Day Two With a BIt More Physical Exercise and Bizarre Light Problems

While writing this blog in a muggy room where the overhead light seems to work frequently but then with outbursts of it not appearing has shown me where I really am and how real this experience is. Today has shown me the experience where I finally figured out to fully cherish and to understand why I am here and how this is changing my life. Despite my vexed (do not underestimate the intensity of this word) nature as I was not able to play pick up soccer because I had to go to the Rockefeller Library to pick up some additional supplementary texts for my class, I am still grateful to be at such a well-renowned university with a plethora of resources. Plus, a nice view of Providence and the Van Wickle Gates ensued. It is actually considered bad luck to walk under the centre gates anything other time than once during move-in day or the first day of classes (onto campus) and out right after commencement onto the intersection. It really is mind-blowing to believe that I would have to be admitted to walk under those gates for any other reason and I am glad Facilities chooses to keep it closed. Maybe Facilities should remedy my light problem instead.

After waking up, I hurriedly took a nice jog around the campus to get some much needed exercise since the pool in under renovation. The athletic complexes really are pleasant and jogging up there is a really good workout when outbursts in varying speeds are done. I checked by the pool which was undergoing renovation until tomorrow. I am happy that the pool is going to open tomorrow for Brown faculty, staff, and students to use but I am also a bit upset that I ran to the complex only to admire the facilities.

Then after I ran over to the Rattle to grab a quick bite and to watch some World Cup soccer. The dorm food that time tasted quite competent where the tuna sandwich was at the right consistency, a bit different from the insanely dry and rubbery patty that I had on my burger later that night. Another great aspect of the dining halls are that there is a seperate lounge area to watch the World Cup on a flat-screen TV as well as many other areas on campus. Since I decided to sit in the area where a lot of my other friends don't hang out, I met some new people! One of these people was Robert who is a competitive soccer and hockey player (he wore a Kings shirt, ugh) and is also a Chilean-American growing up in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. We chatted extensively about NHL teams and we finally came to a consensus on sharing a mutual love for the Blackhawks since he formerly resided in Chicago. What was to be a soccer haven during the day turned out to be a fervent hockey one instead! I guess my heart lies in hockey more so I apologize to all you soccer fanatics reading this.

Running frantically up Brown to get to my class, my Indian-Singaporean friend, Adarash, stopped me and assured me that I was on time. He has honestly been one of the coolest people I have ever met while on this trip and I coincidentally was wearing a Singapore shirt at the time with the multi-coloured lion and the word "Singapore" in the four national languages of the respective city-state: English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil.  We later chatted while walking at a conversational pace about the aspirations that we wanted to do when we grew up and how we could accomplish them. I found out that he is heavily considering Berkeley as a school for biochemistry and I was willing to meet up with him to show him around the Bay Area or to do what else is needed (he really wanted to try Mexican food but I assured him that the food I will get him will be better than any place he can go while in New England whether it be any of the RI beaches, Newport, Providence, Boston, or elsewhere. This was also a bit sad for me to fathom as I realized how much I miss Mexican food!

In Macroeconomics class, we went through two extra chapters of the curriculum: that on supply demand and the effects of shifting in these curves as well as where equilibrium occurs on graphs. I was pretty handy on this basic fundamentals of economics but I had to practice identifying how to detect price or quantity is ambiguous as well as brushing up on price controls by quota analysis as well as market intervention. The ideas of price ceilings and price floors were easy to grasp, but to fully identify the reasons of shifting quantities, the application of the "wedge" as well as how the x- and y-axis can or can't be switched depending on the marketed variables shows how precise and dry I have to be and that worrying about external factors doesn't always have to distort your problem-solving but rather of recognizing where it comes from.

On the other hand, the two Italians who skipped all of the third chapter to watch football showed really long faces as I then figured out that Italy lost to Uruguay and won't be advancing to the Group of 16. I then knew Suarez did something tricky in the back of mind with my minuscule soccer knowledge led my hypothesis to be correct - leading me to feel so bad for those two wonderful pupils who were all dressed up in Italian soccer jerseys, shorts, drapes, flags, and face paintings and to see those two walking around showed that they had an undying patriotism for their country. Viva Italia!

Afterwards, I played a great game of Jedi Dodgeball with many of the other students who appeared. Unfortunately, the jedi on each team had the wand (which was actually a baseball bat) so I didn't really see much action as I was participating to dodge and to throw. I only threw the ball once or even twice in the game in its entirety where I was in the final five in the team. The boundaries got closer and closer where I saw the higher probability of me getting hit by a stupid playball which then occurred, leading me to promptly walk off the field in (insert phrase here). I would the best phrase would be " in a lighthearted and friendly manner") I also met some more students as well as acquainting with the bizarre, yet friendly female, Andrea, who lay down next to me on the Quiet Green the other day and started small talk. She only talks to me during social activities that are put on by Summer @ Brown which is a bit strange but friendly nonetheless. I actually think she may be leaving like many others I have met as the sports psychology course ends this week so I have to chat and hang out with those students first! Plus, the topic seems intriguing!

From Jonathan Hinger's lecture in Salomon to meeting such an intelligent and kind student from Shenyang, Liaoning who is studying number theory before going into junior year as well as helping him to self-study Calculus AB were both experiences that I will cherish. In between those compelling experiences, I then talked to Josh Ko, a rising freshman at Berkeley, on the phone about Relay For Life as well as his experiences at these insanely expensive summer programs, where the percentage of people who are in the middle and lower classes of the socioeconomic spectrum is quite low and truly navigating my background as well as the purpose of the Ivy League Connection really shows the polarity as well as the social structure that faces the world in the midst of globalization. His words and his blogs inspired me to embrace who I am and to embrace my experiences as well as my community in a positive light and since many people do not know I am going on a district-sponsored, privately-funded scholarship to attend a program where certain kids are cliquey and have very narrow or sheltered views based on a relatively inexperienced or non-diversified consciousness on matters shows that scholarships like these are really crucial to foster comprehension and empathy as well as to bridge connections. I will not say more because it is the reader's job to hopefully think and take a course of action, which can come in any form. Or just not do anything in which I can't stop. Plus, this is where reader participation comes into place. Good luck!