Intermediate Uzbek Weeks 4 & 5 In Review: Academic Life & Student Activities Plus Tempe Fireworks, Scottsdale Shopping & More

Assalomu alaykum!

Hi everyone! I'm back... Sorry I haven't posted at Uzbek Brian in a bit, it's been quite busy but a great two weeks here in Arizona at CLI. This post will cover a "week in review" for both weeks 4 and 5, which in some ways felt like one giant week (no excuses, though...!). Here we go:

The sunset from A mountain is always more beautiful each time! 

Outlook: Past two weeks have been great. I continue to love being here and at this point feel like I am in the normal life here as if I've lived here for years and do not want to leave!

The weather has been extremely hot (I think it's a record for June/July in Phoenix), usually over 115 each day, and with way more cloud coverage than last year—but still nothing near the miserable humidity I'm hearing about in many places over the East coast.

I've been feeling very productive and on track most of the time here and going through a lot of new ideas about how I want my life to unfold, whether it just be for the rest of the day or the week or summer for over the course of the next five years.

This week's workstation! Lots of computer stuff done

Class: This week was the turning point of our halfway mark so we have gotten through a lot of material as we finished our first "semester" (3.5 week) section and are now in our next semester.  Our focus of topic has been on student life, education systems (comparing UZ to US), and general university and academic vocabulary, which is quite relevant to us here.

I've been happy with results on the past three tests, all A+s, and know that what I'm learning is stuff I can actually apply and use especially if I do a study abroad in the region when in college. We did have a 6-day week due to our Friday postponed for Fourth of July weekend, but now having had the four days off, I'm grateful we got the work in early and were able to enjoy the holiday!

Enjoyed seeing the fireworks with the Uzbek crew at Tempe Town Lake!

Sat right by the water -- great view of the show

Free time: The first half of these two weeks was quite packed with homework, client work (launched a new website!), Uzbek Night (see presentations below), and even some other events like a luncheon with Uzbek classmates, but I was very excited to enjoy a luxurious 4 days off to myself for Independence Day.

The main highlight of free time these past weeks besides the fireworks and general hangout/time to get my thoughts and items together was making a trip to the Scottsdale Fashion Plaza, which is a destination mall with really excellent store selection reminiscent, if not better, than KOP.

Took a trip up there on Friday for the day and was thrilled to see what was there and always enjoy visiting my favorite luxury brands and chatting with sales associates to learn about the company and products. I visited Louis Vuitton, Prada (first standalone Prada visit), Bottega Veneta (same thing), Cartier, Barney's New York, Neiman's, Michael Kors, David Yurman, Tourneau and some others.

Visited the Scottsdale Vuitton store! 2 down, like 700+ to go! This was one was 2x the size of KOP

Trying on a watch at Cartier — this is the entry-level Tank I think I want to save up for  

Beautiful wallets and organizers with the classic woven style of Bottega Veneta

This week: This week I'd like to keep up with a good pace of learning and finishing work for class and really take in the last normal-schedule week I have here at CLI. Don't want the program to pass too fast without having really soaked it all in!

Also I want to keep up with fitness (have barely missed a day, very happy), and work on building up some business plans and finding some new clients for when I get home, particularly targeting local businesses in my area.

My three favorite foods... good avocados, mango kombucha and Evian! 

Resources:

Here are resources for this week, quite a few!

Uy Ishi June 27: "-ish" "-la" va "-lik"li Gaplar
Homework June 27: Sentences with "-ish", "-la", and "-lik"


Uy Ishi June 28: O’zbekistondagi 3ta Asosiy Universitet Haqida
Homework June 28: About 3 Prominent Universities in Uzbekistan


Uy Ishi June 29: Akademik Yili Vaqtidagi Jadvalim
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B50OtgK4oOsgcFd0TWRSNVhwRjg/preview

Uy Ishi June 29: Uzoq O'tgan Zamon Felili Gaplar
Homework June 29: Sentences with the Distant Past Verb Form


Konestoga Gimnaziyasi Prezentatsiya
Conestoga High School Presentation


Welcome to Uzbek Night Presentation


Thanks for reading, everyone! Be sure to subscribe at your right for email updates if you aren't already. Also, exciting news... Uzbek Brian has reached over 10,000 visitors! Check out this graph in my stats control panel for the distribution of visitors:

Hi if you're reading from Russia, UK, Latvia, Uzbekistan or wherever you are! :)

Xayr,
Brian

Intermediate Uzbek Week 3 In Review: Uzbek Cities & Transportation, Homework Practice, & Figs!

