First and Last

I'm feeling a sudden surge of sadness now... When I finished my final paper in UC Davis - French 1 today (11th June), I suddenly felt sad.. I was ok before that, but as I handed in my french paper to my french professor, andrea, it was like a tug that would wake me up from my dreams.

My stay in UC Davis is indeed like a dream. It felt so surreal and everything went by so fast. I can still remember vividly the times when we were trapped in the apartment due to the storms. I could fully explore without much inhibitions in UC Davis. I took courses like French which would be deemed 'too difficult' in NUS. I had lunches with the professors and learnt more about the world of academia and the life of an electrical engineer in the united states. From my peers in class, I learnt that there are indeed people who are really passionate about what they do and that it is not true that the US is less competitive. UC Davis is certainly more competitive than NUS from what I have seen.

My favourite class of my whole stay turned out to be French. My tutor, Andrea, is one of the most passionate and funny tutors I have ever seen. I started taking French to explore and I did not really think that I would continue with French. But from this class, I have now a genuine interest in French. As i have written over and over again, J'aime etudier genie electrique mais J'aime mieux etudier francais.

I have travelled almost every weekend in Davis and I can say that I have been to most parts of california. I really miss this lifestyle of travelling every week to new places. I miss the people in Davis too.. I will miss so many things... and now I have to leave it all... I will miss San Francisco.. It is such a beautiful city that embraces everyone. You will never feel left out in San Francisco (and the shopping is great too). Vacaville, monterey bay, san francisco, morro bay... I know that once I leave, it would be different when I visit (i am sure i will) these places again. It is really truly different to live in a place than to just 'visit'... It is different to return to an appartment which you call your temporary home, than to return to a hotel...

I must say that I have learnt a lot from my stay in Davis. I know more about the lifestyles of americans, 'californians'... of the melting pot that the US is so famous for. The US is indeed an amazing country.

We did lots of crazy stuff like driving to grand canyon... the drive was tiring but fun and indeed, arizona is so different from california... the people... the landscape.. the speed limit!!

I had this tinge of sadness when I left taiwan but I think i feel sadder now... I can't help but think what if I went to Cornell... I am very sure I would be a very different person and sometimes I think that I made the wrong choice...

I really hope that I can repeat this experience in the future and learn more about myself and the world around me... As I proceed on to another phase of my life, I hope that I can learn more about myself and become more aware of myself... What will happen in my travels in the east coast now? We'll see...