Damn it Sleep..

*Phillip Phillip's recently release album is currently played in the background.

So I have been feeling...out of it (for lack of a better term, or maybe laziness).

Davidson is a very harsh place to be. Don't get me wrong, I love it here and the people who I have become very close to are amazing. And those who I haven't talked to as much are still equally as amazing. Everyone is so helpful, so encouraging. But that doesn't stop some of us from feeling out of place.

Like for example, I have spent Saturday-Tuesday staying up doing homework, studying etc until 3am. And that's terrible for me! (I am going to be just rambling, therefore revealing many many things about myself which I'm sure you might not know..)
Why is this lack of sleep terrible? Because, I was an insomniac for most of my childhood. In short, I slept maximum about 8-10 hours a week from ages 10 till about 15. Around 16 I started taking medication and so it took about 2 years to stabilize my sleep to normality. And all I can say is F***K YOU Davidson for trying to keep your ranks in the Most Rigorous Colleges in the Nation list... Seriously what the fuck? (yes I didn't spell fuck in all caps because I felt that would be too much..)
Not only that, I had to spend Thanksgiving worrying about doing homework, without actually doing it until the Saturday night. Why wait? Because it was Thanksgiving BREAK. Why else?? Whatever, my research paper, review, and quizzes are over. Now I just have one more test tonight (German during my AT session at 7pm) to worry about and then a well deserved weekend-break.

But it won't even be a break. Because unlike many of the students here (or at least many that I have seen) I have to study constantly to retain knowledge. I wish I was like these students (and my brothers too, I don't know why I'm not like that, it SHOULD be genetic!) who could hear a lecture, and who learn right off the bat. As in, if they hear it they retain the knowledge. And reading something later just enforces it. I can't do that. I'll remember examples for things, but I won't remember the thing...I have to constantly study. And finals are coming...therefore I must study now. Blah!

But alas, I have work study in about 10 minutes, so I should probably make my bed (why would I make it before going to a review? I knew I'd need comfort afterwards!) and head out to Watson to go work for Mrs. Duncan. But mostly likely she won't have anything for me to do, so I'll go down to the lab and help out with research. Its still work, and I don't mind it. At least I'm getting good at hunting down research articles!

There is plenty more I would like to talk about, and perhaps I will do so more often. Or maybe even tonight. I have been making a habit of going down to the library to study (which really helps! I am giving it credit for the confidence which I am currently in possession of for my Psychology review) but I might break that tonight and write. Or skype my parents, I haven't in almost two weeks. And I haven't seen them face to face since August 22 not even at the crack of dawn, in my Maywood/Los Angeles home.
I need December 18th to come, I'll be going home that day <3.

Anyways bye bye for now world. Time to work!

Thanksgiving & Academic Complaining (Sorry!)

This is (for obvious reasons) the first time I'm celebrating Thanksgiving but, no kidding, I have really felt the urge these days to reflect on and remind myself of all the things that I'm thankful for. I'm happy to be spending the break with the family of a person very special to me, in their home in South Carolina. I'm lucky to have that person in my life; I'm also thankful for all the amazing people I got to meet in the latest months, as well as for all the special people at home that I've kept in touch with (including my friend from home, Elina, whose birthday is in a few hours)! I'm also extremely relieved to have had a seemingly infinite amount of time to sleep during the break. Believe me - I needed that sleep.

I'm thankful for a "shitload" - as Luna very accurately described it - of other things as well. Like, for example, that this semester is coming to an end, with just over three weeks left until Winter Break, when I'm going to travel back to Greece. No, I'm not implying that I haven't enjoyed myself in the past months - my first semester at Davidson, in college, has probably been one of my best 4-month periods of my life; it's just that I've gotten way too stressed as far as my classes are concerned. I am doing well, but at the same time I feel that choosing such a "hard" curriculum for my first semester was sort of a mistake. Organic Chemistry (in which I belonged to the minority of non-premed students) I was happy to take - even though it was challenging, the material was way too interesting for me to care. But Calculus III, with the endless graded homework assignments that took up so much time, and the fact that it was an 8.30 class I accidentally slept through a couple of times and often struggled not to fall back to sleep in, was painful. I am ashamed of myself for saying that, 'cause Mathematics was always one of the most intriguing subjects for me, but I'm SOOOO looking forward to next semester, in which I won't have to take any more math classes.

I'm sorry to be bitching about my work in a Thanksiving post. But the fact that it's Thanksgiving break and I have free time is partially the reason why I am publishing this now. So, I'll go on, to describe something I'm really concerned about, and which has actually gotten me really angry for a while. If you take out our Writing Class, which is a freshman class, all of my other classes are mostly filled with upperclassmen, who are a "weee bit" more acclimatized to the academic curriculum of Davidson than we, freshmen, are (that's OK, so far, after all, it was me who chose to be in those classes). My Chemistry 201 class also happens to involve a "shitload" of premed students, most of whom seem to me a little too uptight and competitive. Well, as I try to keep an open mind, I usually don't want to make generalizations about such things and, to be fair, there is a particular sophomore pre-med girl in my class (shoutout to Shannon, please!) who seems to know her stuff better than anyone else, and yet is always approachable and kind should someone ask for her help. But the feeling I've gotten from almost everyone else is the "Leave-me-alone-I-don't-even-care-what-your-name-is-I'm-pretty-sure-I'm-doing-much-better-on-the-reviews-than-you-because-I-work-on-every-single-excercise-on-the-book-and-you-don't" look.

Like, seriously? I don't mind my academic environment being competitive, in the sense of having competent classmates who are striving for excellence (If I did mind that, I wouldn't have decided to come to Davidson in the first place). This encourages me to be better as well. But there's a good kind of competition (what I just mentioned) as well as a bad kind of competition. There was one day I met with my assigned study group to do a "group practice review" that would count some points towards one of our Chemistry reviews. While we were solving a problem about reaction mechanisms, I asked the group a question about where exactly a particular arrow's start and end points should be correctly placed (I won't explain the question here, as it gets unnecessarily technical), so we all searched the book for a similar example. After we found out that the position of the arrow's startpoint did have an effect in general, but not to an extent that was crucial for the answer to the review's particular problem, I got the comment, "It would help if you weren't so picky about such things!"

Well, I'm sorry, then! I'm sorry for having learned that one has to be precise in what they say, especially when it's related to science. I'm sorry for not considering it sufficient to give a vague answer, hoping that "the professor" will know "what I'm trying to say" and give me the points! I'm sorry for caring about Chemistry more than I care about a freaking grade on a review or an MCAT report card!

I'm sorry if I'm being an "angry bitch", complaining about my problems with my classmates here, on a friendly Meow! blog. But I'm not really angry at the particular girl who made that comment, or at every other student I see being uptight and unwilling to talk to any of their "competitor" classmates. If they want to be bitter, let them be and, although I personally gain energy by seeing people smiling and being positive, I can always turn around and find such people just around the corner. The problem is that, it's a fact, medical school is competitive, and for one to get in it, one must excel academically. Sadly, for some people, GPA is all that matters, or all that should matter, if you want to stand any chance at getting in one of those schools.

Sigh... I just wish more people went to college to learn, just for the sake of learning itself. Work for their future as well as enjoy the present, because after all, one never knows what the future holds. To return to the Thanksgiving spirit, I'm so grateful to be studying at a liberal arts college and to have so much to choose from in terms of academic (and non-academic) disciplines. Next semester, I'm going to give Antropology a try; I'm also going to enroll in a Music Composition class, which so far has only 5 students, and about which I'm very excited! What more could I ask for?

