Buy this book. Buy that book. Photocopy this page. Learn that vocabulary sheet. Read such and such a page of such and such a book. In its original language. You don’t know what it means? Just read it out loud. How do I know I’m saying it right? Oh I see, you’ve not been listening to anything I’ve been teaching you, is that it? Get out of my class. You’re banned. You’re expelled.
And that’s how my most recent sobbing fit happened. Well, it didn’t even happen like that, actually. I imagined that entire conversation. I imagined it? No, I dreamt it. Yes, dear reader, I’m dreaming about having crying fits in lessons.
I also dreamt that someone stole my bag from me on the street, looked in it, threw my purse and phone back at me and ran off with my notes. I woke up in a cold sweat. And it’s only week two. What am I going to get like during exam period?
Last night many of my friends went to a Young Writers’ Society drinks evening. I wanted to go, but I needed to stay in and relax and work and get an early night. Of course, I ended up forgetting to read the pages for today’s lesson, and I went to sleep at 11 anyway. (Considering I need about 10 hours sleep to function, that wasn’t an early night, before all you 9-5 lectures people tell me off for getting more than 4 hours sleep then complaining about it.)
I want to go and do a lot of things. I wanted to go to Finchley to buy a book, but at one hour each way I just didn’t have the time. A girl on my course said she was going clothes shopping this afternoon. Clothes shopping? You have the time? The money? You’re not using old newspapers as an umbrella and wrapping your feet in tissue boxes to save money on buying new shoes? What world are you living in? Can I come live there too?
So many conflicting societies mean that sometimes ideals clash. What I mean by that is that last night was also the Welcome General Meeting of the Union. There were votes on various items on the agenda, and first was “Should your Union refrain from making a statement that condemns or supports either side of the Israel/Gaza conflict?” JSoc sent out emails saying vote yes, Arabian and Socialist societies, for example, wanted us to vote no. The ayes had it and after that everybody who had turned up just for that motion promptly left. Well, some stormed out, others went off (I like to imagine) in a conga.
Busy busy busy, and everything’s confusing and spinning away without me while I sit here in my little room typing on my little computer trying to make a difference in someone’s life by writing this, by volunteering, by knowing the first five chapters of whatever book off by heart. But before that, I need to do the washing up, check my emails, fix the light, clean the sink and pay my rent. The carefree joys of student life. Toodlepip.