Sunday was a pretty good day. I felt better and I went to a new church. It looked like a Catholic church but it was a Methodist. The services were fairly traditional, even the 'contemporary' service. This church is bigger than the one I am used to, and it has two preachers. Cool. Communion was fairly similar to home too.
Today has been a good day. Not much has gone on, but I did get some supplies, like a trash can, notebooks, and a paper planner. My floormates returned today so I feel less anti-social. My one floormate gave me a piece of chocolate cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. Yummmmmm. We had a little party in the Area Coordinator's apartment. I got to meet her dog and play Wii.
Tomorrow I don't have class, but I am volunteering in the coffee shop on campus. Free drink every time I work, woot woot! :) I don't drink coffee, but they also offer smoothies. Yum.
Homework is nearly done. I have 10 more Spanish vocabulary words to do and that is it. Yay!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Happy Saturday
I got sick this morning, so instead of going to the service project like I had intended, I stayed here. My breakfast didn't agree with me and I didn't think the group would want me to handle food after I threw up. But I am feeling better now.
I missed the dining hall hours, but the grill was still open, so I did get to eat once I got to feeling like I wanted food.
Believe it or not, it has actually been a fairly decent day. I've been here a week and I think I will grow to think of Simpson as home.
Right now, I have my window open, and I can hear frogs croaking in the park, as well as cicadas and crickets chirping. The temperature is wonderful. I see people in the park under the lamp lights. It's a tranquil summer evening.
I missed the dining hall hours, but the grill was still open, so I did get to eat once I got to feeling like I wanted food.
Believe it or not, it has actually been a fairly decent day. I've been here a week and I think I will grow to think of Simpson as home.
Right now, I have my window open, and I can hear frogs croaking in the park, as well as cicadas and crickets chirping. The temperature is wonderful. I see people in the park under the lamp lights. It's a tranquil summer evening.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Time flies...
My day Thursday was pretty bland, marked only by the arrival of my new alarm clock and the college's Convocation. I didn't really do much that is blog-worthy.
Today was another day of class for me. In my LAS we got into a discussion about affirmative action and the arguments for and against it and how to test the validity of arguments. There were puns going around before we got into this discussion because we were also talking about how to use humor. The class was not very structured but we had some laughs.
Psychology went over what the textbook said and discussed a few psychology perspectives. It was familiar but it was good to see the subject matter again.
In Spanish we went through our goals for the class and then we brainstormed words to write for our next class.
English was a simple class; we only had to tell a story on paper and then we were free to go. I got done with about 15-20 minutes to spare.
This afternoon I said bye to my floormates because they went home for the weekend and I worked on homework. Really, there isn't much going on right now, but I'm going to go to bed soon.
Today was another day of class for me. In my LAS we got into a discussion about affirmative action and the arguments for and against it and how to test the validity of arguments. There were puns going around before we got into this discussion because we were also talking about how to use humor. The class was not very structured but we had some laughs.
Psychology went over what the textbook said and discussed a few psychology perspectives. It was familiar but it was good to see the subject matter again.
In Spanish we went through our goals for the class and then we brainstormed words to write for our next class.
English was a simple class; we only had to tell a story on paper and then we were free to go. I got done with about 15-20 minutes to spare.
This afternoon I said bye to my floormates because they went home for the weekend and I worked on homework. Really, there isn't much going on right now, but I'm going to go to bed soon.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
September already??
I was just getting used to it being August, and now it's September.
Yesterday was a not very busy day. I didn't have classes or any major things scheduled. I did go to a required meeting about degree audits. The degree audit is a piece of paper (or in our case a webpage) that says how many credits we have earned and how many we need in order to graduate. It is the ticket to graduate from Simpson.
In the evening I went to a RLC leadership meeting. They asked what I wanted to lead in, but I didn't really know, and I told them what I was already involved in. They said I was fine and I could just hop around from group to group. There was free Godfather's pizza. Yum.
