walking the line

I seriously have to pinch myself every now and then and remind myself that i am at the other end of the world!!! crazy! anyways, i got into a course on problem based studies of Japan, another on social change in east and south east Asia, and finally a most interesting course on Poverty Alleviation and Foreign Aid. my Prof is an active Burmese NGO worker, in Burma. so, maybe he can change my little foreign aid jaded heart... we'll see. should be interesting... my face has healed and i seem a little less scary. my ID card looks like i did some serious time...still no anarchists in sight. i still have yet to smoke, it's so damn complicated to here anyways. you gotta go a million miles out of the dorm and school campus beforehand and i am not a fan of the seemingly Malboro monopoly here....when i need to smoke, i need to do it ahora, not after a 15 minute expedition, and smoking fines are around 800$USD AND security is wack here...i still cannot find a route where i am not on film at least four times. there's ID cards to enter the Residence, to enter yr building, to enter yr room, to use the computer, to go to the library, the cafeteria. i someone from the rez visits yr hall, you have to sign them in, they can't stay past 12 and no one can sleep over...mmmm....it's odd here, people do not look where they are going and just walk straight into you... so yeah, people just walk where they're headed and if they bump into you they just keep on going as if it never happened or you didn't exist...it's quite an odd feeling, ...my daydreaming is seriously hazardous (also due to the fact that my shoes for some reason are even bigger than usual, although i swear they were the same size as the last pair, and i keep tripping over myself..i also tore off several pieces of my ankle when i tripped on the escalator...woo hoo) walking disaster. Aurelia gave me the lo-down...just go forward, don't apologize, walk into people, it's u or them, women and children too...mmm..not so sure if i could pull that off...i apologize when people bump (mm..smash) into me, and they look at me like i'm loco! then, yesterday, i honestly accidentally bumped into someone...full on..and before i could say anything..THEY apologized???? i'm also glad i didn't bring my bike, jesus, they drive on other side of the road, if i don't trip over my feet or get smacked into, i am bound to get hit by a bus....but i'm good for now. ok, hope you're well. send some news. r