20:25, Monday, Nov. 25, 2013
0650: wake up for orientation. Meet with Karmen and eat baozi for breakfast. I think I wake my roommate.
0800: meet with people and go for orientation, and then meet our language buddies. Mine was very cool and international and fashionable looking, seemed just like her emails. She's a fourth year majoring in chemistry. Conversation was ok at the beginning, died a bit in the middle, but then we got onto the topic of China vs. Australia universities/jobs/careers/life etc. and it went pretty good. We'll meet again somehow.
1100: went for free lunch banquet. Food is alright, not my style, very Beijing. Sat with some people I knew (Jeremy, Vanessa, Karmen, Bridghe) and met some newer people. It's difficult, because Brighde reminds me of Jennifer Mai, and everyone else is nice, but its hard to balance between different kinds of people without excluding people. I don't know how people do it.
1300: We go for afternoon class. I'm with everyone in 1D, 2B and 3B. Speaking: everyone introduces themselves in Chinese. Mine was pretty awkward, but I found out more about a lot of people. The teacher was pretty easy to understand and she was very nice and good. Writing teacher was just like Chinese tutor at Usyd: shit. Literally falling asleep. Level seems alright, although hard for me because I don't speak it/understand it well. A lot of vocab to learn though.
1700: Me and Karmen go to buy some goods and then buy dinner at a cafeteria. We realise that we barely go to cafeterias, and we need to finish using the money on our mealcards. I accidentally buy something very spicy, so I ditch half of it in the bin. Well it was cheap anyway.
1900: I return to the dorm; my roommate is out. I shower and then skype with my parents, who have been asking about it since I left. I kind of feel bad for ignoring them, so I chat with them until my roommate comes back.
It is cold but very hot inside.
It is very dry; I bought some chapstick.
I wish I brought more coats to wear.
Karmen is love, but at times I just want to ditch her and meet some new Sydney people.
Studying right now.
Still haven't talked with my roommate.