Another post on international students.

Normally I would ignore the kind of searches that lead people to my blogs.

But someone found my blog by searching "msu chinese go home." (Upon googling that myself, I found that I am on the second page of results.)

Okay, whoever found my blog using that site. I assume that it's also someone who either contributed or likes the racist twitter, MSU's Token Asian. (And you can link that yourself, there's no way that I'm giving that person hits from my blog).

First, go ahead and read my post on rooming with international students. You can replace "rooming" with "living," "going to class with" or "seeing on a daily basis." You don't have to be Chinese-American like me to make friends with international students (I'm going to go ahead and say Chinese students for the rest of the post, just because that's what led someone to my blog, and I have mostly made friends with international Chinese students). I promise. You just have to be a civil human being, willing to reach outside of your comfort zone and make friends of a different culture.

Let me first address a few stereotypes. This article addressed some of them, so I'll just use the ones that they said and put my own ideas on it.

"A Chinese student at Michigan State University finds his car spray-painted, the words reading "Go back home."

I learned about this in my anthropology class last semester. And it just made me so sad and so angry. In class, we assumed that the vandal chose the car because of the brand (it's really no secret that most of the Chinese students drive really nice cars: BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Lexus.) But really? Jealousy doesn't look good on anyone. I really cannot find any other reason for a person to want to ruin a perfectly good car with paint, than because he (or she) was jealous of the car. There's always a yellow Camaro sitting in front of Hubbard and I drool and admire it, but really? Spray-painting it? And honestly, if they spent the time they used concocting a plot to spray paint the foreign cars (in Chinese letters) on studying, they wouldn't need to be vandals. Or jealous.

the pseudonym “haha,” disputed that the Twitter feed (MSU's Token Asian) was hostile -- “you guys confused making fun of [A]sians as being racist when it is not” – and suggested that the reported problems stem from the Asian students’ own self-segregation.  “Asian International students are SO innocent,” haha wrote. “They stick together and are too full of themselves to bother connecting with the non-international students at MSU. When you purposefully, separate yourself from the other students at the University[,] [w]hat do you expect? How about you guys stop being so rude and arrogant to the rest of us and let us talk to you, maybe do some language exchange, go out for coffee... or something!”

 Let's see... how to address this. Okay. Let's say that you (you being used in general, not you the reader... although if you were one of the people who thinks this way, feel free to think of it as YOU) go to France or Spain for a college program because you studied the language in high school, and only one of your friends went with you. You're both about the same proficiency at the language (which, let's face it, can't possibly be that good if you only studied two or three times a week for six years without using it in your daily life). Everyone there, even if they haven't known each other for very long, are fluent, native speakers with different customs than you. Who are you going to talk to?

If you're one of the people who are trying to be friendly and welcoming and get the very most out of a different culture, you'll try to be friends with the native students. But if you're unsure of the language, nervous, shy, then you'll probably try to stick with your friend from home.

It's the same with them. As for the rude and arrogant and "let us talk to you" part of the comment, I semi-addressed this in my other post. I mentioned how I had smiled at an international student who immediately looked away. After being offended for all of two seconds, and then willingly LISTENING to what other international students said, I learned that it was a culture difference. Just go up and talk to them!

There are already so many racist people in the world. I was walking around Holmes Hall a few months ago with a group of my friends (all Asian-American, born and raised in America), and a boy with a group of his friends started doing the "Gangnam style" dance as he passed us. Was this necessary? Did this do anything, other than stroke his ego? We were all so surprised that we didn't say anything to him.

But a month ago or so, my friend and I were walking around Hubbard caf. My friend moved to America from South Korea in 6th grade, so he's fluent in English and everything. He was wearing a shirt with the Paul Frank monkey on it which is really popular with international students, and this American domestic white idiot jock guy started speaking fake "Asian" to him (ching-chong, nee how, konnichiwa. And yes, I know that konnichiwa and ni hao are REAL words in Asian languages, but it's the sentiment behind them that people use that makes the difference) and he turned around and, in pretty good English (he still has an accent) was like "Are you talking to me?!," getting pissed because he'd had a bad day and the guy immediately backed off. So just don't do it. You'll end up being the one who looks like an idiot.

Anyways, I just hope that if you're reading this, then you can think back about your encounters with international students and realize that they're just here for an education, like you. I will mention that of course, there are some people who give international students a bad name. Just as there are some people who give the domestic students a bad name. But is it really necessary to try and "fix" this by vandalizing or insulting? I'm really hoping to be an OCAT aide next year, to be a part of the solution. But there are other ways to fix it. Introduce yourself to an international student, strike up a conversation. Attend programs that the MSU Office of Culture and Academic Transitions puts on (like their brilliant "OUR MSU" signs program.) Go to the MSU International Center's Coffee Hour, or Bridges International, both of which offer language exchange and the chance to talk to international students.

CATA Bus System

It's almost time for a new semester! (I'm seriously counting down the days... Only another week to go and I will be back in my lovely dorm!) That means new classes, new friends, new classmates, new hallmates (I know a few new people will be moving into my hall, at least!).

I'm so excited! But I'll try to focus. Today, I will write about the CATA Bus System, which is the public bus system for Lansing and East Lansing. During the semesters, CATA operates "Spartan Service," which has routes all over campus.

One thing: I had never ridden a public bus before I got on campus (I know, I know). If you're like me, let me teach you how to request a stop on the bus.

Step 1: The bus announces the next stop. Most of the buses do this, but some don't. I once sat on a bus while it went through two routes because it never called out the stop (this was during the first week of classes, when I wasn't familiar with the East Campus Boarding Center at all). If in doubt, just ask the person sitting next to you. Or the bus driver (if they're friendly).

Step 2: Pull the yellow wire. I can't find a picture online. But basically, it's just a long yellow wire pressed against the window that winds around the entire bus. If it's winter and you're trapped in the middle of the bus, politely ask a person sitting down to pull it for you.

