Not a whole lot to report on. I could get into details about specific things that happen here on the job, but they'd probably be a bore since I'm too tired to make them seem as funny as they were when they occured (does that make sense?). It's hot (mid 80s) and humid (50%) as hell here right now, and is sapping my will to do anything productive, which sucks since the Oxford program ends on Saturday and I ship off to start in Cambridge, meaning there is plenty to do. I've been talking with the program director for Cambridge and he seems pretty psyched about the facilities and everything we have lined up, so I have all that to look forward to I suppose. Basically though, things are going well here.
I spent my day off here in Oxford with Diane doing not much. Her friend from high school was in town for the day, so we went to Christchurch (where a bunch of Harry Potter was filmed) and payed too much to get in and look around. Beautiful campus, but also kind of unremarkable. As I've mentioned this to my friends here, I'm sort of beautiful-European-architechtured out at this point. I know I probably (or definitely) sound like an arrogant jackass, but I've seen so many world famous this and jaw droppingly beautiful that for the last 7 months that a couple of nice looking English university buildings don't inspire much inside me at this point. It's totally a shame since Oxford is filled with assloads of good historical crap, especially related to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, both of whom spent a bunch of time here and wrote some of their most famous stuff while living in town. I really wish I could space my experiences here out more so I could appreciate all of this more, but everything happens so fast, and I have so much other crap to do while I'm here working.
To all my friends and loved ones who are reading this. I'm sorry I haven't been corresponding with you personally more. I've been missing everyone from home and even people I met in Spain already. I'm going to make a big effort to see as many as I can when I get home (now slightly under a month!). If you do drop me an email (drosen84@gmail.com) I will probably be able to get in a reply, so do it! For now, I must nap, eat, and get ready to go to a string concert that I know nobody will show up for. I'm kinda hoping they don't show up, anyway, so I can sit on my ass and laze around all night in front of a fan.
Unsaltily,
Daniel
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Bloody Brilliant
Things have been going rather well here. I'm really having waaaay more fun than I thought I would.
My floor has been really great as they don't cause [too much] trouble and have been ridiculously enthusiastic about most things in general. I haven't had to write anybody up yet, which is nice and will hopefully remain the norm.
Last night I planned and ran (with the help of Diane and a few of the residents on my floor) a dance that went really well. I had the guys make up the playlist, and more or less let them take care of DJing just cause I know nothing about that sorta crap (I'm sure most of you are aware of my "eccentric" tastes in music). There was a suggestion for another dance with an 80s theme which I think is a very good idea. I just need to figure out where I can get 3 hours worth of 80s pop and dance music.
The first London trip we took was definitely on the stressful side. We had to take the kids to 3 different locations (loading them on to a bus between each one). The first stop was the Tate Modern which was amazing but we didn't have nearly enough time at (one hour, tops). After another hour of loading onto the bus and travelling to the next stop -Camden Market- we had one hour to shmooze around. Camden Market is really incredible. it's a gigantic (this can't be overstated) labyrinth of street vendors that sell everything from the cheapest crap to the most expensive crap. It is a very cool place, but once again, our time was far too short there. I was very impressed that the kids didn't get lost in the maze, and we managed to be mostly on time for Covent Garden. This is where things got especially sticky since Diane and I thought it would be a good idea not to give the kids the maps we were supposed to since the pickup point had changed slightly from the original plan. This was a dumb idea, to say the least, and ended up making life much more confusing, and ultimately delayed us getting out of London longer than we wanted. In the end, the kids never got more than 1 hour in each individual location, and had to spend the better part of the day sitting on a bus. I guess that's inevitable when you try to take 200+ kids to London. Oh, and I forgot to mention all this was during the day of London's quarter-final World Cup match with Portugal, as well as the Gay Pride March. weeee.
The next trip (on Tuesday) will be much more low key for me, since I will only have 30 kids to look after. I will be taking a walking tour of the East End which I'm told is extremely cool. Some old guy who has lived there his whole life is going to walk us around and show us all its interesting bits then sit us down in a pub and tell us stories. Apparantly, it's supposed to be the best of all the London trips we do and, unlike the others, involves no shopping. Paul (the program director) assigned me to it because I advised him on what Orthodox Jews can and can't eat. Lemme explain: Since the other two London trips fall on Saturday, the more devout of the Jewish crowd can't go since they can't ride on a bus during Sabbath, so they only get to go on the one Tuesday trip. Paul wanted to make sure they get the most special experience possible so he signed them all up for the East End tour. Since part of the tour involves us eating in a pub, he was unsure about what to do with meal options and I explained to him about keeping kosher and what the kids will or won't want to eat. Apprantly, he took this to mean that the Orthodox Jews here at ASA identify with me especially (they don't, as I'm a non-practicing Conservative Jew who never even mentions his religion) so he's having me tag along for whatever reason. I can't really complain. Less stress, more interestingness.
