My Study Abroad Program at the Rec

It is 1:20 AM in College Station, Texas

Howdy friends,



I was just over at the Tallahassee eating some Baklava that Zach so bribingly prepared and we were talking of the blog, when I decided, hey it's time for another post. So, prepare yourselves, this is a long one.

As many of you know, my adventures are quite different than many of yours. I get dehydrated and hike around in circles in the panhandle of Texas. You take scenic tours around the Louvre and refresh yourselves with some wine. I go to sleep in Big Bend and hope to not wake up with a Rattlesnake on my face or a druglord in my car. You go to sleep in a Swiss hostel and hope to not wake up with Bastian the uberraver thrusting his pelvis in your face while Katrina is in the corner praying to the god of the trees. I enjoy backpacker meals around the campfire, you enjoy a crepe in Marseilles. I don't travel around a whole ton, but it's OK. I'm just saving up for the new slip 'n slide on the roof. I love to hear about all of y'all's adventures around the world, and I am sure that some day I will be there too, enjoying it as much as y'all are. I also know that all of you American citizens (except Sol) out there hold a dear place in your hearts for our great state. And as usual, I am going to remind of how amazing our state really is. I am going to tell you why you don't necessarily have to go around the world to "be abroad".

My abroad kindgom is our very own Texas A&M Recreational Center. As you know, I spend an average of 7 hours a day at the rec. This number has increased to 9 hours in the summer due to a lack of things to do at home ( I mean how much dry cleaning and grocery shopping can you really force into one week). In a week at the rec, I usually work out 12-14 times, swim 7-11 times, and play about 17 hours of soccer. That is enough time to learn about what the rec really is, under its friendly and shallow facade.

What hidden mysteries lie beneath the gaudy maroon paint, and the rubber floor? Who are these people we see every time we walk in? What is their purpose in the Rec? I am going to tell you about a place that you think you know of, a place you think you have been to, a place you think you have seen. I have delved into daily life at The Rec for the last three years. I have paid my dues to become a citizen. A citizen of one of the most diverse kindgoms in the world. I know so much about the place that you don't. I know who reigns o'er the province of Meatland. I know who has evaded their towel tax, only to be caught by SWAT (Sweaty Woebegoners Are Toast). Over the next few posts, I am going to make you forget the simple Rec you know of. I am going to show you what the Rec really is. The hidden intricacies of diplomacy, politics, and civil strife. I am going to show you that the Rec really is a kingdom much deeper and more convoluted than you thought it was. I am going to reveal to you a world of its own a world called... THE REC.

Now, before the epic stories begin, it is very important that I convey some logistics of the Rec to y'all. These facts are vital for the stories you will hear and the people you will come to know. So, soak these facts in, and savor them, these are facts unknown to 97% of the people who pass through the kingdom itself.

• Name: Kingdom of the Rec
• Geography: three story, 14.7 Acres, landlocked by the state of Texas, USA
• Politics: Consociational state, which as defined by wikipedia, is "a state which has major internal divisions along ethnic, religious, or linguistic lines, with none of the divisions large enough to form a majority group, yet nonetheless manages to remain stable, due to consultation among the elites of each of its major social groups".
• Economy: Consists of trade between citizens of items such as balls, towels, power bars, and high fives.
• Taxes: $18 per semester for a towel card, which permits a citizen to enter the Meatland Province. $30 per semester for a locker which protects a citizen from theft and makes them a landowner, thus giving them the right to vote on issues such as Pool Hours and Raquetball Court Revamping
• Population: 0 to 713 persons
• Capital: Front desk
• Demonym: Meathead, Baller, Athlete
• Currency: $, Power bars, towels, butt slaps, high fives: exchange rate is as follows: $1=1.5 Power bars=.7 towels=134 butt slaps=762 high fives (quickly becoming obselete, but still accepted)
• President: Vince
• Provinces: Meatland, Lobbia, Raquetbolland, Badmintonia, Basktugal, Soccernesia, Natatorea, Trackrica, and New Natatorea (see map below)

I hope that quick synopsis of The Rec Kingdom has helped you understand what this foreign land is all about. It is an interesting land. One full of adventures. Not a land for the meek or weak willed. In fact meekness in Basktugal or Soccernesia can get you ostracized. Citizenship in these regions is difficult to achieve. The citizens there are arrogant and snobbish, and it takes the bravest soul to intrude into their regions to play their games. Once in though, a veritable Pandora's box is opened, and one is flooded with all sorts of odd languages, hand gestures, and displays of immortal skill known only to many as unachievable. The characters I have met there are men of all shapes and sizes and colors. But the sagas of these characters must wait for another day. But, do not fear, considering how bored I am on a daily basis, you will all soon meet my friends... and my enemies... from the Kingdom that is....THE REC!!!