AlligaTOR: Blues and oranges

I've been here nearly six weeks now! Time, as expected, is absolutely flying past me.

East Gainesville forest/jungle

I do all my food shopping here at Publix, a big supermarket. There are two nearby, but my favourite is about ten minutes up a bike path. It takes me past a jungly bit which Luan says scares him at night because of the Skunk Ape. The Skunk Ape is our local Bigfoot/Nessie character - also known as the Swamp Cabbage Man, which I think we can all agree is adorable - I'll keep you posted on any sightings. Being here is expensive for me because of the weak pound. But there's a real lack of economy products that aren't absolutely nasty. Cheap cheese here isn't cheese - ditto most everything else really. I've found a great cheese here called Snappy Croc - and it comes all the way from Australia. It's worth every penny of its ghastly $7 price-tag, but it's a bit scary. Though look what I spied this week! Hey ho chaps, it's the British Isle!

Surprisingly inexpensive, which makes me suspicious that they're all budget locally-made "British" - I invite you, my friends back home, to critique this selection. Weirdly (but excellently) it includes Mrs Ball's Chutney - I might actually buy some of that. But no Bovril :( - and does anyone know what Jim Jams Milk Cocoa Spread is? It sounds gross.

Being here is increasing my car hatred, and I've found myself fantasising about keying the big monster trucks I cycle by. This place is giving me criminal thoughts! Perhaps as this state is so lawless I'd get away with it. Although I suspect protecting their cars is something Americans are fanatical about. But I had a mini-trip with Rose, Elli and Rhys from class. We went to Michael's, which is a craft superstore. I do wish we had those back home! They are already going big on Halloween-selling here - and here I am with the local scarecrow.

New sweetheart/Greencard marriage candidate

A couple of weeks ago I left the UF library at about 6pm and came straight into the pre-Gators game crowd. The team plays home games about once every two Saturdays, and the area around the stadium becomes a sea of orange and blue. Gainesville is fairly themed with these colours anyway, this was something else. People "tailgate" for hours before the game - which due the nature of the pedestrianised campus here is less actual bumper-to-bumper and more people sitting outside their cars with mini marquees, picnics, and large coolers of beer.

Bonafide frat party!! Photo taken from distance to avoid invitation to join the kegger (as if)

It was interesting to me to see that the audience comprises a lot of adults coming to watch this college game. But John, our history of comics teacher (also an Uber driver who offers us SAW students our first ride free!) is a big Gators fan and says the stadium (the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, apparently known popularly as "The Swamp", natch) holds 90,000 people and the Gators bring in an enormous amount of revenue to the sports programme - so it's all a big deal. I'd be miiiildly interested in going to watch a game, but the stadium apparently has no shade and the idea of sitting in this heat watching college football... not so much.