To be quite honest, I wasn't too thrilled with my classes last week. Granted, it was my first experience with college classes, so I know I need to give it some time. But it was just so...different. After four years of knowing what I was doing in high school, this was total shock to me. I'm so used to waking up at the same time every day, being at school for 7 hours straight, being in each of my classes for only 50 minutes, and then coming home, only to do it again the next day. But this...this was different. I only have 3 classes each day, but they're all spread out, and some of my labs are two hours long. ...And I don't even like science that much.
So, how 'bout them lecture halls? Yeah, just another thing I'm totally not used to. My history one is really big but in a smaller room, so we are packed in like sardines. My biology one is in a huge lecture hall too, and it's filled with girls because apparently only girls are allowed to be elementary school teachers. We are in the 21st century...
My integration of technology in the classroom is another "lecture" of sorts, but this one is just a huge room full of students sitting at round tables. These classes are such a different dynamic from the typical "sit in rows all facing the front of the room" that I'm used to. Yeah, so if you're ever really bored of the monotony of your life, go to college. Nothing will be what you're used to.
Okay, story time! Some of my most recent experiences will be documented below.
1. Friday night was awesome. I mean really awesome. I got out of class at 1:20, (such an amazing feeling) went to lunch with some friends, and came back to my residence hall and did some homework. Yes, I know, it's a Friday, why am I doing homework? Well let me tell you, nobody was around to do anything with right after class, so I took advantage of the quiet residence hall and did some work so I wouldn't have to do it this weekend.
Well anyways, I was pretty nervous that I'd have nothing to do that night because a lot of the girls on my floor that I'm friends with were rushing, so they had to start that crazy, chaotic mess that night. (Side note...I'm really glad I didn't rush. It was never something I was interested in, and after hearing the exhausting accounts of the girls on my floor, I'm even more pleased with my decision. I have so much else on my plate.) But I didn't have to worry for long. Soon opportunities opened up all around me... go to a CRU (Campus Crusades for Christ) meeting and a dance party after, go to a movie night through St. Tom's church, or go to a Glee Club show? Well, naturally I chose the dance party option. Brooke and I and some other girls went to dinner with the CRU members from Shreve, and then went to the meeting afterwards. It was a really cool experience! It was in a lecture hall, and the room was packed! We sang a lot of worship songs, listened to a student speaker, and heard about different retreat opportunities. It's every Friday night, so I think that'll be something I'll continue going to. Later, at 9:45, we met up with the Shreve CRU members and they took us over to the Fairway Christian co-op house for a dry toga party! Us freshies didn't wear togas though, but a lot of students did...definitely something I'll have to do before college is over! But it was so much fun! The music was great and everyone was having a great time, despite how hot it was in the room and how sweaty everyone was. It was my first real college party! Whoever said you can't have fun without alcohol needs to go to one of these parties. After leaving the party at 1 am, we came back to Shreve and I hung out with some people until 5 in the morning...hah, yeah, it was a late night.
On Saturday, I woke up at 11, which was sort of a waste, but hey, I needed my sleep. I showered because I felt so disgusting from the night before and felt so much better. Brooke and I went to brunch after that and sat with this really strange kid who just sort of invited himself to sit with us. I really didn't care--I love meeting new people!--but he was really odd. It wasn't even a "you're really quirky" weird...it was more of a "what the heck is going on?!" weird. Lets just say that the stereotype of socially awkward engineers is pretty true in many cases...
I totally had to do some more laundry too, which was not good considering that everyone and their moms do their laundry on Saturday afternoons at Shreve. After that, I went on my first Walmart run with Brooke and our new friend Christian, who is one of the few guys I met here who isn't either really awkward or sketchy. Since we're lowly freshmen and don't have cars, we had to take the bus. And yeah, it definitely took us three hours total, just to go to Walmart. I miss being able to do things on my own time. Anyway, we bought some school supplies we needed, and also some brownie mix so we could make them for the girls on our floor who were rushing since they'd been so tired and stressed out and nervous the past couple days. (Walmart conveniently didn't have a half dozen pack of eggs or a small bottle of oil, so I definitely have a surplus of cooking items in my room that probably won't get used.) Brooke went to dinner with a friend, so Christian and I were in charge of brownie baking. What a fiasco! The kitchenette was being used when we wanted to rent it, but there was nobody in it. So, we went on a hunt for the renter and found her on the 5th floor, struggling to make some cookies on an ancient stove. After some small talk, she allowed us to share the kitchen with her, and the brownie baking began. Let me tell you, this Christian kid is a hoot! He and I was being crazy goofy the whole time, and Sarah, the girl who was in the kitchen with us, said she never saw such an entertaining brownie baking session. It was a blast! People kept coming into the room saying how amazing it smelled too. We're giving the girls the brownies tonight, so I can't wait to see if they like them!
After that, a bunch of us walked over to Slayter Hill for a showing of The Hunger Games on a giant screen. It was really neat because it was all outside and there were a ton of people there. The downfalls were the thirsty mosquitoes and the fact that my butt kept falling asleep on the hard ground. I was up till about 2 in the morning and then woke up this morning for church at 11. I went with a kid from my BGR group who is really shy and quiet, but when he found out we went to the same church, he wanted to go together, so why not? I like going to church because it's something that's pretty familiar to me, unlike everything else here.
Tonight I have a cookout for my floor, boys and girls, at our Faculty Fellow's house. (Faculty Fellows are faculty designated to a floor who are basically just there to help us transition into college. They're a good resource to have. Ours is Alan York, who's big into entomology, aka bugs. He's really old but he's awesome. We have dinners every Wednesday in Earhart with him too.) Our mascot, the Boilermaker Special, will be driving us to his house! Huzzah!
I got my first package today too! Shoutout to my awesome family--they sent me some candy and a movie and other goodies! I started crying when I opened it because I miss them! I'm going home this weekend though, so I can't wait to see them and my kitties!
Floor senator voting is underway...my name is on the ballot, so we'll see what happens!
By the way, here are some pictures I haven't put up yet:
My beautiful campus from the Beering tower, aka the Jedi Room. It's just a round room made of windows, and you can see for miles!
Me with the author of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba.
Some of my floormates! We were all wearing green shirts this day, so we just had to take a picture :)
Brownie baking time with Christian!
If you have any questions, comments, or advice to get me through the year, just comment below! Or if you want to send me a letter, you know, that's always fun too ;)
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