This has been a pretty average week so far, the only difference being the weather. I feel like I am in paradise. True, this is probably the result of global warming, but it still feels pretty nice. Yesterday my friends and I took a blanket out to the lawn and read (homework unfortunately) for several hours. Since I usually hate this time of year, I am really enjoying this change. My midterms have stretched out for about 4 weeks, and they are finally done, which is a wonderful feeling. Now I have two weeks to get ready for finals! That's the thing about the quarter system. It is nice because you only have a class for about 11 weeks, but at the same time, you have a ton of tests in a short amount of time. This is especially true in a class with two midterms and a final, where you have a major test every few weeks. With all this testing, I am starting to get ready for spring break, even though it is over three weeks away. I will have gone this whole quarter without going home, which makes the prospect even more exciting!

Arizona

Two of my friends and I went to Arizona last Wednesday and got back on Sunday. My grandparents have a place there so we decided to take a little time off of school and just hang out for a few days. Thursday was really nice, we laid by the pool all day and went out to dinner that night. Friday was rainy, so we went to an art fair and just watched movies and Saturday was really nice again, so we were outside all day and went to a fun hamburger place for dinner. Of course none of us started our homework until Sunday when we got home, late at night and I ended up getting the flu that day so it was hard to concentrate on anything. Overall it was a great break from classes, and now we only have a couple weeks until spring break, and after that just about a month and a half until summer!

Sick at College

So this week I have experienced what its like to be sick at college. Sadly, its not like high school where you just call in sick and spend the next day or so in your robe in front of the tv at home. It doesn't matter how cozy I get in my dorm room, its just not the same. Instead of having my mom to spoil me with extra soft tissue and milk shakes to "make my throat feel better", I am left to depend on myself. For the last day and a half I have been using toilet paper as kleenex and only just this morning have decided that enough is enough, I will buy myself decent tissue paper. My poor roommate probably hasn't gotten any sleep from my coughing and sniffing, but theres a point where you stop worrying about that. She's lived with me so far, she can last through a couple days of sickness. Another huge difference is missing school. At home, I could just call in sick and not worry about classes until I felt better. Here, I live at school. I might be able to skip class, but its not like that means I'm back home. For the most part, being sick at college is not that terrible. However, there are just some moments where I wish you're back on my couch, watching an old movie, drinking a vanilla shake from McDonalds.

What I Didn't Know

On Thursday my university is inviting sophomores to come an visit and to spend the day with a college freshman living in the dorms. Although i am not hosting, I know some people who are, and this got me thinking. One year ago, I knew just about as much about college as the students coming tomorrow. What do I know now that I didn't then.? So I made a list of these things to help enlighten those who are slightly bewildered at the thought of college.
1. You actually have to go to school. Unfortunately, college is not just a place to live and hang out. This truth came crashing down on me early in the first quarter.
2. There are no longer "cool kids" in college. Yes, some are more physically or intellectually blessed than others, but no matter how much of an outcast you were in high school, chances are you will find a group in your new university.
3. All dorms rooms have a distinctive smell, each one different than the other. I know this is an odd observation, but it comes to mind as I am sitting here typing in my mysterious smelling room.
4. Chances are, you will no longer be one of the smartest kids in the class. Remember, everyone sitting in that room got admitted the same way you did.
5. Having a room mate is not as bad as it is made out to me. Yes, I have heard some horror stories, but my room mate and I get along really well.
6. It is absolutely essential to have a facebook. Without one, you are practically socially isolated. This is coming from the girl whose myspace expired senior year because she didn't go on it in months.
7. It will actually start to feel like a home away from home. I know that that sounds cliche, but it is true. When I come back to my school after being away for the weekend, I no longer readjust. I get back to normal.

Study Abroad

As usual, this week is flying by. Recently, I have had two things on my mind. My last midterm, which I would prefer not to think about, and studying abroad. I am considering going next winter and spring quarters, which is pretty exciting. If I do go, I would like to go to Ireland. It seems like a good mixture of a strong and interesting culture and a country that speaks English. I am really excited about this, because ever since junior high I have thought that it would be a great thing to do. So easily though, I could just let it fall into the category of things I would do if I had more time/was more organized/etc. Instead, I am actually going to do this. I have noticed that since I came to college I have gotten better (though not wonderful) at actually doing things, not just talking about them. So whether I go to Ireland or not, or if I go next year or my junior year, I am set on going abroad at some point before I graduate. I am so excited!

Hard Weeks

Last week was not a great week for me. School went fine; classes were good, but for some reason, a lot of my friends just had a bad week. It was hard at first because I thought I was the only one being emotional, but then at least two of my other best friends cried one time or another and were really upset about something as well. It was kind of nice to have the girls be in the same position as me because then I didn't feel so alone or homesick for my family. I've said this before, but when things aren't going quite the way you planned in life, being away from home can be hard. I was thinking about making a trip home next weekend just to take some time off and relax, but I think I'm going to stick it out and figure things out for myself, especially since I'm going to Arizona the weekend after.
School has been weird this semester so far; I haven't had a test/quiz/paper due or anything yet. Time seems kind of like it's just sliding by and I haven't accomplished anything. I'm sure things will start to pick up and i'll be complaining about how things are piled on top of each other next week, but so far things have been pretty easy, but in a way that can be a bad thing. Since things have been so easy, my friends and I have been a little more relaxed with things and laid back with school work than I think we should be, but four of us decided that this week, no matter what we have to do in school, we're going to spend a lot of time on it and since it's easy, get good grades on everything we're doing now.

