Exploring Harlaxton: Part 1

Dear Readers,

I must apologize at how lax I have been in updating this blog.  Of late, I have been caught up in a whirlwind of activity, including adjusting to life in a splendid castle!  Even though Miss Rachel and I now fully know our route around said castle, it is no less exciting than it was the moment we first entered it.  The rooms tower and impress, and the grounds stretch forever, occasionally wild and unruly, at other times sculpted and picturesque.  The food... well, it usually underwhelms, but Miss Rachel is most grateful for the presence of a latte machine in the refectory, of which she has made good use.

Of course, Miss Rachel is often jetting off to classes.  She is taking a full fifteen hours' worth of credit (against which I heartily advised, as most pupils here take only twelve, but she insisted), which keeps her plenty busy.  We have only just returned from a weekend in London (more on this in a later post), and she must read an entire Shakespeare play and several essays of American Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson before this week's set of classes.

 

Here I am, reunited with my good friend Dean Winchester at Heathrow International Airport.  He arrived a few hours after I composed my last post.

Miss Rachel has a great many friends here at Harlaxton.  She has also made a great many new ones already.  Most people here seem quite friendly.

The magnificent ceiling here at Harlaxton.

I do have some unfortunate news which I have, until this moment, held off from you, my devoted readers.  It seems that, unbeknown to me, Mister Sylar was also invited on this trip.  He evidently rode comfortably in the backpack pocket all the way over there--a stowaway?  Miss Rachel refuses to tell me exactly whether she intended to bring him along, and Sylar certainly cannot be taken at his word.  At any rate, I am forced into his unfortunate company.  Note the dismayed look on my face in the below photographs:

Oh well.  I shall not let his unfortunate presence hinder my happiness here, nor that of Miss Rachel.

Until next time,

Doctor Mohinder Suresh

Heathrow at Long Last

Well, readers, we have safely arrived in Heathrow after an incredibly long day of travel.  Miss Rachel is beyond tuckered out, but is not in any particular position to fall asleep, what with her having to keep vigil over her belongings.  I offered to take her place while she slept, of course, but for some reason she thinks I would be inadequate at watching the bags.  Nevertheless, she managed to sleep for a few moments while I watched the baggage.

The flight to Chicago was short and uneventful.  On the flight from Chicago to Heathrow, Miss Rachel was offered some particularly unappetising airline food, upon which she forced herself to thrive throughout the flight's duration.  Landing in London was unbelievable--it was pitch black out, and the lights twinkled merrily up at us.  Now that we are here, we must wait for the other students to arrive, and we will all head out for Harlaxton at 10:45 here (which is over six hours from now!)  Wish me luck.

The Night Before

Well, my dearest concerned comrades, I am afraid that the time is nearly upon us.  This very night, Miss Rachel departs for St. Louis, from which she will depart for Chicago, from which she will depart for London.  She appears to be ready, if a little apprehensive, for the long trip ahead of her.

I am happy to report that it seems I have made the guest list, after all.  I write this now after having slipped out of Miss Rachel's backpack side pocket.  No sign of Mister Sylar as yet, so let us please hope that he has been left far behind and will not plague our travels.  I will report again when we are safely arrived in England.

Your stuffing-filled friend,
Doctor Mohinder Suresh

Miss Rachel at Home: Packing Lists and Other Such Nonsense

Dearest world,

Miss Rachel seems to have gone half mad.  At first, I thought it was merely in preparation for her final examinations.  She really buckled down, reading through book upon book and all the notes she had ever taken in her whole life (or so she told me) in order to do well on her tests.  In the end, she had little to worry about--she escaped every class with glowing grades.  How could she not, with me there to tutor her whenever she had a question?  Sometimes I suspect she worries too much.

