both these things have happened this week.
for those that i haven't whined to, i've had quite a lot of frustration with the course selection process here. literally, and quite easily 15 hours of looking at courses, likely much more.
finding courses i'd like to take, not difficult. finding ones i'd like to take that are offered this semester, more difficult. finding ones that i'd like to take, that are offered this semester, and do not conflict with eachother's time tables, NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE. (i even managed to register for a class that the university no longer offers. great system. dare i say i miss webadvisor). anyhow. i might have it figured out now. but i don't want to call anything before it is finalized. what i will say is it is looking more hopeful. and i quite like that.
a lot has happened since i last posted. a lot of transitional stuff. transitions can be rough.
on sunday i moved into residence. i made a very brief post about that. but here are some more details, in case you might be interested:
i live on the top floor of my building. i carried my suitcase up five flights of stairs. it was quite the mission. lemme say, i brought one suitcase, and it was not light. but its up here now, and it's not coming down until june. i have some space of my own now. and a lock and a key. and groceries (it's been quite the scavenger hunt trying to find the things that i regularly buy. i also very much miss the farmers market. i forgot that veggies can have so much plastic packaging.)
my bedroom is painted a turquoise-blue. my walls might as well be paper thin and sound travels quite well through them. my room is situated right next to the entrance of the flat. on the other of that door is 5 flights of stars leading down the ground floor. i can hear everything that happens in that stairwell on every floor. or at least i could the first day. i've gotten used to it now. and i bought some earplugs. so, sleeping is less of a challenge. i whined about this for a bit - probably a waste of energy on my part. i have a lot to be thankful for.
i've whined about my flatmates too. another waste of my energy. they are all lovely people. we have our differences, but i think we have a lot we can learn from each other. there are two girls from Luthuiania, and one from North Carolina, originally from Pakistan.
strathclyde's classes officially started on monday, but i didn't have any classes b/c my schedule was still being figured out. there was also an orientation session where i met an auzzie girl. we met up later in the afternoon with some of her aussie friends and shopped for household essentials. (sheets, towels, bowl, plate, a "my first cutlery set" for which I was asked to show identification. apparently you are supposed to be 21 to be able to buy one of those without id. it was an odd experience. laughable though). the evening ended with making dinner with new friends, hanging out a bit, then settling my room some more. made up my bed, took a shower.
tuesday i had finally my first lecture. i think that Cognition will prove to be an interesting class - it will take work, but i'm game. had the goal of meeting people. i did not. decided to be lame. left right after. i was not happy with that decision. i get frustrated when i ignore my own goals without a good reason. maybe this dissatisfaction and some legit and constant scheduling frustrations led to my bad attitude. who knows.
i'm getting bored of giving this play-by-play of my week.
wednesday. no class (and I think that is how my schedule still stands.) still plenty happening. for one, there was another orientation session. it also happened to be the birthday of a long-dead scottish poet Robert Burns, who also is seen as quite the hero. I celebrated my Burn's night with the friends that I'd made couchsurfing last week. one of the girls organizes a food co-op, and she was holding a potluck for that and for Burn's night. it was a lovely evening. I met some more people, and also tried vegetarian haggis. such an odd dish.... but not too shabby.
thursday, i attended the first lecture for a class entitled "Dangerious Drugs and Magic Bullets: The Social History of Modern Medicine". that class is da bomb. so interesting. thursday night was spent in the library. looking at courses. so lame. so glad that is (hopefully) done. i hate having that much screen time. makes me whinier i think.
friday. more class. met more people in classes. just overall, a good day. in my library mopiness of thursday, i also journalled, and made some goals (honestly... doing this often makes me feel better about things). one was to meet the kind of person that i could just sit and write letters with.
friday, i had to register for something, and at the same time i went to register, so did three other exchange students (all from Germany). i ended up going to buy postcards with them, and then spent the next hour at their flat, sitting at their table writing messages on postcards.
accomplishing goals makes me feel successful. i hardly even put effort towards that one. they invited me to do both those things.
the rest of friday was peaceful. did more exploring of the city. bought a ticket to a concert tomorrow night. going with the crew from 29 Kersland (i got tired of calling them the couch surfing people). made some curry for dinner with my aussie friend.
today. i slept in a bit - it's become a habit i'm not happy with. i think it partly is related to how well my blind blocks the light (i put it down at night b/c it also blocks the draft. has to do with the super solar powered stuff). but also, the sun doesn't shine that bright. it is often overcast.
i decided i'd take the train to Pollok Country Park. i think i decided this morning. i went by myself. it was quite lovely to vacate the city for a while. it is pretty much a conservation area, but with some historical museum stuff. i'll just post some pictures and write more later. i'm getting lazy and should sleep pretty soon.
i took this for you, Monica. thats a cow.
waiting for my train back to the city centre.
it rains almost everyday here. i've been told that is normal for the winter here.
yesterday and today, there were many periods of sunshine. and it might not have even precipitated at all.
two things; the sun has a profound effect on my mood, and that i think i'm getting out of the transitional stage and ready to tackle this adventure.
i know i'll have more whiny mopey days. i know other stuff will go wrong, i'll screw things up, i'll get frustrated.
it happens. often. thats life. i just need to keep perspective, i think.
i need to be patient.
tonight. did some baking (a bit of an adventure with minimal supplies. yay for tupperware with volume measurements on the side...), hung out with the flatmates in the livingroom (maybe i bribed them... hah. i think food is an integral element of building community though), then blogged.
thats all for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment