Drinking on a Monday

Trying New Things - A Tale of Two.... Foreign Hot Beverages

Today marked the beginning of my second academic week at Rhodes. More confident of my class locations and armed with a higher level of comfort with being the new kid a headed out for the day.

My current schedule consists of Drama 3, Drama 2, and History 2 (audited). I waffled back and forth on whether or not to continue with History 2. I don’t need the class and I’m not positive I could even get credit for it, but without it my schedule is a little barren and I don’t wanna miss an opportunity to learn more about where I am. History 2 focuses on South African history exclusively. It feels a little bit like elementary school Social Studies. Remember how you would learn the same snippet of American history every year? I’m sure that’s how my native peers feel about the course. Anyway, the profs are super chill about letting people sit in on lectures. Lectures are only 45 minutes long so why not get my free daily dose of history? It’ll be my page/fact a day rip off calendar. It’ll add some relief to my Drama, too.

As my schedule stands I have about an hour between Drama 2 and my Voice Tut. As it was a particularly chilly morning, Gillian and I went to Under the Arch for some hot beverage love. I took a chance and ordered a drink called Horlicks. Sounds appetizing right? It’s basically a malted beverage. It has a little bit of substance to it so it’s warming and filling…but it tastes like………I guess……if I had to say………………… wet bread.

Gillian got hot chocolate. Clevah girl.

Classes were semi uneventful. We barked in Voice Tut and in Applied Theater I got to hear 7 South Africans describe their perception of Alabama in 1922. That was fairly illuminating. Some of their assumptions were not entirely incorrect.

After all my classes were finished for the day I went to the gym for the first time. Boy was it crowded. The facility is smaller than I’m used to to begin with, but the place was packed. Every one of the 9 treadmills was taken so I went upstairs and the only cardio machines that were open were broken, hence their availability. Eventually I got hold of a treadmill. (I did terrible unmentionable things to get it) There is a 20 min max on any machine. I made the most of it and people watched while blasting Walk the Moon on my iPod. There were a lot of guys who had disproportionately large arms…how do they get through doors…?

The second strange drink I had today was called Milo. Some lovely girls from Beit House invited me to their room after my House Meeting to have coffee. Roxanne, offered me coffee, tea, and Milo. Of course I chose Milo – which turned out to be the delicious instant bastard child of hot chocolate and Ovaltine. Apparently a Nestle product.

Can’t tell you how nice it was to be invited to a small gathering with actual Rhodes students. Thank you, guys, for your hospitality, kindness, and laughter.

A little kindness to a stranger goes a long long way.