First week of classes -- done

I still have no idea which module to drop. I also have no idea whether I want to take Data Analysis here in Leeds or at home. I was just told I could get credit for it, but to be careful because the one here has more content, but less math. I looked at the one here, and it's basically all math.

Dilemma. What to drop? I'm so bad at decision making.

I just looked up an animal shelter because I was missing my cat and playing with animals, and the Yorkshire Animal Shelter is in Leeds, but pretty far away. It's farther than Bodington Hall, so it'd be expensive for me to go bus-wise. I don't even know if a bus is available. It'd be interesting to do some part-time volunteering at a shelter here though. If only it was closer!! I feel like my Hall is close enough to different places to be annoying -- too close to warrant buying a bus pass, but too far to walk comfortably to other places.

Today was a sunny day, and it was great. My friend bought me 2 mini owls for my room, and they are ADORABLE. I think my reputation as the crazy owl lady could easily be managed here, but I shall try to avoid it. The sad thing is the more owls I get here, the more I carry home. I can't leave them here.

I did my first round of laundry today in a dorm laundromat. It was odd. I should've cleaned off one pair of my jeans before putting them in the washer, but didn't, so I ended up scrubbing them myself for awhile afterwards. Yay me.

Orchestra in my hall is canceled this semester, but I'm thinking of joining the jazz band here if they'll let me. The only problem is that they rehearse at 6pm on Mondays, and I have a class that ends at 6, so that doesn't really work well for me. Yet this might be my only chance of doing a jazz band.

On the bright side, I have no class on Fridays for now, and I go to Liverpool on Saturday! :D

First day of classes -- DONE

So, my Cancer Biology course doesn't start until 6 weeks in, and then has about 2-3 hours of lecture a day. Until then though, my schedule is really tame. Today I had my guitar class, my data analysis class, and intro to genetics.

One small dilemma -- since I dropped and added a class, the department is now realizing that I have 70 credits worth of modules, and they want me to drop something so I have 60. This is so silly -- you can't take 50, you can't take 70. You have to have 60. Yet, before I did any changing to my schedule, my department had originally given me 70.

Why do I have to drop a class???

I have no idea what to drop. The only options I really have is to drop my guitar class, intro to drug design, or cancer biology. I won't get UIUC credit for intro to drug design or guitar most likely, but can for cancer biology. However, cancer biology has the craziest schedule in the world and it was actually a pain to arrange. Guitar class was awesome today, and although I might not get credit for intro to drug design, it's relevant to my major. ...But I don't technically need any of those 3 classes.

No way I'm dropping history, because I just spent a week trying to get that department to let me in. I'd be terrified to ask them to let me out, plus, I really think that course will be interesting.

I guess, no matter what, I'd get credit for these classes -- just for taking them. I won't get a choice to take intro to drug design or guitar over here, but there is cancer biology. I'm not sure if I'd have time to take cancer biology though.

Right now, my plan is to hope they'll let me take 70, or to ask to audit Cancer Biology. I want it to show that I attended those lectures...

What to do?

On a random note, I love my guitar class so far, although it's weird to get to my lecture theatre. The secretary has to buzz everyone in, because only music majors have access to the building. However, the secretary isn't the most pleasant person in the world. My data analysis professor kind of frightens me, but overall it doesn't seem too bad. No one really seems to talk to each other, unless they really know each other. Kind of awkward. My genetics class involved material I've seen before, but the professor seems like a lot of fun. I really like him.

Oooh... classes soon!

This weekend was a lot of fun. I woke up completely well rested today, and I got to see a lot of friends yesterday and today.

Saturday consisted of going to a cemetery and a medical museum, which was HUGE and fun and kind of creepy. (The creepy part was this one section where you have to walk through this dimly lit area to see all of these mannequins in pain, sick, or just in the area where they got sick, etc.) Overall, it was my kind of museum and I learned a lot. We spent about 3 hours there. This is a good sign, because my history class is basically going to be like the museum. With more details, of course.

