Mistaken Identities

One of the fun things about being a mature student is that no one quite knows who you are or where you fit into the scheme of things.  So add this to the fact that I'm a bit of an anomaly for many things anyway, it adds to people's confusions about me.  I thought I would share a few that have happened here fairly recently.  

The first happened near the start of this term.  The lecturer was looking at the role and walking around the room while we were having a discussion in small groups.  She was trying to connect names and faces so would stop and make sure she had the right name with the right student.  She looked at me and asked if I was a lecturer in the department.  I told her no, but I would love to be.  She looked a little puzzled and then asked what programme of study on was on and my background.  They always seem to get really interested when I tell them that my second language is ASL. Then the background of teaching etc.  I am still not sure why she thought I was another lecturer, unless she figured I didn't really look like a typical student, but what is a typical student on a postgraduate program in linguistics?  Maybe because I didn't look like an international student which is 98% of my classmates?  I just chuckled to myself.  

My favorite was before our last SuPhil choir concert.  There is always a queue for the women's loo.  So standing in line the woman behind me inquired "Are you Italian?" I turned and shook my head no.  "Spanish then?"   No.  "I have a friend coming to the concert tonight who is Italian, and your skin tones and colouring look alot like hers." I replied that my mom always says it is dark Norwegian.  She looked at me, then says "You've got a bit of an American accent going on there haven't you?  You could be just about anything then couldn't you?"  Except  that I know of no Italian or Spanish heritage in my ancestry.  We both shrugged, she seemed to be perplexed as to where I would get my olive skin and dark colouring.  I smiled internally.  Good to know I could be Italian or Spanish.  As a child in the summer I spent loads of time outside and would get quite tanned.  I looked like I could have been from Mexico, so now I can add Italian to that.  I guess the fact that I am 1/2 British and 1/4 German doesn't come out in my looks...

What brought all this to memory was due to this last Tuesday.  It was late morning and  I was focusing on my assignment in my room when the fire alarm sounded.  I scraped myself off the ceiling and hoped that it would stop.  Of course not. So I grabbed my shoes and my key and headed down the 12 flights of stairs.  On my way down there were some students, but most are gone on holiday, but it was the cleaning people who were having to vacate the building.  When I got down to the doors members of the residence team were holding them open and there were other official looking people standing by. I walked past and headed into the courtyard and one of the cleaning people looked at me and pointed back to the door.  I turned around and the man standing by the door was holding a list and motioned for me to come over.  When I got near he asked me what my name was.  I told him Vicki.  He looked at his list and then back at me and goes, "Oh, you're a student aren't you?  Sorry." I'm thinking to myself hmmm, I'm not wearing the the uniform.... but obviously I didn't look like I could be one of the students streaming out of the building.  I've managed to confuse people again.  When the alarms went off in the other two buildings I decided it was a drill for the cleaning teams. Glad I could confuse them by being a mature student working during their drill. 

I could share more stories, it seems to happen quite a lot to me.  I find myself smiling inside when they seem confused that I don't fit into the mold that they think I belong in.  I guess I don't stereotype as well as people would like.  I am also not who everyone thinks I am.  "Excuse me....oh sorry", no, you have the wrong person yet again.  If I am always mistaken for someone else, is there anyone out there who people think is me?      

Beware the ides of March!

Beware the ides of March!  That's me.  At least that's what I tell people when they ask me when my birthday is.  Some get the Shakespeare reference, or even the reference to Julius Caesar,  but not the date.  It is a date on the Roman calendar that corresponds to the 15 of March.  Now I usually lay low and don't announce my birthday, that way I don't have any sort of expectations that can be dashed.  In fact, I had set up visiting teaching appointments for that evening because it was the one day that would work to go out.  

I was doing well at hiding except for a couple of giveaways.  The first one was on Sunday when they announced the only birthday for the week was mine and handed me a card.  My visiting teaching companion, who happened to be sitting next to me, turned and gave me a dirty look and told me I was naughty.  ( I can't remember the last time someone used that term to describe me, if ever..) I had to talk like a mad woman to convince her there was no reason to change the appointments and it was a perfectly fine thing to do.  It's not like I have family close to celebrate with. The second was the fact that I forget that facebook sends notices to all of your friends to remind them that is your birthday and to say something nice. 

