First week of school!

I've no time to describe just how wonderful everything's been. This is ironic because I'm averaging 2-3 classes a day and have a lot of free time; all at once it's not because there's so much more to do and feel and search for than there is/was/is(?) back home. Anyway, I shall make this short and sweet! :)

1. Stability. I was a bit lost (both geographically and mentally) for the first few days, but now I'm settling into the routine of school and I like it.

2. Stimulation (ergo joy!). There's just so much! Of what? Of everything! It's mind-blowing. Research and career opportunities, professors/Nobel prize-winners with time to spare for lowly undergraduates, clubs to join (performing arts, business, community service, greek life, you name it!), intellectual discussions, beautiful and interesting historical things (Pennsylvania is the Independence State, after all).

3. Intellectual discussions. These deserve a section of their own. I'm so happy that they happen everywhere, all the time, without being "try-hard" or arrogant or anything. It just comes naturally here! On the way to the gym, in between classes, going home from a party -- all the time! It's also amusing how sometimes, the topics themselves don't seem very intelligent/relevant, but the fact that the conversation happens is intellectual still. Like this funny story: one night, on our way home (slightly drunk) from a party, everyone just started speaking in foreign languages. As in, laughing, shouting, stumbling across the street and fooling around in French, Spanish, Armenian, Italian -- whatever someone in the group knew, it was being spoken! :)) I threw in some Tagalog too but it sounded so...kanto. Haha! Another time, this random kid sat down at our table (this was around 2 am at Allegro's pizza place) and he started talking politics. Eric (my hallmate), who was absolutely plastered, was literally screaming arguments with the guy. It was so funny! Even in weird moments like that, I feel like I'm gaining so much from being in this environment.

4. Studies. I'm pretty happy with my courses this semester: MATH 104 (Calculus I), ECON 001 (Intro to Microeconomics), PSYC 001 (Intro to Experimental Psychology) and PSCI 150 (International Relations Theory and Practice). My favorites so far are international relations (IR) and Econ because they both have such interesting subject matter! IR is reading-heavy, but it's not a pain because it's enjoyable. Econ rocks because my professor is so cool. She always blasts music before class starts, so as soon as you enter the lecture hall you feel hyped up. She looks around and smiles at us as we enter, and it looks like she's observing/analyzing us in some way that would be creepy except it's not because it's such a professor-ly thing to do haha. Psych is pretty cool, too, but quirkier than any of my other classes. Last Tuesday we watched a video of rat sex... in SLOW MOTION. : Ah, the things we do for observation's sake. Haha and Math... ah, Math. I still enjoy it, and I love my professor because he's like a cute old man teaching a little kid advanced integration. The others might find it slow, but it's just perfect for me, considering how at AC we only reached limits -- the intro to the intro to calculus. It's different here, more difficult. At times I've wondered what I'm doing here because everyone my preparation and knowledge base just seems so much smaller than everyone else's. Maybe it's my capacity/potential to learn, as opposed to what I already know? I don't know. But I really hope I do well here. I'm surely trying. :)

5. Boys. Haha.

What else? Lots, I'm sure. Ask me, I'll make kwento :P