Post Thanksgiving..

What am I thankful for?

a SHITLOAD of things.... now here comes the List:

I am thankful for:
1) My loving family - without them I probably wouldn't be where I am now. They have supported me through all of my decisions and have loved me unconditionally, despite all of my mistakes.
2) My health - I have struggled with it so much, I am grateful to simply be healthy.
3) My loving boyfriend - who says long distance relationships can't work? Its been almost 4 months since I've seen him, and yes it has not been easy and perfect but I can honestly say that I am as much in love with him now then I was when I left.
4) All of my friends, the ones I have back home and the ones I have made here - I know that all the people back home whom I love still love me back, and I am grateful to still have them through my troubling times here. I can count on them despite the distance.
The friends who I have made here are all so amazing, I don't know how sane I would be without them right now. They have made me smile, laugh, cry, and love. They match my craziness in a way which I thought was only possible back home. And I am grateful to have found people like all of them here.
5) College - It is a miracle for me to be in college. If it wasn't for the Davidson Trust, I probably wouldn't be going to college. Maybe a community college for a semester or two. But I am grateful to have found Davidson, and grateful that they accepted me and actually gave me financial aid!
6) Leigh Chandler and Rosi Goetz - They both invited me to go over to their house and spend Thanksgiving with them because I had no where else to go. This makes me feel so loved and happy, I can't even put words to it...
7) Jean Paul Garcia - my home away from home. I don't know what I would do without my friend who I have known since 2nd grade. Crazy shit!
8) Non-Commons Food - 'nuff said.

There are of COURSE plenty of other things I am thankful for, but who wants this list to be so huge?!
Oh well, here's my small list...

What I am NOT grateful for? The fact that I have SHIT LOADS of homework....

oh well the life of a Davidson College student <3

A short piece of advice following a long story

The following short note is a piece of advice to any current or prospective student at Davidson... and I suppose at quite a few other colleges and universities around here.

So, here's a story. Yesterday, Wednesday that is, after having reassured myself that Fall Break had given me the opportunity to get a little bit ahead on schoolwork, and after having created a perfect daily & weekly schedule to help me maintain this advantaged position for as long as possible, I had planned to have dinner with most of Davidson's international students in the international lounge of the Duke residence hall. This basically meant I would get free dinner, so I made sure to spend my meal-plan money for that day stocking up on cereal in the Union (non-Davidson students: I will explain what I mean by "meal-plan money"... sometime). I then happily proceeded to Duke at 6pm, met with the international students that were there and got really excited to see them while we all waited for the food to come.

I had even been holding and sort-of playing a guitar while walking to Duke, since that guitar belonged in the international lounge and my friend Blanca, whom I met on my way there, wanted to return it. Anyway, the reason why I was holding a guitar is not important. My point is, you can get the picture; I looked, and honestly was, very happy and excited for that dinner.

Then, I saw Erik.

I don't really want to precisely narrate what happened right after I greeted Erik and sensed that he wasn't nearly as excited as I was, mainly because most of the story involves me whining around, in and out of the international lounge, trying (but failing) to find comfort in Erik's hugs and begging him to wake me up from that "nightmare"... which was, unfortunately, reality.

Long story short: Erik and I (and, by the way, Jourdan) are in the same writing class. It was that same class that we had a midterm on due this Monday, three days ago. It turns out, we had another assignment due for that class - on that Wednesday, 8pm. It was written on the syllabus. Erik hadn't noticed until a classmate texted him shortly before the international meeting started. Neither had I, until shortly after the international meeting started, which was when Erik told me.

Needless to say, I did not have dinner with the international students on that day. After seeing that the line for food was way too long, I just dashed to the library and, after announcing with desperation to another ignorant classmate that she (as well as I) would have to write 1,000 words on this freaking video in one-and-a-half hour, grabbed a seat in front of a computer and, while miserably chewing on the cereal I had gotten earlier as my new "dinner" option, started wondering how in the world I would be able to submit that essay by 8pm.

Which, of course, due to my annoying and unconquerable perfectionism, I failed at doing. Around 40 minutes before the 8pm deadline, I e-mailed the professor to ask for a 3-hour extension, explaining and apologizing for completely forgetting about the assignment since it was due 2 days after the midterm for the same class, but I never heard back from her. I ultimately wrote and submitted my essay in the class' blog at 11:00pm (I know, this took me way too long, but, as I said, perfectionism sucks, especially when your result ends up to be nowhere near perfect), but I still don't know what is going to be done with it. I feel ashamed.

Moral(s) of the story:

1. THE SYLLABUS IS YOUR BIBLE. I sadly had to learn the hard way that teachers will not always remind you about assignments, as many of them assume that, since those written on the syllabus, which -ehem- you check regularly, you know exactly when they are due. I generally am this kind of regular syllabus checker, as assignments for classes usually follow a steady pace (e.g. one paper per week), but, this time, the possibility that a paper would be following the deadline of a midterm by such a short length of time was beyond my imagination.

2. If, sometime during the semester, your day's to-do list feels pretty easy to manage in your given time, check again - this is not normal! If not always, in most cases there is something you've forgotten to include in the list. The earlier you check, the least likely you are to find yourself 2 hours before the deadline of a paper you haven't yet started!

Sigh. I know, it's all my fault...

Taking a deep breath...

It's me, Natalia. I know it has been a tremendously long time.

I'm in the Union right now, just finished with my writing assignment that was due today... Monday of Fall Break, that is. I was initially (and maybe a small part of me still is) frustrated and angry to probably be in the only Davidson course that had a midterm assignment due during the break - OK, Dr. S, everybody knows Fall Break is an illusion, since pretty much everyone has homework, reviews (ps: a "review" is a test in Davidson terms, just saying) and other stuff to study for; but at least you could have helped us maintain that illusion and find internal peace by formally assigning the midterm deadline a bit later - but, now, I'm actually quite thankful for that deadline being there, since it helped me hold myself together and to build a break schedule that I - sort of - kept to to a reasonable extent.

Apart from feeling relieved to have finished my essay on Queer Culture right now (I'm so proud of it I'm giving you you the link to read it here if you're bored and have nothing to do; which I doubt is the case if you are studying at, or planning to apply to, Davidson), I can actually say I have enjoyed the break so far. The whole campus is admittedly much, much emptier; there are only four of us still left on my hall, my roommate Tyler is coming back tomorrow and the Union is almost as quiet as the library - however, I'm lucky enough to still have a handful of my very good friends (including our Luna) staying here.

Best thing about fall break: SLEEP. Worst thing about it: You actually have to figure out a way to feed yourself on your own, since the meal plan is not going on during the break. Suggestion: Walk to Harris Teeter (or drive there if you mind walking uphill with grocery bags stopping your hands' blood flow) and find stuff to cook or microwave, or go to El Paraiso for some tasty fajitas or chicken with rice.

By the way, yes, I belong to the minority of students who actually stayed on campus for Fall Break, although I did not originally plan to do so. Until two days before the break, I had been signed up for an environmental service trip to Ashville, which was a collaboration between our student organization "Alternative Breaks" and the environmental project team "Greenworks". I do feel irresponsible to have dropped out of the trip at somewhere close to the last minute, but I'm still strongly held to the opinion that I would probably be dead by now if I hadn't. As the weeks from the time I signed up for the trip went by, I gradually realized how much I needed that break. I might sound healthy and refreshed right now, but this is precisely due to my decision to stay here. Up until that very last Friday, I was exhausted. Like, really, really exhausted.

