hippyscientist

I definitely want to do that hike soon! I've seen the High School Musical production being advertised but won't do that at the moment. However, one of my favourite singers (G. Love & Special Sauce) is in town on 9/1 and so I'm hoping to find a few people to go listen with. @Pink Fuzzy Bunny congratulations to your boy! That's awesome news! Frustrating about visiting but at least you know it will still be regular. Thanks for the birthday wishes - it's not actually until next sunday, although you wouldn't know from all the birthday cards I have in my suitcase that family members have snuck in there! @Effloresce You'll be fine at orientation! I was apprehensive at first but it seemed to go pretty smoothly. Just be you and you'll be just awesome The roommate thing would frustrate me though. Can you mention something politely?

uhuh tell me about it! Everyone is so friendly. At the minute I'm twiddling my thumbs for things to do tomorrow. If any State College peeps want to meet up for a coffee or something PM me and let's make it happen.

@rhombusbombus & @jlt646 I emailed the powerlifters there's an info session in the coming weeks. They seem really really friendly and open to us oldies joining them! My dad's just left me and I'm in my airbnb and it feels a little bit weird now. Definitely having a mini wobble about being so far from home. Definitely need to do something tomorrow to not be quite so emotional. rhombus - the mattress I got from Stovers Furniture which is in the mall. It's a really quirky place but the owner, Jake, was really helpful and they're delivering my mattress and frame and box spring the day I move in and will set it up and all for free. They have a really good sale at the minute too, I think I paid about $650 for all that.

haha yep I run around doing things. I can't stand not being productive so this PhD could be interesting! I didn't plan on buying a car but I found the perfect one so put the deposit down. Now I'm figuring out how to get money over from the UK without my American bank account being open yet... ugh red tape!

You guys over the past two days I've bought a mattress, a sofa, a chest of drawers, a TV, an iron, a vacuum, an entire kitchen accessories (plates, silverware, cooking utensils etc), bedding, and now a car. I don't think I've ever spent so much money at one time in my life! I love my car though I move into my apartment not this coming saturday but the following week so all my stuff is going to be lying around the basement of my airbnb. Oops! It's also my birthday the day after I move into my apartment so I have no idea how that celebration is going to go ahaha.

@jlt646 haha if I need a break I might let you know! I can recommend Maki Yaki for asian food (literally all kinds of chinese, korean, japanese etc.) as we had takeout from there yesterday. I'm really looking forward to being able to cook, already fed up of take out and it's only day 2.

I'm taking 10.5 credits - 9 hours of classes and 1.5 of compulsory seminar. My classes include statistics and research methods for both mechanical engineering and my particular discipline. So nothing really overly thrilling, and the stats and research methods for my discipline shouldn't be too horrible as I already covered them in my masters. I'm also fulfilling all my external requirements this first semester and that means that the rest of my course will be based within my department. I'm quite happy with that. I also have to fulfil 10 credits of scholarship integrity training in my first year so I need to understand that a bit more when I get on to campus. Kinda hoping to get the boring stuff out the way and then thrive on stuff that will help for my research. Plus my TA assignment is in a very basic area of my discipline and I only have 22 students in my lab section so hoping that won't be crazy demanding!

Thanks @Pink Fuzzy Bunny. I thought of you yesterday when I flew over Ithaca! Yeah the homesickness is not something I'm looking forward to. Just found out about my schedule tomorrow on campus, needless to say if this is what induction is like I dread to think how chaotic the actual PhD is going to be!

@rhombusbombus I know! Hotel life for a week with my dad and then the student life starts again. Still in shock at how easy immigration was. I'm becoming reacquainted with all my favo(u)rite american food and drink today - chipotle, yeungling, ice tea, goldfish...the list goes on! Diet starts as soon as I move into the apartment though. State College people - anyone found a good pizza place yet?

Woohoo I made it to the US! Immigration was a breeze and the officer had a huge chat with me about Penn State and my degree and ended it by saying "Good luck future Dr. Hippyscientist".Aww yeah! Of course the first thing my father says is "I hope State College has places open on a Sunday because we need to go to Walmart for snacks!" He does make me chuckle. I'm pretty sure one of my first orders of moving will be to get a full toolkit because I'm gunna have to put together lots of furniture!

Yep! I saw a perfect postdoc position in my dream lab the other day and made a mental note to remember that something like that does exist! I get weekly emails of job postings in my field and it's insanely useful to see what they are looking for in candidates, so I can shape my PhD time to make myself fit the profile needed. I like thinking ahead...

Agreed with having it pretty much together in January. I also fully agree with the unknowing causing anxiety. I'm pretty good with uncertainty and change but for me it was the uncertainty of knowing where I would be living come now. I'm so grateful that it worked out and I got my first choice and now I'm not really batting an eyelid at the thought of moving to the US (now the packing is done). I know that this program location wise and opportunity wise is the right fit. As my dad keeps telling me "it's your's to mess up". No pressure! 2 more full days in this country. It's definitely time for me to move on and this is so right. There's a TV show on at the minute called "Great American Railway Journeys" which started in NYC, went up to Niagra Falls, Philly to Gettysburg (via Hershey), and down through Delaware. Next episode is DC. It's not the sort of show I would normally watch but it's providing a really useful insight into the history of the US that I might be unfamiliar with, and makes me reminisce on my road trip. Definitely makin me excited about being in the vicinity in 3 days time. Also, I am still getting information about orientation at a school I was accepted to but declined the offer. I've contacted them multiple times to effectively say thanks but no thanks, and I'm still on the ruddy mailing list! Very infuriating! I also got an email from Penn State today telling me that I've been registered for my American Speaking Test to prove I can communicate effectively in English/American. Ugh, do I have to?!

