First week of school

Classes started this last Monday and I have found that it is very different than Oregon State. The professors seem a bit more standoffish and the style of teaching is a much more self-taught course instead of strong teaching by an instructor to ensure the students understand and grasp the topics that Oregon State practices. This will take a bit of getting used to and a bit more work on my part to properly learn the material. I am currently taking four classes looking for a fifth to fit my schedule and not weigh me down. I am taking Construction Management 3, Construction Planning and Risk, Concrete Structure, and Coastal/River Engineering. All but Con. Man. 3 are 4th year course over here which can be better describe as master's level courses (read: very difficult). So I guess Natalie and I are in for a bit of a treat...
Along with less teacher input comes less lectures in comparison to back home. Most classes have no more than two hours of lecture per week. Most of my days have only one class. It is a bit strange. Thus, I will need to learn better time management to make use of that extra time and not squander it.
However, I have been making use of my evenings in a proper manner as I am trying out for the University's Rugby League Team. This is a club team that maintains two squads with the 1st team traveling all over England for matches. I have never played rugby before but I am picking it up fast and I am doing well in tryouts. We have an inner-squad match tomorrow afternoon in which we will just play one another in a full force game. One thing that is interesting and admirable about this university is that it clears all Wednesday afternoons of classes each week to allow for club sport games to occur. This encourages students to participate in any of the schools 150 student clubs, societies, and sport teams. I think this is a very good idea and promotes a healthy social and active lifestyle among the students.
Beyond all that, life has more or less settle as a routine is creeping its way into my life. I will soon have a bank account... finally... which will allow me to better budget my money and not mess with pesky international atm fees and exchange rates. Thank you for your emails and notes, I very much appreciate them. Take care and keep checking for further posts.

-English Al

P.S. I have Skype with a local Portland phone number. Call me and if I am online I will be able to speak with you via my computer. If I am not here, you can leave a cheery voicemail for me to receive when I log in next. Thanks! 503-616-4425