To Bring You Up to Speed...

To get you up to speed, I decided I should fill you in on everything (or mostly everything) that has happened in my first semester of college. Let's start with move-in day, shall we? Move-in day was probably the worst day of my life. It was a hot summer day with about 100% humidity. Me and my family were incredibly emotional and already dreading the thought of saying goodbye. We arrived on campus at my allotted time, got my key, found my room, and met the very enthusiastic girl that was my neighbor. I got in the room before my roommate, and got to pick the side of the room I wanted. Finally, my roommate came- it was nice to finally meet her in person after only talking via text message. Then, the day really got started. We were all unpacking, unloading, moving, making beds, and mostly sweating for what seemed like an eternity. After that, the rest of the day was just a blur- I remember speeches, meeting up with my orientation group again, and yes, dying of heat. Then came the worst part: saying goodbye to my family. If there is one thing you need to understand about me, it is that my family and I are extremely close. I am not one of those kids who has gone on trips without my family, hung out with friends more than I saw my family, or even slept over friends' houses. Most of the things I have ever done, I have done with my family right beside me. So, not only was the moment of saying goodbye really sad, it was also really scary. It hit me that I had to walk this road alone, and I wouldn't have my family to come home to everyday to unload my frustrations on or just to tell me that everything is going to be okay. When we finally said goodbye, all I can remember was that feeling that time stopped, that my whole little world had just shifted, and that my heart had just been ripped right out of my chest. I quickly had to pull myself together because my orientation group was waiting for me, and with a group of kids that didn't seem to care that they just said goodbye to their parents, I didn't want to look like the little cry baby I knew I was on the inside! After move-in day, my first week seemed to go on forever. Meeting my teachers, receiving tons of homework, going to the activities fair, etc.- everything was so overwhelming and so new. I was still really emotional, and couldn't even think about my family without crying. The following weeks still moved incredibly slowly, but I was starting to at least not want to cry at every second of the day. Finally, September was over. I had gotten through my first month of college. After September, everything started to move more quickly. So many things would happen in one week that I wouldn't really notice the days going by. I only noticed that it was getting closer to Friday when I knew I would be going home for the weekend! Then I would be counting down the days! Within this time, I had some really...interesting... experiences that I will not soon forget! There was the fall concert- this is code for a bunch of drunk and/or high people gathering in one big room to hear music that they don't even know. Then there was Halloween night- let's just there was pure pandemonium for a Thursday; it was unlike anything I have ever seen, with lots of strange costumes and drunkeness. There were also some really "interesting" club meetings that I sat in on where all I remember was chanting and dancing. Don't ask me what happened- clearly, I was trying not to pay too much attention! I'm sure there are other things that I'm missing, but I think I pretty much hit the highlights! So that brings us to today- just before Thanksgiving break and approaching finals. I really cannot believe that my first semester is over... yet part of me thinks that it's about time for it to end! All I can say is that my first semester of college has certainly been enlightening in more ways than one. Catch ya next time =) -That University Girl