Which brings me to my point, and to the reason why the Meow-obsessed me hasn't posted a single "purr" since August 27, the first day of classes, although my first two months here have been far from devoid of news to share.

I don't get much free time around here, to be perfectly honest. In between doing Calc homework, writing essays about queer culture, trying to find time to study for Organic Chemistry which I love, going to classes, shooting and editing videos for my work-study, procrastinating by playing the piano in the Union, taking a break by learning how to fence (HELL YEAH), going to the Lake Campus for my Waterskiing class (DOUBLE HELL-YEAH), pulling all-nighters writing about Ancient Greek philosophy and ironically sleeping through half of an "extraction of caffeine from tea" lab on the next day, I try to make as much time I can for my friends and beloved boyfriend. Not that they are in a much better position than me, either. At least I'm happy not to be alone on that matter; I admit it, I have had a couple of break-downs (like, for example, last Monday, when I missed Commons lunch for 3 minutes working on a pre-lab and could not eat at the Union since my work-study on that day was from 2 to 5pm, i.e. exactly the period during which you could have lunch there), but I by no means regret my decision to come here.

Why is that, you ask? Because I have finally found myself in a place where I'm not afraid that showing who I am is going to hurt me. Also, I find that people here are much more open; although Davidson is, of course, not a perfect place with perfect people, I generally get the feeling that there is far less "labeling" and far more honesty in my relationships with other people than in high school... Probably because we are all more or less on the same boat. I don't feel bad "nerdy" for spending more time in the library than in my own room, because the vast majority of people I've met here don't feel any "shame" in working hard and admitting that they do so.

And, for those of you who could be reading this and not have visited or known about Davidson before, no, this is not a nerdy place where everybody sleeps in the library, has breakdowns and wants to kill themselves after the first month. It's definitely NOT that kind of college. I can't really explain why, but, somehow, one will always find something fulfilling for them here, whether it will be a new passion you discover, a new person you meet or a new crazy club you've never joined before but suddenly had the urge to.

Oh, and another reason Davidson is awesome: if you walk near the woods around campus at night, you are mostly certain to see a deer. Or Two. Or More. Enough said. Picture time!

Photo taken by my friend David, near his house, just across the parking lot.
"It's true; Bambi lives in our backyard"

If you look very closely, you can see me and Lauren  Lu in fencing suits.

Somewhere early September, studying Calculus
 at too-late o'clock.

My favorite place

One of my favorite moments at Davidson: the sun that comes  after heavy rain...

The Mistakes We Make In College

One concussion, case of alcohol poisoning, and overnight hospital stay later, I'm still alive. Somehow.
I was probably who Luna had in mind when she mentioned the ones who say screw it and just party. It was how I was raised, and I really don't know anything else. Not to mention I've always been a bit self-destructive.

So after about a gazillion shots and more random dance-floor makeouts than I care to think about -- I really am ashamed of myself -- I'm finally starting to settle down.

The ambulance was kind of a wake-up call. Kind of.

The good news is, I don't have any midterms. Unfortunately, however, instead of crashing on the futon gossiping with my roommate during my newfound free time, I'm writing this post. Mostly because she's essentially moved out and I need to vent. And maybe whine a little too. Don't get me wrong, I love having time to myself with just my guitar, and I love the friends I've made. But not having a roommate gets lonely.

So to anyone else out there who feels like they're all kinds of stupid sometimes, come visit, misery loves company right?

Rambles with different songs

Shiny by the Decemberists

I don’t really know how many people actually read these posts or if even the old writers do, which to be honest, sucks.
But whatever, I’m gonna keep doing this.

ANYWAYS…
The loneliness has subdued to a minimal because I have made friends who are as weird as I am! I feel like here, people will judge me if I’m my normal loud, singing, strange humoristic self. Or perhaps they need someone like that too but are afraid of what other people might think... like I was.. whatever the case is, I think that it’s better “to have a few good friends rather than many superficial relationships.” (words from a friend)

And it’s true. Why know everyone’s name and not really truly know them? Why have so many small friends who you will never really get to know and trust? I mean, I know I have barely begun to get to know these girls who I have begun to really call my friends, but at least they are taking the time to get to know me like I am taking the time to get to know them. And what else says that they want to truly be your friend than that?

*FYI I am currently at Work Study, and I should be doing homework because I have nothing to work on right now…but I forgot a part of my notes that I need, so I am typing this as an email so when I get back to my room I can finish!

*I Don't Mind by the Decemberists

 ------------

So its farther in the day now...I should be reading for my anthropology class (257, African Continuum) and I have been prolonging that for the last 30 minutes. I should get to it...

As many of you know, we are at Davidson, one of the most rigorous colleges in the nation...
what the fuck were we thinking??

"We Used to be Friends"

 *We Used to be Friends by the Dandy Warhols.  Veronica Mars anyone?!

It has been 2 whole school weeks here, half a month. Not counting the 3 extra days of orientation.

And its been...college.

I cannot think of an actual adjective to accurately describe what it has been like here. I mean it's different for everyone. Some people clicked automatically with their hall mates. Others are having trouble clicking with anyone. And others click with people they never thought they would. And some don't give a shit and party! Or they don't give a shit cause they're hitting the books...

So far I've met some amazing people! Our very own Natalia Spark is great! So is our Lauren Lu. And Jourdan I have only spoken to a few times but from the little exposure I have had of her, she's awesome! And from out team...I believe that is all I have met. I have Thanos in my German 101 class but I have yet to speak to him. Other than that...

There are other amazing people out there at Davidson:
Jean Paul Garcia whom I have known since 2nd grade (yes we have been going to the same school since then and we somewhat did and didn't decide on Davidson together)
The awkward corner room of 1st Belk holds some fantastic girls there! I have been spending most of my time with them, and they make me feel right at home!
Which as sad as it seems, I cannot say the same for the girls in my hall. My roommate is great! Super sweet, and we get along brilliantly! The girls from across the hall are equally as sweet, one is a peppy cheerleader (which fits perfectly, she's always so happy!) and the other is a dancer whom I have Advanced Ballet with. She is great too!

As for the other girls in the hall, I don't know. I mean, I do talk to maybe to two or three other girls here, but that's it. Maybe its because I have never been in this situation before? Or maybe it's because I'm quiet compared to them? Or maybe it's because I get along more with boys due to being raised with 3 older brothers? Whatever it is, its making a barrier between me and my hall, and that makes me lonely sometimes. Pfft! sometimes my ass! I'm frequently lonely! And that is pathetic! But whatever I gotta make this work somehow, which is why I am currently in my room, with my speakers on and typing this.
The purpose of this blog was to document our experience to the world and to Davidson about its students and their long journeys to get here, live here, and make it out of here alive is it not?

Then I'm sorry if this is a downer, but I'm writing about my experience. But now to hit the books...gah!

To Future Freshmen

So I've been at Davidson just over a week, and I come to you future freshmen with a few words of advice...

1. However many bras and underwear you own, you need to triple it. Now. I never knew how much I appreciated the ability to run things through the wash constantly, and although technically you can here, you don't have time.

2. Beer is bad. For all you partiers out there, I know you partied in high school. But I promise you were not able to get your hands on the sheer volume of beer that exists in college. Find something else to drink, even though a few people will probably give you shit for being a girl about it. It makes you broken out and fat and hungover.

