I'm becoming nocturnal

So... it is 4:45 am and I am still awake, if that gives you any idea of how I am adjusting to the time change. I woke up at 6 this morning and took an afternoon nap which probably wasn't the best idea. I have decided no matter how tired I get throughout the day tomorrow NO NAPPAGE because I do not want a repeat of tonight.

Today (technically yesterday) I got a lot of the necessities taken care of during the morning and i discovered... wait for it....a Starbucks! Thank the heavens I can now truly call this place home! Many more of the international students have arrived now so I won't be meandering around along, but it was good for me to walk around and get my bearings and the campus views are awesome (see below):

This is the view from the main atrium which includes academic buildings and the library.

Joyce and I took a walk along the coast line where the track, tennis courts and pools are! Another shot from along the coast... it is hard to capture the beauty in a photograph (of the background that is haha)

In the evening my buddy, Joyce, picked me up and we went to the mall and I got a cellphone. I will mostly use it for local calls and many of the other international students have one too so we can call one another. After cellphone shopping we ate dinner at a Japanese sushi restaurant. You sat around a bar-like table and all of the food was on a conveyor belt and if you wanted it you just picked it up and kept track of your plates to know how much it cost.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am open to try just about anything when it comes to food, and that i did my friends. I tried fish eggs (and not just a taste, an entire mouthful because with chopsticks you don't really have a choice!), octopus (i got all of it down but the head which I had to spit out in my napkin because of the texture) and raw salmon. I liked all but the octopus and was glad I tried it.... but also felt relief when it was over and my stomach could rest. I am working at the chopsticks and getting a bit better but mostly I just poke things and hope it stays on the end haha. We followed our Japanese experience with a nice local desert place and i tried a local favorite: fresh mango, coconut milk and tapioca. It was really good and I was really happy Joyce took the time to show me around, i really enjoy her.

When I got back to UST I planned to just unpack and relax but I met a girl down the hall named Jona-pronounced yona-and she invited me out the the bar on campus so i went. It was filled with lots of international students and it was great to finally meet some other students in the same boat as me: new and excited to meet new people. We stayed at the bar for a short while and then all headed down to the beach and sat and talked. I ended up coming back around 12 because i wanted to get some sleep although that has not yet happened! It is a bit after 5 now and I think I will try to get some sleep again!

I miss you all and post comments so I know if you are reading this or if I am doing it for my own good!