Busy first day of classes

Sept. 29 - I met our fourth and final flatmate today. Her name is Stella and she comes from Nairobi, Kenya. She moved in yesterday so we went and walked around Poole for about an hour. Really cool person. Then Tim joined us for a Chinese food buffet. It was Stella's first time having Chinese food and she loved it. I ate with chopsticks.

Sept. 30 - First day of school for me! I was probably a minute late to catch the bus that takes the students directly to campus, so that meant I had to take a regular bus that stops at every stop. And because of that I was about 10 minutes late to my first class. On the walk through campus I was hoping I wouldn't have to walk into a large auditorium by myself with all eyes on me, the late guy. But that's exactly what happened. There's probably a couple hundred people in that class (business strategy...zzzzz). I opened the door and the professor turned to look at me. I nodded at him and he looked at the rest of the people there and gave a look I didn't see. People began laughing. It wasn't the start I was hoping for. But luckily I wasn't the only one late.

Later during the first intermission, I walked up to the professor (Nick Rowles) and introduced myself and apologized for being late. I said, "I should apologize for being late. I was watching cat videos this morning." That made him laugh, and we made some small talk. It turns out he's completely understanding because the busses can be late, especially in the first week.

My second class was much more interesting. It's sport principles and practices. There were just six people in that class, including me. There were two Germans, one person from Greece, a man from Bulgaria and two British people, including the professor. So there will be several different perspectives in that class. I like it because it's tiny and two of them are in that business strategy class and in the same group as me for a project due later in the term.

I then had several hours to kill, which I spent reading up on some recommended text for those two classes. One of which was an interesting article in the Independent about how various cities fared after they hosted the Olympics. Some, like Atlanta and Sydney eventually figured out how to use their new facilities to reinvigorate their battered areas whereas other hosts such as Greece and Montreal fell into debt and the Olympic facilities lay forgotten.

Finally, at night I went to a classroom session with the American Football club where we learned the basics of the game and terminology. I learned this team uses a 4-3 defense and plays Cover 2, and if I'm the Mike linebacker I'll rush up the middle and cover the running back. Or if I'm on offense, I'll know where to go if the play call is "under 2, X Z pinch" and I'm the tight end. At first it's garbled mush, but it becomes clear later, kind of like trigonometry.

So my routine is taking shape, and thus I'm feeling more comfortable, even with the daunting prospect of juggling a Master's degree and playing for a football team. But I'm sure I'll be able to do it. I'll have to admit: This is pretty awesome. It doesn't feel strange anymore here, especially because I'm starting to recognize random people around campus I've met and hung out with.

Just one last thing: BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY, PLEASE GIVE ME MY DAMN LOAN MONEY. I'D LIKE TO BUY SOME MORE FOOD AND THE BOOKS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO MY CLASSES.  STOP DRAGGIN YO FEET. Also, I still don't have my debit card from HSBC and my iPhone is forgotten on the desk in my room. Maybe someday I'll sort it out. Peace out.