Today was a big day for me, as it was the first day of classes.
First was my LAS, which is Philosophy 109. We had a discussion about "What is an argument?" Fascinating. I contributed a few sentences, but I mostly just listened. Our main question for the course will be "What is truth?" The professor said that we are basically an applied logic class.
Second was Psychology 101B. The professor in that class had a different way of learning our name, rank, and serial number (Name, hometown, and major). He went around the classroom with a video camera and had us talk to the camera rather than to him. I thought that was a pretty good idea, since I can't remember people's names either! He talked about psychology as a science. Several very familiar concepts were brought up. This class will be one of my most homework-intensive, I think, because I will have an online quiz for nearly every day of class, with five exams interspersed in that. It's not bad though- I won't have to get a perfect score to get full credit on the quizzes, and I can retake them as many times as I want/need.
Third was Spanish 202. This is the class I was most nervous about. The professor put me at ease almost immediately, though, when she said "I don't expect perfection; I will grade on effort." I am actually excited for this class now. The professor said we would be learning to actually speak Spanish, not worry about vocabulary, grammar, and other things like that. There's a few familiar faces in that class, so that is good.
I ate lunch and then went to my fourth class, English 102. This was where I learned the joys of getting out of class early... My class got out half an hour early, which means I spent less than half the scheduled time in class with the professor. I was surprised, pleased, and a little irritated. What am I getting myself in debt for if I get out of class like that? However, she said that we shouldn't get used to getting out that early, if at all.
I spent the afternoon doing my homework and putting my syllabuses into my Google calendar. That will help me keep on top of it, since I have several assignments for several classes. I have almost all of the homework assigned today finished, except for one little essay for my Spanish class.
This evening, I attended a forum event called "Non-Violent Sexuality" with my floormate friends. The forum was not so much about sex as it was about having respect for oneself and for others. A quote: "To treat things as if they were people is an illusion. To treat people as if they were things is violence. To treat people as if they were people is justice. To treat people as if they were yourself is love."
It was very humbling to look around and see how very broken our world is, and how broken our students' lives are. The speaker asked us to raise our hands if we knew someone in various categories of violation/hurt, from having an std to an unwanted pregnancy to having drug/alcohol issues to being in an abusive relationship. Once he had asked about each category, he asked everyone who had just raised their hands to put their hand up again. Then, he told us to look around... Nearly every person had their hand up. It was very eye-opening and humbling.
The speaker also gave a definition of violence which I think I may adopt. He said that violence is when a voice is silenced. When I thought more about it, the definition made a lot of sense.
After the forum, I went to campus worship, which was an experience. There were five people playing guitar, four singing (one of whom was playing guitar too), one on keyboard, and one on drumset for the praise band. Guitar overpowered the voices on most of the songs, but I could still follow along by lipreading.
I like the chaplains, both of them. They seem to be strong leaders in faith, and I have had pleasant conversations with both of them. The older one gives the message at worship and the younger one prays. It's a good way of working together from my observation.
All in all, today was a day that made me feel like a sponge. I have been taking in so many different ideas and concepts that I am truly excited to go to class. I have textbooks that are interesting, and my psych text even has a sense of humor!
College is so cool. :D
Yesterday was a not very busy day. I didn't have classes or any major things scheduled. I did go to a required meeting about degree audits. The degree audit is a piece of paper (or in our case a webpage) that says how many credits we have earned and how many we need in order to graduate. It is the ticket to graduate from Simpson.
In the evening I went to a RLC leadership meeting. They asked what I wanted to lead in, but I didn't really know, and I told them what I was already involved in. They said I was fine and I could just hop around from group to group. There was free Godfather's pizza. Yum.
Today was a big day for me, as it was the first day of classes.
First was my LAS, which is Philosophy 109. We had a discussion about "What is an argument?" Fascinating. I contributed a few sentences, but I mostly just listened. Our main question for the course will be "What is truth?" The professor said that we are basically an applied logic class.