The celebrations, which I didn't expect at all, started on Monday. First off I got a notice from the reception that I had a parcel. One of my daughters, she was definitely naughty, had sent me a present that cost as much to ship and the gift itself!  Then my flatmate, who I surprised with a huge banner on her door the day before for her birthday, decided she needed to return in kind.  I was working on assignments in my room when she messaged me and said she was bored and wanted to go out.  We determined the place to go, like always, was Sprinkles and grabbed our other flatmate in crime.  The best of plans often go awry as did this one.  She had gone to the counter first so that she could set me up for a surprise.  However, the crew working that day made it all rather humorous.  First they brought me out the wrong order.  Then they brought out my other flatmates order, with a candle in it and the guy sets in front of her and starts to sing happy birthday.  She slides it across the table to me and I turn to the guilty party who insists it is for me, even though her birthday was yesterday.  The guy who brought it is now so confused he stops singing.... my flatmates finish it however, I blow out the candle, remove it from the ice cream and push the dish back to my flatmate that it belongs to.  We all laughed, except the server who was still very confused. 

Tuesday dawned a beautiful day.  My good friends who do way too much for me at is it picked me up at noon to take me to lunch.  I got in their car and they handed me a gift bag that had yummy smelling lotions and body soaps as well as two birthday cards and a box of cupcakes to share with my flatmates. I ran the goodies back up to my room, then they took me to Lyndhurst in the New Forest for lunch and dessert. (Scampi and chips with warm chocolate fudge cake with pouring cream)  My visiting teaching companion, after we finished our visits and were headed back on the bus, handed me a gift and card as well.  When I got home and knocked on my flatmates doors to give them a cupcake, the flatmate who got my candle in her ice cream handed me a bouquet of beautiful carnations!  Between all of that and the well wishers on facebook, and whatsapp, (including a voice message of singing happy birthday from my German daughter) the messages from my family, phone calls from two of my sons and my call from my brother who every year sings to me, I felt very loved and overwhelmed.  I did not expect that kind of fuss made over my birthday.  In fact I expected it to be a very normal day with at least my family remembering with messages.    

Thursday was more celebration.  I only see some of the people on my program this term on Thursdays.  My good friend and sidekick handed me a gift bag with a card and wished me a happy birthday.  She only knew because, well facebook told her. It was a fun bag full of music themed gifts. A mug, stationery, pen, pencil, and magnet.  I was again floored by the gift, it's thoughtfulness and extent.  And when in the midst of ugly assignment deadlines did she have time to go shopping?! She is a better friend than I Gunga Din.  That evening was the Relief Society Birthday dinner (not mine) and we had an English High Tea.  There were cucumber and salmon sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, hot chocolate and caro barley drink.  The china was gorgeous and the company fabulous.  

Beware the ides of March!   It might have been bad for Julius Caesar, but for me it was awesome! My heart if full of gratitude for the outpouring of love that was shown to me.  I cannot thank everyone enough for making it a very happy birthday. 


I have to share the pictures of the English tea, mainly because the chine was exquisite and the food was scrumptious! 

 clotted cream... ummm....

 homemade scones and jam

 true teaspoons. :) 

Trudging on

Trudging. That's what this is. We've hit that time of the semester where you just try to keep pushing forward.  Assignment dates are looming and it seems everyone wants to know your future plans as of yesterday and all the details about how you are going to get it all done.  Easter holiday is a week away, but really it is only a holiday from classes, assignment due dates fall at the beginning, middle and end of the month long holiday.  Two of my modules have finished so I should have more time to work on on the assignments, but somehow it doesn't seem to be working that way.  

Combine that with the fact that the weather is teasing us.  The sun has decided to shine, but it is not quite warm.  If you are in the sun it feels great, but in the shade with a bit of a breeze it is still cold.  You want to shed the coat, but you can't quite.  So you trudge on. 

I have decided that March madness really doesn't have anything to do with basketball, it has to do with your mental state at the end of winter and wishing for Spring. So to combat the drudgery my flatmate and I decided to plan a trip to Scotland during the holiday.  We booked our flight and set up accommodation through airbnb. Now I have incentive to get my assignments done early so that I can enjoy the three days that we are there.  But I still find myself feeling bogged down. 