The cemetery right across the street was really interesting. We actually didn't plan on going there, but we arrived at the museum too early. Some of the gravestones have been in there for a long time. I wish I could write more eloquently about walking through there, but I don't think I can. Walking through there itself was its own history lesson and makes you think more about your own mortality. Also, it was weird walking through there in the winter and seeing the bright green grass, plus all of the stones that the trees have grown around.

Afterwards, we headed down to Headingly, which is an area of Leeds filled with small stores, a lot being charity shops. So, I was able to get a "new" bag for 2 GBP, which has a lot of pockets and is big enough for my books. Very pleased with that purchase. I also got a light jacket for 7.50 GBP since sometimes my peacoat is waaaay too warm. The buildings here tend to be really warm (in my opinion). I just need to find some nice-looking everyday shoes. I do have my gym shoes, but since it's muddy, I prefer to not wear them because I don't want to ruin my gym shoes because they're for the gym.

Oxfam has a few stores, which I was interested to see. We didn't go in them though, because my friend told me they were more expensive than the others. However, someone living on my floor told me that the secondhand bookstore down there sometimes carries cheap textbooks, so I might wander down there sometime soon.

Sadly, to travel to Headingly and around Leeds by bus is kind of expensive. I typically pay around 1.70 GBP to get around. However, if I know ahead of time that I'll take the bus a few times in that day, I'll get a day pass which is 3.20 GBP. If it's nice though, I prefer to walk, because twice the bus drivers have completely skipped over my bus stop (and yes, I did ring the bell). Also, it's funny, because despite a Saturday's schedule including times until 3am in the morning, a day pass actually stops being valid at midnight. It would make more sense to me if they put the midnight to 3am times under Sunday.

Visiting my friends at Bodington Hall will be tough because it's so far away. :(

I went ice skating today, and the ice rink was really crowded. It was a lot of fun though, but waay more expensive than skating at home. Afterwards, we went to a Chinese buffet, which gave me my first real big pang of homesickness. I've been able to avoid it most of the time because everything I'm doing is different, plus I'm really busy or tired. Eating familiar food though that I'd normally get with my family without my family was sad. Hopefully, when tomorrow hits with my classes, I'll be able to get into more of a groove.

Also, it's funny, the buffet wouldn't serve us tap water, and one of the British guys with us told us that to deny us that water when we ask for it is actually illegal, but we didn't push it.

One of my classes, Cancer Biology, actually doesn't start until week 20, and this is week 14. So, until then, my schedule is pretty tame. My first class tomorrow is at 1pm. However, when Cancer Bio does start, it'll be incredibly weird. That class is not consistent with time or location at all. If I have a two hour block of time for that class, each hour is in a different lecture theatre. I'm going to talk to my department about that class tomorrow too, because for 2 weeks it actually conflicts with one of my other lectures. It's so weird!

:D I have my genetics class with someone on my floor! I can't believe that happened, but I'm really happy about it!

Sorry if my entries are so scatterbrained. Typically I'm tired, and I've said all of this before, so I don't feel any real motivation to make these organized.

Rain

It rained a lot today. My feet got very wet. Why did I choose to leave my rainboots at home? I got very, very wet. At least I did have an umbrella!

I decided to take the history course, and kind of had a stare-down with the person in the office. They said they could get me in the lecture, but not in the tutorial I needed. After trekking through the rain, going back and forth across campus to find the right form, her suggestion for finding something else after I got OFF the waiting list was not what I wanted to hear. So, she put me in the section (thankyouthankyou), but of course I had to go to my mandatory meeting which lasted until after 5pm, and the course I needed to drop could not be dropped today because the department decided to be closed today. (Why?)

I did get my student ID today though, which was exciting. I couldn't get it earlier this week because I needed my passport.

And now I'm waiting for my hair to dry before I go to bed for a fun-filled weekend with my friends. Most of the girls in my part of the hall have gone home, but I finally get to see my friends who've been here for the year. Medical museum + charity shopping tomorrow. Actually, starting in about 8 hours from now. I should probably get some sleep.

On a side note, the shower on my floor is actually nice. I did not expect that. I've been going down a floor to use the showers, because the one on my floor is just a bathroom with a curtained off showering area, and the ones below are actual shower stalls.

