow is Monday, and we start again.