exciting developments

1. I now have internet! USB modems exist and they are lovely. Mine is dark purple/hot pink and I'll be paying one of my uncles the monthly fee.

2. I went to HKU to get all the paperwork. HKU's campus is a huge concrete jungle - there are tons of buildings, footpaths, random stairways and bridges, jungle-y plants, and stairs upon stairs. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for the stairs because I know I'm going to need to burn off a ton of calories this semester. It's just that the campus is pretty confusing - I can't even count the number of times I've gotten lost. 

I met up with Buena, a girl who I talked to on Facebook briefly before we had to go our separate ways to do paperwork.

At the CEDARS office, I met another American International student named Matt from Illinois; we bonded over HKU screwing us over with housing. It got to a point where Matt would ask every international student we came across "So... are you homeless too?" as an icebreaker.

(With the exception of one lucky Australian, all the international students we've met are in the same boat. Good going, CEDARS.)

3. After spending an eternity looking for the Faculty of Arts office  (where later I discovered, they didn't give me all the forms I think I'm supposed to get? ... nor did they ask me to pay the caution money, hmm), I wandered into the Old Library computer centre and logged into my HKU email and filled out some information stuff. I still have a ton of paperwork that I need to do.

4. There's an international students orientation thing tomorrow at 9 AM. Hopefully, I'll be able to meet new people.

5. Right now, I'm in my yi-poh's apartment. I managed to find my way to her apartment from the university and I am incredibly proud of myself. (Anyone who knows me well will know that I have no sense of direction.) I'm also totally exhausted from wandering around campus since it usually took me anywhere from a half hour to 45 minutes to figure out where I was supposed to go and again, lots of stairs and this humidity. 

6. Not so great - the phone I borrowed from my biu yi might have just died? I'm crossing my fingers that it only needs to be recharged.