Week 2: Acclimating

This was the first full week of classes for me. I have three classes. Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays I have Archaeology from 10-11:20am. On Tuesdays I have Essentials for Grad Students from 10-11:50am and Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Theory from 3 to 5:15pm. So far, it's been really difficult to sit through that 3pm class and not yawn. There's only 5 of us in the class so I am sure the professor notices.

I  have already finished reading the first book for Theory and will start on the second book soon. The book we are currently reading/discussing is called The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. The next book will be Just Words: Law, Language and Power. The first book is applied anthro and the second is linguistics. I have several assignments for archaeology going on right now and I am still researching/trying to figure out my thesis topic too.

Dorm life is still interesting. I swear there is a pack of hyenas that hangs out in the courtyard just before quiet hours begin (11pm). They sing and dance and laugh uproariously. Being aways from home and parental control for the first time must be such a heady feeling for them. Weekends are quiet in the morning and noisy until late in the night.

Sharing a bathroom with four other women hasn't been awful. I leave for class later than the rest of them, so I don't have to endure the morning rush for showers. But, for some reason three of us were up at 3am to use the bathroom one of the nights. You wouldn't think that there would be a line for the loo at 3am, but lo and behold, there was.

Ah dorm life....

To my lovely neighbors:
1. Don't use your cell phone's speakerphone to talk to your drunk friends. The whole complex echoes and everyone in the building and outside can hear you. We don't care that you are SOOOOOOOO drunk!
2. Who the heck is putting on high heels and tromping all over the linoleum floors upstairs at 6am? It sounds like you have a pony up there and not everyone wants to hear it prancing at the crack of dawn.
3. How hard is it to make toast, popcorn or ramen? We don't want to play fire drill in the rain in our pjs. Luckily our stack hasn't had one, but the one across the courtyard just did.
4. It is rude to knock the ashes from your pot pipe out the upstairs windows. We don't care what you do, it's your life, but your ashes fall into the windows below you. So does your smoke.
5. Yay for flute and saxophone practice in the afternoon. Nay to booming bass all day/night long.
6. If you don't want someone to gently place your laundry on the folding table, don't leave it unattended in the laundry room. We have twelve washers and dryers for 650 people. You should know that I am very tempted to toss it out the third floor window, but for now, I will play nice.
7. Yay if you are happy and that makes you whistle, but all morning, really?

There's no photos this time. I didn't even take my camera with me. But, I will next week.

I am missing my family quite a bit. I am still not sure if I will be able to go home before Thanksgiving. :(