orientation week for graduate school is so different from orientation week for college. college freshmen travel everywhere in herds. we grad students are all on our own and confident enough so that's not a problem. college freshmen are too young to drink so they have to wait for upperclassmen to show up and bring them alcohol. the school-sponsored orientation week events here have a rather boozecentric feel to them. (no, really, you cannot imagine the array of alcohol my program sets out for us. i guess it's to ensure we all make friends quickly.)

tuesday was the university-wide orientation. after short talks from the president, some deans, a local politician or two, a doctor and a psychiatrist, they opened up the pub for free beer/wine/soda. at 2:30 in the afternoon. i met some really fun people: alex, ben, brent, amanda, and toni. all different areas of study and all different backgrounds. after the free beer was over we all went out for pizza and then to ben's apartment. good fun.

yesterday was the orientation for my program. yay. that's all i can say. professors are wonderful and i love them. my advisor is adorable in a teutonic sort of way. i'm so excited to register for classes, which i can do on the internet from my apartment. (actually that's what i should be doing instead of blogging.) in the afternoon/evening there was a reception with aforementioned mind-boggling array of top-shelf liquor, beer, wine, etc. and a thai buffet. apparently it's always thai.

tonight the program is taking us to a tapas bar, not a topless bar, on the north side. afterwards i am invited to a party at brent's place, also up north. what a happy coincidence. :)

i am so glad to start classes on monday. all the dead time of last week has ceased to be relaxing. oh, also, i have at least one work-study job, if not two. yay!