High on Life
Here I go gushing again about life and the characters I meet in it.
This weekend has been an interesting one, counter productive, but relaxed. Well, watching the hyper-active, slightly violent 10 year old Ennis was slightly frustrating, especially when he tried to lob billiard balls at some guys playing chess, but at least I had my friend Amr there for backup.
Yesterday I was sitting in my room in the evening, ostensibly ready for bed and clad in my PJ's when my friend Ian came to my room. We talked a bit about his future and mind, and it felt good just to have a normal conversation, albeit in Arabic, about nothings and everythings. He has good perspective on grad school and life after college, being 25, and was saying how I should shoot for Princeton or Oxford for Grad School, because he got into a good grad program with a 3.25. So that made me feel pretty good, but talking about the future wasn't what I was interested in this weekend, rather, decided so much of my experience here had been spent studying, I needed to be a little more social. I looked at some pictures on facebook from my Arabic School friends and they all went to the NY/VT border, or on lots of hikes, or the lake together, and I realized just how different there experience here was from me. Granted, the times I spent staying up late with teachers talking about politics, literature, and life are invaluable, or the numerous dance parties late into the night made me feel alive, but it was time for something a little different, especially after the stressful week I'd had: thus after that, I downed a Mike's in one chug, and feeling adventurous and slightly out of character, went to the other Arabic dorm to attend a party there with Ian. I was a taken aback when I got there because everyone was speaking in English, and it pissed me off a bit. Maybe I'm weird for believing in the philosophy of the program, but I really don't talk in English very often here, and to see all the students, most of whom where in the upper levels, talking in English and being hostile to anyone who tried to speak in Arabic was sad (and awkward). Nonetheless, I stayed, and had some really interesting political and philosophical conversations, as a mix of Egyptian pop and 90's alternative I'd missed out on shuffled in the background. (Let me preface this sentance by saying I rarely touch the stuff, so this is a very strange occurance, and I don't know whether to be proud of the fact I can pack it away like a guy 3 times my size) After a cup of wine, some Vermont brewed beer, then later 2 shots of vodka with lemon juice, and after that about 2 shots of whiskey, I was feeling pleasantly light, and a more than a little shocked I wasn't prostrate in front of the toilet. Though I did feel like a certified alcoholic. No, I was carrying on completely lucid conversation (even though I was drinking whiskey out of a cooking pot...there were no cups), and among the topics was my surprising tolerance for someone who never drinks. After a while Bakry came and I felt a tad awkward with this fucking pot of alcohol and talking with my teacher, but in all honesty, I really don't think he cared all that much.
I trundled home around 2 in the morning and promptly slipped into the best sleep I've had in weeks.
This morning, I got up early with no problem, and went and played Ping Pong with one of the teachers, Eymed. He owned me, and now I owe him $3,000 to be paid in full within a ten year period (with interest). Oh Arabic School, why do you have to end?
In conclusion, people are good, life is awesome, I found a new grandfather in Eymed, and I think I might be a Whiskey girl.
This weekend has been an interesting one, counter productive, but relaxed. Well, watching the hyper-active, slightly violent 10 year old Ennis was slightly frustrating, especially when he tried to lob billiard balls at some guys playing chess, but at least I had my friend Amr there for backup.
Yesterday I was sitting in my room in the evening, ostensibly ready for bed and clad in my PJ's when my friend Ian came to my room. We talked a bit about his future and mind, and it felt good just to have a normal conversation, albeit in Arabic, about nothings and everythings. He has good perspective on grad school and life after college, being 25, and was saying how I should shoot for Princeton or Oxford for Grad School, because he got into a good grad program with a 3.25. So that made me feel pretty good, but talking about the future wasn't what I was interested in this weekend, rather, decided so much of my experience here had been spent studying, I needed to be a little more social. I looked at some pictures on facebook from my Arabic School friends and they all went to the NY/VT border, or on lots of hikes, or the lake together, and I realized just how different there experience here was from me. Granted, the times I spent staying up late with teachers talking about politics, literature, and life are invaluable, or the numerous dance parties late into the night made me feel alive, but it was time for something a little different, especially after the stressful week I'd had: thus after that, I downed a Mike's in one chug, and feeling adventurous and slightly out of character, went to the other Arabic dorm to attend a party there with Ian. I was a taken aback when I got there because everyone was speaking in English, and it pissed me off a bit. Maybe I'm weird for believing in the philosophy of the program, but I really don't talk in English very often here, and to see all the students, most of whom where in the upper levels, talking in English and being hostile to anyone who tried to speak in Arabic was sad (and awkward). Nonetheless, I stayed, and had some really interesting political and philosophical conversations, as a mix of Egyptian pop and 90's alternative I'd missed out on shuffled in the background. (Let me preface this sentance by saying I rarely touch the stuff, so this is a very strange occurance, and I don't know whether to be proud of the fact I can pack it away like a guy 3 times my size) After a cup of wine, some Vermont brewed beer, then later 2 shots of vodka with lemon juice, and after that about 2 shots of whiskey, I was feeling pleasantly light, and a more than a little shocked I wasn't prostrate in front of the toilet. Though I did feel like a certified alcoholic. No, I was carrying on completely lucid conversation (even though I was drinking whiskey out of a cooking pot...there were no cups), and among the topics was my surprising tolerance for someone who never drinks. After a while Bakry came and I felt a tad awkward with this fucking pot of alcohol and talking with my teacher, but in all honesty, I really don't think he cared all that much.
I trundled home around 2 in the morning and promptly slipped into the best sleep I've had in weeks.
This morning, I got up early with no problem, and went and played Ping Pong with one of the teachers, Eymed. He owned me, and now I owe him $3,000 to be paid in full within a ten year period (with interest). Oh Arabic School, why do you have to end?
In conclusion, people are good, life is awesome, I found a new grandfather in Eymed, and I think I might be a Whiskey girl.