School School School!

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Hi!

Well I started classes this week - and dropped one by Wednesday! The classes here are hard; the undergraduate class is fine, but the graduate classes require so much work and reading and, since I read at a 12 year old level, I am sooooo slow! I'm studying seven days/nights a week, but I wish I had nine!

I have three days of classes each week. One of these has 6 and a half hour break, which is good because I can sit outside and read. The weather is incredible, so it's nice to do so.

The lecturers are incredible. It's amazing to meet these people who started and developed the field in which I study. And they're so friendly! I'd forgotten how much I loved conversation analysis! I love working this hard on something I love. :) I'm finally thinking less about the work I left behind - I didn't realise how much I'd take with me (in my head) and worry about. But there is so much work here that it's taken over most of my brain!

I met up with Anne and her friend last weekend in Santa Monica and showed them Third St Promenade (which is like a funkier version on Pitt St Mall). That was fun, we watched some street performers for a while too. That and hanging out with Daniel, Steph, Jai and Rahul, have constituted my social escapades that ended last Saturday night. Since then, it's all been study. From Sunday onwards, I haven't done much else except go to class, read, do a little wedding planning, and talk to Warwick and my parents! Oh and exercise. It's a nice flat area to walk in. And the weather, incredible. Did I mention that?

Going to "school" (which is college/university here) is interesting - everyone proudly wears their UCLA "sweatshirts" (I got a weird look when I said "jumper") and has UCLA merchandise - bags, folders, pens, stickers, blankets, banners... A LOT! Even a UCLA slinky! I have my UCLA sweatshirt, binder, tote bag, travel mug.... am hoping to acquire some sweatpants too (I think trackies is a better word... since I don't often do enough to sweat in sweatpants).

The campus is HUGE. There's the school buildings and halls and then Westwood Village, which has stores (shops) that service many of the staff and students.. these include In'n'Out Burger, Victoria's Secret, a cinema, pharmacies, grocery stores, clothing stores... a lot of things.

Oh and I get my Bruin card next week (a student card), which means I can catch the bus for a quarter (25 cents). Woohoo!

After my last blog, someone asked me if I also should put "big Americans"... but in Santa Monica, and I think SoCal (Southern California), people are generally healthy and fit or at least trying to be! So, actually, I live in an area where people love to exercise, love their organic supermarkets, and have hybrid cars. Well, they either have hybrid cars or a monster SUV, so I suppose it balances out on that score.

This blog is a bit boring, but I would either write too much or this, so this is more readible and I need to go do my readings! I love it!

Any suggestions of cool things to do in LA are welcome!!

Your Hollywood Correspondent,

Sarah

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