With only two weeks left of classes, plus one week of exams, summer is just around the next homework-laden corner. Everyone I know seems to be lining up internships or taking care of last minute details in their vacation schedules. I’m just looking forward to spending time camped out on my couch, eating ice cream and whining about how hot it is while secretly enjoying each second of my time at home. Sure, it’ll get old, but it’ll take a few weeks and you won’t ever have to read about it – ha ha.
We’ve all finished registering for housing and classes for next semester. My roommate and I will be in Robins. Some of you all might end up there too! Even though it’s supposed to be for upperclassmen, there’s a section of the 2nd floor reserved for incoming freshmen girls. I’m pretty pleased with the room assignment – the library, gym, and academic buildings where I’ll be attending next year’s classes are all on the same side of the lake. The walk to D-hall is a bit longer, but what’s wrong with burning a few extra calories before a delicious meal? I have to confess that I snuck over to peek at it last night. The door was shut and I didn’t have to courage to creepily knock and look inside, so I went upstairs and saw another room that’s about the same size. To see dorm layouts and room sizes, type “housing” into the search feature of the website’s homepage.
Once again, I had no trouble getting the schedule I wanted. This may turn out to be the singular area of my life I have any luck in. I’ll be taking Literary Spain, Peoples and Cultures of Latin America, Intensive Intermediate Italian, and Intro to International Relations. For those interested in checking, course descriptions and semester schedules are also available to the public (aka you guys) through the U of R website. I remember scoping them out when I was coming to visit last year. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail professors – they’re always eager to talk more about what they do!
The weather here has been incredible. The other day, my friend Meaghan’s mom called while she and I were sitting out front of the library, enjoying the sunny 70-degree heat. Her mom announced that she was shuffling to the mailbox through several inches of snow. Needless to say, she was more than a little jealous when Meaghan told her that she felt a bit warm in her shorts and tank top. My friend Heather came to visit from UVA for an Ultimate (Frisbee) Tournament and we spent most of the night outside or beside wide-open windows.
Practing leaps for Ultimate…
I hope the weather is just as nice wherever you are. Have a great week and good luck with your upcoming decision! 
After deciding that we were quite tired of spending our lives eating, sleeping, and doing work, Sarah and I planned a mid-week excursion of sorts. We went to Maymont and had a Chik-fil-a picnic on a grassy hillside, surrounded by small children and the less-than-appetizing smell of manure from the Children’s Farm.
Maymont is about a fifteen-minute drive from campus, unless you’re incapable of using a GPS in which case it can take roughly forty-five or fifty minutes. I bet you can’t guess who was brilliant enough to accidently request directions to Maymont the office complex instead of Maymont the garden and wildlife-filled park! My personal failure to work “Charlotte” (Sarah’s GPS) cost us a fairly decent chunk of time for walking around and our exploration was limited to the barn area. Needless to say, our charming combination of silliness and narcissism led us to take an excessive amount of photos within the hour and a half we spent there. We got a number of stares from young mothers, many of whose expressions indicated an intense fear that our noisy/spastic behavior posed some kind of threat to their children’s safety. I assure you it did not – ha ha.
I’m a big farm animal fan
baby goat!! <3
The park was originally a large estate, and the old houses and stables are maintained to this day. The main home has been preserved in its original condition and made into a museum. Other than the Children’s Farm, which as you can see is simply a petting zoo, Maymont has a number of small sanctuaries for injured wildlife. There are a number of paths and walking trails that weave through the park, and most of them feature small enclosures with deer or birds that have been injured and are unable to return to the wild. The park also features well-kept gardens, small waterfalls, and creeks to relax by. These scenic paths make it an ideal place to walk and talk or to exercise. Maymont is very, very kid-friendly and incredibly popular, so weekday visits are best if you’re interested in going but are looking to avoid a crowd.
I’ve never EVER seen the bear so close before…and I’ve been going to Maymont literally since I was born.
We all recently received an email reminding us to keep up regular posting because all of you have a very important decision to make in a very short amount of time (sorry to keep bringing it up, but its true)! I just want to remind you all that if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail myself or one of the other diarists. We’re all eager to answer them…it’s kindof our job, ha ha. One thing I remember about applying to Richmond was the personal attention and swift response I got from the admissions office. They’re happy to help and would really love to see you here J Until next week…good luck!
