Orientation ...

Dear Diary,
The first thing you should know about London is that you have to hit the ground running. There is no time for dilly dallying and taking your time. If you do, you miss out on deadlines and getting your stuff done and accomplished. And there ain’t no sweet talking or smiling with de guy or girl ‘to get a little pass’. So even though I went out last night this morning I was out the dorm bright and early. I had to get enrolled, pay my tuition, attend an orientation class (I had missed a few already since I was last minute in coming up) get my bedding duvet covers and pillows and visit my uncle and aunt for dinner. And travelling on the tube is like an hour to get everywhere so that was going to take up most of my day. Oh and by the way I was not hung over those girls soft and the alcohol is nothing compared to Trini rum.

I lived in London before; I remembered the tube system so it was very easy for me to get around. My first stop was paying my tuition and registering for university. All went smooth except I thought I would be bright and use a picture I already had. You see in my hurry I had once again wore no make up and pulled my hair back in one. When it came out it looked like I had a wad of Vaseline spread all over my forehead. It was so shiny there was a white blinding spot, making the rest of my face faint and a little distorted. The guy actually looked at it and said with a straight face ‘ Aw that’s alright’ I was shocked and pleaded to take another or even one of me now. The bastard refused and said the card was already printed and if I wanted another I would have to pay £10. That’s a $100 TTD, I mean I am vain but not that vain, so I’ll just have to settle with a horrid picture for the next four years I guess.... SOB.
Off to class with my crappy ID card I attend my first orientation lesson and my professor looks like a mad professor type. He has wild curly hair, strangely skinny with a visible but not big potbelly, wild eyes, and a slightly disturbing smile. I swear that if his hair was white, I could never take him seriously and I would be laughing uncontrollable. Cause I would be thinking of the scientist from Back to the Future and expect Michael J Fox to jump out of thin air at any point. Another professor joins him and honestly, he looks like a caricature with spiky hair, and a forehead that falls into a straight, small nose and small lips. While waiting for the class to fill, one of my classmates says hi. She is Asian and I soon find out she is from Pakistan. Cool, I think and start asking her about cricket. She looks at me blank almost like she’s never heard of the sport. I think, ok Nina bad start, the West Indies probably Trinidad is the only place where cricket is still cool. I just decide to remind quiet and to be honest it is just really uncomfortable now. She eventually asks me where I’m from. ‘Trinidad and Tobago’ I say ... I get the same blank stare.....’It’s in the West Indies’ ...blank stare....’Part of the Caribbean’ I explain... same blank stare. OMG is this her face or is it me I am thinking at this point. ‘Oh well’ she says and starts telling me about herself. Her name is Shanty, she tells me about her village and her family, she seems excited, but the conversation is pretty much one way at this point unless she asks me some very personal questions. If I’m British ... I remind her I’m from Trinidad (the same blank look reappears) or how am I paying for university. At this point I just wanna run away this is too much at this point. I decide to ignore her and inch towards some girls I see clustered a few chairs away. I smile and they smile back, but they make no moves o include me in their conversation. I think Shanty is scaring them off I try to distance myself but she persist talking and asking inappropriate questions, and I am thinking I’m stuck with this girl and why do I speak to the weird ones. The class is still empty so the two professors decide to start the class. Firstly, they tell us that it is a reading degree. Classes are about three hours in length so the majority of our learning will be through spending time in the library reading texts on our subjects. Also they field that we are going into requires a lot of research, group work and presentations.

After class, we all leave and I head out leaving Shanty behind without a good bye. I finish off the day shopping for bedding and going by my uncle for dinner. I reached home about 11 and head straight to bed knackered.

Well I am off for now. catch yuh tommorrow..... for hummm not sure yet but I'm sure it'll be fun.

N