Berkeley

Written yesterday:

So. I am in Berkeley.
I was supposed to be Cat-stting (as opposed to baby sitting) this Christmas for a UWC alumni and his wife here in Berkeley. However, they had som e change in their plans and don't need me anymore. I decided to come visit anyway. And that was quite an adventure...

Yesterday the International Club met in Crepeville, which is a restaurant/cafe that gives you a lot of food - good food for not so much money. There were loud Italians, Spanish and Korean and Hong Kong girls there, and not so loud Italians, Dutch, Brits, Spaniards and Iranis. I definetely belong in the last group. A funny thing is that I had forgotten how sometimes people can be so crazily slow to get going...especially Italians. So we were long finished with our food, and everyone had left but as I like to not enjoy the food, and being out I didn't really stress about it. And me and my Italian friends were going to my other Italian friend Paolo (www.mishkale.it - the accordion player) 's party (or, it was really a Japanese girl's birthday party). Anyway, mine and Gian Luca's patience was strecthed far... always someone to talk to, say, chat about. Haha. It was fun though. So we went to the party after a while ... and there were my class mates Kaveh from Iran and Antonio from Italy - a good description of them would be RADAR-PAR. but that is Norwegian... they just go crazy together, and Kaveh is a good entertainer and Antionio likes his attention. They are very fun people. More Irani, and I think it is maybe the second time in my life that I hear Pharsey. It is such a beautiful language! So I have decided that that will be my 6th or something language to learn. Maybe something to start with after I have gotten the Russian in place. I may even have recruited another folkdancer to our folkdance group. :)

When I got home last night (at 2) I checked my email and sent an email telling Lye (the LPUUWC alumni) that I was coming today at 12, he had told me before he would pick me up. Silly me didn't jot down his number so this morning when I tried to go online to get it and to call him - all our internet connections were down. oops. I decided to go anyway, even if Lye didn't really know I was coming. I don't have a cellphone here, but since all cafe's - almost - have wireless connection I figured I could call him from my computer. However, I have never been to Berkeley before, and walking from the station to the university area with all the coffee shops and such proved a bit of a task. it was actually quite a ways. I luckily found this guy from UC Davis going to visit his grand parents, and just a little bit less lost than I was, so we got together and found our way up here. So much nicer to be two than one when you are at a place for the first time.

So now I am waiting for Lye to come and get me from the Cafe Milano in the middle of Berkeley, and maybe I get some sightseeing of Berkeley. My fellow York-er Dom is also here, but I haven't managed to get in touch with him. Another guy that I met at the Thanksgiving dinner of the Coops, also lives here, but neither him has gotten back to me. Sometimes I get sort of annoyed at all the people that say they want to meet up, and give you their email adress (or phone number or whatever) and then they don't really get in touch back if you actually take them on their word. And this is all in a non-romantic sense, at least from my side. Why is is so hard just to meet people!?

So now, if my internet connection comes back I will post this post. If not it will be posted when I get to Lye and Joys appartment, when I probably have a whole new long post to write!

peace