Clare is the only other Australian student at UCR and if it wasn't for some stupid ice breaker game during International Student Orientation Day on the 3rd day I was in the States, it would have taken an extra week for us to meet each other. It was on that day that, after me tapping Clare on the shoulder and introducing myself as Veronica from Sydney, she proceeded to hug me like I was a long lost lover. 
And then, after telling her where I was staying and both of us realising we would be staying in the same building (she is exactly 2 floors down from me so if I stomp real loud she might hear me) she once again proceeded to jump on me and hug me. We've seen each other pretty much everyday since then, minus this week since she's in Colorado snow boarding. We shared two classes together this quarter [hence the many jokes centered on who would we rather "do"? The big, black, crazy Professor Siler or the Pumpkin Looking, grandma obsessed Dr. Border], and we have been on heaps of trips and outtings like Huntington Beach, L.A, and San Diego. As an added bonus, when her boyfriend arrived to visit her, he brought Milo Bars. Mmmmmmm!
Ask any of the international students where they think the majority of us are from and the answer would most likely be France. There are so many french students here and as a result my knowledge of french profanity has grown immensely [pu'ain fait ch'er].
Two of the French that I have become close to are Roland and Loic. Roland [call him Roland Rene George cus he likes it, right Roland?] always makes me laugh. If it's not him asking a question about an english translation, or using newly learnt words like "Dude", it's him singing and dancing to Ludacris' "Money Maker" while driving through L.A in his recently purchased Corolla.
LOIC! [Loic Schmoic as I like to call him] always has a smile on his face and something cheeky to say. To this day he wont tell me what his middle name is which is why i say it's Schmoic, and the secretiveness is forcing me to concoct a covert mission to find his passport and find out.
Aside from France, students have come from all over the globe like Laura from Northern Ireland and Javier from Mexico. Once you get used to Laura's accent and figure out a way to decipher what she's saying [some rely on lip reading, others on asking repeatedly what she said, and others on the basic smile and nod like] you realise she's a lot of fun to hang out with. She's the only girl here that Ive met that has been able to match and perhaps even exceed my energy levels, love for clubbing, love for dancing, and addiction to shopping which is why we get along so well. We've spent a couple of nights at Club Sevilla together [one of which the bouncer was stupid and thought we were 21. You know what that means!] and have also been shopping together a few times. And just a tip for anyone wanting to go shopping with Laura in the future, wear some good walking shoes!
Javier was my first friend at UCR and I'll definately be crying when he leaves this saturday. He was only staying for one quarter but in the 3 months that has been he has become someone I will always remember and stay in touch with. Even though he gets mad at me when I try to make him say "Andale andale Arriba Arriba" ala Speedy Gonzales, and when I ask him if he wears a poncho and a sombrero and sits on his front porch playing a little guitar, he will always tell me off with a smile on his face then follow it up with a pat on the head and a big hug. He knows I'm just joking since I ask him almost every time I see him, and maybe before he leaves he will grant me my wish and say the famous Speedy Gonzales line just once.
Then there are the local students that i adore. Mark and Andrew live downstairs and the two of them come up with things that I didnt even know were possible. Andrew is... well, he reminds me of the most hyperactive kid possible times a billion. He cracks me up without even having to say anything, just by all the faces he can pull. It's hard to get a serious picture of him and when u tell him to be normal his response is "I can't be normal cus I look like an idiot so I purposely look like an idiot so I dont look like an idiot". Riiiight. I cant explain it to you so I'll just show you.
Mark and his girlfriend Marie are one of those couples that makes everyone either envious or nauseous cus they're so damn cute. Both of them are always up to hang out, even if it's to watch Lord of the Rings I, II, & III and eat tacos or [in the case of Marie] accompany me to some seedy "club" for a dance. Marie reminds me of the girls at home, and Mark reminds me of Frith - one of the good guys!
And this entry wouldn't be complete without a section on Brandon. Without Brandon more than half the things Ive seen and done in the last three months wouldnt have been possible. He's one to drink with for no apparent reason except for it having been a long day at school, he's one to drive us around when we think the place we need to go is too far to walk or we're just too damn lazy [thankyou!], 
he's always up for going to In n' Out where they have the best take out burgers on earth, he's place is where we have the parties cus it's bigger, and he takes care of us [he even went out to buy Clare and I mace so that we would have some kind of protection if we had to walk around campus or Riverside by ourselves]. Brandon, I only have one word for you... Byah!There are many more people I havnt written about but have made my time in Riverside what it is. They're all become like family to me, especially since most of us all live in the same building, and I know that it's not just Riverside I'll be missing when I go, but the people who I met while I was here.
Above: Most of us @ the Christmas Party [12/15/06]
Back: Andrew, Some Random, Mark, Roberto (Italian), Cathrine (French), Brandon
Middle: Loic, Mike (American), Osa (Swedish), Amelie (French), Alice (French), Marie, ME, Ramone (American), Joel (Aussie - Clare's BF), Satoko (Japanese), Gabriele (italian)
The 2 Funny Lookin Guys (hehehe): Mickey & Wane (Americans)
Front: Caroline (French), Javier, Laura, Sarah (American), Clare, Roland
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