October 5th

Hi guys,

I know, I know, it's been an awful lot of time since I've written anything, but there's been SOOOOO MUCH going on, I could hardly keep up. So it's gonna be hard to sum it all up in a nutshell, but I'm gonna try to fill you guys in with the news. But first, I must tell you that, today, I had my very first class of 'le Parkour' which I've been wanting to learn for such a long time and I always thought I was probably in a too bad shape to do it...I'm in a really bad shape, compared to sporty people and especially to the people who do Parkour...all that even though I've been working out hard these past two months. Nonteheless, I made it to the end of the class, barely taking a break and giving it my very best. Got away with two torn hands (and surely some calluses), a bruised arm and a large haematoma on my leg. :) That's how it's supposed to be. I'll definitely go more often, maybe this Saturday to the jam session, but I don't really have enough money or time to do it again for the rest of the month. I'll have to postpone it to next month. But it's good I started it this month, as it will only get a lot colder and I would probably feel even less inclined to do it without having experienced it during a more mild weather. And the people are all...awesome. They look cool, they study cool things (mostly something with art and performance, as far as I could find out) and have cool and interesting hobbies. I can't wait to meet them again. Today was also the first time a guy - David, one of the instructors - was actually able to lift me on his back...and he really didn't look like it, cuz he was so skinny. But not only did he lift me on his back, he actually balanced me on the balls of his feet. Incredible. There is a lot of strength in those Parkour guys. I really need to learn it more properly and get some more muscles. The group was huge, btw, I think the biggest group they ever had, I didn't even get around to counting how many there were...and it was a girls only group - except for the instructors.


Soooo...

the Highlights - these are by no means chronological, they are just a random brainstorming - I am really sorry noone got a post card from me yet (except my boyfriend). I bought loads of them, but I didn't get to write nor send anything yet:

-hitch hikining to Loch Lomond, 5 hours hiking through the hills

-Sushi at Sapporo yesterday, funny Sushi Chefs doing tricks at the Tepanyaki grill, met new people...all Canadians. We were looking for Karaoke, but there seems to be nothing on on Mondays :-( The food was super expensive, but I got to try some new stuff. Like monk fish and lamb with strawberry sauce, both delicious. Chocolate spring rolls...great idea

-met Andy, Sébastien's flat mate...he's probably the weirdest, most confusing and interesting Brit I've ever met. He's somewhere from England. He and Séb and I went to 87, a very nice, cozy restaurant/pub/café kind of place. A night full of in-depth, really interesting conversations and a lot of music. We met a busker in the streets, his name's Ryan, he's my age. We played his guitar, Andy plays well. I got his e-mail address and will be trying to get one of his used guitars...just need to replace the strings.

-they have keyboards on the 4th floor (or level? still don't fully grasp the concept of levels and floors in Britain) of the library...I forgot nearly all songs I could play, but the most important theme of Für Elise came back pretty quickly...

-keep meeting Germans in my lessons, two of which have become really good friends...darn!

- I had my first ostrich meat, on a burger in "Ketchup" (great restaurant) ...yummy!

-just when I finally learned how to open the lock to the back yard with the keys (it was a real challenge) they finally replaced the lock

- I subscribed to dancing classes: Ballet and Burlesque and am hoping to take Master Classes in Highland Fling, Tribal Fusion Belly Dance and Contemporary (one of the girls at the Parkour lesson does that...it looks awesome)

- I almost cried when I saw the beautiful architecture of Glasgow Uni and then again almost cried when I sat in my first History of Art lecture, because it blew me so full of beautiful nostalgia

- I spent about two weeks basically organising my schedule for uni, because that was really hard to do, given that there're so many interesting subjects and I was experiencing some misunderstandings with my advisor of studies and a hard time choosing. Finally ended up taking: Philosophy, Art and Media Informatics and Multimedia Analysis and Design as courses for which I get credits and Psychology, Computing Sciences, History of Art and Business and Management as audit only courses. I really especially enjoy Art and Media Informatics and Multimedia Analysis and Design. Both have a lot to do with HTML. I enjoy each of the courses I am taking, but since I subscribed to 'Moodle' the sort of intranet of Glasgow Uni, I feel free to not visit all audit only courses all the time and just download the respective Powerpoint Presentations, when I feel I need to get home and do some more organisation instead or just catch a break.

-went 'window shopping' with Jess, which ended up in clothes shopping, but I tried to pull myself together...spent more money on bathing suits after all...later...when I went to BHS (british home store) with Damisha, one of my flatmates

-had free Salsa classes in Princess Square - had the first alcoholic cocktail there that I liked,...mostly because one could hardly taste the alc, but really...what's the use of the alc then? :P ...still can't stand alcohol on the whole...very close dancing with men that I don't know...I can't really get the hang of it...but there were moments when I really enjoyed myself, though, overall, I feel Salsa is not for me...I wasn't bad. I'd been asked to dance quite a lot of times and been told that one could tell, I'd danced before...really didn't make a difference. I prefer other, more unconventional and creative dance classes

-got myself a membership at the sports club at uni...go swimming and did several other fitness classes

-we had free pizza at the freshers week...and free sweets...good...but not good

-about half of my lecturers have a great Glaswegian accent. My Philosophy tutor looks like a laid-back Jesus

-Been to a wonderful art exhibition in the Kelvingrove Museum, called 'the Glasgow Boys'...most beautiful and interesting exhibition of fine art I've ever been to

