Richcoral

2011-09-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

Sunday... still nothing to do and regretted not going on a short trip... but what can 4 days do anyway... it's close to nowhere here.

Slept until 1pm, didn't know what I mainly did, but I was sure I ended up at the library to study... if I didn't meet Ivy and kept chatting for almost two hours...

2011-09-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ivy wanted to cook that morning and buy the ingredients in walmart, but I was too tired so I didn't go with the crew. Later, I learned that the thing was cancelled, so I just walk around, surfing Internet.

I called Tingting at the afternoon, to see if she wanted to have dinner together, but she was sleeping. I asked her to call me when she woke up and kept surfing. However, I waited until 6 sth but no one called me. I gave up after about twenty unanswered calls and went to Dillin, the dining hall, just to find that they have a super early closing time at 6.30pm at weekends. Starved, I just bought a sandwich and ate alone... at the cold metal table, under the grey sky...

I had also texted Ivy but she did not reply me either. At 8 sth, when I was a bit bored that I went to read magazines at the supermarket, they finally found me and sounded as if they were together throughout the whole time and kept saying they were going to find me! At my dorm! (W.O.W... as if I would sit on the bed waiting for them...)

I told them I could go find them, and we switched to watch a Hypnotist show, which was quite funny but somehow quite horrifying... (Think of some random guy or woman coming up and make you follow whatever told.)

During the show, they revealed that they had gone to a Mexican party, which I thought only Ivy was invited. (Kind of pissed at that time and if manner didn't matter, I would seize my packet of M&M's back!) Then I asked Tingting after the show ended where she had gone, and it turned out she also went! She said the number of guest already exceeded what the host was please to have, so she didn't ask me to go! (I was like, "F*CK! No one cares abt being invited or not, at least text me could you? You have a f*cking unlimited texting plan!"... at heart...)

I returned to my dorm to get stuff to bath at Tingting's dorm. Somehow I didn't react too much to that incident, didn't know why, so we just kept chatting until 2am.

I didn't take bath until then and the entire corridor was completely quiet and I suddenly felt so scared while blow-drying my hair. I rushed to the dorm and up to my room, but had decided that I'd better go to the washroom first so I didn't have to go out again.

That's the problem, as when I open the door, the ever-turned-off light was on and... THERE WAS A DEADPAN GIRL SITTING ON THE FLOOR!!!!! I kind of screamed but managed to control it into a "Woa, that's scary." I then try to explain the antic to her and eavesdropped that she was accompanying her puking roommate.

At 2 sth, a Vietnamese girl came to my room, as she knew that my roommate had gone for the weekend. She dragged me to the other dorm and I finally dumped her to another HK girl and slept at 3 sth.

2011-09-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

There was even less detail I could remember about school. The best part was after the lessons.

Tingting wanted to buy something for her drawing class so Ivy and I tag along. We walked to the downtown and visited many thrift stores and try sth on, take some photos... (i.e. "Transporting small tangerine") It was sooooo nice. ^v^ Then I brought the yutaro guy to computer room but we did not talk much, just computer using~

The night was a bit shitty though... I went to the Japanese guy's room in my dorm again. This time there were 6+ Japanese students inside and they kept talking in Japanese and didn't seem to translate for me. I was bored to death but didn't have an excuse to make an exit. Finally I asked for some overseas help to skype me so I had something to leave and something to do.

2011-09-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

(cough) The interesting was that the school had just started and that was probably the earliest homework (excluding the Politcs and the Art, as I realized that day I did not have enough credits to take all). I was too into the mood of "Yeah! I got into the Creative Writing Course!" that I did not mark in the schedule that I had to write a story. (So I made a story of not knowing I have to print it~)

Anyway, this is a normal school day with homework (and ex-homework) and reading to be done... (who spread the rumour of exchange = fun?)

There was also another formal colloquium meeting, where I learnt that it was entirely not something I should be interested for it's only related to students there~ Anyway, afterwards, there was an international student meeting hosted by a China-born Korean girl who spent her entire life in international school that made her a cool Asian with fluent English... (Wow~~~) The point was, after knowing that she was a sorority girl (whose recruitment table had had holes burnt on it because I had stared it for too long and too intensely...) I asked about a million questions and decided to join the recruitment!!!!!!!!

2011-08-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

No pix today also :P

Lessons continued and nothing big happened. Tried to send SMS for the entire day but got no reply. It turned out I only had 0.01 left so I missed a bowling game gathering...

