Hello Kansas! International Orientation Week (Day 4)

Today was the last day of the orientation week (not really a week if its only four days though, eh?)...

However, today was our last day and Hashinger Halls and the night we moved to Jayhawker Towers!

The day before we found out who our roommates would be. To our mutual surprise, me and the Scottish girls found out that we would be roommates together! I wasn't sure whether to be glad or dissappointed by this and I think they felt the same way. To be honest - I felt both! I was dissappointed that my roommates weren't American or from somewhere else because it meant I wouldn't meet new people (by living with them) but then I was glad to be with the Scottish girls because we were from a similar cultural background and I had already met them and knew they were nice! Although we all agreed that this meant we should make an extra effort to make other friends.

Nothing particularly memorable happened earlier that day. Although I did go to a meeting about staying legal on my visa as I had a J-1 type. I had to ensure that I had taken over 12 units, not to take paid employment unless it was for KU and ensure that I follow the law generally I think. Also, if we wanted to leave the US to take a trip somewhere, then we had to make sure that our visa stated that we could enter the US multiple times within the time period and that we got our DS 2019 form signed by the International Office at KU.

After meeting some new people from places including France, Germany, Canada, Sweden, England and Australia - a group of us went down to Mass St for dinner together. I think we went to a place called Joe Schmoes...after about an hour trying to decide.

The interesting part was when the waiter came and asked us what drinks we wanted. We were silent, wondering whether one of us would risk ordering an alcoholic drink - until one of the English guys turned round and ordered a Sprite. After that we all ordered soft drinks to be on the safe side.

The dinner was good and the chat was friendly. But we knew as soon as we got back we would have to finally move out of Hashinger.

I can't remember if it was because I hadn't prepared earlier in the day, but I remember moving out was stressful. Especially as over 100 students were doing it at once and none of our suitcases were small. I remember struggling to get it all downstairs at first, because they were heavy. Then when they were finally down, I had to leave them all in the foyer to sign out and check in to Jayhawker Towers.

It was so frustrating, it was late and I just wanted to move in already! Two of my roommates (who hadn't came for dinner) already had moved in and seen the apartment. They said it was pretty basic but looked nice. They also mentioned that it was completely empty! 

Finally, I got checked in and our cases got driven down to the apartment for us. They were right, there was absolutely nothing in the apartment except from two beds and two desks in each bedroom. When we had finally all moved in and were ready we sat on the living room floor together. Now we had to decide who became roommates with whom.

I can't remember how exactly we managed to decide who shared with whom, although I remember flipping coins and then doing numbers several times. I think the numbers decided. Although I wouldn't have minded sharing with any of them, I was quite pleased with my roommate chosen because she seemed pretty neat and tidy, like me! Also we were both film students so we had that in common which was cool.

Finally I had moved in to Jayhawk Towers, Tower B on the 6th floor. Now we had time to get settled and explore for ourselves. Find out how my first day in Jayhawk Towers went by checking out the blog tommorow!

Hello Kansas! International Orientation Week (Day 3)

The next day of the orientation week had arrived...

This was one of the most memorable days of the week for two reasons:

1) Had my blood test at the Watkins Health Center

2) Officially got my KUID card!

I knew I would have to get a blood test but I wasn't looking forward to it (I mean no-one was)...I remember having to wait in three queues (oh wait, I mean lines) before I could actually get it done. However, when it finally did happen it wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. For me its never that bad as long as I look in the other direction. Seeing the needle pierce through the skin is the bit that freaks me out. Feeling the needle is uncomfortable but not sore as long as you don't tense up your arm (the thought of that makes me shiver!) or think about it too much.

The KUID card was more of a surprise. The orientation booklet made it out like you only went to  find out how to get a card and how it works. So I didn't bother putting on make up or fixing my hair that day (as I thought its gonna end up a mess anyways seeing as its so hot outside)...But of course, that's when we got the ID card and so I had to get my picture taken while looking like a hot mess! Of course, as expected my pic in the ID card was hideous. I wore a blue top with thin straps and a bright pink bra with thick straps (which was a stupid idea in any case) and you could see it in the photo!

The other Scottish girls were the smart ones. I went down by myself so I already got mines looking a mess, but it turned out you could get it at any point after 3.30pm that day! So they managed to get theirs after making more of an effort when they had spare time (which is what I should've done!)...

Anyways, so it was done now. At least I had a card, no point worrying about the photo...

That night another party was organised for us - our last free meal of the week! One of the girls I met had a really good time because she finally seen a cowboy (which was one of her goals while living in America). By this point we met a lot of other people including a lovely Canadian girl and some girls from Germany. Becuase the Scottish girls had met people in their orientation groups, we all met each other and got to know more people which was really cool! At that party I met them properly.

Did I mention the party was outdoors?

