Bottom Five
Saturday, December 30, 2006
I feel like, at the close of the year, it's a good idea to emphasize the positive over the negative. So, here are half as many low points. Enjoy!
5. Getting hit on by anyone old, smelly, or creepy -- on public transportation no less. And, as a head's up to anyone else who's thinking of trying, I don't find anything flattering in being referred to as "angelic" in any way. Yes, I'm blonde and pale. However ... I don't know, I could go into a whole explanation but let's just say I'm not a celestial being, and I find any comparison to one made by a total stranger incredibly creepy. Especially when it happens twice in one week.
4. Being without a bank account for over a month! Until I got the appropriate legitimation, I had to go to my scholarship office and get enough for the week's groceries, etc., in cash. This was fine ... except for that time they were out of cash, so the woman took me personally to the ATM in the train station, and then passed over the equivalent of about 300 dollars in a not-so-discrete location. I felt like I was doing a drug deal.
3. The broken umbrella. I arrived in Norway without one. Big mistake. After several soggy-haired days under a brown hooded sweatshirt, I paid about six dollars for one. I was pretty proud of myself. But then the 'brella started coming off the frame. Whatever, it still functioned. Eventually, enough of the spokes came undone, it basically did nothing for keeping me dry. So, one very rainy morning, I decided to be late for class in order to repair the darn thing with yarn. Again, I was pretty proud of myself. But the question was how long this repair would hold out. Answer: Not long. The end of the story is that one of the major reasons I was excited to come home was because I could bring back my amazing umbrella which I left at home. If you think that's silly, you still don't understand how often it rains in Oslo.
2. Heathrow. Heathrow, Heathrow, Heathrow. I hate that place with every fiber of my being.
Although, in the interest of being fair to the complexities of life, I will mention that I have some wonderful stories that came out of this experience. But they're definitely the kind you share over coffee, so if you want to hear them, you'll have to invite me.
1. Realizing that the larger the pool of years I have to draw from gets, the less significant each individual year appears. I could easily spend twice as much time doing everything I'd like to do in Norway. Time to get organized!
5. Getting hit on by anyone old, smelly, or creepy -- on public transportation no less. And, as a head's up to anyone else who's thinking of trying, I don't find anything flattering in being referred to as "angelic" in any way. Yes, I'm blonde and pale. However ... I don't know, I could go into a whole explanation but let's just say I'm not a celestial being, and I find any comparison to one made by a total stranger incredibly creepy. Especially when it happens twice in one week.
4. Being without a bank account for over a month! Until I got the appropriate legitimation, I had to go to my scholarship office and get enough for the week's groceries, etc., in cash. This was fine ... except for that time they were out of cash, so the woman took me personally to the ATM in the train station, and then passed over the equivalent of about 300 dollars in a not-so-discrete location. I felt like I was doing a drug deal.
3. The broken umbrella. I arrived in Norway without one. Big mistake. After several soggy-haired days under a brown hooded sweatshirt, I paid about six dollars for one. I was pretty proud of myself. But then the 'brella started coming off the frame. Whatever, it still functioned. Eventually, enough of the spokes came undone, it basically did nothing for keeping me dry. So, one very rainy morning, I decided to be late for class in order to repair the darn thing with yarn. Again, I was pretty proud of myself. But the question was how long this repair would hold out. Answer: Not long. The end of the story is that one of the major reasons I was excited to come home was because I could bring back my amazing umbrella which I left at home. If you think that's silly, you still don't understand how often it rains in Oslo.
2. Heathrow. Heathrow, Heathrow, Heathrow. I hate that place with every fiber of my being.
Although, in the interest of being fair to the complexities of life, I will mention that I have some wonderful stories that came out of this experience. But they're definitely the kind you share over coffee, so if you want to hear them, you'll have to invite me.
1. Realizing that the larger the pool of years I have to draw from gets, the less significant each individual year appears. I could easily spend twice as much time doing everything I'd like to do in Norway. Time to get organized!
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