So, we now have a space heater and it is wonderful! : )
Day 3: International Challenge Day
So about the game with the blow-up bat. The person in the middle runs around and tries to hit the "adventurers" on the head. The protectors job is to say another adventurers name so that their adventurer doesn't get hit. Hope that was clear. Really the main objective is to learn everybody's name. By the fifth round we were having a fair bit of fun.
Game 2- Simon Says - nuff said
Game 3 - For this game we split into our teams and were given lots of newspaper. We had to take the newspaper and tape it together to form a big loop that two ppl could stand in. Those two then had to proceed to the other side of the room without breaking the paper loop. Want to know who's team won????????? The Dream Team! (that's my team) I didn't walk in the loop on the way across but we tried to come back and I did. This was such a failure. We were doing okay but had had some tears the first pass and so they just keep getting worse. By this time all the other teams had made it there and back. Finally the ultimate catastrophe and our paper loop tore! It was so sad but so funny.
Game 4 - This time we played telephone. The twist? We used Cantonese phrases. So dang difficult. I did learn how to say I love you - O ah la That's me trying to write out how it sounds. We did a few more phrases but I can't remember them at all. The hardest part about Chinese is that it doesn't sound like any other language! So I can't liken it to anything else I know. oh well Hopefully Cantonese for Foreigners will fix that
The Dream Team tied for 1st! Oh yeah! Go Dream Team! Our prizes were some Chinese cookies and candies. The first one was a milk and peanut candy which tasted okay but was so hard to bite into. The almond cookie was tasty but very dry.
After International CHALLENGE Day Sonya (our head lady) wanted us to take some photos for publicity stuff. Now this is where the joke "One More" started. The PR department of IFT LOVES and I mean LOVES to take pictures of us. They would pull 6 or 7 of us and take like 20 photos and then move locations, pull some more of us and then take 20 or more photos. We did this for about an hour and by the end of it we were joking about being models. It was especially funny when Sonya told us to "act like we're friends" So awkward at first but absolutely hilarious. They are suppose to send us some, and who knows maybe next year we'll be poster children for IFT!
We took a lunch break and went to eat at...well I don't remember. so skip
Next! We met back at IFT and got our chef outfits - Think McCutchen with a folded napkin necktie. Tonight we would devide up and each group would cook part of the meal. Then we would all reconvene and eat together. My group was in charge of the SALAD! Basically we washed lettuce and then the sous chef did the rest. I don't know why we couldn't do some chopping, but we did all stand around and ask question bout this and that. We talked about the names of different veggies in different languages. It was a great time. The Chef was very curious about each of us. I talked to him for a long time about school and what exactly I wanted to do. He was very interested about USC's HRTM 270 and 370. Sooooo "we" finished making the salad and then went and hung out with the other groups till everyone was done and then headed upstairs. SIDEBAR The one odd thing that they did was seperate all the mandarin and non-mandarin speaking students. I know they probably did it because of the chef or whatnot but it was still weird SIDEBAR DONE Dinner was delicious. We had a traditional Portuegese soup (which the Portuguese exchange students said wasn't good), traditional Macanese African Chicken, the most awesome salad ever, bread, potatoes, rice and traditional Serrdura dessert. The salad was yummy. The potatoes were awesome and the dessert was absolutely delicious! It apparently wasn't the best Serrdura around, according to some locals, but it was pretty darn yummy in my opinion.
Now I must go and take care of some work! The Final Day of the Welcome Program was a doozy. Incredibly tiring as we walked/bussed around from 9am-7pm. Sooo I'm going to photo blog that one.
Signing off!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Almost Universal Language
I'm bound and determined to finish the Welcome Program recap tonight! So let's begin:
Day 2: IFT Buddies
So the very last thing we did on the second day was to meet our IFT Buddies. This are the students who have recently studied abroad, and that we can contact if we need anything. My buddy is Yuki. She actually just came back from studying at USC. She is incredibly sweet and I'm so excited she's my buddy.
Day 3
International Challenge Day
We met at the indoor volleyball court at 10am to begin INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE DAY! I had envisioned playing sports and running around, maybe even a scavenger hunt. In actuality the student union team hosted it, and we played split into four teams and played small games. The first game we played was this one where everyone stood in pairs in a big circle. The person in front was called the "Adventurer" the person in back was the "Protector". One person stood in the middle of the circle holding a blow-up bat......
OKAY QUICK PAUSE I JUST GOT THE CALL THAT THERE I CAN GO GET A FREE SPACE HEATER FROM THE POUSADE (MY APARTMENT PPL)!!!!!!!!!!!
Day 2: IFT Buddies
So the very last thing we did on the second day was to meet our IFT Buddies. This are the students who have recently studied abroad, and that we can contact if we need anything. My buddy is Yuki. She actually just came back from studying at USC. She is incredibly sweet and I'm so excited she's my buddy.