Assalomu alaykum!

Hey everyone! Here with my Week 3 review, not to fret! Sorry I didn't post yesterday, wasn't really in a writing mood. Doing well now and off to the start of Week 4 -- I canNOT believe it's gone by so quickly, even though I will say that every time I look back.

We have just about reached the half-way mark as of tomorrow and Wednesday and I can say that it's been a great experience thus far! I am reminded of last year when at about this time I felt like I really was living here and that life was normal in the context of Arizona and Uzbek and all the great stuff here. Not bad! So here we go:

Outlook: As of right now my outlook is pretty good for this program and in general for the summer. I am happy to be busy, even though the work can be tiring at times, especially with a language that I really do enjoy. I have gotten some great feedback on my language learning here through homework, tests, and a presentation (will describe below) and I feel like this is something worthwhile to be doing.

Other life-wise, I feel good because I've been almost 100% consistent with my daily exercise, at the very least walking extensively around campus and usually 20-35 minutes cardio with some strength. Aiming to keep up! Can't let oneself go in this world or else things get really bleak!

FIGS!!! Happy Brian

Class: Class has been good. I continue to enjoy the variation with formal learning in the morning and more dialogue and exercises in the afternoon. I have really gotten into the timing swing of things with the 10:30 start and usually do my larger meal and daily Ugly Betty episode viewing to unwind during the midday break (almost done season 4 -- what will I do when it's done?!). Homework has continued to be interesting, with lots of writing exercises (posted below).

As for Friday's test, it was a pretty tough one, but I am happy with how I did. Basically the test was a full presentation that we had an hour to prepare, including the speech, slides, photos, and a small written text. Mine was about the small Uzbek city of Navoiy, going along with our theme of cities and transport. Aaand--I am excited to say I got an A+ on the test, my first yet here. Seeing as I did put a lot of work into the assignment, I am proud of this score.

Beautiful Arizona sunset seen from top of A mountain

Free time: Free time has been relatively small in quantity but I've been enjoying walking around the campus, exercising, listening to music, getting my items organized both online and in real life as far as what I want to finish as well as keeping things neat and orderly. I am continuing to work on sites for clients and am looking forward to launching towards the end of the month for one client. Lastly, I have been enjoying shopping at the local markets with friends (thanks to those of you guys who have cars!) and the fruit has been GREAT!

What more does one need?

This week: This week I have two exams actually, my final tomorrow, and my regular weekly test on Friday. My goal is to really stay on track with preparing for these and continue to get as much as I can out of class. I also want to crack down on organizing some of my online files for ebooks I want to put out soon, and help get some more tasks done for clients. Lastly, I want to keep exercising, and maybe even get around to posting up those vocab flashcards. :)

Staples! 

Resources:

Quite a few resources today! Here they are:

Uy Ishi June 17: Transport Turlari Haqida
"Homework June 17: About Transport Methods"


Uy Ishi June 18: Men Qalamman
"Homework June 18: I Am a Pencil (Spoof Monologue)"


Uy Ishi June 19: “-gi + Kel(ma)”li Gaplar
"Homework June 19: Sentences with "-gi + Kel(ma)"


Uy Ishi June 19: Sevimli Shahar Haqida
"Homework June 19: About a Favorite City"


Thanks for reading! Be in touch soon. Be sure to subscribe by email if you're enjoying the blog! We have almost reached the 10,000 visitors mark... Shh, it'll be a celebration!

Xayr,
Brian

Intermediate Uzbek Week 2 in Review: Uzbek Dialects, Household Descriptions, Video Update & More

Assalomu alaykum!

Hey guys! Hope everyone's doing well. Continuing my journey here at ASU with week 2 of CLI Intermediate Uzbek. To go along with last week's pattern, this post includes a brief "week in review" overview of my last 7 days here in Tempe. Here's a little video blog I recorded this afternoon talking about this week's class and activities:



And now for the remainder of the week in review post :)

I love Arizona at sunset! A view from the bridge near my dorm

Outlook: Feeling great this week, really gotten in the swing of things schedule-wise and life-wise here and very much grateful to be here. I've been aiming to keep busy with schoolwork and client work, as well as to take a little bit of time out each day if I can to work on fitness and enjoy the surroundings. I'm enjoying living on my own (but miss you guys back home!) and want to relish as much as I can from the Arizona desert sun before this summer is over--something I was thinking about a lot this week. Also, in general just feel healthier and happier this week.

