Yale in end-summer

Ok, I think I will try to be a bit more up-to-date with my adventures at Yale.

Just came back from the Welcome Party for International Students. Didn't feel excited like I should have - there were lots of people, that's good but I went late, so kind of naturally got excluded. I mingled a bit, but didn't help much. Well, liked the trivia contest though. Allow me to know more about Yale and New Haven, like you can actually learn 50 languages at Yale!! (XL and SW would love it LOLX) and that George W. Bush was born in New Haven (not a fun fact).

A sad thing didn't manage to catch G there though, haha; we were actually MSN-ing about this in the morning. Was trying to search a face that matches the Facebook one LOLX. Because, have been talking to him since XH's introduction online but never really met in person. I always felt it was a pity. Hmm, wonder if he was there. Will ask him online later. And so I missed my dose of Singlish usage HAHA. But managed to talk to this Waldon (hope I got the name right) guy from Canada, Vancouver, studying Evolutionary Biology. He did Cell Biology in Vancouver and he said he took 15 hours to get to New Haven... Wow, even when Canada is so near.

Anyway, I have been wondering around the place for the past 2 days and trying to familiarize myself with the area. I definitely like Yale's buildings - the architecture is primarily gothic. I felt like I was walking through Hogwarts corridors when I was walking in Hall of Graduate Studies (HGS) to get my package and Yale ID! It was supposed to be where I would be staying, but the size of the room, compulsory in-house dining plan and nearby construction tilted the scales against it... I am really glad I got my current apartment =)

Then I snooped around at the Payne Wayne Gymnasium, supposedly the second largest indoor sports complex IN THE WORLD... A gym with a gothic style is just cool. It's under construction now, sorry the best pic would be from Wiki. It houses 11 squash courts, a fitness center, lots of studios, olympic-sized swimming pools, a rowers' pool and more!! Unbelievable... Gotta go try out the gym one day. It's free for students btw, and I can bring guests, though each will cost $10... There's the Peabody Museum, Yale's very own Paleontology and Archaelogy Museum, free for students as well =) Also, I am impressed by the Beinecke Library for Rare books and Manuscripts, the largest building in the world built exclusively for preservation of book and manuscripts. Supposedly the windows are translucent, so that less sunlight is allowed in, giving it a light yellow glow; I didn't notice that shimmer...Then there're many many more gothic and/or just archaic buildings, like the Law School and also especially in the old campus. I am just overwhelmed by the idea that I would be sitting down in a room (McDougal Center in HGS) with hanging chandeliers, latin-worded wallpaper and intricately carved gargoyles, sipping my coke and typing away on my laptop (which I did by the way), or even more foudroyant by the fact that Yale undergraduates would be divided into colleges behind fortress walls and castle towers (which I did see btw) and playing orientation games... And also, I like the roads of some of the places, like Hillhouse Avenue - serene and tranquil with nice shades and fantastic hues from the trees, and I am always amused by scurrying squirrels.
Surprisingly, the idea of putting a (Grove St) cemetery, smacked right in middle of town didn't spook the hell out of the local residents, or invoke any protests from the students. Perhaps it's because the Presidents of Yale were buried there. But the entrance "The Dead shall be raised" has an enthralling sense of foreboding - like some prophecy or some chosen one is going to resurrect the dead - reminds me of the morbid "Arbeit macht frei" and Nico in the Percy Jackson book series.

I haven't been inside most of the buildings... More photos will come when i do =) Looking forward...

Anyway, more photos on Facebook soon =) I am putting up some here. C made some Greek salad and said I looked I haven't eaten in days... LOLX... Thanks C! It's good that your roommate's a great cook! Hmm, now thinking about getting that rice cooker...