The Speed of Time

Beautiful sunset on Federal Hill later in the evening

It's hard to believe that two weeks flew by without warning. I woke up prepared to start yet another day at the amazing Brown University. Halfway through class, I realized I didn't have much time left to do what I wanted to do. This weekend would be my last chance to go all out and explore Providence's people and places to its fullest. Monday would be homework cramming, homework is due Tuesday, there is no class on Wednesday, Macroeconomic test is on Thursday, and my last day would be Friday. Some people are glad that they'll finally be able to get back to your soft, non-dorm beds and pillows. I, on the other hand, have gotten accustomed to these problems. My dorm has become my room, the dorm bed has become my own bed, and the keys to my room have become the keys to my house. I can't possibly believe that time passes so fast, especially when you are truly enjoying yourself. I guess for me, I really enjoyed myself, because the two weeks felt like two days. 

The amazing Nicholas Coleman (caught him
during his lecture)

Today, we became introduced to world trade, how currency is effected from demand and supply, and a short explanation about the Phillips curve (how theoretically, the unemployment rate has a negative relation with inflation). It was some really interesting stuff, especially when Professor Coleman (once again) related it to real life applications. He used "false examples" by comparing different currencies and making situations for us to look at. For example, we talked about how the euro is losing its value compared to the Singaporean dollar. To solve this problem, you would need to sell more euros and buy Singaporean dollars, causing the demand for euros to increase. It's so great when we use examples so we can get a feel for what we're trying to get at with these new terms, and also to help us relate them back with our daily lives. For world trade, we talked about how when a country's currency is lower, their goods cost less, making the demand for their goods increase. For example, China's currency is relatively "low" and labor is too. This way, when people are importing Chinese goods, they don't need to pay as much. And since people would never resist missing out on a bargain, they buy the cheaper goods more often. 

I ate lunch at the V-Dubb with Avery and Noah. We finished our meal of french fries, burgers, rice, chicken, and a bowl of ice cream, and headed down to the Rock where we started our project. The Macroeconomics project is basically a PowerPoint presentation of an economic topic of our choice. Our group (Avery, Noah, Sai, and I) decided to do our project on the euro crisis in Greece. It's a really great hands-on project for us to do online research and to get our opinions across. I was so surprised when I looked at the articles where they talked about aggregate supply/demand, and deficit and inflation. I had actually understood the terms and what the articles were talking about! This further proves that Introduction to Macroeconomics has truly educated me on the economy. In summary, we outlined our presentation for our project, completed a few slides, and figured out a way to make our presentation last 10-15 minutes within the two hours we spent at the Rock. 

Our competitors (from left to right): Nick Shebek, Ying-An Wang, and Tayler Ward

From competitors to champions

I ate out at Rick's Roadhouse for dinner with the rest of the guys. Nick, Tayler, and Ying wanted to challenge themselves by eating the "Wings from Hell". Supposedly, they are the hottest wings in all of Providence, and if you finish all six pieces, you get your picture put up on the Wall of Fame. All three of them sped past the wings, like they were nothing. It was only 15 minutes later when the aftermath finally hit them and they started feeling their tongues again. Nonetheless, it's very clear that we have champions from WCCUSD; whether or not they're champions in school, or of spicy chicken wings. 

Guess who got dessert on Federal Hill

After dinner, Ms. Kaplan dropped us back outside of our dorms and we had to decide what to do for the rest of the evening. Kelly suggested we walk on Thayer Street and look around. By the time she got bored, she suggested we take the public transit to Federal Hill (where Providence Prime was) and walk around there instead. It was about 5 minutes away on the bus, and the walk around killed about half an hour. Federal Hill is packed with fancy Italian restaurants, bustling couples hand in hand, and crimson red Porches lying on the streets. It was definitely a great place to go for an evening stroll at. It's great to know that there is another side to Providence that still hasn't been explored yet. This feeling only makes me feel more motivated to explore Providence more during my last week here. 

Photo Collage of attractions on Federal Hill

I ended the night watching "The Lorax" in Soloman Hall with Kelly and Tayler. It was a great way to end my evening. Tomorrow, we'll be heading to Boston. I'm so excited and sad that this will be my last weekend here in Brown. I intend to live it up to the fullest, and keep my eyes open for the unexpected. If there's anything that you can always find in the east coast, it's got to be unexpected surprises.