so many odds and ends

Starting over on a new campus is turning out to be more work than I ever imagined. The basics, like my student id number and my bus pass, all have a new meaning here. The more complex issues, classes and feeding myself, seem too daunting right now to even tackle. On top of it all, I am in a strange place tying to absorb vocabulary, customs, and surroundings I don't know. A perfect example of this would be at the end of all my running around today when I got my first meeting with our school mascot, the quenda. I advise you to look up their photo to fully understand why I broke out screaming and threw something at the little guy. They appear to be large rats that hop. Apparently, if you throw them some bread, they will come up and lick your toes. No thank you, Mr. Quenda, I don't dig the toe licking. After the friendly murdoch welcome creature ran away, I just sat down on the ground and closed my eyes. It had been hours since I had started my day, and once again I had forgotten to slow down and enjoy my experience. I did what most of us do, rush through our to-do list while sacrificing our own personal well-being. I got up and returned to my flat, deciding to stay in as oppose to joining my other American friends in celebrating one of the boy's 21st birthday in the bars all night. I am smiling to myself, now a little more stable than I was one the way home, listening to my male flatmate sing along to "Arms of an Angel" in his room. A beautiful simple moment, just absorbing a cultural difference. Tomorrow, I will try and channel this peace when I return to the mall only a day after purchasing my cel phone because it is broken. Wish me luck!