My first day off was a few days ago. Melissa, Diane, Christina and myself all headed into London for the day. We went to the Tate Modern (sans 90 students) to actually take a good look around. I really love that museum as there is a ton of awesome stuff to look at. After a good chunk of time we left and went to South Kensington to find a pub and relax. We found a nice little place and enjoyed a few pints before getting some curry for dinner. We then proceeded to dick around for a couple more hours before it was late enough to find a club. We ran into a good one at Convent Garden and danced our asses off all night. We then walked to the Oxford Tube (a bus that runs between London and Oxford 24 hrs. a day, so sweet) and passed out on the way home. We got in around 4AM or so, and after not nearly enough sleep, were up again for the daily staff meeting. While it definitely wasn't a restful (nor inexpensive) day off, it was a welcomed one nonetheless.
Basically, then, so far so good. A couple kids have already been kicked out for general dumbassery (read: getting too drunk to keep it together). One of the two incidents happened two nights ago and was an total and absolute train-wreck disaster. I have plenty of gritty details, but I won't bother sharing them on the blog since they are far too ridiculous to believe, and I'm still working here and everything so I don't wanna give away tooooo much off the juicy stuff (who knows who might be reading this?). Let's just say I'm very happy that my residents have been intelligent enough not to get detectably drunk before coming to check in at night. I got really lucky in not getting a floor of idiots.
I met the program director for Cambridge and I'm now really excited. Not only was he a very nice guy, but he informed me that there are only 29 kids attended the 3-week program (as opposed to the 230 we have here in Oxford). It will be ASA's first ever program in Cambridge and I get to be there for it (what an honor). It should be extremely laid back compared to what I'm doing now, and I think it will be a lot of fun helping it get off the ground. There will be only 3 RAs instead of 22, so I'm sure we'll all be getting nice and close. Cambridge is supposed to have a much more "small town feel" to it, as opposed to the relatively busy city bustle of Oxford. I'm excited to be able to see even more of England as well.
I'm getting hungry now, so I'm gonna take off. I have some small junk I need to do today while everything is quiet. There are 3 or 4 excursions today, none of which I luckily had to go on, so things are pretty low key around here and I wanna try to get some stuff done while I can. I need to start putting together my Presentation of English Slang that I'm supposed to have ready for Tuesday. Should be sweet. I'll tell you how it goes.
I love you all.
My floor has been really great as they don't cause [too much] trouble and have been ridiculously enthusiastic about most things in general. I haven't had to write anybody up yet, which is nice and will hopefully remain the norm.
Last night I planned and ran (with the help of Diane and a few of the residents on my floor) a dance that went really well. I had the guys make up the playlist, and more or less let them take care of DJing just cause I know nothing about that sorta crap (I'm sure most of you are aware of my "eccentric" tastes in music). There was a suggestion for another dance with an 80s theme which I think is a very good idea. I just need to figure out where I can get 3 hours worth of 80s pop and dance music.
The first London trip we took was definitely on the stressful side. We had to take the kids to 3 different locations (loading them on to a bus between each one). The first stop was the Tate Modern which was amazing but we didn't have nearly enough time at (one hour, tops). After another hour of loading onto the bus and travelling to the next stop -Camden Market- we had one hour to shmooze around. Camden Market is really incredible. it's a gigantic (this can't be overstated) labyrinth of street vendors that sell everything from the cheapest crap to the most expensive crap. It is a very cool place, but once again, our time was far too short there. I was very impressed that the kids didn't get lost in the maze, and we managed to be mostly on time for Covent Garden. This is where things got especially sticky since Diane and I thought it would be a good idea not to give the kids the maps we were supposed to since the pickup point had changed slightly from the original plan. This was a dumb idea, to say the least, and ended up making life much more confusing, and ultimately delayed us getting out of London longer than we wanted. In the end, the kids never got more than 1 hour in each individual location, and had to spend the better part of the day sitting on a bus. I guess that's inevitable when you try to take 200+ kids to London. Oh, and I forgot to mention all this was during the day of London's quarter-final World Cup match with Portugal, as well as the Gay Pride March. weeee.
The next trip (on Tuesday) will be much more low key for me, since I will only have 30 kids to look after. I will be taking a walking tour of the East End which I'm told is extremely cool. Some old guy who has lived there his whole life is going to walk us around and show us all its interesting bits then sit us down in a pub and tell us stories. Apparantly, it's supposed to be the best of all the London trips we do and, unlike the others, involves no shopping. Paul (the program director) assigned me to it because I advised him on what Orthodox Jews can and can't eat. Lemme explain: Since the other two London trips fall on Saturday, the more devout of the Jewish crowd can't go since they can't ride on a bus during Sabbath, so they only get to go on the one Tuesday trip. Paul wanted to make sure they get the most special experience possible so he signed them all up for the East End tour. Since part of the tour involves us eating in a pub, he was unsure about what to do with meal options and I explained to him about keeping kosher and what the kids will or won't want to eat. Apprantly, he took this to mean that the Orthodox Jews here at ASA identify with me especially (they don't, as I'm a non-practicing Conservative Jew who never even mentions his religion) so he's having me tag along for whatever reason. I can't really complain. Less stress, more interestingness.
