I'm alive!

Hello all. Do not worry. I am alive. I am making a brief post to let everyone know I haven't dropped
off the face of the earth. To prove it, I did manage to make it up to Niagara Falls a little while
ago. Here's some photographic evidence:

Anyway, there have been a few major developments that I don't have time to really go into right now.
I will write more about that when I can. I'm fine, though, so don't worry. For now, zaijian (meet
later). Take care!

Quick weekend update

So this is my second weekend here and my first full one. I have gotten so down over the course of the
first week that Joe thankfully came up to keep me company over the weekend. That definitely cheered
me up (but I'm still a little low). I'll be fine, but I must admit I am not a fan of the structure
of this program. It's not set up for my brain to grab on easily (or even with effort). I have heard
several others in the program say things to this end, as well, so it's not just me. Also, there are
several people in the program who have had Chinese before and they skew the way things go in
Chinese-only class. I am glad they already know everything we're doing, and as someone else pointed
out it gives us a carrot to chase, but if I am completely lost because they're racing ahead and the
teacher follows them then it doesn't help me if I can never catch on.

Anyway, next weekend my friend Katie will be here on her way back to Louisville from a New England
road trip. I think that should be nice, I hope she enjoys her trip. Well, I need to get back to homework
because I have so much of it (as usual). I'll be back with more when I can. To all, take care!

In the lab, again

Hello all. I thought since I had a brief second that I could update you all on something. Remember
how I waxed poetic about "foreign names" when learning another language and finally assumed I would
remain Sarah Jane? Well, I was wrong! The first thing I was handed on the first day was a name plate
with my new name Bo Xianli. Bo is 2nd tone, Xian is 2nd tone, and li is 4th tone. That might not make
sense, but I think you can probably google "Chinese tones" and it will help in pronouncing Bo Xianli
because it's not really said how it looks. Anyway, just thought I'd give that quick update. Love to
you all! Take care.

Too busy and stressed!

Well, right now I'm in the language lab and really should be working on homework. I've been goofing
off for the past half-hour though to try to take a mental break. It is really stressful, the structure
of this program that is. I think if I were learning Chinese more slowly or in a different format (maybe)
it would not be such a stressful thing. But as one of my first cousins pointed out, "We Bodells tend
to make things more stressful than they really are." So, maybe no one else is stressed out. I don't
think that's true, though.

Anyway, excepting weekends, I'm not really sure when I'll have enough time to post about much of
anything. I'm sorry to leave any faithful readers in a lurch (haha), but I'll try to update when I can.
For now, I'm getting as fit as a horse hiking through the ridiculous hills in Ithaca and slightly wishing
I weren't here. I will make it through, though, and might be better for it. More
bitter, certainly. Haha. Well, enough of spewing my negativity on the unsuspecting. I hope you all
are enjoying a fine June wherever you may be. :) Take care.

Sarahs

I went to campus today to pick up a syllabus and the other stuff that "registration" entails. On the
way to get my Cornell student ID I saw a girl carrying the same syllabus also looking to have a student
ID made. We struck up a conversation. She's in the Chinese FALCON program (call me Sherlock) and
her name is . . .

SARAH JEAN!

Haha, that cracks me up. Anyway, she just goes by Sarah and she said the people in the program office
told her that there are four Sarahs in the program this summer. That's fantastic and awful all at
once. I'm glad all those years ago there were five Sarahs in my class (including Saras)--that's why
I began going by Sarah Jane full time. Anyway, I've yet to ascertain if we will choose a "native"
name to go by in the program. In most of my other language classes, especially in high school, we
picked a name that we went by during the class. I had a different one in each of my four Spanish classes
in high school. I was just plain Sarah Jane in college Spanish and was Sarah (pronounced Zah-rah)
in college German. French was online, so no new name. Let's see if I can remember my Spanish names:
Beatriz, Adela, Carlota, Sarajuana. Hah. I doubt, though, that we'll get Chinese names for the class.
So, Sarah Jane I suppose it will be.

Class is bright and early tomorrow. I hope to take a few more photos tomorrow. I discovered some
real sights on the East Campus. Well that's all for now. Take care!

Photos

This is a photo taken just up the street from where I am staying this summer. So, I am an East Hill
resident. There are deer all over the place. I saw a rabbit across the street as I was driving in
yesterday. So, I have begun an album of photos for your viewing pleasure:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sjbodell/CornellIthacaEtc#

I found the buildings I will be going to (as far as I know) this summer. I also picked up my course
pack. Additionally, I was on campus at 12:00 and got to hear the bells chiming. Saw a number of
interesting things. The campus is not as well manicured as I was expecting. Quite nice, better than
UofL, but still not up to the level I was imagining. (Notre Dame is the epitome of universities and
manicured lawns, etc.) There is ivy everywhere, though! It made me laugh. Anyway, I better tend
to a few things so I am off of here for now. Please leave a comment if you want to chat. :) Take care.

First full day in Ithaca

Hi everyone. I made it here yesterday without a hitch, really. The drive to Erie, PA went surprisingly
quickly. It probably helped that I didn't sleep at all the night before and was therefore too exhausted
to notice much of anything. Anyway, once I got on I-86, that's when the trip stretched out
forever. I don't remember how many hours I spent on I-86 but it seemed like several days. If you've
ever watched Green Acres or Petticoat Junction, it is exactly like that for hundreds of miles. Pretty,
but it can get very boring. There were hardly any people on the road until I stopped at a rest stop
near Painted Post, NY. Then they were everywhere! I parked beside a vehicle from Arkansas at the
rest stop and it made me homesick. Is that weird? (Yes.)

Anyway, I left Louisville about 40 minutes late and got to Ithaca more than 30 minutes early. How's
that? :) I took a couple of photos yesterday. Not many. I'm sure to take more today because I plan
to walk around campus and through town some to get my bearings. I usually have good sense of
directions but the streets are not exactly gridded/sensical and it's sort of a closed in town--lots
of tree cover and few landmarks that indicate which direction is which. No problem, though. I will
get the hang of it.

I will try to post photos later today or tomorrow. Goodness knows I don't have much to do but be lonely
until classes start.

I went to the grocery last night, too. It was the pits. The food was not that good and I paid double
what I would have at Kroger. Wish there were one of those around here! Haha. Also, I brought the
groceries back to realize there is no can opener here! Or at least, none that I could find. So I'll
be buying a cheap one today. Hard to eat otherwise! :P

The water is a little hard, but not that bad. Only noticeable when I'm washing my face.

I unpacked relatively quickly yesterday. I sort of wish I had take more time with it so I would be
more occupied. I brought bunny ears and there is only one channel. All morning it has been
infomercials. It is a Fox station and showed the normal shows last night. I expected news this morning.

Rafa Nadal lost for the first time ever at the French Open yesterday while I was driving around
Cleveland. That was awful. I connect myself so much with him. He won his first French Open when
I was battling ovarian cancer. He helped me so much then by just being him. He's only a couple of
weeks older than me, so I guess that's why I feel connected to him. Anyway, his loss makes me feel
pretty bummed about my summer. I'll recover and I know he will. Just sad (and surprising).

Well, I suppose I better wrap up before I sound like too much of a sad-sap. I'm fine! Just nervous
and lonely, but I'm sure to remedy those quickly. Hope all of you are getting along fine! Take care.