In which I Curl and become a VIP
Saturday, Sept 29th
Time for another update, I suppose.
I guess the big thing of the week is life is starting to feel normal here, like I’ve been here for ages. Sure, there are things that are still new (mostly places), but I’m settling in. I’ve noticed I’ve stopped staring in wonder at all the buildings and walk with my head tilted to the ground (mostly due to the rain). You know that feeling you get when you go to a new place? You are constantly looking around, soaking up the sites, exploring the landscape with your eyes and trying to discover its secrets? Then, of course, the secrets become regular, routine, and it all seems less magical and more comfortable. I’m transitioning into the comfort stage. There are still moments where its all new and exciting, but it’s starting to feel less like a destination and more like home.
Alright, enough of the poetics, down to details
I am still a superstar in Greek class. It’s werid, because I sort of feel like I’ve stepped back into a weird time warp. I’m watching all these young students translate in class and it’s clear they are not drilling the vocab or putting the work in they need to really learn the language. Now before you think I’m being too hard on them, let me say t’s less about criticism and more about self reflection. I use to be the student who wasn’t trying as hard as I should, forgetting words we should have learned in Chapter 1. I wasn’t horrible; I did the work, but not enough to be truly proficient at the language. It’s a bit surreal to watch the cycle play out again. I’m glad for it though. It’s a daily reminder for me of my own bad habits, and it helps keep me motivated.
On a related note, I was walking home yesterday after Greek class and I had this overwhelming desire to be really good at Greek. I was just running through some vocab in my head and was thinking about Greek class and for the first time in my life I really wanted to learn a language. Not because it was a graduation requirement or I thought it would be useful or look good on a resume. I actually really want to learn Greek. I had this thought that it would be really fun to get so good at Greek that I could write my own Greek poetry. It’s just the first time I’ve ever felt so strongly about a language, so I’m hoping that is a good sign.
One of the big highlights for me this week was Wednesday I WENT CURLING!! That’s right, I HAVE CURLED!!!!! And it was really fun! Met up with the Captain and a few other people at the main gate of our university, and then we took a bus out to a curling rink (actually, right next to Ikea). Someone showed me and the other new person the basics, I was apparently a natural, and then we played a few games. It was really fun. I did, of curse, fall a few times, but I think that is to be expected. I am tentatively going to join the team, though I need to make sure there isn’t something else I have to be doing at that time first. I hope there isn’t, because I really want to. It was a lot of fun, great group of people that have fun, put the work in but don’t take it all too seriously. Can’t wait for next Wednesday to try it all again!
This week really was the week of parties, so Im a little worn out today. Wed night I went to the LGBT party. They ahd it at the library, which was very confusing to me (the library I guess rents out a banquet room?), but I went and started to make some more friends. My buddy Ian had just gotten back in town, so he called me to see what I was doing and he decided to come over as well, and so did Vicky, so we three had a great time.
Thursday night was the big International student party. It started at 11pm, so by the time 10pm rolled around and I was in my room I had told myself I wasn’t going. Ian called though, asked when I would be getting there, and I told him I was on my way (I didn’t want him to go alone). The party itself was at Oran Mor, the church that was transformed into a bar/nightclub/theatre, and this was the first time I had been to the club portion of the place. We apparently got their early, because when I showed up I was basically the only one there. Ian came about 2 minutes later with his friend Toby from Norway, whom I had met once before at an international lunch. Because we were their so early, all of the boths were completely empty, so we decided to snag on early. There was a big corner both that had a scansion (those things that make the lines at airports) across it, and we were joking that it must be the VIP table. So I walked right over, opened it up, we sat down and put the scansion back in place. We then had a great talk, did some fun people watching, drank, and for the rest of the night people kept looking over to our both and you could tell they were wondering what we had done to get the VIP seats. It was just the three of us, so it turned into a boys night out, and we really had a blast.
Last night (Friday), was a more casual affair. Vicky had myself, Ian, Veronika, Bastian, and a Greek guy from her program over for a little casual dinner party, and boy was that a welcome break to going out. We sat, talked, watched a few funny youtub videos, and called it a night.
That’s the week thus far. Tomorrow some friends and I are going to Arrochar for a hike. I know absolutely nothing about it, but I suppose I will after tomorrow!
