Transition
Well, I've just about set up my things in my dorm room. Move-in day was okay... could've been better, but thankfully it could've been A LOT worse. I'm kinda glad I chose to wait until after the morning rush to move in-- I didn't get to choose my bed but I moved in within an hour. My roommates are both from Southern California so my portion of the room looks a ton more decorated than theirs due to the leisure with having to be so close to home to get things and such. It was a bitch to unpack/redecorate and I'm dreading putting everything back inside the boxes when I have to move out in May... but it looks pretty nice for a home away from home.
The environment right now is... eh. One of my roommates seems to be gangster-playa like so it's kinda annoying to be called "boss" all the time and hearing an accent that sounds like it's from Brooklyn. My other roommate is kinda quiet and has an accent like... shy Spaniard. The three of us are probably not going to be friends for life which is regrettable... but I'll be looking forward to who my classmates are in Japanese.
One thing I must really complain about is the distance/location of where I am. Well... I'm in the top corner of campus. Like... in reality the campus is just a short walk away from the entrance to my residence hall but all my classes are in the center of the school. An expected 10-15 min walk to go to my classes but thank god my classes are spread out. I really hate the hilly campus. In fact, I dread going home... I walk a while uphill, get greeted to the entrance to my hall, and then BAM! a huge set of stairs until I reach the building where I'm at... and I live on the second floor of my building. And no elevator. So... it's quite a trek and I'm usually a bit sweaty when I get back home. In fact, yesterday when I unpacked and came in I had puddles of sweat under my neck and behind my back-- I haven't had that since I was in Japan my last day. It's so icky... I dunno why my glands are acting up so much nowadays. Hopefully it's a sign that the toxins are leaving my body... or I might have diabetes. Who knows...
I'm getting used to the whole isolated feeling about my dorm. The dining center is located across the bridge in the courtyard of the other residence hall. As is the computer lounge. And a ton of other important things. Thankfully laundry isn't too far away-- same building. Plus when I was over at the dining center the first time I was quite surprised-- it was really comfortable. It even had a TV lounge. With how I eat and what I eat, I think I'll definitely lose weight with the ton of walking I'll be doing on campus. Plus everything is either vegan or organic. I'm kinda worried about running out of food money since they gave me only $1250 for meals and my dinner cost me about $7 when I got the minimum amount of food... they tried to trick me into getting fries for $2.50 with my burger. Also coke is pretty cheap until you buy it for dinner... sadness :( I think I'll like my diet quite well.
Speaking of money... Financial aid still hasn't gone through. Even worse, my parents were denied their loan so now I have to take out another, SMALLER loan to compensate. I think I'll only have enough to pay for my residence hall fee... and that's it. I don't have any more money to use unless I beg my parents. I found out though my ID card is also a debit card account and they can put money into my account with the internet and a credit card so I'm happy that I possibly don't have to come back home. But still... money is REALLY tight. It was really embarrassing today when I went to pick up my "Class Pass" sticker (aka free bus rides :D) only to be denied saying I need to pay my registration bill... but I dunno what's happening, I was told to check back in a couple of days to see if the money was paid off to my registration bills.
Nights are kinda hot despite being in the city. My roommates are accustomed to hot summers so the room is really mild compared to what they've experienced. I always sleep with an electric fan on next to me so it felt really uncomfortable having my body heat heat up my pillows and comforter to an uncomfortable degree. Tonight I'm gonna try to sleep without being under the comforter... it should feel slightly better. I hope I can get a good night's sleep soon because after seeing a sample of my syllabus for one of my classes (I have to re-read a book I dreaded back about a year ago...) I'll be using my up-all-night times for writing research papers/term papers. Hopefully there is no page limitation of... 30 pages or something crappy like that. I also don't have a printer. My roommate says I can borrow his when I need to but... I dunno, I hate imposing. There are printers in the lounge at the dining center but... they cost money I hear. So yeah... save money where I can I guess.
Today was my first day actually having free time to explore the campus. Also I had to take the Japanese placement exam today. I encountered a lot of locations that made me feel like a crappy freshman... in fact, it felt like high school loner syndrome all over again. I got to see it on other people too though so it was nice to not feel alone... just sucks to be physically alone and walking this huge campus. I was confused on how to order breakfast so I had to shell out my own money to buy a croissant with egg, ham, and cheese with a diet coke. I then was denied my bus pass cause of my registration fees so I headed to the test site an hour and a half early to get in the groove. While I was cramming some kanji in, I met a girl (I thought she was a man at first-- the rumors of ugly girls at Berkeley IS TRUE but her personality more than made up for it :D) and we talked about taking the exam and our skill level. I felt good about hearing someone feeling confused like me about the test until she told me her prospective major is actually Biology and she might minor in Japanese instead. Another person I met who I thought was majoring in Japanese like me was majoring in Art as well... and maybe making Japanese her minor too :( So I felt kinda lonely... very lonely in fact :(
The test wasn't all too bad when I took it. I had some fun with it and grammar portions. I thought it would make me look smart but instead when I had my interview they kept going "why didn't you just put such and such because it's so easy and sufficient?" I was quite irritated, especially since they spoke to me in English after seeing my mistakes and made me look like an idiot or something. So I was placed in.... intermediate Japanese again... I heard a lot of transfer students place there too but I REALLY wanted to take advanced Japanese to take even more advanced Japanese when I'm a senior. She said it would be too difficult for me to handle my first days... so yeah, a little bummed but it might be easier to deal with since this environment is a whole lot different than what I'm used to.