It was quite a good night, sitting on the grass with a BBQ and salad which had been made for us and chilling with the people we met. Although I got bitten to fuck. I was covered in mosquito and chigger bites - it looked disgusting and was really uncomfortable. I think bugs just like my blood...it always seems like I get bitten more than everyone else. It looked like I had chicken pox the next day!

Everyone was so friendly to each other. I remember one of the guys saying that by the time he left Kansas he'd end up having a permanent smile on his face. Everyone really made an effort - no matter which country we were from...it was really refreshing!

The next day we had to move out of Hashinger Halls because we were living on campus. So that night we decided to go to Walmart for the first time to buy stuff for our flat...turns out almost every other international student had the same idea and decided to leave it all to last minute. 

I still can't believe how huge Walmart is...and its cheapness! Although I think products were so much cheaper because its Kansas. I managed to get a ton of stuff - including a comforter and pillows, lamp etc for about $50 - I honestly couldn't believe it...

Okay so we managed to get most of the stuff we needed. Getting home though was a nightmare! 

So many students, all with pillows and blankets and toilet roll and other stuff that takes up a lot of space. I just stood there thinking how the hell are we gona get on the bus! Most of us ended up standing, a bit difficult carrying a bunch of stuff and going up and down hills on a bus...We got home in the end though.

Find out how moving day went by checking out the blog tomorrow!

Hello Kansas - International Orientation Week (Day 2)

So the first day of the orientation week came and went...

The next day was made up of meetings mainly. The first one was about cultural adjustment...I didn't bother going because it was at 9am and didn't feel it was essential but those who did go said it was aimed primarily at the students from the Non-English speaking countries. Apparently American girls can flirt but it means they don't want to have sex with you. Lesson learned.

However, I did go to the meeting about paying for KU, which was pretty important as I found out how to pay for my fees online - its a really good system. You're enrollment card could pay for your food/meal plans, as well as be used as a library card and access your apartment building. Only one problem - we didn't have our cards yet!

Not much happened that was particularly exciting that day...well not from what I can remember. That's the problem with reminiscing you see.

However, that night we were given a free dinner, courtesy of Commerce Bank! Rather than have dinner in Downtown, we had food from the Kansas Union which was served to all the international students. It was served in a massive room with tons of round tables. It was a really good layout to socialise with other exchange students we hadn't met before. Although we Scottish girls stuck together, we shared a table with an Australian guy and a pair of twins - from Denmark! We had good banter and later on - we became friends with them.

After the meal, a 'Scavenger Hunt' was arranged for us. Should be fun, or so we thought...I can't even remember what we were supposed to find. I just remember being really enthusiastic at first and then being bored. However, it was a great opportunity to meet more people.

 I remember it was the first time I spoke to a couple of the English girls. Having seeing them around I kind of recognised their faces, but this time we properly introduced ourselves. One of the girls was pretty chatty and I learned that she went to the University of Kent. She was with a French girl who seemed pretty shy. They were both really nice. 

The hunt was a great way to explore the campus and meet more of the other students. After that day we began to recognise more faces and make more friends outside of the ones we already had...

Find out how the next day went tomorrow!

Hello Kansas - International Orientation Week (Day 1)

The International Orientation Week was an interesting one...

The week mainly consisted of group meetings and information sessions - hence helping us international students get settled.

In our smaller groups I got split up from the Scottish girls and the other people I had already met. I was put in the 'Tornadoes' group! One of the other girls I met was in the 'Stairs' group..."This can't be a real group," she joked. We laughed...it did seem like a bit of a weird concept. Everyone else was in groups that were named in reference to Kansas and KU. It was like they had ran out of more obvious references like 'Tornadoes' and 'Jayhawks' that they came up with 'Steps'. Turns out though...KU does have a lot of stairs! Kansas is a pretty flat state, but they decide to build the University of Kansas on a hill so you have to walk up and down hills to get to classes. Convenient.

The good thing about the hills though were the views! You could see almost the whole university from the Hashinger Halls of residence. Beautiful place.

However, the hills were a bit of a nuisance when walking around campus in 100F heat. Which we did when we had our first official Campus Tour. I met a girl from Ghana who was really nice. She had lived in the States for a couple of years and so her English was perfect - although she did have difficulty understanding me with the accent and everything. Nearly most of my group had difficulty understanding me as they were mainly Asian. The tour was cool was absolutely exhausting with the heat and the hills! 

Hill yes...it was.

Then I had my first visit to the Kansas Union for an intro-meeting. I could not believe it was a student's union. Not only did it have five floors - it had a bowling alley, food court with a pizza hut, its own bookstore, a newsagent, smoothie place (which I went to a lot), coffee shop and then lots of conference/meeting rooms. I could not believe it! Stirling Union has a couple of pubs, restaurant and...that's about it I think.

