in anticipation of amsterdam
We leave for Amsterdam tomorrow morning at quarter to eight. It almost seems strange that I haven't been there already.
I feel settled in at the castle now. And the reason for that is probably Sophie's Lounge. It's like the common room for the Main Castle, and it's about 20 steps from my dorm room. I'm usually lured out of my room by piano playing in the afternoon. There are some comfortable, dingy sofas there, with awkward little upholstery arm covers that constantly slide to the floor. Tonight I was sitting there, reading a one-dollar copy of Crime and Punishment. The binding was already broken, but as Raskolnikov brought the blunt end of the ax down on the pawn-broker's head(and blood spilled as from an overturned glass), I turned the page and the book split open and half the pages fell on the table. So now I'm reading a thinner copy.
I wasn't really talking to anyone tonight, since I was so absorbed in reading, but it was just nice to be in a room full of people and cheerful conversation. Last night, we stayed up until 3 am watching Scott perform magic tricks, and trying to figure out the puzzle of Adam's "psychic connection card game." We were all piled on the couches which were pushed together to form a kind of sofa boat-- and it felt like a big sleepover party. I was happy to spend time with Kaja and Audrey and Shane. Looking back it's pretty funny how invested we all were in the card game. We were just bewildered by the secret rules, and when we found out the simple trick behind it at the end of the night, it seemed so ridiculously obvious... I never guessed it until the last possible moment when Adam really just spelled it out for us.
Yesterday, I had dinner by myself at the Vink. I ate some Goulash soup with a great big spoon and read about Darwin in the smoke-stained high-kitsch dining-room. Reading about Darwin has the potential to be excruciatingly boring, but I actually find it exciting to be learning the specifics of evolution's unfolding argument. It's also a little strange to be taking a science class full of Emerson students, but I think I'm going to like it. Our teacher, Bianca, is this beautiful Dutch woman with warm brown skin and a cunning smile who speaks careful, slightly formal English. Already, she's loosening up and making jokes about fossils and sedimentary rock.
I think it's a very interesting experience to learn from teachers who are speaking their second language. It really draws attention to words and expressions I take for granted. I'm very bad at taking notes on relevant material, but I did take down a few words when Emile said things like, "I cannot trust on it." "I would like to Power Point you now." "What is the word... tangible: you can touch it and turn it around." and "Americans say they want to respect their cultural heresy." I love these things.
The school week goes by so fast here-- I guess because it's only 4 days long. We had a good amount of reading to do, but classes only took up a small part of each day. Mostly, I talk to Susie.
I feel settled in at the castle now. And the reason for that is probably Sophie's Lounge. It's like the common room for the Main Castle, and it's about 20 steps from my dorm room. I'm usually lured out of my room by piano playing in the afternoon. There are some comfortable, dingy sofas there, with awkward little upholstery arm covers that constantly slide to the floor. Tonight I was sitting there, reading a one-dollar copy of Crime and Punishment. The binding was already broken, but as Raskolnikov brought the blunt end of the ax down on the pawn-broker's head(and blood spilled as from an overturned glass), I turned the page and the book split open and half the pages fell on the table. So now I'm reading a thinner copy.
I wasn't really talking to anyone tonight, since I was so absorbed in reading, but it was just nice to be in a room full of people and cheerful conversation. Last night, we stayed up until 3 am watching Scott perform magic tricks, and trying to figure out the puzzle of Adam's "psychic connection card game." We were all piled on the couches which were pushed together to form a kind of sofa boat-- and it felt like a big sleepover party. I was happy to spend time with Kaja and Audrey and Shane. Looking back it's pretty funny how invested we all were in the card game. We were just bewildered by the secret rules, and when we found out the simple trick behind it at the end of the night, it seemed so ridiculously obvious... I never guessed it until the last possible moment when Adam really just spelled it out for us.
Yesterday, I had dinner by myself at the Vink. I ate some Goulash soup with a great big spoon and read about Darwin in the smoke-stained high-kitsch dining-room. Reading about Darwin has the potential to be excruciatingly boring, but I actually find it exciting to be learning the specifics of evolution's unfolding argument. It's also a little strange to be taking a science class full of Emerson students, but I think I'm going to like it. Our teacher, Bianca, is this beautiful Dutch woman with warm brown skin and a cunning smile who speaks careful, slightly formal English. Already, she's loosening up and making jokes about fossils and sedimentary rock.
I think it's a very interesting experience to learn from teachers who are speaking their second language. It really draws attention to words and expressions I take for granted. I'm very bad at taking notes on relevant material, but I did take down a few words when Emile said things like, "I cannot trust on it." "I would like to Power Point you now." "What is the word... tangible: you can touch it and turn it around." and "Americans say they want to respect their cultural heresy." I love these things.
The school week goes by so fast here-- I guess because it's only 4 days long. We had a good amount of reading to do, but classes only took up a small part of each day. Mostly, I talk to Susie.