Finally! The wait is over. Orientation starts tomorrow.
Since my last post, I've spent countless days getting my apartment into at least a functional shape. And I've had the chance to meet a lot of fellow classmates. It's been fun but exhausting at the same time.
Here are some of the highlights and lowlights:
* First impression of my classmates: excellent. In particular, even though my classmates have accomplished a lot prior to coming to UCLA Anderson, they are really down to earth and easy to get on with. I'm already in two fantasy football leagues!
* Rented apartments don't come with refrigerators in LA. I didn't have a refrigerator until two days ago - which meant every morning I had to wander up to Westwood Boulevard to find breakfast. (Incidentally, it's very hard to cure a hangover with no food or drinks.) I finally bought a mini-fridge and it's filled to capacity, mostly with drinks -- yes, Mrs. V, it has soft drinks as well! -- so of course I put it in the living room.
* Last week, I wrote that my LA research had taught me that Emmanuelle Chriqui would help me get settled in LA. Many of my readers wanted to know if she turned up at the airport. Sadly, no. There must have been a communications mix-up. Mrs. V. was only marginally sympathetic.
* Am eager to join some of the clubs at UCLA Anderson. I've met a few people from the Sports Business Association, and will definitely try to be an active member. I'm also keen to join the Entertainment Business Association. There are also many non-career focused clubs that seem interesting, so I'll have to pick and choose.
* I rented a Chevy Tahoe for two weeks - loved it! I've never driven anything that big before. (For my friends in Europe, its closest European equivalent is the Vauxhall Vivaro.) The best bit is driving on the motorway - once you get some speed, smaller cars move out of your way, which is very addictive! I was VERY tempted to buy one, but my eco-conscious -- not to mention thin student wallet -- got the better of me. Helped a ton with moving furniture, so would definitely recommend future graduate students to rent one for a couple of weeks while you furnish your apartment.
* I've been to Q's on Wilshire and Westgate twice in five days. I have a feeling this is going to be a regular spot for me.
* It was a lot harder to find a manual transmission car than I thought it would be. Finally got a great deal on a VW Jetta -- I realize I made the car-search significantly more painful than it had to be, but driving a manual transmission car just feels right.
* There is loads of football on TV, between Fox Soccer Channel (which also shows Sky Sports News every night as well), ESPN, and the Spanish language channels; I think I get more football here than I did in England.
* The IT support for Mac at our school could use a substantial upgrade. The biggest issue is that us Mac-o-philes have to partition the hard drive and run Windows Vista with MS Office for Windows solely because the university has some personalized add-ins that we are required to use -- and they only provide the add-ins for MS Office for Windows. I knew this when I bought my Mac, but I'm sure a lot of my classmates decided not to buy a Mac because of the required partitioning. Why help Microsoft preserve its near-monopoly status?
But that's all in the past now. I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Just two days to go. The wait is almost over. Time to fire up the Jetta.
Wait - did I remember to buy petrol?