3. SLEEP. That six hour nap I took after my comparative politics class? Totally worth it.

4. Take that 8 am class with the great professor. If they're really that good, you'll be so interested you'll actually stay awake (Menkhaus!) and then refer to #3.

5. Nothing is better for roommate bonding than a futon and you really need to bond. Seth and I nearly ate each other for breakfast until we started having nightly futon chats.

6. Target string lights make everything prettier. Including you. Overhead lights don't. Just FYI.

7. You will need to buy food. Lots and lots and lots of food. You won't need the ramen -- my box is untouched. Fruit, chocolate, and granola bars on the other hand are your best friends.

8. Don't let people see you with a guitar ever unless you're down with improptu performances, usually for drunk people. A certain poor victim on our hall learned this the hard way.

9. Pianos are the most distracting things on the planet when you're trying to study. They are VERY loud.

10. You need a lot more hangers than you thought. Like a lot a lot.

First Days at Davidson

So, as you have probably all suspected, I've been at Davidson for over a week now. International Pre-Orientation and Orientation were so full of exciting stuff that I really found it difficult to sit down on my computer and blog (seems that everyone else here had the same "problem", too).

A picture of the (sort of) middle of the campus during the evening

Everything is so different here; even nature itself! The sounds I heard around were completely different to what I was used to at home; there were squirrels everywhere and - oh gosh - the cicadas here are so much bigger... Actually, everything is bigger, cars, roads, food servings...During orientation we visited places, met people, already came closer to some of them, discussed our summer reading book, played games, ate, partied, got excited, got terrified... And here we are now, first day of classes, gazing in awe at how much work college actually involves.

I ended up dropping Physics for a writing class for this semester, as my advisor suggested. Not long ago I finished with my Monday classes; Calculus III, Ancient Greek Philosophy and Introductory Organic Chemistry I... This will most probably sound nerdy, but I got really excited about the content of the courses. I was initially terrified about taking Calculus III on the first semester, but, at least as I could figure out from our introductory class today, it is built on a level my high school maths prepared me for. Philosophy felt more than common ground to me, but very stimulating, and Chemistry did neither seem too easy or too hard. HOWEVER - don't think that this will be a smooth and easy semester! A couple of studying hours per day, five to six days per week, per subject, times four subjects.... I'm already facing difficulties with time management, and I've not even taken up any activity nor started my work-study (I work at the Communications Department btw, possibly doing something among photography, web-designing, photoshopping, blogging etc.)!
But let's leave the depressing topic of time-management for now... Here's some fun pictures from the past week of orientation:

Me and Luna at the Library (the nerdiest place to take a photo)!

We had a little library tour, during which we also got to see the "rare books" room, with original old books. The atmosphere was unique up there and the most exciting thing for me was that we were actually allowed to flip the pages, touch the books, inspect them and get a real feeling of them!

One of the highlights of Orientation were the "Freshman Olympics", which concluded with a huge dance-off between residence halls. This is a happy picture of me, Lin from China (at the center) and Beza from Ethiopia (left)...

Sloan Music Center

"Shake it Out!"

*by Florence + the Machine

"and its hard to dance with the devil on your back, so shake him off!"

Tomorrow is my last day here in California. And when I woke up today I felt so sick...I'm so nervous! Of course I'm excited for the prospect of meeting all the people I have already talked to here through our pretty blog, and those who I met through the Class of 2016 Facebook group. Not to mention that I'm excited to meet my roommate: she seems like a great person, someone I know I can get along with! Yet all of this excitement doesn't stop me from being so nervous that I wake up wanting a trash can....

Personally, I'm terrified of Wednesday.

Why? Because of the way I was brought up, the place I was brought up, Davidson is going to be a huge change for me. I'm so used to being surrounded by people of the same ethnic background, eating the same Mexican food, switching from English to Spanish randomly and be perfectly understood (by most haha). But I am not alone! A friend who I have known since 2nd grade is going to Davidson with me (or well he's there now, he did STRIDE) and he knows my feelings. Everyone from our high school kept telling us to be prepared for the culture shock, which we both have already experienced during our college trip through the East Coast (explained in another post). So I mean its not like we're going to see something that we haven't experienced before...but this is going to be for 3 and a half months!! The longest I've ever been away from my parents was two weeks for the college trip! I'm scared shit-less.

Doesn't mean that I'm not super excited through!!! Personally, I've always dreamed on what it would be like to decorate my dorm and such, which my roommate is waiting for me so we can do together (I'm telling you she's cool!) Everything I touch cannot stay plain. I've already had to stop myself from decorating my new phone with stickers from work. OH! which is something else I'm sad about...

I work here as a Ballet Teacher's Assistant teaching little girls from ages 3-7. The teacher has actually been my friend since I was about...12? I'm actually waiting on her as we speak to pick me up to go buy some dance clothes and ballet shoes <3. But anyways, I've been helping her for a couple of years now and of course I got attached to certain girls. But eventually they leave, and at this moment there is one girl I'm attached to: Ruby. She's sweet, tiny, and hardworking. But the only way she gets all the steps down is if I help her! Lucy (the teacher) doesn't have time to do 1-on-1 which is what I do, and I feel so sad leaving her! Today is the last day I'm going to see her, if she stops dancing before I come back at least. Hopefully she doesn't.

There are of course PLENTY of other reasons that I'm nervous and scared to leave like leaving my family behind, my friends, my boyfriend!, and my job, but I know I can totally do this! Cause OMG I made a huge accomplishment making it to Davidson, which to me triumphs over all of my fears. I worked my ass off for this, so I'm making the best of this!

*I'm probably going to talk about the pains of leaving my family and boyfriend....most likely while I'm waiting for my second flight on Wednesday. Yup, my flight is 7 hours because it makes a stop in Atlanta Georgia...

Blogging rather than Packing

So this is my last full day in Mississippi, yet, somehow, I am not fully packed. I have SO MUCH CRAP. (I won't bother you guys with pictures) But I can't seem to get the last little stitch done. I am getting SO emotional. So it turns out that my mom is moving to Charlotte now, which I am still on the fence about. My dad, however, is staying here. This SUCKS. He is literally my favorite person in the entire world. I don't know what I will do without him. We are driving to Davidson together tomorrow. I will probably be bawling the whole time. I am SUPER excited about going to college, but right now, I don't want to go. At all. And it sucks because it's like I cut a whole year off the time I have with him. I have always been the "independent child" in comparison to my older brother. I very infrequently get home sick...but this is COLLEGE. I feel like a five year old who trying to drive an F150...like I don't even know how to get in the truck in the first place...let alone drive it! I can't see over the dash. I don't know how I got here....like just totally moving away. Tonight is the last night I will ever be in my house again. EVER. Am I being extremely dramatic?? I'm sorry. And then there is my brother..but it's okay because we spent practically all summer together.

I know meeting all of you guys will help me get over this though! But forreal...I have a shitload of stuff I should be doing right now.

Bye!! See you all soon!

This will be much shorter than "This Will be Short"

The journey to Davidson has begun! I am currently in the Munich airport by myself, where the stop of my connection flight is. I am leaving Munich in about 2 hours for my final 9-hour flight to Charlotte. My excitement is indescribable; I can't believe this is actually, finally happening. No more jokes, guys - The time has come!

