Do you know what today is? Today is the day I become glued to my TV. That’s right, its the Olympics! HEAVEN! Of course I’m totally rooting for Michael Phelps. My cousin got me intrested in him during the last Olympics.

Swimming, soccer, and gymnastics. Ya, I’m going to be getting a lot done. I guess I’m going to have to stop for a few minutes and call Cristaina on Sunday since it is her birthday…. hmmmm…. must make time for that or I’m going to get an ear full.

The first few days back to school are going to be so exciting! I have so many presents to give people, like the awsome birthday presents for my two amazing future roomates.

Here is a list of a few things you might want to think about getting for your dorm room. Your future home away from home.

• Lamps! During the day, the Florida sun floods the rooms with light. At night, it’s a totally different story. Lamps come in handy. Ones that are easy to move are great since it may take a few tries to figure out how you like your new dorm room.
• Two sets of bedding. Ah… college happens?
• Extra pillows. Sometimes friends come over and there aren’t enough places to sit. Pillows come in handy. Plus, they are soft and comfortable.
• Storage containers. All shapes and sizes. I put my CD’s and video’s in two small ones. My seasonal clothes in large ones.
• A night stand. Where else do you think your alarm clock is going to sit? Think about multi-functional. A chair that also can store things away? Space is limited.
• Bed padding! The most amazing thing ever created for college students! Grab a few and enjoy the soft bed full of comfort! Everyone should enjoy college, down to their bed.
• A few towels. One week to another can be crazy, wild or boring. Washing clothes and towels might wait 2 weeks.
• A TV
• A mini fridge. Things for snacks.
• A microwave.
• A shower basket to keep all your personal toiletries in and not mix up with your roommate or to get lost in the bathroom, you know, for those who share and have to carry their stuff in and out of the bathroom. Think about it, do you really want to be standing in a towel or a bath robe carrying 4 or 5 things in your arms, trying to unlock your door, praying that a bunch of crazy boys don’t run down the hall and yank your towel down.
• Cork boards. Yes, there is an ‘S’ at the end! Having a cork board on your door can be great! Let everyone know that some one’s birthday is coming up, or that Lynn won the basketball game. Plus, they are great for reminders, meetings and classes, etc.
• A place setting for two. The caf. gets boring. Some times students order out. Don’t forget the forks and knives!
• A hard pillow to lean on. I do most of my typing in bed, with a hard pillow behind me to keep me awake. I like to be comfortable while I write.
• Wall Art of course! White walls are no fun to look at for 8 months!

Stay tuned. More to come! Right now, I have some things to do.

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 never thought I could be so happy to be packing in my life! After all the moves I’ve done in 19 years, I should be my normal grumpy self. But no! Not this time. I’m thrilled to be putting everything away and putting it in storage for a few months. Fly home to be with my cats and my mommy!!! Good food! Just… all the great stuff in life! haha.

I just got home from the movies with Cristina and Samara. We saw Made Of Honor. Great movie! We loved it so much that we couldn’t even remember what we had seen two days ago. It was a sad moment.

I’m off to bed so I can get up early to pack. More packing! Does it ever end? Well its got to by tuesday evening cause I’m flying home on Wednesday!!! Freshmen year is down to its last few hours! Oh and what an amazing roller coaster ride it has been!

YES!  I got the room I wanted for next year… oh ya, oh ya, oh ya! I am so excited. I’m moving in with Cristina and Samara. Best part ever, Rob is going to be living right across from us! All I will have to do to see him next year is open the door and yell! haha. I am SSSSOOOO excited! It pays to move on up in college. Right next to the laundry room. Its perfect. Really, it is going to be a great year. So many people I know are going to be right by me. I think Gene is going to be living next door. Michelle is moving on campus next  year. Even better! This way I can see her more and spend time with her without having to plan so far ahead! I am thrilled. Next year is going to rock. I get to be close to all my favorite people!

• Call them in class and tell them that their car needs to be moved. Today I got a call telling me that I needed to move my car because of the One Republic concert on monday. They are trying to set up and a bunch of cars were in the way. Just give me a heart attack why don’t you!
• Inform them of all the information that they thought they knew, was wrong. I thought I knew the basics of genetics. Honestly, what in the world do they teach us in high school??? I have never been more confused in my life of what makes a male and a female. XY, XXY, ZW,XO, haploid, diploid. Lord, and its a gene here on this chromosome… *shakes head* I like the old system, you know the one in first grade on the playground, “boys have cooties”, ya lets go back to that one.
• Inform the class that their exam starts at 8am… when normally the class starts at 9am. Watch the confusion spread like wild fire.
• Set the alarm for 8am, and it does not go off so the student has a panic attack at 10:05am wondering what happened. Honestly, how in the world could I miss that annoying sound first thing in the morning??? I hate alarm clocks! They are evil I tell you!
• Give out half the information to the student population and watch the rumors fly. How many people were confused about J-term and the Foreign Language department??? A meeting had to be called for the whole student body just to get everything in order.
• Have the RA bang on a student’s door and loudly announce it’s them after quiet hours. I had a Health and Safety inspection a few days ago at like 11pm. It scared the living daylights out of me! I was like, I’m only watching TV and doing work on my laptop, what could I have done wrong??? Traj and Iggy realized I was seriously confused and just told me it was health and safety. I was like ooooh, ok come in. If they had come 20 minutes later, I would have been fast asleep and even more confused.

