Ordinary Day
Each morning I wake up at about 8:30, always before my alarm. I do a little Bible Study while I eat my breakfast, then I walk resolutely out the front door and let myself out the security gate, stealing a glance up at Devil's Peak to see whether I'm going to get rained on.
Once outside the gate, I trudge the five blocks and 280 stairs up the hill to Upper Campus for whichever class I have that day. I actually counted, so I know that there are 280 steps. It's like starting your day with 15 minutes on the stairmaster. I'm always reminded of the line from Legally Blonde, "Exercise produces endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands!" Mostly the exercise on the way up to class produces sweat, so I sit in my classes wondering how bad I smell, but perhaps the endorphins will make up for the stench.
After class I usually grab lunch from one of the sidewalk vendors on campus, then walk back down to Middle Campus to check my mail. From there I walk all the way to Lower campus for computer lab time, grocery shopping, studying, SAEP, or whatever other things I need to do.
Sometime between 4 and 7 I usually get hungry, so I cook myself dinner. Now, when I say I "cook myself dinner", I really mean that I scrounge whatever I got at the grocery store. I dislike cooking and it's time consuming, so I eat toast every day, often with fruit, soup, or cheese. Toast, however, is the staple of my diet: toast with Nutella, toast with peanut butter and raisins, toast with peanut butter and jelly, or toast with jelly and butter. In theory I could actually cook something more involved, but that would be much too complicated.
After dinner is more reading for my classes, usually interrupted by conversations with my various housemates as they arrive, cook, eat, and complain about studying. Sometimes we watch movies on someone's laptop or read things that don't have to do with class. Whenever we get tired, we meander to our own rooms and head for bed.
That, with some variation, is a typical weekday for me. Lots of stairs and lots of toast. Ah, the joys of being a student.
Once outside the gate, I trudge the five blocks and 280 stairs up the hill to Upper Campus for whichever class I have that day. I actually counted, so I know that there are 280 steps. It's like starting your day with 15 minutes on the stairmaster. I'm always reminded of the line from Legally Blonde, "Exercise produces endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands!" Mostly the exercise on the way up to class produces sweat, so I sit in my classes wondering how bad I smell, but perhaps the endorphins will make up for the stench.
After class I usually grab lunch from one of the sidewalk vendors on campus, then walk back down to Middle Campus to check my mail. From there I walk all the way to Lower campus for computer lab time, grocery shopping, studying, SAEP, or whatever other things I need to do.
Sometime between 4 and 7 I usually get hungry, so I cook myself dinner. Now, when I say I "cook myself dinner", I really mean that I scrounge whatever I got at the grocery store. I dislike cooking and it's time consuming, so I eat toast every day, often with fruit, soup, or cheese. Toast, however, is the staple of my diet: toast with Nutella, toast with peanut butter and raisins, toast with peanut butter and jelly, or toast with jelly and butter. In theory I could actually cook something more involved, but that would be much too complicated.
After dinner is more reading for my classes, usually interrupted by conversations with my various housemates as they arrive, cook, eat, and complain about studying. Sometimes we watch movies on someone's laptop or read things that don't have to do with class. Whenever we get tired, we meander to our own rooms and head for bed.
That, with some variation, is a typical weekday for me. Lots of stairs and lots of toast. Ah, the joys of being a student.
posted by Lauren at
5:00 PM
4 Comments:
Hi Lauren,
My fingers are working again, so I'm going to attempt a comment to you. I'm enjoying hearing of all your experiences in Cape Town. Please tell me you won't eat only toast for the entire semester!! Your schedule sounds a bit frantic, but I bet much the same as if you were in Columbia.
Continue to enjoy your time at UCT. If this gets through, I'll send more later. If it doesn't get through, I'll go seeking advice.
Marsha
By
Anonymous, at 1:30 PM
Yet onions, tomatoes, and green peppers are three of my favorite ingredients to add to anything I make. You know I love my Italian food, but I suppose I can learn to make some things you like and we can try them next semester. If all else fails, there's always the cheesecake!
By
Anonymous, at 7:13 PM
Lauren,
Your Mom and I had supper together last night and I mentioned your entry to her. I thought I had written something, but guess I got interupted.
When you are home and have time, if you would like, we could get together and prepare a meal. Maybe we can make cooking fun for you. I did get Tina to eat eggs once. Maybe I can help you enjoy cooking once. You just have to figure out what you like to make (other than toast). I do make my fair share of toast too. I enjoy making anything but dessert. I can make dessert but I would rather do other things.
I talked to Daniel last night. He couldn't believe you saw penquins in the wild. He said he'd have to do some research. I told him there are warm climate penguins. Told him of the different levels on campus. It sounds like it would be an interesting campus to look at.
Have a great day.
Wanda
By
Anonymous, at 7:02 AM
A efw days later. But. our okra is really doing well this year. Would you like us to save some for you? Perhapa a care package of it next February at Miz???
And while all your respondent talked about food - What scripture fits most your experience in Cape Town. (And, I presume these are not the town of capes as in Superman.) And, I still puzzle over Paul's phrase in ROmans 8 - "We are more than conquerors ..." What is the experience like, or what does it look like to be more than a conqueror??? Just a thought to ponder while climbing 280 or so steps - Maybe the better thinking is on the downhill trek.
Love, and love well,
WFA
By
Anonymous, at 7:05 PM
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