Last week I wrote that Francis, my officemate, said his second semester of grad school was a lot easier than his first ― not because the workload got any lighter, but because he got used to the routine. Indeed, I realize there are many little routines in my life right now that make it easy for me to move ahead.
At Wellesley my daily planner was crammed with many entries such as "chamber music dress rehearsal with group #2 ― chapel," "Asian-American Alliance fund raiser," "chamber music practice with group #3 ― music building," "dorm floor meeting" and "go into Boston to shop for Japan Club get-together." There were a lot of things to do besides study for my classes. I spent a good deal of energy running from place to place and trying to keep everything organized.
Right now I don't do much else besides what is on my normal schedule. I might come across chunks of free time here and there ― to play or shop or just "hang out" ― but these times are too sporadic to let me plan any other regular extracurricular activities such as piano lessons.
I lost my daily planner early this semester (I've been losing lots of things these days) but I haven't even bothered to buy a new one because my schedule is so simple. I have three physics classes and one Chinese class. All of my classes have a weekly homework set, but there are no pop quizzes or papers to worry about. There are regular mid-terms and finals, but those are the only "special events" that I'll probably have to note on my calendar.
I hand in my Chinese homework on Monday and one physics homework set each on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There is no question about which subject I should study when: I study the subject for which I have a problem set due the following day! This "simple" routine makes it easy to know what to do at any given time.
After I hand in my last homework set on Thursday afternoon, however, I feel like I am released from the grips of a captor. I suppose it's easy to see why I don't even want to plan "get togethers" with my friends on Thursday afternoons. I don't even want to keep track of playing!
It's not all work and no play, though. There are lots of little semi-routines in my schedule that give me something to look forward to. For instance, one of my friends in the department, Haris, knocks on my office door every couple of weeks and motions for me to come out. That is the cue for us to go down the street to the "Espresso Royale Cafe." We alternately treat each other. This started because one of us didn't have money once and was treated by the other, but the other paid back by treating the next time. I usually get coffee, and he usually gets steamed milk. Sometimes other people in the department join us, and we all chat for about 30 minutes before heading back.
It also seems that every week someone is throwing some kind of party, so I usually go to one of them. Yesterday I went to a "mini-party" that my classmate, Andjelka, threw. It didn't involve loud music or bottles of booze, but she put on some Serbian pop music and brought out beer. The main topic of the gathering was dessert. We gorged on her homemade cookies and bread. All of us were international students, a Serb, an Indian, a Turk, a Russian, two Romanians, a Chinese and a Japanese, so one of our chit-chat topics was how to file our income tax returns. Another was "working women and marriage."
Actually, even my Thursday afternoon routine is starting to coalesce. Like I said, I don't even like to plan get-togethers with friends; I enjoy letting loose and doing anything I want at the spur of the moment. I'm really starting to look forward to Thursday afternoons, because I don't have to worry about anything. Granted, I love meeting new people and hanging out with old buddies, but sometimes I think it's so nice to be able to think about nothing but myself.
- Routines
- 決まった生活
- officemate
- 研究室仲間
- second semester
- 2学期
- not because the workload got any lighter
- 勉強量が少なくなったからではなく
- move ahead
- 活動する
- Wellesley
- ウェルズリー大学
- daily planner
- 一日単位の予定表
- was crammed with 〜
- 〜 でぎっしり詰まっていた
- entries
- 書き込み
- chamber music dress rehearsal
- 本番で着る衣装を着用しての室内楽のリハーサル
- Asian-American Alliance
- アジア系アメリカ人連盟
- fund raiser
- 基金調達のための催し
- dorm floor meeting
- 寮のフロアの会合
- get-together
- 集まり
- a lot of things to do besides study for my classes
- 授業の勉強以外にするべきたくさんのこと
- a good deal of energy
- 膨大なエネルギー
- trying to keep everything organized
- すべてがスムースに運ぶよう努力して
- come across 〜
- 〜 に出くわす
- chunks of 〜
- たくさんの 〜
- here and there
- 時々
- hang out
- おしゃべりする
- sporadic
- (まとまっていない)こまぎれの
- regular extracurricular activities
- 勉強以外の定期の活動
- haven't even bothered to 〜
- 〜 しようともしていない
- homework set
- 宿題
- pop quizzes
- 抜きうちテスト
- papers
- レポート
- mid-terms
- 中間試験
- finals
- 期末試験
- note
- 書き留める
- hand in
- 提出する
- due 〜
- 〜 が締め切りの
- am released from the grips of a captor
- 追手から解放される
- keep track of 〜
- 〜 の予定を覚えている
- It's not all work and no play
- 勉強ばかりして遊ばないわけではない
- semi-routines
- ほとんど決まって行なわれること
- motions for me to come out
- 出てこいという動作をする
- cue
- 合図
- alternately
- 代わりばんこに
- treat
- おごる
- paid back
- お返しした
- steamed milk
- 温かい牛乳
- chat
- おしゃべりする
- before heading back
- 戻る前に
- is throwing some kind of party
- 何らかのパーティーを開いている
- didn't involve 〜
- 〜 はなかった
- bottles of booze
- 酒
- Serbian
- セルビアの
- brought out
- 持ち出した
- gorged on 〜
- 〜 をたくさん食べた
- Serb
- セルビア人
- Turk
- トルコ人
- chitchat topics
- おしゃべりの話題
- file
- 提出する
- income tax returns
- 所得税申告書
- is starting to coalesce
- (予定が)かたまりつつある
- enjoy letting loose
- リラックスして過ごす
- at the spur of the moment
- その時のはずみで
- Granted
- ではあるが
- buddies
- 仲間
- think about nothing but myself
- 自分のことだけを考える
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