I figured out that I won't need to have my paper done until August 19th. Of course I don't need that much time, but it gives me a lot more room than the July 20th deadline I had decided on with Kate.
Lately I've been preparing myself to do some more traveling. Rhode Island around this time of year will be humid, which I got used to being in Shanghai. Like I said, my skin even seems to prefer the moisture in the air. We'll be there on July 4th too, and that should be fun. We plan to rent a car for a few days and then stay at a few different places, unlike the last few times where we would just stay at Jess's Grandpa's house and use his car. We'll only be there for ten days as well. Other than that we really have no plans. We've thought of maybe taking a trip up to New York or Boston since I've never seen either of those cities, but we don't know for sure what to do yet. I'm sure we'll be able to decide once we get there. I won't be bringing my skateboard this time either, which unfortunately means I'll be taking yet another week off from skating. And I guess I won't be getting back into making music until I get that paper done, but I have a few bubbling ideas as far as that frontier goes. My next post might be from somewhere in Rhode Island.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Untitled
My desktop PC is finally up and running. I ended up needing a new hard drive as well, so my mom pitched in for that, and then her friend who fixed the computer for me swapped out my other two hard drives and just partitioned the new one. So everything is running great. I didn't even upgrade my processor speed and it's still pretty fast. Now I feel like I can get somewhere with my paper. I'm supposed to go see my professor about that today, but it appears to be raining. It has definitely been difficult getting used to the dry weather of San Diego. Needless to say, my skin hasn't been very happy about that. Other than that, I've just been mentally preparing to travel to another hot and humid region.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
This Week
This week so far has been good. Jess has been helping get back into the regular routine of things by going with me to all of our favorite spots to eat, and doing all of the things we enjoy doing. Spending so much time together has been and is going well. With all the eating I've been doing I'm hoping to gain some of the weight I lost being in China. Tomorrow I go back to work, and this weekend I would like to attempt to skate. I've also sort of been putting off beginning this paper, which might be due soon. There's just so much going on that I don't want to even think about it yet. I hope I have more time than I think I do. I also would like to be able to work on it with my desktop computer, but I still don't have it fixed. It's going to be a pain setting everything up on it again, but I guess this is just something that happens every once in a while to most people. Maybe the fresh start will be a good thing. As for everything else, this coming up week would be a good time to get something productive done because by the end of it I'll be out of town again for a week and a half. Well, when everything is all said and done, I hope I'll have a sufficient amount of time to spend the rest of the Summer in a constant state of relaxation. Let's not even think about the Fall semester.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
In A Nutshell
As I should have known, Blogger is banned in China, so I was not able to write like I normally would have wanted to. On the flip side, I did keep an extensively detailed personal diary that I feel is too voluminous to just dump onto my readers right here all at once. To make things easier, mostly on myself, I will simply summarize my trip in a few concise words. Every bit of it was good and every detail is worth sharing, but I’d just like to keep it to a minimum for now (in the future I make references to subtle experiences I may have had, and that should cover the basis).
For one, I’d like to mention that my worst mistake was not bringing either my Chinese textbook or my Chinese to English dictionary with me. I didn’t realize it, but the software I usually use at home to help me with my Chinese homework is not made for Mac. Secondly, after using my iBook laptop for the duration of the trip, I now realize that I should invest in something more up to date. This will also be beneficial to my music-producing hobby, and I may go for a PC notebook. As a side note to this, I should also mention that while I was gone my PC motherboard at home burned out, so I had to help Jess with replacing that. I sort of knew it was going to go at some point, but I was hoping to dear Heaven that it would not be any time this soon. Just another financial setback to deal with on the electronics front (I know this stuff isn’t important at all, but I can’t get it off of my mind right now).
As you may have been informed, Steve G’s bachelor party was the night before my flight. It was a good time at the Imperial House, with cards and craps in the mix, and parental figures whom I haven’t had a chance to talk to in a while. Everyone was really stoked that I was on my way to China, and I was really stoked for Steve’s marriage. Things didn’t get too out of hand, luckily, so I made it to bed at a reasonable time, although waking up near 7 AM wasn’t exactly the easiest part.
Jess drove me up to LAX on her own (without my parents), and it surprisingly wasn’t as confusing as I thought it would be. I should have brought more than a square of baked tofu for a snack though because the plane food was basically a vegetarian’s nightmare. Leaving her at the airport was also the hardest part, and for the first few days I was really broken up about being away from her so long. But the constant communication was a plus, and by the end of the first week, we were already anticipating our reunion.