-bought books though I didn't want to...they were 1 or 2 pounds or 50 pence each...couldn't resist

-had no internet till the 24th of September. It was torture. Had to go to Gorbals Library all the time or use my laptop on the campus, where I wouldn't be allowed to use skype or any chat programme other than Facebook. Hardly found any time to do anything other than organising when I was online

- I finished furnishing my room, very proud to have gotten a printer and a desk for free (but didn't want to pick it up, so I paid 3 pounds for the delivery of the desk and bought a train ticket to Neilston to get the printer + about 10 pounds for the cartridges...but was worth every penny), got TV with one programme...I enjoy accessing British culture through that as well...get up to children's programmes every morning

-got myself a job (over gumtree)...I am now giving French lessons to a guy in his 40ies or 50ies with a heavy Glaswegian accent :D

-gave swimming lessons to my flatmate Damisha...had some dispute with her...trying to avoid her now, nothing too serious though, I still like living here, even though it takes me between 30 and 45 minutes every morning to get to Uni

- Been to Balloch with friends doing another hiking trip, had some very deep conversations, I enjoyed it very much

-went to a housewarming party organised by Antoine, with whom I went hitch hiking, and got a free mountainbike from him. Rode home with Sébastien at 2am on my new bike, which needs some fixing at the saddle,...and all that with left-hand traffic (I sometimes still expect buses to stop on the other side of the road. So when I saw them passing by, it happened twice to me that I'd try stopping them, though they were actually on the other side of the street going in the wrong direction). Sauchiehall Street at that time of night is really fascinating. Looks a bit like a red light district. really weird creatures all over the place...wouldna've done it without Sébastien. He was my guardian angel back then. Things went so well...he was very good at looking after me.

-went to see Lewis's ballet performance (he's a professional at the Scottish Ballet) at the Royal Theatre, really enjoyed the modern parts of it. Decided to try it myself, when he told me normal people like me who hadn't practiced all their life could also do it...will probably go back for Cinderella on Christmas

-thought about getting Piping lessons at the National Piping Centre, but it was 630 pounds...no way, thanks

- I am trying to convince Glasgow Uni to let me stay one more semester and am trying to find out how to do that financially...it's all so expensive here

-met Ann-Christine. She, Luca and I went to see several theatre plays and art installations, which we all enjoyed, with a day pass. Especially 'How Keanu Reeves saved the world' was great. I lost my tickets, but Annki managed to convince the people at the desk to actually replace them without spending money on them again. We met up with Krys and Jess in between and had a Chocolate Calzone, because the two of them bought it at 'Amore' and wanted to try it and it was really good. Damn you, chocolate!

-my Mum and Brother are coming to visit me next week.

-went for Sushi at Yo! Sushi with Sébastien. Enjoyed myself immensely. Yummi chocolate mochis.

-I'm going to take cookery classes and learn about desserts and fish

-I've been trying to eat very healthily...and on the way there found out that Scotland probably has the best Muesli (and also Muesli Muffins) I've ever tasted... how weird is that?

-went to a French conversation evening...been too lazy to do that all the time when I was in Germersheim, though I coulda done it and probably had more time to do so...my French sucks now. I used to be really good at it. Lack of practice. Too many other languages in my head.

-I'm going to a charity abseil in Fallkirk this Saturday. It's for building a cancer research lab...so we're gonna drop down from a huge bridge or something, secured by a rope. I'm very excited.

-Been trying to get a voucher for paintball, but failed...will try again though, because it's not that expensive and there's loads of paintball sites around here. maybe I'll do it when the weather is nicer.

-got myself a voucher for "canyoning, including descending rapids, waterfall abseiling, diving into plunge pools and much more with Action Adventure Activities" - doing it Saturday 16th

-saw this outside of the HATII (my department for Art and Media Informatics and Multimedia Analysis and Design) http://www.angelfire.com/art2/antwerplettuce/hamlet.html - Enjoyed reading it very much, had a good laugh. Also laughed at the following T-shirts I came across these days: "No, I'm not on f#@*ing Facebook!" and "Everytime you masturbate, God kills a kitten" ...

-Had a sleepover party at Jessica's - she lives outside Glasgow. Had to go there by train.

-Tom would have enjoyed the following: I have my History of Art lectures at the Zoology department where they hold the classes on evolution and one of my lecturer in HoA referred to Richard Dawkins several times during his talk and actually put a link to one of his papers on Moodle, on teleology and he indirectly mocked Creationists
Tom would've also maybe enjoyed the posters outside the Presbyterian Church of Scotland "THE FOOL HATH SAID IN HIS HEART 'THERE IS NO GOD'!" and "REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL"!

-actually met a guy from Mainz at a couchsurfer meeting, Steffen...he's been here a wee bit longer than I...interesting guy

...There's been so much going on. I wrote some of the things down. I'd have to go through my e-mails, to be more precise about what happened when. I am sure I left out some important things.

It's amazing, I'm just cooling down from the Parkour lesson...it was 2 hours and really the hardest exercise I've ever been through, as far as muscle work is concerned. I've really pushed myself to the limits. Now I can feel the muscles are getting tired and a generall tiredness is kicking in.

...just got up to get my mobile...don't think I've EVER had heavier muscles. This is going to be a major muscle ache ...dunno how I'm supposed to get up tomorrow. Yikes!

I'll get back to you guys as soon as I feel that I can.