1. Don't start papers at 11 pm.
2. Eat something.
3. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your own comfort for someone else.
4. Your professor will make a meeting go 30 minutes over.
Hey guys, Megan here. Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I'm kind of in the middle of a family emergency and I was figuring out a bunch of logistical things. I finally have a moment to sit down and relax--there's not a whole lot of work I am willing to do right now anyways. So the big news is that Nicole and I will be leaving at 7am tomorrow for a conference in Iowa and we'll be getting back Sunday night, after which I'll be leaving to go home around 1pm on Monday and getting back on Tuesday night. I guess I'll just be living out of a suitcase for the next five days.
Flying Solo was the name of my yearbook junior year, and it was by far my most difficult, due to the fact that I was dealing with a lot of things at the time as well as tough classes, but it was also really, really enjoyable. I discovered a lot about myself and I also took my first psych and poetry classes... now I'm a psych major with a possible English writing minor, so I guess things worked out.
In case you didn't know, I'm now living alone, essentially flying solo. My roommate transferred to the University of Nebraska--Omaha, and she tells me she's loving it and that it's exactly where she's supposed to be. It also puts her closer to her friends, boyfriend, and family which is really cool. I still miss her a lot though. I think roommates share a really unique bond that comes with the somewhat terrifying experience of going off to college. I see it a lot, especially with the floor that adopted me. Melissa and her roommate are perfect together! It's actually really fun to see them interact. My roommate and I got along well and we had some really great discussions about anything and everything, and I miss that. One of my favorite stories is when I dropped something or did something clumsy and my roommate said to me, "You know... sometimes I wake up and I have bruises that I don't know where they came from, and I feel like that's kind of like your life sometimes." There are tons and tons of quotations like that.
Sure, it's nice to live alone sometimes, but I miss having a roommate--mine was always someone welcoming to come home to. My room is a little more sterile feeling these days. In a way, she was part of what I wanted out of the college experience. She provided me with a different outlook on EVERYTHING! Her life has been completely different than mine and I got loads of new perspective just by listening to her stories. She made me reconsider things I probably needed to. I miss her sometimes, especially just the sound of her skyping her boyfriend or the way she looked like she wanted to murder someone in the mornings. :P We are definitely not morning people. I'd gotten used to falling asleep to her talking and the lights on and now the silence bothers me sometimes. I couldn't sleep at all on my first night back.
So, I miss her. Adjusting to living alone is a lot of getting in the mindset that being alone shouldn't be a cause of loneliness, but rather a source of solitude, and I'm getting there. I've also been lucky enough to be adopted by Nicole, Melissa, and Sally's floor. Everyone there has been so kind and welcoming to me that they've been like a family to me. I have no idea what I'd do without them. So I guess I'm not really flying solo after all, am I?
Peace and be well. Maybe Nicole will blog from Iowa...
-Megan
Showing posts with label dorm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dorm. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Do You Smell That?
1. Real butter is a treasure in a dorm room.
2. When selling chocolate bars for a fundraiser, it's a bad idea to to keep the box in your dorm.
3. Time After Time is an over-done song.
4. Smell the world.
Now I don't know if I am simply weird or if it is just an unspoken thing, but the first thing I notice about people is how they smell. Whenever I am with people, I can't help but notice what they smell like. For example, Megan smells like vanilla, sugar, and a mess of flowers. Melissa smells about the same, but it's less sweet and more rich. My mom, when I was younger, smelled like a bakery/deli because she worked at our local grocery store. When she had her days off, she smelled like clean clothes, her shampoo, and she smelled like her skin. Now, she just smells of home.