Second was Psychology 101B. The professor in that class had a different way of learning our name, rank, and serial number (Name, hometown, and major). He went around the classroom with a video camera and had us talk to the camera rather than to him. I thought that was a pretty good idea, since I can't remember people's names either! He talked about psychology as a science. Several very familiar concepts were brought up. This class will be one of my most homework-intensive, I think, because I will have an online quiz for nearly every day of class, with five exams interspersed in that. It's not bad though- I won't have to get a perfect score to get full credit on the quizzes, and I can retake them as many times as I want/need.
Third was Spanish 202. This is the class I was most nervous about. The professor put me at ease almost immediately, though, when she said "I don't expect perfection; I will grade on effort." I am actually excited for this class now. The professor said we would be learning to actually speak Spanish, not worry about vocabulary, grammar, and other things like that. There's a few familiar faces in that class, so that is good.
I ate lunch and then went to my fourth class, English 102. This was where I learned the joys of getting out of class early... My class got out half an hour early, which means I spent less than half the scheduled time in class with the professor. I was surprised, pleased, and a little irritated. What am I getting myself in debt for if I get out of class like that? However, she said that we shouldn't get used to getting out that early, if at all.
I spent the afternoon doing my homework and putting my syllabuses into my Google calendar. That will help me keep on top of it, since I have several assignments for several classes. I have almost all of the homework assigned today finished, except for one little essay for my Spanish class.
This evening, I attended a forum event called "Non-Violent Sexuality" with my floormate friends. The forum was not so much about sex as it was about having respect for oneself and for others. A quote: "To treat things as if they were people is an illusion. To treat people as if they were things is violence. To treat people as if they were people is justice. To treat people as if they were yourself is love."
It was very humbling to look around and see how very broken our world is, and how broken our students' lives are. The speaker asked us to raise our hands if we knew someone in various categories of violation/hurt, from having an std to an unwanted pregnancy to having drug/alcohol issues to being in an abusive relationship. Once he had asked about each category, he asked everyone who had just raised their hands to put their hand up again. Then, he told us to look around... Nearly every person had their hand up. It was very eye-opening and humbling.
The speaker also gave a definition of violence which I think I may adopt. He said that violence is when a voice is silenced. When I thought more about it, the definition made a lot of sense.
After the forum, I went to campus worship, which was an experience. There were five people playing guitar, four singing (one of whom was playing guitar too), one on keyboard, and one on drumset for the praise band. Guitar overpowered the voices on most of the songs, but I could still follow along by lipreading.
I like the chaplains, both of them. They seem to be strong leaders in faith, and I have had pleasant conversations with both of them. The older one gives the message at worship and the younger one prays. It's a good way of working together from my observation.
All in all, today was a day that made me feel like a sponge. I have been taking in so many different ideas and concepts that I am truly excited to go to class. I have textbooks that are interesting, and my psych text even has a sense of humor!
College is so cool. :D
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, Monday
(A quick note: Don't believe the timestamp on this post. It really is midnight.)
Today's been an odd day. It started out a little poorly, but then ended up well.
My alarm clock failed me this morning. I had set it for 7:15 so that I could be at breakfast at 7:45 because my LAS had to get on a bus at 8:30. I ended up being startled awake at 8:15 by my roommate and her boyfriend (I think he spent the night? I was asleep when they came back to our room) because the LAS student leader came knocking on our door looking for me. I dressed, put in my contacts, grabbed a granola bar, and RAN down to the BSC (Brenton Student Center) to get on the bus. I didn't see my LAS group, but a man told me they were on bus 8. Of course, bus 8 was clear down at the end of the line of buses. I was the last one on, but I had a tiny bit of breathing room before the bus rolled out of the parking lot.
