I’m at Cape May right now and I am so excited! Aunt Dorothy and Joelle will be here in a few hours so I will have some one to chill with at the beach. Sweet.

Plus, the long list of hot guys that are just in the hotel is a huge plus. I had to laugh yestorday when the guy at the radioshack gave me his number after I bought some ipod stuff for the road trip.

Mom was joking last night while on the road that the fog made her feel like she was in a bad scary movie. All that we needed was a werewolf to pop out and try and eat us. Had to inform her that after three hours in the car, I was in no mood for supernatural animals trying to eat me and that she should just keep driving on through the fog because I wanted to start my vacation!

So I have a new camera, a friend to chill with, and a huge beach to enjoy. This week is going to be awsome!

It’s the middle of the night and I’m about to talk about something that most people don’t ever speak of in public. The dark side of the first few weeks of college.

I remember my first few weeks of college feeling alone and confused. Why wasn’t I always happy to be free and running around like it seemed to be on every TV show and in brochures? I remember nights where I just wanted to run away from Lynn, to just go home to what I knew and understood.

I think this is really a big problem for international students. I’m American. I was born here, but I feel so much like a stranger because I spent 15 years overseas representing a country I never really lived in. I felt out of my element and just wanted to run back to what I knew. Not necessarily my house and back to my mother, but back to my comfort zone.

I think that is why Cristina and I are so close now. We met during that period of time where we just wanted to get away from this new crazy world. I felt 20 times better once I knew I was not the only one feeling the way I was feeling.

Some students cry each night. Some cry all day long. Others try and drink their problems away or get high. I used to get so upset that I would just hide in my room and just scheme at how I could get away from Lynn, even if it was for a day.

At one point, I started saving my money so I could buy a plane ticket to anywhere but Florida. All the new stress was overwhelming. Mom wasn’t there to fix anything and I felt like if I wasn’t happy my first few weeks, then I wasn’t ready for college.

I started to hate my mom for making me stay at Lynn. Cristina was always fighting with her family that she wanted to leave. The girls on my floor were always yelling at their parents late at night the first few weeks that they wanted to leave or they couldn’t handle it. Something was always wrong and panic was everywhere a freshmen could be found.

Seeing the upperclassmen was not much of a help. They always seemed to be so happy and set into their routine that it felt impossible to believe that they had once felt what I was feeling.

So what changed? I made friends and started talking about my feelings. I was open with my professors about how I was feeling so that they knew I was having a hard time adjusting to college life. I had made three great friends that helped me get through my first year. I ate lunch and dinner with them. I walked to class with them. I talked to them about everything. We supported each other through all the struggles.

I think about six to eight weeks into college, I started to truly fall in love with Lynn. I started to see the beauty of college. I started to enjoy my classes and having my own space. I had my car by that point so I could get off campus. I started watching movies in Eric’s room, eating lunch with Cristina, and dinner with Rob. We started our own traditions which I miss now. Good news, go to the movies or order dinner. Bad news or a horrible day, ice cream at cold stone. I went on drives with Eric to just get out, went for Wendy’s fast food with Rob when I was depressed, and late night walks with Cristina when neither of us could sleep.

I started my own life. I wasn’t part of someone else’s plan for the first time in my life which I think is why it was so scary. No one was telling me what I should be doing, it was all up to me. I was discovering a lot about myself. Things like, I think dorm rooms feel so sterile like a hospital because there are no plants or pets. I’ve always had cats around me so not having my two little angels was strange. I had to call my mom to tell her about my day, not when she got home from work. I got to pick my future. I was discovering me, and let me tell you, it is scary getting to know yourself.

It’s ok to be scared. Terrified is more like it. Lol. I think I spent so much time looking forward to leaving home and getting away from my mom that I lost sight in the fact that in reality, your parents drop you off and say good bye to you. They leave a teenager and then you are supposed to turn around and suddenly become an adult. Frankly, we are all still little kids running around trying to learn how to be an adult. Why do you think I’m always saying that being an adult is hard?

