The First Day of Class

Today was the first day of classes and it was quite the wonderful journey. I met new friends, ate at new places, explored new sights, and continued to have a fantastic time here.

Here was today's schedule:
Environmental Studies: Interdisciplinary Foundations (8:30am-9:20am)
Composition: Exposition (10:30am-11:20am)
Wildlife in the Modern World (11:30am-12:20pm)

My journey from the engineering building (my English class...) to the oceanography teaching building (my wildlife class...) is ridiculous for the time I receive, but since I'm in this thing called a FIG (freshman interest group), I get to be with twenty fellow students in these two classes for the walk. I met quite a few of my classmates in this linked course and I am hopeful that this opportunity will introduce me to new people of many backgrounds and interests. I hate networking, but the classroom is the perfect way to connect with people.

I ate in the medical center, which is ginormous, and then I went to the student activities fair and was subsequently overwhelmed by the monstrosity of clubs. All these clubs were crammed underneath this giant tent even though it was completely dry and sunny (did I mention that the weather here has been like creme brulee recently?). I only received a few club fliers, so I will be spending some time there tomorrow as well hopefully.

Later in the evening I received a free (yes, FREE) bbq from the Hillel and met several fellow Jews. I don't know if I felt a lot of inclusiveness at this group. Although I love being Jewish, Jews can be rather exclusive and it can be uncomfortable for me considering the rest of my identity. I might still go to a few services though if it all works out. In fact, I think I will, I find that God is powerful and building a connection with God is vital.

Finally I went to the Young Democrats meeting. Although I don't totally love the idea of linking myself to a specific party, I really want to help make a difference in my community. America needs to change, and it only takes me a single inspirational video from Obama or a random non-profit to remind me how important progressive change is for America. There is so little that can happen if the Republicans retake power, especially with this virulent strain of tea party hyper-conservatism engulfing America. Alas, I will do my best to make a difference in any way I can for the better of us all.

And now I am back at my dorm. I will have to do my homework tomorrow morning now that it's late, but that's okay. I think I will try this new thing out called getting a substantial amount of sleep and being awake for class. Good night.

"Backed Into the Corner" - Amy Stroup