The introduction meeting was rather interesting...they did the obvious stuff and explained the orientation week etc. But then they asked us all to stand up when our country was called out...I was curious whether they would say Scotland or Britain, but it turns out they divided all the British countries. There were tons of students from China. England had a good few. One girl from Ireland and one girl from Sweden. As soon as they called out Scotland I stood up like the proud Scot I am...it turned out there was only four of us - me and the girls I had already met. Then the KU Student Volunteers sang the Rock Chalk Chant...I think we were all a bit creeped out, it sounded a bit like a death march. (I'm only joking it was a pretty cool tune).

That night we had our first visit to Downtown Lawrence on Massachusetts St as we got a free dinner sponsored by US Bank. Me and the Scottish girls stuck together...there were a lot of options of places to eat so we tried to decide. In the end we went to El Mezcal - a Mexican place with humungous portions. None of us could finish it. 

The sun was setting and we chilled out with our free food, it was a lovely night. As you do, the conversation turned to alcohol. None of us were 21 at the time and we wondered whether we'd be able to get it. The waiters at the restaurant were very nice, realized we were foreign and asked where we were from. We were also asked what language we speak in Scotland.

It was pretty funny, but it was the first of a stupid series of questions I would get asked whilst living in the US. It was funny at first but soon it got really irritating...

Find out how the rest of the Orientation Week went by checking out the blog tomorrow!

Hello Kansas! - The Powers Family (Part 2)

Staying at Cheryl's for the first night was a great beginning to my year abroad...

Her house was very comfortable after a long day of travelling. I ended up waking up at 3am with the time difference...so my first full day was a really long one.

When I had been showered and was ready, I found that Cheryl had already made breakfast! Hot freshly baked muffins - they were amazing! (My mum never bakes so it was kind of a big deal lol)

I met Cheryl's husband Dick that morning also. He was also lovely like his wife and daughter. They decided to give Simon and me a tour of Lawrence and of KU!

The sun was splitting the trees and it was roasting hot! It was so exciting to see all of Lawrence and then see KU before we'd even checked in. Mass St looked like a cool, quirky part of town and then there was KU - I could not believe how massive it was!

Stirling Uni is absolutely tiny compared to any university I've seen/studied in America. KU not only has tons of different buildings, but most of them are huge! Don't get me started on the Sorrority and Fraternity houses - man they are big! They look exactly like the ones you see in the films, like old fashioned mansions with the Greek letters. I was so excited when I seen them!

We went past one sorrority house and there were a bunch of girls outside. Cheryl said they were probably doing their initiation. I couldn't believe it - I really felt like I was in Legally Blonde or something (even though that's set in California but oh well).

A Sorrority House, huge eh?

Later in the day we packed up our stuff at Cheryl's and got ready to check in to KU. Cheryl helped us both with it and I'm really glad she did because it was all a bit overwhelming. Basically, there were hundreds of foreign students, like me, who were all trying to register/check in and figure out what we were supposed to be doing. With Cheryl it made the process a whole lot easier.

Then she helped us both move in to our rooms with our bags. Interestingly, a lot of the other exchange students had families with them, helping them move in - which of whom, I assume had signed up for the family transportation program like me. I think it definitely helped having that bit of support with us.

Then I met Tori, who was to be my temporary roommate at Hashinger Hall for the orientation week until I moved in to Jayhawker Towers. She was a graduate student, 24 years old and from China and I think we both had difficulty understanding each other - although she was lovely. She had already met some of the other Chinese students and seeing that I was alone, they invited me to sit with them at dinner which was nice of them. So we went down to dinner and we ate.

I remember seeing a pretty blonde girl and we caught each others eye. She was alone. Seeing an empty seat next to me, she came over and asked if she could sit with us. We were all like, of course! No-one left each other out, everyone was friendly and made an effort. So she sat next to us. I found out she was Swedish, but her English was very good. So we chatted a lot and I was happy to find that she was really friendly.

Then I remember seeing another blonde girl at the salad bar. She looked really familiar although I didn't know her, I wondered if she was a student from Stirling. Later on I found her and asked if she was Scottish - and she was! She was the first Scottish girl I'd met and she was from Glasgow, like me. I also spoke to another guy who was from England, but studied in Edinburgh - so he could tell I was Scottish right away.

Later on, I found out that the blonde girl from Sweden and the Scottish girl were roommates - it was a really weird but cool coincidence as we could all relate to each other in some way. Then later on, I met two other Stirling students from the north of Scotland - which was really cool! One of the girls I knew from my course (although not very well) and the other I hadn't met before - although they knew each other. 

Although the whole point of the experience is to meet new people from different cultures and backgrounds, it was nice to meet other Scottish girls as they were outgoing and friendly. No-one could understand my accent and it was starting to make me feel a bit homesick - until I met them.

The first day was tiring, but had been a great start. I had met people and was ready to meet more and learn about the other stuff I was gonna have to take care of. The International Orientation Week had begun. 

To find out how it went, become a follower of the blog or check it out on Monday! Comments/questions are always welcome!