It did not help that the worry did not subside one grain when she returned to her home.  We are there, now, both on her large, comfortable bed.  (I cannot see at the moment where Sylar is, but, knowing that fiend, he cannot be far away.)  However, Miss Rachel seems entirely unable to stop planning her travels as far ahead of time as she is able, crafting long lists for packing and drawing up a schedule for her semester in England which will have her travel nearly every available weekend.  I am afraid we (assuming, once again, that she will agree to take me along with her--I have yet to see myself surface on one of these packing lists) will go half-crazy with so much travel and so little rest!  Of course, Miss Rachel's dear friend Miss Danielle will be accompanying her on many of these voyages, which I am sure will help alleviate the stress of travel for my creator.

More about these packing lists: Miss Rachel is incredibly accustomed to having a variety of clothes at her disposal.  She shops primarily in thrift and discount stores, and has come to own dresses in every color of the rainbow, skirts in many shades and lengths, blouses aplenty, and, of course, a plethora of scarves.  Now, a severe space limitation faces her, as she will only be able to bring one piece of checked luggage for an entire four-month stay, figuring in leaving enough room for souvenirs.  In order to ensure that she brings exactly the right dresses with her, she has been auditioning them against each other.  She will wear one on a particularly cold day and make mental note of its ability to keep her warm despite the weather.  It is all quite silly, and I have tried to tell her so on multiple occasions, but I suppose she laughs off my advice.  Then again, I am only a doll, albeit a peculiarly bright one, so perhaps she is right to do so.

Please send your warmest energy to Miss Rachel, for I fear she may indeed go mad.

Your most humble professor,
Doctor Mohinder Suresh

Miss Rachel Planning Trips

Hello again, world.  It has been a while since I addressed you last.  I write to you now while sipping coffee and watching Miss Rachel peruse information concerning various flights.  She has created a list of the airports nearest to where she will be staying once she is in England and is eagerly pouncing upon every promised travel opportunity.  Every now and then she will punctuate her search with an exclamation, such as "I can go to Limoges for under twenty pounds?"  I wonder of course whether she even knows where Limoges is, but then, she is very clever, and I imagine she will have looked it up for its proximity to places she had originally been intending to visit.

There is still no official word as to whether I shall be accompanying Miss Rachel on her voyage to England.  Every now and then, she laments within my hearing at how little packing space she will have for the trip, so my hopes are diminished a little from my last entry.  Then again, I would make a far more reasonable travel partner than would my rival current living companion, Sylar.  He has never been to England and knows nothing of Europe, and would more than likely encourage Miss Rachel to risky behavior and unsavory destinations.  If she chooses to take him rather than me, I may just have to sneak inside her big rain boots for her own safety.

At any rate, she flies out on January the 6th.  She is nearly done with her time here at school, and will return home for her Christmas holidays to spend time with her family before departing.  She is apprehensive, so I must ask for her sake that you send her your best possible wishes.

Your devoted correspondent,
Doctor Mohinder Suresh

My Name is Mohinder

Hello.  My name is Mohinder Suresh.  I am a doll.  A very kind, clever young girl named Rachel created me some time ago, and has been kind enough to keep me since then.  Other dolls have come and gone, but I alone have remained.

Well... not alone, exactly.  As a matter of fact, I do have one companion.  Thrust together by nothing but circumstance, Mister Sylar and I often take rides next to each other in Miss Rachel's purse.  I help her run her Writing Club, and Sylar has claimed her Book Club for his own.

That is, that's where we are this semester.  We've just received an exciting bit of news, in that Rachel will be traveling abroad next semester for her studies.  She will be attending Harlaxton College in England.  How very exciting!  I went to university in England.  And even more scintillating is the news that, the following semester, she will be go to my very home country--India!  I do hope she chooses to have me accompany her.  In anticipation of this quite likely truth (I am her favorite travel companion, after all), I have established this blog.  I hope to update every time we go anywhere or do anything fun or interesting together.  I will let you know when Miss Rachel has made her decision as to who will accompany her on her trips.  Keep your fingers crossed that it will be me, for I have no fingers of my own.

Sincerely,
Doctor Mohinder Suresh