Alright guys, let's talk about my freshman year! So, to start off there was no such thing as "freshie 15" for me 😂. My usual appetite back home consisted of maybe 4 meals a day (cause c'mon guys who doesn't like food?? especially local hawaii food 😍) but in China, my diet and lifestyle changed drastically. Just having to budget for food and spending my own money really changed the way I looked at eating! It's not a bad thing, actually I was appreciative to have such a grown-up experience and not expecting to have my parents pay for everything. So, less eating on top of the smaller proportions Chinese eat compared to Americans, I would say I was more at "freshie -15" and in no way am I complaining 🙃.
School, in general was somewhat of a challenge for me because I had to wake up for the 6 am shuttle bus to attend my 8 am classes everyday 😭. I am really not a morning person so that was a difficult schedule for me. Initially, I wanted to major in International Business, however NYUSH had very limited options in terms of majors. So, I was like okay let's try out business. Classes were okay, but I realized that business finance--the track other than Marketing--just wasn't for me. I took statistics and math classes and almost fell asleep in all of them because I just no comprende. However, I did take an International Relations course that focused on the poverty and inequality in developing countries...I absolutely loved it. I knew that this major was the course to go, and I've always had a passion to serve communities that are in need of assistance with food, clothing, medical help, education, etc. I loved being involved in community service projects throughout my childhood!
In terms of friends, I met a lot of different people with diverse backgrounds, and I absolutely loved that NYU could foster such. However, being from Hawaii there were not a lot of locals that I could relate to, so it was a good challenge for me to find those who I connected with from other cultural backgrounds other than my own. Most of the people I connected with were outside the NYU community, and that was also a great opportunity for me to find connection other than school or academics 💛.
(there's also waaayyy too many photos I cannot decide which to post 😫)