So, I'm three weeks into my German course with one week to go. I can tell you that I've basically learnt... nothing. It's just so hard! We're not really learning vocabulary but grammar. Bitch please, I barely understand English grammar, let alone German grammar with all it's different cases (akkusativ, nominative, genativ und dativ) meaning you have to use a different sentence structure as well as change the article you're using, and while you're at it, only conjugate this verb and not this one, then throw the other one at the end of the sentence instead.... and all being taught to me IN GERMAN. English grammar is difficult taught in English. German grammar makes me want to cry when it's taught in German. And everyone else in the class seems to be progressing and moving forward, and I'm sitting there going, "Wait... no?"
So it's hard.
But I've made some good friends in these classes. And some good enemies. It's lots of fun. Actually, I'm sure I haven't made enemies because I'm sure that these people don't know how much I can't stand them. Seriously, it's painful. Most of all I can't stand the other Australian girl. I think I've mentioned her here before. You know the type, typical Melbourner. I'm going to assume upper-middle class. She's got that whole hippy thing going but you know it takes a fair bit of money to be able to sustain that lifestyle. Doesn't shave her underarms, constantly talking about how Australia is a cultural wasteland, that the whites killed the Aborigines (she probably has one of those plaques on her door saying, "We acknowledge that the ______ people are the original custodians of this land"... give it back then), and all this other stuff that I could have merely shrugged off indifferently.
Until Thursday.
Thursday I was planning a trip to Ikea. I needed a shower caddy. I wanted to play like Kim and call out, "Bretty!" everywhere, maybe even using a display toilet (JOKES!), following the arrows like the sheep that I am. I was going with my friend Mitch who wanted to buy a cheap rug for his room. We ran into the Aussie girl. We mentioned that we were going.
Aussie Girl (AG): I can't stand the fixation people have with Ikea. You buy a table and it breaks within 6 months.
Me: Yes, but the table only costs you $10 so you can go buy another one. (Also, I've never had any of my Ikea stuff break...)
AG: But don't you see?! This consumerist attitude is what I hate about our modern capitalist society. We buy cheaply only to have to replace it later and repeat the process, not caring about how it's effecting the environment or our impact...... (this went on for awhile)
(20 minutes later, after she finished her monologue. Managed to bite back retorts that her attitude is a very easy one to have if you've got money behind you, but some of us are students and can't afford to have a traditionally hand-made table that will last forever, and what an elitist attitude she has. Couldn't be bothered getting into a discussion about it.)
Me: I like my shopping without the ideology.
[Exeunt]
Gahr.
Then there's the girl that's in the army and is always talking about when she was stationed in Qatar, and how awesome the army is, and how she wants to buy a shisha (sp?) pipe. Argh. Everytime I'm around her I'm constantly having to zone her out. I cringe each time we walk past a Turkish shop and I see a shisha pipe in the window because I know that she will go, "Oh, they sell shisha here?! God, I love shisha. I really want to buy a pipe............ (goes on for the next fifty shops)." Seriously, we've been here a month. Buy one of your disgusting pipe things already.
God, I'm so bitchy. You're all very glad I'm over here and not around you.
Another thing that's got me really grr is that I was told back in August that I will be receiving $5000 scholarship money. HUZZAH! Praise Jeebus! And just in time because I had completely run out of money. I was going to have to start living on my Centrelink cash. Not fun. I was told I'd be paid within two weeks.
So, three weeks later I sent an email going, "Hi, not wanting to be a nag, but just wondering when the money will be sent through? I just wanted to book a couple of things. No rush though."
Translation: WHERE'S MY MONEY, BITCH???
A week later (seriously, WTF?) I get an email saying, "No worries. All scholarship money is going to be sent out after October 15th."
WHAT????
Erm. I want my money NOW (and I also want an Oompla Loompa, daddy. And a golden egg laying goose. NOW). Seriously, why the 15th? I have a week's vacation before starting this Friday until the 12th of uni, so I could have gone somewhere for a week. Instead I'm going nowhere. So cranks. And I can't even do any shopping. Seriously though, by October 15th it will have been 2 months since I was told I'd be getting the money within the next "two weeks".
Grrr.
I think it will be OK once actual uni starts. I've got my timetable worked out so that I have Mondays and Thursdays off. I wanted Mondays and Fridays off so I could have very long weekends and travel, but there's this class that I really wanted to do and it's only offered on Fridays. It's called "Slayer Studies." It better be what I think it's about. Apparently it's taught by this Australian professor and he's taught a class on vampires before, so I've got all my fingers and toes crossed for this one. Other classes I'm doing:
- Are you scared yet? British Horror
- Teaching English Literature
- Scottish Literature and Culture
- Literature into Film
- It was easier to write about the past
- Deutsch als Frendspeche
-Hanif Kureishi (I don't know how long I'll last in this class. I'm reading one of his books now in preparation and it's shit. I don't even hate it - I am so indifferent to this book which, to me, is worse than if I hated it or the characters in it. I just couldn't give a damn.)
So yeah. That's all. There's no travel posts because I haven't been travelling.
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