Sept. 26:

I'm starting to run out of money. I sure hope I get my loan soon, or else I won't be able to eat! But I guess I haven't gotten the money yet is because my student ID card wasn't activated before today. And after I got my UNR degree in the mail today, I was able to prove I actually have a bachelor's degree, thus getting the card. But before that I had to take the bus through rush hour traffic around 4 p.m. That wasn't fun, but it was worth it. With my student ID, I'm legit. I'm a part of Bournemouth University.

And while I was at campus, I ran into Charlie, the coach of the football team. I hadn't formally introduced myself to him so I was able to do that while we waited at the bus stop.

I found out I have a locked iPhone today. That means I can't do anything with it unless I pay 80 pounds and wait 10 days. But I figure that's cheaper than getting a new one, so I'll bite the bullet. And since it's gone all funky since I tried to insert a SIM card, that means I can't take pictures or listen to music. Oh well. First world problems.

So since I won't get my loan money until next week (hopefully) I'm going to have to lay low for the weekend and borrow some cleats for football practice.

All of this sounds like a drag. But how could I be upset? I'm living in England on the coast! This is what I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember. And I know I've written this before, but there's a part of me that's proud of the fact I'm not here just for the education. I'm here to make memories. Call it being naive (I do). but just because I've gone to school and have a degree doesn't mean I'm stuck with a career in that field for my whole life. I want to experience lots of things.

Being in a postgraduate program is my brave, foolish, desperate and risky excuse to get myself overseas. The word "nonconformity" came to mind, but I don't think that would be correct because I've gone the mindless-modern-day-student-looking-for-better-work route. Looking at a thesaurus, I see words like "bizarre," "abnormal" and even "strange." The word "deviant" is also a good choice for what I've done. "Peculiar" is close to what I'm thinking, but I think the word "atypical" is appropriate to describe this choice.

I've been told I have incredible foresight to make the decision to quit a job I liked and study at an international school. That was from the Corfe House welfare advisor when he took me out for a drink the first week here, and I believe he said it with admiration though I could be completely wrong about that. I made a massive jump, but I'm still not sure if I should be proud of it. I'm leaning towards yes, however. And as I finish this entry, it should be pointed out that I'm trying way too hard to be humble. What do you think?