18-Jan-06

Well we had our test yesterday. Not sure how I did, but we should get our scores back tomorrow. In the past two days are teacher has gone bananas about our homework load. We’ve probably had double the amount we’ve been having, so it’s kind of a bummer. I think she might have found out that we were behind the other classes and decided to speed it up a bit.

I got an email about my “a student abroad” article being published in the tech e-newsletter. Speaking of which, I do believe that I could do all my articles on the strange and different bathrooms they have here. Yesterday Casey and I went across town to go to the Ikea store (apparently we have these in the US, I’ve just never been to one) in order to get a comforter cover so that the gross bedding on my bed doesn’t sneak up on me while I sleep. Regardless, we also found this mall in which I decided I had to use the bathroom. So I go in, do the whole maze thing and get into a stall. I notice, as I’m walking in, that the toilet seat is up. Not a big deal, whatever, I’m sure the women who used this before me had a good reason but anyways, I grab some TP and go to set it down. When I do set it down, the thing springs back up. Now seriously, what is the point of that? So I’m trying to sit down on this seat and the thing is spring loaded, there can be no hovering… It was absolutely ridiculous.

Another thing I haven’t mentioned until now is how I am having some sort of allergic reaction to the air over here. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been itching and scratching, mostly my arms but sometimes my legs, like there is no tomorrow. I think I caught whatever my dog had this fall. I brought a lot of lotion with me and didn’t think I’d be able to use it all up, but at this rate, I don’t think I’ll have a problem.

My most recent observation is that the tap water is not wet. I know that sounds moronic, but I kid you not. When I drink tap water out of my water bottle I become thirstier than when I started. I really do feel like I’m not drinking wet water. Today I heard that if you drink too much tap water that you develop some sort of problem with your liver because there is an unusual amount of lime in it. I think I’m going to go buy some big bottles of water when I’m done writing this.

My next large concern is how much I’m being charged when I get money out of the ATM. It isn’t even fair. With the conversion rate and then two ATM or bank charges, I have to assume that for every 100 euros that I take out, I will lose $25 in the transaction. I’m pretty sure I need to open a bank account here, but I have a feeling I’ll look like a raving lunatic when I walk into the bank speaking English.

The trip to Switzerland this weekend has all but been cancelled. We had enough people, but this trip wasn’t organized by USAC so it was really hard to get any help. We could get phone numbers to bus companies, but no one on the other end of the telephone speak enough English to help us out. Looks like I’ll be going to the Egyptian museum on Friday and I think our friend Ian might make it to Torino soon. BTW, Ian is a guy we met when we flew out of Chicago to Paris. He studied in France last semester and went back to take his finals. Now he is traveling around Europe until he heads home at the end of the month. I think he’s in one of the pictures I’ve already posted.

Alright, this was more depressing than anything else. I think I’m going to go work on my boatloads of homework and think about gelato.