Kris Fricke - As Seen on TV
So this weekend I got flown down to UCLA, courtesty of the Scandanavian department.
You see, I'm enrolled at UCLA now. Simulteniously enrolled at UCLA & UCD. I'm taking Swedish one at UCLA via videoconference, as you may recall.
So Thursday morning I caught a flight from Sacremento to San Fransisco, changed planes, and flew to LAX. But seriously, who flies from Sac to SF?!?
Arriving there, I got deja vu from the Scandinavian Department Lounge, and then I realized I'd been there once before, four years ago, when I was looking at prospective colleges (yes I visited the Scandinavian dept). Also the head of the department, one Mary-Kay Norsing (sp?), my mum had had as a teacher at UCLA about a million years ago (or around 30)? I hung out with my Swedish teacher (a grad student from Romania), and kicked around in the Scandinavian department lounge most of the day. Around four, students from my Swedish class and other classes of teh scandinavian dept starting showing up for the official department St Lucia party.
There was ample amounts of glögg ("glugg," a warm apple cider with wine and other things added), as well as wine and cookies and other things, to make the party quite festive. Additionally the whole room was illuminated with candles. It was certainly not your average "on campus party."
That evening, Schölotte, whom I was staying with, and her roommate Chrissy, decided to show me what a Thursday night at UCLA was like. First we stopped by Theta Xi of UCLA to see some friends of theirs and investigate the rumoured presence of jello shots. Finding none, we proceeded to a bar called Maloney's (which, I was told by someone else the next day, is the only thing to do). This of course was a highly cultural experience with me. After spending some time dutifully observing and taking notes, we escaped without further incident to report.
Friday I spent most of the day bollocksing about on campus. I ran into Brian Jorgenson from high school ("hey I added you on thefacebook didn't ?" "yeah I think so" "awesome, see you later" (after explaining why I was there) ). Also ran into Chrissy again on campus, who incidently knows the infamous Chonchol Gupta, my friend from UCI.
So I decided all the buildings on campus at UCLA make any of the building on campus at UCD look like crap. I was poking around in the UCLA library, thinking about how it looked like a catherdal, when I hear gregorian chanting. Up in the rotunda they had people performing medieval singing. I think we need gregorian chanting in the MU at Davis.
I of course hunted down the student government of UCLA, and decided that like the other UCs I've looked into it doesn't seem as satisfactory as ours. Much as ours is wrought with allegations of corruption and malfeasance, I greatly prefer our constitutional monarchy based heavily on the US government (with three branches, senate, etc), then the loose system most other universities seem to have (just a bunch of commissioners in charge of various things - no senate, no clear deliniation of teh gov't branches). Their judicial branch DOES have a room though - at least, it shares a room with the Asian Pacific Student Association. At UCI the judicial branch had its OWN office. At Davis, we don't even have a dedicated filing cabinet.
While thus skulking about, some confused student asked me how to get to Kerkoff Coffee House. I amused myself by being able to quickly and accurately direct them in teh right direction as if I was an actual student there.
That evening six pm found myself and several other students sitting in the stairwell outside the scandinavian department while one of them played his guitar - because the acoustics in the stairwell were cool. Shortly more people arrived, including teacher, and we hung out and watched a Swedish movie (Tillsammans), with fewer professors and more alcohol than the night before (only Swedish vodka allowed though). O=
Saturday morning my parents came up to LA to meet me. I met them outside of Schölotte's place on Landsfair st. They proceeded to walk about fifteen feet and announced "this is where we had our first kiss!" - which I met with the obligatory grossed out son's groan. Turns out just two or three houses down from where I had been staying were the respective co-ops me mum and dad had stayed at while at UCLA.
So then I wandered around campus again with my parents while they pointed out various landmarks, we ate downtown, and then they returned my to LAX.
At 4:35pm I left from LAX without incident, mere hours before the climatic UCLA/USC game would no doubt turn the area into a riotous inferno.
Related
Mum's report on the same
Previously on EMOSNAIL
Year Ago Friday: Vicki Swett & Resignations - RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED - another example of our reigning ASUCD monarch acting in reckless disregard for professionalism. I'll show HER "resignation."
Year Ago Yesterday: The GASC Chair Has Peirced Nipples - and other revelations of an ASUCD Court hearing.
Year Ago Today: Chancellor Vanderhoef READS THIS LIVEJOURNAL - Possibly my favourite entry EVER. Its entirely possible that I'll repost it in full within the upcoming few days.