My first day off was a few days ago. Melissa, Diane, Christina and myself all headed into London for the day. We went to the Tate Modern (sans 90 students) to actually take a good look around. I really love that museum as there is a ton of awesome stuff to look at. After a good chunk of time we left and went to South Kensington to find a pub and relax. We found a nice little place and enjoyed a few pints before getting some curry for dinner. We then proceeded to dick around for a couple more hours before it was late enough to find a club. We ran into a good one at Convent Garden and danced our asses off all night. We then walked to the Oxford Tube (a bus that runs between London and Oxford 24 hrs. a day, so sweet) and passed out on the way home. We got in around 4AM or so, and after not nearly enough sleep, were up again for the daily staff meeting. While it definitely wasn't a restful (nor inexpensive) day off, it was a welcomed one nonetheless.
Basically, then, so far so good. A couple kids have already been kicked out for general dumbassery (read: getting too drunk to keep it together). One of the two incidents happened two nights ago and was an total and absolute train-wreck disaster. I have plenty of gritty details, but I won't bother sharing them on the blog since they are far too ridiculous to believe, and I'm still working here and everything so I don't wanna give away tooooo much off the juicy stuff (who knows who might be reading this?). Let's just say I'm very happy that my residents have been intelligent enough not to get detectably drunk before coming to check in at night. I got really lucky in not getting a floor of idiots.
I met the program director for Cambridge and I'm now really excited. Not only was he a very nice guy, but he informed me that there are only 29 kids attended the 3-week program (as opposed to the 230 we have here in Oxford). It will be ASA's first ever program in Cambridge and I get to be there for it (what an honor). It should be extremely laid back compared to what I'm doing now, and I think it will be a lot of fun helping it get off the ground. There will be only 3 RAs instead of 22, so I'm sure we'll all be getting nice and close. Cambridge is supposed to have a much more "small town feel" to it, as opposed to the relatively busy city bustle of Oxford. I'm excited to be able to see even more of England as well.
I'm getting hungry now, so I'm gonna take off. I have some small junk I need to do today while everything is quiet. There are 3 or 4 excursions today, none of which I luckily had to go on, so things are pretty low key around here and I wanna try to get some stuff done while I can. I need to start putting together my Presentation of English Slang that I'm supposed to have ready for Tuesday. Should be sweet. I'll tell you how it goes.
I love you all.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Being an RA is... different
Actually have some free time today, so I figured I'd keep ya'll updated on my life as it stands right now.
About the University: Oxford is actually composed of 39 distinct colleges. The program takes place at Lady Margaret Hall (one of the colleges) which is way nice. It's set about a mile outside of the town center, and is beautiful (pics will be up later on). Harry Potter was filmed at Christchurch (another of the 39 colleges), apparantly, which was news to me, but people have been going fairly nutty over the fact since they got here. Our dining hall at LMH actually kind of looks like the one in the movies, which makes sense I suppose.
The students moved in on Tuesday, which was a pretty hellish day as it required me to be up at 3:45 to meet them at the airport. The planes ended up getting delayed so we sat around and ate a huge breakfast in Heathrow (on ASA of course), then got crackin'. Things went relatively well, despite some bottlenecking that occured when we tried to get 200 kids onto 6 buses in one of the busiest airport terminals in the world. I was going more or less non-stop for the rest of the day, hauling a large number of heavy suitcases all around campus and up many flights of stairs many times. As Oxford is old as hell, there are no elevators; needless to say, I got a pretty decent workout on move-in day.
The kids were all jetlagged, and I felt like I hadn't slept for a day after hauling all that luggage around, but there was still more crap to do. We took an open bus tour of Oxford which I didn't get a whole lot out of, just cause the amount of information thrown at us was mind-boggling. We had to do orientation and then floor meetings with the Spain vs. France game squeezed in. We have about 10-15 Spaniards in the program, so there was a source of conflict when it came time for the mandatory meetings (and a whole lot of disappointment when France won too).
In a program that is a minefield of brats (lots and lots and lots and lots of Manhattan trust fund babies) I managed to get a floor of very good kids. They all listen (so far) and are the complete opposite of jackasses, which not all the RAs are lucky enough to be able to say. It is only the first week, but we're definitely off to a good start.
Yesteday we did a photo scavenger hunt around Oxford with our respective floors, which was actually a lot of fun. The guys got really into it so it didn't feel like a chore or a lame activity. Afterwards I brought them to a pub that had great food so they could get the authentic pub cuisine experience in early. It went over extremely well, so all were happy.
