Student (Photo credit: Anarkee)The following is an account of a dream that I had in mid August:
I am younger and a student at the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador. I go to a class in a tiered lecture hall. The professor is the late ex-husband of my present wife and he reminds me of Zero Mostel. He seems scruffy and gruff, but highly respected by students even though they make fun of him behind his back. His teacher's aides are somewhat condescending and rude towards me while pretending to be friendly at times.
The professor's wife (who is currently my wife in real life), is lying on the front row with sheets draped over her. She is taking the class but seems bored and almost embarrassed to be there. Every now and then she peeks out from under the sheets to look at me. I am surprised how much younger she looks from how I now know her. She seems to recognize me and coyly acknowledges me. I have a dual awareness that in the dream she is the wife of the professor as well as my future wife.
I have a difficult time understanding everything since the class is in Spanish. The class seems to be a combination of history, literature, and philosophy. The prof seems like he could be drunk. I try to be witty. The other students seem to like me for the most part and think I am funny. They respect me because I am intelligent and an American who is trying to speak in their language.
At the end of the class the professor reprimands me for something and tells me to come to his office. The TAs accompany me there as other students give me "knowing" looks. One TA is particularly rude and hits at me and tries to provoke me.
In the office the professor is funny and actually quite nice. He asks me some questions, quotes someone famous, and explains some things. I realize he actually likes me and I may be one of his favorite students. I expect that he will be of great help to me during the school year. He lets me know that I have great potential and he will be giving me extra help in the class. The professor seems to give me his approval.
After I leave the meeting with the professor I interact with other students. Now the TAs are quite nice to me. I go to take some kind of building tour that ends in a theater where a production of "Peter Pan" is in rehearsal. At one part of the tour is a grand view of the city. It seems to be dusk and many lights are on in buildings and I see the skyline silhouetted against the sky.
When I reach the end of the tour I find myself taking the tour again with a new group. This time we stop in one room where videos of old rock groups are being played. I start watching one that seems rather mundane with poorly excuted music. It is a group I remember. As the performance progresses the band and the song get better. I feel like everyone in the tour has stopped to watch this with me, but when I turn I see that most have left with the tour guide and only are few are watching this video. These stragglers too start to leave with the group so I join them.
We pass through a dressing room where actors are getting ready for the "Peter Pan" production. As we continue I find that we are at the rear of the stage in the middle of the production. The audience can see us, but we seem to blend in with the actors. There are very few people in the audience and there is an orchestra between them and those of us on the tour. The orchestra leader who also appears to be the play director tells us that we should leave the stage, but he seems neither excessively surprised nor upset.
The tour group goes outside where it is now dark and raining. I notice that my TA's from the class are there and they are glad to see me. The group all disbands and I join the TAs to go back to their apartment. We get some Chinese food on the way at a place in a food court that seems to be affiliated with the university.
At the apartment we discuss various things. I tell them what I ate at the Chinese restaurant and they mention that something that I ate had bugs in it, but this seems to be the norm and something that many have frequently eaten. It's a matter of sanitation problems at the restaurant. I say that I'm not overly concerned since I've been camping a lot and bugs sometimes get in the food.
I awaken at 3:58 feeling very refreshed and optimistic with a sense of well-being. When I turn over in the bed my wife wakes thinking there's been an earthquake. I reassure her that there has not been one. I want to tell her the dream, but I know she wants to sleep. I go into my office and record it for this post instead.
Some interesting facts: My wife attended the University of Guayaquil and eventually received her doctorate from there. She was married to the professor depicted in my dream prior to coming to the U.S. where she eventually met and married me. Her ex-husband died a few years ago.
Any thoughts? Have you ever dreamed of people in your partner's past that you did not know?
