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February 16, 2005
Sleep!
Due to the fact that I've been running at 6:00 am, I had developed somewhat of a sleep deficit. So last night, I crashed around 9:30 and didn't get up until 7:00. I had forgotten how much better the world seems when one is well-rested.
With my newfound energy, Crystal and I walked to the Spar again this morning. I decided to perform some sort of a controlled experiment, as my professor mentioned after our trip last week that it was probably my shorts that provoked much of the attention we received. Therefore, I wore the same shirt and put on a pair of pants this morning, and Crystal concluded, "I think it's because you're tall and white, Rebecca." We received 19 honks on the way there and 13 on the way back: it's my goal to dress modestly enough to get only 5 displays of attention (one-way, though... I have to be realistic). I'll keep you updated on the advancements to this very interesting study of South African culture.
I had to go to Spar today because I once again ran out of food in my rather pathetic pantry. We still don't really have kitchens yet, although there is a refigerator that works and a very small stove and microwave that have been crammed into an even smaller room. Unfortunately, the microwave and stove will remain unfunctional until the University approves the fire safety of the room and buys an outlet extender for the other two plugs. Therefore, I will continue to live off of food I can keep on the shelf in my room, as there are about 19 people sharing an incredibly small fridge at the moment, and I would be concerned for the safety of my food.
So, in response to the quality and variation of South African food, I must confess that most of the food I've eaten recently has been peanut butter and biscuits. I don't eat out in restaurants because a) I don't have access to any, but b) I spent more money on food during the first three weeks of the trip than I initialy expected, so I am now budgeting my limited funds. When I can use the stove and actually create dinner, I will experiment with different South African recipes. Until then, I will remain very hungry for some real food.
On a completely unrelated topic (I didn't feel like investing any energy in an appropriate transition...), I have my first test in Combinatorics on Friday. I think most of the students are rather lost at this point, as my 300-level analysis course that I took last year has come in very useful for me, and I'm in a class required for the computer science major. You finish the math... I don't yet have the textbook, because apparently they don't stock it in the bookstore, as it isn't assumed that most students will want to purchase the book. I'm debating whether or not to get it, as ordering it seems to be somewhat of a process, and the course ends in 5 or 6 weeks.
The professor is interesting: he's one of those rather subdued guys that cracks himself up, and most of the students' laughter is directed toward him rather than with him. He seems to expect a lot more from the students than he should, as many of them don't have the background or interest to make the leaps in understanding that he encourages. The class is oriented heavily around getting the students to participate, which basically means that I end up doing a lot of the talking in a class with over 50 students. It will be interesting to transition to the Number Theory course next semester, as most of the students currenly in my class will not continue on with the math module.
I have heard that the temperature where most of you are has soared back into the 50s, so maybe you will be as tired of warm weather as I will be when I return! I don't think you're 50s are quite like my 80s and 90s, though...
Posted by rgutwin at February 16, 2005 07:04 AM
Comments
"I had forgotten how much better the world seems when one is well-rested."
Ha! Agreed. I hope you get lots of sleep over the next week from not running in the mornings and that the world consequently seems great for you.
Maybe you should dye your hair brown. That would be the next stage in the experiment: Same shirt, the pants, and dark brown hair. Or you could try long sleeves...
Posted by: Diana at February 16, 2005 08:27 AM
i think that outside of making a mess of your beautiful face and covering up your wonderful athletically shaped body in baggy rags - your going to be counting honks... i would be interested to know if honk restraint could happen with a boy walking with you. my personal experience here is that having a guy close by silences the expression of boyish play. i remember being entertained by the attention... but as it goes on and on it gets old...and I'm getting old!!!
Posted by: mom at February 16, 2005 12:12 PM
So if you have lots of trouble understanding South Africans, they must have trouble understanding you... right? Or do they understand American English since they've been exposed to it more than you've been exposed to the South African accent? If not, they would get annoyed with you answering the questions since they wouldn't be able to answer you very well. Right, so that is my question: Do South African people have as much trouble understanding you as you have understanding them?
Posted by: Diana at February 16, 2005 01:58 PM
South Africans definitely have at least some difficulty with my accent, although you have to realize that most of their television, movies, and music come straight from the United States, so they are quite accustomed to hearing Americans speak. I think it takes them off guard more than they actually have difficulty understanding me, as there aren't a whole lot of people over here with American accents.
Posted by: Rebecca at February 17, 2005 02:49 AM
You may want to consider a 3 sigma experiment - wear all the clothes you have one time, and ... well, never mind, that's probably not such a good idea.
Your point about the math professor is a little ambiguous - you seem to imply that there exists on the planet a math professor who is "normal" as opposed to this guy. Geez Becca, get a grip - people that deal with independent sets and convergence criteria are not exatly the kind of people that Wal-Mart had in mind with it's "Low Low Prices" ad campaign. The Wal-Mart crowd would be "normal" by a statistical measure.
The temps are back to seasonal here - high's in the 20's, lows in the single digits. Enjoy the sun while you can. Geneva will be plenty cold next winter.
Posted by: Paul Gutwin at February 17, 2005 09:55 PM