So basically I'll be going a mile a minute at this job. The entire staff is all really nice (RAs and senior staff) and I can't forsee any sort of conflicts arising on that front. It's great to have such a good team of people to work with since it makes life so much easier in this kind of job. Everybody is always willing to jump in and help as much as they can, which is definitely necessary when trying to create a fun and activity-packed environment for teenagers. This is turning out to be a much more interesting experience than I was first expecting. I'm basically "on-duty" 24 hours a day, which can definitely be tiring. I can't even go somewhere to grab a pint if I have a free afternoon. Even when I'm out on the town without a specific task, I need to be acting responsible and all that for when the students might see me. Like I said, I only have 2 days off this month, and they told us to get the hell out of Oxford if possible since we won't want anything to do with ASA. They still don't want us drinking or doing anything illicit if there is a possibility of being spotted by our residents despite not being on duty. Damn. I guess I'll be hitting London for my first day off (the 5th). I've yet to decide how I'll spent my second (the 14th).
For now, I'm off. Gotta go develop my pictures from the scavenger hunt, and get planning some activities for later this week. Always more to do.
Love, Peace, Chicken Grease
About the University: Oxford is actually composed of 39 distinct colleges. The program takes place at Lady Margaret Hall (one of the colleges) which is way nice. It's set about a mile outside of the town center, and is beautiful (pics will be up later on). Harry Potter was filmed at Christchurch (another of the 39 colleges), apparantly, which was news to me, but people have been going fairly nutty over the fact since they got here. Our dining hall at LMH actually kind of looks like the one in the movies, which makes sense I suppose.
The students moved in on Tuesday, which was a pretty hellish day as it required me to be up at 3:45 to meet them at the airport. The planes ended up getting delayed so we sat around and ate a huge breakfast in Heathrow (on ASA of course), then got crackin'. Things went relatively well, despite some bottlenecking that occured when we tried to get 200 kids onto 6 buses in one of the busiest airport terminals in the world. I was going more or less non-stop for the rest of the day, hauling a large number of heavy suitcases all around campus and up many flights of stairs many times. As Oxford is old as hell, there are no elevators; needless to say, I got a pretty decent workout on move-in day.
The kids were all jetlagged, and I felt like I hadn't slept for a day after hauling all that luggage around, but there was still more crap to do. We took an open bus tour of Oxford which I didn't get a whole lot out of, just cause the amount of information thrown at us was mind-boggling. We had to do orientation and then floor meetings with the Spain vs. France game squeezed in. We have about 10-15 Spaniards in the program, so there was a source of conflict when it came time for the mandatory meetings (and a whole lot of disappointment when France won too).
In a program that is a minefield of brats (lots and lots and lots and lots of Manhattan trust fund babies) I managed to get a floor of very good kids. They all listen (so far) and are the complete opposite of jackasses, which not all the RAs are lucky enough to be able to say. It is only the first week, but we're definitely off to a good start.
Yesteday we did a photo scavenger hunt around Oxford with our respective floors, which was actually a lot of fun. The guys got really into it so it didn't feel like a chore or a lame activity. Afterwards I brought them to a pub that had great food so they could get the authentic pub cuisine experience in early. It went over extremely well, so all were happy.
So basically I'll be going a mile a minute at this job. The entire staff is all really nice (RAs and senior staff) and I can't forsee any sort of conflicts arising on that front. It's great to have such a good team of people to work with since it makes life so much easier in this kind of job. Everybody is always willing to jump in and help as much as they can, which is definitely necessary when trying to create a fun and activity-packed environment for teenagers. This is turning out to be a much more interesting experience than I was first expecting. I'm basically "on-duty" 24 hours a day, which can definitely be tiring. I can't even go somewhere to grab a pint if I have a free afternoon. Even when I'm out on the town without a specific task, I need to be acting responsible and all that for when the students might see me. Like I said, I only have 2 days off this month, and they told us to get the hell out of Oxford if possible since we won't want anything to do with ASA. They still don't want us drinking or doing anything illicit if there is a possibility of being spotted by our residents despite not being on duty. Damn. I guess I'll be hitting London for my first day off (the 5th). I've yet to decide how I'll spent my second (the 14th).
For now, I'm off. Gotta go develop my pictures from the scavenger hunt, and get planning some activities for later this week. Always more to do.
Love, Peace, Chicken Grease
Monday, June 26, 2006
Briefer than Tighty Whities
In Oxford, starting as an RA officially tomorrow. Orientation was good. We'll see how this goes. I suppose there is a ton I could talk about but my time is extremely limited. In general I won't have much internet access at all. When I do, it will be for very short periods of time, most likely. I only have two days off for the entire month of July. Too bad. It's gonna be extremely busy but should also be pretty fun too, I think.
