I don't want to leave you my friends, thinking I'm unhappy here at PLNU. So I want to tell about some new friends. Not only am I writing about them because I feel I ought to say something positive after my last blog, but, also because they are pretty darn awesome!
It was an orientation assembly. All the students were supposed to sit in sections, designated by their majors. Bryson, being undeclared, sits by me in the Graphic Art major's section. The person holding the sign to group the Graphic Art majors into a section was named John. He was a sophomore and seemed friendly enough to talk to, and we did, but we didn't think much of it.
Two days later Bryson and I search for a table to sit and eat lunch at. We find John and decide to sit with him and his friends. We are introduced to everyone at the table. It was first time Bryson and I had seen a steady group of friends. It felt like high school. They were comfortable with each other and that comfortable atmosphere washed away the awkward aura freshman seem to carry with them.
At the table sat: John, who I've already introduced, Sarah, a 6'4" sandy blonde junior in the nursing program, There was also 6'8" Brian who looks a lot like Bryson and has so much in common that was starting to freak us out a little bit. There were others but it wasn't until later in the week that we got to know them.
On open dorm night we visited Sarah's room and played super-smash brothers, another night, we visited John's room, and on Sunday we went to church with John, on another day we went Target shopping with Sarah, and John, and of course in between times made a couple trips to Santanas. We had movie nights, a "how many girl's can we fit in Brian's room" glow stick party,went to Bobby B's birthday bash, along Caf. Lane, visited Make out Point, Shelter Island and played sardines, all in our first week here at Point Loma.
During all those events, we met more of the "group," or the "family," as John calls it (and Sarah cringes at it!). We now know, Johnathan and Megan. Johnathan is hilarious, and Asian! We're planning a superhero laser tag party and I've designed his costume. He will be going as the "Fly-Mater!" and Megan, his cute little brunette girlfriend, with be going as his arch-nemesis, "The Swatter!" (I will be posting pictures!). Scott, another 6'7" or 8" (something like that) guy that looks again a bit like Bryson and again has a lot in common with him, I've also met Danna who played sardines in Robot footsie pajamas, Justin, another funny Asian, Abbey my kindred spirit in funky costume design, Jacky, who went to church with us today, and Hannah and Clair, which are two blonds that I met last night while playing sardines.
They are all just awesome people! Very, chill, and relaxed, rolling with the punches and excited for the next fun event! Their accepting and real, and real is something I have come to really appreciate!
yay for friends!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
My First Week at PLNU
Monday morning: Today was my first day of classes at PLNU. It’s been pretty rough. The day began with my roommate waking me up, saying “Katie it’s 7:40, don’t you have a class at 7:30? Your already 10 minutes late!” I replied, “My alarm didn’t go off! No! oh no, no, no, no, did you hear it go off? No? I can’t be late my first day of college!”
I flew around the room changing quickly and throwing a hat over my crazy frizzy curls. Then I jabbed on a bit of mascara, and I ran out the door and began charging up the hill from Klassen to the linguistics building. My feet had been blistered from my previous two days in my new flip flops, so as I ran to class in my normally comfortable flats, the shoes sliced open the fresh scabs. By the time I got to class, breathless, sweaty, frizzy, and overall, humiliated, the insides of my shoes had blood stains.
The teacher responded, “Buenos dias Katie!” then looked back at the class and said, “Katie es tardes!” Then he realized there was no extra desk for me. So he disappeared behind the door I had just entered. I stood awkwardly at the front of the classroom, clutching my little white folder and I suddenly became very interested in the square tile floor I was standing on. The class simply stared in bewilderment at the strange sight before them and their thought bubbles read, “What the heck?”
After what seemed a lifetime, my teacher reentered and placed a desk in a row of its own in the very front of the class. I sat down and waited for class to be over and as soon as it was I bolted for the door.
Theatre was next. I found the room easy enough and tried to make small talk with some of the kids. Either they had been in my last class or I still appeared as if I had been in a fight with my blow dryer, and lost. I gave up and soon after, my next professor arrived. He seemed the typical theatre persona. He was an older man, and thin with glasses. Interesting I thought, he had an artistic atmosphere about him. He asked us what we thought the reason was for taking introduction to theatre. My peers responded with intelligent answers, but the teacher seemed intent on making sure we understood that Americans have no interest in learning, lacked culture, and further more liked it that way.
