So long Sheffield, Hello San Diego... [Day 1]

(hmmm maybe too exaggerated a title. I'm coming back to Sheffield, don't you worry ;> )

I will remember the day in Sheffield, before I left for San Diego, for a 5 month research stint. Amidst the frantic packing, I managed met up with some of my Psychology friends at CREAM (a very nice cafe in Broomhill Sheffield) and had a gathering with my Singaporean, Malaysian and Chinese friends. I was staying at Renie, Huiyiang, Kimberley, Davinder and Yih Chyn's place and the gathering was spear headed by Yih Chyn. I was slightly worried about having to rush here and there to meet up with people and get myself organized for my journey to San Diego, But everyone was really sweet and helped me in everyway they can so that the evening would be smooth going. We left the house at 5ishpm to have an early dinner at noodle inn. I deposited my luggage in David's car. After dinner, David and Kimberley sent me to the train station, while the rest of my friends walked down to the train station to send me off. They waited with me for the train and stayed till I got on the train. My heart was all warm and fuzzy when the train moved off.

It was a long and tiring journey to San Diego. I reached Manchester airport at 9.30pm, and had to wait for my early morning flight to London Heathrow airport. I then got on the flight from London to San Francisco. The view from the plan was amazing. We flew over the north atlantic ocean and passed over Greenland. I could see all the ice-bergs on the deep blue ocean (unless I was hallucinating). The view when we flew across U.S.A. was even more breath-taking. I could see the snow capped Rockies (again speculation, think that's what I saw, according to the map). Right before we landed in San Francisco airport, the waters of San Francisco bay glistened in the sun. The plane landed smoothly, and I was on American soil...

It was another short wait before I hopped on the the connecting flight to San Diego.

I had not thought about what to expect when I got to San Diego. The change from the British accent to the American accent was definitely the most remarkable difference. While the scottish accent is still the accent I like to hear most, I would rate the sounds and rhythms of the american accent as one of the top accents that could make me so captivated, that I would forget to process what people are saying.

Liz came to fetch me from the airport. We stopped by the supermarket and got some groceries, had dinner, and she gave me a night tour of the University campus. It was really nice having a familiar face show me around my new home for the next few months. :) She dropped me off at my new accommodation and made sure I was alright before she left.

The Chinese couple who owns the house was really friendly. They helped me with my bags and 'auntie' even gave me a bowl of green bean soup. I met their both their sons, John and Justin, who are also living in the house. I also met Irene, my next door neighbour, a very cheerful and out-spoken 3rd year Biomedical Science major. She 'chirpily' invited me to join her for supermarketing the next day. :>

I turned in for the night and had a much awaited good long sleep.