Sights and sounds

The first week has been very eventful. Pub Night at Roger's (the campus pub), a Joshua Tree concert and one of the famous Knight Parties, named after the Knight Auditorium where it is held, demonstrated the reality of the American alcohol policy. Coming from a country where the consumption of wine and beer is legal at age sixteen, it really takes a while to get used to the procedures:

1) Show your passport to the scary-looking cop at the door
2) Receive a plastic bracelet indicating that you are of legal drinking age
3) Proceed to the designated drinking area, get a beer
4) Sip it quietly while watching the jealous faces of those who are denied entrance into the Halls of Glory, unable to decide whether to feel stupid or special
5) DO NOT (!!!) leave the designated area with your beer cup, or else you will be dragged back by your collar.

Hmm.
Apart from these college activities, we explored Boston despite the rainy and cold weather on Saturday, ate some lobster and fudge (not together, I must add) and walked part of the Freedom Trail.

Fun on and around campus

Exploring Boston

The academically most impressive experience of the week was a meeting with Prof. Taylor, who specializes in entrepreneurship, specifically social entrepreneurship. Not only did she take time to talk to me for more than an hour, she was also genuinely interested in my thoughts and made a huge effort to go through ideas and options for my thesis with me. In Austria, no professor talks to you for such a long time, unless they have a personal interest. I am seeing the benefits of American education.

On the "downside", I think I've found out where our housing and tuition money is going. Last week's "What's up Wednesday" was advertised as "Make Your Own Fishtank Night". I didn't go, but a couple of hundred freshmen did. The college gave away free goldfish, tanks, and all the gadgets that go with them. Now that is what I call an efficient use of my money. It made a tank full of Nemos very happy this week.