FWOC, FMAT

Aka, "First [Official] Week Of Classes, For Me At Least." With about 30 people waiting at the bus stop when I arrived this morning, I was almost certain I was going to have to walk to campus. Yesterday morning I had missed the bus by about 15 seconds, so I knew it wasn't that bad of a walk, but I was feeling lazy like always. Luckily, the bus driver stopped farther back than he usually does, so I somehow managed to be the first on. This was going to be a good day.

I figured out how to locate books in the library, check them out myself, and print things off all before my morning class. The library staff were exceptionally helpful despite my dumbfounded looks and strange accent. My financial reporting lecturer is somewhere from Egypt or the middle East so I can hardly understand him. It's a good thing I'm used to taking business classes from international professors though; just give me about two weeks and I'll be able to decipher what he says. Until then, I'll just have to listen extra hard to catch everything he says about the ASC and SSAPs and IFRSs and the IASC and IOSCO (I counted them up: 14 total acronyms about financial accounting standards in a one-hour lecture. Bleck!). Studio photography today was just as challenging too; my professor taught us about exposure placement and light meters and the inverse square law and dark room developing and and and... let's just say that I'm SO thankful I don't have classes tomorrow. My brain needs a break.

After heating up a frozen pizza and garlic bread (accompanied by 3 cups of heavenly sweet tea), I started looking up tickets for the Coldplay concert. Aaand apparently they are sold out. Mind you, the concert is in June. So I checked some of the other venues they'll be playing in England, and all of those were sold out too. I guess since Coldplay came from London, they would naturally be really popular here. I probably should have thought about that. Oh well, I'll just have to find something else to save for!

Tomorrow will be a get-things-done day. I'm hoping to do a load of laundry, find a post office, buy some real bowls/cups/silverware (we've been washing plastic cups and forks for over a week now, so it's probably time to invest in something that won't break after 3 uses), find a book satchel, and put some finishing touches on a presentation for Thursday.

- The sinks have separate faucets for hot and cold water, so your hands are either molten lava hot or freezing cold.

- Copy/printer paper is skinnier and taller than what we have in the US, so all the handouts I've been given stick out of my notebook just a tad. Makeshift dividers? I'll take it!

- Even the library is super eco-friendly; the lights have motion sensors that automatically turn on/off when you pass through all the aisles.

- People are just so friendly and helpful, including both the students/staff at the university and the locals in general.

- I suddenly miss wearing my Chacos back home.

- My cereal has penguins on it :)