The bus took us to Des Moines' Pleasant Hill suburb, to a charity called Hope Ministries (www.hopeiowa.org). There, we took a tour of their thrift store warehouse, and I was amazed by the sheer volume of things they had received as donations. One thing that fascinated me was the clothing baler. The machine baled up 700 pound batches of clothes that didn't sell, and the workers send the bales to the East Coast to be sold there, and if the clothes don't sell there, they are sent overseas.
We met a man whose life had been changed by the charity. He was about 45 years old, and a few years ago, he was homeless. He didn't know Jesus, and he hadn't really 'grown up'. The charity (which is Christian and doesn't take any government funding) took him in. There is a large system of charities in the area involved with Hope Ministries. He was eventually led to Christ, and taught how to make something of himself. Today he is a manager for the thrift store and warehouse. He prayed for us when we arrived and when we left, and I could tell he had a true and fulfilling faith. It was truly inspiring to meet him.
Our purpose, however, was not to be tourists, but to work. We were needed because the charity had built a new addition to the thrift store and they wanted to open it this coming Saturday; the addition had made a mess of their furniture department, and we had to clean up the furniture and help organize it. The room was piled with old bookshelves, sewing machines, tables, couches, mattresses, and other various furniture pieces. The girls were given buckets of soapy water, rags, sponges, and Pledge, while the boys moved the couches out and the mattresses into a better place. The paint on the walls was fresh, and there were cleaning fumes, and there was also dust, so breathing was mildly tough. We worked in these conditions from about 9:30 to 11:20. I am proud to say we cleaned up most of the room in that fairly short span of time. It was irritating when people didn't do a very good job of cleaning the shelving, but I think our teamwork enabled us to do a thorough job.
We finished and the bus came back to take us home to Simpson. This time it wasn't a fancy charter bus, but a Yellow Limo. We returned in time for lunch on the plaza in front of the library. My LAS professor had us go into the hall where our classroom is, and we discussed the morning's activities. He asked questions like, "Does what we did today really impact homeless people?" It was food for thought. I didn't speak during this session but I did consider each question as it was posed. I prefer to listen for a while and then speak.
I headed back to my room for a little break, and then I biked nearly two miles to the Indianola Activity Center to sign up for swing dancing and ballroom dancing. It cost me $80 ($40 per class) but I am really excited to do it. I have always been interested in dance; I was once in a dance class with tap, jazz, and ballet foci, but I quit when I realized it was expensive and I wasn't having fun anymore. I am trying to find someone who has a car who wants to come with me to the dance lessons. The dance lessons start in October and are on Tuesday nights.
After my four mile round trip, I went to OrgFest, which is Simpson's activities fair. It was kind of boring, but hey, free stuff! The RLC was giving out pens and fun size candy, while the Greek Life people were giving out full-size candy bars (I got a Kit-Kat). The Alumni Association was giving out free water bottles to first-years, and they even offered jobs doing Phone-athon. I don't think I will do Phone-athon because I dislike asking people for money (My parents don't count- Love you Mom and Dad!).
For supper I had to use my meal plan, and I chose to eat the "Chinese". Bad idea- it was too salty or too soy-saucy or something. It didn't taste very good. I will avoid it next time. After supper I hung out with my new girlfriends in their room and we watched Youtube videos, danced to funky music, and giggled together. At 8:00 our whole floor met on the basketball half-court in front of our hall. Our CAs told us some simple rules and safety things, and then they gave us our recycling bins! Woo-hoo for recycling bins!
There was a comedian scheduled for tonight, but I decided I was going to try to shower and go to bed. My plan was derailed by a knock on my door and the offer of a game of Apples to Apples, which is my favorite game that comes in a box. Instead of going to bed around 10:00, I ended up playing Apples to Apples with six other girls until about 11:15. There was much laughter and silliness, where one girl's name was "Megan" (not her real name) but she jokingly called herself "LaQuisha" (the name she was actually joking with). The atmosphere made it funnier than it seems now, but it was a good memory to have.
