Witty Title that I Can't Think of Because I'm Too Full

*FOR THE RECORD, I AM SO EFFING FULL RIGHT NOW (if you weren't aware from the title)*

I forgot to mention last night that a bat swooped out of tree when Sam and I walked back from dinner. I looked around for Sam, but she had already ducked and gone for the fetal position. We are brave people.

What started out as a pretty boring day of waiting around for calls and emails back about properties ended up being quite productive.

The day started off with complimentary breakfast in the dining hall at the college. We officially met our first Aussie who was super friendly and bit quirky herself. She plays the trumpet (classical music) and is pretty fascinated by marching bands in the US. Definitely needs to check out the TMB (aka the self-proclaimed greatest marching band in the history of the universe).

The morning was spent figuring out classes that weren't initally approved and emailing people who told me to email other people who told me to email other people to help me enrol(l <-- it's spelled with one "l" here) in said classes.

Then met up with Sam again to get our student IDs (and take our fantastically awkward pictures for them) and had lunch at a pizza place on campus. It wasn't too bad, but it definitely isn't anything close to my beloved Mulberry's.
We both got iced coffees later on, and it ended up being the lightest colored coffee I've had in a while aka I got me a cup of caffeinated milk. Definitely need to mention going light with the milk next time...
And we saw like 5 lizards/iguanas/I'm not sure but something in that family today! They were just chilling in the grass and by the trees.

Played another waiting game with people looking for roommates and the real estate agents we contacted and ended up booking 2 inspections for the afternoon and evening.

We definitely looked at 2 extremes today.

First place:

• in a not so convenient area that involves a slight bit of walking and 2 different buses
• a bit messy and dirty (guesses as to why?)
• (answer)7 guys living there (only 1 of whom we met)
• 2 bathrooms
• no fans or a/c included
• Sam and I'd share a double room
• able to book for only 5 months
• we would each pay $105 per week and that includes EVERYTHING (utilities and internet and whatnot)

Second place:

• just a corner around from the bus stop straight to campus
• brand spanking new, as in no one has ever lived in this complex before
• each unit has 5 bedrooms ensuite (aka each bedroom has its own bathroom)
• a/c and a mini plasma TV in each room
• linen is provided
• someone comes to clean the common area every week
• certain rooms come with either a balcony or a mini courtyard
• laundry is free
• it's a bit out of our price range

So we're HOPING tomorrow brings some in-between, quality choices. We should (cross your fingers) be able to determine a place to live by tomorrow night.

After touring the second place, we went to this all you can eat Mongolian BBQ place across the street. It was pretty good in terms of quality, and I definitely ate way too much. You get a bowl and then fill it with a bunch of nearly thawed meat (lamb, pork, beef, chicken or a combination of any of them). Then you add whatever veggies you want. Then they have like 7 different oils and sauces to add, and there was a sign that said something along the lines of "the more oils you add, the better it will taste." Pretty sure I overdid it with the garlic and chili oils. Then you take your bowl to this dude with the biggest chopsticks I've ever seen in front of what looks like one of those round crepe stove tops, just 5 times bigger. He cooks everything in front of you, scoops it back into another a bowl, and does this weird gravity-defying, swooping thing with the bowl in his hand and under his arm before giving it back to you. Then there are more sauces to add to your cooked food.
I definitely went for seconds. For the record, we finished eating around 7:45pm (it's now 9:25pm), and I am still full.

Also, after trekking across campus from the bus stop to the college, I've decided that this place needs a campus cruiser. It was too much of an effort walking waddling back to our rooms being that full.

Here are some pictures I have neglected to upload. I'll get an album going on facebook eventually.

So it's the speed bump sign and the pedestrian sign, but I decided it's an invisible man wearing pants, shoes, and a large hat.

We named it Iggy the Iguana even though it's probably not an iguana.

Size comparison between Iggy and the tree

Honestly the bird pictures are mostly for Daisy, but I hope you enjoy them, too

I can almost guarantee that there will be more bird pictures