Induction Week - Day Two

Induction Week - Day Two

Date Posted: 17/09/2016

Date Event Happened: 13/09/2016

After enrollment, you don't have to attend anything else on Induction Week. I wanted to attend though, to spend time with my coursemates and try to make new friends. 

I succeeded in doing both. 

I looked at the UniBus App (which sucks) and ended up waiting half an hour for the bus, because I went with the app. I haven't used it since. 

Since I was early, I went to the coffee shop. Not the Starbucks, but one of the university coffee ones. A small cappuccino was exactly what I needed. It was only £1.50, Fairtrade and actually tasted pretty good. 

On the bus, it was then Stacey and I realised we probably should have put some sunscreen on. Luckily, Imogen was on hand to lend us some.
Which led to conversations about characters and NanoWriMo. 

The coach ride to Keddleston Hall led us down country roads, which was entertaining when we had to reverse twice. The first for the tractor, the second for the other coach leaving the Hall. 

Keddleston Hall was beautiful. The history of the estate, not so nice, but on a sunny day, with the trees and acres of land at the back of the hall, it was incredible. Nonetheless, I was glad when we went indoors, as it was a little airier. The history indoors was exciting to me, especially when I saw the statue of Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of Marriage, Fertility, Motherhood, Magic and Medicine. I did also enjoy the picture of Bacchus (God of Wine) abducting Ariadne, by the great Neapolitan Baroque painter Luca Giordano. 

Classical Mythology formed a large part of Lord Scarsdale's picture collection.
If I could take anything from the Hall, it would be either one of these. 

After our indoor tour, everyone met up for the long walk. I started out the walk with the girls (there were six of us in total, four girls and two boys), but about a quarter of the way round, walked with the boys. 

Sam, Marek and I had conversations about Pokemon, Films, messed around on felled logs that formed a path and I spoke about hating squelchy mud. Those were just a few of our conversations. By the end of the walk though, we were all tired and sweaty. But I feel like we bonded over that.

Back at the university, I decided to walk home, via Nunnery Court and Princess Alice Court. The latter was to find the pub I would be going out to that night, for Twisted Tongues. 

This is where I almost missed out. I lost to a tin of baked beans and cut my finger. I will spare the details, but we did do a quick dash up to A&E - I am alive. They only plastered it. 

So I jumped on a bus and got off as close to the May Pole as possible. I arrived just in time. Imogen was excited to see me. I think Sam and Marek were as well. 

Twisted Tongues was interesting, but easily one of the funniest nights I've had. At first, it seemed like Mary was going to be the only Fresher going up and performing a poem. In the end, there were four of us; Mary, Rory, Sam and myself. 

Some of the poems were serious, but most were funny. I performed one about the car accident almost four years ago and the one about losing to a tin of baked beans.

Me on stage at the May Pole. The lights were bright.

It Won

It Won.

I was bested by the thing I should defeat,

The stream I see, is the shame I feel,

The disappointment that is real.

I know I'm not the first

And I'm definitely won't be the last,

But for today, 

This blue plaster on my middle finger, 

(I promise I'm not flipping you off)

Is a constant reminder,

That the tin of baked beans won.

That was the jokey, baked bean poem I performed. I needed something jokey to end up. 

I arrived home at 11, safe and sound. 

I'll leave you with this joke, that I found highly entertaining at the Twisted Tongues event. 

Men are pigs. So are women. Women are pigs with vaginas. 

-Emma-