I'm not the only one who is struggling to push forward.  One of my classmates has been drawing, another one painting.  I have one that has been watching her favorite movie (which is 5 hours long!).  There were about 20 of us that decided we needed to go for ice cream Friday at Sprinkles.  No procrastination happening here.....

My flatmates are the same.  They wander into the kitchen looking like mindless zombies, grab something to eat and and shuffle back out.  Aren't we a fine lot? I find myself distracted by the smallest things.  I have started my next big assignment.  Well, the title is on the page, some of the resources gathered, the article read and highlighted with thoughts of how to attack it, but I tend to stare at the computer screen.... then remind myself of something I have neglected to do and well now is a good to time get that done.... and go back to the blank page, read some in the resources, remember something else I need to do.... yep, working hard on that assignment. 

While off task I took a few minutes to surprize my flatmate.  As it is her birthday, I printed a big banner that I put together on 4 sheets and some birthday pictures and quietly taped them to her door.  I haven't lost my Ninja skills because she never heard me and she was in her room! A couple of my other flatmates came by while I was doing this and I motioned for them to keep quiet.  It was rather fun. 

However, as the deadlines creep closer, I find myself starting to focus a little better.  Nothing like an ugly deadline rearing its head to bring you back around. So this week will be a buckle down, roll up the sleeves, and get to work week.  I have a lovely carrot dangling in front of me and a promise of warmer days and no class around the corner.  I've come too far to throw it all away, so I will face the monster.  Sword in hand, shield up, visor down I trudge forward with a renewed sense of determination.   

Mothering Sunday

Happy Mothering Sunday. :)  Confused? So was I.  It is also called Mother's day here, but it's origins are not the same.  If you look at history, Mothering Sunday came first, but not as it is known now.  The British will be quick to tell you it is not the same as the American holiday celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in May.  The American holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in 1914 declared by President Woodrow Wilson and it was set for the date in May because Anna's mother had died on May 9.  

Mothering Sunday roots are in religion.  It is the fourth Sunday of Lent and 3 weeks before Easter.  Originally in the 16th century it was when people would go back to their mother church either the Local parish, where the were christianed, or the cathedral.  Later when children worked as servants, it was this Sunday that they would be given off to go back to their mother church.  They would pick flowers along the way to give to the church or to their mothers at church.  It became a day that they would be able to go and visit their mothers and spend time with family.  

The tradition  faded and in 1921 Constance Penswick-Smith, inspired by Anna Jarvis in the US, started a resurgence of the tradition in the UK.   However, the Church of England and the Church of Ireland still maintained the practice of Mothering Sunday. Influenced by American and Canadian soldiers in WWII, Mothering Sunday was merged with the Catholic and secular practices to create what is practiced today.  It is celebrated much like Mother's Day in the US, but the day is still determined by Lent and Easter.  

So today, is Mothering Sunday.  The primary children sang at the beginning of Sacrament meeting (like they do in the US) then the children lined up a received a gift to give to their mums.  They also gave them to the rest of us who are mums but don't have little children. After church when I got to my friend's house for Sunday Tea (dinner) on the table was a card for me made by their daughter.  She had made one for her mum and then remember that I was coming and wouldn't have anything, so made me a sweet card to wish me a Happy Mothering day and then gave me a small bouquet of flowers as well.  Needless to say, I got teary eyed. It was all very sweet.  And to think, I get to celebrate again in May with my family! 

On a completely unrelated note, yesterday was our SuPhil Opera Chorus concert.  We had a sold out crowd!  It went really well and was fun to sing.  Like I mentioned before, we sang in Russian, German, Italian, and French.  It was refreshing to me that we had an educated audience.  At the end of the concert no one stood, but we went through three rounds of bows!  So the soloists came out, bowed, the conductor bowed.  He stood the orchestra and then stood the choir.  The soloists and conductor went off stage, we sat down, the audience continued to applaud, so they did it all again, three times.  No one felt the need to stand, because well it wasn't an ovation performance, but obviously it was very well received.  Just wanted to share that...

So go and listen to some Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Wagner, or Puccini opera chorus and think about what you missed... ;)  

Have a Happy Mothering Sunday.  Take time to let the mother's in your life know how much you appreciate them.  I know most of you will do that in May, but really can you thank your mum enough?