The velcro shoes still hurt to walk in. What a bad purchase.
Ok, gotta go. Maybe more soon, but probably not.
The velcro shoes still hurt to walk in. What a bad purchase.
Ok, gotta go. Maybe more soon, but probably not.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
For the Record
I bought velcro shoes at ASDA (Wal-Mart) for £10 yesterday. The saddest part is that I definitely overpaid.
Monday, June 19, 2006
So Long Southampton, Hola Oxford
So I ship off to Oxford on Thursday to start work as an RA. Whoop. Oh yeah, and I got the Cambridge gig too, so I won't be home until after August 13th. The second program doesn't pay as well as the first since it's a week shorter, but oh well.
I've definitely enjoyed my time here in Southampton, just being able to relax and not worry too much about anything, but I really am starting to feel like a potato. I attended a (personal) record 4 barbecues in one week, and completely made up for being seperated from my precious internets in Spain by spending a sad number of hours crawling around the web and playing stupid online games. I've also managed to watch at least one World Cup game per day which has been an excellent diversion. Side note: The US managed a whole hell of a lot better facing Italy than when they played the CR, despite being down 2 men for half the game. But anyway, I don't think I've gone this long without being employed since my work career started 6 or 7 years back and it feels weird.
Speaking of monkeymakin', I'm inquiring into the BBC this week about what I might be able to do to augment my prospects of becoming one of their cameramen (or whatever sort of donkeyworker they need) after I graduate. I understand it's a ridiculously competitive company to try to get a job for, but I think I'd make a decent candidate with the amount of experience I've amassed these past 4 or 5 years. Plus I can add the whole American dimension on things, which everyone is dying to get a piece of.
Tomorrow I'm headed to Matt's parent's place for yet more BBQing and the England/Sweden match. Should be tasty good times. Last chance I'll get to hang out with the Harding family before I head off to work. It's worth noting that they are good people and have been very cool to me since I've been here. Wednesday night we'll be headed out for a curry and a couple beers, then it's off to the Ox the next morning.
It's been a rush to get all my forms and crap filled out for the job since ASA waited 'til the absolute last minute to send them along. I guess it's because I'm a last minute hire, but still, my getting paid depends on whether or not I can get my W-4 and I-9 and whatever else faxed to them as soon as possible.
Looking over my responsiblities and the rules/regulations of the program has led me to feel slightly apprehensive about this whole thing. I have been away from the "holy-shit-we-need-to-put-a-protective-bubble-around-everyone-or-someone-might-get-a-splinter" mentality that seems to be all-pervasive in America and is strangely absent throughout Europe. Despite ASA's claims that they don't wish to create a "police state" or "military environment" within the program, the sheer number of offenses that I personally could be dismissed from the program for (sans paycheck) - on the basis of nothing more than a rumor - are a bit staggering. Gossip apparantly plays a very large role in how things are decided by the staff. This is at least what my Resident Advisor Handbook is telling me. I've yet to see how things are actually run on the ground as it generally is never quite like they play it up in the instruction booklet. We do, sadly enough, have to go on "Town Patrol," and make sure the kids aren't causin' a ruckus off-campus during their free time. I'm gonna chalk all this up to part of my re-introduction to American culture and hope it only helps to further decrease the inevitable culture shock I'll be feeling upon my return to the States (ha!).
Oh, and I got a kick out of this. Included in my packet-o-info was a Packing Suggestions sheet that spends 2 paragraphs explaining the importance of travelling light and then recommends that you bring no less than:
8-10 pairs of underwear
8-10 pairs of socks
5 pairs of jeans or casual pants (I don't think I own this many)
5 pairs of shorts (again, don't own this many)
8 casual shirts
2 dressy outfits
2-3 sweaters/sweatshirts
1-2 pairs of sweatpants
1 pair of sneakers
1 pair of "sturdy walking shoes" (quotes added for effect)
1 pair of dress shoes
swimming trunks and athletic gear (as necessary)
a rainproof jacket
2 large towels
a bath robe
[and this is just the clothes list]
Pack light?!!? Is that a sick joke? I mean, it's a 4 week program and there are laundry facilities on site. What the hell is packing heavy to these people? I couldn't help laughing at that, especially since I don't have half that crap and am wearing the same ratty ass clothes I brought with me to Spain (most of which I've owned for a long time before that). My sneakers (which will double as my "sturdy walking shoes") have both almost split in two because they have so many holes in them (which reminds me I need to buy some duct tape or get myself some sweatshop puma ripoffs at ASDA) and my jeans are doing that whole "gaping-knee-hole-that-keeps-getting-bigger-because-I-forget-it's-there-and-jam-my-foot-into-it-tearing-it-even-more-every-time-I-put-my-pants-on" thing. Nice outfits are a straight up no, so I'll have to figure something out before we head over for our tour of Parliament. I actually think I might have one button down white shirt, but it's currently crumpled up in a ball at the bottom of my [19kg overweight by easyJet's standards] duffle bag.