So what’s my advice? Blast some music and dance in your dorm room. If your RA comes knocking, tell her that you are stressed and trying to learn how to be an adult. Find comfort food. Make friends that you can talk to about what you are going through because they are feeling it too. Play hookie every once in a while. Call home and tell your parents that college isn’t what you thought it was going to be, that it isn’t all fun and games. Tell mom about the hard biology professor or dad about how you can’t seem to get anything to make your room feel like home. Kick a soccer ball around. Sing, do whatever you have to to get through those first few weeks. They are rough.

I have so many people to thank for helping me get through those first weeks. I went to Stefano’s office near tears telling him that I wanted to leave and he calmed me down and informed me of all the great things about being at Lynn. He made me stick it out a little longer. Rich the RD who is always more than happy to give advice and lend an ear or two. My poor mother had to deal with who knows how many calls of me demanding to let me come home.

Listen, next year, I don’t have any classes on Friday. I’m going to make that the day that freshmen can come to me and talk about what they are going through. You don’t have to feel alone. I’ve done it and it was hard and scary. Find me around campus, and stop me to talk. We can get coffee at Christine’s or have lunch in the caf. How many times did I wish to have someone to talk those first few weeks! Stop me, stop any of the bloggers, they are totally cool, understanding, and best of all, they’ve been there! It’s ok to be…. It’s ok! Scared, angry, terrified, traumatized, lol.

They say that it only gets harder each year, but I think it can only get better. I am so excited about my second year. I have the best roommates in the world. I’m going to be surrounded by my friends and Michelle is moving into the dorms! I miss Lynn so much right now, you have no idea.

So keep emailing me at manderson5@email.lynn.edu and know that once back at school, I’m always there to help. Come talk to me, or just ask me questions, even if it is to find out what building you are standing in, hehe.

I love summer vacation. I spend my evenings reading books until I can’t hold them up any longer. Jana would be proud. lol. I brought almost $200 worth of books a few days ago. I’m starting to think I spend more time deep in a book than I do in the real world. My cat Krystal thinks I’m reading to him so he comes and sits next to me all night until I put the book down.

Since my mother’s graduation, we’ve been spending a lot of mother daughter time together. She started her Iraq training yesterday and comes home with wild stories. I must say, my favorite one is when a woman crashed her SUV and it rolled a few times. When rescue found her she was unconscious and they had to remove her clothes. Well, the guy wasn’t the smartest guy in the world and thought he would take her pulse from the opposite side of her then he was standing and well, she woke up. She beat him so badly, she put HIM in the hospital! *cracks up* She woke up confused and found herself naked and with some strange man over her and whooped him good.

Moral of that story, talk to the person you are trying to save or they might wake up and kick your butt. Lol. Apparently, hearing is the last to go so it is important to talk to a trama person even if they aren’t awake and screaming at you. Hehe.

Cristina seems to be having a ton of fun in Spain. We still talk as much as possible each week but I really can’t wait for her to get back to the states so we are closer in time diff. This whole 8 hours is really not working for us! I keep changing my facebook status to “Spain needs to give me back Cristina” or something along those lines.

*gets email and yells at mother* “MOM! I’m in the same room as you! Stop emailing me!” I swear, and they say children don’t listen. My mother is on the phone and she is emailing me. *shakes head* She used to text me that dinner was ready when normal mothers would just yell at the stairs. I kind of miss the traditional style of calling for your kids. You know, before cell phones and emails.

Alright, I’m off to download some more music and plan when I’m going to do my homework for some online courses I signed up for. I couldn’t just stay still all summer.

Oh and next month I’m working on Sigma Care Packages. I’m so excited. First got to get mom ready for Iraq, than I can work on stuff for the next school year! Ahhh… one year down!

Does it ever end!? I can’t stand paperwork and it seems like all it ever does is find its way back to me! And what is with all this mail doing here in my name? Only a few years ago the only mail I would get would be a package and it had to be a holiday. Now all I seem to see are forms and bills!

I must add that the puppy dog look no longer works on my mother when it comes to forms. It’s horrible! Lucky Cristina, her mom still fills out her forms! So not fair.

My mom had her graduation yesterday. She was studying for her Graduate this year and the family came from everywhere to see her graduate. My Aunt Zena, Grandmother, Grandfather,  and my Great Aunt Oquilla came from all over the US for my mothers big day. 

I spent two days running around trying to make sure everyone was happy and keep the peace so now I’m tired! I kept my mouth shut and didn’t turn into a wise mouth which normally gets me in trouble. As my family and friends know, I can be very sarcastic and what my grandmother calls a “whipper Snapper”, what ever that means.