The plane ride there was probably the worst part. It was 14 hours long; like I said, a vegetarian’s nightmare; and on top of that, I couldn’t sleep for any of it. When we finally touched down, we had a little run-in with the authorities because someone in the group was born in Mexico, as evidenced by his passport. They do not kid around about Swine Flu in China, but there were no problems in the end, just a few hoops to jump through.
We were all very exhausted by the time we reached campus, but the faculty leader, Peter, who picked us up from the airport, would not let us rest just then. So we ended up going out to eat around 8 or 9 PM, and this is where everyone learned about my dietary choices, and where I faced the first challenge of being a vegetarian in China, which I thought was going to be easy. Needless to say, I did not eat much that whole first day. This also where we learned how to eat like the Chinese, which included sharing and not asking questions.
Our dorm rooms at the ECNU campus were really nice upon arrival as well – fully equipped with internet, shower and toilet, teakettle, and daily room service. They pretty much treated us like royalty because our program was the first of its kind. For me, my advantage was having my own room, as the guy I was supposed to room with had trouble getting his visa last minute. No one was sure when or if he would come, so people kept coming up with dates based on e-mails from him but he ended up never showing up. I still feel bad about him missing out on so much after having gone through so much trouble to get here. He didn’t even get to tag along with the few others who decided to stay and take a trip up to Beijing after the end date.
Of course it took the group about two or three days to overcome the jetlag, but we were not really given time to. The first day was jam-packed with activities, and we learned first-hand what it meant to be Chinese, which meant having to walk at least 10 miles a day around the city. In that first week of being in Shanghai road the bus, metro, or cab to the zoo; the Bund (both walking from Nanjing East and a night cruise); Nanjing Road (which I later visited many a times, mainly for the cuisine, health food store, and temple); Shanghai Exhibition Center and Museum; Zhujia Jiao (a water village); Xintian Di (the French concession); Yu garden; all the while eating a ton of food cooked in MSG. These were all group-led activities, and this was before regular classes even began. After classes began, things started to slow down, but we were still able to do some neat stuff around the city, either on our own, or as a collective unit. For me, this was when I was able to buckle down and begin my special study research on Buddhism. Lilly Cheng, an SDSU faculty member who led most of the activities was kind enough to have a professional tour guide who is a friend of hers show me around to some of the temples. Jeffery, one of the ECNU faculty, also showed me around a bit even though he was less informed about Buddhism itself, but he was able to help me talk to people. After that I was on my own. By the second week I had learned that I was going to be on my own a lot of the time, which was fine with me, and this gave me opportunity to visit some of the vegetarian restaurants in the city. It just felt a bit awkward being so individualistic in a collectivist society, but it was good to get a full meal. Plus the cab fare was all on me, which probably did the most damage to me financially overall.
The few things I’d say I missed the most by this second week were: Jess, skateboarding, playing music, and being able to cook my own meals. I was able to keep in touch with Jess either over the internet or the phone, which was good, but when my computer broke down, it became a little bit more expensive and inconvenient. In my entire time in Shanghai, I only managed to see three or four people with skateboards or skateboarding. Most could do no more than an ollie, so I was super tempted to try to show them some other tricks. I just did not have an opportunity to. Apparently rollerblading is more popular than skateboarding, despite the fact that nearly every building in the city is surrounded by untouched marble. As for music, I still could mess around with beats on my iBook, but as I said, it became a real pain after a while. I also didn’t bring nearly enough CDs with me to listen to. I figured I’d only need a few (15 or so), but while there I ended up craving some of the ones I passed up. Not being able to cook was kind of a drag too because it was very hard to find stuff I could snack on, especially around breakfast time. Luckily the Jade Buddha Temple sold snack food, and luckily I was able to find a quasi-health food store that sold products familiar to me. My only other alternatives were to go out to restaurants, either with everyone else where I’d probably end up starving anyhow, or by myself where I’d eat well but feel a bit awkward. Cafeteria food was also available, but not very good.
The best parts of my short-lived three-week stay in Shanghai were the trips to Zhujia Jiao and Hangzhou. Zhujia Jiao was just neat because it was a water village that represented local Chinese life. While it was a bit touristy, the natives were clearly dependent much less on the city life. The local cuisine was amazing too, which included Zongzi and “Stinky” Tofu. Hangzhou was even more amazing because it was similar to Shanghai in the sense that it was a fairly large and developed city, but it was much cleaner and greener. We only stayed there for two days, so by the end I wanted to live there. The tea (Dragon Well), which was native to the region, was excellent, and of course I bought a ton to bring with me. Marco Polo once called it “Paradise on Earth,” which was probably true in the 13th century.
