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.
