The Four H's

Before coming here, I had to attend a lecture wherein I was told that I would go through the four stages of exchangeitude, called the four H's, these were:

• Honeymoon period- where everything is great, all the songs on the radio are about you and you're getting near constant lovin' (mom, dad please stop reading)
• Homesickness- you start to miss your friends, family, more reasonable prices, less noisy birds, more comprehensible accents, shorter games of cards, properly labelled Rice Krispies...
• Hostility- this university is silly, why can't they do more like Edinburgh does? I mean, that's the better system, clearly, so just stop being so contrary, Australia and just do what we tell you!
• Happiness- ok, it has its flaws, but at least there are no squirrels to worry about. I'm content.

I don't know which H I'm in- obviously, I'd like to say happiness, but I don't remember going through hostility ('cepting X-bar, but that's hardly Melbourne-specific), and I'm definitely not homesick (see below), meaning I must be in the Honeymoon period. This is worrying because it means all that other stuff's still to come. I can't imagine what I'll get homesick over (the last time was my bathtub), because I've pretty much replaced all my friends- I just need a Rik and a proper Daniel (Darryl has an accent, but that's pretty much where the similarities end). And hostility seems outlandish- I love it here! The lectures are more engaging (yet again, barring syntax), the campus eateries are more varied...writing this out has made me realise I am definitely in the honeymoon period. Well, damn. However, this does have an upside- I should have a bit of honeymoon left when the Pliant one begins his, meaning I won't feel miserable by comparison. Huzzah.

Quick side note: I skyped the 'rents yesterday, and it was exactly the same conversation we have when I talk to them back home: my mom worries I'm not getting out enough, my dad worries I'm spending too much and they both agree I don't contact them enough. If I'd recorded the conversation and bleeped out proper nouns (oh god, I'm flashing back to X-bar) it would have been indistinguishable from the dozens of other times I've skyped them. But, more to the point, we hadn't spoken for 34 days, and the conversation lasted 47 minutes. My mother said she felt it lasted long, but that it was only because we hadn't spoken for so long. By this mathematics, my mom wants us to talk for 98 seconds every day. Half that, and you've got yourself a deal, mother.
Of course, I shouldn't be so harsh, they are, after all, paying for me to be here (mum's defense, not mine). This, however, will not stop me being so harsh. Huzzah.

Google (per)plex

When I was coming to University, I remember vividly counting out the number of pairs of socks I had- even allowing for odd ones, I am not heterophobic-and it totalled eight. I now have eleven, so it's nice to have a solid way of measuring how much I have grown in two years. Since google is as unforthcoming with the number of pairs of socks that the average person owns as ever, I have no idea where this puts me in comparison with my fellow human being, but I like to think this is somewhat less, if only cos it makes me seem less materialistic. Alack.
In other news, Esmond came, saw, conquered and departed, a teary farewell on Telford Central station ensuing, culminating in me running after the train, arm outstretched, as he looked on, embarassed, his fellow passengers raising their brows at the weirdo on the platform. Emma is still here, though, and so my final four days in Britain will at least be spent in company. Things are naturally heating up on the preparation front, and today my mother actually gave me Marks and Spencers' vouchers she'd been saving since her birthday so I could buy some smart looking trousers (in the hopes of securing employment in the antipodes). Tomorrow we go trawling through TK Maxx for discount sun glasses and 'evening shoes', whatever they are. I'm sure google could inform me, but he's in a huff after I asked him that question I didn't know about the socks.