Other fun things that we did included attending an acrobatic show, and going clubbing. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about partying as some of the younger folk (20-23 years old), but I managed to get out there a few times. It was fun. Some ended up doing more adventurous things, like going to Beijing for the free weekend, or going to the opera, or visiting the Pearl Tower. Being the stickler that I am, I was happy with just visiting temples while everyone else was in class, or just relaxing over the weekend. I originally planned a trip to Suzhou over my free weekend. One of Jess’s coworker’s parents live there, and she said they said I’d be more than welcome to stay with them. Unfortunately, my stomach began to feel weird on Friday night, and Saturday I didn’t really have a chance to eat until dinner. So by Sunday I was wrought with a bout of a painful come-and-go stomachache that was accompanied by diarrhea. It actually lasted for a few days because I didn’t think to bring medicine for such an emergency. It was painful, but I started to feel better by mid-week. At least I can maintain my old diet now that I’m back in the states in order to nurse myself back to regular health. Anyway, besides that, the whole group really bonded, so it was not hard to just go out and have a good time or to spend copious amounts of hours together. I’ll miss those kids if I end up never seeing them again. Most of them live near campus (SDSU, that is), so I don’t see why wouldn’t see each other outside of China.
It was just amazing to be immersed in the Chinese culture, especially for me, as I’ve been studying it for so long. Some expectations, of course, were let down, but I didn’t really have any bad experiences. Shanghai during the Summer was a bit humid, but it didn’t bother me that much at all. It even rained more than I thought. The people were extra nice and accommodating at all times, even for foreigners. I was even able to use what little bit of Chinese I did know to my advantage, and I have come to truly love the sound of the language, and the culture itself. I also liked how everything was so cheap. I scored so many deals on things that would normally be expensive in the states, like cheap knock-offs and other junk, and I even had a little bit of fun bargaining whenever possible (even though I wasn’t very good at it; I always felt guilty for asking for too little). My field research on Buddhism was also quite enlightening. It was a unique project, and I think just being there and interacting with the people was more valuable than any book or article. I definitely will go back, perhaps to do more research or for leisure, but most importantly hopefully with Jess. Hopefully I will get to see other parts of Asia in the near future as well. Sometimes I prefer the way the Chinese do little things to the way Americans do things, but I know that these things will not change. When it comes to food, I think I will probably miss the way the Chinese place so much importance on eating. In America, people don’t seem to know how to taste food, or to want to experience it the fullest. While I thought it was difficult at times to eat vegetarian in China, ultimately I agreed with the way that the Chinese ate; how they shared food and how eating wasn’t about just about getting something on the go (although that is definitely coming into the culture a bit). I’ll also miss the way the Chinese make mushrooms taste so delicious and the variety of meat substitutes they can make. Chinese restaurants in America will never be viewed the same by me ever again. But I also know I must remove myself from the mindset of being in China. I was actually afraid I would have more culture shock in coming back to American than going to China for the first time. On the other hand, I’m glad to be back in the U.S. where I can maintain a healthy diet (i.e. not starving half the time), and where the air is much cleaner. I actually developed a cough by the second week that just wouldn’t let up, and I attributed that to the poor quality of air. You’d be surprised how a subtle change in geography can affect a person’s body rhythms so drastically. This week I plan to give all of my time to Jess and to re-adjusting to my old comfortable routine.
For one, I’d like to mention that my worst mistake was not bringing either my Chinese textbook or my Chinese to English dictionary with me. I didn’t realize it, but the software I usually use at home to help me with my Chinese homework is not made for Mac. Secondly, after using my iBook laptop for the duration of the trip, I now realize that I should invest in something more up to date. This will also be beneficial to my music-producing hobby, and I may go for a PC notebook. As a side note to this, I should also mention that while I was gone my PC motherboard at home burned out, so I had to help Jess with replacing that. I sort of knew it was going to go at some point, but I was hoping to dear Heaven that it would not be any time this soon. Just another financial setback to deal with on the electronics front (I know this stuff isn’t important at all, but I can’t get it off of my mind right now).
