I've just woke up after an hours sleep. All of this walking about every day at University is tiring when you're not used to it!
I finally talked to the three guys living here with me last night. It was about 9:30pm and I was just heading out to see if Burger King was still open (because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to cook) and they were all in the kitchen so I decided to go and say hello to them properly. They're nice enough, but the language barrier is still very much a problem sometimes. I tried my best though to talk to them for about half an hour before going out only to find that Burger King was shut.
I decided to walk around town a little bit anyway but because of the blisters of my feet, it proved very hard and painful. I tried to find the Internet cafe that I had found the night before but it was shut. Everywhere seems to shut far too early in Chester. I want 24 hour a day shops!
I got given another flyer for the lapdancing club opposite me. I'm tempted to go and yet really, I don't think I'd have that much fun in there. If there was a naked girl in front of me dancing about, I'd want to touch her. I wouldn't enjoy just looking. There is no fun in that.
I returned home after a little while and cooked some food. Just as I was going in, there were a few girls outside from the opposite house getting ready to go out. I said hi to them as I passed them and they said hi to me too. I would have liked to introduce myself properly since they are essentially my neighbours but I didn't really know how to so I just carried on walking after I'd said hello. They sounded American from what I heard as I passed them so at least there would be no language barrier.
After cooking food and eating it, I explained to one of the guys I'm living with as best as I could that they would need to buy a cloth to wipe around the kitchen. I don't know what the hell they cook but it's messy and it also stinks the place out. They never seem to clean up after themselves too good. I know they probably won't buy one but I think it's because maybe they don't use them at home or something. I don't know. So, I'll probably end up buying one instead in the hopes that they'll use it.
I went to bed around 12:30am and this morning, awoke at 8am, ready for my second day with my class. I'm getting used to going to bed and getting up earlier than I usually would quite quickly.
The morning was spent with a group of four people taking photos of things that looked like they could be used for letters to make the word "WELCOME". As with Tuesday's task, it was essentially a team building excersize. However, this one proved much more effective for me in making friends as I managed to talk to everyone in my group and found out everyone's names. Again though, as I said on Tuesday it only ever seems to be me who asks for people's names. Still, I'm glad I did.
There was one girl, Danielle, who hardly spoke or interacted with the rest of the group. I felt kind of sorry for her because that was me just three or four years ago and I tried my best to talk to her as well as the rest of the group by asking her various questions with the hope that maybe conversation with her would start that way but unfortunately it didn't.
Tom, another person in the group was nice to talk to. He seemed keen to get stuck in with taking the photos and me and him talked a fair bit, advising each other on what to take pictures of while the other two girls, Leanne and Charlotte (You seem what I mean about so many girls?) talked with each other mostly but also to me and Tom. Unfortunately, they didn't really talk to Danielle because as I said, she was awfully quiet.
After we had found all of the photos we needed, we went back to D-Prod. On the way, I met Cat. She told me that the girl who I had met via her and Kerri from Ireland was going back home. Apparantly she wasn't enjoying it here. I really don't think you can gauge a three year long experience after just four days. I personally have always said that I'd give it at least a month or so. A fortnight at minimum. I feel sorry that she has decided to go home so early.
I gave Cat a hug which of course I love doing and then went back to D-Prod and arranged the photos we'd taken in Photoshop but it didn't look like many of them had that much knowledge of it. They knew the basics, but not much else. Leanne said that in college, she had studied graphics yet had never touched a computer on her course. I found that crazy. However, I think it will prove to be a useful thing on this course because a lot of the work will be done on paper, rather than computer.
At 12pm, me and Tom went to meet a few other people who he'd started talking to and I also met someone who I had met way back on the open day a few months ago. Danny his name was. I also met another guy on my course and a girl doing photography. I found out a little later that their names were Elie (Pronounced Ee-lie) and Lauren. We talked together for a while in the dining hall.
After a while, the girl who I had met via Kerri and Cat came and found me and she told me that she was leaving in an hour. I asked her why and she said she just didn't like it. I gave her a hug and she told me to tell Cat and Kerri goodbye for her.
After lunch, me, Tom and Elie went into the student union place where there's two pool tables and I watched them both have a game before we went back to D-Prod to finish up our images. Once finished, we then cut them to size and then in the room where we'd had our welcome talk on Tuesday, we stuck them up on the walls. Again, Danielle remained awfully quiet, never talking to anyone and again, I tried my best to talk to her instead, asking her things like what did she think of the course so far and is she enjoying it. She answered my questions, but as I said, there was no followup conversation that flowed from it unfortunately. I'm sure she's a nice girl, just shy. If I see her again, I will try my best to talk to her some more.
John, the guy in charge of the art department once again thanked us for participating. I found it weird that he was thanking us, but he explained that he thought one or two may take the approach that it was below them to do it. However, no one did take that approach and I think that was what he was thanking us for.
From there, me, Tom and Elie went to go and have another game of pool. This time it was me versus Elie and unfortunately I lost in a rather bad manner! I will beat him next time, though.
Tom showed me and Elie his room. Coincidentally, it was actually right next door to Cat's. I was ready to go home though due to the blisters on my feet so I decided not to knock and say hi after saying goodbye to Tom. Instead, I walked out of Uni with Elie and said goodbye to him there before getting in a cab and going back home.
When I was walking out of the Uni, I realised that actually, I'm doing pretty damn well in terms of making friends over the past few days. I can list 10 people or so that I've had a conversation with. I'm surprised. I knew that I could make at least one or two friends on my course, but because I've got more than one starting point for creating networks, it's been a great way to meet new people.
I was supposed to be going to Kerri's tonight and then into town with her and Cat but once again, the blisters on my feet are preventing me from doing so. I feel like such a bore by not going out with them when they've invited me and if I could, I would. I want to socialise. I'm eager to! I don't want them to think that I'm saying no because I'm boring and like staying in. I want to go out, just that it's proving hard to walk right now because of these stupid blisters which I only have because I began walking to University. They should hopefully be gone by Monday.
Tomorrow, I meet my Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) which will be Debra. She seems friendly enough. I don't think I'll be there long so it'll mean that for most of the day, I should be able to rest my feet. I'm so glad.
If I was at home, tomorrow, I'd be going to the AJ's with my friends. I miss them. I was looking at a few pictures earlier of them all. I know it's not like they're on the other side of the world or indeed even the other side of the country, but it's still impractical to get there on anything other than a one off occasion. Aside from my friends however, there is nothing that I miss about living in Liverpool and I think that's one of the reasons why it's been so easy to make the transition from living here to living here. The fact that I've made a few friends quite quickly too has really helped and while my accommodation is certainly not what I expected or desired, I am happy to live here based on the fact that it's in the middle of town and close to everything I could possibly need for the next year I live here.
Oh and one other thing. As I came home today and was about to put the key in the door, a voice on the other side shouted "Hold on!". I assumed it must be someone picking up the mail behind the door but when he finally did open the door, it was actually an electrician. I assumed that he had come to fix the lights, but after asking him, he said he was installing a phoneline. That means that I will hopefully be getting the Internet soon! Of course if you're reading these entries then I already have it.
So, all in all,things are going well. I don't have too much to complain about except the blisters on my feet.
Next week, the real work starts.