Ending and Beginning

Today is the day! It's 1am here in Nashville and I'm determined to finish this post. I'm hitting the road in about 12 hours. Last 12 hours to ponder what college life will be. Last 12 hours to roam around my room, the house, and the neighborhood until I come back in about 4 months. College life is still all a mystery. I've only heard mere rumors and tales of how college is the best part of your life but also one of the most stressful times. However, after I get to Davidson on Sunday and start college life, I guess the mystery will dissipate.

It's funny how we always want to grow up fast. Don't you remember the times when you were out at a restaurant and your parents embarrassed you or pissed you off, you automatically defaulted to the sentence, "I can't wait until I'm away at college!" In fact, you screamed it with so much passion. Don't you remember the times when every single day seemed to be the same in high school. You wake up around 6am, go to school, go to practice (sports/instruments), go home, do homework, and then go to sleep (what little that is was). Days blended together and you needed something new so you thought, "I can't wait until I'm at college." Well, now that's all gone. No more pestering parents tampering with your temper. No more high school days and nights. We're going to be in college! But wait, it really just hit me about a month ago. I am going away to college. I'll be 7 hours away from my home and what I've always known. I remember it distinctly when a sharp pain shocked my heart. I broke down. I'll be leaving people I love behind. I take for granted seeing my mother in the kitchen every day cooking meals when I got home, my father coming in through the door after a long day at work, my siblings annoying me with every pet peeve, and every single friend passing by in the hallways. Looking back at it closely, I really will miss these memories even though they weren't something I really though about at the moment of occurrence.

I'm so sorry for not being an active participant this summer but I've been really busy filling my days with wonderful memories with friends and family. At the beginning of the summer, I compiled a list of activities I wanted to venture out and do titling it "Summer 2012 Bucket List!" To my surprise, I actually completed 19 out of 28 items plus more that weren't on the list to begin with. A lot of them were new experiences and I'm glad I got to do them all with at least one good friend.

Friends, I've had too many. Too many who were so close to me. They've shaped me and pushed me to do what I did. They are great. There's a Girl Scout song, "Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." I plan to keep my old friends and I hope that I don't lose touch with any of them. I am definitely excited to meet new friends at Davidson! Even though I am excited and I try to carry that on with me, I couldn't resist the thought of leaving my old friends. I've known most of my friends for 6 years. I've known my best friends for 7 and 8 years. They were the hardest to see go and I couldn't stop crying profusely when I realized it was the last few minutes I'd be seeing them before we all leave for college. There are still so many emotions that I can't process. I'm just letting them go haywire for the time being. Hopefully, I can sort it out soon. I bet once I step on campus, it'll all make sense. As I always say now, "All is well!"

Bye Nashville and all associated with this wondrous place. I love everyone! Now Davidson here I come! :D

By the way, I finished packing (did it all by myself) and put everything in the car around 10pm last night. To my surprise, it all fit! Good job me!

~ Lauren

Gettin' away with it all messed up...

I see Tees of green, red trousers too, 
Lying in the room, in suitcases of blue,

And I think to myself,

How's that new kind of world, I'm going to?

This is pretty much the situation of my room right now. I'm leaving Crete tomorrow and Athens on Saturday early (like VERY EARLY) morning. Going by plane, I've only got one stop at Munich, and after that, it's 9 hours to Charlotte (and to our scheduled Davidson airport pick-up - yay)! I'm worried about the time zone difference though. Greece is UTC + 2:00, while Davidson is UTC - 5:00; that is, I could be off to some serious jetlag, given that I'll probably won't get any sleep on Friday night (what's the point of sleeping when you have to be at the airport at 4:00 AM?). My only chance (and what I will most probably end up doing) is to get a good amount of sleep during my 9-hour flight!

Plus, here's a clever tip I heard helps you avoid jetlag (you've probably heard that already but, ok...): Once you arrive in a new country, however tired you feel do the best that you can to only go to sleep at the local time you would normally go to sleep... Like, even though a Davidsonian 4:00 PM is a Greek 11:00 PM, I should wait until the Davidsonian night comes to go to sleep. That way, one has already synced themselves to their destination's local timetable by the next morning! Well, yeah, this could seem pretty obvious to anyone reading this beside me, but I still am excited to try it out and see if it works!

So, let's get to what's happened in the past week... Most of the time, I've been labelling my clothes for Davidson's laundry... White, and light-coloured clothes were not a big deal, as I only needed to use a black laundry marker. As for black clothes, and particularly those with no white tags/washing instructions, my GENIUS self thought of bying some thermo-adhesive light-coloured patches, which my mum and I cut into pieces and ironed onto the clothes, before labelling them with my laundry number. Yup, simple as that, except from that I was kidding about that genius thing...

Wow, a sock.

It's so strange; I've asked a few people, who are also off to their first year in college, how they feel now that it's only a matter of days until they start, and most of them seemed to show the same, extremely surprising, attitude as I did: 

I'm sooo NOT excited about packing all that stuff...

I'm confused, because, although I'm crazily excited (as well as terrified, for various reasons I will explain some other time) about the journey and what I'm going to find there, in the last weeks I have lost the tiniest bit of motivation to do any of the required preparations, such as packing. I guess I'm still just like a little kid, excited to be going to Disneyland and not caring about what it takes to get there... This is bad, and I should feel bad.

Hiiii *slightly creepy voice* =)

Warning: I am feeling a wee bit obnoxious right now

So I have been wanting to write another blog for FOREVER...but everyone kind of stopped writing. I was sad :( Now I am on service odyssey. So let me talk about that before we have to leave the Union (yeah biatches...I am at Davidson right now) Service odyssey was one of my best decisions this summer. I had been getting EXTREMELY anxious and nervous about everything--especially the people. The people on my Odyssey trip are AMAZING! I probably won't continue all of these new friendships into Davidson, but I really love this group. We debate and we're all intelligent and HILARIOUS. Like I am just so happy. I am sooooo ready now. I didn't even know I could feel this ready. We are this great like diversity. Sure we clash, and we have to sleep on hardwood (SUCKS BALLS)...but over all Odyssey is just such a great pre-orientation thing. We get to ask our leaders like every question imaginable, so feel free to ask me some now. I could go on and on about this. So as aforementioned, I am in the union. I think the WHOLE football team just came in. I think pre-seasons are moving in this week. So if you can't do noise, don't study in the union. It echoes. I AM SO EXCITED. Okay...well I hope maybe this has calmed your nervous tummies. If not feel free to shoot me some questions.

Have a great one!

Winter

So the time has come to get ready to head off to school -- and of course that means packing, and in turn, shopping. For those who somehow haven't heard of the unbelievable tropical heat in New Orleans (it regularly breaks 100 in summer and rarely drops below 60 in winter) now you know. I'm a little scared for North Carolina. Occasionally it sometimes snows. Snow. Cold. Slippery. Bad. The people saying it's just not that cold really don't help, except to make me feel like a wimp.

" I have one winter jacket and i think i used it once. . .and wore a tank top under it haha."

Really? Just Really? I also know that when 60 degree days come around I'm bundled up in my ski jacket. (Because skiing is the only time that snow is acceptable for more than half an hour) So of course I may be going a TEENSY bit crazy withhhh boots...and blazers...and more boots...and well, more boots. It better get cold. I am PREPARED! Says the girl who wears flip flops year round. Literally. Even when it means my toes turn blue.