It's weird being at college. The first week weeks of living in the dorm were weird. I remember just feeling uncomfortable and I couldn't figure out why but then I figured it out: everything smelled differently. The bathroom didn't smell of my usual shampoo and my mom's hairspray - it now smelled like cleaning products and a mess of hair care supplies. My room smelled like it normally did, but it had a mix of something else. This was the most puzzling to me. I figured out why the bathroom smelled differently (the bathroom was cleaned every other day and was used by 30 girls), but my dorm room confused me the most. I knew my roommate had put out an air freshener, so I closed that for a while, figuring it would go back to the way I think it should smell - it didn't fix it. Finally, I figured it out: I wasn't the only one living in my room. I had my roommate and a ton more people were popping in and out of my dorm daily, so of course my room wouldn't just smell of me. After time, I didn't notice the difference as much.
When I was home for Christmas break, my mom came home one day after work. I had spent the whole day just lounging around and when I came downstairs, my mom looked at me and said, "I forgot you were here; I knew something smelled different." I never thought I had such a distinct smell until today, when I hugged my friend Shelby from behind. Although she didn't see my face, she somehow knew it was me. "I knew it was you," she said. "I could smell you." I laughed at it and made a comment about it later to Megan. "You have a very distinct smell," she said to me. I never thought I had a distinct smell. I never wear perfume and rarely do I put on lotion. The only thing that is consistent that I use that has a smell is my shampoo and conditioner. When I do put on something that has a smell to it, the smell tends to fade quite quickly. It just seems that there is something about me that smells a certain way.
Whenever I spend a few hours or the night in Megan's dorm, I come back smelling like a combination of her dorm (vanilla) and me. And this happens no matter where I go - I always come back smelling a bit different. Even when I hug someone, their smell lingers and it's almost like they are there all the time. It's crazy how much a smell can affect you - it can bring you back to a certain moment or bring back memories of someone. For me, the smell of a garden will forever remind me of my grandma. Beef jerky will remind me of car rides home with my mom from school.
Here's the point I'm trying to make: our sense of smell is here for a reason. Smell the world - I know it sounds funny, but we use our ears, eyes, and hands so often we sometimes forget about our noses. Our sense of smell can remind us of where we have been and who we've been with. Our skin is was reminds people of who we are - that we are real and sitting next to them or really giving them a hug. Sure, they can feel us, but when the smell of us (because each of us has a distinct smell) surrounds them, we really become real and our smell lingers and reminds them of who we are.
Stop and smell the flowers around you - you never know what they will remind you of.
Peace!
-Nicole
2. When selling chocolate bars for a fundraiser, it's a bad idea to to keep the box in your dorm.
3. Time After Time is an over-done song.
4. Smell the world.
Now I don't know if I am simply weird or if it is just an unspoken thing, but the first thing I notice about people is how they smell. Whenever I am with people, I can't help but notice what they smell like. For example, Megan smells like vanilla, sugar, and a mess of flowers. Melissa smells about the same, but it's less sweet and more rich. My mom, when I was younger, smelled like a bakery/deli because she worked at our local grocery store. When she had her days off, she smelled like clean clothes, her shampoo, and she smelled like her skin. Now, she just smells of home.
It's weird being at college. The first week weeks of living in the dorm were weird. I remember just feeling uncomfortable and I couldn't figure out why but then I figured it out: everything smelled differently. The bathroom didn't smell of my usual shampoo and my mom's hairspray - it now smelled like cleaning products and a mess of hair care supplies. My room smelled like it normally did, but it had a mix of something else. This was the most puzzling to me. I figured out why the bathroom smelled differently (the bathroom was cleaned every other day and was used by 30 girls), but my dorm room confused me the most. I knew my roommate had put out an air freshener, so I closed that for a while, figuring it would go back to the way I think it should smell - it didn't fix it. Finally, I figured it out: I wasn't the only one living in my room. I had my roommate and a ton more people were popping in and out of my dorm daily, so of course my room wouldn't just smell of me. After time, I didn't notice the difference as much.
