Season 2, Episode 3: The Point of No Return
Where do I start with this one?
Since I wrote on here following week one of college, I figured an analysis of everything that's gone on in the first month was deserved too. It's been a month (to the day) since I started college and boy has that month been unexpected.
As I've mentioned, I'm enrolled in a fair amount of classes, and so I have a reasonable amount of homework to do every night, which is almost always supplemented by a band/guard rehearsal in the late afternoon/evening. I've begun to discover where my peak hours of efficiency lay for homework (one of them is shamelessly 11-2am), when the best time to get to class is, the best routes around campus, and how to best use my Auntie Anne's coupons to get the most pretzels possible (I NEVER REALLY KNEW HOW MUCH I LOVED SOFT PRETZELS).
It's been kind of weird walking around and not seeing the same people in the halls and on the sidewalks, but at the same time, that's almost been a comforting fact to me; the idea that everyone can be around completely new people and learn to coexist and to thrive is rather heartening when you come into a situation knowing one person and hope to succeed.
But anyhow, since school's started, plenty of things have happened, and so I suppose the point of this post is to give you an idea of what's going on in my life...? Who knows? We'll just see where the stories take me, to be honest.
So obviously, I've had class. I made a few friends, mainly in my French and Government classes. In my GVPT100 class we don't actually talk about government, which kind of surprised me (a lot. It was a big "sopresa" moment to me). I had expected to be in a rudimentary Gov class, that broke down what a government was, and what its functions and roles are, and instead, I'm in a class where we learn to analyze and interpret data through this nifty software called "Stata". It took me a while to appreciate the class at all (both because we don't talk about government, and because it's my 9AM) but I've gotten to the point where I understand how to code specific commands for the software and I feel a lot better (and even excited) about having assignments that require its usage every week.
I'm in Guard, which has pretty much meant my experimenting with blue lipstick and hurling flags a lot every night (it's really a joy, I promise 😊). I've finally learned how to comfortably do the tosses that I was terrified of at the beginning of the season, and I feel like a part of our adorable family (aka I go visit my squad leader at work in the library, or send fun snapchats about my first cup of coffee to my other squad leader who works at Starbucks).
I also went out on a limb and auditioned for a bunch of fun groups in the last two weeks: first, our sketch comedy group, and then all of our acapella groups. Weirdly enough (I wasn't expecting it at all) I got called back- for multiple groups. Even stranger (for me, at least) I decided to not attend the call backs. I had signed on to be a member of the worship band for Cru (one of the on-campus ministries) with the thought that I had never really had an opportunity to do it at my church at home, but that I loved doing it up at camp in the summers. What I didn't realize was that the group meets on Thursdays for the whole ministry meeting, and on Sundays for practices for the worship team. Coincidentally, my callbacks were on a Thursday and a Sunday, and they fell right in the middle of times when I was occupied. So I had a choice to make. Do I go and participate in these groups that I've always dreamed of being involved in, or do I follow what my heart is telling me to do?
Needless to say, I went with my heart, and I don't think I regret that decision.
Let's see, have we talked about my Study Abroad trip yet? No? Alright then, here we go.
I'm excited to announce that I have been accepted into a Spring Break Study Abroad trip that happens to be going to one of my favorite places in the world: you guessed it- London! I'll be studying the "Rise and Fall of the British Empire" and honestly, I've never heard of a class or trip more well suited to me. In filling out the application, I was asked to write a short essay about a current "problem" affecting the citizens of the country I'd be visiting, and how this problem could potentially affect me. You'd best believe I pulled out my notes on Brexit and went to town on that essay.
Long story short with that one, I'm very very excited.
And so, we reach the end of what's been going on. For the most part, I've been learning how to study, how to live on my own, and how to not fall into a pizza coma from the amount of Dominos that I eat. It's been both thrilling and challenging, as I figure out how to manage all aspects of life differently.
I still miss people, I'm told that normal, but it's a lot. I was on the phone late into the evening last night with different friends of mine, and after talking to them, I kept thinking about how nice it would've been to have those conversations face to face. I appreciate the fact that my friends answer my calls and texts, heck, the fact that they do makes me appreciate them even more, but I miss being able to see them laugh, or shoot daggers at me with their eyes, or roll their eyes in exasperation when I make a really lame pun. I've found myself starting to add the "hometown heartache" with this newer yearning for friendship, and it's made my mentality a bit melancholic quite a few times now.
I said that I had expected it, but I wasn't prepared for it. It's like knowing you're going to take a test, but not studying. You know it's coming because it's an expected part of a class, but if you don't study you'll never know what hit you.
I guess that leaves me with my last piece of news for this post, which is that I'll be home for my birthday. Somehow, my class schedule managed to work out just right so that I'm able to fly home for the week and be with my friends and family through the week of my birthday and Thanksgiving. I'm so excited to be around my people again, the people I've experienced the last 4-10 years of my life with, and to see them, in person.
So there you have it. College hasn't beaten me yet, and I'm holding out hope that it'll wait until next semester before it tries to knock me down too roughly.
