After 3 hours of sleep…
Woke up in this room! Check it out:
Watched a category theory lecture.
Tried to make myself some oatmeal; it actually tasted pretty good, and Juyoung gave me an egg to supplement it with. Took a quick shower and set out with Jenna, a cognitive science student from somewhere in the Midwest (Carleton) plus Juyoung and Suraj.
Jenna and I split off from Juyoung and Suraj and found our classroom. We grabbed a front-row table that quickly filled with a fine group of engaged students. We had a quick overview lesson where we learned phrases to use in class, like “Es tut mir leid, ich habe kein Achnung” (I’m sorry, I have no idea) Then we got a presentation from the UZSA, another shared organization between universities that manages sports and fitness. They really had their act together, made me excited to sign up for some lessons :D
After that we got a sweeping tour of the ETH/UZH shared campus in the ETH part of town (I think that’s how it works!) There was a really cool language center with lots of German DVDs and games, tons of pretty buildings, a nice gym which we didn’t really get to see, and best of all, meal halls with actually reasonable prices! In Seattle, students avoid on-campus dining halls, but here, they must greet them with open arms–the student prices are fully half to a third of off-campus dining. Which means I don’t have to cook every day, which is AWESOME!
Along the way, meet a cool Sri Lankan dude named Navi, a smooth social character who is also very friendly. Navi and I accumulate a small posse, including a Scotsman Sri Lankan named Prath, a Dutch girl named Christen, and a Korean girl named Do Yoon. After collecting our student cards and the first installment of our student stipend (I’m gonna pop some tags; 750 francs in my pocket :D ) we proceed to the Asia Mensa (or table, cafeteria) for lunch. The food is very tasty and filling. Navi and Christen set up a Facebook chat to meet for lunch again the next day.
From there it’s back to German! This part is fun, we get to learn smalltalk phrases and ask for each other’s names and countries and say, > “How are you doing?!” > “Just great, and you?!”
After that, I walk back to Culmannstrasse. Set plans to take a walk with Juyoung, but she is entangled with her luggage-recovering and reimbursing business, so, suitably chastened about trying to make plans, I hop on the cheap-groceries bandwagon with Suraj and Daniel from the UW. These yokels are trying to cook something. I lose myself in bewilderment at the store, with its crazy real time bread cooker:
And its brands at every price point:
And eventually start overheating and overoptimizing, whereupon I tell Suraj and Daniel to walk home, execute a reboot, grab a few more things, pay for my food, and go home to cook. I make shakshuka, poached eggs in spicy tomato sauce, which is actually pretty good!
After that and after some goofy business about Abi having an identical twin, I head to the gym to check it out. Can’t find it and am actually mildly despairing when I happen upon a dark terrace with loads of partying students. Beneath this terrace is the gym, and inside the gym is a crazy Monday night gymnastics session! The entire 3-small-baskeball-court floor is occupied by intimidatingly fit partner yoga/slackliner/people wrapping themselves in fabric from the ceiling types. It’s pretty cool. I stand there gawking like a chicken’s head that’s just been cut off, then head to the elliptical for a brisk, sweat-soaking run. At this point, the gym closes; I adopt once more my chicken’s head pose as I search for the exit. I look so clueless, in fact, that I draw the attention of a card-man, who asks to see my student card. Fortunately, I remember from the presentation this morning the word for student card, and present him the card. I ask him if he speaks English, he says no, then proceeds to try to tell me that the gym is closed in English. I signal that I understand, then hack together a query: “Wo ist Ausgang?” He directs me down the stairs and I finally leave the gym!
Back at Culmann, I play a game of foosball, work on German flashcards, do laundry, write this log and crash! Cheerio!