12 Feb Don’t worry, I’m still alive…

Whilst I was back home over Winter Break, it was really nice to have people compliment me on my blog and tell me that they were enjoying reading it. I mean, okay, 99% of my fan club are my family but that’s still impressive! But I mostly realized that this is how my loved ones on the other side of the world keep up with me, so I feel quite cruel to have been silent for so long.

To my family: Yes, I’m still alive.

I’ve been waiting for a new blog topic to hit me. I usually only like to post entries when I have thought of an interesting idea or some snazzy five-point list of things that are a little whimsical and entertaining. This time around, I genuinely have no point. I also have no photos, because apparently I don’t take them anymore. Instead, I have an update.

I landed back in San Francisco on January 24th, and went another glorious twelve rounds with jetlag pretty much as soon as I arrived. I flew back with KLM airlines, which was a pleasant change, but they love to feed you up. I was absolutely stuffed after my 14 hours of travelling. So my overfed and overtired state made it all the way back to campus before promptly throwing up and then passing out on my bed for a hefty five hour nap. Jetlag – 2, Lucie – 0. Thankfully, I settled back into Pacific Coast Time pretty easily and got going with my classes.

So far, I’m really enjoying my subjects. I’ve opted to study more culture and media this semester, which is proving to be quite thought provoking. However, one problem hasn’t escaped my notice. I’m taking a class called Contemporary Culture in which we focus on how society revolves around Capitalism and money, and my Professor is quite overtly anti-capitalist. Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t force his opinions on anyone and he regularly provides both sides of the argument. Yet, in his anti-capitalist wisdom, this guy set us a reading list of about eight or nine books that were required texts. This meant that we had to get them for the class. So as most students do, I went to our campus bookstore where the books are ordered in to get my materials. Usually you can choose between renting and buying, and you can opt to re-home used books instead of getting brand spanking new ones. This works out significantly cheaper over here (because American textbooks are expensive).

But no. For this course, you can only buy the books brand new. So my anti-capitalist teacher has decided to give me a reading list that added up to $125. He then told us that we also had to buy a ‘reader’ for $25, which is a handbook of all the extra materials we will be going over in class. This is all because he doesn’t want us to use electronic devices in class, so he much prefers us to have hard copies of absolutely everything at our disposal. So, the man who preaches weekly about how the world revolves around money and how unjust that is and how it can only end badly, has just cost me $150. His justification for having so many expensive texts was, “think of it as an investment in your education.” I appreciate his logic, but mate, you’re not $150 out of pocket before we’ve even started.

I also had the pleasure of going to a bar in the Mission to watch the Superbowl. It was quite an experience. We chose a bar called The Chapel, which was an old church and the big screen was set up at the altar. I’m not sure if it was just west coast pride, but people there were mainly supporting the Seattle Seahawks. I was part of the minority backing the New England Patriots. Why you ask? Because their quarterback – Tom Brady – is hot. That’s why. The game was tight. By the time Katy Perry took the field at halftime, Seattle had just got their nose past the Patriots. But first, let’s give a big round of applause to Katy Perry who put on quite a show and brought out Missy Elliot for a special guest appearance. What better way to get a party started that having ‘Get Ur Freak On’ blasted out across the nation?

When the teams came back out on to the field, things were tense. And the tension only rose in the 4th quarter when the Seahawks had an impressive drive until they were literally within touching distance of the endzone. Every Seattle fan in the bar was celebrating. It was the classic case of ‘they think it’s all over’, right up until their quarterback – Russell Wilson – threw an interception right into the hands of a Patriots rookie, which single-handedly won the Superbowl for New England. I was delighted, as were most of my friends spread across the country and back in England, because we can all appreciate Tom Brady a lot more now he has four Superbowl rings. You go Tom Brady. I sincerely hope this propels your career as a wet t-shirt model.

I am so happy to be back in SF, although I did cherish my time at home. I think it’s healthy to come back with fresh eyes and see all the spots that you haven’t explored yet, and all the opportunities that are available to you on a daily basis. What I’m most excited for this semester is my parents coming out to visit me in just over a month. I’m going to show them my favorite parts of the city, and we’re going to explore more of the west coast. We’re hoping to see Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and Yosemite, which I’m sure will be wonderful. But what is really lovely about this is that I get to do it with my parents, and I get to show them around and be their guide for a change. It makes me feel a lot like an adult, but then I remember that I sometimes watch re-runs of Saved By The Bell on YouTube, and my maturity levels are restored.

Still alive and kicking,

Lucie.