An Update from Beyond

It's been just over two weeks since I first arrived at school, so I thought it was time for an update post!

Me with most of my stuff the night before leaving home.

The advice:
-Get involved.
-Go to football games.
-Cry if I need to.
-If a boy comes up to me claiming that God told him to marry me, run away. Far away.
-Put studies first and fun second.
-Don't go on walks with boys, for that leads to marriage. (So far, so good! No boys have gone walking with me alone.)

The dorm:

One of my secret desires as a kid was to have a vaulted bed with a desk underneath. Now, that desire has been fulfilled! I love my "cave." I love that all of my stuff is contained in one corner rather than spread out across the room. I love that I can organize everything I own to my own preferences.
The rest of the dorm is really nice, too. Since this building used to be a hotel, it is the only dorm on campus that has a pool and hot tub.

The food:
The one thing I didn't think to buy before school is food. The food here is delicious, but it is a fifteen minute walk from my dorm to the dining hall and sometimes I don't want to make that journey. It's good to have food in the room just in case.
I've managed to stay away from sugar, for the most part! I've been eating a lot of natural sugar in fruit, but I haven't had a single cookie or candy bar since I got here. They're very tempting, but I'm determined not to gain the Freshman Fifteen pounds.


The friends:
God has blessed me with two amazing roommates. We get along really well. We three have been hanging out with the other freshman in our hall (and our "brother hall" downstairs) a lot. It's nice to have a group to do things with. I've also started developing friendships with some of the girls in my classes, too. I have to keep reminding myself that friendships don't form in a week, though. The hardest part of transitioning from "person" to "college person" has been the relational part. It's difficult to be 1,500 miles away from all of the people who know me best. I am very thankful for my roommates who are very encouraging and loving and for the close connection we have, even though it has only been a little over two weeks.

The classes:
I am taking four classes right now and I love them SO MUCH! Spiritual Formation is interesting because I am learning about developing my relationship with God and how that affects other areas in my life. Composition is fantastic because I am learning about editing grammar mistakes and that is what I am here for in the first place—learning the skills to become an editor! Call me crazy, but correct comma usage excites me.
My other two classes are tied for my favorite. One of them is Gothic Literature. So far, we have learned about the context and history of Gothic Literature, we have learned the story components found in most Gothic fiction, we have discussed how as Christians we should approach the horrors of Gothic fiction, and we have read and discussed several Gothic short stories. So far, my favorite short stories have been written by Edgar Allen Poe. Soon, we will move on to the main text of the class: The Phantom of the Opera. Gothic Literature is so fascinating! This class has given me several short story ideas.
My other favorite class is Literary Studies. Much of the enjoyment for this class comes from the teacher. He is so charismatic! And he is very passionate about literature. Also, his specialty is Shakespeare and I love Shakespeare. I hope to take some of his Shakespeare classes someday.
We read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight last week and when we got to class on Thursday, he had us act out Part I! I got to play Gawain and it was so much fun! I couldn't stop grinning all the way to chapel.
I'm so happy to be learning again!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate them. I don't know how often I will be able to blog, but I hope to be able to get at least one or two posts out a month!

Now, tell me, what have you been up to? I feel like I've been severed from the virtual world. What have I missed in your lives?