An Interlude Part.5 (Interesting People)

The weather here in Cardiff is getting to be more spring like now. The wind is still cold and if you're not in the sun it chills you, but otherwise its very nice outside. I've decided to pot some small Geraniums for my window sill. Hopefully they'll give me a bit of color before I leave.

So the next couple posts, and I will probably stick with the Interlude thread for a bit longer, will deal with my flatmates in the order I met them.

When I first moved in I was a bit nervous. People were home and I knocked on doors, but no one came to greet me. The music was loud, really loud, and there was a decent collection of porn (male and female) on the bulletin board in the kitchen. There was also a good sized pyramid of Strongbow in the common area (the other half of the kitchen has some chairs and stools in it). My interpretation of this was that things here were either going to be fine, or really crazy.

The first person to answer their doors was P.S., female, English. P happens to be from the same hometown as the two girls in Zora's apartment. Small kingdom I guess. She's a cheerleader, and she has all the infectious energy of one. I've met her sister so I can say it runs in the family. Erin, if you're reading this, her sister's a lot like you. P is a politics major, and when pushed does have a good grasp of world affairs, and the ability to explain them such that others can understand. P's levels of energy almost never fall below 110%, she also never looks anything less then put together. Within minutes of meeting me she had already made plans for me to join her friends out on the town that night. I was tired, underfed, and way underdressed to be in the company of a horde of women dressed to the 9's. I was a bit of a wreck the next day, in part from the club and in part from stumbling in the rain trying to find Zora's building at 1am. That was sort of a waste of time since it was, again, 1am. It turned out that I'd found it but couldn't be sure in the dark.

A.M., male, southern English (a distinction he'd like me to make) is in the dental program here. He will end up being here a little longer than the normal 3 years for a degree. A is an aspiring DJ in his spare time, something that apparently exempts him from wearing headphones. This means his music is usually earth-shattering, and might be so at any hour of day or night. I've consumed more painkillers because of this, and doubly worse because his room is right next to mine, than I care to keep track of. I have spoken with him about the music and his private parties, but it doesn't seem to sink in. All that aside he is a smart guy to be able to be in his program, though the detail of it doesn't even compare to introductory classes at Colgate, and he's a second year with the attitude of graduate.

M.S., male, English (have you noticed that there's a lot more English students than Welsh?) is a very chilled out guy. Of any of the people I've written about, mild mannered seems to be the easiest way to describe him. I have it on authority that this isn't always the case, and the several drunken hair mussings I've received from him suggest that there is more to find underneath. He studies marine geography, and it seems that he would rather study the bathymetry than the surrounding features like ports and shorelines.

S.H., male, North Irish (English with a funny accent and a few changes to culture, a distinction he doesn't make but its as plain and necessary as the nose on my face) is a member of the rugby team, which has led to some "interesting" team dinners in our kitchen. He's a very outgoing guy with a firm handshake and the ability to draw you and keep you in a conversation that rivals duct tape.

J.B., female, English, is a law and german major. This is apparently a very common combination. J has only recently started to open up to me, which is a shame since there has proven to be more there than meets the eye. Originally it was her bursts of personality, such as mimicking the hoovering of the cleaning staff to keep us entertain during a fire alarm at 3 am, that made up her personality. Now we've actually talked a bit more and what's been revealed is a competent, strong, poised young lady that I imagine would be able to find herself at home, or at the very least survive, what life had to offer. Some of the twists and turns of Scarlett O'Hara come to mind, without the shaky morals and drives.