Step 3: Try to exit out the back of the bus. This is actually what a sign inside of the bus says. It just keeps the traffic down to a minimum. My biggest pet peeve is when riders are getting off the front of the bus (where people get on the bus), causing everyone outside of the bus to wait. And then the bus driver will just start moving even if you're not seated. 

Also, I opted not to buy a bus pass when I first got on campus because, according to google maps, all of my classes were really close and easily walkable in under ten minutes. Okay, that might be true. I don't know about you, but I'm a really, really slow walker so Google's estimate of five minutes ends up being like fifteen minutes for me. Plus, I get lost easily.

So: If you're new to campus, buy a bus pass. If you're not going to explore campus a little before class starts (I know this semester, there isn't really any time to explore as classes start on Monday the 7th), buy a bus pass. You can always sell it later if you find that you have no trouble getting around campus (lucky you), or that you hate public transportation. (Honestly, I hate public transportation. But I hate walking even more, so I choose the lesser of two evils).

Bus passes!

You can buy them online on CATA's website. Under fixed-route passes, they have a few different options specifically for students. A semester pass for $50, a 10-ride card for $6, and a 31-day pass for $18. (Note: if you're paying the fare with change and you don't have a pass, you have to show your MSU ID and it's 60 cents). I caved on the first day of classes and bought a semester pass at the CATA station, but I'm not sure if they only sell them in August. You can also buy them in Akers Hall. But just order it online and have it sent to your dorm. I plan to for the second semester, as I'm getting to MSU on the 6th (Sunday), so that I can go straight to classes the next day. It's a great value if you rely solely on the bus. Just ride the bus at least 83 times, and it will be worth it. My friend bought the 10-ride card at first because she was riding her bike, so she kept it in her backpack in case it started raining or was too snowy for biking, but then later bought a semester pass because our friend sold it to her for cheap. The 31-day pass is good for the same reason, buying during the snowy/cold period if you don't plan on using the bus often/at all in the good weather.

One thing: TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUS PASS! So many of my friends misplaced their bus pass and I have no clue how. I carried around a Vera Bradley wristlet (not bragging, it's just something I received as an open house gift) and my ID and cards were all shoved in there. Also, if the bus isn't super necessary for you right at the beginning of the semester, if you wait a month or so, usually people will start selling them for $30-40.

Tips for riding the bus:

1) If in doubt, ask the driver! If you don't know if the bus you're riding will take you to Wells Hall (I think only the 30 South/East, 25 North Harrison, and the 39 University Village buses do that) or wherever, just ask the driver. Most of them are nice. Even if they're not, they will begrudgingly answer you. 

2) Thank the driver. It's so rude to just ignore the driver. On-campus, most of the drivers work the same route everyday. So they just might remember you, especially if you're riding the same bus every day/other day. And if you're running late and running to the bus and it's already their takeoff time, they could totally just pull out without waiting for you. Good manners, people!

3) PLEASE DON'T SIT BY ME. I guess this isn't really a tip. But if you see me on the 30/31 bus route, don't sit by me when there are plenty of other seats (with no people next to them!). That is one of the reasons I hate public transportation: I hate sitting by strangers. It doesn't matter if they try to converse with me or not, it's just annoying. 

4) If you're paying (aka not using a pass), please, for everyone's sake, have your money and ID ready. Or if you're using a pass, have your pass ready. Nothing gets everyone aggravated more than waiting for someone to dig through their bag for their ID and sixty cents. Especially if that someone had been standing at the bus stop for a few minutes. Along that same line, unless you can multitask effectively, please don't use your phone when you're getting on. Or on the bus, unless you can talk q-u-i-e-t-l-y. 

Hm... I guess that's all. Other than a quick rundown of the routes! If you're new to campus and trying to plan out your schedule (what bus should I take? Where should I go? When will the bus come?), feel free to e-mail me your class locations and I'll be glad to help you. I spent a lot of time riding the bus around for fun. I know most of the stops on most of the routes, and those that I don't know, I'll find out for you. rakuzen.lee [at] gmail dot com.

Something to know (I'm mostly familiar with the 30/31 bus route because that's what I ride the most). Buses 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 all stop at the CATA station. So if you're on the 30 bus and you need to be on the 33 bus, if you get off at the CATA station then you can wait for the 33 bus to come.

30 bus: There are two buses: one that goes to South Neighborhood, and one that goes to East Neighborhood. Make sure that you look at the writing to make sure that you're not going to East instead of South. Obviously, if you're starting out at East Neighborhood you won't really have this problem. But if you're getting on at the CATA station, then be careful!

31 bus: Goes to Brody Neighborhood and East Neighborhood.

32 bus: Goes to the Commuter Lot. I haven't ridden it before though... Maybe that's what I'll do next semester.

33 bus: West Circle Neighborhood and South Neighborhood.

The 30/31 bus route consists of four buses that do this: Bus 31 Brody-bound starts at East Neighborhood, makes it to the destination of Brody Neighborhood, changes routes to 31 East Neighborhood. When the bus (same bus!) reaches East, it changes to 30 South, then when it reaches South Neighborhood, it changes to 30 East. When it goes back to East, it changes to 31 Brody and starts the route all over again. So be careful! Make sure you get off. This is where I ended up on the bus for over half an hour because it had to cycle through the routes.

More posts coming~! Mostly just general information ones.

`Rakuzen

Home.

This past semester, I've been going home on the weekends for a work obligation. I come home on Friday afternoon and leave on Sunday.

Friday marked the last day of the semester. I will not be at msu for three more weeks.

Right now, my heart is begging to go back. It's silly, none of my friends are there (they're all at home), I have nowhere to stay (the dorms are closed unless you pay a fee).

