"Matthew Goes to School" and Other Stories, Volume 1

Hello! I know I said I would lower the gap of time between entries but, hey, I'm a liar!

I don't really have much to add anyway, I felt compelled to write though.

I am sick. I have the worst chest cold I have ever had, the kind where it hurts to breathe and your whole body is sore from coughing so hard. Also: I lost my voice. I have never lost my voice, ever. So whenever someone speaks to me, I can only gesture and/or nod my head emphatically. It feels more ridiculous when I am being spoken to by a German, because I think I add EXTRA emphasis to my head nods, as if to say "I swear to God I'm not a moron, I just can't talk".

School started for me a few weeks back. I had to drop two courses that I was taking through the University because they were ridiculously hard. Miles above my level understanding that's for sure. So I've decided to take German as a second language courses at the Sprachler Institute. This is where the fun begins. The way credits work at Trent University is that you need 20 if you are completing an honours degree, so most people take five per year, which is what I have been doing.
A few weeks ago, we (as in, the Canucks in the exchange program) had been told that each German course we took here, including the German as a second language ones, would be worth .5 of a credit. We considered that fair, considering how much less work you have to do for each class here, so it's no big deal taking 5 classes this semester and 5 next.
However, a few days ago, we were told by the wonderful machine that is Trent administration that our German as a second language courses are now only worth .25 of a credit. What the hell is that? .25 of a credit? Yeah, the work load is less here, but we still do WORK. The credit isn't even worth the amount of work involved.
I'm not entirely screwed though. I'm taking all of my resident professors courses, which are worth 3 credits. So if I'm taking hers, plus the two GaSL courses this semester, hopefully my German will be good enough that I can attempt to tackle three Proseminare courses next semester.

Anyway, on to something less boring.

In five days, I'm going to England! I'm pretty excited, I really liked England the last time I was there. I'm going to visit a friend of mine who lives in Nottingham, so that should be fun. I think I'm mostly excited to spend a few days in a country where everyone speaks English.

Halloween last Wednesday was also a blast, I shall put up a picture.














Josh, the guy on the far right didn't get dressed up. Catwoman is not actually a woman, but a guy friend named Terry. He is a colourful character, that is for sure.
I wish I was capable of really growing facial hair like the kind that is drawn on my face in that picture.

Also, a tidbit of German culture I now feel compelled to share. Germany has normal toilets. But they also have slightly odd toilets. Now, what's odd about these toilets, is that they have what foreigners like to call "a poop shelf". It isn't just a normal bowl on the inside, these toilets seriously have a ledge in the middle, with the drain closer to the front of the bowl. I'm not really sure what to make of it, other than that Germans seem to have a strange obsession with their own poop.

Anyway, on that note, I'm off to wage war against my cold. So long for now.

- Matt