So I'm not sure what internet access is gonna look like during this thing. The handbook keeps talking about my "day off" but whether this means I have one day off for the entire month, or per week is beyond me. I'm praying it's the latter, of course, although "day off" is always referenced in the singular, and never once in the plural *shiver*. I would assume I would have some sort of access to the internets somewhere on campus during the day, but this hasn't been explained to me in any sort of detail yet. I know I will have office duty about once a week, so I should have a computer in front of me then, but as for leisure time, I don't yet know what this is shaping up to be like. I do have a British SIM card for my mobile now so if anybody wants to give along a friendly hello (and can afford the long distance charges) I can be contacted at (011 44) 7927 004 722 (if calling from the States). Texts are also welcome, of course. Oh, and the spacing I used for that phone number is completey arbitrary because I still can't figure out how the hell they do that here. Regardless, I'll try to slide an update in every once in a while and keep up with emails and whatnot.
As an added feature, now that I've had some time to reflect a bit, I've decided to add a couple things I miss about Spain in each post (or as I remember them). Here's a couple to get us started
Things I miss about Spain:
- Random explosions and loud crashes during the night - I can't explain this, but they became comforting after a while. They spice up your dreams like a jalapeno pepper does your peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
- The fashionably executed mullet (seriously) - There were so many of them, the ones that were actually well kempt (or entirely way over the top) really did stand out. If I ever see one in England (the British have adopted the same policy of ridicule towards the hair"style" as America has, therefore sightings are rare) it's usually greasy and wily like the Amazon. I think I miss the gel-spiked-highlighted-faux hawk-with-rat-tail-modifier the most. A rare beauty, indeed.
- Goofy Spaniards. The British take themselves too seriously. I miss the Spanish way of taking everything with a grain of salt: from STDs to terrorism to embarrasing leg hair.
On that note, Goodnight!
Oh and I almost forgot, check out this pure ridiculousness. I can't stop marvelling at it.
I've definitely enjoyed my time here in Southampton, just being able to relax and not worry too much about anything, but I really am starting to feel like a potato. I attended a (personal) record 4 barbecues in one week, and completely made up for being seperated from my precious internets in Spain by spending a sad number of hours crawling around the web and playing stupid online games. I've also managed to watch at least one World Cup game per day which has been an excellent diversion. Side note: The US managed a whole hell of a lot better facing Italy than when they played the CR, despite being down 2 men for half the game. But anyway, I don't think I've gone this long without being employed since my work career started 6 or 7 years back and it feels weird.
Speaking of monkeymakin', I'm inquiring into the BBC this week about what I might be able to do to augment my prospects of becoming one of their cameramen (or whatever sort of donkeyworker they need) after I graduate. I understand it's a ridiculously competitive company to try to get a job for, but I think I'd make a decent candidate with the amount of experience I've amassed these past 4 or 5 years. Plus I can add the whole American dimension on things, which everyone is dying to get a piece of.
Tomorrow I'm headed to Matt's parent's place for yet more BBQing and the England/Sweden match. Should be tasty good times. Last chance I'll get to hang out with the Harding family before I head off to work. It's worth noting that they are good people and have been very cool to me since I've been here. Wednesday night we'll be headed out for a curry and a couple beers, then it's off to the Ox the next morning.
It's been a rush to get all my forms and crap filled out for the job since ASA waited 'til the absolute last minute to send them along. I guess it's because I'm a last minute hire, but still, my getting paid depends on whether or not I can get my W-4 and I-9 and whatever else faxed to them as soon as possible.
Looking over my responsiblities and the rules/regulations of the program has led me to feel slightly apprehensive about this whole thing. I have been away from the "holy-shit-we-need-to-put-a-protective-bubble-around-everyone-or-someone-might-get-a-splinter" mentality that seems to be all-pervasive in America and is strangely absent throughout Europe. Despite ASA's claims that they don't wish to create a "police state" or "military environment" within the program, the sheer number of offenses that I personally could be dismissed from the program for (sans paycheck) - on the basis of nothing more than a rumor - are a bit staggering. Gossip apparantly plays a very large role in how things are decided by the staff. This is at least what my Resident Advisor Handbook is telling me. I've yet to see how things are actually run on the ground as it generally is never quite like they play it up in the instruction booklet. We do, sadly enough, have to go on "Town Patrol," and make sure the kids aren't causin' a ruckus off-campus during their free time. I'm gonna chalk all this up to part of my re-introduction to American culture and hope it only helps to further decrease the inevitable culture shock I'll be feeling upon my return to the States (ha!).