Finally the party broke up, and then I went to shower and to finish this blog post. It's midnight but I do not have class tomorrow at all, and my only orientation activity is at 12:30 PM. Not much is going on for me tomorrow, actually. I am thinking about trying to catch up on my sleep, but I also might explore Indianola. I still haven't figured out where Wal-Mart is. Google Maps or MapQuest to the rescue! :)
Today's been an odd day. It started out a little poorly, but then ended up well.
My alarm clock failed me this morning. I had set it for 7:15 so that I could be at breakfast at 7:45 because my LAS had to get on a bus at 8:30. I ended up being startled awake at 8:15 by my roommate and her boyfriend (I think he spent the night? I was asleep when they came back to our room) because the LAS student leader came knocking on our door looking for me. I dressed, put in my contacts, grabbed a granola bar, and RAN down to the BSC (Brenton Student Center) to get on the bus. I didn't see my LAS group, but a man told me they were on bus 8. Of course, bus 8 was clear down at the end of the line of buses. I was the last one on, but I had a tiny bit of breathing room before the bus rolled out of the parking lot.
The bus took us to Des Moines' Pleasant Hill suburb, to a charity called Hope Ministries (www.hopeiowa.org). There, we took a tour of their thrift store warehouse, and I was amazed by the sheer volume of things they had received as donations. One thing that fascinated me was the clothing baler. The machine baled up 700 pound batches of clothes that didn't sell, and the workers send the bales to the East Coast to be sold there, and if the clothes don't sell there, they are sent overseas.
We met a man whose life had been changed by the charity. He was about 45 years old, and a few years ago, he was homeless. He didn't know Jesus, and he hadn't really 'grown up'. The charity (which is Christian and doesn't take any government funding) took him in. There is a large system of charities in the area involved with Hope Ministries. He was eventually led to Christ, and taught how to make something of himself. Today he is a manager for the thrift store and warehouse. He prayed for us when we arrived and when we left, and I could tell he had a true and fulfilling faith. It was truly inspiring to meet him.
Our purpose, however, was not to be tourists, but to work. We were needed because the charity had built a new addition to the thrift store and they wanted to open it this coming Saturday; the addition had made a mess of their furniture department, and we had to clean up the furniture and help organize it. The room was piled with old bookshelves, sewing machines, tables, couches, mattresses, and other various furniture pieces. The girls were given buckets of soapy water, rags, sponges, and Pledge, while the boys moved the couches out and the mattresses into a better place. The paint on the walls was fresh, and there were cleaning fumes, and there was also dust, so breathing was mildly tough. We worked in these conditions from about 9:30 to 11:20. I am proud to say we cleaned up most of the room in that fairly short span of time. It was irritating when people didn't do a very good job of cleaning the shelving, but I think our teamwork enabled us to do a thorough job.
We finished and the bus came back to take us home to Simpson. This time it wasn't a fancy charter bus, but a Yellow Limo. We returned in time for lunch on the plaza in front of the library. My LAS professor had us go into the hall where our classroom is, and we discussed the morning's activities. He asked questions like, "Does what we did today really impact homeless people?" It was food for thought. I didn't speak during this session but I did consider each question as it was posed. I prefer to listen for a while and then speak.
I headed back to my room for a little break, and then I biked nearly two miles to the Indianola Activity Center to sign up for swing dancing and ballroom dancing. It cost me $80 ($40 per class) but I am really excited to do it. I have always been interested in dance; I was once in a dance class with tap, jazz, and ballet foci, but I quit when I realized it was expensive and I wasn't having fun anymore. I am trying to find someone who has a car who wants to come with me to the dance lessons. The dance lessons start in October and are on Tuesday nights.
After my four mile round trip, I went to OrgFest, which is Simpson's activities fair. It was kind of boring, but hey, free stuff! The RLC was giving out pens and fun size candy, while the Greek Life people were giving out full-size candy bars (I got a Kit-Kat). The Alumni Association was giving out free water bottles to first-years, and they even offered jobs doing Phone-athon. I don't think I will do Phone-athon because I dislike asking people for money (My parents don't count- Love you Mom and Dad!).
