Movin' On In

I'm finally at SMC! Today is the second day of orientation and I'm so much happier than I thought possible! So for everyone who HASN'T gone through orientation before, here's a run down of my first day in my new home!

4 AM: My family wakes up and packs up the car (and yes, I do realize that this is extremely early, but we had a four hour drive ahead of us & I was anxious to arrive!).

 

 

6 AM: We actually got it together enough to leave! I said goodbye to my brother, and then my parents & I headed off in our very packed car. This is what we call over-packing folks...

This wasn't even all of my stuff!

10 AM: We arrive at SMC! That means TONS and TONS of uber energetic Orientation Leaders running around, jumping, cheering, blowing whistles, and of course directing us where we needed to go.

10:30 AM: We head over to Ross Sports Center to check-in. There I picked up my packet (which tells you everything you need to do). There's also a chance to talk to Public Safety, get onto payroll if you have work study, and talk to a few clubs and organizations.

 

 

12 PM: MOVE IN TIME! And the Orientation Leaders carry EVERYTHING up for you. Whoo hoo! I was sooo excited to set up my room. And to my Dad's surprise, all of my stuff fit!

 

 

1:30 PM: My loft is set up & my parents & I get lunch in Alliot, which is right next door to my dorm (Joyce 255!). On Move-In Day, lunch is free for all parents & students.

 

 

2 PM: We head back to my room & meet my roommate Lhanzi (she's from Nepal & she's very very nice). Then my parents & I went to the mail room in Joyce basement to get my mail key. After that we walked around campus to find all of my classes.

 

 

4 PM: Everyone from Joyce meets outside to say hello to all of the RA's in the building, as well as the RD & some Public Safety representatives.

 

 

4:30 PM: We have a floor meeting. Everyone from our wing (that means about 30 girls) cram into the RA's room, did some introductions, & then talked a bit about policies, like quiet hours, respecting public spaces like the bathroom, and the consequences breaking rules.

 

 

5:30 PM: We meet our Orientation Groups (mine's #3!) had a BBQ dinner, & we played some ice breakers. Then we headed off to the convocation at the church, where we heard some speeches by professors, students, and liturgy members.

 

 

THEN WE WERE FREE! My roommate & I went back to our room and finished setting up. We rearranged the furniture & organized all of our stuff. This is how it turned out!

My bed's the one on the right, way up there. Lhanzi's is on the left & our desks are to the right of my bed, next to the door.

Our desks! Mine's on the left, and the door is to the right of Lhanzi's desk.

My beautiful, comfortable bed! I have about a million pillows, and under it is my dresser, our fridge, and my giant chest where I store extra towels and things. Directly behind me is Lhanzi's bed. Also, my wonderfully decorated laptop is open on my bed!

This is a little shelf that every dorm in Joyce & Lyons has. My stuff is all in the left cubby & our food/microwave is in the middle. Lhanzi's bed is right underneath this & our closets are to the left.

 

 

After that I went around my floor & offered everyone rice crispie treats that I had (<-- definitely an easy way to break the ice when you walk around knocking on doors!) and socialized a bit.

Finally, it was bedtime. Surprisingly, I fell asleep so quickly. And the weirdest part? I didn't feel like I was in some strange place. Even today, after my parents left, I don't feel upset or nervous or alone. Since we pulled into SMC, all of my nervousness has gone away & I've felt like things are just right. I feel like I have a whole community backing me up here. And I feel like I can accomplish so much and meet so many people. Most of all, I feel like I'm home.

Home Again

I'm Home!

Coming home from vacation is never fun, especially when you have a crazy early flight home. But I am so happy to sleep in my own bed again (ever notice that despite how extremely comfortable your hotel bed is, you can't ever wait to get back to your own?). I also had a little birthday party today with my family - because I turned eighteen while in Puerto Rico! - and I have lots of packing for SMC to get to.

And now, all about Puerto Rico! I had such a good vacation. It was soo extremely relaxing & I had so much fun with my family. It was some great quality time before my brother & I head off to college (we're twins! and he's off to NYU). We stayed at this crazy nice resort, El Conquistador. THE PLACE WAS HUGE! The hotel even has its own private island where guests can go to the beach! (side note, the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie that came out in May was filmed there! Crazy, right?). So without further adieu, PICTURES!

 
The view from our hotel room! It was so beautiful there - right on the ocean with lots of big palm trees, super green plants, & bright flowers. And the weather was beautiful!

This is the main part of the hotel. It pretty much includes the lobby & pool area & the main hotel rooms. There were also lots of multi-room houses & suites, a marina, a spa, about a dozen different restaurants, and a huge golf course.

Biggest. Hotel. Ever.

There was also lots more that we did in Puerto Rico, but my computer is being really ridiculously weird.

So now, I only have a few days to pack before I need to be at Saint Mike's! Feel free to tweet me to ask all about my transition into college!

Vacation!

Tomorrow I leave for seven relaxing days in Puerto Rico! Ahhh!

My family usually spends our week-long vacation in Acadia National Park, camping and hiking. Don't get me wrong that is SO much fun, but this is going to be like heaven. But there is a downside to this vacation - the 6 am flight. Meaning we need to wake up at 3 am...in the morning...before there's even any sun outside.

Despite all the early morning nonsense, I'm pumped for this vacation. It's going to be really nice to relax for a week and to spend time with my family before I leave for school. Then, I come back Saturday and leave for school that following Thursday. I can't even believe it!

I'll be back with beautiful pictures of Puerto Rico to share with you all!

Feelin' the crunch

Nineteen Days until Move-in Day!

As orientation gets closer, I'm feeling the stress of buying stuff for my dorm & packing it all up. But something I didn't expect as much? I'm starting to get so sad about leaving my friends & family!

About a week ago, when I was trying to meet up with a couple of my friends, it suddenly hit me that soon I wouldn't see them for months. All of us are so busy with work, buying college things, vacations, and all that fun stuff. Now that we're having trouble all hanging out together, I'm trying to fit in as much time as possible with em all.

Since then I've been feeling a little bit more nervous about school. Sure I'm super excited, but I didn't think about all of the awkwardness that goes along with orientation. You're there with a couple hundred strangers without your friends or your own room. And after just having found my place in high school, it seems so strange to move on and start new!

But as I said, I'm very excited. Lately I've been talking to a girl I met on POW (see my last post to find out all about this) and we've talked about starting a baking club next year. Haha, if this will actually happen...well, we'll just have to wait and see! Either way, I'm excited to have already met someone that I get along with and I'm psyched to get involved at SMC.

And now...it's going to be crazy chaos trying to get all my college things together! I have soo much to buy still, but I'll update you all on it soon! As of right now, I do have the cutest comforter that's dark blue with bright flowers on it. I also have new comfy pillows & a pink fan! Whoo hoo for new college stuff!