I don't think I've ever run about NTU as frantically as I did this morning. Possibly during the orientation camp but that was slightly more leisurely, not so much as if I had a mad dog loose on my heels.

The walk-in application for the student exchange opened this morning, the minute the International Relations Office opened. By 9am, when I reached the office my course coordinator held, it had a queue with about 10 people in front of me, all impatient to get our subject matches approved and zip off to the IRO to grab that coveted exchange slot. Unfortunately, I'd estimated lousily(rather, I wasn't kiasu enough) and so by the time I had done all that, the slot for University of Maastricht in Netherlands was already taken. After that, everyone was just in a frenzy to GRAB WHATEVER IS LEFT! I ended up getting International Business School in Germany, by 'liquid-papering' a friend's approved application form and filling it up with my name(she didn't want it anymore). Then another 20minutes later, I got myself into the Berlin School of Economics, which had 2 vacancies remaining, together with another friend who didn't manage to get a place at any of the slots left before this.

Everything was done in such a hurry it was half-hearted and DAMN KIASU! Like even if we weren't sure we could match our subjects, we wanted to just get the place, and settle all that other stuff later. our imperative was just to secure that place. by 10.30am I believe all the remaining vacancies were snapped up. But then now I got myself into a situation where the academic term at Berlin is from October till March, which is SO gonna clash with my NTU semester when I come back. Tell me howwww! :( sighss... I have to figure something out. until then, I can't confirm if I'll get to go to Germany at all. I WANT TO GOOOO...

They should never do this first come first served thing ever! (altho this is what they have been doing every semester I think) It stresses all the course coordinators as well as the staff at the IRO out, even though I think we must have been a million times more stressed out then they were. I felt like I was in the Amazing Race, to see who would reach the pitstop faster. where got so crazy one! :( BLEAH