For supper I had to use my meal plan, and I chose to eat the "Chinese". Bad idea- it was too salty or too soy-saucy or something. It didn't taste very good. I will avoid it next time. After supper I hung out with my new girlfriends in their room and we watched Youtube videos, danced to funky music, and giggled together. At 8:00 our whole floor met on the basketball half-court in front of our hall. Our CAs told us some simple rules and safety things, and then they gave us our recycling bins! Woo-hoo for recycling bins!
There was a comedian scheduled for tonight, but I decided I was going to try to shower and go to bed. My plan was derailed by a knock on my door and the offer of a game of Apples to Apples, which is my favorite game that comes in a box. Instead of going to bed around 10:00, I ended up playing Apples to Apples with six other girls until about 11:15. There was much laughter and silliness, where one girl's name was "Megan" (not her real name) but she jokingly called herself "LaQuisha" (the name she was actually joking with). The atmosphere made it funnier than it seems now, but it was a good memory to have.
Finally the party broke up, and then I went to shower and to finish this blog post. It's midnight but I do not have class tomorrow at all, and my only orientation activity is at 12:30 PM. Not much is going on for me tomorrow, actually. I am thinking about trying to catch up on my sleep, but I also might explore Indianola. I still haven't figured out where Wal-Mart is. Google Maps or MapQuest to the rescue! :)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
My first weekend at Simpson
Wow, I can't believe it has only been two days that I have been here at Simpson. It seems like it has been a week already! There has been so much crammed into so little time.
Saturday was Move-In Day for freshmen. The frats and sororities helped us move in- all my family had to do was take in one load per person. We changed the height of my bed, and that was a bit of a trick. We took the bed apart to 'de-loft' it. Once we got that taken care of, I moved in fairly quickly. I have so much storage space and really not that many items to store.
We went down to Walgreens to get some last minute supplies like laundry soap and hearing aid batteries. Then we went to lunch in the cafeteria. The food is okay. Mom and Dad went to the parent orientation meeting while I went to the library, bookstore, and student center. I got my books and they look quite interesting. I have 6 books for 4 classes this semester, but I know I will be keeping 2 of them- a Spanish dictionary and a writing textbook.
After those events, we went to the Welcome Service on the quad. There is a tradition that the first-year students pass through the College Gates, and so I walked through the gate and into the Simpson world.
Mom and Dad left soon after and I went back to my hall. We spent a little time with our CAs (Community Advisors) and met the other people in our halls. One girl said she graduated in a class of six students! Wow. That is tiny. After a little get-to-know you, we went to supper, a picnic outside the cafeteria. The food was good and we met more people.
After supper all the first-years went to the campus theater to see a show called Risque Business. It is about college life and the things that can happen while a person is at college. There were some awkward moments. But it does happen and it could happen. It was a good show, though. Four students (two girls, two guys) played several roles and they were very convincing in each role. Once this show was over we headed back to our dorm floors to process it, and our CA gave us the harassment policy.
Next was the luau party at the chapel. It was a little too chilly for it and I ended up not staying very long. I met two girls who live on my floor, just down the hall a little ways, and we decided to go watch Bones. Not a bad experience and I think these two girls will become my 'girlfriends'. There was also bingo and a midnight breakfast available, but I was tired, so I went to bed.
I got up this morning (Sunday) at 8:00 to go eat breakfast with my LAS (Liberal Arts Seminar). It was awkward because I only knew a few names, but I still tried to pay attention to the group. I can tell now who is a freshman and who has been here before; those who have been here before are a LOT less shy and are more willing to put themselves "out there". I'm still working on that part. :) After the breakfast, we went on a tour of campus and found where our classes are.
