My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room.

So wednesday night is apparently when everybody goes out (i think thats strange, its a school night! ;), so Suzie, Jess, and i got all ready and were gonna go out with some of our flatmates. The plan was to go to this one dance club called Dakota before 10pm so that we could get in free, which was perfect because i wasn't planning on drinking so that meant a free night for me :) But, the girls weren't ready before ten of course, and since we didn't know how to get there on our own, we decided to meet up with some people we knew who were going to another club nearby. The bad part was, that this place didn't have a dance floor so we just sat and talked while they all drank their super expensive mixed drinks. 5 pounds for a drink? yeah, no thanks. Then they all decided that they wanted to go to Dakota, which would cost 4 pounds to get in because it was after 10. The deal is that it costs that much to get in, and then the drinks are pretty cheap, but that was sorta a rip off for me. So Suzie, Jess & i left and went to the Tesco grocery store (all dressed up, so that was pretty funny) and bought ingredients to make pizza back at the dorm. that's my idea of a good night: sweatpants, great friends, homemade pizza, and being able to remember it ;) So we all went to our rooms to go to bed around midnight, but i couldn't fall asleep until around 2:30. I was dreaming about something until, at like 3:30 after only being asleep for about an hour, my flatmates came onto the hall drunk out of their minds screaming and talking really loud. They finally quieted down for a bit and i was just drifting off to sleep when i was woken up by the most shrill noise i had ever heard. Yup, it was the fire alarm at 4am. It scared me so much that i jumped out of my bed, luckily remembered to grab my keys, and stumbled out into the hallway, where most of my flatmates were doing the same. I asked them if we really had to go outside, and one said that she was just going to hide out in her room but i just needed to get away from that noise so i went outside with everyone. It was pretty funny to see everybody from our building gathered into the courtyard because you could definitely tell who was actually sleeping at 4am and who was just coming in from the club. So there were some in their pajamas with no makeup on & their hair all messed up and then there were others who were still all dressed up with high heels and skanky dresses. (yeah, thats a great way to get a guy's attention, wear the least amount of clothes possible, he'll definitely be interested in your personality) Anyway, we stood out there for about 20 mins until the firemen (i thought they were good looking at first, but considering it was 4am, i was greatly mistaken once i looked again). I was sleepy and didn't remember to grab a coat or shoes so i was happy to get out of the cold when they finally let us back in. One guy from the 2nd floor actually took his mattress with him, which i still don't fully understand, but if you knew him, you would know not to ask questions. It took me awhile to fall back asleep but i was thankful that my class on Thursday didn't start until 3:15 so i was able to sleep in a bit. I did have to get up and do some reading for it but that wasn't too bad.

I was really excited for my Special Ed class because we were having some students come from the National Star College come and give a presentation. I had no idea what this college was until yesterday and it is an amazing place. It's a college just like any other one except that it is for people who have special needs, physically or mentally. I got really excited about it because i had never heard of a college like that before in the states, but i really think there should be a lot more of them. The students there can either live there in dorm-like housing or commute from off campus. They are placed into vocational training courses of their choice, ranging from healthcare to sports management to creative arts. They're typcially enrolled for up to 4 years, but it usually is about three, like the college i'm at now. It has all the typical college activities like dances and a campus bar (well that's only typical over here ;) as well as therapies for those who need them. The students who visited us had a variety of disabilities; some were in wheelchairs and seemed to have cerebral palsy, others i think had learning disabilities, and two had speech impairments. I probably looked pretty funny because i was smiling the whole class because these students just made me so happy :) They talked to us about their college experience and we were able to ask questions about the college and other things. My professor asked one of them about whether or not he thought that society was getting better about adapting to people with disabilities. He said that for the most part he was very able to do what anyone else can, but there are some room for improvement of course. One thing that sort of convicted me was when he said that the one thing that makes him upset is when people talk to his mom or whoever he is out with instead of talking to him directly. He said, "Just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean i cant understand you. I have a voice too!" That really struck me because i think we all think that sometimes. We think that just because they might walk with a limp or use a wheelchair, that their minds wont be able to comprehend what we're saying, which is completely wrong. These students spoke eloquently and clearly and were mostly able to answer all our questions. One girl, who couldn't speak at all, used a device on her iphone, where she would type in what she wanted to say and it was played through a little speaker. I am so amazed and grateful for the assistive technology that is available right now, it has helped so many people be able to communicate who had much difficulty doing so before. After their presentation, we were able to mingle and chat with the students, which was a little intimidating at first, but soon i felt as if i was just chatting with a friend. I sat down next to a guy named Alex who was in a wheelchair and seemed to have cerebral palsy, but i'm not quite sure. He is the president of their student union, so we had a great time talking about that with him and he asked us questions about our college as well. He asked me what i wanted to do once i graduated and i said that i would love to teach special ed in the primary grades overseas. He said, "That's going to be one of the most challenging and most rewarding jobs you could have. The little support and attention that you give the children will have such a huge impact on their lives." That was one of the most encouraging things anyone could say to me, especially from him. He also told me that i should start my own Star College in the states because i don't think college like that exist there. How cool would that be?! I seriously could go on and on about how much i loved that class but this is getting to be pretty long. It really did affirm to me about how much i was meant for this major and how excited i am about my future career. Those students encouraged me so much and i left that class with a huge smile on my face :)

Sorry that was so long! haha i couldn't help it ;) Well, last night i played some poker with Suzie, Steph and Kelly, and i actually won some rounds! I don't think i could ever play with real money though haha Today I've been just basically doing nothing but starting to look into my upcoming assignments and getting organized for them. Tomorrow we go on a BCA trip to the Windsor Castle so I'm really excited for that! Check back here tomorrow night or Sunday for stories about that. I'll put up pictures on facebook too :)