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August 22, 2004
Orientation, Part 2
To tell the truth the most pressing thing on my mind is irritation that I couldn't get my last journal entry formatted properly. In the Word document I used to write it all, there were bullet points, italics, underlines, links to web pages, etc.—and it was all lost in the copy/paste into livejournal.com. I think the problem lay in the use of my friend's computer, which runs Safari as its internet software. I didn't have a lot of time to try and fix it, so that will just have to wait until I can get hooked up on my own computer. But let me recap my day.
I took the "shortcut" to campus, which in actuality added a good 14 minutes onto my walk. Once I got there, I wandered around campus for a bit, using my new Access Card to gain entry into the normally-locked buildings. Unfortunately, the library was still locked down, so I was unable to check email.
I gathered with all the international students at the campus quad, where we were publicly humiliated along with all the other new students. Apparently, this hazing-like orientation is common to all European universities, and can even get quite violent in places like Brazil and Belgium. We were made to stand in straight, single-file lines and drink green-dyed liquid (consisting of foul wine, pear juice, and something that tasted like paint thinner). Then we were off for a "tour of Karlskrona" that mainly entailed walking around the city center and participating in strange competitions (designed, I believe, to foster team spirit). The best part of the whole day, I should mention, was that when walking from place to place, we were made to hold hands with a partner (while walking in a straight line—they are VERY big on straight lines here). As a result, I got to hold hands with a number of charming male students (one of whom I have decided to woo).
Anyway, after a couple hours of Olympic-related quizzes, human pyramids, balloon-popping hugging, and singing "When the Saints Go Marching In" (for which I was the team leader—oh, it was quite the sight), we tromped to the dock and took a boat tour of the surrounding archipelago. It was really windy and chilly, but the scenery was beautiful—and no seasickness in sight!
While all the students were marched back to campus, a large contingent of the international students (me included) broke away from the festivities. Although delightful in its own way, we were tired of being yelled at in Swedish by kids 10 years our junior. I walked back with Scotty to his apartment (where he graciously allowed me to upload my last journal entry—even with the bad formatting problems, I am grateful) and check email. I didn't have any time to write replies, but it was SO GOOD to hear from my mom and Jess, and friends from back home.
Scotty and I walked back to Centrum and met up with some other students for drinks and dinner. I should mention that I met several new students today, including:
* Beatte from Germany (in my program)
* Paulo from Brazil (in my program)
* Lisa from Boston (in my program)
* Carolina (or something similar) from Canada (in my program)
I think that covers it—although I'm sure there are a few people I'm missing. We had a great talk at the pub, and shared all the bits and pieces of information we'd gathered so far. I've found out more about starting a bank account, getting hooked up to the internet (I realized that I neglected to bring my Ethernet cord, so I'll have to buy another one—although I can't seem to locate a computer store), and buying a bicycle (or not, I haven't decided).
After that, we walked back to the bus stop, hopped a ride home, and that brings me to this point. I'm exhausted from all the walking today (easily 10 miles), and am looking forward to collapsing onto my crappy bed and sleeping in. But before I go, please allow me to relate my physical maladies:
* I have a raw spot on my heel, where all the walking wore away part of my skin. It might have been a blister at one point today, but now it's more of a bloody pulp.
* I have a rash on my left knee—very mysterious. It's basically covered in tiny, red bumps.
* I have a massive bruise on my left shin—courtesy of my suitcase on the trip over from Copenhagen. It's gotten progressively worse each day, and now looks like I got beat with a bat.
* And, of course, the overall body aches common to people starting up Power Yoga after a hiatus. I'm still only doing the first 20 minutes of the DVD, but that's more than enough for now.
And that's it. Off to bed with me.