But in just a semester, I feel like Michigan State is my home. I can't wait to stay for four years.

Rooming with an international student

Chances are, you might get an international student as a roommate. If you know nothing else about Michigan State, know that there are a TON of international students. Especially in Hubbard hall/East Neighborhood, where I live. My specific experience is with Chinese international students (who probably make up the greatest majority of international students).

Okay! So, my roommate is an international student from China. One thing that I have to say is that I went into this KNOWING what I was getting into, and with an open mind. I willingly changed rooms so that I could have an international student as my roommate, and it is such an amazing experience.

Something I should mention is that I'm an American-born Chinese, born and raised in America, but I've always been super interested in my culture and background. Since I've been here, I've made a few international friends and they're always really surprised that I know a lot about China and listen to Chinese music, because generally the attitude of so called "ABC" students is that of apathy (which is definitely the attitude that I've experienced first hand with a lot of my Chinese American friends).

Anyways! My roommate and my dorm experience has been FABULOUS. But like I said, I knew that I would be rooming with a foreign student. I know that when the roommate assignments came out (in the beginning of August), tons of people were really bummed and downright nasty that they would be "stuck" living with a foreign student. For different reasons! Here's some that I heard:

1. They won't speak English. (Actually, they HAVE to know English to come. It is obviously not perfect. But just imagine taking Spanish/Chinese/French/whatever language you learned in high school, then going to study abroad in a country that only spoke that. Plus, why else would they come here?)

2. They don't have a Facebook/twitter/instagram. (Okay, if they're Chinese international, there's a reason for that. Facebook and possibly Twitter are blocked in China. Just e-mail them and wait for a response. I actually use QQ, which is a popular Chinese instant messaging system, and so when I e-mailed my roommate for the first time I included my number for her to chat with me on there, since I figured that she wouldn't check e-mail a lot. It worked! Plus QQ has added features like a "facebook-esque" page, where users upload pictures of themselves.)

3. They'll be weird/different/strange. (There's a word for people like you: xenophobic. SUCK IT UP. College is a great time to get exposed to new cultures. Maybe your high school was completely small like mine (I was the only Asian, remember?), but now you're going off to college and then off to the real world. We already have enough racist people in the world, be a part of the change.) 

Some other rumors about international student (and this is dealing with them in general, not just living with them).

1. I knew a Chinese exchange student in high school and she was not talkative/prissy/spoiled. (I have heard these and definitely thought that before I went to college. Not talkative? She's probably unsure about her English. I'm studying Chinese and I try my hardest not to speak it to my roommate. Prissy/spoiled? This is one that maybe not a lot of domestic students have heard, but my ABC friends say it a lot. China has a one-child policy and so yes, some of the students can come from very rich, high-class families. Just be friendly.) 

2. I smiled and tried to be friendly but they just glared at me! (Okay uh, I don't know if other people say this. This is my own, though. In America, super common to smile at people. I grew up working in food service where smiling = tips, so I smile way too much. One day, I smiled at this girl because we made eye contact and she glared at me and turned the other way. I talked to both my mom (who moved here 10 years ago) and my roommate about this. They're a little colder in China, and usually don't smile as much. Even my mom was taken aback by the smiling when she came here. Plus, if you smile at them, then they might think that you want to correct them or that they said/did something wrong, which makes them shy. Don't take it personally (although sometimes I still do. Now I have a horrible problem of covering my mouth when I smile so they don't notice). 

3. They laugh/giggle when I talk to them! (Don't take it personally, they're probably just shy/unsure of their English again. Don't be judgmental and correct them on every other word.) 

Anything else? If you have questions, feel free to ask. But MSU has this fabulous program from the Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions office (OCAT), where there are Intercultural Aides in each building. I think it might be one every couple of floors? To be honest, I have never met the one who lives on my floor (her door is never open and she's never there...), but I have a few friends who are Intercultural Aides and they are super nice and ready and willing to help you if you're having any problems culturally.

Don't try to outcast or ignore international students, just because they're foreign. Their culture is just different than America's. Yes, they'll make mistakes when they write/speak, and maybe they'll do things that are acceptable in their culture but not here. Correct them gently, but only if you're in a position where you CAN (random person walking past is NOT acceptable). Get to know them! They're here to improve their English and to get an education.

So yes, this is something I feel strongly about. I love my roommate, and I'll be living with another international student next year (more on that another time...). I have met so many people who need attitude adjustments. It's college! If you have a closed mind, complement it with a closed mouth.

My MSU Admission Experience

Hey! I'm back (and it didn't take me two months). I have lots to tell you guys, but first I wanted to write about my admission experience.

I should mention that I had applied to 7 or 8 colleges: University of Michigan, Spring Arbor University, Ferris State University, University of Detroit-Mercy, Alma College, Hillsdale College, University of Washington and Eastern Michigan University, and so I wanted to apply early to make sure that I could get into at least one.

It took me almost the entire school year to hear back from the school. I submitted my application as soon as I could, for early decision, which ended up being at the beginning of October. (The MSU admissions website recommends applying by November 1 for maximum scholarship consideration).

On December 8th (two months later), I got an e-mail saying that my "portal" (which is something MSU uses to keep in touch with you about your application) had been updated. I'd been deferred for the first time. Not a big deal, lots of colleges were making their decisions and I had already been accepted by Alma, University of Detroit-Mercy, Ferris, and Spring Arbor (yeah... I applied as soon as I could).

But as it got closer to May 1 and I had to make my decision, I got a decent scholarship package from UDMercy, and so I sent them a deposit and planned on going there if I didn't get accepted to MSU. So, I had my backup in place and didn't really expect to get in. I mean, I'd already been deferred, and I'd been rejected from the other colleges that had deferred me.

But on March 30th, I got another e-mail saying that my portal had been updated. I was for sure I had been rejected. I was accepted.