Trying

So.

It's been an interesting week so far. I've moved into my residence hall, and apparently the majority of students here live in halls their 1st year, but then find somewhere else afterwards. So, despite being one of the oldest here (I'm guessing), I feel very, very, very young. I get lost, and need people to show me how things work. It doesn't help that this is my first dorm experience. The good thing is that there are only about 10 girls in my area of Devonshire Hall, and so it's easier for me to meet all of them.

Trying to find modules have been a disaster. I had to drop Medieval Magic because it conflicted with Data Analysis, which is a course I can possibly get BioE credit for. I then tried to add some history and classics courses, and got rejected from all of them because the courses were full. Apparently the ones I keep signing up for are popular with international students, so they fill up quickly. A suggestion from other students and a Leeds student who gave my arrival briefing: take Traditional Alcoholic Beverages. After spending all day getting lost and trekking around campus, I located the Food Science department and they added me.

The most frustrating part of all of this is that I have to go to the department offices in person, and they're all open and closed at different times. Twice the office was supposed to be open, but no one was there. Plus, I don't know my way around campus, so running up and down stairs and hills (there's elevation here!!) and asking a lot of people where to go... little wonder why I caved for the alcohol class.

I know that sounds like a fun class for some, but it doesn't really sound like my kind of thing. If I do get my history class, I'll be at 70 credits, but I'm supposed to have 60. This is so confusing. You have to have 60, and you're not allowed to go below, and the discourage going above.

My choices:

http://webprod1.leeds.ac.uk/banner/dynmodules.asp?Y=200910&M=FOOD-1131

http://webprod1.leeds.ac.uk/banner/dynmodules.asp?Y=200910&M=HIST-2220

I wonder if I could get credit for the history course.

I feel uncomfortable walking back to my hall in the dark, and it gets WAY dark starting around 5pm. It's so strange. I'm debating getting a bus pass, but it's super expensive... but the park I have to walk by is apparently known for crime according to another international student.

On a side note, I've met a lot of Australian students, as well as students from Penn State, Wisconsin, and California.

A flu shot = flu jab. I'm pretty sure the posters for the swine flu here, which features a guy mid-sneeze with stuff flying everywhere, is the sarcastic doctor from Scrubs.

Battling with Blogger

Sorry if my posts are weird with fonts and size. I don't know what I did. I think I'm too tired to figure this out. Also, I know a lot of you are reading almost the exact same thing I wrote in an email -- it's just difficult for me to tell people the same thing in different ways. If you want a more interesting tale, just Skype call me.

Also, apparently switching the time setting meant switching the time for all of my previous posts. If you know how to fix that, please let me know.

Day 3 (First day of Orientation)

Well, I haven't actually gone to Orientation yet. Today's a pretty easy day, and I don't have to be there until 11am. I think I'll be done for lunch. Hopefully I can pick up another welcome packet, because I already lost mine. Tomorrow's the biggest day for Orientation, including my department's one, which will be good. They told us today was easy because the majority of the international students come today.

So far all of the girls in my hall have been really nice and helpful, but I've noticed that in the dining hall the people tend to stick together, so it's been hard for me to break into different conversations. Hopefully it'll get better. Here I have breakfast (8-9am) and dinner (5:15-6:30pm), and I think waking up for breakfast might kill me. People think I'm still jet lagged, but I think I'm over it already -- but trying to get used to waking up early. On top of that, I always feel incredibly awkward trying to make new friends, and at home if you break into a middle of a conversation in the dining hall, it didn't seem terribly weird. Here, I've already been told that to just stick your hand out and go, "Hi, I'm Jo," right at the beginning is already being more forward than they're used to. So I've toned down a bit, and hope that making friends will just come along with me being too forward or rude.

One good thing about Leeds -- 8am classes might be nonexistent, and 9am classes are rare. When I mentioned that I usually attended classes from 8am-5pm with a couple hour breaks where I did research, people were shocked, and thought I might find the pace relaxing here.

I think I'll take a nap now (if I can) before Orientation.