Thursday, July 19, 2012

Aaand the gap between student and professor grows ever larger.

After 3 minutes of an empty water bottle and dying of thirst while studying, I decided it was about time to take a trip to the drinking fountain and fill up my water bottle. Amidst the filling process, I found myself in the middle of two professors hanging outside their offices, making some "small talk."

"I can't do that. I'm headed out next week," said Professor Aristocrat, feeling as though any other details were unnecessary.

"Where ya' goin'?" Said Professor Dignity, feeling as though it would be awkward to just walk away without inquiring.

"The UK," stated Professor Aristocrat factually, as if bored by the conversation and dull topic.

"Oh good," Professor Dignity replied flatly, as if he was talking to his Grandma who told him she got out and visited the neighbors yesterday, only with less enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I got invited to a thing in York..." said Professor Aristocrat, as if he commuted there every weekend.

That's when I finished filling up my water bottle and had to leave the vicinity of the conversation, but I'm sure the conversation ended with Professor Aristocrat saying something like this, "I just tossed that name out there like it's no big deal, because it's not. Mostly I just said that as vague and cryptic as possible to leave you wondering what earth shattering thing I've done that I would be invited to whatever it is I'm invited to. Have fun reading about me in the news next week. Bye bye now." 

I'll admit, I felt a little out of place--the lowly college student in the midst of hoity toity snooty professor world who would pee her pants if she found out she got invited to York for anything, and would have to give up a whole years pay just to go. Yet here I am getting worked up and excited about my trip to visit the "big city" an hour away and for signing a rental contract for the "super nice" condo I'm going to be living in for the next year. I mean, it does have all new appliances. Meanwhile these big kids don't even get excited for a trip out of the country, most likely for something really really honorary that they've accomplished. Here I am with small talk involving "Where are you from?" or "What are you studying?" or "When me grow up me teech people to talk good. Me going to be speech therapist. Speech pathologist if you getting fancy," or "Do you prefer bacon or sausage?" Pretty sure their small talk is bigger than my big talk. Yup, I just checked. I am worm. Let me just spill my water all over me since I'm not even capable to take a drink and screw the lid back on. Yeah, I'll just take my lowly self and my wet pants out of this highly superior presence back to my books around the corner and continue to stress about upcoming tests, but most currently about how my usual chair that I always sit in every day is taken, and about how I am supposed to concentrate sitting on this weird bench that's all the way on the other side of the room than what I'm normally used to. So please, just pardon me. No, actually, I'm pretty sure I was too lowly to even be noticed by them, let alone pardoned. I take it back.