19.02.2008

Tuesday I was up early to meet with Luiz, the Brazilian student from my orientation the day before. We went to go meet some professors and try and figure out which classes we were taking. After we were done I stuck around to try and find internet access to email my family, but there was no open or free internet anywhere. I won’t get my student ID and password until next Monday, which gives students access to the university and library computers. I was able to pick up one wireless network from my apartment but the signal was weak and required a password.

I went from the engineering faculty (in the picture), which is pretty close to my apartment, down to the center to meet with a professor in the economics faculty. Unfortunately his class had already started, because the engineering courses operate on a slightly different schedule, and I will not be able to take his statistics class. He was a really nice guy though, and dug out a book from his bookshelf for me “Statistics: Made Simple” published in 1968, and told me that the book contained everything I needed to know about probability and statistics. He let me keep it, and I will give it a look, but unfortunately I cannot return to Michigan and explain to the department “I read this statistics book, will it suffice for the four credit course- IOE 265?” I don’t think that will work.

I headed back to my apartment for dinner (spaghetti with tomato sauce and fresh tomatoes, and salad.. see picture). After I ate, I met my roommate. She is a first year student in civil engineering from Africa. She is here for the entire 3-year program. Her high school’s language of instruction was Italian, so she doesn’t have any trouble with the language, and she also speaks English very well! I have met so many people who speak Italian, English, and their native language. She explained to me that there will only be two of us living in the apartment, unless another student shows up. Here its common to come home to a new person living in your apartment without warning. I went with my roommate up to the second floor (which is actually the third floor because the main level is considered the ground floor, the next one above is the first, the following the second, and so on) to meet her friend from back home. They made tea for me and cookies (which everyone calls biscuits) and we talked in English and Italian.