An Uneventful Update

I don't really have anything to blog about lately because I've just been doing more of the same. I traded my social life in for study guides when I came here to Florida and have just been focusing on passing exams. I got a 9 on the P Exam by the way. It's out of 10; 6 is passing.

I am still tutoring which is the greatest job. I recently bought Dominic's car from him, and David came with me to drive it across America during spring break. I need a car now since I'll be here in Tallahassee all summer, and all my roommates are going home. I'm taking 5 classes this summer, but my fall semester (MY LAST) will be cake. Oh yeah, I am graduating in December for anyone who didn't know! This year-round approach I have taken to college has turned out to be very efficient.

One of my roommates made me this pic online: (It's from Harry Potter)

Great news

Today was the big day - my first actuarial exam - and I passed! This is a pretty big deal, since passing the Probability Exam means I'm only 4 exams away from having a real actuarial designation. That still sounds like a lot, but it's supposedly really good to have passed 2 exams by the time you graduate from college, so I guess I'm ahead of the game. Now I have nothing to worry about until the Financial Math Exam in May, and the review seminar for that starts this Tuesday. It's so much fun being an actuary...

I'm also "teaching" 6 sessions of an actuarial tutorial this semester, which really means collecting the sign-in sheets and babysitting while people do math problems. But still getting paid :)

Mexico

Dominic and I spent Christmas traveling around Mexico. Here are some of the photos.

The El Paso border is not too busy

The border line Chihuahua
Cathedral right by our hotel in Chihuahua

Taken from the bus on the way to Zacatecas
We rode the cable car to the top of ZacatecasAnd this is the top

And the view from up there

Entrance to the old silver mine in Zacatecas, which we actually took a tour of

View from our window at the hostel in Zacatecas

And from the awesome roof of the hostel

Taken from the bus, just outside Saltillo

Saltillo

Cathedral in downtown Saltillo

Mexico sure loves its Christmas decorations

Museo del Palacio in Monterrey Monterrey

Mexican History Museum in Monterrey (of course we never went inside)

More pictures of Monterrey to come, when I get them developed.
I am actually very excited to head back to school tomorrow and start another semester, since I have been kicking ass academically in Tallahassee. This semester I'm taking Mathematical Statistics, Ordinary Differential Equations, Intro to Financial Accounting, and Intro to Risk Management & Insurance.

Does this photo look familiar?

If not, it will soon...

Like I always say, I don't know where the time goes or how these semesters disappear, but once again I've finished all my finals and am heading home to Fullerton tomorrow.

Next semester I start working at school as an actuarial science tutor, which is pretty sweet since it's a job you can't apply for and I get to keep it until I graduate. And four weeks from today I am taking my first actuarial exam, which --if I pass--will be the most important event of my life thus far (or at least the most influential to my career).

Halloween

This Halloween was not too eventful. Just hung out with some neighbors.

our lovely neighbors

More Miami

Florida State's football team is now ranked 15th after beating Virginia Tech this weekend!
It is so cold now in Tallahassee! I've been running in long sleeves and wishing I had gloves! I now understand the point of this "winter clothes" thing I've only heard of before. I just got around to getting a disposable camera developed so here are some more pictures from my weekend in South Florida.

Wow we look pale

As far as school goes, I've gotten As on all my tests so far here and I got offered a job as a tutor on campus next semester!

It's almost winter?

College goes by so quickly - I am already more than halfway done with this semester and almost 2/3 of the way to graduation. I guess I haven't officially mentioned that I am going to be an actuary. That's what I'm finally majoring in now - Actuarial Science, which is like math/finance/econ/risk management.

This weekend I went home with my roommate Rachel, who lives near Ft. Lauderdale. Going out in Tallahassee isn't really worth my time since the clubs here can't compare to Panama. But Miami sure is fun...

@ Club Space

This coming weekend my Dad will be here for Parents' Weekend. We are running another 5k together and going to the football game vs. Virginia Tech of course!

Early Fall in Florida

I've been in Tallahassee for about a month now. I've just been going to school mostly and running a lot, which has made me realize how hilly this place is. I feel successful here - like my career is imminent. The mandatory meetings of the Florida State Student Actuarial Society help with that.

Some pics from my last week in Panama Before our final 'Final Dinner'

& some new:

It's football season! @ Theta Chi w/ my roommates before FSU beat UT-Chattanooga

The apartment is looking pretty cute now, and only one of my houseplants has died (and it's not even all that dead-looking yet).

New

Well I moved to Florida. I like Tallahassee so far and have an awesome apartment. And I even like taking the bus to school although the time schedule is unreliable.

This semester I'm taking Intro to Mathematical Statistics, Applied Linear Algebra, Intro to Actuarial Math, and a seminar to prepare for my first actuarial exam in January.

Where I live - 2nd floor on the right

New roommates! Caitlin + Rachel Amanda, Rachel, me

Survivors

Here are those of us who have survived 12 months in Panama (almost). Sadly there were many more who did not make it this far.