Goodbye, G312

My first year away at school has officially come to an end. I'm back home now for the next four months and, although I'm excited to be back with my family and old friends, I actually really miss my school. Which I totally didn't see coming. It took me a while to actually start liking my university (like, the whole first semester).  But I ended up really enjoying it in the spring.

Anyway, seeing as how my first year is behind me, I figured I'm now qualified to write about what I've learned as a freshman in college.  And if any incoming college freshmen are reading this, consider it friendly advice.

The Roommate
I signed up to room with a girl I didn't know and had never met before.  When we both first moved in, things were definitely a bit awkward.  But once you get through the awkward, I-don't-know-how-to-act-around-you stage, things smooth out fast.  My roommate and I ended up getting along really well and we became good friends.  Inevitably, there were things that she did that would get on my nerves (like leaving dirty dishes around), just as there were things that I did that would get on her nerves (like not hearing the six alarms I would set for myself in the morning).  You can't really expect to get along with someone perfectly, 100% of the time.  But we managed to get on pretty well for the most part.

 
The Dorm
I had the classic dorm set up: two people in one room, with a communal bathroom down the hall.  I was worried about the bathroom since I had heard horror stories about how gross the toilets and showers could be.  But I think I lucked out with my floor.  All the girls were pretty clean for the most part, and I never had to wait for a shower or a bathroom.  Shower shoes should be worn.  Clean the sink when you're done.  Make sure the toilet flushes completely.  The room seems small at first, of course, but don't worry, you'll have enough space.  Stackable drawers from the Container Store are your best friend.  (Side note: If you want to make friends with the girls on your floor, do it as soon as you get there.  My roommate and I didn't talk to anyone but each other.  We realized pretty early on in fall semester that practically all the girls on our floor were friends except us).

The Freshman 15
Let me just say that the Freshman 15 is real and terrifying.  I started off college by avoiding the dessert table at the dining hall and working out pretty regularly.  It was spring semester that really messed me up.  I didn't gain 15 pounds, I don't think.  To be honest, though, I don't

remember what I weighed before college.  But I think I probably gained around 10 pounds.  So now I'm trying to get back to my pre-college body this summer. Summer '15: the summer of getting #swole.

The Major
Coming from someone who changed my major three times before I even started attending classes, you seriously don't have to figure out your major as a freshman.  Most students I talk to have changed their major at least once.  I'm very lucky, though, to have found my major and feel extremely confident that it's what I want to do.  I've honestly never gotten so excited about school before as I am now.  Sure, some of the pre-reqs suck and some of the beginning classes are boring and repetitive, but it's so worth it.

The Old Friends
My friend group from high school is possibly one of the most close-knit groups of people ever.  We've been friends since middle school, actually, so I wasn't concerned at all when we all went away to different schools.  We're all still friends and we will probably hang out constantly over the summer, but to say nothing has changed would be a lie.  Distance and different time zones and hectic college schedules are bound to take a toll on any friendship.  I didn't expect to feel as distant with some people as I do, but I know that they're still some of my best friends.

The New Friends

Honestly, it took me a while to make good friends at college.  I met a lot of new people in the first semester from clubs (join clubs!!!) but I didn't feel really close with them until spring.  Meeting new people in college is the best, though, especially when they're part of the same major and have similar goals as you do.  I was worried I wouldn't make any good friends in the fall semester, but honestly just give it time and you will find your people.

"New Coffee Addiction"

So I've been feeling really awesome recently.  Spring semester has started up and, though I was dreading starting school again over winter break, I have been loving Spring '15 so far!  My classes are pretty great, and much more hands-on than the ones I took last semester.  I'm already learning Premiere Pro and how to write stories for broadcast news.  I also know more kids in my classes now, which is always nice.

I've just been feeling very organized and productive.  I planned out a weekly schedule, started managing yet another social media account for a group on campus, going to the library a few times a week, I've been keeping my space very clean, and I'm (attempting) to start taking a yoga class once a week.  Who knows if I will stick with it but, for now, I'm pretty happy.

don't be fooled by how floral grunge i look

I hope these first few weeks of 2015 are a reflection of how the rest of the year will go.  Oh, and while I'm here, I'll just say that winter break was pretty great too!! My cousin's water broke at a family party and she had her baby the next day, so that's cool; we got in a minor car accident which isn't great, but it added some excitement I guess; my sister turned 21 and bought us alcohoooooooool (but they were basically just wine coolers); and New Years Eve was the best (king's cup, anyone?).