My mother’s class was HUGE! 700 people! My gosh, it never ended! It was a blur of people until they got to my mothers section. To my surprise, my grandmother cheered the loudest. I just looked at my aunt is disbelief and she was like what? That’s grandma for you. That tiny lady sure has some lungs!

After it was over and my grandfather had about 200 photos covering 5 minutes, my mother who of course knows everyone, had to introduce us to the whole class. Again, another blur of people. Of course they all said the one thing I can’t stand to hear, you look just like your mother! AHHHH!

I look so much like my mother that I can’t walk down the street in some cities. I have been stopped on the street or in buildings by strangers asking my name and then hugging me, telling me that they knew who I was form the moment I walked in the room. I’m starting to think I’m a clone.

Well its the next day and most of the family is gone. The only one that has stayed behind is my Aunt Zena. I’m so excited! I love hanging out with her and shopping with her. She totally understands me. We are going book shopping tomorrow and clothes shopping. My mom is happy to have her baby sister here and I’m thrilled to have my aunt.

Today, the three of us went to go see The Happening. It was pretty good. Now we are chilling at the house, trying to agree on a movie to watch with dinner and where we should go shopping first tomorrow.

Alright, I’m off to dinner with my family!

Hey, if you guys want to add me to facebook to get to know me, please let me know that you are a future Lynn student. I don’t add people I don’t know. So just send me a message saying who you are and  I’ll add you, thanks!

I’m partying with my family! My mom’s graduation from Grad school was this morning and the whole family is here!

I have gotten a few emails from worried parents of freshmen students. I’ve also got some very sweet emails from students who are curious about starting college. Well after answering many questions over past few weeks, I thought I would post some of the emails and my answers.

One from a parent:

Hi, my name is Linda. My daughter is coming this Fall from Ohio.

I am not sure if she reads these blogs, but I do. She is my only child and I am a single mother, so I have to do everything myself….

…She wants to bring like lots of clothes & I keep telling her she is not going to have the room.

What about laundry soap? Should I buy her a supply & bring it or is it better/easier to just buy it there?

Are the mattresses comfortable? I was going to buy her one of those down, mattress pad things do you think I should?

Can you suggest a hotel that is not to far away and/or in between the school & shopping? Is it better to bring a comforter or wait until she meets her room mate & see if they want a theme color & get it down there when we get there…..

I wrote back:

Buy the laundry soap when you get here. Thank goodness you are going to have a car when you get to Lynn. It will be really helpful the first few days. There is a Walgreens and a supermarket less than 5 minutes away in the same shopping mall area. Its VERY simple to get to. Turn left out of Lynn and go about 4 to 5 blocks. It will be on the left hand side.

Don’t fret to much over the clothes. My roommate had a ton. So did I. *sighs* girls will be girls. If its only clothes she’s filling up on, you should be good.

The mattress sucks. My advise, get one of those foam things and anything else that is thick and soft.

For the room. Well, just because they are roommates doesn’t mean that they will have to have the same colors…. ….I’ve seen plenty of rooms that have two very different sides and it looked fine. It should reflect your daughter in the end. This is her new space, her new life. It should feel like home to make the move easier.

One email from a student name Samantha made me laugh. I wanted to know everying like she does when I got to Lynn.

When is rush week and how do i find out more about both sororities?
Will i get something in the mail?
And tell me about weekends are they crazy?
Im coming from oklahoma not knowing a soul at lynn so I’m trying to�
find out all the facts..

Rush week is the same day as the activities fair. All organizations and groups on campus will be out infront of the student center, very hard to miss with all the signs. It’s normally the second or third week of school. Thats when you can learn about the sororities and all organizations on campus. All the greeks will be out, wearing their letters, just stop any of them and ask why you should join their sorority or what organizations they are in.

Define crazy. Weekends are weekends. We are so busy that normally we pass out on saterday and work on sunday. We sometimes go to parties and have BBQ’s on campus. Watch movies or chill in each others rooms. A lot of times we go out to eat. There are a few clubs in Boca.