Winter Quarter

Winter quarter is definetly different from Fall Quarter. The fall was all about making new friends, getting an idea of college classes, and finding my place in this new college world. Its so different from high school, and it definetly takes some getting used to. It seems like every night there is something else to do where you can meet new people and get to know the town. Its almost as if you are desperate to meet as many people as possible, increasing the odds that you will really connect with a few of them. Coming back from Christmas though, the social atmosphere is definetly more relaxed. For the most part, people have found their niche and are happy to develop current friendships instead of desperately collecting more. Instead of going out every night on the weekends, its nice to play games in the dorms or just watch a movie. Winter quarter is also going a lot faster. I just took two of my midterms, and the quarter is almost half over. This is kind of nice, knowing that I am that much closer to spring break and new classes (I'm not too fond of my current ones). At the same time though, a fast quarter means I am that much closer to finals. Anyway, I've found that not every quarter will bring similar experiences. And even though I loved the excitement and newness of fall quarter, I am glad that that part of the year is over, and I can relax a bit and get to know the people around me better.

Veritas

This week my university hosted a really cool event called the Veritas Forum. All week speakers came and discussed issues such as religion, science, and philosophy. I have gone to several so far, but my favorite by far was the discussion last night. It was a religious panel, so representatives of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity were present. The host asked them questions, and then it was the audience's turn to do so. It was so interesting to hear everyone's point of view, and it was really neat to see these three faiths represented in such a peaceful way. Considering all the conflict between these religions that is going on today, it was very powerful. The other speakers are discussing topics such as "Evolution v. Atheism", "Science and Religion", and "Why Does God Allow Evil?" The more speakers I go to, the more I like this event. It is such a great way to hear differing points of view and to start interesting and meaningful conversations with others. This is another reason I am loving college. Where else would such an event be hosted?

Coming Back

Coming back to school from Winter Break wasn't the easiest thing in the world. It's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things, studying, writing papers, doing homework etc. I haven't had any tests yet or major assignments but I have a couple coming up and I really need to buckle down and get my stuff done. It was so nice being off for 5 weeks and being home. Coming back to school was easy, especially seeing all of my friends and getting back into the routine of going out and hanging out with everyone, but the school part of it, like I said has been hard to get used to. I don't really have any advice on how to make that easier, I guess maybe just start thinking about it before you get back from vacation and don't let the first week or two of the semester slide because if you start out on a strong note, that's when you can kind of take a break in the middle or towards the end of the semester. But being back has been great. Two of my best friends and I spontaneously decided to spend a ton of money and go see my grandma in Arizona in a couple of weeks. We're all really excited about it, it'll be a nice little break and then about two and a half weeks after that is Spring Break already.
This semester seems to be better than last for me though. I really enjoy my professors, except one, but that's just something you have to deal with and the classes I'm taking are all fairly interesting. I decided to change my major to Psychology and a minor in Business, which I'm more comfortable with. We also decided where we're living next year. It's an apartment just a few minutes from campus with four of my friends; we can't wait! It's weird to admit, but a few of us were talking the other day and we all said that part of us might miss dorm life just because it's so easy. Most of your friends are just a short walk away and you have meals made for you etc. But I think we'll all enjoy being more independent next year living on our own.

LOST

When I thought about this week and what I could write about, only one thing really came to me. Lost. That's probably because for the last week and a half, I have been completly obsessed with the show. During Christmas vacation, I watched the first season and fell in love. I gave it up when I came back to college, until I realized that my friends also had a love for the show. So we all dedicated ourselves to watching the complete second and third seasons in two weeks. (I know, it was a challenge.) In high school, I don't think that would have been possible. Not because I have less work here, but because my time is more flexible...and I stay up a lot later. So I will admit that these last weeks, along with studying precalc and philosophy, I have been studying Lost. Yesterday was my worst day, watching five episodes before 8 pm when the Season 4 premiere was on. It was quite a feet. Now that I am back to only watching one a week though, I have quite a lot of work to do and also a surprising amount of free time that won't be spent watching a screen.

Another Break With High School

I know that I have mentioned this before, but I love that in college you can take classes that challenge and interest you. Although I have a lot of work, the majority of it interests me, which is different than in high school. I am taking a class about the political economy of Latin America and the Middle East, and it is so fascinating. It is as if entire parts of World History were left out of textbooks for convenience, and now I am finally hearing about these events. I am also really enjoying how my fellow students take an interest in our classes. Just yesterday one of my classes had an extended discussion on the differences between Islam and Christianity. Instead of the professor being the only one to speak, students were constantly adding questions or comments to the dialogue. It is so refreshing! So if you are frustrated with high school classes, just wait. As soon as you have the freedom to choose your classes, it starts to get better!