It was fantastic and exciting. I was really geeked out. And so, I asked my friend who had gone through the same process as me, with the defer and all, if she'd been accepted or heard anything yet. No, she hadn't. She called the admissions office everyday for the next two weeks and they were apparently telling her that they weren't making decisions yet, before telling her that her application had been in a different pile and she would be accepted for the spring semester but not the fall.

It was weird and unexpected. We'd had basically the same grades (not very good) through high school, same activities and all. So yes, it could have been luck that put me first. But also, my first trimester of senior year hadn't gone very well. Senioritis had struck. But a teacher at the school, the athletic director/"vice principal" had stepped in and made me do a weekly progress sheet to make sure that I studied and did well. He could have saved me. My second trimester grades were fairly high, the ones that were sent to MSU, and I think that made the difference.

STUDY HARD, KIDDOS! AND DON'T GET SENIORITIS. Yes, I got accepted. But, I didn't have a very good financial aid package and have to work hard in college to make up for it. 

Time is flying by.

That's all I can say. Maybe later on I'll do more posts about the beginning of my college life, like move-in and  Sparticipation and U-Fest and all sorts of lovely details like that, but for now I'll just give you guys a quick update about Michigan State, a quick rundown of things I've done, things I wish I did, and things I plan to do.

Things I've done:

• Joined a few on-campus groups. I'm a dork and, when I get excited for things, research them completely. Before I came to campus, I looked through all the student groups and picked some that I thought would be interesting. Among them, CSC (Chinese Student Coalition), KSA (Korean Student Association), Taekwondo, Mixed Martial Arts, Aikido, Pokemon Club. In actuality, I ended up joining only one group from that list: Chinese Student Coalition. I also have found myself a member of PASS, Pilipino American Student Society, and ACIV (Asian Christian InterVarsity) It's a lot of fun and I'm glad that I started out simple, my schedule's already busy with just those three (as you can tell from how long it's taken me). Anyways! Join groups. There are so many groups on campus that there really isn't an excuse NOT to. I've made tons of fabulous friends at PASS and ACIV and I don't regret joining either.
• Switched roommates, since the first time that I mentioned where I would be living. I'm now in Hubbard Hall with a new roommate (just one!) and it is fabulous. I got super lucky. I wanted out of Akers because of its crampedness, I wanted an international roommate, and I don't do well with a lot of people and three others would just be too much. I got so lucky and a girl wanted to switch into Akers, so we worked that out (took forever...) and now I am living with a Chinese international student who is wonderful. 
• Eaten off campus. I'd do posts about it but... I always forget to take pictures. So far, I've eaten at Sushiya, Chapelure Bakery, Charlie Kang's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pita Pit, Everyday Chinese Restaurant and Bagger Dave's. I'll probably do a review soon but, bear with me because I never remember to take pictures. On-campus, I've eaten at Akers, Hubbard, Holmes, SnyPhi, and Case. 
• Dropped a class. I went in over my head and took a 400-level class and couldn't keep up with it and my other classes, so I dropped it. I feel sad about it, as it was a class that I really liked, but there was no other way. 
• Made a fabulous schedule. Before I took the 400-level class, and after I dropped it, my schedule was great. I've got all of my classes over by, Tuesday & Thursday: 1PM. I start at 9AM. Maybe a little bit early but whatever. I have the whole day to sleep or study or whatever.

Things I wish I'd done: 

• Brought more credits with me. My high school didn't have any AP classes (although they were all supposedly AP-equivalent). I didn't take any AP exams my senior year. I do and don't regret that. For one, if I had taken some then I would have brought more credits with me. But also, I considered it and thought about my strengths: English (reading and writing)... And that's all. But since I couldn't guarantee to myself that I'd get a 4 or above, to make taking the test and paying the fee worth it, I didn't take any. But one of my friends is graduating after 7 semesters, without taking any summer classes, just because of all the credits he'd brought with him. 

Oh, wow... I thought I'd have more regrets than that. 

Things I plan to do: 

• Meet with an adviser. I haven't seen my adviser since AOP, and I need some help. I'm probably going to rearrange my schedule for the spring, which currently has Math 124 (Calculus), Chemistry 142, Chinese 102, and a writing class. Wellll, I'm doing poorly in Math 116 (College Algebra & Trig), so I'm going to try and take the Calculus course at a community college over the summer to save money, time, and anguish. I might also try to fit in another class in that case, something more medical-y (my major is Pre-Physician Assistant and Chinese), but we'll see. 
• Eat at Brody. How pathetic. But I haven't eaten there yet and it's supposedly really good, so we'll see. 
• Sign up for housing. It's decision time, but I haven't decided if on-campus or off-campus is the way to go. I love the convenience of on-campus, but I wouldn't have a roommate (my fabulous roomie from this year is living off-campus). Off-campus provides more freedom but, maybe not as much time to hang out and just be. 
• Make more friends. Obviously. To be honest, my friends are in a very carefully selected group made up of people from ACIV and PASS. I want to find a way to make more international friends and possibly talk to the cute guy I see everywhere. 
• Raise my grades. Sad, but I'm not doing so hot in CEM 141 and MTH 116, so I really need to amp up my performance. We'll see how that goes. 

So... that's that in a nutshell. Life here is fabulous but classes are a drag. I am missing all of my friends from back home, but it's okay because they miss me too. I miss real Chinese food, but I go home on the weekends (work commitment) so I don't have to go without it for too long. 

I'll update soon! Food reviews, Hubbard review, caf review, bus review. So much to do! Also my story of admissions. I know that it's the time where high school seniors are turning in college applications (well... I think it is. I turned all of mine in pretty much as soon as the application opened) and I hope they get led to this blog and that it will be a good resource for them. 

-Rakuzen

Dorm haul!

