You know you go to Bard if...

Legenda: aceasta e o lista facuta de dragii mei colegi de la Bard. Am marcat cu rosu chestiile pe care le-am observat si eu in mod direct si/sau cred ca sunt total adevarate. Have fun!

-you hear people on the shuttle talking about whether the moon actually exists
-you begin to wonder whether it actually does exist
- you know the numbers of Broadway Pizza and Cappucino's by heart
- almost everything shuts down by nine pm
- everything is too far anyway
- if the shuttle drivers are ever on time, or even ahead of schedule, they do not wait
- when you say that you are going to the bars, people know you really mean you are going to the only bar around the area, which is Black Swan
- you have considered becoming vegetarian at one point in your time here
- you are vegetarian
- you are vegan
- as a freshman, you complained of how isolated the campus is
- as a senior, you are still complaining of how isolated the campus is
- you chose the college based on how isolated it is
- you love Blithewood
- the waterfalls are incredible
- the weather is crazy warm one day, and really cold the next
- when someone finds out you go to bard, they immediately ask, "what's that?"
- when someone finds out you go to bard, they immediately ask, "hey, isn't that the school where all the potheads go?"
- other people believe you are a pothead because you go to bard
- you see students smoke the herb in front of the library, the campus center, in their dorm rooms, and several other public places
- you identify really strongly with these people
- students reminisce about Drag Race as though it's the best thing that ever happened to them
- students reminisce about Drag Race even if they were too hammered to make it to drag race
- the old gym is nostalgically recalled as being the center of all social activities
- you remember the old gym as a place of puke, smoke, and smelly bodies
- it seems no one takes a shower on campus
- you don't take showers regularly, and if you do, you feel you are part of a minority
- you know the numbers of the taxi companies around the area by heart
- as a first year student, it seems the upper classmen really don't like you
- as a second year student, you feel you know everything there is to know about bard
- on your third year, you wonder where everyone is because it seems everyone is studying abroad somewhere
- in your final year, you feel like you know very few people, and can't wait to get out of bard
- every fashion sense makes sense
- all the other bard kids' fashion sentiments don't make sense except your own
- you know your professors by their first names
- you have had dinner with your professors at some point
- your professors are really helpful
- you know that when they said bard reportedly has a 11: 1 student teacher ratio, they were lying
- you come in as a computer science major and end up concentrating on theater
- or vice versa
- you believe starbucks is the epitome of all corporate evil, along with macdonald's, KFC, etc, and you don't eat in any of those place
- the view of the Catskill mountains are fabulous
- the river is breathtaking
- there are more bees on campus than people when the weather gets warm
- everyone seems to want to save the world
- the study abroad programs are great
- you make good friends really easily
-everyone appears to be lobbying for world peace, the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, the conservation of trees, or other such causes.
- these same people own all the SUVs on campus.
- 99.99% of the school appears to be democrats.
-Donna Butt is the prettiest girl you've seen in months
-you get seriously fucked by the financial aid office on a regular basis
-you have felt that your professor needs to straighten up and fly right
-you feel like you are drowning in a sea of pretentious bourgeois white people
-the Botstein-autocracy pisses you off
-you've discussed Bakunin while playing Edward-40-Hands
-you've marveled at the immense power yielded by the head of the planning committee at Budget Forum
-you enjoy confrontations with Alex Weinstein
-Viki Papadimitriou has been extremely sweet to you one day and then brutally cold the next
-you're a straight girl who can't get a date because every guy is either gay, in a relationship, or a sleeze bag who is probably sporting an STD...
-you think your Cliff story is more impressive than mine
-you think the PAC is a waste of foil
- you're an anarchist in theory but a bourgeois socialist in practice
- your walk to class is what your non-bard friends would call a hike
-you're either staunchly against or for the color pink
- tofu, yogurt, granola, and fruit salad aren't a health fad; they're a way of life

Baltimore

Baltimore... Baltimore e un oras super sweet.

Am profitat de cele cateva zile de vacanta de dinainte de inceputul scolii ca sa-i fac o vizita prietenei mele Cristiana de la GIPIR. Calatoria pana acolo a fost o adevarata calatorie initiatica. In primul rand pentru ca am reusit, de dragul banilor, sa transform o calatorie de 3 ore jumate intr-una de 9 ore. Dar a meritat. Am plecat vineri dimineata din campus si am ajuns in marele New York City la pranz. Socul nu poate fi descris in (putine) cuvinte. Tot ce pot sa spun despre NYC este ca e exact ca in filme, la propriu si la figurat. Am alergat din statia de tren Grand Central pe Broadway pana la autobuzul NY-Baltimore. Este incredibil sa "alergi pe Broadway": am alergat pe langa academia americana de film, pe langa Starbucks, Macy's si Empire State Building. Cu rollerul dupa mine. Am alergat pe langa gasti de negri, pe langa oameni de afaceri, pe langa actori inca necunoscuti si pe langa imigranti. New York is a melting pot.

Dupa inca 5 ore am ajuns in Baltimore. Am adus ploaia cu mine. Dar a doua zi s-a inseninat si am putut sa ma bucur de oras.

In prima seara am fost la un open mic place. Un tanar negru foarte simpatic si cu o voce extraordinara ne-a incantat cu propriile compozitii. Voce de Seal. O sa ajungi departe Nelson! Apoi am fost in primul club american adevarat. 13th floor, Belvedere hotel. Un loc superb cu o atmosfera total straina mie. Un loc foarte aranjat. De pe geamuri vezi de la etajul 13 tot orasul noaptea. O formatie de reggae cu negri cu dreadlocks. Solistul semana cu Bob Marley, evident. Muzica chill. Multi negri. Relaxati, fara probleme si fara intentii dubioase.

A doua zi a fost o zi linistita. Am ramas in Baltimore, am mancat mancare chinezeasca pe o terasa in port. Am vizitat restaurantul unde lucreaza Cristiana. Un loc cu stil, cu angajati care o simpatizeaza foarte mult. Am vorbit mult cu ea despre impactul pe care l-a avt Work&Travel. Si pentru ea a fost o provocare din toate punctele de vedere. Si a reusit sa treaca cu succes peste ea. Cred ca acum este un alt om. Cred ca si eu voi fi.

Am vizitat Aquarium-ul. Imens. Luxos. Plin de pesti, rechini, pisici de mare, caluti de mare, pasari si broscute. Imi pare rau ca n-am vazut delfinii , erau in pauza de masa. Am pus multe poze din Aquarium in album. Albastrul este linistitor. Si padurea ecuatoriala de la etajul 4 .

Drumul de intoarcere a fost mult mai relaxat. Am reusit sa strabat sute de mile singura, in 18 ore, schimband cate trei mijloace de transport. Este un succes personal.

Urmatoarea provocare este Washington DC, probabil peste 3 saptamani.
Pana atunci, incepe scoala.