Giving my little presentation (with a festive Uzbek-style hat, haha)

Class: Class has been productive and interesting! I feel like I am learning a ton this year and we are covering some interesting cultural, linguistic, and educational topics ranging from familial relations, household dynamics and common items, airport travel, and just in general getting better at giving in-depth descriptions and asking questions/giving answers in a more sophisticated way. It's been fun talking with Elementary students (on Fridays we do a Q&A to practice), as well as doing Uzbek club (see my presentation below), watching some Uzbek news and movies (starting to really follow the audio!) and much more.

Bridge overlooking A mountain area and stadium on way to dorm

Free time: This week during free time I was really looking to get back on my fitness kick and I've been enjoying using the Sun Devil Fitness Complex facility here, it's really a great place to get inspired to workout. Enjoyed the pool with friends a bit yesterday, as well as doing regular cardio on the machines, and a little bit of rowing and weights as well. Also enjoyed as always visiting the local markets--Mekong, Whole Foods, Safeway, Tempe Farmer's Market, and Sprout's--to load up on some goodies. Good eats lately! In addition, I've been working on compiling ideas for my web design business and getting documents and finances in order--nice to feel the productivity rush!

Enjoyed some durian and papaya with a friend for lunch

This week: This week I'd like to focus a lot on reading ahead before class in order to be better able to follow along, specifically with vocab and some phrasing constructions. I'm hoping to find time to make Quizlet vocab cards of all major words from the chapters thus far, even if a few, just to keep fresh. Also, I am looking forward to hopefully finish a website for a client, getting a bunch of product entries in for another client, and starting to put together a concept for a personal Brian Greco site.

Alive and well!

Resources:

A bunch of homework texts this week, in addition to my dialects presentation! Check them out at the embedded boxes below or at the linked English names. Enjoy! :)

O'zbek Tilining Dialektlari Prezentatsiya
Uzbek Language Dialects Presentation


Uy Ishi June 11: Yoshligim Haqida
Homework June 11: About My Childhood


Uy Ishi June 12: Xonalarim Haqida
Homework June 12: About My Rooms


Uy Ishi June 13: O'zbek Uy-Joy Haqida Tasvirlar
Homework June 13: Descriptions of Uzbek Home Settings


That's it for this week! Thanks so much for reading, feel free to leave a comment or subscribe with the form on the right. For anyone who sent me letters, I am hoping to get them this week -- sadly haven't received yet, maybe just a delay! Will keep you posted. Talk soon!

Xayr,
Brian

Intermediate Uzbek Week 1 in Review! Uzbek Homework, Class Setup & More

Assalomu alaykum!

Hi everyone! With my first week at CLI Intermediate Uzbek finished, I wanted to post a "week in review" update here at Uzbek Brian to let you know what I'm up to and share some resources from this week. This year with a busier schedule and more familiarity with local sights and the general process of being at ASU or in an intensive program, I figured a weekly update with occasional intermittent video posts or bonus posts would best suit my blogging schedule.

So that I cover everything, I'll be writing in 5 main categories in these posts: general outlook, class activities, what I did during free time, goals for the coming week, resources and homework files, and then any extra photos or videos from the week. Sorry they won't be as detailed, but 4-5 hours a day of immersion Uzbek plus lots of computer work for clients only leaves me with so much creative energy left at the end of the day. ;)

On top of "A" mountain overlooking Tempe

Here we go for Week 1: 

Outlook: I am excited to be back in Arizona, but in all honestly also excited that this first transition week is over! As I wrote in my last post, preparation before arriving here was quite busy, from finishing school to packing to getting work and living arrangements settled. In addition, starting with this past weekend I was not feeling well physically due to stress and too much activity catching up on me, and this persisted largely throughout the week (throat, sinus, headache, etc.)

A bit under the weather and a lot in need of review for Uzbek especially for such a fast-paced course, this week was a little rough for me but I am faring much better now and ready to be more settled in for the remaining 6. I have met some great people this week in both my Intermediate class and in the Elementary Uzbek class, and am happy to see my teachers again as well as some local friends and favorite food shopping destinations (and hiking and walking areas!).

