This will be a super long post I think. Lots of photos and updates of my first week in Tucson, starting from the first day we landed on Tucson.
Day 1 - 26th Dec 07 (Tucson Time)
We didn't take much photos as we were all soooo sooooooo tired and the only pictures we took were...
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Day 2 - 27th Dec 07
The next day, we had to wake at around 7 to have breakfast at the lounge of the inn. We finally had the energy and mood to take some pictures (we didn't suffer much of a jet lag and we slept like pigs through the night till our alarm went off and slapped us back to soberness).
After a full stomach of scrambled eggs, wafers, bagels, cereals, coffee & tea (we were so hungry), we met up with the person-in-charge of the orientation program for our first week here with Ash's colleagues, who also arrived Tucson on the same flight, at the inn lobby.
We were drove around Tucson and were told of the the things to look out for, like the different road signs and what they mean, as well as the driving habits here. I enjoyed the drive, and there was one particular driving habit (or should I say rule) which I found was very intersting. Whenever a driver see a stop sign (similar to those in Singapore) in America, he/she has to stop, regardless of whether there is any oncoming vehicle from the other lanes.
When I say stop, I am referring to a complete stop (not slwoing down), and anyone who didn't obey this rule will be prosecuted by law. And I'm not kidding. I totally respect this rule, because without it, there will be many more accidents.
Day 3 (28th Dec 07)
As usual, we woke in the morning to have breakfast at the inn and went on to meet up with the rest.
The first thing that we need to do was to open an account with the bank, after which we were sent to the T-Mobile shop within the mall to get ourselves a mobile phone and a line.
The shopping malls here are unlike those in Singapore. It is not a building within which all the shops operate, it is an area where shops operate individually (see below).
Day 4 (29th Dec 07)
We continued to be brought around and searching for the best bargain we can get for stuff like notebooks, TVs, beds, etc. We also bought a couple of things for our new place.
Day 5 (30th Dec 07)
Today, we went to this Chinese restaurant which serves traditional Chinese food for lunch. This is the first time since we stepped foot on Arizona that we get to taste REAL chinese food and we were all so happy.
It is also today that we really feel the cultural difference between the Americans and the Chinese, especially in terms of eating habits. The first dish that came was the soup (included in the meal), and we all liked the soup. The waitress later came to clear our soup bowls and left a plate of sauces on our table (pic below).
When we were served our food, the only utensil that came along was a fork. So, instinctively, we picked up the spoons that came with the sauce (although is was quite small) and started munching our meals. It was only after we settled our bills that the person-in-charge (seated on a separate table as us as the group was too big) told us that actually, the spoon that came with the sauces were intended to spread the sauces on our food. The Americans usually have thier meals with forks (even for rice) and if we wanted spoon we have to ask for it. Interesting huh?
There will be more pictures (of our apartment) in the next post, as there are too many photos here and it is starting to hang a bit =)
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