Happy Labor Day! I really had nothing planned for today. At noon I went to Fresh Food Co. and ate a salad with bits of ham, or as I like to called it: ham with bits of lettuce. After lunch I was browsing through the Recreational Center's site, and I found about the Riverfront Park, which has Stand Up Paddle. I've been wanting to do that for more than a year, and I found a place exclusively for USF students that charges only $5 for a two hour rent. The lake was beautiful :) to get there I had to bike about 2 miles. I really loved doing SUP (stand up paddle) and I hope it becomes kind of like a leisure activity I'd do regularly. The view while in the lake was amazing, I even saw a crocodile! I wish I had brought my phone with me, I though it would get wet. But if you don't fall off or anything you don't get wet. Next time I'll bring my old iPhone in its life proof case and listen to music while paddling while also taking pictures. Back at the dorm I had easy mac for dinner, and Ricki (one of my suite mates) also gave me a homemade brownie. The rest of the night I just chilled in my room. Now I understand when Dorianne used to tell me how lonely she felt, at least she found some panamanian gals to make her company; and now Alex is going to Penn State so there will be more. I feel so lonely... Yesterday Jose and I were skyping and he was like go out and make social life, tell your roommate to go with you and see a movie. But I just can't do it, a lot of people may not understand but THIS IS NOT EASY FOR ME. The only one who understands is Rod, and thanks God he's the one who understands. I do have this thought in my mind that I could make the four years without a good friend, maybe I'm wrong and crazy but I do hope I can get a good friend. I'm just preparing for the worst. I thought I had a good relationship going on with my roommate but it seems that she's having more fun with our suite mates.. So now I'm all alone.
Tuesday started pretty awful, but thankfully ended amazing. I set my alarm at 9 AM to go to the gym, but guess what? I could not get off my bed, so at noon I went to lunch at Champion's Choice. My favorite on-campus place to eat. Ever since I've known the kind of food college offers and the free gym and other stuff to help you be healthy I've proposed myself to lose weight and tone up. Although I'm not going to the gym as much, I'm definitely eating a whole lot healthier. LET'S KEEP IT UP! I also found out in the morning that I had a Chemistry Lab quiz due today! And the material the professor gave us for the quiz was really long. So after my classes I went directly to the library and start reading. I get a text from David, one of the members of our lab group, and he texts me that he's also struggling with it that if I wanna come and help each other out. So I went to his hall, just before going there I stopped by the bookstore to buy my lab supplies since David told me they were going pretty quick. He lives at Kappa, and the interior is pretty much like Lambda. He was really tall, which I did not expect, and pretty Floridian. He did the quiz while I had the content out and vice versa, we both got 10/10. The conversation was pretty awkward, I don't know if it was me but he was all the time stuck to his phone. So when I left, it was pretty awkward. I had dinner at the library before going to David's, I had bought sushi from the MSC and a smoothie from Jamba Juice, I hope that counts as healthy. Back in the dorm since I finished the Chemistry lab quiz, and all the stress was relieved I started doing my Foundations of Engineering homework. Olivia and Kaitlyn were watching Greek while I was doing homework, and at one time Olivia asked Kaitlyn if she wanted some pop corn right in front of me. Like, she gave her a whole bag and totally disregarded me. So I'm all like, in my mind, I like pop corn too :( That's typically how my relationship is with my suite mates. I also forgot to tell you that I got bored of reading "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot, and now I'm reading the 4th book of the "I am Number Four" series! "The Fall of Five" by Pittacus Lore. I know it's a bad timing because right now I'm obsessed with the Percy Jackson series, but I think that's just how us readers feel when they have to wait too long for a sequel. Anyways, I'm on page 295/355 after just beginning on Sunday! It's not has fast as I used to read Percy Jackson but now I'm so much busier, so being on the mid 70% on my third day is amazing progress.
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| Target gave me a stuffed animal! |
On Wednesday I did my usual, I got 20 minutes early to my Chem class so I sat down next to some guy. It was until something happened that I introduced myself and he was like "I already know you", it was David! From my lab group, omg how embarrassing. This is the first class I don't take notes, read chapters ahead or anything; I feel so irresponsible. After Chem I went to the Internship and Part Time Job Fair held at the Student Services area. I took information from Target and Busch Gardens, but I think I can't apply to those jobs because I'm international. So before my Calculus class I applied to a couple of jobs on campus. I'm not searching a job for the salary but for the experience, my resume is completely blank in that area. After Calculus I met with David and Victoria, my lab group, in the library for our project. We have to do a bouncy ball. We ended up having dinner together, well just me and David because Victoria met up with another friends. He was more talkative this time than yesterday thank God. When I came back to my dorm I did some homework and I logged into YouTube, then I discovered Judy and Benji are expecting! AND THEY ARE HAVING TWINS! I'm so happy and excited for them. After that I skyped with Rod :) Just before going to bed I finished the 4th book of the "I Am Number Four" series, I thought this would be the last book, apparently not. So now I'll have to wait for a fifth book :( Anyway, I rate this book 4.2 starts out of 5.
