Those Americans, they think they're so entitled

Yesterday morning at precisely 7:41 am, the staff of my residence hall decided it was high time they gave these American wusses something to complain about. All the [intentional] fire drills I've ever experienced at my home university came around 10 at night while people were studying or otherwise futzing around the dorm. They'd yawn, mosey out in their flip flops and then the RD would get mad that it took longer than x number of minutes for everyone to exit the building. Well, let me tell you, do the Brits ever know how to do a fire drill. Being thrust into quasi-alertness in the wee hours to that uniquely urgent British alarm sound (WEEEEE OOOOOOO WEEEEE OOOOOOO as opposed to the flat American ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn) causes one to wonder if perhaps this fire drill isn't a drill at all. My floormates and I were appropriately flustered, running down the stairs in our slippers at a pretty good clip for having been fast asleep about 90 seconds ago. We were so groggy, in fact, that we paused at the fire exit at the bottom of the stairs because it said it was alarmed. Of course, once we hit daylight and the 45-degree gust of air, the groggy urgency immediately vanished and was replaced by groggy crankiness.

And that, my friends, is how you make college kids care about a fire drill.

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Allegedly we are also not allowed to have posters in our rooms except as affixed to the tiny bulletin board provided, a rule which baffles me (yet again with the bafflement) because stickytack doesn't pull off the paint or hurt anyone or stink the place up, like SMOKING IN YOUR ROOM does (which IS allowed). I am actively disregarding this rule (the posters, not the smoking), and as they have recently posted signs indicating that room inspections will be taking place soon, I am torn between sneakiness and defiance. Should I hide them for two weeks while the inspections occur, or leave them up and possibly get charged? Someone also said that they heard that we weren't allowed to have bedside lamps, which is ridiculous considering the room's fabulous dungeon impression, but the poster I read just said no nightlights, which fortunately isn't a problem for me (though we were cutting it close for a few years there). I have till Thursday to decide whether I spring for cowardice or rebellion.

posted by limeywannabe @ 12:55 PM