Why not sharing something what happened long time ago? This is one bit from the series of e-mails to my friends from my student exchange in the UK (UCE Birmingham). There is also an original mail in Slovene pasted at the end.
Enjoy reading and do not forget to write… comment, making the whole experience better, each and every time.
Written: Tuesday, 17. February 2004 16:00:16 GMT+1
Subject: B,ham 4
Hello!
How are you colleagues?……..
I am starting to lose my mind with English of mine. At the beginning it was more or less OK, but now I began to babble some stupidities which makes me headache. I want to speak fast but my words do not follow sentences. From now on I think it is better to speak slowly and prudently.
Besides that, I was doing totally different things this week from what I planned to. Friday everything was very bizarre. On Thursday I was totally shocked with the schoolwork review. Review was planned to be individual, therefore I did not prepare anything exiting and impressive. I entered the studio (in our term: drawing room or more commonly: seminar) and I saw everybody being busy, pining up presentation sheets, posters and expressive sketches, to make it short: OMG. I walked around a bit to catch my breath when I heard from Ewreli (I hope I wrote the name correctly) that today we have a big crit going on to get evaluation of our work till now. (Whaaatttt). She also pointed out that professor is giving comments in front of everyone, and we will be asked to explain and answer questions. Thankfully I did have something done with me.
I neatly gathered my “skice” and pined them up on the presentation board just in time when professor and his associate approached me. With a nerve wrecking start I managed to pull out the presentation, well. Now I am waiting to professor’s response. All my stress was unnecessary. He was impressed by my sketches and gave me instructions for further work. I received credit for doing so much, considering being here for just one week. OK, just one remark, his associate was very grumpy.
Later that evening I tried to gather my thoughts about what happened in school with my neighbor. But I was surprised by my “witness in crime” from the second floor with the idea to go out to a club called ZANNZIBAR. Since I haven’t had anything else in mind to do, I joined him and another two girls from Belgium. It was Valentine’s day and again we end up in Bar 42. I do not want to explain what happened there because you will all think we are just partying all the time without studying.
On Sunday we went to Chinese restaurant to have a dinner with all the Erasmus students. Our host was a law professor, responsible to introduce us to Birmingham life and culture. It was an expensive feast but at the end of the day it was all worth it because I met some great people. I must mention two German guys which were laughing constantly without saying anything. We are calling them laptop guys, because they always carry around pocket computers and possess a lot of electronic gadgets (including huge radio set and a TV, which unfortunately does not work, …).
The next day a law professor Bob (not quite sure, but I think he was Bob) invited four of us (Eilke, Emely, Hamon and me) to see the town. I must say that now I am pretty confident that I would find the way home if I was left alone in the city center. He drove us around in his old Citroen AX and decided to show us a fair of some sort, where one can find all he can imagine. He was buying things all over the place, especially the expensive things. “What can I say: I am rich.” He said. Afterwards he invited us to have lunch at his place. This was the very first time I ever dined in English home. I was expecting a decent, inviting home but what I saw was a house full of unpleasant smell, rags all-over the palace, million cats, messy kitchen and old flowers. The refrigerator was in a shed outside the house, one kilometer away (not really). One must pass the whole garden to collect a meat. Nevertheless, the hosts were pretty nice and friendly. Bob explained that he already visited Slovenia and respects Slovenian wine. Apparently, in time of Yugoslavia, it was possible to get a very good wine for a reasonable price only from Slovenia. Again, my pride went over the roof.
In the evening we played Friends with our neighbors. Through a game from a famous series, we by the way learned about different cultures (German, French, Belgium, Slovene). At mid night, just about when I wanted to go to bed, a girl called Einke from Germany appeared at my doorsteps. She became talking about how it is in her dorm, that she has something to do and if I could lend her my photo camera. She is fine and all, but I would never give her my camera.
Well, today I tend to do some work for school. I don’t want Thursday to happen again.
Later today I will send you all some pictures,
Robert thank you for all the emails and answers about scholarship.
To all: All the best from B,ham with a clear sky.
M
Napisano: torek, 17. februar 2004 16:00:16 GMT+1
Zadeva: B,ham 4
Hello!
Kako kolegi?……..
