Friday, September 2, 2016

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?

12 comments:

  1. Wow, sounds like things are going great! Your classes sound amazing! And your dorm room looks cozy. :)
    Sounds like you were given some good advice. :) There was a walking path at Bible school of friend of ours wouldn't step foot on, cause it was a notorious place for couples to take walks, and he didn't want anything to do with that. :)
    I really need to reply to your last email, sorry it's been so long!

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    1. Thank you, Bethany! Haha, that's funny. We have a couple swings on campus that are known as the "DTR" swings.

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  2. Okay. I love all of this. Your awesome roomies, that you love your classes, that you have a cool loft, and that you haven't gained the Freshman 15. We are praying for you!
    P.S. Abbey needs care packages.

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  3. I'm so glad you are loving it. Makes me miss my own college days. And I guess it runs in the family - I like commas too. Haha, and dashes.

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  4. oh thanks for the update. We've been wondering how it's all going! I like your space. Good to hear about the roomies too. And your classes sound like they were created especially for you.

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  5. Looks like a wonderful place to write. Reading this post brought back lots of memories from my college days.

    As for updates, I've been outlining my next project, but only in fits and starts. Dealing with a few health issues in my family as well, but God is good. Oh, and of course, playing board games! I got a few really neat ones recently. I know you're busy, but I wonder if you brought any with you and if so if you'll find a friend or two to play with when you get some free time?

    Thanks for the update. So glad to hear that things have gotten off to a wonderful start for you!

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    1. I'm sorry that your family is suffering from health issues, but I'm glad that you can work on a new project.
      I did bring Ticket to Ride with me. I haven't played it yet, but I know that there are people here who enjoy board games. I've seen people playing Catan in the lobby of my dorm.

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  6. Thanks for the update! Sounds like you're settling in nicely. A pool and a hot tub in your DORM?!?!?!?!

    That is... so cool. And so unfair. :-D

    Glad to hear your roomies are nice.

    Also, I tagged you for the Small is Beautiful tag that is going on over at PoetreeandBooks. You don't actually have to do anything if you don't want to, of course, but thought I'd let you know about it: http://jenelleschmidt.com/small-is-beautiful/

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