Then, we boarded four big charter buses to go to the local Methodist camp. The camp has a ropes course that the LAS groups went on. Our first challenge was "The Raging River", where we had to use teamwork to get from stump to stump "across the river". It took us a long time because we had only three boards to walk on, and we had to move them often. Once we got a system worked out, and started moving more people, we got done faster.
We had to cross a small suspension footbridge across a trickling creek to get to our second challenge, which was a rope swing. This challenge would have been simple but for one twist: we had to get a bucket of water across without spilling it. Humor ensued when one of the boys in the group tried to carry the bucket across between his legs and ended up spilling it all over his shorts. Eventually we got the bucket of water across, and then all the other people went across afterward.
The third and final challenge was a tightrope of sorts. Two ropes were tied in an x above the tightrope cable, and two people, one from each end of the rope, had to go on the tightrope to the other side. The tricky part was in the middle where they switched between the two crossed ropes. I was the first girl to try each challenge, so I am pleased with myself for being brave.
After a late lunch and meeting our LAS professor, we headed back to Simpson. Then I took a shower and tried unsuccessfully to take a nap, because we had free time. Next was supper in the dining hall. I joined a table of girls who are living in the other freshman dorm, and they were quite silly and fun. Several of them left and I joined another table of girls living in the other dorm, and I met the girl who is a relative of some of my church friends. It was strange meeting after having only emailed! However, she seemed pleasant enough. I tagged along with these girls to their dorm and we stood around chit-chatting until the church service to welcome us. This service was outside the chapel. There was a praise band and we sang, listened to Bible readings, prayed, and signed up for religious life community (RLC) things. It was a new experience to have a decent praise band and an outdoor service.
Once the church service was over, I went to "The Stand Around" by the student center. This was an experience similar to prom/after-prom. I was one of the first people in line for the Tropical Sno snow-cones; I was just in time, because a 30-person line formed soon after I got my delicious (free!) strawberry cone. I ended up dancing most of the evening away with the girls I hung out with last night. There were bounce houses and fries for a quarter and prizes for dancing. I saw a guy or three crowd-surfing. Security moved in and gave them a warning to stop crowd-surfing. Apparently it is not very safe. :P Then I came back here to my dorm to try to get ready for bed. My roommate is here with her boyfriend. Now they are leaving to make a Wal-Mart run, and I am ready to climb into my bed.
About my roommate: She is tiny, redheaded, and works at Pizza Hut. She is friendly, open, and a Christian too. I feel fairly comfortable with her already.
Anyway, I need to go to bed now, because it is 11:30 and I have to be up in front of the cafeteria at 7:45 to eat with my LAS again. We are going to be doing a service learning project in Des Moines all morning. More about that later. Off to bed I go!
Saturday was Move-In Day for freshmen. The frats and sororities helped us move in- all my family had to do was take in one load per person. We changed the height of my bed, and that was a bit of a trick. We took the bed apart to 'de-loft' it. Once we got that taken care of, I moved in fairly quickly. I have so much storage space and really not that many items to store.
We went down to Walgreens to get some last minute supplies like laundry soap and hearing aid batteries. Then we went to lunch in the cafeteria. The food is okay. Mom and Dad went to the parent orientation meeting while I went to the library, bookstore, and student center. I got my books and they look quite interesting. I have 6 books for 4 classes this semester, but I know I will be keeping 2 of them- a Spanish dictionary and a writing textbook.
After those events, we went to the Welcome Service on the quad. There is a tradition that the first-year students pass through the College Gates, and so I walked through the gate and into the Simpson world.
Mom and Dad left soon after and I went back to my hall. We spent a little time with our CAs (Community Advisors) and met the other people in our halls. One girl said she graduated in a class of six students! Wow. That is tiny. After a little get-to-know you, we went to supper, a picnic outside the cafeteria. The food was good and we met more people.