From time to time (okay, maybe once a week until school starts), I'll post a dorm haul. This will just give other incoming freshmen like me a look at what other people are packing/buying in preparation for living alone!

I still have another month before I move in, but since June, I've been chomping at the bit to get packed and buy everything. (Which I don't recommend, as a lot of school stuff and especially, dorm stuff, goes on sale closer to the start of the school year). I've been looking at tons of packing lists and trying to decide what all I want, and what I will actually need, come fall.

For now, I'll just put up some things that I picked up over the weekend. At my graduation open house, I got some bedding basics like: a comforter, towels (SO MANY TOWELS!), blanket, pop-up laundry hamper, and a throw rug. Michigan State University has a laundry deal where you can get free sheets, pillowcase, and towels and exchange them weekly, so I haven't decided if I'll actually buy my own sheets.

For now, though, I've just been stocking up on some organizing supplies. These two were from Target, in the dollar section. They're just simple Hello Kitty storage containers. They're great because you can use them either for food (the lid fits tightly on the right one, so water/juice will not leak out) or to hold little trinkets.

And everything in this picture is from Family Dollar. I know, maybe some people have a problem with the dollar store? However, I don't know about you, but I am now a poor college student, so I really do not mind buying my stuff anywhere that is cheap.

A storage container. It has a cute handle at the top, and all of the containers detach. I thought it was one of the 3-drawer containers, but it actually comes apart. All of the items I bought came in this pink color, a lime green, and a turquoise-y blue. This was $2.50, but everything else was $1.

A shower caddy. It said "oval container with two handles," but I could see it working as a perfect shower caddy. It has holes on the sides, so just tipping it slightly will drain out any and all water that falls in.

A four-pack of mini storage containers. My sister told me that I should have some storage containers in case I want to take fruit or something out of the dorms. 

A two-pack of flip lid storage jars (in the same bright pink as the rest). You can never have enough storage containers?

So that's all for storage, for now. Now that it's almost August, I'll pick up more stuff and post it! I'm going to be living in Akers, in a quad-style (with 3 other girls) room, so I can't pack a lot. (The dorm assignment is just tentative. It was on my StuInfo, but I won't find out officially until around August 8th. Fingers crossed that I'm not actually in Akers!!)

Till next time!
-Rakuzen

Review of some places in East Lansing

Hey all!

When I last posted, I did a post about the AOP at Michigan State that I attended on the 16th and 17th. Well, instead of heading straight home (because where's the fun in that?), I went exploring and drove around a little.

The first thing that I should mention, if you didn't guess from my first post, is that I am a second-generation American-born Chinese. I grew up in a Chinese restaurant that my parents own, eating homemade Cantonese-style food and going out to yum cha at least once a month. Now that I'll be going out on my own, I want to try a lot of different cuisines, but mostly I will be sticking to a lot of Asian restaurants and stores at first, before I go out and try different pizza places and stuff.

So, the first place that I went after leaving AOP (and getting lost in the parking lot for half an hour...) was to Oriental Mart, which was closed when I went to East Lansing over July 4th (unexpectedly. Yes, I am still holding a grudge). It is pretty big, they have probably three or four freezers holding things like frozen dim sum, ice cream, and ingredients like sliced rice cakes, fish balls, things like that.

There was a shelf dedicated to jars of sauces, which isn't uncommon. Things like soy sauce, sriracha, bean curd sauce, etc., which are, in my family, at least, not used to slather or marinade foods, but added to foods to increase the taste and as an ingredient to the sauce. Shelves of snacks but, unfortunately, none that I really eat or have grown up with. It was mostly different sponge cake-type snacks and cookies. There was also one wall of "fresh" vegetables, such as gai choy, bok choy, cilantro, and my personal favorite, ong choy (and other vegetables but, because I don't really eat a lot of the kinds that they had, they pretty much glazed by for me). I only picked up some ong choy and a vegetable called callaloo, which I'd never heard of before. Wow. That was a horrible choice. There were a lot of rave reviews for Oriental Mart online, so I thought it would be good, but oh my goodness. The vegetables were of awful quality. The inside (it was pre-packaged in a bunch, and covered with some colored plastic that made it hard to see) was brown, wilted, and just not fresh for both vegetables. It was extremely disappointing, and disgusting to eat, too.

Honestly, the only good point that Oriental Mart earned with me was that they sell some hot food, which was great because I had had my breakfast at 7AM and it was running on 2PM. They had samosa, and vegetable egg rolls, two for $1. Those were pretty good, and definitely hit the spot on my hunger since I didn't plan on eating until I made my way home.

Overall, not a lot of choices that my family uses. And the prices were at least fifty cents to a dollar higher than I'm used to. One thing that was a bummer was that they do not sell fresh seafood (such as tanks of lobster or crabs or fish). They did have a lot of rice, the huge, 50 pound bags, so if I ever need rice, I'll go there? Otherwsie, I don't think that I'll go there to shop when I'm at state. And if you are just looking to buy some asian ingredients (because I did see some Indian and Filipino sauce ingredients) but are not from East Lansing, I would recommend choosing Hua Xing Market in Ann Arbor. It's a lot bigger, has much more variety, fresher vegetables, and is cheaper.

Next, I stopped by Grand River Avenue to pick up some bubble tea, which my brother loves, and figured that I might get some sushi. There was no parking! It was really crazy, something I totally didn't expect. Where I live, in the "downtown," there is tons of street parking. So I drove around for about fifteen minutes before finding a parking lot behind the block of buildings that has Charlie Kang's and American Apparel. This was also my first experience with a paid lot! I spent a few minutes at the enter booth because I, stupidly, thought that you had to pay before you parked. It was rather embarrassing. Don't be like me. Just push the button, take your ticket, and park.

