December in US
Happy New Year! With the first semester over and winter break underway, I am enjoying a relaxed and fulfilling life. In the first semester, I got an "A-" in sociology, but got "A"s in all other subjects. I will continue to study hard in the second semester while enjoying my life as an exchange student.
Now, during the winter break, I spent time with the exchange students who were staying in the on-campus dormitory until December. After that, I went on a trip to Las Vegas. Over the New Year holidays, I stayed with a teammate in Nashville, and was able to spend a fulfilling winter break.
Time on campus
In mid-December, local and international students finished their final exams and returned to their home countries or hometowns one after another. Therefore, the only people remaining in the on-campus dorms were those who had part-time jobs near the university or those whose home countries were far away and flight costs were high. The campus was almost empty, and the cafeteria and convenience stores were closed, so students ate out or played with exchange students at the nearby basketball and volleyball courts. There was some inconvenience, such as water supply construction work that made the water and toilets unusable, but the international students helped each other out.
I was also happy that the other international students were very happy when I gave them the "white rice", "cup ramen" and "instant curry" that I brought from Japan. Thanks to that, a Tunisian student made Couscous for me and we enjoyed it!
Time in Las Vegas
In Las Vegas, we first flew from Tri-City Airport near the university to Charlotte, then to Las Vegas, where we visited Antelope Canyon. The mountains spread out over the vast land were beautiful, and we could feel "The America". Furthermore, because we visited during the winter season, the weather was clear and the air was clear. It felt great. On the way back, we saw a row of windmills and what looked like solar power generation facilities installed here and there. According to the guide, it was a shame that the installation of windmills and solar power plants would artificialize part of the natural area. We also couldn't make it to Mather Point after Antelope, but we got up early the next morning and went back to Mather Point to see the sunrise, and we were happy to be able to see a beautiful sunrise.
The thing that surprised me the most was that there were more Asians (especially Chinese) on the Antelope Canyon tour than I expected. There were some tourists from Europe, such as France, but Chinese people made up about 80% of the group.
After arriving in Las Vegas, I headed to the hotel early because my flight the next day was early. I was only able to see a little bit of the Bellagio Fountains show, but I was glad I went to Las Vegas because I got to see a real casino in person! Lastly, the night view from the flight back was so beautiful!
Time in Nashville
I went to Nashville directly from Las Vegas. I really enjoyed the small New Year's family parties and dinners with my teammates' friends! I brought back some "soba noodles", "Sato rice" and "Country Marm" as souvenirs to my homestay family in Nashville.
It was great to be able to meet my host family again after Thanksgiving, play soccer and work out with my local teammates' friends in Nashville, and eat the food my host family's mother cooked! I'm looking forward to eating my favorite "sausage roll" (an Australian dish) somewhere next week!
I'll do my best and enjoy the rest of my time studying abroad to the fullest so that I won't have any regrets!