My Intermediate Uzbek class 2013

Class: Jumping right in and living up to the name 'intensive', class has been quite efficient and information-packed this week and I am glad we are moving along at a good pace. This year in Intermediate, all instruction is essentially conducted in Uzbek, whether it be explaining a new grammatical concept, learning cultural notes, watching an Uzbek video clip, or just conducting classroom question and answer. I feel like already I have learned a lot and will be getting very comfortable swiftly understanding and forming spoken sentences.

The general structure is as follows: We start class at 10:30 (yay, can wake up at a godly hour!) and have with our main teacher, Saodat, a 2-hour morning class in the likeness of a traditional language classroom—covering new grammar concepts, vocabulary, dialogues, and so on. Then, after a midday break, we have at 2:15 a 1-hour afternoon conversation and discussion session with my teacher from last year and after that another hour with some other students from Advanced and Elementary during which we do miscellaneous exercises and activities.

Promenade on the way to the fitness complex

Awesome pool! Great day to get some laps in always

Free time: This section is slightly an oxymoron for me this week, but during free time I was able to get quite a few Uzbek writing pieces together for homework as well as work on a bunch of projects for website clients. I am currently working on a site for a hair salon of a friend of a friend, as well as continuing my partnerships with existing clients doing any web-based tasks needed. Also I was able to get down to the fitness center a few times in addition to everyday walking and music-listening, though I need to get back on a fitness kick this week as far as strength and cardio. Today I was happy to get some work on personal projects in process too.

Enjoyed some perfectly ripe jackfruit this week! Here it is opened up

A portion of my fruit for the week -- great mangos and stonefruit!

This week: This coming week I would like to buckle down on some new vocab using Quizlet flashcards (check out my collection at Quizlet.com/UzbekBrian) as well as continuing work on making my homework exercises more accurate and complex. I am hoping for a good result on this week's test and if not will study up on prior new concepts to make sure I am all set as I continue to add to my arsenal of Uzbek knowledge. I also want to focus on fitness and work out in some form at least every day in addition to walking (and get back to my ab crunches on the machine!). Hoping to also head to a yoga class on Saturday at the studio I enjoyed a lot last year.

A little bio I wrote about myself in Uzbek (Click here to view the full document)

Resources: Quite a few homeworks, here they are:

Uy Ishi 3-Iyun: Aeroport Haqida
Homework June 3: About the Airport (Click here to open separately)


Uy Ishi 4-Iyun: Aeroportdagi Qoidalar
Homework June 4: Airport Rules (Click here to open separately)


Uy Ishi 7-Iyun: Uy Ishi: Zulfiya Haqida
Homework June 4: About Zulfiya (Click here to open separately)


“Mening Ismim G’anisher”
Practice Story Transcript (Click here to open separately)



Last thing: Write me letters!

Are you a long-time Uzbek Brian reader? Uzbek language speaker or learner? Just stumbled on the site? Friend or family from back home? I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to write me notes, letters, postcards (or send me books... :D) at the following address until July 20th-ish:

The Critical Languages Institute
c/o Brian Greco
Arizona State University
PO Box 874202
Tempe AZ 85287-4202

I decided I will post the quick review guide I made in a separate post with a hope for increase in possible traffic flow to Uzbek Brian since it is highly specific, summarized, and linguistic in nature. :) That's all for this week! Check back soon and feel free to comment or email me at uzbekbrian at gmail dot com!

Xayr,
Brian

Part 2 Begins! Back at CLI for Intermediate Uzbek Summer Program

Assalomu alaykum!

Long time no see! I'm here for my first day back at Arizona State University Critical Languages Institute, ready for another great summer of language study and desert sun. Hope everyone's been well - want to say hi to new readers that have visited the blog since last summer.

Continuing on from my Elementary Uzbek course, I'll be taking the Intermediate level this year and am looking forward to gaining a more in-depth understanding of the language. I'm definitely very rusty, particularly on vocab, but as classes begin I'm sure I'll be able to dust off the Uzbek files in my brain.

Last summer I very much enjoyed writing about my experience on this blog and I hope to do the same this year, whether to keep in touch with family and friends at home, share resources for other Uzbek learners, or just to document memories and ideas. While I may not be posting daily, at least every few days I'll be happy to compile some notable info to post here on Uzbek Brian.

This past week has been quite busy finishing up school early and getting all assignments and presentations in, work for web clients put together, and not to mention packing and shopping this weekend for supplies for the duration of my stay. A special thank you to my teachers for helping me prepare for an early departure and definitely to my parents for getting me all set for a great summer!

