Oberlin

So far this Winter Term I've been working on a pair of computer science projects, and following the presidential nomination process pretty obsessively. It's unusually snowless outside, and a grey rain seems to think itself an acceptable replacement. I'm reading up on Ruby, a trendy web development language, when I notice The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad sitting on my desk. It and one other novel are expected to be thoroughly read and at least partially digested by me before I land at Heathrow. The book sits cracked open on my flight to Oberlin but otherwise untouched. What, am I not excited to jump from a small Midwestern town, across an ocean, into one of the world's true epicenters of culture, art, and history? Is the thought of exploring a whole new city, nation, and continent simply a bore? Nothing could be further from the truth. But rather than counting down the days I have left stateside, as even I might expect myself to be doing, I'm trying to let it happen.

Before Winter Term started, I was a bit different. Anything even remotely British had an allure for me. I was reading BBC news for a different perspective, and the fun spellings. I started perusing the UK Billboard charts, finding both some very fun pop music and some very interesting songs I wouldn't expect to chart over here. I looked through The London Encyclopedia, an excellent Christmas present, so detailed it gives a detailed history of the cross-street of my soon-to-be flat. I Google mapped our building and spent an afternoon virtually exploring the neighborhood - we're a block from the BBC Radio studios, The Royal Institute of British Architects, and dozens of other amazing places. It's fantastic! Thrilling! And yet here I am, waist-deep in computer code, listening to coverage of the New Hampshire primary (which sounds very British, but in fact isn't at all). What happened? I realized that despite all the things deserving anticipation, I ought to make the most of the time I have in rural Ohio. After all, when my London adventure is done with I'll be a senior, looking over the daunting, some might say terrifying, precipice of graduation, down into the chasm of 'real life.' My last year in Oberlin I'm sure I'll be trying to soak up every last minute of this place.

And besides, no matter how eagerly I wait, gripping my passport and encyclopedia, my flight will not arrive sooner. Nor will the aforementioned flat be available earlier than February 1st (despite the fact that Euracom has given us great accommodations and provided me with some excellent customer service, shout out to them). And I wouldn't be surrounded by the passionate Obie students and professors who make the whole experience truly Oberlin in London. And so my only option is to wait. Well okay, London, I guess I can stand a few more weeks.

I guess.