Monkey Fights and Lobster Rolls

Every time I would bring up my trip to Brown, every one would mention how hot it would be, and I'm slowly starting to realize that they were wrong. The weather here the past few days has felt just like home: cold. Don't get me wrong, I love the cold, but it's not what I packed for.

Nonetheless, today was an amazing day. We met up with Kendra at around 11 a.m. to take the bus to the Roger Williams Zoo. I had sworn off zoos a long time ago, but this time I was actually a bit excited. After about 10-15 minutes, our bus arrived, and I wondered why the AC Transits back home couldn't be that nice. The bus itself had a very nice, old fashioned feel to it which I adore.

Within 20 minutes we had arrived at the park. We purchases our tickets and then made our way over to the African wildlife exhibit. While finding the exhibit, we stumbled upon the children's physics area, where we played with xylophones, this turning window pane, as well as a few others. 

The first animals we saw were Wildebeests, which were unstrategically placed by the cheetahs and elephants. We continued strolling around for about half an hour, and seeing animals like cheetahs, boars, birds, and my favorite--the elephants. I may or may not have gotten emotional seeing the living conditions of the poor babies. They deserve to be happy just as much as we do. 

We took a  quick lunch break, (burgers, fries, hot dogs, and typical park foods, and then moved onto the rest of the zoo; however while we were eating I took a quick look at the map and soon learned that they actually have a petting zoo!! I knew if I visited there, all my troubles would melt away. So we walked around the Asian exhibit, as well as the wetland exhibit, which were both filled with adorable animals. My favorite was definitely the lethargic red panda that could hardly keep its eyes open, and a pair energetic of monkeys that loved to play around. 

Sleepy baby

My absolute favorite however, was the petting zoo. I have loved farm animals my entire life, and nothing makes me happier than being surrounded by them.  When you reach that part of the zoo, they have a station where you can purchase animal feed and feed it to the animals. You can then walk in or choose to stay outside the fence. I, of course, chose to go inside. I am not exaggerating when I say I was ecstatic. I was surrounded by a bunch of goats and sheep, which if you did not know, were my favorite animal. Sheep are so gentle and kind, while goats are much more playful and energetic, but both equally precious. 

The love of my life

That being the last part of the zoo, we made our way back to the bus stop. The weather had finally warmed up, so walking around felt quite nice now. The bus ride back was much more quiet than on the way there, since we were all tired from all the walking. Luckily, our transfer tickets expired at 6 pm, and our connecting bus from downtown to the dorm was around 5:50. 

I came back to the dorm, and still had some energy to burn. You know when you pack and you keep thinking you're forgetting something and then shrug it off and realize it probably isn't important anyway? Well for me that something was a belt, and so I decided to make another trip to the mall. I ate some food at the Ratty before walking to the mall. I may have mentioned this is the previous blog, but my go to snack lately has been oranges. I stuff my bag with at least two from the Ratty everyday so I have something healthy to munch on, so I did that as well. I could have called an Uber to take me to the mall, but my friends Helen and Hyein just finished eating at the Ratty as well, and the weather was gorgeous, so we decided to make the half hour walk.

Helen was supposed to meet up with her family from Boston at the mall today so that they could give her a few things. By train, Boston is only about 30 minutes. Unlike California, which is 6 hours by plane. Once Helen's family arrived, she introduced us to them and they were all incredibly sweet. Hyein and I decided to let them spend some time together, and so we split. I managed to easily find a belt, and then I helped Hyein find shoes for her action plan.

We exited to the mall, and to our very right was the Rhode Island State House. The sun was setting, and the marble building looked absolutely gorgeous in the last few rays of sunlight. I wasn't sure if I would have time to make another trip to take pictures, and so that's what we did. I have had many beautiful moments here at Brown, but this one definitely tops the list.

Simply bresthtaking

Ever since Hyein and I arrived at Brown, neither of us had gotten anything to eat out, no pizza, no Insomnia Cookies, no nothing. We knew we wouldn't be able to eat out during the week either. Even before getting accepted into the program, there was one thing I wanted to do if I had gotten into Brown: eat a lobster roll. I managed to find a place about 2-3 blocks away called Hemenway's. We entered, and the aroma of the food struck us immediately, making us even more hungry than we already were. We got seated, ordered our lobster rolls, and let the wait begin. We received our within 10-15 minutes, and I am not exaggerating when I say that that was some of the juciest, most succulent lobster I had ever eaten. I was definitely satisfied, and so was Hyein.

We chose to walk back to the dorm to aid our digestion. The summer night air felt so different than it did back home, but at the same time it made me feel a bit nostalgic. I would always go on walks with my mom at night when I was younger, and that's what it reminded me of. We reached the dorm in about 15 minutes, and I knew I wanted to sleep. I got ready for bed, expecting myself to fall asleep the moment my head hit the pillow; but for some reason I was't able to sleep. Regardless, I still had an amazing day and am incredibly appreciative for those who made my day for what it was, even you Don. 

Hyein and I