While my last post may have been a bit dramatic, it was not untrue. I am havin a hard time, as I expected, but it's been compounded by some things that I did not (stupid, stupid boys) and so my poor little rich girl routine yesterday was really the best I could do.
Today is not much better. I spent most of the day in departmental welcome lectures, which have left me braindead and alternately smugly confident and completely terrified. I've met some people, but having done (sort of) this before, I'm not confident enough that I'll see them ever again to call them friends.
So, since I am le tired, I am going to punk out and just jot disconnected notes and observations. I find them interesting. You do not have to.
- the British do not refridgerate their eggs. I may not buy eggs
- it is easier to remember to look right-left-right when crossing a two-way street than to figure out which way the cars will come from on a one-way
- according to a (rather snooty) Scottish girl I spoke with, the "obnoxious American accent" is mainly ofensive because of the volume. Note to Americans: take it down a notch.
- the only people I've met here seem to be Americans. Note to Americans in Edinburgh: this is not why I came here.
- it is funny to see American beer on tap as an import. What is not so funny is the idea of paying 6.00 for a Budweiser.
- sinks with two faucets are epidemic here, and are the dumbest things on the planet. I understand the concept: plug the sink, mix water from hot and cold faucets, wash hands and face in resulting pond. HOWEVER, all of the public bathrooms have them as well, rendering the plug unfeasible, so what you end up doing is burning one hand while freezing the other. I have developed a grapevine technique to try and avoid this, but it's spotty at best.
- I am totally going to have an accent when I get back. I promise, it's not pretention, it really does just happen. Already I have given up on the word "very" and switched to "quite" in my conversations.
I really, really need classes to start. I don't have the money or the inclination to spend seven hours in a pub, but when I'm alone with my own head/thoughts, things get a bit drippy. The crying I expected, but the urge to vomit is new to me (possibly residual stupid, stupid boys). Once I'm in class I will have reading to do, everyone will settle down, I'll meet people I can reasonably expect to see again...better.
Anyway, I think I'll end this and take a gander at some of the volunteering options around town; apparently the only way to make this degree mean anything is to combine it with actual volunteering/work experience. I knew that from undergrad, but I guess part of me hoped it wouldn't be true with a master's. Le sigh, I guess things aren't as foreign here as they seem...academia is still pointless.
You know what's pointless? Photocopies. Academia is the escape through which you will never have to make stupid, pointless photocopies ever again. You'll have poor, pathetic losers that'll make them for you. Poor, pathetic losers like me. I'd take lukewarm eggs in exchange for a photocopy-less life any day of the week.
ReplyDeleteHave you forgotten how much time our professors spent standing over photocopiers?
ReplyDeleteIf you made me photocopies I'd make you hot eggs
Passing through courtesy of the 'next blog' button.
ReplyDeleteYou've nothing to worry about with eggs, just drop them in the fridge once bought. They won't hatch then.
I always look both ways, it means one side of your neck never gets more muscular than the other.
Beer in general is expensive in Edinburgh. We pay for the location, I think.
And the tap/sink scenario had me amused...
But don't stress, you, like I, are a stranger in a slightly foreign country. That's half the fun. Honest.