Next was chapel. I walked to Brown Chapel alone. I saw few people I recognized and the few I did, I was to scared to talk to after my experiences with other people that day. The day became very lonely and chapel was hard to enjoy. My boyfriend originally had plans to sit with his hall in chapel but I could find no one to sit with, and though I protested, my knight and shining armor came to sit with me on the far edge of the chapel. He prayed with me and gave me hug. Of course being a girl, I got all choked up and the embarrassments of the day came crashing down in droplets on my cheeks.
The rest of week went much better. In fact I had a very good week! I solved each problem I had on Monday. First of all I set three alarms, at intervals of 10 to 5 minutes apart. Because I had time, I was able to dress well, contain my hair and walk to class. I had sliced up my feet pretty bad so I solved that with two bandaids carefully placed each morning. I got to Spanish early and found a seat nearing the back of the classroom. Theatre improved by God’s grace, or the professor had suddenly become patriotic over night. Tuesday I had art classes and my day started at 9:30 instead of 7:30, just those two things alone could have saved my week. I also made friends with some sophomores, who now even drive my boyfriend and I off campus and too church on Sundays. They are a lot like my friends from home and made me feel at home here!
I flew around the room changing quickly and throwing a hat over my crazy frizzy curls. Then I jabbed on a bit of mascara, and I ran out the door and began charging up the hill from Klassen to the linguistics building. My feet had been blistered from my previous two days in my new flip flops, so as I ran to class in my normally comfortable flats, the shoes sliced open the fresh scabs. By the time I got to class, breathless, sweaty, frizzy, and overall, humiliated, the insides of my shoes had blood stains.
The teacher responded, “Buenos dias Katie!” then looked back at the class and said, “Katie es tardes!” Then he realized there was no extra desk for me. So he disappeared behind the door I had just entered. I stood awkwardly at the front of the classroom, clutching my little white folder and I suddenly became very interested in the square tile floor I was standing on. The class simply stared in bewilderment at the strange sight before them and their thought bubbles read, “What the heck?”
After what seemed a lifetime, my teacher reentered and placed a desk in a row of its own in the very front of the class. I sat down and waited for class to be over and as soon as it was I bolted for the door.
Theatre was next. I found the room easy enough and tried to make small talk with some of the kids. Either they had been in my last class or I still appeared as if I had been in a fight with my blow dryer, and lost. I gave up and soon after, my next professor arrived. He seemed the typical theatre persona. He was an older man, and thin with glasses. Interesting I thought, he had an artistic atmosphere about him. He asked us what we thought the reason was for taking introduction to theatre. My peers responded with intelligent answers, but the teacher seemed intent on making sure we understood that Americans have no interest in learning, lacked culture, and further more liked it that way.
Next was chapel. I walked to Brown Chapel alone. I saw few people I recognized and the few I did, I was to scared to talk to after my experiences with other people that day. The day became very lonely and chapel was hard to enjoy. My boyfriend originally had plans to sit with his hall in chapel but I could find no one to sit with, and though I protested, my knight and shining armor came to sit with me on the far edge of the chapel. He prayed with me and gave me hug. Of course being a girl, I got all choked up and the embarrassments of the day came crashing down in droplets on my cheeks.
The rest of week went much better. In fact I had a very good week! I solved each problem I had on Monday. First of all I set three alarms, at intervals of 10 to 5 minutes apart. Because I had time, I was able to dress well, contain my hair and walk to class. I had sliced up my feet pretty bad so I solved that with two bandaids carefully placed each morning. I got to Spanish early and found a seat nearing the back of the classroom. Theatre improved by God’s grace, or the professor had suddenly become patriotic over night. Tuesday I had art classes and my day started at 9:30 instead of 7:30, just those two things alone could have saved my week. I also made friends with some sophomores, who now even drive my boyfriend and I off campus and too church on Sundays. They are a lot like my friends from home and made me feel at home here!
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