(*Updated) The afternoon was spent in a Japanese guy's room, where there were two girls played Justin Bieber while I was sleeping in that guy's bed with... the guy not leaving the room of course~ (Wt? I was tired!)

Night, went to the BU girl (Did I mention her name is Tingting?) 's dorm for shower again as my dorm had only cold water for the first few days... watched her steaming her clay as it was too hard for molding XD

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全日都SMS唔到，原來得1仙。。。搞到冇得打BOWLING。。。
晚上又去左Tingting（BU girl）個DORM沖涼，因為之前果幾日我果邊冇熱水 ><

2011-08-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

No pix today~

The day was still beautiful after the acting class (the instructor turned out to be the director who screened me out...), as the classes so far were so interesting. Then it was the theatre business promotion were I saw the American girl from Japan again (which made her deserve a name - Kanon). Added tht course and the professor looks like Olivia Newton-John (now, not then).

The turn of mood was during Newspaper Practice, the instructor was strange and the things we did were even more strange (sell Ads??). (Update*) Anyway, he seemed happy to learn that I came from BU... (and a Chinese sophomore was also happy to learn that there is a Chinese (F*CK!) fellow!) hopefully he (they) don't expect too much...

Real problems arose during Politics and the Art. (Update*) I managed to analyze HP without really watching the entire series, but the people there seemed so deep and the movie he played was about Nazis, who spoke very fast without no subtitles. And the course itself is very demanding. Depression stroke back after a strange roommate agreement thing. The agreement itself is nothing but just kind of tired and sad, so hid in the Japanese guys' rooms for a while before they had to go to sleep.

Met another cute Japanese boy called Yutaro though~
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本來都很好的，所有堂都好似好得意（雖然newspaper很怪），但係Politics and the Art好似太高深又好多野做，睇戲又冇字幕，有都未必明。。。好sad的說。。。

2011-08-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

First day of school! The whole day was running around asking for signatures, as exchange students couldn't do it online.

Dropped International Business Law as I didn't have enough credits. Added Intro to Creative Writing (seems to be very interesting n promising~) and French (half an hour of introduction).
Then went for a walk again at those supermarkets before heading for dinner. During which met another girl from Japan who was actually a Chinese and speaks Cantonese so well.

We, together with Mattie and Tim mentioned before, went to the audition and saw an American girl from Japan from French class. Turned out she and Tim were professional and got the roles. Mattie also got a callback but I got nothing T-T
Even worse knowing tht Tim n Mattie both had no idea who Elizabeth Taylor/Audrey Hepburn was...........
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開學，周圍搵人簽名add/drop，跟住去左行超市，再返去試鏡失敗。。。

2011-08-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

Went to walmart with the BU girl and a vietnamese girl, driven by a friend of friend.
Didn't buy too much there like them, just cleaning supplies.
Back to Linfield, met with the academic advisor but we didn't discuss much abt subjects as I'm just an exchange student. Instead, I asked for his advice in travelling as he has been to 40 states (and 2x countries, but I won for Casablanca XD)

Then I went to the IM field again, where there was an activity fair and people can sign up for many clubs. I signed up for Chemistry Club (cos a japanese boy signed up n they make ice-cream!!!), Fencing, Spanish, French, Belly Dance, Habitat for Humanity (building houses for homeless), Theatre... (later added Greenfield -- environmental club n International club). I grabbed two japanese guy to walk with me and had dinner together 'cos I could see no one else.
Later that night, because of the walmart trip, finally did laundry.

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同BU同一個Vietnamese女仔搭FD'S FD架車去左Walmart，都唔係好平姐，冇咩買野
之後去左見advisor，但係因為冇major既煩惱，去左傾旅行~
跟住去左JOIN SOC/CLUBS，冇人陪所以捉左兩個日本少男，仲一齊食飯
晚上洗衫~

2011-08-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Meeting at 9am, just yet another ice breaker but it's more fun this time. We got to ask some strange questions and see if our classmates are relates to them. Eric, the faculty advisor of mine somehow knows that I have been to many places and speak many languages.
It was then the brunch time (meal plan includes brunch for weekends). Some students had a language test but HKBU students didn't, so I just unpacked a little more. Then I got nothing to do, so I found that BU girl again. She introduced me to another girl called Mattie. She was half Malaysian and was so funny! (a little sarcastic I must say...) We had a tour to both of their dorms before sitting or lying or the grass. (comfy but dirty)

After that, her (ex?) boyfriend Tim (funny) came and so as another classmate Sarah (weird and stuck up) and we went to the downtown. There was another girl called Megan and some unknown group in the same car (drove by some senior, probably from SU). We first when to an ice-cream cafe, which was quite nice mood-wise.
There was also a pizza house, antique store, clothing store, bookstore, record store....... etc. We just walked around and hang around until 5pm.