As you may have been informed, Steve G’s bachelor party was the night before my flight. It was a good time at the Imperial House, with cards and craps in the mix, and parental figures whom I haven’t had a chance to talk to in a while. Everyone was really stoked that I was on my way to China, and I was really stoked for Steve’s marriage. Things didn’t get too out of hand, luckily, so I made it to bed at a reasonable time, although waking up near 7 AM wasn’t exactly the easiest part.
Jess drove me up to LAX on her own (without my parents), and it surprisingly wasn’t as confusing as I thought it would be. I should have brought more than a square of baked tofu for a snack though because the plane food was basically a vegetarian’s nightmare. Leaving her at the airport was also the hardest part, and for the first few days I was really broken up about being away from her so long. But the constant communication was a plus, and by the end of the first week, we were already anticipating our reunion.
The plane ride there was probably the worst part. It was 14 hours long; like I said, a vegetarian’s nightmare; and on top of that, I couldn’t sleep for any of it. When we finally touched down, we had a little run-in with the authorities because someone in the group was born in Mexico, as evidenced by his passport. They do not kid around about Swine Flu in China, but there were no problems in the end, just a few hoops to jump through.
We were all very exhausted by the time we reached campus, but the faculty leader, Peter, who picked us up from the airport, would not let us rest just then. So we ended up going out to eat around 8 or 9 PM, and this is where everyone learned about my dietary choices, and where I faced the first challenge of being a vegetarian in China, which I thought was going to be easy. Needless to say, I did not eat much that whole first day. This also where we learned how to eat like the Chinese, which included sharing and not asking questions.
Our dorm rooms at the ECNU campus were really nice upon arrival as well – fully equipped with internet, shower and toilet, teakettle, and daily room service. They pretty much treated us like royalty because our program was the first of its kind. For me, my advantage was having my own room, as the guy I was supposed to room with had trouble getting his visa last minute. No one was sure when or if he would come, so people kept coming up with dates based on e-mails from him but he ended up never showing up. I still feel bad about him missing out on so much after having gone through so much trouble to get here. He didn’t even get to tag along with the few others who decided to stay and take a trip up to Beijing after the end date.
Of course it took the group about two or three days to overcome the jetlag, but we were not really given time to. The first day was jam-packed with activities, and we learned first-hand what it meant to be Chinese, which meant having to walk at least 10 miles a day around the city. In that first week of being in Shanghai road the bus, metro, or cab to the zoo; the Bund (both walking from Nanjing East and a night cruise); Nanjing Road (which I later visited many a times, mainly for the cuisine, health food store, and temple); Shanghai Exhibition Center and Museum; Zhujia Jiao (a water village); Xintian Di (the French concession); Yu garden; all the while eating a ton of food cooked in MSG. These were all group-led activities, and this was before regular classes even began. After classes began, things started to slow down, but we were still able to do some neat stuff around the city, either on our own, or as a collective unit. For me, this was when I was able to buckle down and begin my special study research on Buddhism. Lilly Cheng, an SDSU faculty member who led most of the activities was kind enough to have a professional tour guide who is a friend of hers show me around to some of the temples. Jeffery, one of the ECNU faculty, also showed me around a bit even though he was less informed about Buddhism itself, but he was able to help me talk to people. After that I was on my own. By the second week I had learned that I was going to be on my own a lot of the time, which was fine with me, and this gave me opportunity to visit some of the vegetarian restaurants in the city. It just felt a bit awkward being so individualistic in a collectivist society, but it was good to get a full meal. Plus the cab fare was all on me, which probably did the most damage to me financially overall.
The few things I’d say I missed the most by this second week were: Jess, skateboarding, playing music, and being able to cook my own meals. I was able to keep in touch with Jess either over the internet or the phone, which was good, but when my computer broke down, it became a little bit more expensive and inconvenient. In my entire time in Shanghai, I only managed to see three or four people with skateboards or skateboarding. Most could do no more than an ollie, so I was super tempted to try to show them some other tricks. I just did not have an opportunity to. Apparently rollerblading is more popular than skateboarding, despite the fact that nearly every building in the city is surrounded by untouched marble. As for music, I still could mess around with beats on my iBook, but as I said, it became a real pain after a while. I also didn’t bring nearly enough CDs with me to listen to. I figured I’d only need a few (15 or so), but while there I ended up craving some of the ones I passed up. Not being able to cook was kind of a drag too because it was very hard to find stuff I could snack on, especially around breakfast time. Luckily the Jade Buddha Temple sold snack food, and luckily I was able to find a quasi-health food store that sold products familiar to me. My only other alternatives were to go out to restaurants, either with everyone else where I’d probably end up starving anyhow, or by myself where I’d eat well but feel a bit awkward. Cafeteria food was also available, but not very good.