When I was home for Christmas break, my mom came home one day after work. I had spent the whole day just lounging around and when I came downstairs, my mom looked at me and said, "I forgot you were here; I knew something smelled different." I never thought I had such a distinct smell until today, when I hugged my friend Shelby from behind. Although she didn't see my face, she somehow knew it was me. "I knew it was you," she said. "I could smell you." I laughed at it and made a comment about it later to Megan. "You have a very distinct smell," she said to me. I never thought I had a distinct smell. I never wear perfume and rarely do I put on lotion. The only thing that is consistent that I use that has a smell is my shampoo and conditioner. When I do put on something that has a smell to it, the smell tends to fade quite quickly. It just seems that there is something about me that smells a certain way.
Whenever I spend a few hours or the night in Megan's dorm, I come back smelling like a combination of her dorm (vanilla) and me. And this happens no matter where I go - I always come back smelling a bit different. Even when I hug someone, their smell lingers and it's almost like they are there all the time. It's crazy how much a smell can affect you - it can bring you back to a certain moment or bring back memories of someone. For me, the smell of a garden will forever remind me of my grandma. Beef jerky will remind me of car rides home with my mom from school.
Here's the point I'm trying to make: our sense of smell is here for a reason. Smell the world - I know it sounds funny, but we use our ears, eyes, and hands so often we sometimes forget about our noses. Our sense of smell can remind us of where we have been and who we've been with. Our skin is was reminds people of who we are - that we are real and sitting next to them or really giving them a hug. Sure, they can feel us, but when the smell of us (because each of us has a distinct smell) surrounds them, we really become real and our smell lingers and reminds them of who we are.
Stop and smell the flowers around you - you never know what they will remind you of.
Peace!
-Nicole
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Rest of the Story
1. Unplug yourself from technology during stressful times - it may increase your productivity.
2. Wear comfortable clothes during finals - you'll be happy you did.
3. Puppy love is the best.
4. The rest of the story has to be written.
Day one of finals week: Complete. Tomorrow is our last day of classes and then Wednesday-Friday are finals. It is getting to be crunch time - well, it has been crunch time for quite a while, but now everyone is feeling it. Most people can't wait for the semester to be over, but for me, it's bittersweet.
If I go back to back to August 28th, I was feeling so anxious and excited.
I had no idea what was coming but I was ok with it. I was so excited to start a new chapter in my life - heck, I waited years for that moment to come. I was as ready as I could be. I situated myself into my room and went to orientation.
I loved orientation. It prepared me for what I didn't know what I needed to be prepared for. I loved my orientation group and I would be spending the rest of the semester in class with them. This picture was taken one of the last days of orientation, little to my knowledge that this was my first college family. I love each and every one of them like a sibling and they are so dear to me.
Then life became very bizarre...which is when I started this blog. I thought I would have a strict schedule and I thought I would act just as I had before, just without as much anxiety as before. I never expected for this to happen. Every day brings something new and I mean new. I never know what to expect. Sometimes I wish for consistency, but most of the time, I love the craziness. And I've done some crazy things. Heck, Megan jokes that I now have a reputation. I am the "pink-haired, bubbly, loud, emotional, girl-with-the-ideas, theatrical, cute-clothes-wearing, Harry Potter and Doctor Who fan, touchy-feely, organized, army-building" girl. Ok, so maybe most of that stuff isn't included in my reputation, but my friends sure do know about all of it.
Good luck on finals and whatever else is going on in your life.
Peace!
2. Wear comfortable clothes during finals - you'll be happy you did.
3. Puppy love is the best.
4. The rest of the story has to be written.
Day one of finals week: Complete. Tomorrow is our last day of classes and then Wednesday-Friday are finals. It is getting to be crunch time - well, it has been crunch time for quite a while, but now everyone is feeling it. Most people can't wait for the semester to be over, but for me, it's bittersweet.
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| "Move-in day" me |
 |
| My club - see me in the middle, poking my head out? |
 |
| Crazy how even now it represents all of our personalities (I'm center in the back row, choking my friend) |
I've changed so much. I think of when I've gone to camp or mission trips in years past and come back suddenly and abruptly changed. It's all good, but that change often doesn't last long. It's that mountaintop experience, where you feel so emotionally high and then you back to reality and that mountaintop experience was too short to really learn from that experience. For a while, I felt like college was like that. Orientation felt like camp: everything was planned out and I was in a specific group. It felt like a mountaintop experience.
