my life at unnc (so far)

I've just been so busy trying to get used to life here in UNNC that i haven't been very diligent at updating my blog as frequently as I really should be. A lot as happened over the past few days (I've already been here for almost four days).

其中，本來看起來很便宜的一個 exchange term (after all, I'm in China where the living costs are wayyy lower), 來到的時候，發現有很多的 "hidden costs". Everything here costs money. Hot water, cold water, electricity, internet, drinking water 等等....。 So I've suddenly become really environmentally friendly: I adhere strictly to a 5-10 minute shower rule, I no longer blow dry my hair (well, also because my Canadian blow dryer doesn't seem to fit into my converter properly), I boil my own drinking water to drink (Chinese tap water comes out yellow and stays yellow after it's boiled, but leave it overnight and the yellowness settles to the bottom and you have clear drinking water. So far I haven't gotten sick yet), I turn off all the lights I don't need to use, and try not to turn up the heater too much.

Speaking of the heater, Ningbo weather is really weird. Yesterday I did not even have to turn on the heater because it was sunny and warm with pleasant breezes and reminded me of San Diego. Today it is just like Vancouver: rainy, freezing, grey and depressing (my fellow exchange students from the UK said it is just like London so I guess London is like Vancouver).

My biggest everyday worry is food. The canteen food is alright but not something that I would want to eat on a daily basis. So my new UK friend (yes, she has a British accent) and I gone out to get groceries the other day (bananas, bread, peanut butter, cheese, orange juice, instant noodles, etc) to help with eating as much as possible. We cook at least one meal a day (and by "cooking" i mean we made sandwiches and cooked instant noodles). The student cookbook that Karen gave me for my birthday is proving to be very helpful. I'm studying it right now so that hopefully sooner or later I can graduate from instant noodles and spam to more sophisticated cooking ingredients like potatos and vegetables.

My other worries include administrative things that I have to get done and some paper work. I have yet to register at the police station (all international students have to do that), open a bank account and find out how to read my class schedule. Luckily, I have made friends with local students that are extremely helpful and nice about it. 難得他們不覺得我麻煩. But of course, these administrative problems are all minor compared to my food concerns.

在寧波不夠一星期，已經讓我認識到一些跟我志同道合的 Cheer fans.

陳綺貞: 三月二十一號，上海見！！！

currently listening: 不如不見 - 陳奕迅

remember everyone: 其實愛對了人，情人節每天都過。 祝大家有一個甜甜蜜蜜的情人節，with or without a lover. =)