The Saga Continues...

Well, week one in Mass. endeth and week two began yesterday.

School has actually kicked in (much like the three cups of coffee I drank at orientation this morning--where's the bathroom in this computer lab?). My Spidey sense is tingling and telling me that this will be a VERY different experience than my days at MSU. I think I will get to know my fellow students, professors, administrators, and even campus squirrels with a far greater degree of intimacy than I ever did at the Leviathan of a University from which I graduated. That being said, I must enforce a strict two drink limit on myself at our class Christmas party...I don't want to be the "memorable" student who gets tanked and fondles Santa...

I can't think of anything but bullet points to recap the interesting notes of late, so forgive the lapse of real prose here. I'm too pressed for time to dream up "transition sentences."

-My roomates Lisa and Casey are fantastic. Friday we hit up a local sports bar and actually met an older guy who did Peace Corps in Kenya in 1990. My roomies both served in The Gambia (West Africa) for two years. While the three of them reminisced, I struck up a conversation with Dan the bartender. He almost kicked me out when I asked if Larry Bird ever played for the Pistons.

-Saturday night the three of us attended the raucous Worcester Latin Festival (which should have been called the Puerto Rican Pride Pow-Wow). People honked the entire way down Main Street and waived the flags of their various homelands. Lisa and Casey both have Latin heritage (Brazilian and Mexican respectively), but I didn't fool anyone.

-I finally figured out how to use wireless internet on my computer, and then it bit the big one. Virus. Big time. I downloaded one on accident (it looked like a legitimate Windows Update!) and now my computer won't even load Windows. I hate the little 17-year-old turds who sit around writing these programs that make my life miserable.

-Our apartment building is chock full of IDCE students. I met one guy from South Korea who just got back from 2 years in Bangladesh working for an NGO. His Bangla is pretty darned good! We were having a Bangla conversation at lunch today.

-I must admit, despite waking up late today and not "brushing" my hair per se, I thought I was lookin' pretty cute at my orientation. My premature bubble was utterly burst when I saw the line of Grecian godesses who comprised my fellow grad students. I am overwhelmed by the disproportionate number of beautful women here. Did I forget to send a head shot in with my application or something? In addition, the F to M ratio here is (seriously) about 5:1. Clark men are lucky bastards.

Well, I should run. There's a grad student reception and "happy hour" at 4:00, then I'm going into Boston tonight to meet a group of South Asian activist/writers. Ah, East Coast life...

Cheerio.

TKP