Welcome back to Hope! So glad you are with me again, for the third year in a row. We are certainly in the grind here on campus, getting into our new classes, labs, research, and projects. Everyone is finally settling into their schedules and learning how their time-management is best organized.
It is now my Junior year here as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. Things have changed a lot, and changed very little. Time only brings perspective, and college is certainly a time of exponential growth in personal perspective and efficiency. Petty things that bogged us down freshman year are no longer big deals, and instead we are delving into our individual interests while enjoying our social circles. I stayed on campus all summer (more on this later), but I have still really enjoyed the reunions with friends and the bit of down time we had before classes started. The first weekend we were all back, my lab mate Chelsea invited me out to line dance at The Alaskan Pipeline, a bar and grill that is just a fantastic time. Though I’m not an excellent dancer, the people were very patient, and I think they really enjoyed watching me struggle with my two left feet.
My apartment-mates and I are settling into our new habitat outside the dorms. We are in a duplex this year, which is actually a lot different. We have a kitchen, a living room, a basement, and even a BACKYARD. We’ve had quite a few “Family Dinners” where we have a group of people over to eat. Here are a few of the crew in the backyard enjoying the latest popular YouTube sensations:
The most enjoyable part of being out of the dorm (for me at least) is not only being able to cook your own food, but also to “settle.” At the college age, settling becomes a very natural instinct, and especially after jumping around and moving every 6 months or so, it’s nice to have a place to call “home” where you can dump all your things.
Because we have a lot of books, our biggest accomplishments in our apartment include bookshelves. Here’s one I picked up at a local thrift store and painted in an “antique” style. Oh and I got it for $6. 😉
Meanwhile, just as I was starting to get settled in, one of my friends played a practical joke on me and left me a TICKET on my car. I was SO UPSET when I got into my car and I saw it and I COULDNT BELIEVE IT. Then I actually read the ticket, and it said “HELLO GLOWSTICK!” This became my nickname this summer because I honestly don’t tan, and all my labmates claimed that I glowed in the dark at my softball games :(.
Classes are going so well, and everything has been very interesting. It’s like the point in high school when you finally get to take the classes you want to. It’s so awesome!!!! Biochemistry, Physics, Cognitive Psychology and ART. A dream schedule.
Meanwhile, we try to maintain some fun in our schedule. Our weekends are filled with social movie events and domestic extravaganzas like baking. In particular, fellow blogger (AND MY BESTIE) Marvin, and I, have been making cobblers all the time! It never lasts long because 1 – its super tasty, and 2 – its super delicious.
We brought our professor Linda some and she LOVED IT SO MUCH she tweeted about it ;).
OK! More soon lovelies. Remember to follow me on the Twitter!