It was about two blocks to the Bubble Island, so I walked down that way. I ordered all of my drinks to go, but the place looked nice, very casual and fun. I usually just order strawberry milk tea with black bubbles, and sometimes add mango stars. At the Bubble Island in Ann Arbor, they have a punch card thing where you buy so many bubble teas and get one free. I don't know if the East Lansing one offers that type of program, but if they do, I didn't get a punch card. The bubble tea was good, tasted just like the one in Ann Arbor. If you aren't familiar with bubble tea, it is a black tea, mixed with milk or cream, and then with syrup added to it. There is also a choice for the "bubbles" which are big pearls of black tapioca, or colored bubbles (colored tapioca), or mango stars.

Because it was nearby, I went to Sushi Ya next for some sushi to take home with me. My order was embarrassingly simple because it was my first time ordering it. I ordered an avocado roll, a salmon roll, a California roll, and a crab roll. Next time, I'll probably be a little bit more adventurous. What I did get was pretty good! They packaged it all in one box (because I didn't mind), with a little squirt of wasabi (personally, I wish they had given more), pickled ginger, and a small salad on the side. The salad just had some iceberg lettuce and some grated carrots and no dressing, so I just gave it to my brother. The sushi was pretty good, though! The ingredients were very fresh, and the flavoring was just right. I definitely plan on making my way up there in the fall.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to pick anything up at Oriental Mart that was really of value, so I went to Great China Market as my last stop, since it was on my way home anyways. I love that place so much! It's a lot smaller, a bit cramped, almost, and also doesn't have fresh seafood. However, the prices and selection is much more on par with other Asian Markets that I've been to. I picked up some canned milk drink, which my brother LOVES because he drank it all the time in China, some Milkita milk candy (something else he loves, which Oriental Mart did not have), a small bottle of Aloe Drink for the car ride, and some snacks.

The only thing about Great China Market is that they don't accept credit cards (or checks, I think). I didn't know this last time because my mom paid for all the groceries, but I figured it out this time. I was out of cash and panicking a bit, but they conveniently have an ATM in the back of the store, that only charges $2.49 to withdraw money. It's not a problem at all because they do have the ATM in the store, but if you're on the money-saver side and don't particularly want to spend that $2.49, withdraw money at another ATM before you come.

A good thing about Great China Market is the service. Both times that I went in, there was one older man working the cash register. I figured out last time that he spoke only Mandarin (not Cantonese, like I do). I, uh, don't speak a lot of Mandarin other than xie xie (thank you), ni hao (hello), and wo henhao (I am good), but he (for obvious reasons such as, 1) the last time I came in, I was with my mom who is fluent in Mandarin and 2) I look Chinese) tried speaking to me in Mandarin (telling me my total, that they didn't accept credit cards). His son was in there and helped translate for me, so there wasn't a problem. It is times like that though, that make me a little bit self-conscious that I can't speak any conversational Mandarin. But the old man was so adorable that it made me laugh. After I'd asked where the bathroom was (I know, that is definitely something I should learn) in English, he had his son translate. His son was like "Oh, it's back there. I'm sorry, my dad doesn't speak English." Not a problem, sir! I don't speak a word of Chinese, either! Anyways. It takes a little while to get there without a car, walk to a CATA stop, and then keep walking, but it will be worth it. I plan on making it over there at least once a month, if I can!

So, that's it for now. Great China Market = 4 stars. Oriental Mart = 1 star. Sushi ya = 4 stars, as does Bubble Island.

I have some stuff planned for a few "dorm haul" posts, just to give other freshmen an idea as to what I am packing or buying. So, I'll do a couple of posts as I pick more things up. Until then!

-Rakuzen

Michigan State University Academic Orientation Program (MSU AOP) 2012!

So I got back from my AOP (Academic Orientation Program) yesterday! It was a ton of fun! Because I live about an hour and a half away from campus, and I was driving myself (aka increasing the chances of getting lost), so I left at about 7, since check-in was at 9.

The whole experience was amazing. The drive was so easy from where I live that I had absolutely no trouble getting there, thankfully. And while I can't bring a car on campus the first year, at least I know the trip will be so incredibly simple!

After I parked, one of the AOP staff led us down to where the program would actually take place, at Case Hall. Now, I'm going to be living in the East Neighborhood, most likely in Akers Hall, but I wish that I had been placed at Case. That is how much I loved that building. It was recently renovated (well, I'm not sure if that was just the cafeteria or the dorms, too) and it looks great compared to some of the dorms in the East that we got to go into.

After checking in (where we got our personal schedule for the day, a linen package (sheets, blanket, towels), and our One Book, One Community book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo), everyone got to go up to their dorm, drop off their stuff, and then come down to take their ID picture.

The dorm was actually bigger than I had thought it would be (although that's not saying much... My room at home was previously a storage room, so it's tiny), with two beds, two desks, two chairs, a dresser with four drawers and then another dresser-style thing with one drawer and a couple of shelves. My bed was lofted super high, way up to the ceiling. I'm only 5'1" and have no ability to climb the non-existent ladder, so I had to ask the front desk to have the bed lowered. When maintenance got there, apparently, the beds had been lowered and raised several times over the summer.

Anyways! After that, I went to get my ID taken (it looks awful, unfortunately), then there was a "bookstore fair" where all the bookstores on campus were gathered in a room and handed out flyers and such. It was very fast paced, but after the three or four minutes of that, everyone got to just chill in the cafeteria area and get acquainted. It's an awesome experience because, since everyone is new and mostly doesn't know anyone, they can all meet new people. Normally, I'm shy as can be, but I stopped, introduced myself to a girl sitting alone in one of the booths, and ended up making a great friend who I got to hang out with all through AOP. So at AOP, or at any orientation, branch out. I was nervous that she would be mean or something, but it all worked out great. And if it didn't, no big deal. Just get up and find someone else to hang out with.

