Arrival in Chapel Hill

Sunday, June 01, 2008

The key word for today was “alone.” I feel completely, hopelessly, one hundred percent alone. I don’t do well alone and as the hours pass from light into darkness my spirits drop. After an uneventful and altogether short flight from Baltimore to Raleigh/Durham I retrieved my luggage alone, took a taxi to the Chapel Hill campus alone, and located the Ram Village Apartments alone. It was seventy-five degrees outside and sunny, though it felt significantly warmer as I heaved my sixty-seven pound rolling red duffel down a flight of stairs to the buildings entrance. Though it was two hours before check-in I was able to register and access my four-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Bedroom B, my home for the next seventeen days, contains a desk, a dresser and a bed, all in new condition with the addition of a new set of brown paisley sheets, green bath towels, white blanket, and pillow provided by the program, all in a state of complete newness with their packaging intact. The apartment complex appears to be a recent addition to the Chapel Hill campus, very nice, and certainly more comfortable than any of the ramshackle holes I lived in at College Park.

Since it was a very early rise I decided to catch a few z’s and woke abruptly at four o’clock wondering how much of the day had slipped by. A short taxi drive into Durham brought me to a Super Target where I stocked up on food for the week, alone, and returned to the apartment to unpack, eat dinner, and shower, all of which was surprisingly alone. I enjoyed a few pink grapefruit and berry blue jellybeans as my aching arms recovered from carrying my purchases back to the apartment where I sneaked in a short cry in response to my solitude.

Something I read earlier seems best to describe moments, or should I say adventures, such as this one. “Something lost, something found, something lost again.” I think back to Semester at Sea and the beginning days of the voyage…something lost, the familiar…and as the voyage progressed with each exciting new dawn…something gained, knowledge…and as I walked down the gangway on the one hundredth day…something lost again. I can feel it happening once more, the familiarity gone, but something thrilling and unknown frolicking in the days to come. The sun is setting quickly and a storm is brewing, thunder rolling in the distance. Tomorrow class begins and hopefully a distraction to my overwhelming state of loneliness.

Monday, June 02, 2008

After a very long but restful sleep that was interrupted frequently by short bursts in a semi-awake state I got dressed and ate a quick bowl of cereal before departing for my first day of class. Catherine and I located a bus stop at the corner of Manning Drive and boarded the campus shuttle labeled NU praying that we would end up someone near our desired locale. The morning was unseasonably hot for someone more acquainted to Chicago weather, but after three stops we arrived at the FedEx Global Communications Center, a short uphill walk from the bus terminal. Most of the buildings on campus could pass for each other – plan red brick architecture, except for the glass frame of the FedEx Building. It is quite modern, the interior filled with contemporary sitting areas, a Global Cup Café, Nelson Mandela Auditorium, immaculate classrooms and plenty of sunshine. My first class began with the usual round of introductions before jumping headfirst into Yucatec Maya pronunciation.

Class was absolutely numbing…there is just so much information. I think that my mind is going to explode and there are still forty-one days left to squeeze every ounce of Yucatec into my being. We are called on frequently to pronounce terms, answer questions, and read dialogues, all very nerve-racking, but I am becoming more confident in what I know and even in what I think I know that I know to make an educated guess. Plus, when you are wrong it is usually in a funny way and everyone just laughs, including you.

The afternoon class was filled with grammar, grammar, grammar, but it passed quickly with one exercise after the other and I can now hold an introductory conversation with someone in Yucatec and name the most common body parts…why this is important escapes me at the moment, but perhaps it will come in handy when someone steps on your foot, or ook. Coming back to the apartment required sheer luck…actually the digital sign on the bus was labeled “Reverse Shuttle” so I assumed that it operated in reverse of the route I took earlier in the day. I have spent the last few hours repeating Yucatec phrases, doing a few listening exercises, answering homework questions, and reviewing flashcards, interspersed with breaks for dinner, calls to my closest friends, and a shower. It is finally starting to get dark and I am ready for bed.