Hello again,
Despite what I might have said at the end of a rushed, fantastical, and loud Senior year, I find that I cannot let up this hobby that had dominated my Monday evenings of years past. However, there are a few key differences to note that change things. First, this is no longer required, how lovely is that? Second, I am no longer a bulldog, but an Eagle, an American Eagle to be precise, the most cliche mascot of all time. Third, I'm writing this blog from one of the busiest cities in the nation in a small room waiting to go to a 5:30 class on Urban Development. In short, I have successfully transitioned to the college freshman lifestyle without too many large obstacles in the way.
Transitioning from Batavia to Washington was perhaps the most unique experience of my 18 years. Now, instead of getting into my car and driving at 7 AM in the morning, I roll out of bed and walk a few hundred yards to my first class at 8 AM three times a week, followed by a lovely period of napping. In addition I can no longer simply go to any store, I have to instead catch the metro, a terrifying, fast paced, and enormous piece of this wild thing called the Capital, to the nearest station and go to either Whole Foods, Target, or, somehow, Best Buy.
The students here are from all around the world, and by all around the world I mean the majority come New England, California, or DC itself. Most have never heard of Batavia, Ohio, just that it is not Batavia, Illinois, and that Cincinnati is essentially the same thing as Cleveland, right? Regardless, the international diversity level is immense. People are here from all over the globe, so much so that walking to class normally involves hearing at least two other languages that are not your own. Talk about a culture shock for someone who was raised in the land of farms, small high schools, and a majorly white community.
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of adjusting to this new life would be the social change. No longer do I have my close knit group of essential family members to talk to at every waking moment, to make jokes about class or to make late night runs to Wendy's when the procrastination reaches new heights. Instead, it's awkward fumbling during floor meetings, five minute conversations that rarely progress into the foundations of a relationship, and a lot of alone time in a dorm room. However, it isn't completely all for not. In a true surprise I have managed to make two fairly solid friends here. One, blessedly, is my roommate, who is essentially my twin in everything except the fact that she is fantastically able to run long distances every morning at 6 AM. We get along splendidly and have yet to have any sort of conflict. Secondly is the strangest set of circumstances. One moment I am watching the eclipse with a group of strangers and the next, I have realized that the person sitting next to me during this once in a life time event shares almost all of my interests, faces most of the same challenges I do (migraines, lactose intolerance, etc), is an equal amount of a dork, and is equally grateful to have found a friend. Somehow, I have made my quota with friends for the first few weeks. These two have helped my comfort levels immensely, and hopefully, as time goes on, we can establish a friendship akin to the very special ones I enjoyed, and miss very dearly, back in Cincinnati.
In short, the first week and half here at AU has been not terrible, but not overly exciting either. I get to wake up at 6 AM once again and be thrust into the foreign world of Russian and perhaps later I will dare to venture past campus boundaries to feed myself something that isn't the school's main dining room. I miss my Cincinnatians dearly, from the quiet peace of a rural area to the newly renovated Music Hall that has yet to stop calling my name. The knowledge that I get to see them all in just a month is enough to keep my spirits high and I can't wait to see the faces of Molly, Seth, Chloe, Ronni, Alex, and the rest of the people who somehow found themselves in my company and chose to stay long enough to become my closest friends. Until then, however, I am content to merely keep going, to enjoy life here in this vibrant, unique, and already welcoming city, and look forward to the opportunities that will be presented to me here.
Until next time.