I know! I feel so much more with it than I did in January. This is so normal it's ridiculous (how common it is). When I started my masters I didn't have a clue what was going on 90% of the time, my peers were struggling with super basic concepts that we were taught when we were 10, another friend forgot that there were 360 degrees in a circle. The papers were horrible and felt like they were written in an alien language. To get through, I just gave myself a bit more time. For one course we had to read a set of prescribed papers per week and answer questions on them sufficiently to be able to hold a d2 hr discussion. Here I scaled back my expectations and learnt one paper really well so there was lots to contribute about that. It takes time but you adapt and grow. Comparing my masters thesis to my undergraduate one really highlights the growth and maturation in my work that occurred over a year, so give yourself some time and be kind to yourself and it will become less like wading through treacle.

Nope shipping was costing upwards of $500 (that's with the discount) for a 1m cubed box. Contrarily, I now have 4 suitcases each weighing approximately 50 lbs and that's cost about $300. So still a substantial amount but that's not horrible for all my worldly possessions to arrive (minus what mum is bringing out at thanksgiving). That research situation you're in sounds horrible. I'd get looking for alternatives ASAP.

Nope nope nope. I HATE people who behave like that. You have my full sympathies. Packing is hell. I am normally pretty good at packing but trying to pack a whole life into 3 suitcase is decidedly harder than packing for holidays. Also, why are textbooks so damned heavy?? I'm scared to weigh these suitcases because they certainly feel heavier than the 23kg I'm allowed per case.

That room sounds awkward! I am well and truly comfortable with travelling - trust me those suitcases are properly organised and sorted and fully functional!

I've been away busy sorting everything out, but you guys it's starting to happen! We're moving into apartments, starting research projects, getting TA assignments. Going back to December this stage was a mere dream, so congratulations everyone - we're here!!! I'm starting to pack up my 3 suitcases to move. Less than a week to go til I say bye to the UK!

Ooohh Cocktails! Bars I love bars Especially american bars. You guys just do it properly! A drink or two at the end of the week in the bar is awesome, and if there's sport on it's so much more exciting to watch in a bar. You're moving so soon! I fly in just under two weeks. It's so exciting. I'm excited. So excited. Time to go drop a lot of money on furniture then! And maybe head to the bar to recover.

My mom and my best friends mom keep crying (separately, they've never met) about me leaving. I don't really see the big deal though. My mom is used to me leaving, I mean I moved out at 17 and have been back and forth fleetingly ever since. It's only a 5-7 hour flight which isn't that far and it's not like I'm dropping off the face of the planet. We have Skype/Facetime/texting/emails/whatsapp etc., I just can't quite see the big deal. And she's coming to stay at Thanksgiving so it's just like an extended holiday! Ugh.

Yes! When me and the ex were planning the wedding I was instant that he not get me diamond. I know exactly what I want and it sounds quite similar to you actually. I don't get why people get so incredulous when you go against the grain though, as long as everyone's happy and not hurting anyone else I don't see the problem! @Effloresce I have my macbook for home life, writing stuff on word, it has my mendeley desktop on and I also use it for video processing, and I have a PC on campus that will have the majority of my work stuff on. I like both so I use both!

Well I just sent my project (18,700 words) in to the printers! It should be ready to hand in either tomorrow or Friday Then I can move back to mums house for a couple weeks before I fly out on the 6th. Finally, some time to breathe! @sjoh197 I completely missed your panic - sorry Have you had the conversation with your partner about marriage/readiness/life plan etc? I assume so but you never do know!

@Neist all I'm hearing about is Pokemon Go, and it sounds really good! But I'm deliberately not getting involved because I need another time suck like I need a hole in the head. It hasn't really kicked off too much in the UK yet (at least where I am) but I've been hearing a lot. At the minute campus is overrun by graduation. It wouldn't normally bother me except they're graduating and congregating right outside my office and I've had to stop the urge to yell at them "enjoy unemployment" multiple times today. @RCtheSS YAY! Congrats That sounds pretty exciting!

Wow I find that attitude so alien (not bad or good, just SO different from my own experiences). I routinely walk around in my underwear when living in hostels/airbnbs (provided it's not just a room in a house)/wherever. I mean I'll throw clothes on to go outside (maybe...) but bra and panties is cool. I've never even noticed when guys walk around in underwear, I think I'd find it odd if they stayed clothed to be perfectly honest! As long as everyone is comfortable I see no dramas, but seeing as @MarineBluePsy you're not, I'd definitely throw clothes on out of respect for your feelings. I love how different people have different outlooks on simple things such as this. Isn't the world so interesting?!

Thank you @sjoh197 @Neist and @jlt646 for the info! I just find it utterly mental but I can't do anything about it, so I'd best fit in! The time for moving is creeping up fast and all these little things keep popping up.

Awesome, thanks for the heads up. What about other stuff? Like I guess any one like waitstaff, bartenders etc. But what about hairdressers? Am I meant to tip when I buy a car? Like I just don't understand this! How much is considered normal?