But now I have started to live on that mountaintop. And I've made friends. I became friends with Melissa who accepted me for who I was instantly and allowed me to be me fully for the first time in a long time. She introduced me to Megan, who I have become connected to at the heart. I've also met Sally, Stef, Erin, and so many other people who have started to camp with me onto of that mountain with me.
Throughout my classes, I've learned to look up, instead of looking down from my position on the mountain. Little did I know that there are other mountains to climb where I could experience more mountaintop experiences. Before, I've always been looking down to see where I've been and to see how far I've gone. I'd been waiting for college for so that I didn't remember to keep on looking farther up. There is so much more waiting for me to climb. And I'm not discouraged by it...these aren't goals set by other people; I choose what one to climb. If I don't like it, all I have to do is switch to another.
I've been living on this mountain for a while and it's become semi-comfortable. As the semester ends, I can't help but think I am ready for the semester to end. But maybe I'm not. I love how everything about college is still new to me. But as these last few weeks have passed, things are becoming not-so-new, like when to eat dinner to avoid the dinner rush, the best places to study, when to get the best shower in the bathroom, or how long it takes to walk to class.
I'm also slightly sad because I will have to home for about a month. The concept of home has completely changed in my mind. Home has always been at my house; now it's mainly my dorm. When I spent mid-sem and Thanksgiving at my house, all I wanted after a few days was to go back my dorm. My college family was there and I missed seeing them. Yes, I do miss my house and my mother, but I was ready to move out when I came to college. I'm not ready to say goodbye to my friends, even if it is only for a month.
I'm also slightly sad because I will have to home for about a month. The concept of home has completely changed in my mind. Home has always been at my house; now it's mainly my dorm. When I spent mid-sem and Thanksgiving at my house, all I wanted after a few days was to go back my dorm. My college family was there and I missed seeing them. Yes, I do miss my house and my mother, but I was ready to move out when I came to college. I'm not ready to say goodbye to my friends, even if it is only for a month.
The end of the semester doesn't mean huge changes are in store. It just means that the beginning has ended...now it's time for the rest of the story to start. And I can't wait to see what crazy things are going happen.
It's going to be quite the adventure and quite a beautiful mess.
Good luck on finals and whatever else is going on in your life.
Peace!
-Nicole
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
I Lost My Phone
1. Breakfast is delicious, especially when you haven't had a good one in a few days.
2. Getting done with classes at 9:40am is awesome.
3. Gloves are useful when dying hair.
4. Maybe losing your phone isn't such a bad thing.
I lost my cell phone today. I had a class from 8:00am until 9:40am and then I had the rest of the day free to do homework and such. Right after class, I checked my mailbox and headed straight for my dorm room. I threw my stuff on the floor, grabbed my laundry, and headed downstairs to clean my clothes. On the way down, I noticed I didn't have my phone. "I'll just grab it later. It has to be somewhere," I said to myself.
So, after an hour and half, I went back upstairs to put my clean clothes away and then head to lunch. I put all of my stuff away, including the stuff I thrown on the ground earlier. Just as I was about to leave, I still had no phone. My room was completely clean and I could not find my phone. "I must have left it in the classroom." So, I went to go check for it. Still, nothing. I asked the information desk if someone had returned it, and they didn't have it. I decided I needed food before I continued on my adventure to find my phone.
I grabbed some food and sat down. It was then I realized that I have an iPhone and on that iPhone I have the "Find My iPhone" app, which allows me to go online and locate it. I logged on and located it. It was still on campus, so I zoomed in to see exactly where it is.
Turns out it was still in my dorm room. A few minutes later, I remembered I had put it up on my loft bed for safe-keeping. It was safe alright, but it just liked to hide from me.
