MMU & Mates + Paperwork & Pints.

Sep 25, 2013
4 min read

I received a proper campus tour from a very fit lad I met on Friday 😊😉. We met up on Lloyd St. and Parkside Rd. before my first ever set of classes this morning. We walked and talked. We sipped and dipped our tea and scones that we grabbed on the way. I had already pinpointed the building my classes would be in, as well as the route I would take to walk there. However, it was a nice gesture from a nice human, so I was happy to accept. He also did give me a better understanding of the campus in its entirety. He even informed me MMU had a satellite campus in Cheshire. The university just received a gazillion dollars for the new business school. It was hard to miss, and it housed many media rooms, teacher & admin offices, classrooms, lecture halls, and a cafe. I don't have to wander all over campus like I do back in Buffalo. Awesome!

Between my classes, I spoke with a Financial Aid advisor. I assumed because a school had started, I would have access to the necessary money I needed to attend school. I also thought I would have this cash months ago. Months ago I filled out an expense sheet that was written up by the International Studies Office. I wasn't under the impression I would have to wait months without the funds. When would it clear up, if it did? 😩 I should've had a better understanding of the timetable before I left. Which brings me to the moral of the story: Have money in advance and cash on hand. Do not count on your institution to make sure you're well fed and not sleeping under a bridge. This is why they tell you to have x amount of dollars after purchasing a round-trip ticket. The American Government allocates disbursement for loans mid-end October in the Fall semester. Even then, it depends on the loan type. Which means I would have to use my savings until then Uncle Sam could help me. I headed back to the Business School to finish out my day trying to keep spirits up.

I'm enrolled in five courses. Subjects include marketing/advertising, human resources, and some economics. After my first day of classes, I sat down with all my paperwork and the migraine that was building up. I wrote up a price list for all my textbooks as well as a list of stationary things I would need. I grabbed all of my calendars: desk, wall, and laptop. For visual organization, I grabbed some colorful highlights. My goal was to input my due dates for assignments, papers, and exams into the calendars annnnd this is where it got weird. There isn't any attendance policy. Your professors are called Tutors, & sometimes you have two for the same course. You only have one or two exams per semester. Some only give a final exam. The only breaks I get this semester is Reading Week. I guess that Americans equivalent to Fall Break or Thanksgiving break. Also, only one of my professors is giving assignments weekly, online. So, easy to say, I'm worried about retaining all this information. It is going to be harder to schedule my reading and assess how well I am learning/retaining the information. Not to mention eating and being housed until Christmas. Feeling overwhelmed and not wanting to be alone. I went for a pint in the Northern Quarter. I Skyped my mother to plead for help. As she should've, she consoled me. She reminded me to stay calm, and most importantly she agreed to pay my rent while I was studying abroad. (I immediately wished I moved to a nicer area in Fallowfield or Hulme.) Heading home, I thought of checking out the Student Union. I texted my mate I met at the hostel, I decided to head home and also invite her over.

Later we ate dinner at mine. The first meal ever made in my flat: Chicken Francese. We ate this with the Lambrini she brought over and on top the dollied styled tablecloth I purchased for the flat.

We were warned by our landlords it was the table to be most mindful of & I wanted that security deposit back. We were already talking hosting themed parties complete with kegers to pay bills. I was also not going for turning our home into a frat house. So the tablecloth was the first of what I'm sure will be a lot of Alex trying to save the security deposit. Save yours too!

As we were eating, my flatmates and a friend walk in. We're all introduced to the petit and pretty Italian international student. Turns out the flatmate that goes to the same college as me back home, met her new friend at a hostel as well. I offered everyone a plate of the dinner I made. I had originally planned to eat leftovers for the next few days considering I was slowly but surely going skint. (Broke, poor) However, she seemed nice enough but more importantly Italian. I wanted her to try my meal and give feedback. Also, I wanted to show a kind gesture to my new flatmates. Maybe one day they'd be able to return the favor and want to. Not only because I fed them, but because I have and plan on being respectful and kind to them. They all gonna head back out for drinks. For Christ’s sake! We all agreed Thursday through this very morning, we weren't drinking. Of course, they couldn’t actually do it... Well.. Neither could I. Happy First Day of School! I'll sit and binge Breaking Bad and stuff Moams into my face all night another night.