Da’s Entropy

I have promised a few people in emails that I will write about my life at MIT, and here it comes. I will mainly write about the living part, including dining, residence, and transportation. Things about my study and research will be discussed in a separate post later.

Dining

So far I mainly cook for myself. I usually cook a big meal (with a few dishes and rice) on weekend so I can have a few days’ supply during the weekdays. Then on Thursday, our group meeting will provide lunch. Moreover, at MIT, there are various kinds interesting activities that provide food (seminars, talks, etc.), so I can easily fill some blanks  (but I would never go to an event just for the sake of food). Finally, if there indeed is a blank, I will simply eat out, which happens once or twice a week.

Residence

I live in Edgerton House, a graduate residence located in the northwest part of MIT campus. It takes about 8 minutes to walk from my residence to my office, so it is quite convenient. If I want, I can go back to dorm and take a nap at noon.

What I got is a 3-bedroom apartment, together with two other graduate students. We get our own room, but share the kitchen and two bathrooms. The apartment is unfurnished (comes with a stove and fridge only), so it took me a while to settle down (getting furnitures, assembling them, cleaning up, arranging stuff, etc.). But in the end all work out nicely, and I am comfortably living there.

Transportation

In campus, I walk all the time so far, as it is a good exercise. In the winter, I may take our campus shuttle from dorm to office, if there is heavy snow.

Outside campus, I take the subway/buses most of the time. Boston is a small city with good public transportation. So by taking the “T”, you can get to anywhere you want with a little bit walking.

Fitness

I am trying to pick up working out at graduate school, and MIT offers excellent environment and facility for that. There are two gyms, with one right located in Stata Center, which takes me 4 minutes to get to. So it is very convenient for me to go walk out in the afternoon, or go swim a while to make me feel refreshed. I will try to keep exercising everyday, either by swmming or working out.

Fun

There are many fun things to do on and around campus, as Boston is a lively city. This part is not very MIT specific so I wouldn’t elaborate further. But the most fun thing is to hang out with my girlfriend, of course!