Part 4 and 4.5

Day 4: Monday, January 8
I was so excited when I woke up this morning: I saw sun! Actually, I saw the sun rise. (It rises really late here and sets really early. I was up at a normal time.) It looked like it was going to be a really pretty day so I left my umbrella at home and didn’t wear my new rain boots. Its raining now, and was after about 20 minutes of being outside. One American I talked to today missed the sun entirely which is completely possible here.
But weather aside, I went to my meeting this morning and made some friends! Yeay! Americans, and I know I’m supposed to integrate with the Brits and I swore I would, but the Americans are so much easier to make friends with cause we’re all lonely. (But I did talk to my flatmates more. They are nice and I like them. I girl from Muhlenberg was here last semester and taught them how to pregame ;) its so cute. As soon as I find a rectangular table they need to learn beruit/beer pong. I love being a bad influence after so many years of being way too prudish. And I did meet Micky, he popped in the kitchen, looked scared, introduced himself, and left. I don’t think the girls like him much. He’s from Hong Kong, but isn’t a visiting student.) But I found two girls who were also looking for this meeting and we were all lost together so we made friends. Eventually we found the person leading the meeting and learned all about the Media Comm department. My class in that department doesn’t start until April. Oh well. I made friends with a girl in that class and hopefully we will hang out cause we’re both bored waiting for these classes to start. Another girl was really nice (the first lost one I found) but she didn’t seem interested in trading numbers. Maybe next time. Then I went on a library tour (with that girl) and saw all the nice library things I can’t use yet because they haven’t entered the Americans into the system yet. Grr times a million. I spent most of the day trying to get my ID card and trying to get internet. I found wireless, its only in really specific places, but you need a login name to get on and you need an ID to get a login name. So I’m going back at 5 to try again. I spent part of the afternoon with my new friend Carlen. Her’s is the first new number in my phone J We had lunch (mmmm Fanta!) after being denied cards and internet again. She’s really nice and fun. The ends of her hair are blue. She introduced me to a friend of hers who is in my painting class, Jamie I think. She finished her undergrad degree and is here working towards a masters in Art Therapy so she can teach art back in the states. She’s kinda weird but nice and fun. I think I’ll like having her in my very very long painting class. But now I am back my room killing time until 5 when I can try for my ID again. I think I’ll play Sims. Oh! Apparently Wednesday is Pub night at the student Union and everyone goes out drinking. You are supposed to try and not have class on Thursday. Lehigh would so love it here. If Lehigh sold alcohol, the school would be rich. Can’t wait to go to the Pubs, sounds like so much fun! (and to help my flatmates refine their pregaming skills)!!! More when more happens.

Part 2: Still no bloody ID!!!! I want internet! Though now its midnight and I want to go online because its like, well, still only 6 or 7:30 but its closer to internet time for you. Almost. Oh well. It seems like my days are so long here. I get up semi early, I go to bed at 12:30 and I’m not tired so I stare at the ceiling and it just drags on. I think its cause part of my brain thinks its early evening still. But I really can’t believe its still Monday, I swear 4 days have gone by since this morning. I can’t wait until I have something to do, but I still can’t decide if I want to go to Paris this weekend. Besides the fact that I can’t find out how to get there or if Nyko even wants me to come until I get that goddamn bloody ID! Now it may sound like I’m just whining and it really hasn’t been that long to go without an ID but like I said, each day feels like 5. And they told us our IDs were ready on Friday, then said check back Saturday, then check back Monday, then on Monday they said check back at 5, now they’re saying maybe but lunch Tuesday. I don’t know if I’m even going to bother. But what happened after 5: I hung out with my flatmates a bit and tried to get on with the dancer. He’s not really that cute and has a really strange tick (and likes awful music) but it would be really fun to go clubbing with him and do some dancing. Can’t wait till Wednesday! Even if I go to Paris, I’m not missing this Wednesday Club Sandwich thing. Everyone is so excited. Then I got my first phone call. I’m so pathetic. I was actually really excited to go grocery shopping. Oh well. I bought Fanta and some food and such. I need to decide which alcohol goes best with Fanta and Sprite cause that’s all the mixers I have and only want to buy one bottle at a time. Rum? We’ll see. Then I finally got hungry so I made dinner (soup and canned salmon, I am so not a chef. My flatmate made really good looking tai chicken and I was jealous.) Then I got another call (same person. Soynia) and went to check out the student union/bar/pub thing. It was karaoke night. I have not legally bought my first drink. There’s another finger down in never have I ever/10 fingers. Laura and Krystyna: I’m not going to be able to even play with you any more. We met some people and tried to talk a bit. The guys we were hanging out with left to go to a hooka bar (called a shisha here) but we didn’t want to go so we sat like losers for a while. (Soynia’s friends with this kinda nice kinda odd really judgmental girl, Lauren.) Listened to bad karaoke, got bored and left. Now I’m back here contemplating ramen that I really don’t want to waste and wishing I had internet so I could post these 8 pages. And I am entirely not tired. I’m tempted to start drinking just to sleep at night, but I really don’t want to be an alcoholic. I also really don’t want to pick up smoking. Top two things on my list not to do. I also already have a bit of a British accent. I think in a British accent (yes, my thoughts have an accent) but at times I really can’t shake it. I am trying to keep some of my accent so I don’t offend anyone, but its really hard. I have always been entirely too susceptible to British accents.. Damn you Matt! This boredom thing is really brutal and my flat is dead silent and I have no classes or meetings tomorrow. Gym maybe? Wow.. the things boredom will do to you. Well, by the time I come back I may either be a smoking alcoholic with an odd Midwestern/British accent or a really fit writer with the same bad accent. This is my semester for wild fun… but no smoking, and no alcoholism please… Being dead sexy and a great linguist wouldn’t be bad, but I hope I make more friends so I don’t right posts that are quite so long. This is a bit pathetic, but my typing is getting better. Here’s to hoping tomorrow brings fun, and internet!