Campus Conversations

Turkey-Break, Pre-Finals/Christmas Madness!

December 9, 2011

Hello all! In the midst of studying for finals and writing final papers I haven't been too active on the site, so I thought I'd share some thoughts on what's been happening in the last few weeks, and what's coming up in the next couple. Thanksgiving break was an awesome reprieve from the hectic nature of school and all the work, and I got to visit my aunt and uncle in Arizona by taking a road trip with a couple of friends from Oxy and one from Chapman University! The drive to Arizona was a lot of fun, and I got to know my friends a lot more as a result. It took us about 6 hours to drive into Arizona, not counting a couple of food and gas stops. A side note: I was astonished as to how much cheaper gas is in the US than it is in Singapore - you learn something new every day! The stay in Arizona was awesome, as I got to hang out with the family and watch an Arizona State football game on Thanksgiving Weekend. Driving back from Arizona took FOREVER, because we got stuck in the middle of the desert because of some accident 4 miles down the freeway that backed up all the traffic. However, this did make for some really great photo opportunities: The above photos were edited with GIMP software, an incredibly versatile, free Photoshop alternative. For a broke college student, there really isn't anything better to start editing photos with. Since the break, I've just been missing home even more because there were really only three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas break. Save for finals, I'm really looking forward to the next week and finally going home after 5 months away! As an international student visiting home would be really difficult because of how long and expensive flights are. For all you prospective international students, make sure you keep in touch with your parents and friends over Skype or Facebook. It really makes it easier to deal with being away from home. Before you leave, your parents will probably tell you to speak with them every day or at least every other day. You will think they're crazy and that they're being unreasonable. Once you get here, you will realize how much you miss them and want to keep in touch. I talk to my parents and friends from home almost every day either by phone or over Skype. Staying in touch is a huge deal. That's my 90 cents (because 2 cents would be an underestimation, and 1 dollar doesn't have the same ring to it.) Hope all's well, - Aseem