Oh, and I got a kick out of this. Included in my packet-o-info was a Packing Suggestions sheet that spends 2 paragraphs explaining the importance of travelling light and then recommends that you bring no less than:
8-10 pairs of underwear
8-10 pairs of socks
5 pairs of jeans or casual pants (I don't think I own this many)
5 pairs of shorts (again, don't own this many)
8 casual shirts
2 dressy outfits
2-3 sweaters/sweatshirts
1-2 pairs of sweatpants
1 pair of sneakers
1 pair of "sturdy walking shoes" (quotes added for effect)
1 pair of dress shoes
swimming trunks and athletic gear (as necessary)
a rainproof jacket
2 large towels
a bath robe
[and this is just the clothes list]
Pack light?!!? Is that a sick joke? I mean, it's a 4 week program and there are laundry facilities on site. What the hell is packing heavy to these people? I couldn't help laughing at that, especially since I don't have half that crap and am wearing the same ratty ass clothes I brought with me to Spain (most of which I've owned for a long time before that). My sneakers (which will double as my "sturdy walking shoes") have both almost split in two because they have so many holes in them (which reminds me I need to buy some duct tape or get myself some sweatshop puma ripoffs at ASDA) and my jeans are doing that whole "gaping-knee-hole-that-keeps-getting-bigger-because-I-forget-it's-there-and-jam-my-foot-into-it-tearing-it-even-more-every-time-I-put-my-pants-on" thing. Nice outfits are a straight up no, so I'll have to figure something out before we head over for our tour of Parliament. I actually think I might have one button down white shirt, but it's currently crumpled up in a ball at the bottom of my [19kg overweight by easyJet's standards] duffle bag.
So I'm not sure what internet access is gonna look like during this thing. The handbook keeps talking about my "day off" but whether this means I have one day off for the entire month, or per week is beyond me. I'm praying it's the latter, of course, although "day off" is always referenced in the singular, and never once in the plural *shiver*. I would assume I would have some sort of access to the internets somewhere on campus during the day, but this hasn't been explained to me in any sort of detail yet. I know I will have office duty about once a week, so I should have a computer in front of me then, but as for leisure time, I don't yet know what this is shaping up to be like. I do have a British SIM card for my mobile now so if anybody wants to give along a friendly hello (and can afford the long distance charges) I can be contacted at (011 44) 7927 004 722 (if calling from the States). Texts are also welcome, of course. Oh, and the spacing I used for that phone number is completey arbitrary because I still can't figure out how the hell they do that here. Regardless, I'll try to slide an update in every once in a while and keep up with emails and whatnot.
As an added feature, now that I've had some time to reflect a bit, I've decided to add a couple things I miss about Spain in each post (or as I remember them). Here's a couple to get us started
Things I miss about Spain:
- Random explosions and loud crashes during the night - I can't explain this, but they became comforting after a while. They spice up your dreams like a jalapeno pepper does your peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
- The fashionably executed mullet (seriously) - There were so many of them, the ones that were actually well kempt (or entirely way over the top) really did stand out. If I ever see one in England (the British have adopted the same policy of ridicule towards the hair"style" as America has, therefore sightings are rare) it's usually greasy and wily like the Amazon. I think I miss the gel-spiked-highlighted-faux hawk-with-rat-tail-modifier the most. A rare beauty, indeed.
- Goofy Spaniards. The British take themselves too seriously. I miss the Spanish way of taking everything with a grain of salt: from STDs to terrorism to embarrasing leg hair.
On that note, Goodnight!
Oh and I almost forgot, check out this pure ridiculousness. I can't stop marvelling at it.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
My place of employment, odds and ends
I shall be working in Oxford for the months of July (Starting June 22nd). I was really hoping to be in Barcelona, but I am still happy to have something to do here in England for the summer. As explained before, I'll be an RA for American teenagers in a cultural immersion program. They will be taking classes for half the day. The other half of the day they will partake in activities and excursions. That's where I come in. I will be creating/running these activities and staffing the excursions. I'm actually kind of psyched about this, because looking through the program website, I will get to see a good amount of interesting stuff free of charge in and around Oxford. While I have seen some of the attractions (like Stonehenge), I've never actually been to Oxford so there is a whole millenium and a half or more of "new" history (like every city in Europe) for me to take in.
I get fed three meals a day (lunch being a stipend that I get to spend wherever I want) and free housing. This is wonderfully excellent as it will bring my general expenses down to somewhere slightly above zero. Besides the various "bits and bobs" (<--- one of many anglicisms I've picked up since being here) like souveners etc., I doubtfully will have much time to get out to the pub for a drink, and even if I do, won't be able to spend anywhere near enough money to get inebriated since my job is technically a 24-hour one. I need to be ready to spring into action at the drop of a hat (or a blacked-out student).
I'm not too certain about the possibility of staffing an additional, albeit shorter, program in Cambridge after the Oxford one is completed. I'd like to, but I haven't received word yet if they will put me on or not.
