Getting Out

Today, I got out. I had to go to the university to get my student ID card and my student loan document. Also, I needed to go and have my student-fare transportation card done. Since moving in last Sunday, I had not gotten out of the flat by myself. It was a first today.

I left the flat and walked to the metro station, then took the metro to the university. It had been a rather weird experience. I had taken the metro before, so I knew what to expect. Took the first train on the blue line and got out at the station that crosses with the orange line. Somehow, I progressively became nervous and anxious, probably because of the crowd that had amassed waiting for the train on the orange line to arrive (for some reason, the line was shut down and was just being realimented as I got to the station). When the train finally arrived, all those people tried getting in the wagons all at once. I decided to wait for the next train. About 10 minutes later another train passed and I hopped in. The wagon became more crowded with each station we passed. About two stations away from my stop, some dude backed into me and pushed me into the door. For the rest of the commute I was unable to move, being completely immobilized by the rude mister who never seemed to notice the fact that I was stuck right behind him.

Finally made it to the stop and went to the university. Had my student card done, then went for the student loan document. I waited 45 minutes to get the thing. While waiting, I got to think about various things regarding the new state of my life: new flat, new city, having to look for a new job, etc. I became overwhelmed and started to feel rather depressed. A nice case of blues. My turn came and I retrieved my document. After that I should have gone searching for the place to get my student schedulebook, but I really wasn't in the mood.

I then went to the place to get my student transportation card done. All went fine. Once that was done, I figured I needed a bit of shopping therapy: I bought a CD. Then I took the metro back to the flat, this time using a different route. Made it here faster. (Instead of taking the orange line, then the blue line in order to get here, I took the green line and then a bus.)

Later in the evening my friend David called and wanted to go for coffee, a brilliant idea. So I got out again and took the metro to where he lives. The whole transportation anxiety I felt earlier today completely dissolved. It was then that I noticed I was feeling a peculiar state of calm, one I don't think I've ever experienced before. Must be that I'm adapting to all the new things.