bedtime routines

Well, there are quite a few things on the agenda to discuss. First, I am writing this at 8:07 p.m. on Tuesday night in order to keep me awake for as long as I can. The last couple nights of bed time routines have been interesting. Around 6:30 I start fading. Fast. By 7:30 I can barely function, and by 8 I am completely passed out asleep. That would be good if I didn't wake up at 5:17 a.m. ready to start the day, and I have to wait to really do anything until the sun gets up at 5:47 or so (there aren't really street lights to help me navigate through the extremely steep streets with uneven pavement..we all know how THAT would turn out...)

Anyways, on the the good stuff...

Community Bathrooms. Yeah, this one really deserves its own blog entry. I have to say that I have not experienced this before, so it is quite the experience. There is one girls bathroom that has a toilet, sink, and shower. There is also a boys bathroom area at the other end of the hall, as well as 2 'unisex' bathrooms in the middle with two showers, two toilets, and two sinks in each (actually 1 is out of order as of the moment). I mean come on - label the dang things! A little privacy goes a long way with me. First of all, I am not a fan of germs. Or other people's germs. The whole 'getting into the shower that is already wet' thing does not fly well with me. Especially since I don't have shower shoes. AND there is no place to find flip-flops in the middle of winter. There is no place to hang the clothes you take off, so I had to run back to my room in a towel (thank goodness I am only one of the few people not on 'holiday' on my floor) to get a bag to put my clothes and pajamas in. The fun continues when I woke up at 3 in the morning and had to go to the bathroom. I forgot to take my key, and just before the door closed, I remembered to grab it (the door doesn't lock behind you I found out). It's all part of the experience, I know. I'm bringing my portable Lysol spray and Clorox Wet Wipes along for the ride.

On to the food here at the dorm. Hmmm, yes. It is just a step up from cafeteria food. No, like three steps up. Keep in mind that I was the little girl who ate cafeteria food ONCE in her life..and didn't really eat it. I am thankful there is decent food on the table, and I am learning to try new things and not to stress out so much about what I eat. Lasagna stuffed with cheesy broccoli and other vegetables is kind of wierd though, right? Haha As of now, I am living off the remains of my Luna Bar supply, fruit from the market, hot chocolate from the machine downstairs, and gum. Just kidding. (but not really) Mum and Dad, don't worry.

A few things I miss about home:
1. White Chocolate Macadamia and Peanut Butter Cookie Luna Bars
2. Orbit Wintermint gum
3. Tide laundry detergent (I am allergic to the only stuff they have here...and most detergents for that matter)
4. sunshine on my shoulders
5. early sunrises (it's getting later every day...it's almost 8am before it comes up now)
6. forehead kisses
7. rugs outside of the shower
..........actually being able to leave your toiletries inside the shower
8. roommates (especially the ones that share the room with you..i hate sleeping by myself)

Be jealous:
1. good hair days (even when it's rainy)
2. rosy cheeks
3. happy people with 'cool' accents (it's pronounced more like 'coo')
4. breathtaking views everywhere
5. disguised hill workouts in the form of 'shopping trips'
6. farmers markets (legit ones!)
7. perfect cappuccinos

Speaking of breathtaking views, let's talk about the view from my room. Drumroll pleaseeeeeeee. bbuhhhdudududududuududum.

It is nicknamed by the people here as 'The Dungeon'.
Any guesses why?
I am on the third floor.
The ground level is on the fourth.

Yeah, I face a wall of cement that I think was spraypainted brown to look like a rock? I am not really in my room much at all during daylight hours so it is not a big deal - I just thought it was funny.

Swine flu. I had kind of forgotten about it until I got here. Mentioning 'swine flu' here is like saying 'bomb' on an airplane. They are so paranoid about it! In fact, there are signs with pictures of Miss Piggy in the bathroom doors with a speech bubble saying, "Don't get swine flu, honey!" and a description of how to properly wash your hands. Very persuasive and appealing if you ask me. Oh, and if the dorm finds out your have 'flu-like' symptoms, they lock you in your room for a week. You are laughing right now because you think I am kidding. I am SO not! There are notices about this everywhere. It is STILL on the news here. Aaaachooooo!

Well, I believe that is all for now. This has kept me up for another 40 extra minutes. I have a feeling that this rave music coming from somewhere close to me will help delay any sort of sleep. At least more people are moving in? But seriously, who would play music at this sort of hour? I mean hello, it is like 8:46, people are dead tired, okay? I think I might go meet a new neighbor...