Malo se mi kr meša od vse te angleščine. Na začetku je bilo se kar v redu zdaj sm začel pa govort take neumnosti, da kr glava peče. Hočem vse na hitro povedat, pa besede ne dohajajo stavkov. Bom od zdej naprej raje počas govoru in razumno …
Drugač sem pa ta vikend nameraval počet čist druge stvari kot pa sem jih v resnic počel. V petek je blo vse nekam čudno. V sol so me že v četrtek čist šokiral s korekturami: bile naj bi kao individualne zato jst nism pripravil nič posebej vznemerljivega in šokantnega. Prletim jst v studio (po naše risalnica, še bol po naše seminar) in vidm, da vsi nekej na panoje pritrjujejo, neke plakate, pa hude skice in oh in sploh. Se mal sprehodm pa mi Ewreli (mislm, da sm prou napisal):) pravi da so danes javni zagovori dosedanjega dela (Kugaaaa?) in da profesor pred vsemi komentira tvoje skice in da moraš nekej povedat. Še dobr, da sem mel nekej narejen. Jst lepo moje “sketches” lepo pripnem gor in pride profesor (žid) s svojim sodelavcem. Mal v nervozi, vendar še kr dobr opravm mojo predstavitev in čakam na odziv p… No pa le ni blo tako hudo: Je bil prav navdušen nad mojimi skicami: dal mi je navodila za naprej in da sm dost naredu glede na to, da sm samo 1tedn tle. OK (njegov sodelavc je tečen ko mavra!?)
No zvečer sem nameraval mal strnt misli s sosedo o celem dnevu pa me preseneti soborec iz drugega štuka in pravi, če gremo vn v en klub ZANNZIBAR. Men se itak ni nč druzga lubilu delat pa smo šli v družbi še treh Belgijk vn. Na valentinovo je bil pa spet žur v baru 42, sm se mi ne ljubi opisvat kako je blo ker boste vsi misnli, da sm žuramo in nič ne študiramo…?
V nedeljo smo šli na večerjo v kit. res. z vsemi Erasmus študentarijo in profesorjem iz Pravne fakultete, ki je odgovoren da nas uvede v življenje v Birminghamu. Kr dobr sm se skeširov (vendar dobro najedel) vendar je blo vredno ker sem spoznal kr nekej folka. Se posebej smešna sta dva German manna k se ful režita in malo povesta. Mi jim pravimo laptop gays, ker vedno nosita sabo žepne računalnike in mata en kup elektronike sabo. (velk radio in celo TV-ki jima ne dela, hi, hi)
No profesor Bob (misl da je Bob) je 4 od nas (Eilke, Emely, Hamon in M.) peljal na ogled mesta, tko da se kr znajdem in če bi me en pustu na enem mestu v centru mesta bi kr nekako znal priti domov:) No nas on fura okol v Citroenu AX po mestu, pol nas pa pele na sejem (bouši trg) kjer dobiš vse kr čš. On je kr naprej nekej nakupoval in to same drage stvari. Itak saj je bogat kot … (saj tko pravi). Po tem nas je povabu k seb jest. To je bilo prvič, da sem bil pri enih Angležih na kosilu. Pričakoval sem, da bodo meli v svojih domovih kaj bolj urejeno. Pridem not in vse naokol nekej smrdi, cujne so nametane vsepovsod, en miljon mačk, kuhna, kot da bi bomba pala, stare rože. Hladilnik in skrinjo imajo 1km stran od hiše; moraš it čez cel vrt v eno hišico, da vzameš recimo meso. No kljub temu so bili gostitelji ful prjazni in zgovorni. Bob je rekel, da je že bil v Sloveniji in da spoštuje slovensko vino. Baje, da se je dalo še prej v Jugoslaviji dobiti najboljše in najcenejse vino prav v Sloveniji. Spet sem bil izredno ponosen.
Zvečer smo pri sosedovih igrali Friendse. Igro iz nanizanke in zraven spoznavali kulturo (nemčije, francije, belgije, slovenije). Ob pol noči sem hotel it spat pa se na vratih pojavi Einke (Punca iz Njemacke) in je začela pričat kako je v njeni sobi, pa kako ma nekej za delat in da če bi ji js posodu fotoaparat J Drugač je ok sm kamere ji ne posodm.
No dans nameravam še kej pametnega naredit za faks, da se ne ponovi četrtek.
Kasneje vam pošljem slike.
Robi, hvala za maile in odgovori glede štipendije
Ostali: lep malo bol jasen pozdrav iz Birminghama
M