August 27, 2007
Howdy y’all, I spent days packing up eighteen years of my life and it took me much longer than I had anticipated. I left Wisconsin a week before I had to arrive in Richmond and I spent the entire week driving towards Virginia. My parents, younger brother, younger sister, and I camped along the way as we visited Gettysburg, Washington D.C., the Little League World Series, and many other cool places. We had to overcome continuous rain, a flat tire, and general exhaustion from being with members of your family 24/7. Finally, I arrived in Richmond and was able to move in. Here is a photo story of my trip:
Leaving Wisconsin at 5:00 AM to head towards Richmond
My little sister and me at a water park after our first day of traveling
A sailboat on Kelley Island, Ohio, which was one of the stops on our trip
The ferry to get to Kelley Island where my family and I camped
The Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA
Our camper’s flat tire in the middle of Pennsylvania
If you think that moving everything that you will need for a year into a 12 by 12 foot room is easy, think again. It took hours of rearranging furniture and general frustration before the beds, dressers, and desks were finally in place. We ended up lofting my bed so that it is about five feet off of the ground. This required me to get a running start so that I could simply jump onto my bed. I now use a chair, but it was quite an adventure to simply get onto my bed. Unpacking my boxes upon boxes of clothes, electronics, and supplies took me almost two days. It would probably be wise for me to introduce my roommate at this point. His name is John and he is from Birmingham, Alabama. We met each other in Richmond during the scholarship interviews and we hit it off, eventually deciding to room together. It looks to be a crash course in Southern culture. He says “y’all” and I say “pop” instead of “soda”. I will definitely add some of John’s insights into my journal entries at times since I know that he also has some unique viewpoints. My dorm is called Gray Court and I live on the first floor, which is rather convenient. I am right next to the Dining Hall, but am on the opposite side of campus from all of my classes. In Gray Court, we have suite style housing. This means that John, me, and the two roommates next to us are joined by a bathroom, which we share.
Moving into My Dorm Room
My Dorm
My First Meal at D-Hall
Orientation began the day that I arrived and lasted for four days.It was an endless schedule of lectures, group activities, icebreakers, and open houses. Some of the things were fun, while many others made me want to pull out my hair and scream. I made some really great friends in the process and really got to know my hall mates well. Orientation is a long and jam-packed experience, so I will simply list the highlights of the four days: meeting President Ayers at a dessert reception, playing Catchphrase with my Orientation group, and attending Vegas night with the rest of the Freshman class. My Orientation group was really fun and I now know at least ten other people whom I will keep in touch with and chat with when I run into them. I have fallen into a core group of guys in the rooms around me and we hang out and do most things together. This tends to be the typical freshman experience right now, since no one really likes to be alone. So, packs of freshmen are seen all around campus. My group consists of: John (Alabama), Tim (New Jersey), Alex (Virginia), Chris (New York), and me. I was ready for Orientation to finally be done and to have some of my own free time to do whatever I needed and to explore. I’ve looked around at the many organizations and groups on campus and think that I will become involved with InterVarsity and possibly Student Government and a club sport. My classes are finally set and I am taking Microeconomics, CORE (a mandatory freshman class), Introduction to Public Policy, and Intensive Intermediate Spanish. I am excited for these courses and hope that they can give me a feel as to whether I want to pursue those studies. I have definitely come here to study, but also to be well rounded and to have plenty of social outlets and friends. I think that pictures are the best way to convey Orientation and move in, so here are some of my pictures:
The beginning of Orientation
Playfair: A class-wide event meant to meet new people
80’s Vegas Night. Dress crazy and have a good time.
Catchphrase with my new friends
The President’s Reception with Alex
Meeting the President of the University of Richmond
Since I have so much to write about and so little space, here is a basic rundown of things that I’ve learned thus far but have yet to mention:
- Bring a tool kit
- You have even less space in your rooms than you could have possible imagined.
- The food here is very good. After a while, it may get somewhat repetitive, but I have no complaints thus far.
-Always try new things. I am a Baptist and went to a church service this morning, yet simply went along to my first Mass later that night and enjoyed discussing the differences and similarities.
-Make sure your cell phone will work on campus. Mine has terrible reception and I am having a hard time staying in contact with others.
- Sheetz (a glorified gas station) is a really fun place to go with friends and visit. I’ve already gone twice.
-Homesickness will hit you early on. I am already missing friends back home and it’s only been two weeks. No one from my high school came here and I have no friends or family within 800 miles. Bring pictures of all of your friends and family. Put them on your desk and it will keep you slightly connected.
-You will run into technical difficulties. I have already visited the Help Desk twice for computer problems and am planning to visit them again soon.
-You will become very sleep deprived. I have yet to go to bed before 3:00 AM and am writing this at 1:00 AM the morning of my first class. My record is 5:00 AM thus far.
-Polos and dress shirts are the standard norms for guys and sundresses are standard for girls, however there are plenty of us that refuse to fall into this category. I proudly wear my John Deere “Save A Horse. Ride a Tractor” t-shirt and regular shorts.
Up Next: My first week of classes and events.
Thought to Ponder: Why do we teach little kids, “Rub a dub dub, three men in a tub”?
Quote of the Week: “Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.” –Ronald Reagan
Shout outs: All of my Orientation group, especially Sassy Stephanie, Miraculous Mallory, Tremendous Tim, Charming Chris, Jumping James, Kind Katie, Jammin’ John, Modern Morgan, Kooky Katie, and Awesome Alex.