After supper all the first-years went to the campus theater to see a show called Risque Business. It is about college life and the things that can happen while a person is at college. There were some awkward moments. But it does happen and it could happen. It was a good show, though. Four students (two girls, two guys) played several roles and they were very convincing in each role. Once this show was over we headed back to our dorm floors to process it, and our CA gave us the harassment policy.
Next was the luau party at the chapel. It was a little too chilly for it and I ended up not staying very long. I met two girls who live on my floor, just down the hall a little ways, and we decided to go watch Bones. Not a bad experience and I think these two girls will become my 'girlfriends'. There was also bingo and a midnight breakfast available, but I was tired, so I went to bed.
I got up this morning (Sunday) at 8:00 to go eat breakfast with my LAS (Liberal Arts Seminar). It was awkward because I only knew a few names, but I still tried to pay attention to the group. I can tell now who is a freshman and who has been here before; those who have been here before are a LOT less shy and are more willing to put themselves "out there". I'm still working on that part. :) After the breakfast, we went on a tour of campus and found where our classes are.
Then, we boarded four big charter buses to go to the local Methodist camp. The camp has a ropes course that the LAS groups went on. Our first challenge was "The Raging River", where we had to use teamwork to get from stump to stump "across the river". It took us a long time because we had only three boards to walk on, and we had to move them often. Once we got a system worked out, and started moving more people, we got done faster.
We had to cross a small suspension footbridge across a trickling creek to get to our second challenge, which was a rope swing. This challenge would have been simple but for one twist: we had to get a bucket of water across without spilling it. Humor ensued when one of the boys in the group tried to carry the bucket across between his legs and ended up spilling it all over his shorts. Eventually we got the bucket of water across, and then all the other people went across afterward.
The third and final challenge was a tightrope of sorts. Two ropes were tied in an x above the tightrope cable, and two people, one from each end of the rope, had to go on the tightrope to the other side. The tricky part was in the middle where they switched between the two crossed ropes. I was the first girl to try each challenge, so I am pleased with myself for being brave.
After a late lunch and meeting our LAS professor, we headed back to Simpson. Then I took a shower and tried unsuccessfully to take a nap, because we had free time. Next was supper in the dining hall. I joined a table of girls who are living in the other freshman dorm, and they were quite silly and fun. Several of them left and I joined another table of girls living in the other dorm, and I met the girl who is a relative of some of my church friends. It was strange meeting after having only emailed! However, she seemed pleasant enough. I tagged along with these girls to their dorm and we stood around chit-chatting until the church service to welcome us. This service was outside the chapel. There was a praise band and we sang, listened to Bible readings, prayed, and signed up for religious life community (RLC) things. It was a new experience to have a decent praise band and an outdoor service.
Once the church service was over, I went to "The Stand Around" by the student center. This was an experience similar to prom/after-prom. I was one of the first people in line for the Tropical Sno snow-cones; I was just in time, because a 30-person line formed soon after I got my delicious (free!) strawberry cone. I ended up dancing most of the evening away with the girls I hung out with last night. There were bounce houses and fries for a quarter and prizes for dancing. I saw a guy or three crowd-surfing. Security moved in and gave them a warning to stop crowd-surfing. Apparently it is not very safe. :P Then I came back here to my dorm to try to get ready for bed. My roommate is here with her boyfriend. Now they are leaving to make a Wal-Mart run, and I am ready to climb into my bed.
About my roommate: She is tiny, redheaded, and works at Pizza Hut. She is friendly, open, and a Christian too. I feel fairly comfortable with her already.
Anyway, I need to go to bed now, because it is 11:30 and I have to be up in front of the cafeteria at 7:45 to eat with my LAS again. We are going to be doing a service learning project in Des Moines all morning. More about that later. Off to bed I go!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I got my hair chopped.
It was fairly long.
Now it's pretty short. It feels so strange to be able to flip my hair around.
Now it's pretty short. It feels so strange to be able to flip my hair around.
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