The Friend Date

Currently my days are filled with walking around London and trying out different activities that may or may not become part of my new life here. Orientation is an excruciating 2 weeks long, which is difficult for an infamous orientation-skipper like myself. However, England seems to adore trying out everything before committing.

This means that I will have short, thirty minute lectures from all of my potential professors over the next couple days. That way, I can "try out" their teaching styles, academic focuses, and whether or not they spit before committing to an entire class schedule.

Another strange "trying out" method that has recently captured my attention is The Friend Date. I don't believe that I have ever experienced anything like it, except actual dating. What happens is this: You end up talking to people at orientation, in queues (lines), or just on the street corner. After a brief chat session, the other person says to you "What are you doing now? Would you like to get a coffee?" And the two of you proceed to the nearest cafe.

You both ask the typical first date questions- Where are you from? What are you studying here? What kind of degrees have you done prior to this? [an odd question that UCL students seem to love] etc., etc. At the conclusion of the "date," you typically exchange numbers and sometimes plan on meeting up again for another activity.

Currently I have been Friend Dating like crazy, and I hope that soon I will have the guts to actually "ask out" a potential friend. So far, I've only been "asked out" on a Friend Date. It will be interesting to see which of these will turn into long-term friendships, and which will peter out. All I know is that I am enjoying meeting all different sorts of people and walking around town over-caffeinated.