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By audrey

I think it is fair to say that the 51st Super Bowl is one of the most exciting I've ever watched - or the second half at least. Today, the New England Patriots played against the Atlanta Falcons and came out on top.

It wasn't a smooth victory though; the Falcons had an excellent first half, leading 28-3 before Lady Gaga took the house down with her halftime show. Magic happened midway in the third quarter, with 2 touchdowns by the Patriots before bringing the game to an eventual tie in the 4th quarter, thereby going into overtime.

party

Besides watching the game, I was feasting delightfully on the different dishes brought by the exchange students. There were tons of cakes, cookies and pastries as well as tacos and a magnificent tray of Mac and Cheese. In fact, the food distracted me so much I didn't really know what was going on till Lady Gaga took the stage. (Yes, I have no self-discipline when it comes to food).

 

This week went past pretty quickly - classes are beginning to increase in intensity and pace. Assignment deadlines and midterms are round the corner and I have barely started studying for those. It was great meeting up with the other exchange students and orientation leaders though; I got to know about everyone's plans for spring break and the President Day weekend and everything seems really exciting!

For now, I'll be starting my rounds in the different libraries and be on the hunt for great studying spots (will keep everyone informed if there're really good ones). I think it's safe to say my room is filled with too many distractions aka my bed and there's no greater motivation than watching others study. Hoping to survive the next 2 weeks of classes and club activities!

Till then, counting down to the long weekend and spring break!

P.S Apologies for the lack of pictures as my iPhone has failed me this week by turning itself off constantly in the cold weather.

By sophieheard

Crowds took to the streets of Boston, not in protest but celebration, as the New England Patriots celebrated their fifth Super Bowl win. A pinnacle of American culture, the Super Bowl is an event not to be missed. Last year I spent the Super Bowl in a NY hotel room, eating pizza and wondering what on earth was going on. This Sunday was not a lot different. There was a lot of eating and a lot of confusion. Once we had established the difference between ‘football football’ and ‘american football’ we could enjoy the Super Bowl for the spectacle that it is. Something of this scale could only exist in the United States. Like so many other events in America, the Super Bowl is a performance from start to finish.

We headed uptown to a restaurant on 14th street where we made ourselves comfortable for the next three hours. The game seemed over in the first five minutes as the Falcons had scored two touchdowns, eventually leaving the Patriots trailing by 25 points. Never before in Super Bowl history had a team recovered from a lead that great. Assuming that the sports portion of the evening was over, we left the football on in the background and dug into several rounds of sliders. Whilst I am not a big sports fan, any excuse to celebrate with friends over food and beverages is okay with me.

gaga

Halftime is when things got interesting. Lady Gaga was perhaps the greatest performance of the night. She flung herself off of the roof of the stadium and then proceeded to sing a medley of her greatest hits. Her performance was not as overtly political as people were expecting. However, it possessed a general message of inclusion in response to recent events as she performed ‘This Land is Your Land’ and ‘Born This Way’.

The Patriots went into the game as one of the most successful and most widely loathed teams in the league. With the exception of Pats fans, public support was for the underdogs - the Atlanta Falcons. However, the roles remained reversed for the majority of the game and the Patriots entered the final quarter with an impossible win as they were still 19 points behind. Just as the game was about to end the Patriots had achieved a two-point play, tying the game and making it the first overtime in Super Bowl history.

No team had ever come back from a three-touchdown deficit in the history of the Super Bowl and now everything came down to the next few moments. Although I did not fully understand what had happened, after three hours I was invested. New England won the overtime coin toss and suddenly everything looked bleak for the Falcons. After a few quick plays, the Patriots had scored the final touchdown and won yet another Super Bowl title. A group of foreigners, unaware of the exact specifics, erupted in celebration as another moment of history was witnessed.