stranger in a strange land.

I started my classes this week, and I love them. Love, love, love. Columbia's program is different than most MFAs, because it requires you to complete 60 credits, whereas many other programs have as little as 36 or so. The program is known for being academically rigorous, and it hasn't disappointed. I am taking one workshop, 2 seminars and 1 lecture, with a book to read each week for the seminars and lecture. So basically, 3 books a week, plus workshopping, plus any writing assignments. Kind of overwhelming, but I like an academic challenge. My cohort is really great, and I think it's going to be an interesting semester and I will learn a lot.

That being said, still not loving NY. I was lying awake in my bed last night up until 3 am - and around 2 am there was a lovely car alarm that went off for a good 8-10 minutes. Which is a really long time, actually. I just.....can't get used to living like this. I'm constantly hyped up, because everyone moves fast. If I have one more rude cashier that ignores my hello, I think I'm going to snap. If I were having a bad day in Carolina and went out for the day, it would be impossible not to take note of some kindness from the general community. Having a bad day here? It likely gets worse when I leave the apt. Down South, if you were waiting for your Starbucks drink, or in an elevator, conversations would be started, and usually you'd end up laughing and wishing the person a good day. My first day of classes, I was in the elevator with 2 people (not Writing people) and I joked about the torrential rains and being soaking wet as a first impression. Nothing. I wished both of them a good day as I left the elevator, nothing. I never, ever expected this. I used to love NY. I knew it would be a change, but I never expected to feel like I don't belong in this city. But that's how I feel. I feel like I belong in the program, but not in the city. And that's really hard every day.