Blind

Someone should just go ahead and slap a big ol' NEWBIE sign on my forehead.

Hi, I'm Michelle, and I'm an idiot.

I've been studying at the library for the past couple of days, trying to cram as much information as possible into my head. Seriously, it's like drinking water out of a fire hose. There's so much to absorb, and so little that actually goes in. Anyhow, the med school library stresses me out. Like I've said before, I constantly see people from class doing additional reading, researching confusing lecture points, and so on.

THIS IS VERY STRESSFUL FOR SOMEONE WHO IS REVIEWING HER LECTURE NOTES FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Fire hydrant! Large quantities of water rushing out at you! Mouth! NOT LARGE ENOUGH.

You understand the analogy right?

Thankfully, today I overheard some older (and clearly, wiser) med students talking about studying in the Law School Library.

Brilliant. Far away from books about mitochondria. Far away from more studious classmates. And right next to gorgeous views of the lake. Hello, study salvation. Hello sanity.

So, after class today, a couple of my friends and I walked the block over to the Law School, and tried to find the law library.

We asked the security guard (who was a little suspicious that we had no idea where the library was). We asked students. We asked professors. Each giving us more and more convoluted directions.

Student 1: Go up the stairs. Turn right. Up some more. Go through the clearing, and it'll be right there.

Random person passing by whom we thought was a student, but clearly was not: Go up the stairs.

Student 2: Library? I don't go to the library. Use the internet.

We went with Student #1. I mean, those directions seemed the most promising. So we went up the stairs. Turned right. Couldn't find any more stairs to go up, so we kept going straight. And in front of us was this glorious study space. We walked in, put down our stuff, and were just about to pull out our books when we realized that we had wandered into the Faculty Commons room instead. We'd clearly wandered too far.

We high-tailed it out of there, back-tracked our way back through an arched doorway to where we had seen several students studying and chatting. No longer too proud to ask for directions, I approached an Asian guy, tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned to look at me, said:

Hi. Sorry to disturb you, but can you tell me how to get to the library? Confidence, my friends, will get you everywhere.

He looked at me. Looked back at his book. And then looked back at me. He was very, VERY confused.

Whaaa--?

The li-bra-ry. I enunciated. Speaking slowly. Loudly. Just in case he was an international student and didn't quite understand English. Never mind that he was reading case studies and various This vs. That verdicts. Maybe he didn't understand conversational English.

The library, he repeated after me, completely accent-free.

Yes. I smiled, nodding at him.

Just then, my two friends, who had been behind me, doubled over in laughter, came up and pulled me away as they apologized profusely to the law student. Who was still very very confused.

See. That arched doorway we had passed? Apparently had Old English text on it. Something Library.

We were IN the library. I had asked a law student IN the library WHERE the library was.

Oh my god. Cue embarrassment.

But hey, at least I found the library, right?