Every once in a while, people from home ask me how I am, and what's it really like here in Irvine, California. Or even more generally, in USA.

And I'll keep blabbering on the fantastic weather, the food, the people, the cities, the experiences, the fun. All the good stuff and all the bad ones too. Some of my thoughts are just indescrible, me having not found the words to actually write them down, so sometimes my responses can sound so superficial.

But once, someone asked me, and stunned me,

"what's it like?"

So I go on with the usual replies that I say so often, I can come up with a Ten Year Series on it.

"No. I mean, what's it REALLY like? You know, school?"

And I guess I was caught speechless for the moment. Oh yes. Gosh. I forgot to really talk about school. And so I decide that I should. Briefly.

I really enjoy my education here, and the interactions with the profs and my classmates. Even though at times you have some smart alec comments or some that doesn't make any sense, but overall, the participation is good. I'm learning to speak up too, and it's good because you really learn more.

The best part of it all, is recognizing that fact that when I do my bibliography, the authors are no longer just names. They become real people to me all of a sudden. I know, because I have 2 big names professors teaching me, all big names in their field of economics, and both excellent lecturers teachers. (I decided against using "lecturers" because of this boring connotation associated with that word, whereas "teachers" sound personal.) All in all, I've never enjoyed going for lessons so much, because of the excellent teaching.

Even though its 3 1-hr lectures per week for each module. It's better though, because you think of it more often and your concentration level stays high.

It's tiring, because I have tests every week.. well, 6 out of 10 weeks, and sometimes 2 or 3 in one of those weeks. But it makes the quarter pass so fast, and suddenly, I'm already thinking of the exams, and preparing to go home.

Plus you start to appreciate the vigorous Singapore education, for preparing us so well, maybe too well. Come here and you'll not find it hard to adapt, and it boosts your confidence getting good results, plus you find out more about what total education comprises. And I also got the feeling that profs here do like to give you good grades if you earned it, and this motivates you to actually learn.

I love the weather. Or has I gone through that already? It revitalises you, the very moment you stepped out of the classroom.

I've also fallen in love with staying on campus. The ability to wear jeans and jacket in the morning and yet change into shorts in the afternoon. The possibility to just change into running attire for a jog around school in the evening sun or go to the gym. And I can even change into contact lenses after my morning lessons (still not easy to put them on during the sleepy mornings when the eyes are not wide enough), and put on the sunglasses.

And perhaps the biggest thing I always missed out in an attempt to make SEP sound so much fun - is the time when one feels homesick and in need of firm friends back home.

THAT is, more truthfully, part of what it's really like.

# rambled by Kenneth @ 4:37 AM