Freshmen 101 tip: Its ok to make mistakes.

Its now close to the end of this school year, I can now look back and see a lot of things. I can see that when I first got to Lynn, I was sure that everything was going to be perfect. That everything was going to be great. I guess I was hoping that being an adult was going to be easy. Boy was I wrong.

Its ok to make mistakes! Doesn’t it seem like your parents make everything look so easy? Well lets not forget that they had a head start. They made the mistakes already, or at least we would hope, they have had time to perfect the art of being an adult. Well, at least we hope they are a lot better at it then the average college student!

I remember in high school how I was scared to make a mistake and of course, being the typical teenager, my first thought would be, “My mother is going to kill me!” Since day one, I’ve made who knows how many mistakes. From losing information, forgetting to drop off my laundry, over sleeping, not doing a homework assignment (or two), let my account get into the negative, fought with my friends when I shouldn’t, got a speeding ticket, locked myself out of my room (twice), pissed off my floor with my alarm clock, left food out and got ants one day, didn’t back up my files and so when my laptop crashed I had nothing, starting to get the picture? 

I don’t know what I would do without my mom. I used to be close to my mom when I was at home, but I think I got a whole lot closer to my mother on a new level once I got to college.  Now I call her when I’m stressed out, when I’m having a good day or a bad day, when I just need to talk, when I’m homesick, and when I mess up royally. I’m also getting to see a new side of my mom. She’s more supportive than I ever thought she would be. lol. Sounds mean, but when I was at home, I was always scared to get into trouble, but now I know that my mother will be upset, but she’ll still support me and help me through whatever it is I have gotten myself this time. She has really surprised me since I’ve gotten to college. A lot of stuff I was sure I was never going to get passed the yelling, and yet, she never raised her voice once but informed me that I was just learning a life lesson and that this too would pass. The first time she didn’t yell at me or give me a lecture I nearly fainted.

And thank goodness for friends! Between me and my three friends, we make a lot of mistakes but we’ve got each others backs. College can be scary if you are all alone. We learn from each other which is great and we support each other. Between Cristina working herself to death, Rob not being able to focus some nights and just needing someone else to type for him, and Eric to have somone on him about cleaning his room and doing his homework, we are always there for each other.

Its ok to make mistakes. As long as you are learning from them. Being an adult is not as easy as it seems. I’m starting to think that college is four years of trying to figure out yourself, your future, how the world works and where you fit into it. Don’t be so hard on yourself when you first get to college, make mistakes, learn from them, and move on.

I went to spend time with  the guys after a long week without seeing them. I saw Rob first and we went out for food and had our catch up time while we chilled. Then Eric started looking for me, so I went to his room and chatted with him for a while, saw some pictures from his vacation and then Rob was calling me again. I was just walking back and forth from their rooms for a while, which looks stupid since they are only two doors apart. lol. Poeple see me walking and it was like, no I’m not crazy, I am just seeing my friends.

Some how Rob and I were really energetic tonight and well, we ended up cleaning his room until almost 4 in the morning. No lie, we were cleaning HIS room till almost 4 am. My room still needs work but hey, at least his new roomate Dan will have a lovely surprise when he returns to his room. Next week, Eric’s room! He just doesn’t know it yet. lol. We like to surprise him when it comes to things like this. I’ll clean my room tomorrow afternoon. It would come in handy to have it a little more organized. It got messy when I was looking for stuff to take home for Spring break. Totally forgot I left half my shirts on the other bed.

Now I better to get to sleep so I can pretend like I got some rest for my first day back! Bio at 9 am!

My room is a mess right now. I have been hunting for my BSU shirt which is no where to be found. Err. So yes, now my room is a mess and there are shirts covering the floor. Where is that stupid shirt? I don’t know how I keep losing so many shirts in this tiny room!

I am thinking about becoming an RA…. hmm. I talked it over with my mom. She likes the idea. I’m still not sold yet.

More to come! Now I must sleep! Its 2:30 in the morning. Don’t ask why I am up, I’m not even sure.