Here, have some evidence of my fun times:

part of da crew reunited

blurry pic from new years

fave pic from new years tbh

me and the sis after eating an insane amount of dessert breakfast food

End the Constant Comparing

Recently, I've been having some difficulties being content with where I am; both geographically and emotionally.  I feel like I'm stuck-- like I'm wasting my time right now when I could be doing something better.  Maybe I'm just having my midlife crisis at 18, who knows?  Either way, I've been kind of bummed out recently and I think a major factor contributing to my bummed-out-ness is that I keep comparing my life to the lives of others, specifically my friends'.

I have friends living in major cities like L.A. and Boston and, as someone who loves and thrives in cities, it is difficult to hear stories of them living it up in big cities when I'm living in a small college town in the middle of nowhere.  They can go to concerts and parties and meet celebrities, as well as get better internships based on their locations, and I have a tendency to dwell on that.  I can't look past what could be if I were somewhere else, instead of taking advantage of the opportunities that I have around me.

This post is going to mainly serve as a reminder for myself.  If we are constantly comparing what we have to what others have, we will never be happy, because someone out there will always have it better than you.  It's all about attitude.  Once you start looking at what you have around you and figure out how your environment can benefit you, everything turns around.  I still have a long way to go until I'm fully happy here, and I know that changing your entire outlook and attitude is easier said than done, but at least I'm trying.

Two Weeks In

I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure out what I should write about here.  Over the summer, I was so focused on making posts that other people would like, and I had enough time to put together nice posts pretty regularly.  Since school has started up, though, I've been too busy to post as often as I would like to, and I've completely run out of ideas.

This blog has become one of my favorite things in the pretty short amount of time since I've started it, and I want to continue posting.  So, I think until I figure out exactly what I want from this blog, I'm going to use it more as a journal.  I'll update about what's been going on in my life and if a random, bright post idea comes to mind, then I'll write about that.  Until then, I don't want to stop writing.

I recently went away to university and have just finished my second week of classes.  I'm already very comfortable in this new city, but I don't know if I would go as far as to say that I'm fully happy here.  I don't know many people, I miss my old friends, and I have this constant feeling in the corners of my mind that I'm being replaced.  Besides all that, though, I have managed to have some good times so far.

Here are some pictures I took while exploring the campus.  Bricks and spanish moss are a lovely combo.  Sadly, it's too hot and rainy out right now to be outside for too long.

I have also been going to this ice cream/coffee shop like twice a week because it is adorable and the food is delicious and it just makes me very happy.  Here is a milkshake and a carrot cake cookie sandwich thing which absolutely amazing that I had a few days ago.

The rest are just some random pictures that I've taken so far.  I was going to add a lot more, but this post is already getting sort of long.  Hopefully I will start to know more people around here soon, because it's kind of lonely at the moment.

New Dorm Room!!!

Hello everyone!!  So after hours of unpacking, and even more hours of stressing, I have officially moved into my dorm!!  I am pretty happy with how everything turned out.  Unfortunately, the chair that I posted a picture of earlier didn't fit so I had to send it back with my parents.  Everything else I brought up worked great, though!  I'm not going to do a super in depth room tour at the moment since I'm still not sure I'm going to keep everything exactly as it is, but I figured I would share how my room looks for now.

So here you can see my bed, desk, and nightstand area.  As I said in an earlier post, the bedding and pillow is from Urban Outfitters, and the throw at the end of the bed is from Pier One.

Above my bed I just hung up some photos of my friends and some of the people I have met in the past.  I got both the string and the clothes pins from Michael's.

This is my nightstand area.  I just have a couple of mugs, some lotions and deodorant, a cat lamp one of my best friends gave me, a (fake) plant from Pier One, and a Britta water filter from Target.

I took this picture while I was still moving in, so there was still a bunch of junk on it.  I hung up a 4-piece bulletin board from Staples, but it's already fallen down twice so I'm not sure if I will keep it or not.  And I also used a shoe shelf from Target as extra space on my desk.

Finally, we have my closet.  I am so happy that all my clothes actually fit inside of it because I was worried I packed too much.  And the two bins on top I'm just using for extra storage, and they were from Target as well.

. . . . .

So that is my side of the dorm.  Obviously I have a roommate but I wasn't going to take pictures of her side because weird.  I'm pretty happy with it so far, and hopefully I can sort through any of the small glitches I have with it.  

Been A Bit Hectic

I am leaving for college in four days, so I have been busy packing and saying bye to friends and making sure everything is in order as far as housing and books and all that.  It's a very weird feeling knowing that in just a few days, I'm moving to a new city and completely starting over.  I find myself already feeling nostalgic for my home and the city where I live, like I've already moved away.  

So yeah I've been a bit busy recently, so I haven't been able to make a post in a while.  Once I move in and get settled, I plan on making a dorm tour-esque post, so hopefully my room will actually look nice.  Until then, I'm afraid this is all you get.  But I will be posting more soon... hopefully.