But there's one more aspect of the cold that terrifies me...
Erik and I have decided we're setting up surf trips -- well, I did, and sort of dragged him along with me, he has no clue what he's getting into. I've never had to surf with a wetsuit in my life though. In fact, it was only after I survived winter surfing in Florida without a wetsuit that I finally got some cred -- cause I'm a lousy surfer, although I do try. Cold water, like really really cold water, scares me.

Anyways, gripe over. HEY EVERYBODY IT'S SAFE TO READ AGAIN I'M NOT COMPLAINING (ish) I PROMISE I'LL BE VAGUELY ENTERTAINING (In a I totally feel your pain this is me kind of way) FOR THE REST OF THIS POST. K. We cool? Good.

Some silly packing problems I've faced. (Silly meaning dumb Liv dumb)

The giant Abbey Road Poster, that's framed, that I impulsively bought in a fit of hipster-ness. Not gonna fit on a train.

Guitars. I want to bring more than one. So badly. Somebody talk me out of it quick. Please!

Shoes...is it totally unacceptable for me to bring a separate bag for shoes? Am I allowed to bring my crazy heels that I never wear but that make me happy just owning them?

Ummmm...my closet...is huge...and stuffed...HOW DO I CHOOSEEEEEE?

Where do I stash all my workout stuff? My car is like a rolling gym. Literally.

Speaking of my car...any chance I can stash that in a suitcase? Sadly, Apparently not.

And many, many, many more...

Full Moon

Being just finished with the Library 101 assignment (I really can't get how it was supposed to take only 45 minutes!), I finally feel relieved... Oh, wait a minute! - I'm leaving for Davidson in two weeks but this doesn't seem to have "sunk in" yet. I feel totally unprepared, with everyone around me (and by "around me" I mean in our -beloved - facebook group and in our - even more beloved - Meow! team) talking about preparations, packing, books and dorm-shopping, while I only know, like, which clothes I'm taking with me?! Seems that, enjoying my last weeks in my country, recovering from two years of IB and finally having nothing to do but take driving lessons (the minimum driving age here is 18), has gotten me almost completely out of the "packing mood"... I'll hopefully slide back into it by the end of the weekend (I don't think this will be hard consdiering how exciting all this process is)!

Why I titled this "Full Moon", you ask? Well, apparently, yesterday was not only a night of full moon, but also a night of full moon in August! In some places of the world, this is called a "Red Moon" and it is truly an amazing sight. Luckily, I got to see it from an equally amazing point of view, as well: my father, my cousin and I joined the local hiking club in an excursion, in which we would ascend up to the a peak from which we would see the moon rising. The route was not hard and, as we ascended, we also got to enjoy the beautiful view before sunset (see the picture above)...

As the time passed and we reached the top to eat some do-it-yourself dinner and enjoy the "red moon", I took a few moments to fully grasp the sight of it. I was thinking that I am going to miss the mountains and the sea of my country but, most of all, I was contemplating about how, however far away North Carolina is from my home, I would be able to see the same moon from there that I was seeing that night. "Okay, stop being so poetic, Natalia, people see the Sun every day, it's no big deal!"... Well, it is, in a way; when you are away from some place or someone, the moon is so far away that you can always look up knowing that you see it essentially from the same point of view as they do. It might once again be my abstract and romantic way of thinking, but I think of this as some kind of communication with any person in the world you need to connect with.

So, I was very happy to find out that, in this special year, there are two full-moon nights in August; the next one is on the 31st, our first Friday of classes at Davidson. By that time, all of us 2016'ers will probably be on campus, surrounded by many new people, terrified and simultaneously excited as hell. I don't know if my excitement will keep me from caring about seeing one more red moon instead of doing whatever college students are supposed to do on Friday nights... but in case that it doesn't, I'd be curious to see how the orb of the night will look from the other side of the ocean...!

(This doesn't really look red, it's because this picture was taken after it had risen)
More pictures from our walk can be found on  http://pezopories.blogspot.gr/2012/08/blog-post_2.html... It's in Greek, but the pictures matter the most! :)

Crazy Cool!

*I'm listening to Crazy Cool by Flamboyant Bella. The lyrics kinda make sense with this...kinda :P

Well I feel that I have to share this somewhere because I am incredibly happy about this...

In the world of MP3 players, the beloved iPod takes the king seat in most of the population's pockets. However, for some of us, another more Microsoft-y product sits in our pockets playing our favorite tunes: The Zune. Here are some pictures of different models (yes, they come in multiple models and colors!)

My family are Zune people: everyone except my mom who is pretty terrible with technology have one, and except my oldest brother who swears by his iPhone....
Both my dad and one brother have the Zune HD, the one to the left. However they are different sizes and have different memory capacity. My other brother has the Zune in the far far right, the white one. The original one! Except his is the original grey colored one. And I used to have the one in the middle of the right picture, the 120GB black top. But my clumsy-ass dropped it within the first year, so for the other two years of its life it's screen was cracked. I say it added some character to it! But recently it died (another bad fall in the middle of my high school's science building) I have been saving up money for some months now (books and stuff is my number one priority) and I finally ordered another one! Its the same model as my old one, just with less memory, an 80GB red top! It made me so happy that I stopped watching my recorded Olympic swim race staring the great Missy Franklin (well I paused...) to sign for the package and then add all my 4859 songs to it!! I was as happy as a clam! (which I don't understand how they can be happy but ehhh...)

<<<<<<Here's a picture in all its glory!

"Luna...how on earth is this even related to Davidson and the point of this blog?!"

I will tell you how! Without my music I would probably lose my mind on my 13 hour plane ride over there. I would pace back and forth in my room during those restless nights that I can't sleep due to homesickness if I don't listen to the music my mother and I sing to at the top of our lungs when we drive around. I am a dancer at heart, I need music. As you can see from the titles of my other posts, music is very important to me. Why? It calms my nerves, my anxiety and simply makes me happy! I walk everywhere and either listen to a song or sing one to myself (kinda weird maybe?)

 I don't need to pop no pills, The music's where I get my thrills! When I shake, I shake it like I should, 'Cause baby I rave good!
 Except I don't rave...haha!

But yes, music saves me from the world, and silence. Because at times I can't stand the silence. Am I weird? I'm probably over thinking this. All I know is that I'm currently using my new Zune, listening to this song, and making a playlist for my airplane ride in the 22nd of August....progress!
Once this is done I should work on alcohol edu since I just finished librarby101 yesterday!

Chin...Para los que deciden de atrasar lo importante pagan con su tiempo libre...
Damn....for those who decide to put the important things last pay for it with their free time....

At least I got my Zune :P

This Will Be Short

So I am on the train from Philly to New York right now. I am pleasantly comfortable. I have not been on a train in quite a long time, so I was worried about the accommodations (for lack of a better word). I say this because the train will be my main source of transportation from Davidson to home. The train ride from Charlotte to Meridian (an hour and a half drive from my home in Madison) is a little longer than 13 hours. This might seem ridiculously too long for you but it is MUCH better than an 11 hour drive home. Plus driving makes me borderline suicidal. I hate it. What's weird, however, is that from Charlotte to Jackson (like 20 minute drive from my house), the train ride is like 39 hours or something crazy like that. Another plus of riding the train is that with a Student Advantage card from Amtrak the tickets there and back are a little less than $200. The plane tickets can be over $400. I am not particularly fond of the whole "plane experience". Like all things though..the train has its downside: no matter what, I will always arrive in Charlotte at 2:45 a.m. Oh well...sacrifices.

