UCSD!!!!!! :-D

helllloooooo from sunny SD!!! (well, it JUST went behind a cloud but thats ok...)
so i know i was really bad at posting that i got back, but this thing called fast internet in my room really does wonders!
its actually been quite a journey down here.... as i might have mentioned, i didnt have a place to live down here until a few days before christmas, and i never received confirmation of this however.....
i drove down with my parents, arriving at UCSD just after dark on saturday, called the # to meet the RA, who first told me they couldnt find my folder. yikes, but ok... when i was able to meet her, i got a set of keys, but she told me not to unpack bc there wasnt ANYBODY's name on the room so i might have to move. blah. fine. after hanging with some cool peeps all night, but NOT meeting my roommates, i got to reunite with my newman center peeps at mass! By sunday night, i had met all 3 roommates, kim, sunny, and kelly, but my room was rapidly decomposing because i was still not unpacking, but had 4 classes on monday, 2 of which actually required work in advance! lame! ( aka, point #1 that i'm not in kansas anymore, toto....)
point #2: i dont know all the white people here. granted, i am sill most definitely a minority to all the asians, but it was definitely strange to drive around campus and stare at all the oburunis (white ppl/foreigners, who are no longer foreigners, i realize.... well, maybe they are, but ya....)...
point #3: campus is DANGEROUS!!! people walk so fast! and there are ppl on BIKES and SKATEBOARDS (ok, myself included for the first time this morning, but its been a few days) - totally almost got run over by a biker and jumped in fright at another one on monday!
point #4: 1st lecture, bio was a bit of a trip - the prof had a microphone, my seat was comfy, and he used a powerpoint. woa.
point #5: i had to do pre-lab work BEFORE lectures started.....whaaaaaaat? add that to the stress of not being able to move in and being asked a ton of questions on what activities i'm gonna get involved in this quarter....blaaaaaaaah!
point #6: i made a conscious decision to go print some papers for my lab at the library BEFORE i went to check about my room because i was SURE i was going to have to sit and wait for someone for way too long! nope! i just talked to one person, she said everything was fine with my room, and apologized a million times that i had to wait for less than 5 minutes. woooot!
but the whole unpacking thing took a while- i still ahve a box of kitchen stuff that hasnt made it downstairs yet, but i rearranged everything to my liking, and FINALLY today felt at home when i finally set up my speakers! woot! soooo excited
anyway, ive had a really really good week. i've been very social, catching up with people before the quarter eats up all of our time, and its been absolutely amazing. i'm so happy!!!! i'm actually still enjoying my classes, (ochem lab, analytical chem lab, intro to policy analysis (polisci), and 2 frosh courses, bio and physics) especially since the labs look to be much less hassle than the one i took last quarter, and we're finally able to use what we've learned in class, not just spew numbers! or maybe they're just so refreshingly interesting after all this history last quarter hehehehe....
i also really like my apt- its pretty much smack in the middle of campus, i can almost see 2 of my lectures from my room, and its only a 5-10 min walk from i-house! the kitchen and living rooms are less than half the size of last year, but not really tripping about that bc my cooking buddies are still in the beautiful i-house/erc apts...woot! everything's working out with the roommates, we dont really hang out, but that works too!
anyway, its been a really good week for transitions too - a lot of decisions, comparing my life in ghana to here, and what parts (incl personality traits) i want to keep or will be able to keep. i def have a different view on a lot of things, which i know, is like the reason for studying abroad, right? but i really wasnt expecting it, bc its not about my worldview, like i called european colonialists bad names before, was into the social justice and a more balanced learning of the world BEFORE i left. that hasnt changed much, but other than laughing more at people who whine, emo people, racial remarks, and people who watch youtube vidoes all day, (all of which might go away eventually), i think i have changed. i didnt have internet in my room til tuesday afternoon, and i didnt have my printer set up til yesterday, and i didnt freak out. i think i managed to become more patient and calm for the time being, but we'll see if those things continue throughout the quarter....and beyond!! heh. some of that i really hope so! but i could really use a less expensive meal around here, or a bit more downtime before classes go crazy on me heh, but its all good, right?
thanks for listening again! much <3, and since i'm not sure if i'll be posting more, please do email me at ajatucsd@gmail.com or my aim and skype names are both ajatucsd so please do let me know how things are going with you!

peace,
anita