Life in America: What keeps it going

So I've lived the whole September here in Madison, Wisconsin. I am starting to get into the rhythm of the life here, though the weather is still one of the things I am not used to. The weather here is unpredictable, sometimes you get a temperature of 5 degrees celcius, sometimes about 20, sometimes the wind howls across the city. The other day I was walking from class to my dorm, a wind so strong hit me it blew me a couple of meters sideways and knocked the wind out of my lungs, that is how strong it gets.

That being said however, I still remember the first night I was in my dorm when after taking a shower I was shivering, the temperature was about 15 degrees; now, 15 degrees is nothing, my new cold thresold is something about 2 or 3 degrees C.

Anyway, in the midst of all these studies and classes and homeworks and quizzes and exams and more homeworks, one will go insane pretty quickly if there weren't anything to keep you grounded. I try to have the little things to look forward to everyday to keep me going through week after week.


First, is my bath time!

Dorm bathroom

Of course, this might not seem like anything to you. But in a climate this cold, taking a shower under the hot water is the next best after (insert favorite thing to do here). In fact, after getting in, you don't feel like you want to get out, you'll just want to stay in there forever, and ever. Of course at some point I will have to reluctantly get out of the shower into the cold again, because I didn't came all the way here just to indulge in a shower. But it's okay, because I can look forward to the next one.


Second, my 10:10 pendant.

10:10

If you've noticed, I've been wearing this since about exactly one year ago. It was to celebrate the world climate action day last year on the 10th of October. But I've been wearing that since. Whenever I feel drown under homeworks, it reminds me of the happier days in Malaysia when I was actively involved in voluntary services and environmental movement, the friends that worked side by side at that time, how we had fun together. Then I don't feel like such a mess anymore.


Third! My little kids.

Music Club 2011

I miss the people at my high school Music Club. But they are also part of why I look forward to each day. Everyday, I will wake up checking my Facebook notifications to see if there is anything going on in the club, whether they are doing fine. I am counting the days when I get to see them again, to work and play music together.


Fourth, my guitar!

Yamaha FG700S

A relatively new addition into my daily routine, it just arrived earlier this week. This guitar keeps me sane more than anything else (I think). It's just hard to live for a month without a guitar to play. Now I got one, I find myself more motivated to finish homework so that I can practice guitar. Now learning - Andy McKee's Drifting. And of course, I can't wait to get back to Malaysia to show how much I've (not) improved when I was in Madison!


Lastly! The actual learning itself.

I came here to study, so I might as well look forward to class each day. Surprisingly though, I find myself liking the classes here. Although it is definitely different from Malaysia. But the professors here are generally very happy to teach, unlike in Malaysia where being a teacher was something you don't do unless you want to be poor and grumpy everyday. I am taking one genetics course this semester - General Genetics. It is a bit difficult, but it is inspiring to be able to learn it at the epicenter of genomics revolution. If you didn't know, University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of the leading universities in bioscience research, if not the leading university. So it is great to be learning from the people who are doing the actual research themselves.


Alright, that's all for today. Oh and by the way, today is the first conference game of the football season! That means teams with huge rivalries playing each other. And our school is going against University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Both teams having 4 wins and 0 losses in the pre-season games last month. The atmosphere in downtown is just crazy, but such a pity I did not bring my camera with me. Next game I will try to take some photos and show you what it is like to be in a football town on college game day.

Wisconsin hoodie!

Till next time, cheers~