Before I jump in to the first semester in college, here are bits and pieces of my background stories:

A few years ago, I always, always felt uneasy about starting college three years later than my peers. I questioned my decision to sign the A*STAR contract at grade 11 and started a new chapter of my life as a 9th grader in another country. I got jealous looking at my high school friends graduating during their senior years and enjoying their college lives after that, while I was struggling with O Levels and A Levels. At times, when extreme stress took me over every single day when I woke up, I was lost. I didn't know what I was doing with my life. I felt completely lost with life after A Levels, where I would end up, snf what I would choose to do in college and so on.

I admit that I took one of the most costly and risky paths during my last two years in Singapore. Fortunately, my bestie joined the journey as my partner in crime. Why was it costly? Because we faced so many difficulties paying for our application fees to many universities abroad, and we were left with nothing in our own bank accounts. Why was it risky? Because we could fail so hard if no university accepted us with enough financial aid. And, at that time, we chose to prioritize application overseas over A Levels. Personally, that was also the time a lot of disagreements and tension came up between me and my family. If I had to describe those moments in three words, I will say "hell," "draining" and "distrust."

However, sitting here typing this post right now, I am sure I will always be grateful for what has happened to us, me and my bestie. At last, after all of the frustration, confusion, heart breaks, slumps, hard work, laughs, tears, judgement and support, we are here, where we wanted to be, living the kind of life we could only dream of years ago.

The legendary eight-month-holiday passed away before I realized it and off I went on a 36-hour journey to the States and began my college life.

Honestly, when I first reached ULM, the size of the campus amazed me. "Wow, this school is huge!" was the first impression I had about ULM. (Fun fact: now that thought does not exist anymore). Everything turned out to be much more smaller and accessible the moment I got used to life here.

The amazing Ouachita Bayou at sunset

I love walking around campus as long as it's not raining. I love the brownish-yellow walls of the buildings, the architecture style and the feel this campus brings about. Brown Hall will always be my favorite, now with the big Christmas tree in front of it. There is something about the city of Monroe and ULM that astonishes from time to time. The bayou that my friends and I swear to jump off into whenever life gets crazy. The on-campus Starbucks that sees and listens to my and my friends' rants throughout the semester. The little corners all around campus where I stop at, take a deep breath, look around, stare in the air, sigh when things get too rough or smile like a idiot on good days. The walkways that bear my friend's and my own footsteps, especially when we keep strolling and talking about the universe. And every other little thing.

On-campus Starbucks in December

I still remember after the Super Moon, when I finally found the perfect spot to admire the beauty of the moon, a friend passed by. We had a short conversation that ended with his suggestion: "I think you should bring a chair and just sit here looking up to the sky all night long!" Or, when I asked a friend how he felt at the moment he just arrived in Monroe after a long drive from DallasL "I notice the scent of Monroe!", he replied.

My favorite Christmas tree in front of Brown Hall

I am lucky enough to have lived far away from home long enough that dorm life is a comfortable choice of lifestyle for me. The dorm itself doesn't have any major problems, except for those nights when water flooded into the room because I didn't know how to use the shower curtain properly, when I slipped like a jagger on the bathroom floor because my feet were wet and no mat was there, when the drain in the bathroom was completely blocked no matter what I tried to do, or when hot water disappeared all of a sudden on a "feels-like-negative-two" day.

Ouachita Hall

Despite all those funny and lame moments, I still love my little corner in the room. Compared to all of the previous hostels, in Ouachita Hall, the wardrobe is much more spacious (and I have so much fewer things). The bed is so much higher from the floor that I always get excited to jump onto it every night. The only window in the room is small, but it has two layers with an additional blind, so insects can't fly in. So, every morning, I can wake up with different shapes of sunlight on my face. And every other night, I can contemplate on moving rays of lights on the wall and ceiling.

The little corner that I look at everyday

Moving on to food, ULM has two most common places to eat: Schulze and The SUB. I rarely eat in The SUB because of the extra cost for every meal. And I'm living on campus so a meal plan at The Schulze cafeteria is mandatory. As usual, everything tasted fabulous on the first week. As time goes by, it feels like daily fast food. Yet, breakfast is exceptionally delicious and I'm always excited for Fried Chicken Wednesday every week. Sometimes, on special occasions, the cook willprepare some unique and yummy dishes, too.

The first ever salad I had at Schulze

That's all for now! Next time, I'll tell you stories about people I've met during my time here.