So continuing from where I left off where my friend and I were ripe for the raping and robbing and general pillaging coz we were standing in the rain with money and luggage in an unknown place. (dorms)

We waited forever trying to call someone from the stupid on campus phone. And my cell phone didnt work coz I dont have the cash to pay for a 3G phone. My friend's phone worked so we were calling all over the place trying to get in. Finally some black guy with nappy ass Christmas tree hair opened the door. How do you forget that two international students are coming and CANT GET IN.

We got checked in. We werent supposed to be in the same room but they just chucked us together coz my room wasnt ready. Seemed like a stroke of fate at the time. It would lead to a strained friendship that took awhile to repair.

Anyway, it was so cold (for me anyway) I turned the heat on in the room to the max and blasted that shit. Didnt even take my coat off. I just wrapped myself in a blanked and curled up on the bed to try to sleep. Wasnt easy. Finally, my friend and I woke up about 11pm. We were starving and we didnt know where to go to get food. The best solution? Dominoes. Got the phone number online and waited downstairs. Hoovered that pizza once it arrived.

First night in a foreign country is always the worst. It was the worst in Australia, it was the worst in America. I cried the first night in Australia. I was alone at the time, didnt know anyone. The worst part was during orientation, everyone was having fun but me. Feeling that isolated. It's not fun. In America, I didnt cry the first night. But that's coz I was talking to my then boyfriend on msn. And my friend was there. She'll never know it but she was a lifesaver. I wouldve just starved if she wasnt there with her phone.

There was no orientation in America the way there was in Australia. Like, a bunch of activities to force you to get to know people and all that crap. My low self esteem side preferred it that way. But my I wana make friends and know people side wished it was easier to make friends.

So the rest of the week we ventured out to get food until the dining commons opened. Bought textbooks at the bookstore and got ripped off royally. Didnt know anything about amazon or whatever. Like shopping online? Thats insane! I was what my dad likes to call a mountainous tortoise in regards to online shopping. Tried to get a phone, sheets, pillow, comforter.

Getting a cell phone was actually pretty interesting. My friend (I'm gona call her Sarah) and I went to the mall and took the train there. Even taking the train there was an adventure in itself. Really. It was. Figuring out the routes, How to get to the station. How to get your ticket. It was fun. And I tried to dress up nice to see if Americans thought I was hot. You know, wanted to see if I would have an interesting love life and all.

After getting all the bare essentials, we set out to get a phone. Both Sarah and I really really wanted one coz we had boyfriends back home. Obviously we were like "Oh my god. He has to be able to reach me always and send me sweet text messages!" Both completely deluded in our own way.

The phone plans in America are crazy. . You have to sign a freakin two year contract and you need a social security number. That means international students cant get a phone plan unless someone cosigns or they get a job. Do they realise how stupid and discriminatory that is? It's supposed to be a land of immigrants but its not internationally friendly. No wonder they have such a ridiculous trade deficit. Anyway, international students normally go home once a year. So if you sign a 2 year  contract, you end up paying for like 6 months when you're home for summer. Doesnt make any sense to do that.

The prepaid plans are even worse. They charge you to receive calls. RECEIVE. Ridiculous. And they charge you to receive text messages. Charging to receive calls is bad enough but texts? You cant control if you get them or not. I mean you can choose if you wana pick the phone up but you cant block messages from stupid people sending ads via sms. Thats not fair.  You could totally screw someone over if you've got a good phone plan and the other person's got prepaid. Plus its not cheap per minute or text either. Like 20 cents? Stupid.

So you're screwed either way. The first one, you cant even get. Most new international students dont even have a US issued ID or credit card. So we cant get a phone? And we cant use our passport. And its dumb to pay for 6 months you're not in the country. And the second one, is a rip off.

I only got the prepaid number coz the black guy gave me a phone. He wanted to get my number and I was like I dont have one and I dont have a phone that works in the US. So no working phone, no phone plan, no number. So he gave me a phone and suckered me into the phone plan.

I felt guilty like I cheated on my then boyfriend after that. Now I wonder if the black guy was really hitting on me or just trying to sell a plan and get rid of a phone. Not like it was a good phone. Colour 3310. (Colour/color? Feel like I'm betraying  my country by writing color.) Anyway the black guy never called. Or he did but I never picked up.

Sarah gave me so much shit about that black guy giving me a phone and me flirting for it too. She's so judgemental. Like she's not a strong Christian but she has these moral values she keep imposing on everyone. Like she'll give you this dissaproving look and you just know you slid a notch in her mind.

I wish I didnt get that phone coz I stopped it not long after. I broke up with my boyfriend in Malaysia and then I didnt see any point in keeping the thing. Credit doesnt carry over and its a waste of money. No one calls me anyway.