(no subject)
Dear Indiana: WHY SO MANY HILLS? Why can't you be more like Illinois, which is all like "Lol, you wanted geography, HERE HAVE SOME CORN?"
The first three days of SWSEEL have hit kind of hard. Largely this is my own fault, for being unable to reset my body clock to deal with getting up at 6:30 am instead of 4pm; I have been sleep-deprived to the point of hallucination for two days, and the only reason I'm relatively functional right now is coffee + copious naps.
As a side effect of the napping, however, I haven't had much time to do anything except homework, and occasionally skim the Avengers kink meme, which continues to be part of what is fundamentally wrong with the universe. (Seriously, I've just started skipping past any Hulk/$character prompts because STOP IT.) Nevertheless, it has given me plot bunnies that I do not have remotely enough time to write.
Russian is also much more intensive than Kazakh was; there's mandatory conversation practice in the afternoons, mandatory biweekly events (lectures Monday, movies Wednesday--I'm going to see one as soon as I post this) and did I mention I live like 45 minutes from campus? Well, 45 if I walk; if I take the bus, it could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. Buses are not great here, but I'm not sure it's worth it to shell out for a parking pass.
Speaking of where I live--after a heart-attack-inducing last-minute bail-out, I'm subletting most of a room* in a townhouse/apartment/thing on the south side of town, and rather enjoying it. Lucy is not so happy about being stuck in my room, and my not-roommate is still warming up to Lucy, but otherwise it's quite comfortable. And air-conditioned, which I am sure is going to be important in a couple weeks, if not so much now.
*Technically it's my own room, but there's no doors separating it from the other bedroom on the third floor, just a very not-cat-proof curtain. I could've had a bedroom with a door but I preferred something already furnished, if only so I wouldn't have to sleep on an air mattress for eight weeks.
Compared to last year, my class is big: fourteen students, only four of whom are women. I also think I'm at a good level--I don't know if I mentioned it here, but when I sent in the placement test, Dr. Ari called me and said I should probably go in for the highest level of Russian offered (9), but I explained that I cannot actually talk in this language and she agreed to put me level 7 instead.
Dr. Ari is also super excited about my research project, and I would be super excited about it also if I could just get my friggin' IRB approval.
Aaaand I'm helping to plan WCEN stuff, since this is the birthplace of the project and I think it's important. There will be the mandatory bagel meeting this Saturday. ::cackles::
I think I may actually be on Eastern time now, as opposed to New Delhi time or whatever the fuck I did to myself; hopefully this means finishing homework in a timely manner and also an online presence more meaningful than M:AA and soul-scarring fanfic prompts.
The first three days of SWSEEL have hit kind of hard. Largely this is my own fault, for being unable to reset my body clock to deal with getting up at 6:30 am instead of 4pm; I have been sleep-deprived to the point of hallucination for two days, and the only reason I'm relatively functional right now is coffee + copious naps.
As a side effect of the napping, however, I haven't had much time to do anything except homework, and occasionally skim the Avengers kink meme, which continues to be part of what is fundamentally wrong with the universe. (Seriously, I've just started skipping past any Hulk/$character prompts because STOP IT.) Nevertheless, it has given me plot bunnies that I do not have remotely enough time to write.
Russian is also much more intensive than Kazakh was; there's mandatory conversation practice in the afternoons, mandatory biweekly events (lectures Monday, movies Wednesday--I'm going to see one as soon as I post this) and did I mention I live like 45 minutes from campus? Well, 45 if I walk; if I take the bus, it could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. Buses are not great here, but I'm not sure it's worth it to shell out for a parking pass.
Speaking of where I live--after a heart-attack-inducing last-minute bail-out, I'm subletting most of a room* in a townhouse/apartment/thing on the south side of town, and rather enjoying it. Lucy is not so happy about being stuck in my room, and my not-roommate is still warming up to Lucy, but otherwise it's quite comfortable. And air-conditioned, which I am sure is going to be important in a couple weeks, if not so much now.
*Technically it's my own room, but there's no doors separating it from the other bedroom on the third floor, just a very not-cat-proof curtain. I could've had a bedroom with a door but I preferred something already furnished, if only so I wouldn't have to sleep on an air mattress for eight weeks.
Compared to last year, my class is big: fourteen students, only four of whom are women. I also think I'm at a good level--I don't know if I mentioned it here, but when I sent in the placement test, Dr. Ari called me and said I should probably go in for the highest level of Russian offered (9), but I explained that I cannot actually talk in this language and she agreed to put me level 7 instead.
Dr. Ari is also super excited about my research project, and I would be super excited about it also if I could just get my friggin' IRB approval.
Aaaand I'm helping to plan WCEN stuff, since this is the birthplace of the project and I think it's important. There will be the mandatory bagel meeting this Saturday. ::cackles::
I think I may actually be on Eastern time now, as opposed to New Delhi time or whatever the fuck I did to myself; hopefully this means finishing homework in a timely manner and also an online presence more meaningful than M:AA and soul-scarring fanfic prompts.