Today has been a really boring day - have to pack all of the stuff I wont bring with me to Shanghai into boxes - and damn I have a lot of stuff! I have been packing/cleaning all day and Im still not done.. Want to finish with all the things I am not bringing by tomorrow afternoon as I am going to my parents place then and they got room for it in their basement/attic. Think I can make it by then, but Im not sure. Got 5 boxes here so far, and my dad already took 2 boxes to their place - so can't be that much left can it? Also saved files from my old computer - actually found some songs that I made back in highschool so that was kind of cool. Gave even more clothes away to charity today as well - dont even remember ever wearing some of the stuff in my closet, what a waste. Anyways the final week before leaving looks pretty stressfull so far, everyone want to meet up and say goodbye, but I have to move out proper and clean everything as well.. I will just have to manage balancing it all somehow I guess.
Today there was another information meeting about next semester, but this time with representatives from the BI Liasion Office at Fudan and it was all in english (because "we are international" and two of the representatives were chinese). A lot of the information was things we have heard about in writing already, but we got some new info as well. Basicly their advice to us was to take the summer course and take chinese seriously, live close to school and attend field trips and meetings. Apprently some real estate agent fooled most of the students living there now into paying a too high deposit and possibly too much rent as well, so they warned us about that too. I think Cathrine, Irene and I will be fine though, Irenes mum is following us to Shanghai to help us out and everything. Going to events and field trips and such I will obviously try to do, as its a good way to network. As for the chinese, I already had every intention of taking it seriously so no problem there. The 3 students from Drammen came to Oslo for the information meeting though that was pretty cool, they all seem nice. I still find it hard to belive that I am actually going to live in Shanghai, it looks so modern it's almost unreal in some of the pictures.. haha. It gets more and more real though, now I have handed in the last applications, I have info about the visa and a written confirmation to show the national student loan fund. I can't help feeling as if this is the start of an adventure, and hey it probably is. (this song is awesome for that feeling :P)
After the information meeting it was up to the library to look for a free seat. The big quiet section was filled up, but I found a spot in the small even more quiet section. In this part of the library you not only have to be quiet, you can't use your computer or eat either. Sitting there actually made me study pretty effective though and I read a little more than 100 pages in 3-4 hours. Eventually I just got too hungry though, and as Im broke after the London trip that ment going home to eat :P. I did get a free burn from some people trying to sell telephones though, so that kept me going for a little while at least ^^
So today I went to school to fill out and hand in my application form to Fudan University in Shanghai. Yes I know I said I got in already, but what I should have said was BI agreed to nominate me already, hehe. Fudan has never rejected any student nominated by BI though, so I feel pretty confident that Im going to get in. The application forms to the language summer course and the one year course were both really long, and it took me over an hour to fill them out. I also needed a photo of myself and a copy of my passport. In the application they asked all sorts of things, a lot of it was contact info, but they also asked what languages I know, my religion, etc. When I had finally finished it all I managed to print out the wrong document, so I had two of the summer course form and no one year program form. Scary to imagine what would have happened if I hadn't noticed, hehe. I ended up handing in the right forms about 10 minutes before the International Office closed, took a lot longer than I thouht. I need to study for my final in Consumer Behaviour today as well, so I guess I will have to use the evening for that.. bleh. Im happy to be done with the application forms though, and I also found "placement test" on the summer language course program. Thats awesome, as I have studied mandarin for a year already and kind of dont want to spend money on learning the basics all over again. Considered to just not take the course, but the placement test made me decide to take it :)
So I know when Im moving to China now - july 26th! Cathrine, Irene and me booked tickets just now. I am so excited about moving right now that I actually feel slightly nauciated! We got a pretty good price on the tickets as well, Finnair does this youth discout so we payed less than half the original price (good to remember people who might want to come visit me!). So if your younger than 25 years old, Finnair is very affordable (we payed about 3000 NOK from Oslo to Shanghai) and if your older its kind of expensive. Finnair is a pretty good airline as well, used them both times I went to Japan. Shanghai is getting more and more real every time we fix something or I get more information.. damn I can't wait! I will miss everyone home in Norway (of course!), but it will also be brilliant to get to study abroad again :) If Fudan decides to reject my application now (allthough they have never rejected any student BI nominated before)I will be really depressed, but we did of course get tickets we can unbook again just in case. I have some closer things to look forward to as well, I will be going to London with my friends from my old school UiO the day after tomorrow :D We are staying there for 5 days and I think it will be great. Staying at a dorm, but there's 7 of us so whoever we are sharing with will most likely be the ones intimidated rather than us :) Flying with Ryanair as well so it is definitely a budget vacation, but it's still a vacation and Im really looking forward to it!
Today has been a really boring day - have to pack all of the stuff I wont bring with me to Shanghai into boxes - and damn I have a lot of stuff!