Wish me luck in New York!

Books and Bougatsa

Ignore the probably-unknown last word in the title for now.

As we're gradually settling down in our new home, I finally got the chance to sit and write, to express my excitement about all that's currently going on!

Firstly, I suddenly realised, a couple of days ago, that, after learning what my first semester's courses would be, I had to start looking for the books. The whole thing is very organized: you can go to a particular section of the Davidson bookstore's webpage and enter your course (e.g. CHE 201-D), and that gives you a list of all the necessary materials for the specific course! However, since I ended up getting only two of the classes I wanted for sure (Chemistry and Physics), the idea of "stocking up" on books so early hadn't crossed my mind. But after comparing the prices of Davidson's bookstore to Amazon - and finding out that the latter had more interesting offers, I started to think that maybe ordering them from Amazon is a better idea. Moreover, I can ask the Amazon guys to ship my books directly to the Davidson warehouse and pick them up once I arrive in August. Pretty convenient, isn't it?...

I'm still skeptical, though. Despite being lower than the college bookstore's ones, the Amazon prices are still high; most of the books I've seen can cost from $70 up to - yup - around $200. At the same time, going back to the bookstore webpage, I saw that there is an opportunity to rent - I suppose at a much lower cost - some of your books for the semester. So, I'm still waiting to make my move; I'll probably end up with a combination of renting from the bookstore, buying from Amazon or maybe even borrowing from upperclassmen!

The second exciting - slightly stressful - thing that happened in the past week was, too, a sudden realization. I was pretty sure classes would begin on August 27th, but it turns out that there's an (online) assignment we have to do now (particularly due on Friday August 3)! It is called "Library 101" and it's the first section of the standard, compulsory Davidson 101 course every freshman here is taking. I find the library course very useful, as it's on how to search, use and cite sources correctly for any assignment; something we'll CERTAINLY come across eventually. Anyway, I've completed all but the last part of the excercise (which I'm almost intentionally postponing as it's the only one that actually involves some writing...), and I admittedly did learn something new from it. Now I only have to move my lazy butt and finish that last part!

Thirdly and finally (and I've left the best part for the end), today was a big day, and for none of the above reasons.  The most exciting thing was meeting my soon-to-be roommate, T,  this morning; and this, in no other place than here, in Crete! T lives in Pennsylvania, but there was this weird coincidence that she was vacationing in Turkey and Greece - and Crete - with her parents this summer. So we sort of arranged a meet-up which fortunately did work out despite the shortage of time available. We only had about an hour before T and her parents would go back to their ship (they were cruising), so my mum and I (my dad unfortunately had some work to do) took them to our favourite local café which happens to be near the port. We discussed a little bit of everything; ourselves, Davidson, practical dorm-stuff (YAY MicroFridge), our sleeping habbits etc.

The place is not our favourite for no reason; it serves one of the best bougatsa's in the island. If Gatorade is - ehem, supposedly - the drink of the gods, then bougatsa is surely their food! It's a hot, crusty "pie", filled with either sweet cheese or cream/custard, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon; simply irresistible.

I was amazed by some things T and her parents told me about Davidson, such as that, on campus, you literally walk past students' bags, laptops, keys and purses that are just left there, as nobody steals them; I'd heard about the Honor Code, but I wasn't expecting it could really achieve that level of trust! Still, apart from that, I was in many other ways relieved and excited by our conversation. It turns out that there is a reason the Myers-Briggs test joined us two together, as we have much more in common than I had initially inferred from our Facebook interactions... My only regret; at the end of the day, she's a humanities person while I'm a science nerd... Hm. The war is on.

Just kidding... All in all, I can't say I wasn't excited by all that! I'm happy T and I got the chance to meet now, and I'm now even more eagerly looking forward to head out to Davidson... in exactly one month from now; August 18!

My Summer

So growing up my family didn't vacation. We moved. Right now I am on vacation. I am visiting my family in Philadelphia, PA. Then on Thursday my brother, Jayson, and I are taking the train to New York City. I am so excited. Mainly because I am going to world's largest Forever 21 in Times Square. Oh and two Broadway shows--Rent and The Book of Mormon. Oh and if I am lucky, I might meet my roommate for coffee/tea! Last summer I didn't get to go anywhere because I was in summer school all summer so that I could skip my junior year. This summer I feel so free. Especially since I somehow landed into my FIRST job and it's FULL time--9 to 6 Monday through Friday. I teach first grade (and art for two hours a day for various ages) at a summer camp/enrichment program. I would have been at work for a half an hour already. Oh my goodness this is a well-deserved break. For any of you reading this who wants to be a teacher, I HIGHLY commend you. It takes a lot. Wayyy more than I have. Oh and not to mention that I am getting minimum wage for all this. I even have to come up with my own curriculum! I specifically chose to become a trauma surgeon so that I wouldn't have to deal with people whining and stuff. Haha that sounds so mean. I'm not even going to lie, though. I miss my kids :( (and the cute guy I work with heehee)


So I am going to be back at home on late on the 22nd, and then I have to go to work the 23rd. I am not living at home during the week because my house is like 28 minutes from work, and my dad's apartment is literally 4 minutes from work. However, not being at home so much of the time has its downfalls. I have absolutely no time to get my stuff ready for Davidson. I am freaking out. I don't even know how I am going to get there. I am taking my car, but I drive a mini cooper.

Be jealous (this one is not mine but looks just like it)

As you can see...I can't fit diddly squat in my car. My dad mentioned renting a truck...but I can't plan with such vague details! I know I sound like a control freak. Don't judge me. I'm not. It's just all or nothing with me.


So my last day of work will be July 31st...which seems like an adequate amount of time to get myself together don't you think?? NO! Because I'm doing Service Odyssey from Aug. 4-11. (hit me up if you're going too!)  I hope it will all work itself out. I don't handle stress too well. At least not my own. Haha

Approaching the Deadlines

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. We'll have plenty of those while we're at Davidson. Before we have even started class, there have been multiple deadlines already. First, there was the fun and exciting yet stressful housing information and Myers Briggs Test. Deadline: June 1st, 2012. It was so hard for me to answer questions about myself. I was trying to be as honest as I could be but it was definitely hard to answer it based on who I really was instead of who I wanted to be. Whatever happened, it turned out that I got an awesome roommate!

Next we had to complete the dreaded Webtree. We've all heard of this mysterious and complex masterpiece. I didn't bother to look at it for a week after I had received the information. Throughout the month of June, we were all on Facebook trying to help each other out. "So has anyone started Webtree yet?" People replied with fear and confusion. "So has anyone finished Webtree yet?" We all laughed and many commented of not starting it yet. That continued for another two weeks. Luckily with help from a friend, who is a sophomore at Davidson, and the worksheet diagram, I got Webtree done and submitted it the week before the deadline: 11:59 pm on June 30, 2012. I was glad "it" was done. It took a lot of effort to choosing the right classes and making sure the times of each class wouldn't coincide. In the end, I only got 3 of my 4 classes: Calculus II 113, Chemistry 110, and WRI 101 L. Add/drop, here I come! My dad has already bought my Chemistry and Calculus books. Yay!...

