Archive for February, 2010

« Older Entries

Just a Minute (February 2010)

February 28th, 2010 by Manda | 5 Comments | Filed in Life

On the last day of every month, I take Just a Minute to reflect on what I’m currently up to.

Feeling… tired. Like, perpetually so. I think most of this is stemming from the fact that I am so busy that I haven’t gotten a chance to sleep in for weeks!

Studying… non-stop. This week is midterm for me, so I have exams and/or papers every day this week. I have so much I need to do to prepare for each exam and I’m starting to panic about whether or not I can get all my prep work done in time.

Excited… for spring break! I can’t even explain how much I am looking forward to go home. It’s not that I’m unhappy at school, but I definitely need a break from school, work, and friends.

Applying… to my first-choice study abroad program for the next academic year. I have one last portion of the application to submit and then my application is complete! I should hear back from my program about my acceptance in about two weeks.

Craving… my mother’s home-cooked food. She is the best cook I know, hands down, and I don’t particularly enjoy eating cafeteria food day in, day out.

Loving… my close friends, both online and offline. (You all know who you are.)

Organizing… my life in a shiny new planner. I’ve never used one before, and I’m now finding that I can’t live without it. I use it to keep track of everything, from what I’m doing to how much money I spend.

Saving… money. I’m rigorously keeping track of my expenses for the first time ever, and once I have some kind of idea how much I need for food, transport, etc. each week I’m going to figure out what is the best percentage for me to deposit into my savings account from every paycheck. If I want to travel as much as I hope to in the next few years, I need to work on saving every penny.

Thankful… that my busy schedule has proven to be a blessing in disguise. There’s been more drama this semester than any other semesters, if that’s even possible, but luckily I am not directly involved in any of the drama since I’m too busy to be around to cause any.

Keeping… all those affected by the Chilean earthquake this past weekend in my thoughts and prayers.

Tags:

What Actually Happened

February 26th, 2010 by Manda | 8 Comments | Filed in Friends, School

While many of the guesses as to what happened were very creative, none of them were actually close to the mark. But a common theme was the language ability of myself and the three boys, so I should say that I, as well as the boys, all have an intermediate working knowledge of Mandarin.

I’m not sure how well I will tell this story seeing as there’s a bit of a backstory to explain, but I’ll do my best. It’s also quite convoluted and bizarre!

Next year, I want to study abroad in Beijing on a year-long program. I have three guy friends that, as of now, are also planning on participating in the program. Two of the three (Boy 1 and Boy 2) will only be studying abroad in Beijing in the fall, while the other (Boy 3) is also going to be there for a year. Boy 1 and Boy 2 are friends and I have known them since the first day of Chinese class freshman year. Boy 3 does not know the other boys and I have only known him since the beginning of this semester.

In the Beijing study abroad program, there are two options for study: a regular track or a language immersion track. In the regular track, you take classes taught in English about Chinese history, politics, economics, etc. In addition, you can take a Chinese language course on top of the English-taught classes. In the language immersion track, you only study Chinese. It’s an intensive program that really focuses on learning and using the language; students in the program usually are housed together and pledge to speak only Chinese during the course of the immersion. This pledge might interfere with how social immersion students are with the regular students as it has the potential to create a language barrier depending on the individuals’ level of spoken Chinese.

(more…)

Tags:

Try and Guess What Happened

February 25th, 2010 by Manda | 9 Comments | Filed in Friends

I never once imagined I’d be shouting “Don’t leave me! Come back, come back!” in an overcrowded dining area as one of my friends left me. You know how when people pretend to walk away from you just to make a point? Well, those people usually come back after taking a few steps away from you. This friend, however, didn’t. He kept marching away and went out the door without a look over his shoulder.

He left me distraught by the entrance of our cafeteria, where I was getting some very strange looks from those in the middle of eating for my dramatic theatrics.

If anyone can guess what happened for said scene to occur, they get a (to be determined) prize. The answer will be revealed in my next entry.

Here are some hints about what the situation involved:

  • Study abroad
  • Three boys
  • Speaking Chinese
  • The definition of loyalty
  • One increasingly distraught girl (me)

It also was actually a very amusing incident for everyone but me as I was, um, distraught, so I’m excited to see what people come up with as a plausible explanation!

Tags:

« Older Entries