Things to think about before you ship off to college. Are there things you get on a monthly basis, face cream, percriptions, magazines, just remember to forward it to Lynn. Talk to your pharmacy about making sure you can get everything you need once you arrive in Boca. There is a Walgreens down the street from us which comes in handy if the school nurse wants you to take something. Yes, you are going to get sick… often. Welcome to college.

Now, cars. If you have a car, begin crying now. Gas prices sucked when I left. I don’t even want to think about how high it is going to be when I get back! I spent all my money filling up my tank. Hmm,  I wonder if depression is on the rise in America do to gas prices? That would be a cool research  project. Anyway, random moment for today. Now, if you are planning on getting a drivers license anytime soon, it would be a great idea. Most American kids already have one, but a lot of international kids might not. It will come in handy. You don’t have to have a car, some friends might let you borrow theirs when they have class or something. I just know that some days, it would have been great to have some one else who could drive around. Say the time I got stuck 10 minutes away from school, sick to my stomach, in a ton of pain and no one could come and get me because they didn’t have license. There were cars, but no one to drive them.

Also, the storm alert. It goes off when lightening hits 5 miles within the school. Its loud and is annoying at first but you get used to it. The first time I heard it, I thought we were under attack. lol. And it sucks to wake up to, half awake, still in that confused mode.

I’ve also noticed that a lot of freshmen are concerned about making friends. It’s funny. I’ve moved so many times in my life but I  was worried about making friends when I got to college as well. It is kind of silly looking back on it now since I did just fine. My advice, go to the freshmen meet and greet party. It sound pretty stupid, and I felt like I was back in high school again, but I met Michelle there and thank goodness! We are both bio majors and stick together. She’s moving next door to me which I am so excited about. All I have to say is, give it sometime. Wait a few days for everyone to relax. People will start to open up. Talk to the other freshmen in your classes. That’s how I met Cristina. Just be open minded and go for it!

Well, thats all for now. I’m helping to make dinner and fighting off two tuna hungry cats.

I have been getting a bunch of emails from new freshmen and their parents. It’s awsome! I love it.

For those of you who are curious about greek life, it is amazing. I love my sisters so much, and the frat boys are a ton of fun to hang out with. I am still sad that I missed Tie Date with the ZBT’s. If you aren’t sure, come to rush week. See what the greeks are about, meet a few of us, ask a ton of questions, and see if it is you. Its the best way to learn about the greeks.

BSU is awsome too. A smaller group, not only for Black Students, who love BBQ’s and helping kids. We plan a bunch of activies for children each year, bring in guest speakers and have a ball at each meeting. I think we spend 75% of our time cracking jokes in meetings. Of course we get stuff done, but we have the most fun doing it. BSU is really laxed. I’m trying to grow it for next year and maybe have a few more BBQ’s and bands come in. The guys were talking about having a poetry night…. of course with a band at the end to dance the night away.

Remember, all incoming students and parents of new freshmen can email me at manderson5@email.lynn.edu

Ask me questions, its what I’m here for! I’ve already lived my freshmen year, made the mistakes, ask me the questions so you make less mistakes, spend less time fixing your mistakes, and spend more time enjoying being a freshmen at Lynn.

Advise that will save you, fill out ALL your paperwork BEFORE you get to lynn and then check at least 3 times over one week to make sure that Lynn has all your paperwork. Now if mom and dad seem crazy embrassing by calling the school to see if your paperwork is in, don’t roll your eyes and act like they are treating you like a child. This will save you FOUR HOURS in the gym on the first day… I repeat 4 hours of your life that you will NEVER GET BACK standing around in the gym with all the new kids filling out the forms that you thought were sent in. Double check. It will save you so much time and allow you to enjoy your first day as a college student a whole lot more.

Lord knows I wish I had checked. And this goes double as a student coming from over seas. I was doing all my paperwork in Kuwait and well, that sucked, cause some of it got lost. I had to change addresses and sign stuff. My picture for my ID never got sent. Also, you are going to have that ID for 4 years, PICK YOUR PHOTO, do not take the photo in the gym. Security, professors, the caf people, pretty much anyone you buy something off of will see that picture. You are going to want it to look good. My advise, senior picture. It’s nice (well it should be, it is your senior portrait!) and it will look even better 4 years down the line then when you first roll out of bed at the crack of dawn to get to school because your parents are nervous.