College Student Life Lesson #1

One of the funniest events happened to me this week. Okay let me set up the scenario.  Obviously I was there.  But, there was also a monster drink they I decided to drink at 9pm on thursday. For those of you that has tried one of these, you're probably laughing at me right now.  If you haven't let me explain. I've always heard that monsters give you the biggest caffine rush of your life.  The hour before I was already half asleep and needed something that would keep me up. So I thought why not try one now. Oh, how naive I was. I expected the normal hyper side effects, the laughter that usually acompanies my caffine rush, and my mind going a hundred miles per hour.  Around midnight I tried to sleep, by 3am I turned on my ipod expecting to sleep with the music.  Before I knew it, it was 6am and I hadn't even slept. I got up to do more homework and before I knew it I had one hour to get ready for my first class.  In the middle of compostion the lack of sleep hit me. When class was over I ran to get a gallon of coffee and realized I had theology left and a test at at 3 pm.

At 4:30 I reflected back on the day. Most of the time I was oblivious to my surroundings. Trying to focus on the lecture and writing down notes as coherently as possible. I thought I could finally go to bed but my roomate made me eat dinner. Which I'm glad I did because until I smelled the food I had no idea I was hungry. Later my mom decided to show up and spend time with me until 8 pm. ( I never even told her because I wanted her here and because I'd get in so much trouble. So now that she's 40 miles away and can only yell over the phone, "Hi mom, the constant laughter wasn't because I ate too much sugar - it was sleep deprevation.")  

"So you slept as soon as you got back, right?". Actually no, my friends called and made me use my webcam so all of us could talk and see each others faces for the first time in two months. I begged to be allowed to sleep but they were merciless. (Honestly I sacrificed sleep for my happiness, I love them to death.) So as my face rested on my keyboard they showed pity and let me sleep around 10pm. Thus ending with 39 hours without sleep.

So my college rule # 1 for now :
                     Never , ever, drink a monster before 10 am.  Unless it's the weekend

My proposal:
                   There should be a label on it saying - Caution! Will keep you awake for 12 hours.

Silver lining: 
                   I now have a funny story to tell my kids one day about college.

My Lips Are Sealed

I sit in class and never say a thing.  My questions are never asked, and comments never spoken. Even if I am just in a group during Freshmen Experience, it’s very difficult for me to say anything.  The weird thing is when I get called on my mine goes blank, it’s like all of my thoughts were never there. Close friends that I have now, tell me that they used to think I was extremely anti-social. They never even thought that I liked to hang out with anyone from school. Translation - "I thought you were a snob". In reality, I've just always been quiet when I'm around people I don't normally talk to.  When I get placed in groups in any class, it’s always the same, my mouth is locked shut.  Like today, we were placed in groups of four and we had to determine the key points Socrates was trying to make and figure out its significance. The other three in my group started discussing while my eyes stared at the paper. Ideas popped up in my head whenever they made a comment but I just couldn't talk. It's like someone was holding my vocal cords shut. I wanted to contribute but my voice failed me.


I am happy to sit and listen to what everyone has to say or even hear the teacher speak all hour long. As long as no one expects me to talk that is. I understand that I have to get over it. I'm already in college, and I can't expect employers to just understand. But, believe me it's going to take a lot of work. The only thing that saves me is that when I write my ideas can actually come alive, and freely leave their prison (my mind).  In writing I am courageous and my mind spills onto the page like there is no tomorrow. I sincerely hope that I can change but for now I'm glad that when it comes to expressing myself that I am not completely limited.

College Life? Amazing or Horrible?

The main concern most people have when first coming to college is whether or not they will even survive. 

I only have two classes a day? Great!  But I have to read how many pages before we meet next time? You want me to write  that paper by when!? That test is how big of a perentage of my grade?

Honestly situations like that tend to creep up and stress us out every now and then. More so for others but the feelings are mutual. High school may have had the same type of assignments but, until I came here I never realized how much I was babied. Of course we did our work typically on our own. However, it took me awhile to realize that our  shadows weren't actually ours. They were called teachers.

"Remember you have this due!" , "Your  not doing well this month, you need to make up those assignments", "Mr.(Mrs.) (Name)!, you were absent yesterday, here is everything you missed"

Actually I am a bit happy that it doesn't happen anymore. That last semester of high school I was trying to crawl away from it all to catch a breath. In their own way, I understood that they cared. Then again, we were all at least seventeen.  It was actually just a few months ago. Even though it feels like years. I actually wish they would have seen us the way they do here - adults.

Being torn away from my mother's grasp, even though they had to tear her away from me,  was the best thing that could have happened. I have learned so much in these few weeks that are begining to mold me. How to actually take responsibility for everything you thought was easy. So in summation, I just want to say that I love TLU!