After that test I walked around looking for classrooms so I don't get lost. Some of them are in pretty obscure places, like underground only accessible by an elevator or MORE STAIRS. I use the elevator any time I can because really... too much hill climbing in this campus so no shame :) I then went to the study abroad office. I was worried it'd be too early for me to do anything special like sign up for programs but they really helped me-- in fact, it was probably the best help next to my counselor that got me into Berkeley that I've experienced. They filled me up with tons of information and said it is QUITE possible to spend my senior year, and yes ALL OF MY SENIOR YEAR, in JAPAN :D So hearing that got my spirits up quite a bit and she told me to research where and which program I wanted and talk to my major adviser so we can work things on how I can study in Japan next year. Hopefully when we do financial aid early and stuff we can get a lot more help to send me there again... I'm getting goosebumps hearing that I can go there for the whole year :D
Well, then it was a trek back home. I didn't know which way to go because all of them seemed so hilly. It was a pretty tiring walk, even more tiring to see those demon stairs greeting me when I came back. I was happy though to be back because I was anxious to get my internet back. First I really wanted to get something to eat so after cooling down I headed to the dining commons and bought my first meal: a cheeseburger with the works, a plum, and a diet coke. It seemed pretty cheap... but yeah, I think by the middle of November I need to put more money on my card to get food because eating two meals of that price a day is going overboard. I mean, how can you go overboard with a cheeseburger, plum, and coke? Whatever, luckily the environment felt good and there was a nice lounge to relax in. I think I'm gonna spend a lot of my time there... if I don't meet anyone in my Japanese class who I can hang out with.
So tomorrow I have one more day of relaxing until the academic year starts. I think I'm gonna go pick up some of my textbooks tomorrow. Also, I'm looking forward to taking some pictures. The architechture of some of these buildings is INCREDIBLE. Sadly I won't be going into many of them I think...
Also, no lie, an all girls dorm called Stern Hall looks like a freakin' castle. Lucky bastards ;_; Anyway, I'm still alive, kinda lonely, but I am putting faith in myself that the school year will bring new friends and adventures... if it doesn't require money >_>
EDIT: Actually the castle building is Bowles Hall, an all male freshman residence hall so um... damn boys being so spoiled >_>;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9710967@N02/1018804382
The environment right now is... eh. One of my roommates seems to be gangster-playa like so it's kinda annoying to be called "boss" all the time and hearing an accent that sounds like it's from Brooklyn. My other roommate is kinda quiet and has an accent like... shy Spaniard. The three of us are probably not going to be friends for life which is regrettable... but I'll be looking forward to who my classmates are in Japanese.
One thing I must really complain about is the distance/location of where I am. Well... I'm in the top corner of campus. Like... in reality the campus is just a short walk away from the entrance to my residence hall but all my classes are in the center of the school. An expected 10-15 min walk to go to my classes but thank god my classes are spread out. I really hate the hilly campus. In fact, I dread going home... I walk a while uphill, get greeted to the entrance to my hall, and then BAM! a huge set of stairs until I reach the building where I'm at... and I live on the second floor of my building. And no elevator. So... it's quite a trek and I'm usually a bit sweaty when I get back home. In fact, yesterday when I unpacked and came in I had puddles of sweat under my neck and behind my back-- I haven't had that since I was in Japan my last day. It's so icky... I dunno why my glands are acting up so much nowadays. Hopefully it's a sign that the toxins are leaving my body... or I might have diabetes. Who knows...
I'm getting used to the whole isolated feeling about my dorm. The dining center is located across the bridge in the courtyard of the other residence hall. As is the computer lounge. And a ton of other important things. Thankfully laundry isn't too far away-- same building. Plus when I was over at the dining center the first time I was quite surprised-- it was really comfortable. It even had a TV lounge. With how I eat and what I eat, I think I'll definitely lose weight with the ton of walking I'll be doing on campus. Plus everything is either vegan or organic. I'm kinda worried about running out of food money since they gave me only $1250 for meals and my dinner cost me about $7 when I got the minimum amount of food... they tried to trick me into getting fries for $2.50 with my burger. Also coke is pretty cheap until you buy it for dinner... sadness :( I think I'll like my diet quite well.