Then we had dinner and went back to the colloquium class where there was a meeting about "C.A.T.S." - Consent Awareness Training Squad, which is about sexual assault (Zzzz). After that I just walked around and there was nothing to do, so I went to the computer lab, where I met some international students and said to go to a "Music and Dessert" thing. But somehow they didn't show up as promised. I went there myself, but maybe it was too early? Nothing was set up and there was not music but people chatting. That's why I gave up and hanged out with a Vietnamese girl in the BU girl's dorm room. (THE BEST dorm!!!)

2011-08-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

Didn't sleep very well, but had to wake up at about 7am just to go to some International Student Meeting. It was a breakfast with some ice-breaking games. Then we went to see our colloquium (something that helps you to get used to life in Linfield) advisers and peer advisers. After a little chatting, we went to the Opening Convocation. This guy is pretty inspiring I remember, but I couldn't name anything he said now...

We were then sent back to the international program office (IPO) to have another round of (lunch) meeting. It's an information session with even more ice-breaking game. They always told you to eat but didn't stop keeping you busy.

At 4pm, we had a Playfair Event at the IM (? still no idea) Field. It was a huge ice-breaking game for newcomers to Linfield. Even though under strong sunlight it was fun, but it couldn't help you with making friends as you greet about 5x people during the event....

Then it's time for dinner~ (or more like picnic as we ate on the grass with our colloquium groups and there were meat and potato...) Seeing that our group was so detached, we were allowed to leave soon~

Night, there was a hall meeting and the students in our hall went out to play some games, which was like cops and thefts but it was so stupid, or I didn't feel like running. That's why I started talking to the Japanese guys and girls and met four of them.

Going to Linfield

2011-08-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Finally going to Linfield today, since it was quite late the night before and I didn't want to spend money, I skipped the dinner and was famished and thirsty that morning. It was quite good, not as basic as how sister has described. There were waffles at the other side and some really bitter tea as well.

Then they arranged me a car which first took me to Reef's (?) College, which was so pretty and close to Portland (the most metropolitan city in Oregon). And drove me back to wait for the coach.

Since the other family that was supposed to be in the same coach was nowhere to be seen, the driver waited for an entire hour before giving up, then he used his own car for easy driving (?). It was like a cab (see picture) so I didn't object~

After arriving and found that I have missed a lunch. I found my roommate and her family too busy decorating her side of the room that it was heartbreaking (as my side was going minimalism). Thus I found a girl from HKBU at 5pm and walked a little around the surrounding area. After we have finished, it was already 8 something (yup, I only ate breakfast at 9am that day in case you are wondering). We went to a Chinese restaurant (closed) and the pub beside it. The food was quite expensive so we shared a dish of rice. Maybe because the chef also Chinese? It was soooo large that we could not finish it...

Arriving the US

2011-08-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

So, about 25 hours ago, I left home with my assistant and two pieces of luggage and went to the HKIA. The trip to Taiwan was quite fast and the airport was prettier than I remembered.

Though promised with the emergency exit seat, it didn't happen and my seat was duplicated with the other woman. Then the air hostess changed the seat for me but it was too late to put the backpack up in the shelves, so I placed it under the chair but it's too large and the fat boy next to me kept stretching outward. The trip wasn't really that comfortable...

At LAX, it took a VERY long time before it's my turn to go to the immigration counter. Then some guy from China Airline blamed me for being slow (when he was holding what seemed to be a fast ticket on his hand... I don't know...) Then he kept running and had me pushing a 40+ -kg trolley to follow him. Then he just pointed to some distant corner of the airport and vanished, leaving me running around looking for the directions myself.

Upper parts, LAX; Lower parts, Portland

A few hours later, after failing in finding wifi in the airport but succeeding in the plane, I arrived Portland! (And after a few confusion, I was driven to the hostel~)
The hotel was nicer than I had thought, as I didn't expect anything but a bed... It had a place for shower, a hair dryer and wifi (reason for booking besides coach :P). It even has a swimming pool (not used)!