Stranded at the Vee: Ramblings on the School

today, I am stressing.

about what?

first, about family and friends back home facing power outages, 85 mph winds, swaying trees, flying debris, flooding waters, and a sleepless night or two... and second, about stupid midterms that I don't feel like dealing with at the moment.

in fact, I feel absolutely helpless about the situation back at home and am hoping, praying that they are safe. =T

I suppose it's obvious now if you've been following the blog or any random FB update that I went to visit the bro for a school event over the weekend and was supposed to leave Monday. Sunday afternoon, however, I got notified that my flight was cancelled and bumped to Tuesday. yesterday afternoon I checked again, and it's been bumped to Wednesday instead. the homestead is just getting the brunt of the storm, so the airlines have been cancelling flights left and right.

I remember mum telling me prior to my arrival at the school that this would be a good chance to experience the V firsthand. well, she's definitely right about that. it's been a pretty good experience so far. people here are all pleasant to talk to. there have been one or two awkward moments that I have rather unsuccessfully blocked out of my mind, but nothing tooo bad. I guess it'd help more if I was a more outgoing and engaging person, but hey, it is what it is. I think if I stayed for a couple more weeks, I might have a chance of getting along splendidly with most of the people I've talked to so far..

I can sort of see myself at this school. I wouldn't have admitted it earlier, but now that I'm here and not living vicariously through whatever information and stories my brother cares and remembers to tell me over Skype,  I think this could work. ultimately of course, it's which doors that God chooses to open and shut for me, but still, having a vague idea is better than none, right?

Verity is basically a hidden gem. we attended a Chinese church for service the past Sunday and some of the students got a chance to promote their upcoming missions trip to Taiwan. pretty much nobody had heard of Verity before. it's one thing for people at home to ask what or where Verity is, but it's another for people that are close to the area to be surprised at its existence. then again, I guess it's not too surprising though. in their defense, the school is literally situated out in the middle of nowhere. (uhm Verity students, please don't come after me for saying this!) it's dooown on a looong road, with a few houses sprinkled along the sides every now and then. one even has a hard time telling that the school exists when he drives by because the view is partially obscured by trees and lies behind a fairly large sports field. it doesn't help that the field's sign is more prominent than the school's.

Lord of the Rings: A Parody
yes, me bro was the Asian Gimli. you can imagine what that was like..

despite the geographical disadvantages, inside the school one finds a tightly knitted group of people who are well... my brother described people here as weird and crazy. he was about half right. people here are friendly and outgoing (for the most part). they're not crazy and weird, they're insane. I don't think that can be helped though. personality is responsible for maybe half of that, but the other half goes to the lack of sleep these people run on. I mean, an accredited bachelor's in twenty-one months? sure that's impressive, but it's also incredibly insane. hats off to dem peoples. I'm impressed that they thrive and not just survive, though I could be wrong about that. ;] oh yeah. & here's a fun fact: the school used to be some sort of a mental asylum?

go figure.

having a smaller school has pros and cons, I suppose. everybody here is tight; you know them all by first name basis and nothing stays too secret for long. word gets around suuupes fast. yeah, I suppose that's more of a con there, but I think it's nice to have such a close community. you need that kind of support and encouragement in this kind of school. I think the school also fosters good work ethics. (hahaha, can't believe I just used that word in my blog post. what's becoming of me!? is that word even applicable here? probs not.) if one expects to get their degree, they'd best be on top of it. there are no slackers here... or maybe there are, but either these slackers still get their job done in time or they've long been removed from this institution. who knows..

I don't have much more to say. as of this morning, my flight tomorrow is still on schedule, so all seems well... though at this point, I may not have Internet upon my return home which could delay my week's studies. but who cares about studies when you just want to know your family's alright? sigh. ugh, either way I still gotta hit the books and study. yesterday was extremely productive and I need to keep it up.. I think the V spirit of working hard and being studious is starting to rub off on me. HA. me? studious? well, I can live with that.

hope you have a fairly pleasant week wherever you are and that you are safe. prayers go out to you guys affected by Sandy. xo.

p.s.- I'm trying out the poll for the first time. feel free to vote, it doesn't show who clicks what, so I won't be offended hahaha. and also, please forgive the uneven social media buttons. I need to find time to fix that but for now, it'll stay that way. ;]