03 April 2008

Tina Meets The Equestrian Team

Fasten your seatbelts kiddies, Tina has alot to say on this topic.

Okay! So! I found a sign in the Uni that equestrian team has Stammtisch every Tuesday night, which is kind of like a get together and chill and talk about everything sort of event. So I decided to go, because, you know, I like, like horses a little bit, or whatever. Except I got there like 10 minutes early, and discovered I was faced with the daunting task of sitting alone at a massive empty table in a crowded restauraunt waiting for a bunch of German-speaking strangers to show up. So, in classic Tina fashion, I hid in the bathroom. When I finally reemerged (can we talk about how difficult this was? I was so anxious and upset I almost left the restaurant) there were people sitting at the giant table, so I went up and asked if this was the horse back riding table, and was met with a bunch of blank stares. "Reiten?" I said, "reiten?" One of the girls turned to another and said "I totally can't understand her." I repeated it a couple more times, until one of the guys was finally like..."Oh...Reiten?" Minus the fact that that's totally what I said, "Ja." Congratulations me! I found them.

I just kind of sat in silence for awhile until a bunch more people showed up, and then I got to talk to people. Turns out the equestrian team is not a group of American-eating monsters as had previously been thought, but rather a group of really really really nice people who speak really really really fast, notice you're totally lost, and then explain things slowly. Heart. One of the guys had studied in New Jersey actually, and said "If you want, we can speak English." And I was like "Hells no," except not in English and not quite that exact expression. But you get my meaning. Turns out I'm the second foreigner they've had (and the only one now), and guess where the other foreigner was from? Portugal. Because we're awesome.

As far as I can understand, they ride once a week and horseshow against other schools in much the same fashion as we do in the IHSA, which is to say, showing up and having to ride strange horses. BUT, their horseshows are three days long, Friday=Party, Saturday=Dressage, Sunday=Show-Jumping (real! showjumping), and you have to do all three. Tina showing dressage? Oh goodness. And when I say show-jumping, I mean they do everything from baby stuff to almost-Grand-Prix, which is inTENSE yo. And terrifying. And probably the death toll for Americans is high.

However, I am way excited, and somehow got coerced into going to a show (a real one, not a student one) this weekend, to help and stuff.

Now for some numbers:

Number of straight men of the equestrian team people I've met so far: 5
Number of straight men on the rutgers equestrian team: 1 (debateable)
"Are-you-Spanish?" count: now 10
Number of times I was really confused and lost: about 8 million
Number of times someone said my German was decent: 4 (Take that Psycho Bitch of a German Teacher. If I could punch you for every time I make myself understood, your face would look worse than mine when I crash-landed into a curb. In fact, you probably wouldn't have a face.)
Number of items I want to add to the list of things I would like someone to send me: 5 (Swiss Miss hot chocolate that I don't have to add sugar to, frosted flakes, aunt jemima maple syrup, soft pretzels and lemonade--thanks!)

I met up with the team again today at a bar, and I've pretty much come to the conclusion that my soul has been eaten, and this is going to be pretty sweet. But I feel inifinitely better than I did a few days ago; I think my mom's right, this is about the point in time where I reach the end of my rope and go a little crazy from the distinct lack of horse-ness. But this weekend is horseshow and Monday I go to the barn! WOOT! Now if only aikido would start (JESUS CHRIST, JUST START ALREADY) and then life would finally be perfect.

In other news, Sungmi and I were shopping yesterday, wound up in a toy store, and bought kites. It was mad fun, flying kites (which in German is almost identical to the word for dragon-- which will entertain me alot when I go back tomorrow and ask for a dragon kite.)


EDIT!

So I just realized I never put up pictures of my room! Here they are:


This is my room (sorry it's messy)



This is as far as my collage has gotten in a month. By the end of this semester, the entire room should be covered.



These are the uniquitous paper cranes I hang everywhere. Unfortunately (as I realized after I'd put them all up), it's a little bit difficult for people taller than me (namely: everyone) to come into my room, as they tend to frequently take paper birds in the face.


And this is our downstairs living room/kitchen. The pantry, storage room, shower room and toilet room I didn't bother taking pictures of, but the orange door is New Roommate's, and there's another door beside it that's Newer Roommate's. Roommate We Have Yet To See Who Is Also Unfortunately The Only Boy lives next to me.

Okay, now I'm out! Adios everyone.

5 comments:

Sam said...

I am sorry your adventures are sometimes frustrating, but never doubt the Tina-patented ability of friend-making.

Speaking of people sending you things, exactly how dependable is your package/mail room? Because I may or may not have sent you something that probably should have arrived by now...

Tina! said...

I got it! It's hanging on my wall and if you could set me up with the firefighter in the middle from the 1800's, that would be AWESOME. He's really sexy in the gas mask.

Anonymous said...

YAY! Tina gets to play with horses. :-D

-Jennifer

Anonymous said...

Above, Tina says "He's really sexy in the gas mask."

I believe this is a clear sign that Tina has acclimated to German culture.

--Bruce

Sam said...

You want him--you've got him. He's already a few hundred years old though so I don't know how much longer he can wait for you...I'll try my best.