A life in Post-it notes

Behind my desk there's a wonderfully empty expanse of magnolia wall - easily 3 metres long by about 1 high. Originally I planned to find a poster to fill the space, but couldn't find one that I could bear to stare at all day. So instead, I've filled it up with Post-it notes. This might be more original, but it has the unfortunate drawback that I'm constantly reminded of the things that I am, by definition, actually not doing. But it does make me look busy.

Today was the momentous day when lectures finally started. I've only been here a week, but it already feels about double that time, so it came as some sort of odd relief to be back in the lecture theatre. Although my wrist wouldn't have concurred after writing about as many notes in a one-hour lecture as I wrote for a whole subject in Holland. Although the fact that you're expected to speak out in lectures in Holland did mean that I did so today without really thinking about it, which I guess is a good thing - even if it did come as something of a shock after the event. I also met my Jurisprudence supervisor, and he successfully managed to note a category of jurisprudence students who'll survive by making comments such as "it's all about morality in the law". Barring some amazing foresight on his behalf I don't think he was addressing that to me specifically, but he might as well have been.

But today also saw a slightly new direction in my to-ings and fro-ings. I didn't think that I'd actually do it, but today I had my first Dutch lesson whereupon we learnt the alphabet. It's hard to convey just how shaming it is to have spent a year in a country and not be able to sing that country's alphabet song. I could manage the infamous Dutch 'g', but when it came to 'a', 'e' and 'i'... well, memories of year-6 German came flooding back - but without the in hindsight grotesque attempts to impress the exchange students. But still, I shall stick with it.

I met another returning-Erasmus student today who was having the same problem of not knowing anyone, so at least it's not entirely down to my social ineptness. There was a lawyerly bonding session in the (now gloriously smoke free) Bar the other night, where I impressed myself by managing to converse properly with one Fresher. I feel torn between the part of me that wants to get to know who all these unfamiliar faces are, and the other part that just feels slightly removed from the whole process. The lecture theatre was an oddly lonely place, which is slightly ridiculous considering how before, although I recognised people, I had no more of idea who they were.

Of course, throughout the year more people will become familiar, but it's already time to be thinking of next year. I've already missed a couple of deadlines for things I was thinking of doing through a combination of ill-planning and laziness, so it's time to get focused. And that's where the Post-it notes are intended to come in.