We got to chat and talk about school and college for about half an hour, and then we were moved to the Auditorium (like, a three minute walk) for a lecture and overview of the program. Not bad! It was fun, and took about half an hour before we went back to Case and received another lecture, this time grouped by our major, and learned about the requirements of our major and such. Then lunch!!

Ideally, this would be a picture blog, but I really didn't even think about taking out my camera, because I was having a lot of fun. Case's dining hall was recently renovated and it looks AWESOME. I know at Akers, it's just lines of  hot bars (kind of like a buffet) and then boring tables and chairs scattered through the room. But if you can find pictures of Case, it's awesome. Completely decorated, lots of booths with comfortable chairs, and service areas, where the chefs are actually cooking and serving in front of you. There were 5 venues. First was S2, a salad bar with fresh ingredients and a ton of options that supposedly also served sushi, although they didn't have it when I was there. Brimstone Grille, which served grilled items like burgers and such. Bliss, which served desserts, mostly cake, pie, and cookies when I was there. Ciao!, which served pizza, subs, and sandwiches, although I only tried the pizza. And finally, Great Lakes Plate. I didn't really eat anything there, but for lunch I *think* they had a taco bar. There was also a little self-serve station that had "fresh" fruit (I say that because it could be fresh or it could have been canned), cereal dispensers, bagels and donuts, and soft-serve ice cream!

So, lunch was good. It was very loud because there were just so many people at the AOP, but it was really nice and a good experience. After that, it depended on your personal schedule to see what you'd do. I went on to an enrollment presentation, where they taught you how to enroll for your own classes (although I'd done that before, because I love to play the "potential classes" game). Then a resource fair where you could go to different booths, like a Greek (sorority/fraternity) booth, MSU police booth, library booth, stuff like that. It was fun and there were a lot of free stuff to pick up, which was a definite plus. Next was academic advising, where students got to meet with an academic adviser (duh) and plan out their schedule for the fall. Mine was a ton of help because I had originally planned on going in as a Pre-Medicine student with an intent to enroll in a Physician Assistant (PA) program after graduating. She told me that going in as Pre-PA was better, because it gave you more skills and you could get into virtually any program afterwards, like Med school, nursing, whatever if I do not get accepted into a PA program. So that was super helpful! There's always horror stories about advisers who have no clue what they're doing, or aren't helpful at all, but she helped me so much, thankfully! I also plan on doing a Minor in Chinese, but that's still undecided.

Anyways, after meeting with the adviser, everyone goes to a computer lab and enrolls for their classes, with AOP staff standing around to help you. I didn't really need help because, as I said, I had played on the site several times, but it was still nice because there were a ton of people who did. That only took until around 3:30, and dinner didn't start until 5, so there was a ton of free time.

Now, how you choose to spend that time is completely up to you. There's air conditioning and free wi-fi in the cafeteria, so lots of people congregated there. Other students went off to map out their classes but it was way hot and sunny, so I did not do that. There was also an open Sparty's that sold snacks and drinks (at ridiculous prices, but since they're the only ones right there in the dorm, I guess they can do whatever they want haha). I spent some time in the cafeteria making friends and using the wi-fi, but ended up leaving to go read in my dorm.

Dinner was the same as lunch, basically all of the meals were similar. Afterwards, everyone headed back to Wilson Auditorium, where there was a presentation on Spartan Geocache, and then we were split into neighborhoods and sent out.

For those who are not familiar with geocache (I wasn't), it was basically like a treasure hunt, without any treasure. I was in a group of about ten, and the AOP tour person who was guiding us would read out hints, and we had to figure out where to go. Along the way, he would point out important buildings and such, so it was a really nice tour, especially since it was my first time on campus. A ton of walking, though, so definitely bring comfortable shoes.

Then there was about an hour and a half of free time, where the staff had set up a bunch of activities in the cafeteria. There was giant Jenga, cards, karaoke, and basically just relaxing. It was a lot of fun, loud of course, and definitely a blast.

The next day was super fast paced. Breakfast was at 7, so it was an early day for everyone. Then back to Wilson Auditorium to hear from a professor and learn how to be successful. Next, people were split by neighborhood again, loaded on a bus, and got to visit the neighborhood they were living in. Finally, after a tour around those buildings, it was time to go back to Case, check out, and go home! Although I didn't head home immediately. (This post is getting a little lengthy though, so I'll post my review of some exciting stuff tomorrow or soon!)

So, what did I think about my first experience at Michigan State University?

It was very, very big. I've only visited one college, Hillsdale College, which is way, way smaller than MSU because it is private and has a much smaller student base. The geocache tour took nearly two hours, and didn't even cover all of campus! I've spent my 17 years in a small town though, so I'm excited to finally branch out, widen my views, and make some new friends.

Another thing was the amount of people. My graduating class was made up of 17 people, including myself, because I attended a small private school in the middle of nowhere. My entire school, which was housed in one building and held grades Kindergarten to 12th grade, had just under 200 people. To compare, the incoming class at MSU is around 8 or 9 thousand students. So yes, it was a completely new experience for me. But I am excited! I am the first graduate from my high school to go straight to Michigan State, and I won't even know anyone (other than some relatives) until the spring semester, when one of my friends will be transferring there.

It is a beautiful campus, though. The grass was brown and dry just like, I suspect, much of Michigan's is because it's been so dry! But I am excited to finally move in and get started as a Spartan!!

Stay tuned. I've got a review on SushiYa, Bubble Island, Oriental Mart (finally!) and Great China Market coming up!

First visit to East Lansing!

For the holiday yesterday (July 1st), my mom, little brother (8), and I went to East Lansing to take a look around and get the feel of things. Since I've only been to visit the campus once (during their quiz bowl tournament for four hours my junior year), I was pretty excited to go and check out what the city had to offer.

