But before we get to that, I should talk about academics. Supposedly, I’m in class fewer hours here than back home, but I don’t believe it because so far I haven’t noticed any extra free time!
Wednesday was uneventful, with the exception of adventures in the kitchen with my friends, where we encountered murderous hot oil while attempting to cook chicken. For the record, when I say “we attempted to cook chicken,” I really mean, “they succeeded in cooking chicken, while I was in charge of making sure the bread didn’t burn in the toaster.” I too succeeded.
On Thursday, I had two seminars, both of which went well, mostly because I managed not to fall asleep, no small feat, considering my sleeping schedule is becoming closer and closer to my dear former suitemate’s. (For those of you not privileged enough to know her, she stays up very, very late.) The first seminar was Psychology of Self and Identity. The class consisted of two student presentations on the week’s readings and then discussion. It is so strange for me to have “discussions” about psychology. At Wash. U., I’ve only had lectures, and I don’t yet have the hang of how to debate the subject. It’s a science, so what exactly is there to discuss? Still, I participated and held my own against another student who is in the running for The Most Annoying Person I’ve Ever Met award. Seriously, he would passionately challenge every idea anyone else raised, like they had just insulted his mother…
That afternoon, I returned to my Transformation of Contemporary Europe seminar, and just like I promised, I spoke in class! A few factors made it easier this week. First, we broke up into small groups before reconvening as a class, so I had plenty of time to gather my thoughts. Besides, smaller groups are always easier to participate in. Second, I discovered that of the nine people in the classroom (including the tutor), only two of them were British. There was a student from Germany, another from France, my tutor is from somewhere in south Asia…plenty of national embarrassment to go around, so I didn’t feel too different from everyone else. Third, the rest of the class is actually pretty quiet, so I had no competition and ended up sort of dominating the conversation, hopefully not in an annoying way. It was a good day.
That evening, I went to the new International Student Welcome Reception, which had been canceled twice before because of “bad” weather. They served us all sorts of tongue-burning, spicy curry and gave us vouchers for free drinks (Wash. U., I hope you’re paying attention!). It was nice to reconnect with some of the American exchange students I haven’t seen for a while and meet some new people, including another American and a French student.
It’s a little bit ridiculous how often I strive to make solid plans and then have them fall through; and then, by a random chance, I end up with something to do after all. I was counting on a quiet Thursday night to catch up on some reading, do some packing and generally relax from the week. It would have been nice to get those things done, but it was even nicer to discover that my dinner companions were going clubbing that night. Since that is what Brighton is famous for (not to mention the fact that I’ve been dying to go clubbing for about two years), I decided to go with them. It was a fun evening and it was great to hang out with that group, but I have to say, clubbing is not what it’s cracked up to be. Obviously one night is not enough to base an opinion on, so I will definitely have to try again at some different clubs, but to be honest, it felt like a slightly bigger and more expensive frat party. There were lights and disco balls and decent music, but the dance floor was not as cool as TKE’s and the drinks were pricier…But, for now, I will reserve judgment.
It was fantastic not to have class today, and now, I’m off to London for the weekend for Wash. U.’s orientation!
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