I go through these phases where I forget and lose everything. I've already lost my hat, a favorite ring, and a pair of earrings (which I just found). I also forget about homework and stuff on my calendar. It's not that I'm disorganized; I'm probably the most organized person ever. It's just I get so wrapped up in life and I forget everything else.
And maybe that's not such a bad thing. I become so much engulfed in the present that I forget about everything else. I've always been told to just focus on the present and it seems without trying, I am. And it feels pretty good because the present is all we have.
But I do miss my red hat... maybe I should look at my schedule a bit more often. Find a balance and the present will be amazing, all the while having the future within reach.
Peace!
-Nicole
2. Getting done with classes at 9:40am is awesome.
3. Gloves are useful when dying hair.
4. Maybe losing your phone isn't such a bad thing.
I lost my cell phone today. I had a class from 8:00am until 9:40am and then I had the rest of the day free to do homework and such. Right after class, I checked my mailbox and headed straight for my dorm room. I threw my stuff on the floor, grabbed my laundry, and headed downstairs to clean my clothes. On the way down, I noticed I didn't have my phone. "I'll just grab it later. It has to be somewhere," I said to myself.
So, after an hour and half, I went back upstairs to put my clean clothes away and then head to lunch. I put all of my stuff away, including the stuff I thrown on the ground earlier. Just as I was about to leave, I still had no phone. My room was completely clean and I could not find my phone. "I must have left it in the classroom." So, I went to go check for it. Still, nothing. I asked the information desk if someone had returned it, and they didn't have it. I decided I needed food before I continued on my adventure to find my phone.
I grabbed some food and sat down. It was then I realized that I have an iPhone and on that iPhone I have the "Find My iPhone" app, which allows me to go online and locate it. I logged on and located it. It was still on campus, so I zoomed in to see exactly where it is.
Turns out it was still in my dorm room. A few minutes later, I remembered I had put it up on my loft bed for safe-keeping. It was safe alright, but it just liked to hide from me.
I go through these phases where I forget and lose everything. I've already lost my hat, a favorite ring, and a pair of earrings (which I just found). I also forget about homework and stuff on my calendar. It's not that I'm disorganized; I'm probably the most organized person ever. It's just I get so wrapped up in life and I forget everything else.
And maybe that's not such a bad thing. I become so much engulfed in the present that I forget about everything else. I've always been told to just focus on the present and it seems without trying, I am. And it feels pretty good because the present is all we have.
But I do miss my red hat... maybe I should look at my schedule a bit more often. Find a balance and the present will be amazing, all the while having the future within reach.
Peace!
-Nicole
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
That Gut Feeling
Today was quite the adventure, as I am sure it will always be. Woke up at 6:45am, did some orientation stuff, then had a book discussion on Zoli by Colum McCann. It was such a tiring day, but I did learn quite a few things.
1. Never forget your bed is lofted when getting up.
2. Naps, no matter how short, are a blessing.
3. Try not to slam your finger in the door. Ouch.
3. Try not to slam your finger in the door. Ouch.
4. Stick to your gut feeling.
I climbed into bed tonight thinking about the night I just had. My orientation group went to our leader's apartment on campus to have our book discussion. The discussion was fantastic and we had a great game of Apples to Apples while enjoying root beer floats.
We were all about to leave, then one of us made the comment that if someone were to come into the room at that moment, one would think beer was being passed around because we were having our ROOT beer floats in plastic cups. So we took a picture of all of us with our cups. We laughed and I promised to post it on Facebook once I got back to my dorm. I got back to my dorm, posted it, tagged everyone and went to bed.
But I couldn't fall asleep. I climbed out of my bed, realizing I had made a small step towards who I didn't want to be. It was a fantastic evening and I couldn't have asked for a better orientation experience. But my gut was telling me someone was not right. I still have my confirmation girls who look up to me, along with tons of other kids who are watching my every move, especially what I post on my Facebook. The photo is funny but unless you were one of the people attending the evening, it may come across the wrong way. Plus it wasn't me nor who I wanted be.
So one of the first lessons of college: stick to your gut feeling.
Peace!
-Nicole
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