NOLA, Ole Miss, and a near knock-out

Hello Rebels fan community,

I don't know how, but it's been 3 weeks since the last post... I thought it was only 2 weeks ago, but oh well. So here's a report on the past 3 weeks :)

When it's been 3 weeks, it's really hard to remember :D I'm just getting old... In the last 3 weekends, we had 2 home games. Last weekend, we won clearly and decisively, but 2 weeks ago... a completely different story. The first half was great, but the second half, not so much. Unfortunately, with 5 seconds left, the Arkansas kicker kicked a field goal for the win. The atmosphere, of course, was in the dumps... Additionally, the temperatures were completely different. 2 weeks ago, it was only 4 degrees when I left the house. This weekend, it was probably 25 degrees in the sun. Unfortunately, I had to endure both games sober, which was especially problematic for the lost game, as both games start at 11 am. Surprisingly, there are still people who are completely drunk at game time. And despite the mentioned 4 degrees, the girls were walking around in summer dresses. I was freezing just looking at them. But experiencing football is always worth it. I finally had my camera with me at the Arkansas game, so here are a few more photos in good quality.

Last weekend, we went on another trip. Patricia, Franzi, Domi, Luci, and Rowena went to New Orleans. We left on Friday afternoon and were back home on Sunday evening. We didn't arrive in NOLA until around 7:30 pm with our ship (also known as an SUV for 7 people). On the way, we crossed long bridges and had breathtaking views. Parking was a real experience, as the parking garage wasn't really designed for these cars. When we arrived at the hotel, we had a bar crawl first. It wasn't very smart without dinner, so we went out to eat first and then joined the group. Of course, on the world-famous Bourbon Street. Here, one bar follows the next. Of course, they're all two stories high with balconies. The atmosphere is truly unique. Everyone is in a great mood, people are drinking on the streets, and it doesn't cost anything to get in. So we ended the first evening there. We spent Saturday sightseeing. First, we went through the French Quarter. In general, NOLA is relatively dirty, but there's generally a very good atmosphere, even during the day. You can see many street musicians, the houses with the balconies are really beautiful, and there's a lot to see on foot. Afterwards, we took a cable car to the Garden District. This is where all the expensive houses are located. Initially, we wanted to visit one of the cemeteries (you know, everything above ground, since New Orleans is below sea level), but the one we chose closed at 4 o'clock and we were 15 minutes late. Oh well... In the evening, we went back to the Bourbon Street. On Sunday, after only 5 hours of sleep, we had to get up early. At 8:30 am, we went on a swamp tour, where we saw a lot of alligators and a few other animals. The landscape is really something special! Afterwards, we went to the Oak Alley Plantation. Visually, it's one of the most beautiful plantations (see photos) and thus one of the most famous. You're free to move around the grounds, you can take a tour of the main house, and learn about all aspects of slavery. It was really worth it. Then it was time to go home. Unfortunately, it gets dark very early here now, and I had to drive for hours in the dark – while getting more and more tired. We made it back to Oxford at quarter past 8. To celebrate, we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. After returning the car, I was finally home by 10. It was a long, exhausting, but super awesome weekend.

Last night, we had a tour of the football team's facilities and were even allowed on the field! A dream come true! Standing on a college football team's field, in a jersey with my number and name on it, throwing and catching a ball! It's simply amazing! The perspective is really something special. We were allowed to walk through the player tunnel, saw the weight room, were in the meeting room, a suite, and the security room. Only the locker rooms were off limits to us. It was really worth it to skip my class for that and sacrifice 1% of my grade (damn attendance policy in that subject).

Here are a few more fun facts or observations about the people and university here: I think I've already told you about the "school uniform" for girls – the XXL t-shirts where you're not sure if they're wearing pants underneath or not. Probably great in the summer because it's airy, but now it's too cold. That's why we've switched to leggings. No joke, about 95% of the girls wear leggings and sports shoes. The tops range from more sporty clothing to normal-sized sweaters to oversized sweaters that almost pass as dresses. You're really something special if you wear jeans here. Another observation is the hugs or greetings (especially between girls or between guys and girls). When introducing yourself, it's still a handshake. From there, the "side-hug" begins. How can I best describe it? It's definitely mega strange, you stand side by side to hug each other. I can't tell you why. Generally, I always feel a bit out of place there :D Especially when you assume a normal hug and the person opposite you turns away just before that :D Only when people know each other better, do they give a "normal" hug. I recently heard as an excuse/explanation that you can't hug someone if you're wearing a backpack. I really doubt that, but what can you do :)

Oh, one more thing: the basketball season has started! The atmosphere in the hall is really great, especially with the men's team. Really, really good! It's a shame that I only get to see a handful of games here. Here's a funny story from the first game: there are always free t-shirts. Usually, the cheerleaders throw them into the crowd. The same goes for basketball. Once, they came down from the ceiling with parachutes, which was really funny! However, at the first game, they came with a t-shirt cannon. If you've seen one of those things before, you know how much power they have. You can shoot shirts up to the ceiling of the hall. But the student section is RIGHT by the field, and I was just on my way to get a drink. So I was standing in the 3rd row and wanted to catch a shirt from the cheerleaders, when out of the corner of my eye, I see a shirt flying towards me from the t-shirt cannon. But it was moving so fast that I could barely react. For a moment, I thought, "Shit, that's the end of my glasses," when the guy in front of me caught the shirt 10 cm in front of my face. That was really damn close! Of course, I thanked him, but I don't think he realized HOW close it was :D

So that's it from me again. Next week is Thanksgiving Break, so we have 1 week off. And then 2 more weeks and my time in Oxford is already over :( I can't think about that now, otherwise I'll start getting choked up.

Best regards from Oxford and Hotty Toddy

Franz