The Weather and Everyone's Health

Thursday, September 21, 2006

News and more news

Good news:

Tuesday night I slept like a baby, from about 11pm to 9am.
I'm starting to feel more settled (suitcases emptied, most necessities present) though a girl who stopped by my room today said I looked like I still unpacking (oh well). The clock radio really helps.
Bought a phone card today that should help me make affordable phone calls. Also talked to international students who have been here longer and it looks like I might be able to get a second SIM chip for my existing phone and run a local pay-as-you-go thing from it. I think.
Yesterday when I was cranky and whiny and was going to the computer center to write a cranky and whiny blog because I was having a lot of problems with my laptop, I found that I had left my logon and password back in my room, and by the time I got back to my room the walk had calmed me down. This is good news for you because you didn't have to read the whiny blog.

Lots of things happened yesterday (Wednesday):

I met 4 of the 5 other people in my course. I am the only international student and I have the median age (2 younger, 2 older, 1 I don't know). One girl is even a flatmate of mine! They seem nice, and it was nice to have people who understood what I want to study and could commiserate about other people not understanding. We went and registered together. I hope none of them are geniuses or psychos (psychoes?).

Registration was exciting! I got an official ID (my hair looks awful in the picture*), an official network logon, I bought a gym membership,

and I registered for the National Health. The FREE National Health. The one that comes with a National 24-hr. advice nurse, a FREE on-campus drop-in "surgery," FREE appointments with GPs (who can refer to specialists), and subsidized prescriptions medicines. w00t! Score! If you know me, you know that advice nurse is going on speed-dial. I can also get a FREE meningitis vaccination next Wednesday if I can figure out whether or not I've had one already. I wonder what other free vaccinations I can get.

Then I went to the Arts Center and joined for 15 pounds. The membership is good for the whole year and makes any number of weekly classes (e.g. Brass workshop, music theory, cartooning and more pottery than you could shake a stick at) FREE. So I did some binge signing-up, but don't worry, I will drop most of it and only keep one! (Heidi the Wise and Beautiful said to me "You know you're not there to study music, right?!" I know--but it's FREE.)

While I was there, they told me that there's a system where if you pass an audition that proves you're not a complete novice, the university will pay for your music lessons (so for you, they will be FREE). So I went to the library to xerox some music since I had "forgotten" all my piano music at home. Surprisingly, I found everything I was looking for except the Haydn sonatas (They only had volumes 2 and 4 of those in the library and I needed vol 1). But I found my old Grieg waltz (!) and the Mozart Fantasia I used to be almost decent with for Mr. Ricker. (Thank goodness he's still alive and kicking, at least. Maybe I'll send him a postcard.) Today I practiced a little but the building closed early.

THEN, finally I went to a 6-9pm orientation for new international students (a 3-hour tour?) which was somewhat reassuring because there was just enough information that I didn't know before, so I got some questions answered, and I got the orientation out of the way so I could cross it off my list.

Phew. That was just yesterday. Today was possibly even more exciting! because we went to the Southall, Indian/South Asian part of London. But I will post that later so you all have a chance to catch up. Your comments are always welcome (unless they're obnoxious).

- posted by k @ 12:50 PM