More Vancouver

Its been taking a little while to get used to everything. I have been doing a lot of walking around the West End just to get an idea of the area and figure out where I can buy cheap stuff. I opened my bank account with TD Canada Trust the other day, and the woman that created the account went beyond customer service and printed out maps for me highlighting both areas of interest and places to go shopping at reasonable prices. So, as of now, we actually have some food in our fridge!

On Tuesday, there was another orientation, but this was for foreign students. I accidentally missed an hour of it due to getting an e-mail and handout with different times for the event. It was nothing special. I went with my roommate to get Ramen that night at 7, and we sent a mass e-mail to the students in our program. About 3 students actually replied, so I was happy. We got there and had about 6 people eating with us. After we ordered, about 6 more students came in. It was good to get together with them before school starts. After eating we all headed to a bar and had some drinks. It was a good night overall.

Yesterday was also good. I did more walking and exploring and found some pretty cool places. There is a Japanese market nearby the apartment, so that will fill all of my Japanese goods needs. I also found a Beard Papa! http://www.muginohousa.com/ I discovered Beard Papa in Hiroshima, so its pretty cool to see it here. Also, the location of Beard Papa was pretty cool. I can see both the ocean and mountains, so its really cool coming from flat Illinois.

School still doesn't start for several days and I'm getting nervous in anticipation. I just want it to start so I have something to do. Also, the orientation made it seem like our lives will end once school starts. Basically, everyone at the School (faculty and current students) say that we will be working our asses off. That is a good thing. Its just that when I hear how extreme it is, my imagination goes a little crazy and I keep thinking its near impossible to complete the year. I know it won't be easy, but once I start, theres no stopping. I'm already trying to come up with ideas for my final project, so Ill let you know about that later. OK, I will post more later, and maybe take some pictures too!