"do you have coke in america?"

i just got home from my third day of school. so far it's going really well! biology is good because we are learning right now where i left off in my anatomy class at hotchkiss (except my teacher is a psycho). food tech and hospitality is awesome. westminster has a few classrooms that are kind of like science labs but are actually fully equipped kitchens. we made raspberry iced mousse yesterday and then learned how to plate them (for a 5 star restaurant, it has to look trendy) and ate them today. sooo good. my psychology class is good so far and some of it is kind of tying into what i learned in neuro this year. accounting is probably my favorite class so far. i really like the teacher and i picked up on it pretty quickly. math is okay, i borrowed emily's book and taught myself what everyone's been learning and i am even taking a test tomorrow (although the teacher is allowing me to use the textbook). english looks like it might be a small issue only because there is a big essay due coming up (not sure if i am expected to write it or not at this point) and the essays here are quite different from what i am used to regarding format and expectations. so that will be interesting. i have some really nice people in all of my classes too.
the campus is really nice. everything is outside and really open and there are a lot of breezeways. we eat lunch everyday under a big pagoda. i have a pb&j everyday which is apparently "sooo american." a funny thing is during recess (snack) and lunch everyone has to wear hats. they are funny little bucket hats and you arent not allowed to be outside without them, to protect from the sun i guess.
right now since it is warm everyone wears the summer uniform. for girls it is a collared dress that goes down a little past the knees, socks, and black lace up shoes. hideous. we also have to wear our hair up every day. once we get back from break (which starts in a week and a half) it is the winter uniform, which is a looong kilt, knee socks, black lace up shoes, a collared shirt, sweater, tie, and blazer. the homework here is not so bad either and i really haven't had that much. kids here aren't as competitive with classes and grades and the emphasis is more on what you want to do when you graduate (although many don't graduate, which here is completely normal) and a lot of kids don't go to college if they don't want a career that depends on college educations. it's more practical.