Well this isn't Dickinson….Classes (Sept. 23rd-25th)

The good thing about abroad classes?  I only have them on Monday and Wednesday!!  What are the chances of that??  I'm into it (although a little bit worried about how it will affect my time-management, BUT, it will make traveling so easy).  

The bad thing about abroad classes?  If you are American, you WILL be ostracized.  Meep. 

On Monday I will typically have lecture in the morning (LOL an English major lecture-what??) and then seminar for two hours directly afterwards.  Since Monday was the first day, we didn't have lecture so I didn't even start class until 11 which was weird and the anticipation was killing me.  Also, classic that my seminar meets in the building furthest from the village….

There was one other American in my class on Monday (The Gothic-really, really like what I see on the syllabus) and we both got sassed by everyone in our seminar when we took roll: "Where in America are you from?" "Oh god, two Americans!" "Why are you here?" ….etc. I was feeling really awkward and anxious by the time seminar let out, and super excited to get back to the flat and back to my room.  (That's really bad-first day jitters, I hope.)  Everyone in my seminar seemed to know one another already, and they were all third years (which in the UK means the LAST year of uni, instead of four) so for that reason I just felt like everyone was smarter than I was and I was feeling kind of inadequate.  Keeping that to myself for now.  

Come Wednesday, I was kind of wary about my first class…three hour seminar, and it wasn't one of my top choices.  BUT the professor reminds me of my grandma (!!!) and the class sounds really interesting!  This one is called "Nonfictional Lives in Fiction and Drama"--quite the mouthful, but some interesting texts on our reading list.  ALSO, Hadley is in this class, so thank goodness for a familiar face!!  There were more Americans (I think 5 or 6?) in this seminar too, so I felt a lot more comfortable.  It's half analytical, half creative writing, which I am REALLY excited about!  

By the time 3:00 pm rolled around, I was more than ready for our Dickinson class to meet.  I honestly felt relieved, like a weight had been lifted and I could breathe again.  Familiar faces, familiar professor, standards I understood…I was smiling the whole time.  So good to see friendly faces and rant about how our weeks have been going!! Definitely felt a sense of calm as soon as I walked in.  I'm hoping next week is better class-wise and I will feel more comfortable about life!  Still trying to transition.

xx