Signing off,
Amanda
Since I wrote on here following week one of college, I figured an analysis of everything that's gone on in the first month was deserved too. It's been a month (to the day) since I started college and boy has that month been unexpected.
As I've mentioned, I'm enrolled in a fair amount of classes, and so I have a reasonable amount of homework to do every night, which is almost always supplemented by a band/guard rehearsal in the late afternoon/evening. I've begun to discover where my peak hours of efficiency lay for homework (one of them is shamelessly 11-2am), when the best time to get to class is, the best routes around campus, and how to best use my Auntie Anne's coupons to get the most pretzels possible (I NEVER REALLY KNEW HOW MUCH I LOVED SOFT PRETZELS).
 |
| I LOVE PRETZELS |
It's been kind of weird walking around and not seeing the same people in the halls and on the sidewalks, but at the same time, that's almost been a comforting fact to me; the idea that everyone can be around completely new people and learn to coexist and to thrive is rather heartening when you come into a situation knowing one person and hope to succeed.
But anyhow, since school's started, plenty of things have happened, and so I suppose the point of this post is to give you an idea of what's going on in my life...? Who knows? We'll just see where the stories take me, to be honest.
So obviously, I've had class. I made a few friends, mainly in my French and Government classes. In my GVPT100 class we don't actually talk about government, which kind of surprised me (a lot. It was a big "sopresa" moment to me). I had expected to be in a rudimentary Gov class, that broke down what a government was, and what its functions and roles are, and instead, I'm in a class where we learn to analyze and interpret data through this nifty software called "Stata". It took me a while to appreciate the class at all (both because we don't talk about government, and because it's my 9AM) but I've gotten to the point where I understand how to code specific commands for the software and I feel a lot better (and even excited) about having assignments that require its usage every week.
I'm in Guard, which has pretty much meant my experimenting with blue lipstick and hurling flags a lot every night (it's really a joy, I promise 😊). I've finally learned how to comfortably do the tosses that I was terrified of at the beginning of the season, and I feel like a part of our adorable family (aka I go visit my squad leader at work in the library, or send fun snapchats about my first cup of coffee to my other squad leader who works at Starbucks).
I also went out on a limb and auditioned for a bunch of fun groups in the last two weeks: first, our sketch comedy group, and then all of our acapella groups. Weirdly enough (I wasn't expecting it at all) I got called back- for multiple groups. Even stranger (for me, at least) I decided to not attend the call backs. I had signed on to be a member of the worship band for Cru (one of the on-campus ministries) with the thought that I had never really had an opportunity to do it at my church at home, but that I loved doing it up at camp in the summers. What I didn't realize was that the group meets on Thursdays for the whole ministry meeting, and on Sundays for practices for the worship team. Coincidentally, my callbacks were on a Thursday and a Sunday, and they fell right in the middle of times when I was occupied. So I had a choice to make. Do I go and participate in these groups that I've always dreamed of being involved in, or do I follow what my heart is telling me to do?
Needless to say, I went with my heart, and I don't think I regret that decision.
Let's see, have we talked about my Study Abroad trip yet? No? Alright then, here we go.
I'm excited to announce that I have been accepted into a Spring Break Study Abroad trip that happens to be going to one of my favorite places in the world: you guessed it- London! I'll be studying the "Rise and Fall of the British Empire" and honestly, I've never heard of a class or trip more well suited to me. In filling out the application, I was asked to write a short essay about a current "problem" affecting the citizens of the country I'd be visiting, and how this problem could potentially affect me. You'd best believe I pulled out my notes on Brexit and went to town on that essay.
 |
| The last time I was in London, I clearly had a ball. |
Long story short with that one, I'm very very excited.
And so, we reach the end of what's been going on. For the most part, I've been learning how to study, how to live on my own, and how to not fall into a pizza coma from the amount of Dominos that I eat. It's been both thrilling and challenging, as I figure out how to manage all aspects of life differently.
I still miss people, I'm told that normal, but it's a lot. I was on the phone late into the evening last night with different friends of mine, and after talking to them, I kept thinking about how nice it would've been to have those conversations face to face. I appreciate the fact that my friends answer my calls and texts, heck, the fact that they do makes me appreciate them even more, but I miss being able to see them laugh, or shoot daggers at me with their eyes, or roll their eyes in exasperation when I make a really lame pun. I've found myself starting to add the "hometown heartache" with this newer yearning for friendship, and it's made my mentality a bit melancholic quite a few times now.
I said that I had expected it, but I wasn't prepared for it. It's like knowing you're going to take a test, but not studying. You know it's coming because it's an expected part of a class, but if you don't study you'll never know what hit you.
I guess that leaves me with my last piece of news for this post, which is that I'll be home for my birthday. Somehow, my class schedule managed to work out just right so that I'm able to fly home for the week and be with my friends and family through the week of my birthday and Thanksgiving. I'm so excited to be around my people again, the people I've experienced the last 4-10 years of my life with, and to see them, in person.
 |
| We twinned from 800 miles away, if that's not goals, I don't know what is. |
So there you have it. College hasn't beaten me yet, and I'm holding out hope that it'll wait until next semester before it tries to knock me down too roughly.
Signing off,
Amanda
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