Day 3
International Challenge Day
We met at the indoor volleyball court at 10am to begin INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE DAY! I had envisioned playing sports and running around, maybe even a scavenger hunt. In actuality the student union team hosted it, and we played split into four teams and played small games. The first game we played was this one where everyone stood in pairs in a big circle. The person in front was called the "Adventurer" the person in back was the "Protector". One person stood in the middle of the circle holding a blow-up bat......
OKAY QUICK PAUSE I JUST GOT THE CALL THAT THERE I CAN GO GET A FREE SPACE HEATER FROM THE POUSADE (MY APARTMENT PPL)!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Heater
Currently I'm laying in my bed snuggled up underneath the covers with pj pants, a t-shir, a flannel sleep shirt, a big headband and giant warm socks on. Why? Our apartment is freezing! For some reason our apartment doesn't hold heat at all, and for the past couple of days it has been very cold (50 degrees) and rainy. In turn our apartment has been very cold. My roommate sleeps right where a draft comes in one of our windows. I feel terrible for her but am very glad to not be sleeping in the path of a draft. Tonight our wonderful friend Daniel came downstairs to see if he could fix it. Alas no, but he brought with him a small hot water bag. One of those that you can slip in between your covers and it will heat up your bed. MMMMmmmmmm I'm cuddling with it currently and will soon turn it over to my roomie. She is the colder one of us. Yeah, I know hard to believe someone gets cold easier than me.
Anyways, I will at some point finish updating about the welcome program, but for now it is off too bed for me. The point of this entry.....It's does get cold in Macao!
Anyways, I will at some point finish updating about the welcome program, but for now it is off too bed for me. The point of this entry.....It's does get cold in Macao!
So Cold!
Had to take a brief break and go to class so NOW I will try to finish recapping the Welcome Program.
Day 2 Continued!
Ok so got my classes straightened out. I may drop the one I have on Saturday, but I want to give it a shot because I really wanted to take Travel Agency Operations but wasn't planning on having a Saturday class. We shall see.
Now I'm off to have Valentine's Dinner with all my exchange and IFT buddies! Happy Valentine's Day to all in the States!
Happy Valentine's Day Tyler. I love you! : )
Day 2 Continued!
Ok so got my classes straightened out. I may drop the one I have on Saturday, but I want to give it a shot because I really wanted to take Travel Agency Operations but wasn't planning on having a Saturday class. We shall see.
Now I'm off to have Valentine's Dinner with all my exchange and IFT buddies! Happy Valentine's Day to all in the States!
Happy Valentine's Day Tyler. I love you! : )
Welcome Program
Alrighty soooo continuing Day 2 of the Welcome Program.
All the exchange students went out for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. I had a a spring roll with noodles type dish. I can't remember the exact name of it, but it was so delicious. The waitress showed me that there was a sweet sauce on the table that was meant to go on it, and while it isn't the same type of sweet like in the US it was really good.
Everyday of the program we had at least 2 hours if not three for lunch. At first I thought this was way too long, and wondered why we needed so much time, and why we couldn't just have a shorter lunch and just finish earlier. By the second day I realized that 1: with so many people there is no way to do a "fast" lunch and 2: People take more time here for their meals. Nothing is rushed.
After we made it back from lunch, feeling happy and sleepy, we chose our classes! My schedule currently looks like this : file://C:\Users\Catherine\Documents\Schedule.mht
All the exchange students went out for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. I had a a spring roll with noodles type dish. I can't remember the exact name of it, but it was so delicious. The waitress showed me that there was a sweet sauce on the table that was meant to go on it, and while it isn't the same type of sweet like in the US it was really good.
Everyday of the program we had at least 2 hours if not three for lunch. At first I thought this was way too long, and wondered why we needed so much time, and why we couldn't just have a shorter lunch and just finish earlier. By the second day I realized that 1: with so many people there is no way to do a "fast" lunch and 2: People take more time here for their meals. Nothing is rushed.
After we made it back from lunch, feeling happy and sleepy, we chose our classes! My schedule currently looks like this : file://C:\Users\Catherine\Documents\Schedule.mht
- Monday: 3pm-4:20pm - MGMT 312 - Human Resources Management - Taipa Campus
- Tuesday: 9:10am-12pm - TSMT 313- Development and Management of Attractions - Taipa Campus 1:15pm-2:45pm - Cantonese for Foreigners 3pm-4:20pm - SOCI 211 - Socio-Cultural Issues in Tourism -Macao Campus
- Wednesday: 10:40-12pm - MKTG 211 - Tourism and Hospitality Marketing -Macao Campus 1-2:20pm - TSMT 211 - Travel Agency Operations - Macao Campus
- Thursday: 3-4:20pm -MGMT 312 - Human Resources Management - Taipa Campus
- Friday: 10:40am-12pm - MKTG 211 - Tourism and Hospitality Marketing - Macao Campus 3-4:20pm - SOCI - Socio-Cultural Issues in Tourism
- Saturday: 8:30m-9:50pm TSMT 211 - Travel Agency Operations - Macao Campus
Sunday, February 13, 2011
One More
It has been a few days but I'm going to give a quick recap and then lots of pictures to come later!
