So many clubs!

There's a research center here that will pay $3,330 to infect me with malaria. Isn't that exciting?They'd also happily infect me with Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C. But hey, what's a life-threatening illness compared with making a crucial contribution to vaccine research? At any rate, they gave me a pen, so I got something.

Freshers Fair is what I'm talking about. It's this big event where about 400 of the Oxford clubs and various other things set up booths and try to get you to join. They give freebies, so I got candy and fruit and pens, and vouchers for a free mug and paperback book. That's where I met the people who want to see me ill so they can test me. It sounded great, until I found out there were like twelve pages of risks involved.

I signed up for the mailing lists of the Jewish club and the Indian club (for the culture, food, dancing, and over-all experience), the walking club (for the sights), the poetry club and the literary journal club (for obvious reasons), and a few more that I can't even remember. Signing up doesn't mean I have to join--I just get a friendly e-mail inviting me to stuff.

So, this is the end of 0 week or "not week." Term here is eight weeks, and they creatively name the weeks by number. Since our program started four weeks ago, we creatively called those weeks -4,-3,-2, and -1. Next week I have my first tutorial meetings and my first university lectures. That means I get to mingle with British students from this point on. And I get to listen to the rock stars of the academic world come lecture.

I don't know if I will actually join a club. I'd have to really be interested in it. I knew I didn't want to do theater or music (I'm in need of a change). Time to branch out into new things.

I'm ill. Actually everyone is sick. It's comical. Our first seminar together after break was a musical chorus of coughing and sniffling. We all had pretty fantastic trips to our various destinations, and then basically all of us caught a cold just in time for term to start.