The best parts of my short-lived three-week stay in Shanghai were the trips to Zhujia Jiao and Hangzhou. Zhujia Jiao was just neat because it was a water village that represented local Chinese life. While it was a bit touristy, the natives were clearly dependent much less on the city life. The local cuisine was amazing too, which included Zongzi and “Stinky” Tofu. Hangzhou was even more amazing because it was similar to Shanghai in the sense that it was a fairly large and developed city, but it was much cleaner and greener. We only stayed there for two days, so by the end I wanted to live there. The tea (Dragon Well), which was native to the region, was excellent, and of course I bought a ton to bring with me. Marco Polo once called it “Paradise on Earth,” which was probably true in the 13th century.
Other fun things that we did included attending an acrobatic show, and going clubbing. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about partying as some of the younger folk (20-23 years old), but I managed to get out there a few times. It was fun. Some ended up doing more adventurous things, like going to Beijing for the free weekend, or going to the opera, or visiting the Pearl Tower. Being the stickler that I am, I was happy with just visiting temples while everyone else was in class, or just relaxing over the weekend. I originally planned a trip to Suzhou over my free weekend. One of Jess’s coworker’s parents live there, and she said they said I’d be more than welcome to stay with them. Unfortunately, my stomach began to feel weird on Friday night, and Saturday I didn’t really have a chance to eat until dinner. So by Sunday I was wrought with a bout of a painful come-and-go stomachache that was accompanied by diarrhea. It actually lasted for a few days because I didn’t think to bring medicine for such an emergency. It was painful, but I started to feel better by mid-week. At least I can maintain my old diet now that I’m back in the states in order to nurse myself back to regular health. Anyway, besides that, the whole group really bonded, so it was not hard to just go out and have a good time or to spend copious amounts of hours together. I’ll miss those kids if I end up never seeing them again. Most of them live near campus (SDSU, that is), so I don’t see why wouldn’t see each other outside of China.
It was just amazing to be immersed in the Chinese culture, especially for me, as I’ve been studying it for so long. Some expectations, of course, were let down, but I didn’t really have any bad experiences. Shanghai during the Summer was a bit humid, but it didn’t bother me that much at all. It even rained more than I thought. The people were extra nice and accommodating at all times, even for foreigners. I was even able to use what little bit of Chinese I did know to my advantage, and I have come to truly love the sound of the language, and the culture itself. I also liked how everything was so cheap. I scored so many deals on things that would normally be expensive in the states, like cheap knock-offs and other junk, and I even had a little bit of fun bargaining whenever possible (even though I wasn’t very good at it; I always felt guilty for asking for too little). My field research on Buddhism was also quite enlightening. It was a unique project, and I think just being there and interacting with the people was more valuable than any book or article. I definitely will go back, perhaps to do more research or for leisure, but most importantly hopefully with Jess. Hopefully I will get to see other parts of Asia in the near future as well. Sometimes I prefer the way the Chinese do little things to the way Americans do things, but I know that these things will not change. When it comes to food, I think I will probably miss the way the Chinese place so much importance on eating. In America, people don’t seem to know how to taste food, or to want to experience it the fullest. While I thought it was difficult at times to eat vegetarian in China, ultimately I agreed with the way that the Chinese ate; how they shared food and how eating wasn’t about just about getting something on the go (although that is definitely coming into the culture a bit). I’ll also miss the way the Chinese make mushrooms taste so delicious and the variety of meat substitutes they can make. Chinese restaurants in America will never be viewed the same by me ever again. But I also know I must remove myself from the mindset of being in China. I was actually afraid I would have more culture shock in coming back to American than going to China for the first time. On the other hand, I’m glad to be back in the U.S. where I can maintain a healthy diet (i.e. not starving half the time), and where the air is much cleaner. I actually developed a cough by the second week that just wouldn’t let up, and I attributed that to the poor quality of air. You’d be surprised how a subtle change in geography can affect a person’s body rhythms so drastically. This week I plan to give all of my time to Jess and to re-adjusting to my old comfortable routine.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Last Moments
As I prepare to leave the country in two days, I've been trying to savor some of my favorite experiences here in San Diego; namely Mexican food, burgers and brew, and other local delights that I will not be able to find in China. Unfortunately, however, I did not have a chance to skate this weekend -- which will put me six weeks behind when I return -- but that's okay. With that said, I plan to thoroughly document my trip, either in the form of this blog, or just a personal journal of sorts; with pictures included. Do not get too excited though, because after all I am no good with a camera (it has never been an interest of mine), especially the camera that I was given for the trip. Nonetheless, I will post my attempts at visually capturing some of the better moments of Shanghai.
