September 7, 2007
I am back and am still plodding through my Freshman year. Classes have been going well and I have been very busy, but this is nothing new for me. Here is a rather in-depth recap of my life from September 1st through September 7th. In an attempt to give all of you an idea of what goes on in college life, here is a calendar view of this past week:
Saturday, September 1: I finally got to sleep in and attempt to recover from my sleep deprivation which results from me not getting to bed until 3:00 or 4:00 every morning. I am still laughing from watching my friends sing at Karaoke Night last night. My roommate got up on stage and sang “Sweet Home Alabama” in honor of his home state. This weekend, I had very light homework since I tried to keep up or even work ahead. To reward myself, I lay in bed and watched college football. I cheered heartily for Appalachian State to beat Michigan since I am a Wisconsin Badgers fan and appreciate a Big 10 rival’s loss. That night, I went to my roommate’s brother’s house (since he lives in Richmond) and had a grill out and then watched the Auburn football game since he is a huge Auburn fan. My highlight from the evening was introducing my hallmate, Tim, to bratwursts.
Introducing my friend to his very first bratwurst
Us four hallmates enjoying a grillout at my roommate’s brother’s house
Sunday, September 2nd: After sleeping in, I went to church at the University’s Chapel and then proceeded to lock myself in Gottwald (the amazing science building which has so many great study rooms and lounges) to do homework. I struggled to read “The White Castle” and other readings while alternating between conscious states due to extreme boredom. That night, I went to the Pier to watch “Knocked Up”, this week’s free film presented by the Campus Activities Board.
Monday, September 3rd: In Microeconomics, we had a simulation in which we were able to investigate the benefits of trade in a market. We played for real money and it was actually quite fun and instructive. In Spanish, I had my first quiz and it was a little harder than expected. Everyone was a bit unprepared, but I won’t let that happen to me again. Today was also my first day of Spanish Practice. This class meets Monday and Wednesday afternoons and is an intensive class in which we speak entirely in Spanish. It is led by an upperclassman and is just a whole lot of drills and Spanish speaking. That night, I went to Capital Ale House in downtown Richmond with InterVarsity (one of UR’s Christian organizations). It was Dollar Burger Night and it was so good. I made some new friends from Texas, Pennsylvania, and Virginia in the process. Since I went out, it was a rather late night reading my homework for Tuesday’s classes and I fell asleep reading them partway through.
Ben (TX), me, and Matt (PA) at InterVarsity Dollar Burger Night
Tuesday, September 4th: Pretty dull day. Typical classes except that I have been assigned a project in Spanish on La Tomatina (a giant tomato fight in Spain). I was finally able to workout today. I had meant to go running many times before my 8:15 class on MWF (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), but going to bed at 3 AM does not accommodate this schedule. After swimming one mile at the amazing Weinstein Center, I attended a Bible study for freshmen men and made some new friends. We plan to embark on a study of the book of Mark this coming year.
Wednesday September 5th: Nothing special happened today. I’m afraid not every day can have high-octane excitement. However, InterVarsity was that night and we played beach volleyball after worship until midnight. I had played a lot during the summer and was thrilled to get back into it. It was a lot of fun and I finally got a nickname: Splits. This nickname comes from my uncanny ability to do the splits.
Volleyball with InterVarsity
Thursday, September 6th: Classes are still going well. Finally, I enjoyed a class of Public Policy since my teacher lectured on the New Deal and Great Society. I found this to be much more fun than the previous classes based solely on discussion. I’m still ready to start reading the books since lots of outside readings are getting annoying. I also attended a Study Abroad Fair and am looking for an opportunity to study abroad as an upperclassman. I’m looking at Australia, South America, Ireland, or Western Europe right now. I also attended CSF (Christian Students Fellowship) for a home cooked meal. I felt a little out of place and doubt that I will return, but I have been very open to trying new things since I’ve been here. I had my second session of Men’s Health, a weekly night wellness course that I must attend six times to graduate. It’s a hassle, but I guess that it has some benefits. Actually… I can’t think of any right now. To cap off the night, I attended a friend’s birthday party as well as an NFL Kickoff Party hosted by InterVarsity.
NFL Kickoff Party with InterVarsity
Friday, September 7th: Classes are done for the week! This week went fairly quickly and well for me. I have been hanging out a lot with a new friend of mine, Ben from Dallas, TX, and we now regularly get together for lunch and dinner. Since my CORE teacher did not want to discuss the ending of “The White Castle” today, she simply let us watch “Thank You For Smoking”. What a great way to end the week.
Other notes from this week include:
- I decided to not join the crew team. I really wanted to get involved in a sports team and thought crew would be really fun (even though I had no experience). However, I did not want to stretch myself too thin with activities, homework, and socializing. I may join it in the spring or next year if I find that I have enough time. It was a difficult decision to make.
- If you have not noticed, I have become fairly active in InterVarsity. I have made some really great upperclassmen friends and enjoy a lot of their activities. I have done something with them every day this week and it looks like this is one of the organizations that I will plug into.
- I finally shipped home some items that I have no use for here. My room is almost in order and I hope to be completely done by next week.
This is my “perch” where I do all of my work.
I’m sorry that everything seems to be so disjointed and choppy, but I’m trying to cover everything. In the future, I will probably cut back a little, but not for now. I believe the other bloggers may write about specific events, but my style is to cover everything. What you read from me, even the minor events, is what goes on in my life most days. I would really appreciate your feedback since I am writing all of these for you. Do you want me condense them a little or have these been helpful? Would you like me to cover anything else that I have not talked about yet? Let me know and good luck with all of your applications.
Quote of the Week: There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. –Albert Einstein
Thought to Ponder: Why does an alarm clock “go off” when it begins ringing?
Shout Outs: My small group friends: Eric, David, Michael, Tim, Ben, Andrew, and Caleb.