Then other forms such as the student employment and health forms were mailed for us to fill out. But recently, I got an email about Davidson 101 and Library 101. What is this?? Early this summer, I found out we had to read the common reading book to discuss during orientation. However, I was not aware that we had to do any work prior. Oh my, I didn't want to worry about anything except packing. I have yet to read the instructions carefully. first, I have to finish the book, which isn't too bad. "Vietnamerica" by GB Tran is a very interesting and engaging graphic novel. Hopefully, I'll finish it within the week. I did complete the first part that was just a survey about how much researching I've done and how well I know how to utilize the computer system, catalogs, and bibliography. Deadline: August 3, 2012.

All in all, it's been hitting me little by little that I will be heading to class, writing papers, taking exams, and starting a new part of my life in a month and a half. August 27, 2012 will be out first day of class. then deadlines will be crucial for everyone to keep up with so I recommend buying calendars!

Keep in mind: All is well! :)

AND... The Journey Begins

This is far overdue indeed. However, as they say, it's better late than never. I am certainly excited to add my perspective to this amazing blog. How I ended up as an author? Well, it was kind of an accident. Nevertheless, Natalia graciously invited me after the fact. So thanks!

My name is Lauren! I was born and raised in Tennessee. I guess I am pretty southern. I do say y'all and may pronounce certain words differently than people in the north. But most importantly, I love the southern hospitality. I hope I never lose that wherever I go. My ethnicity is Taiwanese from my dad's side of the family. My mom is Chinese but she was born in Malaysia and went to college in Taiwan. Fortunately, I've been able to travel to both Taiwan and Malaysia multiple times. I've enjoyed it so much because it's where I got learn about my background and culture from my grandparents and other relatives. My friends have said that if they could describe me in one word, it would be cosmopolitan. I'm highly open minded so I love to try everything at least once and never judge anyone or anything. I love listening to all genres of music such as dubstep, classical, R&B, and hip hop. Side note, my roommate is bringing her sound system! Woot, I'm so pumped! I also play the piano, flute, and currently learning both the acoustic and electric guitars. Needless to say, music is a very integral part of my life. Finally, I'm a pretty big partier and absolutely LOVE to dance! You'll be seeing me out on the dance floor at all the parties (unless there's an enormous paper due). Haha

Here's a picture of me:

I am so very excited to become a Davidson Wildcat and part of the class of 2016! I can't wait to meet everyone and have fun. However, there is the dreaded work that entails when you're receiving an education from one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. But I know everything will be all right in the end. After watching an inspiring Bollywood movie called "The 3 Idiots," two of my friends and I have adopted the phrase into our every day lives: "All iz vell (All is well)". I look forward to keep posting about my journey "Meow! 2016!" 

~ Lauren :)

Problem Solved

I have no idea why I am up so early when I don't have to be at work until 9 (it's 6:55 here, and I've been up since 5:20) I guess it will be a redbull kind of day. So my fellow bloggers here at Meow! 2016 (haha it's hard to keep a straight face while typing that. No offense Natalia!) have been very generous by opening up to potential internet creepers. Granted we are probably only attracting like 10% of Davidson's incoming class...but a girl can dream of having a fan base. Ha.

*snapping fingers to get to the point*

Anywhoo..I just want to take a huge leap of faith and share with [all of] you my major fear about going to college, which THANK HEAVENS my lovely roommate has calmed for me. So here it goes: I am bisexual. Which sometimes confuses people more than being a flat out lesbian. Haha. Living in Mississippi, I've received quite enough shit for it. However, I usually can just move away from it. Living with someone?? Not so easy to do that. I knew going in to this that Davidson is a very conservative school, which most of my friends and family are surprised that I picked it because of this fact. I didn't want to spend my freshman year with some crazy religious girl trying to save my soul or something. I'm not into that. I love LEARNING about religions. Not being in them.

I decided it would be a good idea to get my sexuality out of the way early with my roommate. I AM SO GLAD I DID. She was amazing about it. So I don't have to sit and wonder/worry about the conversation anymore. Granted it was through text, so the tone and everything can't be taken into consideration. But still. It was a huge weight lifted. I know everything probably won't be all hunky dory, and like probably all new roommateships, we will have kinks needing a good ironing. Now I just have to figure out how to politely, and oh so appreciatively, tell her that she's not my type.


P.S. I am open to any one's opinions as long as they are not hurtful. Also, don't be awkward about this. Anyone. Please and Thank you

"Castles in the Air"

Yes, music! By this musical group who (according to wikipedia!) is "The group known for its specials on PBS. Is a singing group composed of male soloists who perform both solo and ensemble numbers." (Particularly Irish classics and other music that they compose themselves. They are all Irish, which contributes to their name: Celtic Thunder)
 *Sorry, no vid is available for this song because like I said, they do some covers of classics, and this particular song is a cover, and nothing really comes out that show them singing it on Youtube :/ Here's a picture for now :)
 

PBS? Thats Public Broadcasting Service, something that I tend to watch late at night when infomercials are all that plague my television...   Anyways, I am currently listening to a playlist full of their music, and I remembered how angry I was when I last saw their program on TV and they announced that they would be here right in LA in November, a good 2 months after my departure! BUT! after some investigation, I found out that they will be in Charlotte, NC in September! That gave me the biggest smile because I have never been able to see them live, and I always have wanted to! (Yes, I am excited hence all of the exclamation points!)

I am sure that many of you have the same quizzical look that some of my family have when they see their cousin/niece (its usually from my aunts, uncles, and cousins) listening to Irish music and not some Mariachi. That's Mexican folk music performed by a group of men and women. Or like the happy group of people here! Its not that I don't like the music of my heritage, in fact I love it! My parents even got a live group to play for me during my Quinceañera (like a sweet 16 but this is traditional in Mexican families to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday).

What has any of this got to do with this post???
Lots, that's what! I come from a world where I haven't really gotten a chance to explore all the things that I've wanted to due to lack of resources. Like, going to a HUGE public high school where I have to study whatever I get lucky enough to have doesn't really harbor a choice in anything. Our graduating class this year was 835 students, and that's about 1/3 of what the incoming freshman class was in the beginning of high school.

What I've always known is that I want to explore, make discoveries, find things that I have never seen or heard before. I know I sound like a kid, but I can't help it! I don't know what I want to do with my life. Since childhood I've always been fascinated with Ancient Egypt, so that is why I want to get into Archeology. But when applying to schools I put Psychology as intended major.
 I often hear this from my friends: "How does that apply to you wanting to make discoveries?" And well, because you make discoveries about someone's lives that eventually can help them. How? with psychology I specifically want to work as a Clinical Psychologist. I've seen the things that they can do to better people, which is something that I want to do. But then again, I want to write as well which has been a goal since high school started. And dance, and sing, and .... You get the point.

My class schedual for this year at Davidson looks as follows: DANCE 240 (modern dance), PSY 101 (general psychology), ANT 251 (mesoamerican studies), and GER 101 (Elementary German). I remember when our very own Natalia Spark told me that I had a "very interesting group of classes", which I'm sure she meant as a very hodgepodge collection of classes. And I couldn't agree more. I can't see myself sticking to one thing at a time, sitting still and being content and learning about something that I already know about. "I'm tired of Castles in the Air, I've got a dream!" And I'm tired of not being able to reach for the things that I want because they are not at my reach. With Davidson, I know that they are now, and its time to finally seize them! I can't wait to study all the things that my school was never able to provide me with, see the things that my town couldn't offer me (like the seasons and a complete new group of people). I want to explore the things that seem so strange to me and make it all my own. And obviously share the little that I do have to anyone that wants to explore the Cali and Mexican life.

Can you tell I'm pretty excited?