So enough about work. The strict barbecue/house party regimen I've been on has left me a bit drained and *gasp* tired of barbecue, but that's only because I've been doing it so much in such a short period of time. I think a few days of recovery will have my mouth watering for kebabs and wings again in no time. The weather thus far has been friggen fantastic, although the forecast predicts a week of meh-rainy starting Sunday. It seems rather serendipitous that these two weeks of sunshine have coincided so perfectly with the completion of exams period at the university, especially since it's following on the heels of an entire month of rain. Somehow, however, England still manages to find itself in a drought this year. Go figure.
Matt has to start working at ASDA (Wal-Mart) as much as he can to save up some cash this week. He's been unemployed (or rather not putting in any hours) for the last couple months and wants to buy a car soon since his got wrecked not too long ago. He only works graveyard shifts since he says it's the only way the money becomes worth it. Consequently, I'll be chilling at his house without him, while he lives at his parent's place (which is walking distance from work) putting in as many hours as possible. I don't mind being on my own, as that's what I was doing the first week and a half I was here. Plus, Matt is generous enough to let me stay with him in the first place, so I can't expect him to suspend his life for an entire month just to keep me entertained. I'm quite grateful just to have a free place to stay this entire time.
Being in England has gotten me a bit world-cup crazy since everybody here seems to get obsessively involved. I watched the USA get their asses handed to them in minced up pieces by the Czech Republic yesterday. Considering how well the US fared in 2002 (making it to the quarter-finals), it was pretty pathetic watching them play their first game. They had no strategy, no playmaking ability, and seemed to lack the willingness to pass to their own team. Sure, the three goals the CR scored were all fantastically executed, but the US didn't exactly offer up any sort of offensive resistance. If they have any hopes of making it into the knockout rounds, they are more than likely going to need to win their next two games. Not what I'd call terribly likely.
Alright, I've been lazing around all day so far and need to get up and do something with myself. I shall keep updates as to what my plans are looking like. I still need a new name for my blog since the current one is becoming terribly dated. The sad lack of audience participation has saddened me. Oh well.
Later
I get fed three meals a day (lunch being a stipend that I get to spend wherever I want) and free housing. This is wonderfully excellent as it will bring my general expenses down to somewhere slightly above zero. Besides the various "bits and bobs" (<--- one of many anglicisms I've picked up since being here) like souveners etc., I doubtfully will have much time to get out to the pub for a drink, and even if I do, won't be able to spend anywhere near enough money to get inebriated since my job is technically a 24-hour one. I need to be ready to spring into action at the drop of a hat (or a blacked-out student).
I'm not too certain about the possibility of staffing an additional, albeit shorter, program in Cambridge after the Oxford one is completed. I'd like to, but I haven't received word yet if they will put me on or not.
So enough about work. The strict barbecue/house party regimen I've been on has left me a bit drained and *gasp* tired of barbecue, but that's only because I've been doing it so much in such a short period of time. I think a few days of recovery will have my mouth watering for kebabs and wings again in no time. The weather thus far has been friggen fantastic, although the forecast predicts a week of meh-rainy starting Sunday. It seems rather serendipitous that these two weeks of sunshine have coincided so perfectly with the completion of exams period at the university, especially since it's following on the heels of an entire month of rain. Somehow, however, England still manages to find itself in a drought this year. Go figure.
Matt has to start working at ASDA (Wal-Mart) as much as he can to save up some cash this week. He's been unemployed (or rather not putting in any hours) for the last couple months and wants to buy a car soon since his got wrecked not too long ago. He only works graveyard shifts since he says it's the only way the money becomes worth it. Consequently, I'll be chilling at his house without him, while he lives at his parent's place (which is walking distance from work) putting in as many hours as possible. I don't mind being on my own, as that's what I was doing the first week and a half I was here. Plus, Matt is generous enough to let me stay with him in the first place, so I can't expect him to suspend his life for an entire month just to keep me entertained. I'm quite grateful just to have a free place to stay this entire time.
Being in England has gotten me a bit world-cup crazy since everybody here seems to get obsessively involved. I watched the USA get their asses handed to them in minced up pieces by the Czech Republic yesterday. Considering how well the US fared in 2002 (making it to the quarter-finals), it was pretty pathetic watching them play their first game. They had no strategy, no playmaking ability, and seemed to lack the willingness to pass to their own team. Sure, the three goals the CR scored were all fantastically executed, but the US didn't exactly offer up any sort of offensive resistance. If they have any hopes of making it into the knockout rounds, they are more than likely going to need to win their next two games. Not what I'd call terribly likely.
Alright, I've been lazing around all day so far and need to get up and do something with myself. I shall keep updates as to what my plans are looking like. I still need a new name for my blog since the current one is becoming terribly dated. The sad lack of audience participation has saddened me. Oh well.
Later
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