My parents own a restaurant in my hometown, so any time we close (major holidays), we like to go to Chinese restaurants and have yum cha. I googled some restaurants in EL before we went and, based on reviews, though Golden Wok would be a good choice.

We left at around 9, expecting the journey to take an hour and a half, maybe two hours if we got lost. (Heh. Both of us are bad at directions, even with a GPS). Instead, the route that the GPS took us on was sweet and simple, and we made it there in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Unfortunately, that meant that Golden Wok didn't open until 11AM, so we decided to check out the much-raved about Oriental Mart.

Now, I had planned carefully for this trip to avoid any hitches. That included calling Oriental Mart the day before to see if they'd be open on the fourth. The man who answered the phone said yes, they would be open, from 10-6.

So! We got there, parked, and got out. An older man in front of the store told my mother in Chinese that the store was closed because they were doing inventory. He then hurried into the store and locked up before we could say anything else. That was extremely disappointing, as that was the largest and most-recommended Asian/Chinese market in the area.

Thankfully, I had written down the address for another store in East Lansing, and we crossed our fingers and headed over there. It was the Great China Market on Trowbridge Road, which was slightly hidden behind another small strip mall, but we made it there without a problem. The store was extremely small and cramped, but the man (owner?) who worked there was very friendly. We browsed for a little while, and picked up some snacks. They had a huge assortment of snacks (love that!) and a lot of them were on sale. It had a small selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, and freezers full of frozen dim sum, ice cream, and frozen seafood. The prices were a little higher than I was used to, but it was really convenient and a good time killer, so if I get a chance in the fall, I might stop by there to pick up some snacks (since I have a meal plan. Otherwise I would search elsewhere to buy rice/other food staples).

We went back to Golden Wok and met up with my sister and her friend, who is a Lansing-native, so altogether, we had a table of five. We were seated really quickly as they weren't busy (probably because they had just opened). The service was amazing. At all times, we had no less than three servers waiting on us. They refilled our waters constantly, took away our plates after we'd had a couple of dishes, and kept coming by to check on us. The decor of the restaurant was very nice, it seemed to be a place where you could go for a classy dinner with your friends or a birthday party or something, and it was really big. We came for dim sum, which we had to special order, but they apparently have the carts on weekends. Also, half of the restaurant was closed off, which was a side full of big tables with lazy susans on them, so I assume that is the dim sum side on weekends.

So, Golden Wok scored an A+ on service and atmosphere. But on the food, I'd probably give them a C or B-. We ordered congee with sliced pork and thousand eggs, which is my favorite meal anytime of the day. The pork didn't taste fresh at all, and the flavoring was a bit weird, but still consumable. Next we got a lot of food, because my mom loves to take it home and eat it as leftovers and stuff. First, we got two orders of  Har gow (the names will take you to a picture/description of the foods, courtesy of Wikipedia). Immediately, my mom (a chef) noticed that the har gow had a strange smell to it, and, after a bite, a strange taste to it, so she sent it back. It turned out that the refrigerator had gotten too hot, and the shrimp went bad. This is a common problem in restaurants, but they still should have checked first before serving it to customers. They made us two new servings of it, tasting much more fresh and better.

Only the congee and har gow were nearly inedible. We also ordered char siu bao, shu mai (although I didn't actually eat that... I'm not a big fan of it, anywhere), chicken feet (I also don't eat that... I'm not good at eating anything with bones. My mom loves it though, and she said it was pretty good), pai gu, lo mai gai, mango pudding, and... lots more things that I cannot find on Wikipedia. Overall though, everything was pretty good, although my mother (who was born and raised in Hong Kong, as well as being a chef and dim sum cook) said that a lot of it wasn't fresh made to order for us. Very true, as some of it tasted just like the reheatable dim sum that is available at the Chinese market.

While we were going from Grand Avenue (where Golden Wok was located) to Trowbridge (where Great China Market was), we got to drive a little bit around Michigan State campus. I love it! I just saw it from the car, but it looks really nice, although huge and spread out.

So next, we went to Meridian Mall to shop. It was big, bigger than Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor, but it is mostly department stores, like Macy's, Younkers, JCPenney, Deb, Charlotte Russe, Victoria's Secret, The Body Shop, Bath and Body Works, and such. The only stores that really stood out to me were the Oriental Accent Arts, that sold a lot of incense and jade items, as well as Pokemon figurines (a huge hit with my little brother... and the lady who was working (maybe the owner?) definitely knew what she was talking about. So refreshing, since many times he's asked about pokemon or something and the workers have no idea what he's talking about. But she knew their whole inventory of figurines, and knew exactly what he was asking for. I will definitely be going back!).

We mostly window shopped for the rest of the time, until we got hungry and decided to stop by the food court, which had little restaurants like Lou & Harry's gyros (which I was craving since I hadn't eaten any since last year, when I was in Greece), Yum! Japan, Chicken now, Panda Express, A&W, Sbarro, a smoothie stand (their mango-banana was delicious!), and an Aunt Annie's pretzel stand. He chose Sbarro, and ordered the spaghetti with meatballs. It only came with two meatballs, but they were massive and he could finish one and a half of them. The portion of spaghetti was also pretty big. I ordered a pepperoni and cheese stromboli, which was kind of like a calzone (and now you see where my small-town, small-restaurant background has led me), that came with a breadstick. The portion was huge, and pretty good. Sadly, it ended up costing me about $14 for those two meals and a bottle of diet green tea. Which, I suppose, isn't too bad, but still...

Overall, my trip to East Lansing was a success. I got to see a little bit of the campus, which was beautiful, and scope out some of the Asian scene in the area. I'll have more to post in two weeks, when I return for my AOP (academic orientation program). Even if I don't drive myself, I hope that I'll have enough time to go around East Lansing and see what they have to offer. Otherwise, I'll get to do a post on dorm food, Case Hall, the advisors, and an inside look at campus!

-Rakuzen