Friday, May 15, 2009
And the End of the Semester Lags On
I've pretty much finished up all of my classes, yet I still have two papers to finish and a final to study for. Since my papers aren't due until Thursday, I really have no incentive to get them done before then. So I'm pacing myself by doing a little bit each day. It's nice, but it doesn't afford me the extra time off that I want to enjoy before leaving the country and then re-buckling down for school-related business. I also have a schedule picked out for next semester, and it'll be good because I'll only need to go two days a week (albeit, most of the day), which will be a stark contrast from every single day. So I'm looking forward to that. Tonight Jess and I are going to a show, and that should be a good way for me to unwind. I banged out my philosophy final yesterday, but I didn't really get to celebrate much last night. Even though I'm only half way done, I feel like I just need an excuse to do something fun for a change.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Getting Close
I can't believe the semester is almost over for me already (two more weeks to go). It doesn't feel like it because I have two big papers due around the 20th, one of which I haven't even started. I will also have two finals. I guess I've just been a bit too busy with all the Shanghai stuff to really start studying/writing yet. Everything is winding down with that as well, and I'll be leaving in about 20 days, which is unbelievably quick.
I found out today that the special study course that I am taking for the 3 graduate units will exempt me from having to attend the general studies course that everyone else will be required to do. This is a relief, but at the same time I feel like it might be a little bit awkward. For one, I'd like to attend some of the classes because each week they will be bringing in a guest lecturers to show things to the class like calligraphy and Tai Chi. So if I'm not getting credit it makes no sense to attend the daily lectures. On the other hand, will it appear disrespectful if I'm staying at the university but not attending any classes there? My research may involve using the library if anything, and I am paying for the program, so I think that would make it okay. I just don't want to make a bad impression on anyone (I also don't want the other students to look at me with contempt). Not going to class would be great though because then I could really get an opportunity to take in the city, although that might be incentive to spend more money and/or party more than I should. I guess we'll see once I get there.
Jess and I also have a trip to Rhode Island planned shortly after I return. That should be cool, and will probably feel more like a real vacation. I actually planned on getting started with thesis research this Summer, but I might not have as much time as I thought I would. From what I hear, I would need to have at least a decent grasp on close to 100 books, and Summer is a good time for that. Since this Summer is going to be so hectic, I'm actually thinking about taking a fifth semester so I don't feel like I'm trying to get too much done at once (which is what the past year has felt like). I see no reason why I shouldn't at this point, as I don't feel in a hurry anymore -- plus it might allow me more traveling opportunities. I just wanted to do so much this Summer in addition to thesis research, like work on music and skate more, but I probably won't be able to cram all of that into one three month break. Once again, we'll see.
I found out today that the special study course that I am taking for the 3 graduate units will exempt me from having to attend the general studies course that everyone else will be required to do. This is a relief, but at the same time I feel like it might be a little bit awkward. For one, I'd like to attend some of the classes because each week they will be bringing in a guest lecturers to show things to the class like calligraphy and Tai Chi. So if I'm not getting credit it makes no sense to attend the daily lectures. On the other hand, will it appear disrespectful if I'm staying at the university but not attending any classes there? My research may involve using the library if anything, and I am paying for the program, so I think that would make it okay. I just don't want to make a bad impression on anyone (I also don't want the other students to look at me with contempt). Not going to class would be great though because then I could really get an opportunity to take in the city, although that might be incentive to spend more money and/or party more than I should. I guess we'll see once I get there.
Jess and I also have a trip to Rhode Island planned shortly after I return. That should be cool, and will probably feel more like a real vacation. I actually planned on getting started with thesis research this Summer, but I might not have as much time as I thought I would. From what I hear, I would need to have at least a decent grasp on close to 100 books, and Summer is a good time for that. Since this Summer is going to be so hectic, I'm actually thinking about taking a fifth semester so I don't feel like I'm trying to get too much done at once (which is what the past year has felt like). I see no reason why I shouldn't at this point, as I don't feel in a hurry anymore -- plus it might allow me more traveling opportunities. I just wanted to do so much this Summer in addition to thesis research, like work on music and skate more, but I probably won't be able to cram all of that into one three month break. Once again, we'll see.
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