UGH, I’m tired, and WAY too tired to make this post, but I’m a rebel so…
Yesterday, I went to Ypres – like I was supposed to do last year, but that got canceled… That was kinda messy; if you want to know what happened with me then (you don’t) look up the post called “I’ve Snapped”. T’isn’t pretty.
ANYWAY, Ypres was fantastic. We got to school at 5 in the morning, arrived back at 12 at night, and we went to see cemeteries – one little one and then one huge one – and a museum and we walked in some trenches. Let me list some of the highlights:
1. Feeling so sad in the first cemetery we went to, mainly because of the unknown graves where there was just a date of death, or “A soldier in the Great War”.
2. Walking around said cemetery in near silence, away from everyone else, just thinking and discussing with my friends about how it felt wrong to write about this, because all the people had lives and it was just chilling to think about it.
3. Walking through a trench, learning what it was like for the soldiers in those trenches – I got to hold a rifle, two grenades, British and German helmets and a Trench club.
4. Wearing gas masks – or the first “gas masks” – along with four other people, and nearly crying with laughter at our class’s reactions. Birch nicknamed us Gas mark 5 and that had me in stitches.
(Speaking of Birch, THAT was unpleasant. Last year I said I was going to possibly sit next to him on the coach – THANK GOD I didn’t this time (I don’t fancy him but just imagine if I HAD sat next to him?). He was with his friends and he was kind of an arse – not really, but we barely spoke, and I just remember feeling horror when I found myself sitting by him when we were at the first cemetery. I remembered that feeling I had for him before – which isn’t there at all now because Aspen – and man, I was so naive!).
5. Getting a group photo in a reconstruction of a dugout in the museum – I felt so socially excluded at one point (fuck you, support blind help person), but that was the best part of going to the museum. I also talked to this person – bagpipes were playing and we were yelling “IT HURTS!” and I actually don’t know who he was, and I want to find out because I’m glad he actually spoke to me.
6. Visiting the largest cemetery in Belgium and going inside these huge domes – on the walls, there were plaques with what must have been 20000 names or so on them, and there were two of these domes. It was haunting as we walked around the graves, and my friend found a relative of hers – and again, we all discussed how much unnecessary death and pain there was.
7. Going for dinner and sitting in a group with 5 or so of my friends, laughing and talking. We also went to the chocolate shop and OH MY GOD, the owner was the loveliest woman ever. Afterwards, we were all so hyper because we got a fantastic deal, and we kept on shouting “THIS IS THE BEST THING!”
8. Going to the Last Post Ceremony. What else can I say? It was sad, even though it was short, and I just felt part of a community.
All in all, it was a fantastic day – I laughed, felt like crying and even though I sometimes can’t stand my year, they’re good people. I don’t want go to back to school on Monday, or learn my french or revise for music, but I am SO glad I went to Ypres. I think I needed it.
How was your day yesterday?
From Elm 🙂
Just Call Me Elm or Something 
I went to a rock concert yesterday. Slash’s rock concert to be exact.
I don’t know that one because I’m a sheltered child xD But was it good?
Slash from Guns n Roses. It was amazing! How have you been?
I’ve been really good! 🙂
Awesome!
That sounds amazing! I wish I’d been there – I’m officially moving to your school now haha 🙂 I’m catching up on your posts now. And ‘Gas Mark 5’ does sound rather fetching… 😉 Text me when you get a sec
Course I will, ya idiot! 🙂 I miss our top-notch banter.
Tired too.
😦 What you tired from?
Life. Lots and lots of life.
😦 Email me?
Yeah.
I went to the somme in July. It was so heat breaking. I have so much more respect after learning about what they went through.
It’s just so horrible, isn’t it? 😦
I didn’t notice that I spelt heart wrong, sorry
No no, don’t apologise! 🙂 I knew what you meant.
That sounds fantastic! Well, fantastic compared to my Saturday of piano super early and then a bunch of maths and english homework! 🙂
Aww! 😦 I’m sure it’s not TOO bad… Then again, I’ve done no homework apart from maths. UGH…
Ypres sounds incredible! Hope you had an incredible time 🙂 I’m at a Moroccan party having henna done, it looks amazing 😀
Lucky bastard! Tell me how the party is? ARGH! 😀
Elm, your personality is perfect.
“UGH, I’m tired, and WAY too tired to make this post, but I’m a rebel so…”
LOL
Hahaha, yup! 🙂
I go to the Gallipoli memorial most years, and it’s so heartbreaking. The Last Post gets me every time. It’s amazing that you got to go though, even if it would be awful. Haunting is the perfect word to describe it
It IS haunting. This sounds weird, but I got a real sense of the passage of time – and that doesn’t make sense haha
I love your style of writing! This makes me laugh and feel so jealous of you! Where are you from? (If you don’t mind me asking)
I’m from England! 🙂 Where are you from?
Sounds like you had a good day, even though it was emotional. Ypres was where I went for 3 days in July and where my panic attacks started and I couldn’t believe it when I started reading this post! Glad you had a better experience of it than me 🙂
Ohh man 😦 That’s gotta have bad memories for you.
yeah it really does 😦 I’ve written a few blog posts on it under anxiety if you want to read
I think I will 🙂
Aw thanks xx
I did pretty much this exact school trip last year around Remembrance Day, for 3 days, and it was just heartbreaking. I spent most of the trip either crying or in a state of deep contemplation, but it was incredible, and I’m so glad I went. X
I had the deep contemplation, too. It IS heartbreaking, just thinking about all the lives lost, and it also makes me horrified at the age of the soldiers.
Exactly. And all those rows and rows and rows of identical graves – just the sheer scale was horrific. X
All the names and dates, and the most chilling thing was when there WAS no name.
Exactly.
CHOCOLATE!!! Is it wrong that that’s the biggest thing I got from that post??? Haha. I’m sure your day was more exciting than mine! 😉
-Amy
SHH, I doubt it! AND YES, CHOCOLATE! I will virtually send you some
Haha. It was though! YAY!!!!! Well, this is totally ironic, because I’m eating chocolate. IT WORKED
It sounds like you had a well deserved fantastic day; I’m glad you enjoyed it. L XX