College Adventures: Oh, College!

I have had my first full week of class this past week!  Orientation has come and gone-- it was quite helpful.  Now I know about the different resources available to me and just about all of my questions have been answered regarding how and where I could possibly get involved in something besides academics.  There is an activities fair on the twentieth, so I'm for sure going to go to that so that I can join French Club, maybe Social Dance, and who knows what else is out there on campus!

The first few days of college were difficult as I adjusted and tried to make friends.  No matter what happened, my dorm and everything around me just wasn't home.  But after that initial first couple of days, I grew accustomed to the fact that this new dorm was going to be my home for the next year and this campus for the next next four.  I accepted it and was ready to accept the next challenges that come after homesickness.  My orientation group happened to be made up of the people in one of my classes, so that was very helpful.  I've grown to know a good handful of people in that class and while I haven't hung out with all of them, I have hung out with a couple of them and they are delightful people!  So I had a few friends outside of my roommate.  I don't need a giant group to follow me around, just a few people that I can really get to know.

I became pretty self-sufficient, even in just two short weeks.  I know that I need to get certain things done each week (laundry, cleaning the fish aquarium, washing dishes, studying/homework, etc.) and I've been able to motivate myself to take a break every once in a while during studying or between classes and just get a couple of these things done.

This weekend, I came home for a day (my dad's birthday party) and my mom noticed how efficient I've become and how I've changed in other ways.  When I initially got here early Saturday afternoon, she left sheets and a pillow case on my bed so that I'd have a place to stay so that I could make my bed.  She also knew that I needed to do laundry (I brought my big orange laundry bag home... I was honked at while walking the four to six blocks from the bus stop... why was this attractive to those men in the car?).  I was outside talking to the adults most of the night, but every once in a while, I'd slip inside, start a load of laundry, switch from the washer to the dryer, and then made my bed so that when my blanket was done being washed, I could go right to bed.  She was about to head to bed and she said, "Before you shower, maybe you should get your laundry started," to which I responded that I was already completely done.  She came into my room while I was folding my laundry and offered to help me make my bed, but it was already done.

I felt like I kind of put her out a little bit by already having things done when she offered to help, but at the same time, I find it interesting that in such a short space of time, I have already acquired this mindset that my parents aren't there to remind me when to do things, so I have to make sure they get done myself.  My roommate will not say, "Jude, do your homework,"  "Did you study for your psychology exam?  I'd really get on that now... it's next Thursday," "Jude, did you do your laundry?" "Did you brush your teeth and make your bed?" "You're wearing that thing again?" "Did you wash your dishes?"  You know, be a mom. I don't want and don't expect my roommate to be my mom in this dorm situation.  Nor will I be hers, because we're adults now.

My mom was also a little impressed that I'm already thinking about J-Term and what I could possibly do for that month.  I think that I'm going to take philosophy at one of my school's brother schools.  It's considered a general at my school, so that would be one less thing for me to do during the rest of my time here.

My parents have made sure to ask if I can think of anything that I need that I can get while I'm here.  I have a short list now, but the list that I have of things to bring from my room is longer, but luckily, I lot of things on that list are flat or don't take up a lot of space.

The transition was harder than I thought it would be, but not altogether impossible to get through.  I'm doing very well in college.  I have become efficient and even assertive.  I'm having less of a problem talking on the phone with people when I need help (though I still hate talking on the phone... for me, it's very awkward because I can never anticipate when someone is about to talk because I can't see their mouths open in preparation.  I always end up talking over them accidentally and then I feel bad).

I have applied for five or six jobs, so this week, I get the joy of contacting them all and following up (with the exception of one who said that they'd call me sometime this week because she's finally done interviewing!).  Hurray phones...

Perhaps between book reviews (I'm afraid they're going to be a little far and few between) I think I'll post college adventures, since I've had a few and many of them will be ones I'll tell my kids when they head off to college.  They are tales of fear and stupidity, aggravation, and hilarity.

I'll see you next time and thanks for reading!

--Jude