Classes, Shopping, and Miscellaneous Things

            Unfortunately I could no longer think of this trip as a vacation because, as the term "study abroad" implies, it was time to study. Well, as much as one has to during syllabus week. At UMAC, there is an add/drop period during the first week of the semester, so the classes act as if this is like a trial run for the students and it made for a chill week overall. One of my first classes was Cinema Studies, and as the only exchange student in the class, I think my teacher asked me a dozen questions about my thoughts on the film industry in the first lesson. Good thing I'm pretty open and talkative, especially since it seems like everyone in this class fears for their lives every time they are asked a question. Although apparently this class will be anything but interesting as the teacher proclaimed ten times in the first class that the films we will be watching will be long and boring and to not get too excited. However, I did see Psycho on the syllabus, so I'm wondering just how accurate that statement is.
            I'm also taking Digital Graphics this semester, the only artsy sounding class I can take because I suck at drawing. This class is basically about photoshop and overanalyzing the different emotions you can draw from people by changing a background color from grass green to apple green. I don't know, could be fun. Also, the teacher is from the US and, of course, speaks English very well. I'm glad that I know an adult on campus that can understand me perfectly.
            On the other side of the spectrum, my Personality Psychology teacher's English is not that good, and his accent is very thick. While I think that this class would be very interesting, I decided to drop it and add a different class. I just hope it goes through alright, because I don't know if I could survive a whole semester taking guesses on what the heck he's saying.

A very shaky representation of the Venetian

            Other than these few things, my first week of classes was actually pretty unexciting. I still got lost a handful of times, but it wasn't nearly as bad as last week. I'm slowly getting used to the bus system and I understand it so much better compared to when I first came. However, this did not prevent me from going on an adventure by myself yesterday to find a nice outfit for a school event and screwing up multiple times trying to find Venetian casino mall and back. But this mall is HUGE. I was having a little trouble finding the way out but I saw this one employee dressed like he popped out of Shakespeare or something with a feathered hat, tights, and crazy old suit jacket. Then I thought, this guy looks like he should speak English, and thankfully he did. He helped me find the exit, but I thought it was hilarious. I've never been in a casino before, and the Venetian has a waterway and gondola rides throughout the mall! The stores look like Italian buildings and the ceiling was painted like the sky in some parts and murals in others. I was in a bit of a hurry, despite the three hours I spent trying to find my way around and get what I needed, so I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures. But I do have a video from my SnapChat just to give you a small look.

Yup this is the inside of the mall

            I'm actually planning on going back on Monday with my friends who actually know their way around, so I'll get more photos then and put them in an album for you. I need to go back because despite the fact that there is an H&M (thank God) and was able to get a dress pretty easily, I failed in finding dress shoes since the only shoe stores I could find specialized in the expensive and ugly kind. Luckily my friends have a couple ideas of places I can try, so hopefully I will redeem myself on Monday!
            Although, my time at the store did make me aware of something. In my 20 years of experience shopping in the United States, there is a certain etiquette that everyone generally follows. Whatever you do, you try your best to not touch anyone. You are aware of everyone around you to make sure you don't bump into them, you maneuver yourself so that you don't bother anyone while squeezing past, and even if you slightly brush the side of their shopping bag, it's an automatic apology. Based on my three hours shopping here, I don't think this is necessarily the case, at least for a good portion of the population. It was a little bit harder to avoid people, and I think I got nudged three times and no one really cared. This may be an inaccurate understanding of what it's like to shop here, but I that's at least what I experienced yesterday.

This was one of those days.

            In terms of settling in with the food here, I've been doing well I think. Rice is definitely a necessity here since I've been eating it once or twice daily since I arrived. It's a good thing I like rice. While there are quite a few places to eat on campus, there is only one where you can eat with your meal plan. That would be your Residential College, or someone else's if your visiting them. For the most part, it's the same thing everyday. Rice, mystery meat, mystery vegetables, and mystery soup. They are mainly a mystery because I can't really tell for sure what it is until I ask, and even then I can't really understand the workers too well. I've mostly stayed away from the mystery soup, and the mystery vegetables aren't too bad, but sometimes there is this mystery fish mixed in with it that I pick apart. The mystery meat usually ends up being pieces of chicken with it still on the bone, which makes it a little hard to eat with just chopsticks and a spoon. But sometimes, a glorious day comes when it's actually pretty good.
            Oddly enough, I noticed that some of the other RCs have different options when it comes to food. I've visited my friend's dorm to eat a couple times, and they have noodles all the time! I've never had noodles at my dorm 😞. According to my roommate who ate at another RC with our friend, that RC had DESSERTS. I've never had desserts at my dorm, though it's probably for the best 😞. Luckily, if I'm ever sick of the rice and questionable food, I can go to the Pacific Coffee on campus, and they have paninis and other good things😋. Well, they are premade and heated up for you, and the prices for coffee are comparable to Starbucks, but students have 30% off and as long as I get Western-like food I don't really care!
            I realized that I jumped around a lot here, but there wasn't any one big thing that happened this week. Also, I didn't take too many pictures, but I promise I'll add some more to my gallery when I go out to the mall again. Seriously, this place looks nuts. Thanks for the continued support, let's see what next week brings here at UMAC!

再见！

TL;DR: Classes started, can't really understand one of my teachers, I'm still getting lost, somehow I thought I could get to town on my own without problems, there were problems, why are shoes so ugly and expensive, thanks Shakespeare guy, and the food is a little mysterious.