Speaking of money... Financial aid still hasn't gone through. Even worse, my parents were denied their loan so now I have to take out another, SMALLER loan to compensate. I think I'll only have enough to pay for my residence hall fee... and that's it. I don't have any more money to use unless I beg my parents. I found out though my ID card is also a debit card account and they can put money into my account with the internet and a credit card so I'm happy that I possibly don't have to come back home. But still... money is REALLY tight. It was really embarrassing today when I went to pick up my "Class Pass" sticker (aka free bus rides :D) only to be denied saying I need to pay my registration bill... but I dunno what's happening, I was told to check back in a couple of days to see if the money was paid off to my registration bills.
Nights are kinda hot despite being in the city. My roommates are accustomed to hot summers so the room is really mild compared to what they've experienced. I always sleep with an electric fan on next to me so it felt really uncomfortable having my body heat heat up my pillows and comforter to an uncomfortable degree. Tonight I'm gonna try to sleep without being under the comforter... it should feel slightly better. I hope I can get a good night's sleep soon because after seeing a sample of my syllabus for one of my classes (I have to re-read a book I dreaded back about a year ago...) I'll be using my up-all-night times for writing research papers/term papers. Hopefully there is no page limitation of... 30 pages or something crappy like that. I also don't have a printer. My roommate says I can borrow his when I need to but... I dunno, I hate imposing. There are printers in the lounge at the dining center but... they cost money I hear. So yeah... save money where I can I guess.
Today was my first day actually having free time to explore the campus. Also I had to take the Japanese placement exam today. I encountered a lot of locations that made me feel like a crappy freshman... in fact, it felt like high school loner syndrome all over again. I got to see it on other people too though so it was nice to not feel alone... just sucks to be physically alone and walking this huge campus. I was confused on how to order breakfast so I had to shell out my own money to buy a croissant with egg, ham, and cheese with a diet coke. I then was denied my bus pass cause of my registration fees so I headed to the test site an hour and a half early to get in the groove. While I was cramming some kanji in, I met a girl (I thought she was a man at first-- the rumors of ugly girls at Berkeley IS TRUE but her personality more than made up for it :D) and we talked about taking the exam and our skill level. I felt good about hearing someone feeling confused like me about the test until she told me her prospective major is actually Biology and she might minor in Japanese instead. Another person I met who I thought was majoring in Japanese like me was majoring in Art as well... and maybe making Japanese her minor too :( So I felt kinda lonely... very lonely in fact :(
The test wasn't all too bad when I took it. I had some fun with it and grammar portions. I thought it would make me look smart but instead when I had my interview they kept going "why didn't you just put such and such because it's so easy and sufficient?" I was quite irritated, especially since they spoke to me in English after seeing my mistakes and made me look like an idiot or something. So I was placed in.... intermediate Japanese again... I heard a lot of transfer students place there too but I REALLY wanted to take advanced Japanese to take even more advanced Japanese when I'm a senior. She said it would be too difficult for me to handle my first days... so yeah, a little bummed but it might be easier to deal with since this environment is a whole lot different than what I'm used to.
After that test I walked around looking for classrooms so I don't get lost. Some of them are in pretty obscure places, like underground only accessible by an elevator or MORE STAIRS. I use the elevator any time I can because really... too much hill climbing in this campus so no shame :) I then went to the study abroad office. I was worried it'd be too early for me to do anything special like sign up for programs but they really helped me-- in fact, it was probably the best help next to my counselor that got me into Berkeley that I've experienced. They filled me up with tons of information and said it is QUITE possible to spend my senior year, and yes ALL OF MY SENIOR YEAR, in JAPAN :D So hearing that got my spirits up quite a bit and she told me to research where and which program I wanted and talk to my major adviser so we can work things on how I can study in Japan next year. Hopefully when we do financial aid early and stuff we can get a lot more help to send me there again... I'm getting goosebumps hearing that I can go there for the whole year :D
Well, then it was a trek back home. I didn't know which way to go because all of them seemed so hilly. It was a pretty tiring walk, even more tiring to see those demon stairs greeting me when I came back. I was happy though to be back because I was anxious to get my internet back. First I really wanted to get something to eat so after cooling down I headed to the dining commons and bought my first meal: a cheeseburger with the works, a plum, and a diet coke. It seemed pretty cheap... but yeah, I think by the middle of November I need to put more money on my card to get food because eating two meals of that price a day is going overboard. I mean, how can you go overboard with a cheeseburger, plum, and coke? Whatever, luckily the environment felt good and there was a nice lounge to relax in. I think I'm gonna spend a lot of my time there... if I don't meet anyone in my Japanese class who I can hang out with.
So tomorrow I have one more day of relaxing until the academic year starts. I think I'm gonna go pick up some of my textbooks tomorrow. Also, I'm looking forward to taking some pictures. The architechture of some of these buildings is INCREDIBLE. Sadly I won't be going into many of them I think...
Also, no lie, an all girls dorm called Stern Hall looks like a freakin' castle. Lucky bastards ;_; Anyway, I'm still alive, kinda lonely, but I am putting faith in myself that the school year will bring new friends and adventures... if it doesn't require money >_>
EDIT: Actually the castle building is Bowles Hall, an all male freshman residence hall so um... damn boys being so spoiled >_>;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9710967@N02/1018804382