Thanks again for reading and I'll be in contact soon with some review material (a lot!), photos, and mini updates about what's going on. If you'd like to get posts delivered to your inbox free without having to check back, simply enter your email at the subscribe form to the right. Enjoy!

A couple photos from this weekend (dorm tour coming soon!):

Preliminary reviewing on the plane!

Relaxing by the falls at Tapatio Cliff

Best Asian market I've been to - stocking up!

View of Mill Ave

Ready for the first day!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 46: Happy Sunday & Shout Out to Readers!

Assalomu alaykum!

Happy Sunday everyone! Had a great day today too. Really fun weekend in general. Another active day with 5 miles on one of those gazelle elliptical-ish machines at the ASU gym. Burned 750 calories and was less tired and sore than the treadmill, awesome! Other than that, some puttering around and random emails and work today.

Wanted to pass on some flashcards from the other day for today's post:

Choose a Study ModeScatterLearnFlashcards

Study these flash cards

This one's my favorite, Uzbek fruits and vegetables!

Choose a Study ModeScatterLearnFlashcards

Study these flash cards

And one quick photo:

My famous beanie baby monkey who guards the fruit stash! :)

Special shout out to all the lovely people who have been reading UzbekBrian! We officially have 3500+ visits! Very excited and honored. Thank you for all who have sent in lovely comments and emails, your support means a lot to me.

See you soon!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 45: Busy Saturday - Great Yoga Practice & More Fruit Finds

Assalomu alaykum!

Great Saturday! Had a nice sleep, the weekend was much welcome. Busy morning with some computer work and catching up on random tasks, then some cleaning and scurrying around the dorm, preparing food, etc. Usual weekend items, feels good just to putter! Then headed off to yoga and got caught in a flash flood! But made it nonetheless and it was fun to witness. Couldn't miss my last weekend class here!

After a great practice felt like a million bucks and am overall very grateful for having been able to attend yoga while here and find a ever renewed interest in continuing. Feels so strengthening and relaxing at the same time. Stopped at the Safeway for some nectarines and mangos and melons and then walked back to the dorm for a quick dip in the pool before heading in for the night. Great day!

Tomorrow, some more studying items, flashcards, blog info, etc. See you soon!

Pics from today:

Random but delicious lunch to use up leftover lettuce leaves and melons

Flash flood in Tempe!

Me and Danielle, my yoga teacher, outside the studio. Thank you for your tips and support and for such great classes here!

Couldn't pass up these giant delicious good-ripeness 2/$5 honeydew melons!

Awesome pool & cool weather

Delicious stonefruit in the house! :)

Ertagacha xayr,
Brian

Day 39: Uzbek Menu! Brianning Restorani (Brian's Restaurant)

Assalomu alaykum!

It's Sunday! For today's post I'd like to share a homework piece I did for tomorrow's class. Behold, my Uzbek menu! We were assigned to make a menu in Uzbek to go along with our unit on food and restaurants. Mine has a bit of a spin! Needed to practice regular cuisine vocabulary so I made it a vegetarian restaurant, didn't want the likes of mutton and horse on the menu. :)

But fret not, the entire bottom section is for fruit eaters like myself. 1/2 kilo of your choice of fruit at an awesome price! Currency is the Uzbek so'm (UZS), and as the cost of living is so cheap in Uzbekistan, nothing on this menu would even come out to more than $4. Check it out below or here in PDF format at Google Docs. Click to enlarge.

BRIAN'S RESTAURANT
Welcome to our restaurant! Please come in!
Brian's Restaurant has only the most delicious vegetarian dishes.
For fruitarians we also have a ton of sweet and fresh fruits to choose from.

DISHES: For a tasty breakfast, lunch or dinner
Meatless Pilaf (rice dish) - breakfast, 2000 so'm / lunch or dinner, 2500 so'm
Meatless Somsa (savory pastry) - 4, 1000 so'm / 8, 1800 so'm
Vegetable Soup - small bowl, 1500 so'm / large bowl, 2000 so'm
Vegetable Kabob - 4 kabobs, 1500 so'm / 8 kabobs, 2200 so'm
Vegetable Pasta - medium platter, 2500 so'm
Vegetarian Pizza - for 1-2 people, 3200 so'm
Eggs and Vegetables - 4 eggs, 2300 so'm
Vegetarian Salad - small platter, 2200 so'm / large platter 3000 so'm
Grapes and Bread - for 2 people, 2000 so'm / for a big group, 3000 so'm

FRUIT: we have only the best and sweetest fruit! 1/2 kilo: 2000 so'm
Apricots, Peaches, Plums, Grapes, Watermelon, Strawberries, Pears, Apples, Figs, Persimmons, Oranges, Quince, Pomegranates, Cherries

DRINKS: regular water (non-carbonated), mineral water, juice, tea, coffee

Thank you for coming!

