I met a roommate. Her name is Lee. She is from China. An atmospheric chemist. I made a joke about global warming and she laughed. I told her I was from the U.S. I wonder what she thinks about me now. She seemed very nice and very intelligent, her English was a little broken. I realized that there are a ton of international students. All of them with their own respective languages. Yet, they all have to communicate in English to each other. This international language. Then I thought about how if we lost the cold war things would be very different. Some forgotten country off on the other side of the ocean. And everyone mumbling away in Russian. But those sort of thoughts can get kind of ridiculous.
I still can’t quite figure out all the stuff I have to do. I made a list but it seemed sort of minimal. I need to get that passport stamped. That seems important. And I should probably explore the campus. And get all my money out of the bank account I wired it too. Those things seems important. Its hard to do stuff when its so damn cold out. It is 29 F out right now. The fog has rolled in a bit. Or it could just be my windows freezing up. Its Saturday tomorrow though. So I can’t really get any real work done. Everything of government and school related closes on the weekend. I am going to try and find some bars and explore the hip/cool district tomorrow. I’m still not adjusted to the time difference. Right now my stomach is expecting someone to call me or me call them and ask where they want to eat. I’ve got a cup I stole from the kitchen cabinet. Its not very big so I don’t think anyone will miss it. I’ve claimed it mine and have come to the conclusion that this cup will represent my survival. See, there is a bathroom in my closed and locked hallway. And here we can drink the tap water all we like. So I’ve got an unlimited, free, water supply. If anything, a broke man can survive on water and pilfering frozen goods from un-assuming minds. Though, hopefully, I don’t think I will have to become some sort of frozen goods food thief. It’s a thought though. Letting those years of evolutionary, survival instinct come out.
I think the joys of heaters go unnoticed until the cold is a constant companion. I keep mine cranked. I’m like a lizard in this room. A hot den of books, this computer, and down blankets with satin sheets. Yeah, fuck that, I bought satin because I am an extravagant sort of gent.
Oh, somehow on my exploration I managed to find the apple store here too. Kind of comforting to know that culturally, America isn’t too far away. I’ve also noticed of course, the 7-11’s, the McDonalds, the Burger King, and a wide variety of American cinema all gracing the curbs and streets of Oslo. Reminds me of Snowcrash.
Tomorrow I think fishsticks. I don’t have a microwave. Which is interesting. No one has microwaves. What the hell is that? Why the hell do we have microwaves now that I think of it. Oh, my experiences trying to figure out this old school over, with no timer, and no readout, plus its all in Celsius, has been very interesting.
The Sun
Nighttime after it snowed
---
take me out to the black.
tell 'em i ain't comin' back.
3 comments:
uh oh... an asian.... keep your bathroom clean, for the love of your safety.
-nicole
the comment you made about brian loving the snow and stuff made me think of today because i drove home from brianhead in a blizzard and it reminded me of that time mom made us go up and we skiied in that blizzard...all that fresh powder. but anyways, i hope you're getting more and more settled and comfortable in your new surroundings. greta wants me to tell you that 29 degrees is not cold, maybe for vegas, but definitely not cold for wintery climates.
miss you.
no! you're supposed to visit london for the apple store, julian. i thought oslo didn't have one. that was defining my juxtaposition of the two cities. london was the apple store kind of place and oslo was the secluded city. now you won't have an urgent reason to hop the pond. sigh. well anyway, i'm glad you're taken care of and have the weekend to explore further.
also, not to essentialize the chinese, but the only chinese foreign exchange student i ever met, although intensely ambitious, was one of the best people ever. her last name was lee.
and heck yeah cold weather life is different. hence the reason my family left my poor dad in wisconsin. when i asked him about it once, he told me that it's better that way, since he doesn't have to stay inside all day with people who are miserable because they aren't out. he was serious, too.
love,
reim
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