Hey everyone,

Our quick break has come to an unfortunate end. I hope you all spent it relaxed and comfortably. Now, onto our first week back!

My first week back started rather rocky. My classes, while I was excited for them, were rather disappointing. In Korean class, I was met with about 18 other students who were cliquey and snobby, being told once that "We might become friends one day." by one particular girl in the class. This same girl appeared to be their ring-leader, and made me feel very much uncomfortable. 

My class after Korean was American Foreign Policy, which was another one which I had high expectations for but ended up being a rather slow (and dry) class. I could tell immediately that this class' main audience was the senior who was "just trying to graduate" as most of the students in there were older guys who looked like they've seen better days. 

Following that was my Chinese Language & Culture class. I'll admit, I was rather taken aback at the amount of actual Chinese students in there, as I am one of two white students. Most are actually either from China or of Chinese background. At first it was rather unsettling, especially because all I heard at first was an entire class speaking Cantonese and not being able to understand a thing, but now I don't mind it as much. Similar to like my other class, AFP, most of this class is seniors who are taking it to meet their major or minor. 

That was Monday. After classes I met up with Daniel and we were able to go get dinner at Gen and walk around Ala Moana. While there he also bought me a beautiful watch! 

After dinner I decided to make some changes to my schedule. I had higher hopes for a better Tuesday. 

With my change in schedule immediate, I was happy to be able to have class at 9:00 the next morning, Global Politics, and be in a different Korean class. I was able able to take one of the classes, American Foreign Policy, online! This was especially important because it meant I would no longer have to run to my next class, as it would be online and I would have the luxury of doing it whenever. 

My changes definitely worked out in my favor. Korean class was great and, as the week went on, I began to feel more confident than ever. It's still review, but for now I really enjoy the class. 

My online class has yet to start, so until then I am able to spend time getting to and from classes with ease. This won't change throughout the semester, but I anticipate that when the class does begin that I will need to be more proactive and at least remember that I have a class online. 

Work has also been good, but I sometimes wish I didn't have to work and could just spend my time elsewhere. I like the people that I work with, but this is one of those mind-numbing jobs that leaves me just exhausted afterwords. 

You may have noticed something interesting about my schedule this semester. Did you notice I'm not taking a Chinese class? That's right! I'm taking the semester off of Chinese and I could not be happier. That class, that teacher, put on me so much stress and anxiety that being able to say "You know what, I don't need this class" has helped immensely. Changing my major also helped, too! Now I'm just minoring in Chinese, and I already feel like this has made such a difference in my semester. No wonder why my first week was so relaxing!

Also, an apartment update. I can happily and gratefully say that I am loving where I live this semester! The girls I share a space with are all very kind, considerate, and very respectful of myself and my things. I am no longer stepping on shards of glass, stepping over dirty needles, or getting complained at constantly! It feels like such a breath of fresh air. I cannot stress enough how much I love my new space. 

Again, I hope you are all having a restful first week back. Can you believe after this semester I will be halfway through college? 

Until next time,

Aislinn