Countdown til hardcore training

Hey guys!

I'm forcing myself to blog a bit more, so here's a small summary of what we've done the past 4 days. We wanted to do as much as we can before the classes start so it was time for some adventure!

Day 1 - Exploring in Del Mar

On day 1 we met up with Wouter and he showed us where the Concept Design Academy is. It's a good thing he guided us there. Apparently, the CDA is very small and it even shares  the building with a hair salon, you can easily miss it.

We still needed to get some art supplies which meant shopping tiiiime! We had to get a lot of stuff for school, luckily it's a bit cheaper here than in the Netherlands. The store even gave us a card with 10% discount so I'm definitely using that for next time!

After that we went back home, BUT we got lost. It was funny because it was super hot, we were tired and we had to carry all our art supplies with us...Yeah, it wasn't that funny.

Day 2 - Walk of Fame to Hollywood

On Thursday we went to Hollywood! It was awesome, we walked around on the walk of fame and took lots of pictures. We also went to 'The Greatest Candy Store on Earth'. I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I did see something that I was very tempted to try out:

YES, BUGS! I asked the others if they wanted to try some too and we eventually went for the BBQ flavored worms. It was crunchy, tasted a bit like BBQ, but it also had a bitter aftertaste. Still, that's one thing I can cross off of my "things to do before I die"-list!

For lunch we had some awesome icecream and you can choose your own toppings with it. The crazy part is that they used their scoops to mix the toppings with the icecream instead of sprinkling it on top of it. It was delish!

When we got back to the South Pasadena station, we saw a farmer's market that's at the station every Thursday. Apparently they sell a lot of things that are cheaper there than at the supermarket. There was also a ton of food and I had an All Beef Hotdog! Definitely coming back every week!

Day 3 - Little Tokyo and Chinatown

On day 3 we went to the Little Tokyo District and I LOVED it. It's not as big as I thought it would be, but I really had to stop myself from buying so much stuff.

I did finally taste a melon-pan. It was good, but I'm a bit, just a bit, disappointed that it didn't taste like melon at all. Then again, we saw a different one that looked way greener so I'm going to give it another try next time. I WANT MY MELON SATISFACTION.

There's also this huuuuge store filled with anime and manga merchandise. It's probably one of the biggest stores I've seen and I really want to buy a lot of stuff from it (Don't judge me.).

We then went to Chinatown and the place was a bit more shady than the other places we've been to. They had some cute stuff and I liked the buildings, but to be honest, every store is basically the same so we didn't really stay there for long.

In the evening we had some awesome sushi! They served these on little boats that were floating on water. It wasn't very expensive and I'm so happy that the water here is free! Plus, they do refills every now and then, it's perfect for a chea- poor student like me!

Day 5 - A Clogged Block Party

Day 5 was...interesting. Our toilet got clogged so we were forced to stay at the cottage until the plumber arrived. In the meantime, we talked a bit more with the owners of the house. Apparently the own a motion design and live-action studio. They actually made the opening of Parks and Recreation, HOW COOL IS THAT?! Check it out, they have some awesome stuff on their site: www.colourmovie.com.

(Oh, our toilet got clogged by tooth floss from the previous guests by the way. Not poop.)

In the evening, Maaike and I went to a block party organized by a church close by our house. It wasn't super big, but it was very nice. Everyone was friendly and they had some awesome free food and drinks. I really like this about the Americans I've seen or met so far, they approach people faster than I'm used to and they're super social. This is good way for me to open up a bit more because I'm such a socially awkward penguin sometimes.

Maaike and I decided to get awesome tattoos by the way #YOLO.

At the moment, we're chilling at home and watching HBO movies while having some tea. I think I'm getting a bit more used to the idea that I'm staying here for three months. I really like talking to my family, my boyfriend and friends on Whatsapp/the internet, it makes me feel less homesick. Then again, in a few days I probably won't have too much time to worry about that because I'm going to work my ass off. SPARTA! I'LL DO MY BEST! *single tear*

Over and out,

Lin :D