Una mezcla

21 September 2011

So, I'm slowly getting things figured out over here. It's confusing, but I felt a lot more myself last night after finding my way into the student weight lifting gym and working out there. I am not going into a lot of details about it for various reasons, but suffice it to say that it wasn't what I expected and I am some kind of veritable anomaly. The caretaker basically tried to tell me 'girls don't go here,' and a group of guys actually counted my push-ups out loud. Yes, I can do decline push-ups and still have long, blood-red fingernails. Anyway, it's a place to work out. I think I will make friends there eventually, because it seems very small and like only the same regulars frequent the place. Also, they play songs I know. That's good, because I normally like to dance between sets. Lol... as if I need another way to make myself look like a psycho... I remember this summer going to the Rec with some girlfriends, being in the "meat-head's" weight room and always toting around my little brightly-colored Coach bag at the same time. Whatever. I'm half mental. So what? Shit, I'd have to be to tear off to Spain without someone to meet me in the airport, not knowing what dorm I was even supposed to go to, and having no real clue about the bus system. Whatever. I'm here.

Getting my schedule ironed out here has been confusing. For those of you who are familiar with the United States universities' scheduling systems... this is way different. Putting together a functioning schedule takes hours, because... the same class can be at different times on different days. For example, the class I went to this morning at noon is also held on Mondays from 11-1 and Thursdays 11-12. So... try to find five classes that don't conflict with each other on a schedule like that. >:(

That said, I really like my apartment here. It's pretty nice for university living. It's me and another girl, Juana, who has turned out to be a superb roommate, living in a space with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. So we have plenty of space, which is nice.

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm 25 now. Something about that number has a weird weight to it that I can't decide if I like or not. I think here it's OK to be irresponsible and party-crazy longer, so I guess I don't have to feel like too much of a moron if I go out for a night... lol, if I can even hang. I'm a bit of a cantankerous old woman in spirit. When I wake up in the morning, I promptly waddle stiff-backed to the percolator (coffee pot at home), take a hot shower to iron out the kinks in my back, groan through breakfast, and go to bed by midnight. These 4-7 am party marathons have me a little intimidated. I haven't done that since I was about 18 or 19 and running around with some crazy half-Catholic breed known as "Camp Tygart counselors." It was kind of a bummer to be here on my bday, just because I don't have any of my friends or family around. But my roommate and two of her friends were so sweet to me. They got me a dessert shots cake, put candles on it, and sang happy birthday to me. That made me a little emotional, as I tend to be sometimes.

Anyway, I have scheduling things to tend to and a run to go on. Sorry for not being too good about posting lately. I've been a little overwhelmed.