I’m sitting in the GSA library. It’s my lunch break, although I can really take a lunch break any time. The weather is terrible outside; rainy, sleety, cold. Finally after a few weeks I’m beginning to get the hang of Celcius. It’s particularly difficult when I’m attempting to bake something. Yesterday I made lemon scones (that Kat pronounces scons); they turned out OK.

This morning was a strange sort of morning. Somebody set the hall fire alarms off at 3:15am, so we all had to hurry up and bundle ourselves, slip on shoes, lock doors, and stand outside while we waited for the fire department. This happens alot here… I’ve been here a little over two weeks, and it’s already happened twice. We all stare apologetically at the firemen as they file out of their trucks, obligated to make sure everything’s OK. We all know everything is fine, and the firemen do too, but they still have to check. It makes me wonder how many times that happens a night, how many un-burning buildings they need to investigate.

I slept through my alarm, and finally woke up again at 9, which really wasn’t that bad. I usually aim to get to school around 10, so I still had plenty of time to get myself together. My first surprise came when I ventured out to get some tea; the cleaner was there, as was her supervisor, heatedly discussing her pay. Also the kitchen was a complete mess (due to 2 super-kitchen-messy flat mates), so I felt a little embarrassed that she’d have to tidy that up. So I went back and hid in my room.

However, a few moments later there came a hubbub, and outside my door I could hear one person either sobbing or laughing, and the cleaner and her supervisor dragging in a chair to make said person sit down. I wanted to hide in my room, but then again I was pretty sure I recognized the crier as Kat, the roommate who’s been the friendliest to me.

I go out and she’s rocking, crying because she’s having SUPER BAD stomach cramps. Not the period kind either, just random stomach ache. Random stomach aches freak me out, mostly because I immediately imagine internal bleeding is to blame. Not because it is, but for some reason hurt-stomach = bad-bad-bad in my mind. At any rate, she stumbles into her room to call her Granddad, and me and the cleaner are left standing awkwardly together in the hallway while her supervisor went to get somebody from the office to get Kat a doctor’s appointment (because of the national healthcare system here, doctor stuff is kind of complicated). I think me and the cleaner are now good friends. She told me that her daughter had gotten sick earlier this week, and couldn’t stop going to the bathroom. She said she thinks it’s the weather that is making everyone ill. She asked if I was new, and I told her that I was only staying for six months. “Thank goodness,” she said, looking happy for me. “Nobody likes it here, I don’t even know why I came or why I stay,” (she was Indian).

So instead of getting to class around 10, I stumbled in around 11. Off to a late start, but that just means staying a bit later than usual.

I need to go shopping. Mostly I just need galoshes and a bedside lamp. The light in my room is very dim, and it’s hard to make myself do anything when it gets past 5pm, except crawl up with my computer in bed, or cook myself dinner. Getting used to the sun rising at 9am and setting at 3:30pm is probably proving the most difficult about my adjustments. Otherwise, besides feeling vaguely friendless, things are OK. I’m not sad alot, mostly I think this will just mean getting more work accomplished, and travelling more. Which is maybe good… as nice and as useful as it’d be making friends and getting wrapped up in a social life here, I think it’s also good to get used to making myself produce work. I’d hate to think my art-making will end upon graduation.

I still might look backwards and update about Oban and Iona.  And I still have to track down Financing so I can pay for my housing (something I’ve been putting off), and then it’s back to touche. But that I’m looking forward to.