All entries for Wednesday 16 May 2007

Vago

This photo quite effectively captures me over the last few weeks.

I have become hopelessly lazy.

Since the beginning of this year I have developed strange sleeping patterns. I might sleep an average of 10 hours a day by now. I quite often don´t get up for classes anymore – especially if they are on Monday at 9, and are taught in Catalan.

I have started to develop a split personality, the two most extreme representations of which you might describe as Nighttime Maarten and Morning Maarten. Nighttime Maarten insists on staying until the party is over. And then to look for another party. He believes classes the next day will be just fine. Morning Maarten is also quite relaxed. He shuts the alarm clock and tells me classes aren´t that important anyway. I probably won´t miss too much. And anyway, I need my rest, it´s no good to miss sleep. Morning Maarten dominates me the entire morning, until around 12 am.

And I don´t seem to be the only one. The Other Other Natalie writes that she sleeps about 10-12 hours a night in the Netherlands. A friend of mine writes me that he hasn´t gotten up for classes for months in Italy, except for a one-time tree-hugging class (?). And well, more evidence is right under my nose. Many of my friends here are not unaccustomed to sleeping past midday on a normal weekday.

What are the reasons? I figured them out I think.

a) Total lack of motivation. At Monday 9 am classes I am not likely to pick up much of the Catalan lecture anyway. Discussion of materials is sometimes school-styledly simple. I work for a week on an essay full of references and get a 55%. I do one in 24 hours and get 90%.

b) Nighttime Maarten is more popular here in Barcelona. More fun and important stuff happens at night. I would not be fully integrated if I did not recognise that fact.

c) Warwick anticipation. I fear my last year at Warwick like hell. So I try to do as little as I can as long as it lasts.

The Spanish word for lazy is “vago”. I think the linguistic development is no coincidence. Not doing anything makes me feel a bit less like myself, vague, undefined. Being lazy means being only the potential of Maarten. But for the moment, I kind of like it that way.

: 16 May 2007 13:39 |  Tags: 2007 En Face En Profil English |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem