october second

Mmmmmm, coffee in the afternoon. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. Today it’s cider. Hot cider. But coffee in the afternoon reminds me of this game I play with a friend of mine–he sends me a poem, and I have to respond with another poem within 24 hours. OR ELSE. I’m not entirely sure what happens if I miss the deadline….I’m not entirely sure I want to find out, just in case my computer explodes or something…but anyway, “Coffee in the Afternoon” is the title of today’s poem (which I haven’t sent yet, because I’m here, drinking cider, writing to all of you–and boy, does it taste good).
There’s something about apples. Apple cider, apple pie, apple crisp…there’s something special there. This time of year apples are hard to ignore. I eat at least two a day. They pack very well for long bike rides. I stop for a breath and take one from my pack…study it…I understand the apple. Not just this particular apple, but apples in general. I’ve never felt so connected to a fruit as I am to the apple. When I eat an apple, I AM eating a mature ovary. I see the orchard. I see the tree and the blossom and the drooping branches. I see the old, slow truck and the determined truck driver. This apple comes from somewhere. I get lost in an apple. I get lost in its beauty–its skin and its pulp. I don’t think I’ve ever been so distracted by a fruit before…but here, apples are my companions. I take them everywhere I go. We understand each other.
The coffee house scene is so different in the afternoon. There’s not so much to listen to. When I was here last, I wrote down all sorts of wonderful things the people were saying–now all I hear is the espresso machine and the woman shuffling playing cards at the table next to mine. That’s okay, though. I still like to wonder who they are and what they’re thinking. Maybe there’s even someone here named Dexter. In all seriousness, though. People are amazing. We all hold our mugs differently because of the people we’ve met and the places we’re from. We all woke up on different sides of the bed this morning. But we’re all here. Eating and drinking and thinking our thoughts. Mmmmmm…people. Mmmmm…cider.
I’m finding a groove here at stolaf. My roommate, Bridget, and I joke around a lot. She’s ridiculously funny. My sarcasm makes her laugh. Unfortunately, her hand-eye coordination is next to nil. Last night, three guys from upstairs challenged us to a popcorn throwing/catching contest. We decided to give it a go and recruited Jorie from down the hall. I guess my wicked juggling skills came in handy–I successfully caught 4 out of five popcorn pieces in my mouth. Jorie caught 2…Bridget none. We lost to the guys by one. Fortunately, they didn’t make us give up our Goldfish. We had to go door to door asking for brown sugar instead (??). Bridget promised me she’ll practice before our rematch.
Classes are going very well. The weeks here are good. I turned in my first paper on Monday for my philosophy class–I attempted to solve Meno’s Paradox of Enquiry, which is basically this: “And how will you enquire, Socrates, into that which you do not know? What will you put forth as the subject of enquiry? And if you find what you want, how will you ever know that this is the thing which you did not know?”
It’s been so exciting to discuss these kinds of ideas. For an 8:00 class, I think we’re pretty active. We have interesting discussions. My religion class has also improved dramatically. We had a great discussion about Job yesterday. We’re reading more of the Bible than I ever expected to, but we’re also reading some essays on the philosophy of religion (mostly regarding the problem of evil, i.e. why is there sin if God is all good). The professor has gotten a lot better about letting us simply talk about the ideas brought up in class. I still have to write my Daniel paper–I think I might do that this weekend.
I had my first test in psychology last week. I did very well! Thanks to T.O., I have a very good understanding of negative and positive punishment. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the essay I wrote in his class about spanking. The next test will be a lot more difficult. I’m relearning all the structures of the brain–yikes. It’s like Biology all over again. In German, we just finished some basic geography, etc. Tomorrow, I’m doing a group presentation about how to build a snowman in the passive voice. I miss “Bunte, bunte Blaetter.”
Hey! Speaking of Blaetter (leaves, auf Deutsch), we spent yesterday’s inline skating class rolling around campus picking out our favorite trees and collecting leaves. I, of course, thought the trees bore a striking resemblance to the skin of an apple–the obsession took hold of me once again, and I was lost in my fruit-filled paradise.
Well, my cider’s just about gone, and I have a lot of reading to do for tomorrow. Goodbye, friends…all over the world…drinking from your mugs in your own special ways and rolling out of bed at different times of the day. Take care–but not just of yourselves–of each other.
Love,
Anna