#32 a dream come true

Hey hi hello,

Yes I finally have the time (and the courage) to start writing on what an amazing experience this has been so far. In less than two months, my life has completely changed. I breathe, eat, sleep, live differently. I think, talk, behave differently. It has been the time of my life in California, and today I take a break from all that goodness to write about it.

I've traveled quite a bit around Los Angeles and San Diego, and I'm already overwhelmed. You'd think you'd want to cover all of SoCal and move on to NoCal before the rest of the United States, but trust me, it's going to take awhile. (Good thing I have 3 years to go!)

Most of the pictures here are of my travels, I promise to write about what I have been up to here at San Diego State, but for now, I just need to rant.

I have the best bunch of international friends on exchange. Here we go. There are two Australians, three Spanish, one French (he's naturally the best looking asshole, love you John), one Dutch, one Turkish, one English (who doesn't watch football!), one from Faroe Islands and us two Malaysians! The best thing about hanging out with a bunch of international students is that they're all BIG into exploring, being touristy and are all excited about everything American. We've also got a couple of Americans in the mix to make sure we don't offend, get killed or end up in Tijuana alone.

I've also been so in love with my housing on campus. The building is literally in the middle of everything. We take the trolley and bus everywhere. The people I meet here make me smile everyday. Every time someone asks me (which is pretty much everyone) how I like it out here, I only have one response, "It feels like I'm living in the movies." It cracks them up every time, but I'm not even kidding. It really does feel like it. 

The beach may be my one true love here, but my housemates are a close second. The bond that was built and escalated exponentially between three of us has been amazing. We'd sit in our living room with nothing but music and food, and on special occasions, one of us teaches the others how to twerk. Slang is my new best friend too. Who'd think American English would be so hard to understand when you have friends from Chicago, Compton, Los Angeles, San Francisco, other parts of NoCal and SoCal and even Mexico. Don't even get me started on online shopping and free shipping (think Urban Outfitters, Karmaloop and all the other goodshit that doesn't deliver to you). Obey Propaganda actually means something to me now. 

My days have been absolutely carefree, I'm up to something different every weekend. Sometimes we're at the beach with a book in hand, other days we're messing around Downtown and all it has to offer (bars, boobies and more bars). Some nights we stay in and sing the nineties, most nights we're out looking for a party. Frat parties are real, guys. Free alcohol and cheap sex exists. I see buttcheeks and boobs all over campus. People suck faces and blast music from their rooms. You can walk into a strangers home on campus and you'll end up with more friends. White boys on different-sized skateboards buzz past my window every evening. People greet you in the morning and you can't sneeze without a blessing in return. Other times people are mostly drunk and/or high (but who's complaining?). People actually care that you're foreign (maybe they just think it's hot) and ask cute things like "Omg you speak English there?!" and "Where is Malaysia?". Shopping in Walmart is an experience America has to offer. You see things there you'll never see any where else.

There's so much this place has opened my eyes to, and I know it has so much more to offer. I am truly grateful and lucky to be here. It has been nothing but a dream come true. 

I'M LIVING IN CALIFORNIA!