On Thursday I woke up a 6:45 AM because I had my Chem Lab class at 8 AM. I woke up Kaitlyn but I'm not sure if she was really awake because she just went to the bathroom and fell back asleep. I went to Fresh Food Co. and grabbed a banana, since I was walking because I had left my bike at the CMC because of the rain the day before I tried to hurry. I got about 30 minutes early and just sat waiting. I saw David by the door so I stood next to him, then I saw Victoria and the a guy who I later met as Ricardo. I put my lab coat, and googles. I hate the googles, they mess up with my ears. We did the bouncy ball experiment and it was actually cool. At the end of the lab I did one for myself, which I colored blue. After lab I went to retreat my bike at the building where I take Calculus I and went to the Engineering III Building for my meeting with the Academic Advisor. I had to meet with one for one of my Foundations for Engineering assignment, and show him my semester, weekly and graduation plan. His name is John Morgan, and he was REALLY cool (reminder: always schedule with him). He was very impressed with my assignment and checked marked me all down. After the appointment I picked up some food from Pollo Tropical and ate it at my dorm. Then I biked, which I calculated now and it's 3.1 miles, to Riverfront Park to do more Stand Up Paddling. It was really tiring this time around. It may have had something to do with the song and the height of the paddle (which was way too short). I came back EXTREMELY tired and drank a couple of glasses of Sprite, and then fell asleep in my bed. I woke up with Abby and Olivia making noise, and then Kaitlyn came in so my nap time was over. Grace came over to our room and talked with me and Kaitlyn for a while. They saw the photo album I made :) I went to the library around 6:30 to do my Chemistry homework, and had to leave early because my battery was dying. The homework was really long, so I haven't finished it yet. Before coming back to the dorm I bought some Panda Express (the usual). At night I skyped with my grandparents and Cristy, I felt guilty that when I called to their house to ask for the credit card's number, Apo greeted me with a huge amount of happiness and surprise and telling me how much she missed me. So I had to skype with them, because that phone call made me miss them too. About the credit card thing, I biked 3.1 miles to the park and when I got there I realized I had forgot my credit card! So I had no way of paying and my mom can't use hers because it reached it limit.
On Friday I went to my Chemistry class and Armando sat right next to me, if I forgot to tell you I met him on another of my Chemistry classes and he's from Puerto Rico but has lived here for a long time. After that class I went to the Grad Studies office to investigate about Cristy's masters but she was right, there are no Masters in Logistics here; I also went to the Education Abroad office but no one was there so since I was at the MSC I bought Chik-Fil-A for lunch. I also realized this morning that I was accepted into the Florence Spring Break 2014 program! Just one night after I applied! I'm so happy! I was doubtful at first because I would be studying about mental health instead of Michael Angelo and the field trips to mental hospitals (creepy). But there are only two visits to a mental hospital, the rest are art exhibitions and wine field trips. So I accepted. Around 5 I went out again because I had to print some stuff and in my way to the library I bought a parfait at Jamba Juice, I liked it a first but there was too much granola. For dinner I went to Fresh Food company and ate some pork and bread. Back in my dorm I finished my Chemistry homework and tried my best at math.
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A pic I took on Thursday of the sunset in front of the memorial of Martin Luther King Jr.
here at USF. |
On Friday we woke up around 5:30 am because we had to meet up with USF at Pizza di Independenza for our Venice trip at 6:45 am. They separated us into three groups and I got in the same bus as Shao and Sam :) I sat next to Shao and the bus ride was really unbearable. The seat was uncomfortable and there were a lot of up and downs, and left and rights. I got dizzy. We stopped for a bathroom break and I bought my first panini with raw prosciutto and it wasn't bad at all. Then we hopped into a boat to take us to St. Mark's Piazza and we had a little break to have lunch, we went to a kind of pricey place and I had spaghetti with clams (I think the one from Los Toneles is better). Then we had a walking tour around Venice but it was so boring... This day was getting worser and worser. By the time we got to the hotel there was no wifi, no A/C, and we couldn't open the windows because it was raining and the mosquitoes would get in. We lost the option of four bedrooms because we got in late and they told us the only option was in groups of three. Stephanie volunteered to go with some random girls so Sam, Shao and I could share a room and when she left they announced that they didn't have any more triplets left and were heading off with pairs... So Shao took the bullet and Sam and I shared a room. I got bit several times, three of them in my left arm and the pillow was as hard as a rock. The restaurant we were supposed to have dinner at was like a mile away and it was raining and we had to walk there... the risotto was really good but the beef tasted just like my mom's... bad. It was a really unfortunate day. 