Time for another update, I suppose.
I guess the big thing of the week is life is starting to feel normal here, like I’ve been here for ages. Sure, there are things that are still new (mostly places), but I’m settling in. I’ve noticed I’ve stopped staring in wonder at all the buildings and walk with my head tilted to the ground (mostly due to the rain). You know that feeling you get when you go to a new place? You are constantly looking around, soaking up the sites, exploring the landscape with your eyes and trying to discover its secrets? Then, of course, the secrets become regular, routine, and it all seems less magical and more comfortable. I’m transitioning into the comfort stage. There are still moments where its all new and exciting, but it’s starting to feel less like a destination and more like home.
Alright, enough of the poetics, down to details
I am still a superstar in Greek class. It’s werid, because I sort of feel like I’ve stepped back into a weird time warp. I’m watching all these young students translate in class and it’s clear they are not drilling the vocab or putting the work in they need to really learn the language. Now before you think I’m being too hard on them, let me say t’s less about criticism and more about self reflection. I use to be the student who wasn’t trying as hard as I should, forgetting words we should have learned in Chapter 1. I wasn’t horrible; I did the work, but not enough to be truly proficient at the language. It’s a bit surreal to watch the cycle play out again. I’m glad for it though. It’s a daily reminder for me of my own bad habits, and it helps keep me motivated.
On a related note, I was walking home yesterday after Greek class and I had this overwhelming desire to be really good at Greek. I was just running through some vocab in my head and was thinking about Greek class and for the first time in my life I really wanted to learn a language. Not because it was a graduation requirement or I thought it would be useful or look good on a resume. I actually really want to learn Greek. I had this thought that it would be really fun to get so good at Greek that I could write my own Greek poetry. It’s just the first time I’ve ever felt so strongly about a language, so I’m hoping that is a good sign.
One of the big highlights for me this week was Wednesday I WENT CURLING!! That’s right, I HAVE CURLED!!!!! And it was really fun! Met up with the Captain and a few other people at the main gate of our university, and then we took a bus out to a curling rink (actually, right next to Ikea). Someone showed me and the other new person the basics, I was apparently a natural, and then we played a few games. It was really fun. I did, of curse, fall a few times, but I think that is to be expected. I am tentatively going to join the team, though I need to make sure there isn’t something else I have to be doing at that time first. I hope there isn’t, because I really want to. It was a lot of fun, great group of people that have fun, put the work in but don’t take it all too seriously. Can’t wait for next Wednesday to try it all again!
This week really was the week of parties, so Im a little worn out today. Wed night I went to the LGBT party. They ahd it at the library, which was very confusing to me (the library I guess rents out a banquet room?), but I went and started to make some more friends. My buddy Ian had just gotten back in town, so he called me to see what I was doing and he decided to come over as well, and so did Vicky, so we three had a great time.
Thursday night was the big International student party. It started at 11pm, so by the time 10pm rolled around and I was in my room I had told myself I wasn’t going. Ian called though, asked when I would be getting there, and I told him I was on my way (I didn’t want him to go alone). The party itself was at Oran Mor, the church that was transformed into a bar/nightclub/theatre, and this was the first time I had been to the club portion of the place. We apparently got their early, because when I showed up I was basically the only one there. Ian came about 2 minutes later with his friend Toby from Norway, whom I had met once before at an international lunch. Because we were their so early, all of the boths were completely empty, so we decided to snag on early. There was a big corner both that had a scansion (those things that make the lines at airports) across it, and we were joking that it must be the VIP table. So I walked right over, opened it up, we sat down and put the scansion back in place. We then had a great talk, did some fun people watching, drank, and for the rest of the night people kept looking over to our both and you could tell they were wondering what we had done to get the VIP seats. It was just the three of us, so it turned into a boys night out, and we really had a blast.
Last night (Friday), was a more casual affair. Vicky had myself, Ian, Veronika, Bastian, and a Greek guy from her program over for a little casual dinner party, and boy was that a welcome break to going out. We sat, talked, watched a few funny youtub videos, and called it a night.
That’s the week thus far. Tomorrow some friends and I are going to Arrochar for a hike. I know absolutely nothing about it, but I suppose I will after tomorrow!