***

And then some photos around campus:

Outside Hayden Library. Look at that sky!

View from my dorm

See you tomorrow!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 38: Common Fruit Names in Uzbek (Plus: Awesome Email From Uzbek Brian Reader)

Assalomu alaykum!

Happy Saturday! Had a much needed sleep and relaxed in the morning, working on some articles for other sites, catching up on my YouTube subscriptions, and chatting with friends. Then got some laundry and cleaning done for the week and by that point was already ready for my 4pm yoga class at Yoga Nirvana which I've really been enjoying. So sad to leave, will miss it! Afterwards stopped at Safeway for a snack and some food for tomorrow (gonna do a Sunflower run hopefully) and went back to the dorm and to the pool at the SRC with friends. Great day!

Didn't do much as far as Uzbek project work today (will include in tomorrow's posts) but I wanted to toss in a fun list to get myself going for my weekend homework, which is a menu in Uzbek. Though I think learning about cuisine is interesting, as a fruitarian I don't actually eat any of the food we learn about, except for the fruit obviously, so my menu will have a little bit of a twist. Check it out tomorrow. :)

Here are some common fruits in Uzbekistan and their names in Uzbek:

• apricot = o'rik
• peach = shaftoli
• plum = olxo'ri
• grape = uzum
• watermelon = tarvuz
• strawberry = qulupnay
• pear = nashvati
• apple = olma
• fig = anjir
• persimmon = xurmo*
• orange = apelisin
• quince = behi
• pomegranate = anor
• cherry = gilos

*Also apparently the word for date (the fruit). Cool!

Sadly there's not much in the way of tropicals like mangos or durian which would be grown in Central Asia, but there's a lot of Turkic/Mediterranean fruits, my favorites probably being peaches, nectarines, figs, and really really good sweet grapes. Oh and apricots too. And cherries... And... You can check out  mouthwatering pictures of Uzbek fruit at my post here: Fruit in Uzbekistan: Photo Collection from A Fruitarian's Perspective

Also found this cool resource about cuisine, including fruit, from Indiana University: Uzbek Cuisine.

One more thing for today: Shout out to Amy for the lovely email she sent me today as a new reader of UzbekBrian. It means a lot to me to hear positive feedback from anyone enjoying the site, so feel free to shoot me a hello at UzbekBrian at Gmail dot Com. I'd love to know what brings you, if you're studying Uzbek or another language, or anything really. Talk soon!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 31: More Fun Food Shopping Excursions & Reflection Videos

Assalomu alaykum!

Awesome Saturday today! Had a great sleep and woke up late and then headed off with my friend Eddie who's studying Tajik/Persian here down to the Sunflower Market on the free Orbit bus. Got an awesome box of nectarines and some grapes, papayas, and other items, and then went back to the dorm for some laundry, relaxing, and chatting with friends and family (shout out to my grandma!).

In the afternoon went down to Yoga Nirvana for my Saturday 4pm class which I've really really been enjoying and am definitely going to miss when I head back to PA. The teacher Daniella is super knowledgeable and the class is strengthening and restorative at the same time. Always feel like a million bucks when I walk out of there!

Then met up with my friend Ana (from the Saturday before last) for another fun trip to the Asian market to pick up some goodies there and head back to the dorm for a nice meal. Great to socialize and see friends and enjoy some delicious food as well, pics are below. What a great start to the weekend! Tomorrow is some homework of course as well as other productivity items. Talk soon!

Also wanted to include 2 videos I made today on various topics to think about:





And of course, pictures!

Durian time :) Me in my element

Awesome whole and pieced jackfruit at the Asian market

Yay, actually edibly ripe Kent mangos are popping up in the markets!

I FOUND FIGS AT WHOLE FOODS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me and Ana

Jackfruits just chillin in the corner of the Asian market, nbd

Xayr,
Brian