July 28, 2003 Monday
Today was the start of what is shaping up to be a really busy week. Classes start this week, and we get to play tourist with Gareth for the next 10 days (yeah!). As far as classes go, things are the same, but different if that makes any sense. I’ve always known how lucky we are to go to a) a school in the States, and b) a school with the resources and facilities like UT. Being here really makes me appreciate even our crappy classrooms. The school isn’t dirty or anything, it’s just small with very odd design features. The desks in my first class made me feel like I was in a 747. A row of individual, but connected, seats with a desk that folds down from the seat in front of you. Once you’re in, you’re in…there is no getting up unless you want to make the entire row of people fold up their desks and stand up to let you out.

It’s really funny watching everyone trying to get into the elevators (“lifts” here) before class because no one seems to get the concept of getting to class early so EVERYONE is trying to get upstairs at the same time. I was let in on a little secret by one of the students, though. Turns out that only 3 of the 6 elevators actually works. Fun. The elevators are also the most impatient ones I’ve ever seen. You really have to be on your toes or you could lose them. Some of the students were saying there was an elevator in the library that routinely opens up mid-floor and has sudden drops. Who needs Astroworld with rides like that?

I’ve added another entry on my list of businesses I could bring here and make a fortune (I can’t really remember the rest of the list right now so don’t ask). They really need a system to handle used textbooks. They have a secondhand bookstore on campus (good), but apparently nobody uses it (bad). This kind of thing doesn’t work if nobody uses it. The regular campus bookstore doesn’t buy back used books. You can’t even get your money back if you return books, even the next day! Store credit is SO lame. I still haven’t gotten a good answer as to what everyone does with their old books. They can’t possibly keep them all, and I can’t imagine that every single person puts up little flyers all over the place. The books must end up in the same place as socks from the dryer and Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.