Day 2: Welcome Program
On our second day we met at 9:30am and had a small session with our Hostel team. Technically they call the apartments we live in "hostels". Really they are just apartments in different buildings throughout the city. They told us all about what to do if we have an emergency, and how to reach them or a member of the hostel team if need be. We also learned how to go about paying our bills and what bills we actually have to pay. IFT pays for our wi-fi and our gas bill (yep that's right we have a tiny gas tank that will run out at some point they informed us) so that we don't have to. Even when the gas company comes and replaces the tank all we have to do is sign for it and then IFT will pay. It is our responsibility to pay for our water and electricity. We pay the electricity monthly and the water bi-monthly. We haven't had to pay ours yet, but it seems fairly simple. IFT will get the bill and then we can pay at any number of places. The most convinient for us is the 7-Eleven down the street. SIDEBAR: 7-Elevens are extremely popular here. They are on almost every street corner. SIDEBAR OVER After that we took a tour of the campus. It is very small but you could definitely get turned around if you didn't know where you were going.
It's midnight here and tomorrow is the first day of classes, so I'm going to sign off and try to get some shut eye. Till tomorrow!
Day 2: Welcome Program
On our second day we met at 9:30am and had a small session with our Hostel team. Technically they call the apartments we live in "hostels". Really they are just apartments in different buildings throughout the city. They told us all about what to do if we have an emergency, and how to reach them or a member of the hostel team if need be. We also learned how to go about paying our bills and what bills we actually have to pay. IFT pays for our wi-fi and our gas bill (yep that's right we have a tiny gas tank that will run out at some point they informed us) so that we don't have to. Even when the gas company comes and replaces the tank all we have to do is sign for it and then IFT will pay. It is our responsibility to pay for our water and electricity. We pay the electricity monthly and the water bi-monthly. We haven't had to pay ours yet, but it seems fairly simple. IFT will get the bill and then we can pay at any number of places. The most convinient for us is the 7-Eleven down the street. SIDEBAR: 7-Elevens are extremely popular here. They are on almost every street corner. SIDEBAR OVER After that we took a tour of the campus. It is very small but you could definitely get turned around if you didn't know where you were going.
It's midnight here and tomorrow is the first day of classes, so I'm going to sign off and try to get some shut eye. Till tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Meeting New People
Day 1 of the Welcome Program
Map of IFT Campus
Inspirational plaque on the wall
Atrium in the Inspiration Building
View looking up in atrium! Soo pretty
Common area in atrium
Looking down from top of a giant hill
I made it!
Taking a picture of Jatana taking a picture of the group
Top of the fort. This is right at the top of campus with beautiful vies of the city
Jatana!
Sana, from Finland, gracefully showing off a canon
View from top of the fort
Bullet, from the Mainland, and Justin, from South Korea
Judy from Taiwan and Terri from South Korea
Daniel from Taiwan, Sana, Judy and me!
All the way from the USA : )
Map of IFT Campus
Inspirational plaque on the wall
Atrium in the Inspiration Building
View looking up in atrium! Soo pretty
Common area in atrium
Looking down from top of a giant hill
I made it!
Taking a picture of Jatana taking a picture of the group
Top of the fort. This is right at the top of campus with beautiful vies of the city
Jatana!
Sana, from Finland, gracefully showing off a canon
View from top of the fort
Bullet, from the Mainland, and Justin, from South Korea
Judy from Taiwan and Terri from South Korea
Daniel from Taiwan, Sana, Judy and me!
All the way from the USA : )Today was a long day. We woke up at 7:30am, had breakfast and then booked it over to IFT for the welcome program. We learned about how to use the moddle and our emails, how to use the library and applied for our Macau Student Pass. The only bummer was that we won't get our Macau pass until the 22nd, so that means a week and a half of paying full price bus fare.
We went to a little dessert shop and to the Market with our new friend Sana after the program was over. We were going to attempt to meet up with some of the other exchange students and go to the Venetian tonight, but with no phone and missing the skype message I think we are out of luck. Must get phone soon.
I think jet lag, stress and a touch of homesickness is catching up with me. I'm waking up at 7am and then getting tired around 6pm every day. My thought is to not fight it too much. Instead, I'm letting my self take naps but trying to make them shorter everyday and still go to bed at a reasonable time. Feeling lazy and tired is annoying, but once school starts I hope that that will help. Macao really is a wonderful place, and I want to enjoy it as much as I can!
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