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? 

Goodbye Athens...

My home as I want to remember it...

This is going to be a longer post than usual... It's a mix of the introduction I previously omitted and the narration of the huge changes that are going on right now... I apologize in advance for my occasionally poetic style - it's just the way I express myself when I'm emotional (and this "goodbye" was indeed emotional).

So, I think it has been quite weird for me not to have introduced myself until now - I would say that it's due to my starting my story in medias res, but it's in fact mostly because I don't have a lot of spare time to write these days. The reason? I had basically mentioned it some time previously - we're moving!

I'll start from the beginning... My name is Natalia, as you might have inferred, and this is pretty much what everyone calls me. I'm sometimes frustrated since, because of the way my name is spelled, non-Greeks who've only seen its written form usually stress on the second "a" (Nataalia). No, no, my name is actually stressed on the "i" (something like Nata-Leah)... Now, sometimes people might call me "Spark", although, unlike my Blogger profile and Facebook name seemingly indicate, that's not my family name. My actual surname is "Spitha", which is the Greek word for "spark" so... yeah. I guess "Natalia Spark" my artistic nickname or something...!

Yes, I know it's weird to start an introduction with the pronunciation and quirks of one's name, so let's get moving to more basic details... I'm actually not very good at introductions, as I don't know what exactly to say or not to say about me. I'm generally of the opinion that a person can't be described through words alone. I'll stick to the convention for now and say what normally people introduce themselves with:

I was born in Athens, Greece in May 1994, and my permanent residence had since then remained unchanged until yesterday. Since I was born, my family had moved house three times, but always within the city and its suburbs. Now, mainly due to financial reasons, we ultimately moved out to Crete, the most southern (is there really such an expression?) island in the country (there's more about our new house later on). My only relationship with the English language has been through school, and particularly through being a full IB student in -as you call it in the US- my junior and senior years, so excuse me if my writing style is unusual or occasionally bad... I've travelled to a few European countries from time to time, but this is actually as far as I've gotten. My upcoming trip to Davidson in August will be my first ever to the Sates, and this is pretty scary for me, as I'll be doing it alone. I'm not worried about travelling/flying on my own (that is something I find very exciting, actually), but I wonder how easily I will be able to adapt to an American lifestyle and customs. It's a one-way road, from which it will be extremely difficult to come back, should something go wrong.

I wasn't always planning to go to the US to study; I actually didn't know anything at all about how to apply and what difference there was from European universities until about Christmas of my junior year. I entered the IB planning to earn a place at a good UK institution to study Chemistry or Materials Science. Yet, I was always broad in my activities (I love to play the piano, play the guitar, sing, train for the hurdles, do waterski, draw, photograph insects and I enjoy a lot of different school subjects beside science), and having to specialize in just one thing and give up on most of the above stuff so early in my life, which was the case in UK universities, was a silent but depressing burden. One day, a Yale alumnus came to our school for a presentation and - naturally because of the huge reputation Yale has around the world - I was curious about what was so great about it and decided to listen to what he had to say... and then it hit me. Not only how great Yale was, but how the whole US educational system fitted me so much better than what I was planning to do. It's not so much that I don't know if becoming a scientific researcher is all I want to do with my life, it is that, by coming to the States to study I could develop so many other aspects of myself, let alone meet people from all kinds of backgrounds and with all kinds of objectives. This is why, even if going away will mean leaving a lot behind and maybe changing parts of my own lifestyle, and even if a couple of things "go wrong" from time to time, I believe I won't regret making the decision to come to Davidson. Needless to say, my excitement has overcome the worries and fears for now...

Now, about our recent move-out... I thought of myself as a tough person, almost insensitive. I don't remember shedding a tear when my grandmother passed away last summer, although I'd known her for more than 15 years and I still miss her a lot. This past week was different, though, and, surprisingly, filled with emotion. We waited until my high school graduation on Friday and, while our whole house was being packed for over two weeks, we ourselves finally took the plane to Crete on Saturday. Leaving my neighborhood and school didn't seem such a big deal until I found myself crying in the car seat, and in the arms of my fellow music club members (respectively). I've been to Crete and parted with my friends for the summer numerous times, but this time I knew I wasn't coming back anytime soon.

Enough with the emotional stuff, though! I said I'm a tough person, hey -ho! I'm more than anything happy for what lies ahead and grateful for there are so many warm memories from what I leave behind. So, here are some pictures from yesterday:

Me, at the airport, trying out the "drink of the Gods",

 as Liv called it. (Not too excited about the
tropical blast's taste- do you suggest any other flavour ?)

Saturday evening - just arrived at our new home...

...just to find quite a bit of work waiting for us:

Naturally, one of the first things I did was to SET THE MUSIC FREE!

My Apologies..I Ramble

So I was skeptical about being a part of a blog team. That is what this is right? But now I am thoroughly obsessed with it, which once you get to know me, isn't very hard to believe. I have a VERY addictive personality..hence my shoes. My current main obsession is eBay. Haha. This is why I don't do drugs. I would never get off of them.

However, the theme of this post is not addiction. It is about how holy freakin' nervous I am!! I know that I am not alone in this...Of course there is excitement..but the excitement has been there for a while. Like the dwindling flame of a new love...the excitement has faded. See, I applied Early Decision to Davidson in November. December 14th, I knew I had been accepted. Then I was super excited when everyone else finally got in at the end of March. Then May 1st and so on. Of course I was ecstatic when I got my roommate and dorm stuff...But a massive bucket of nervousness has extinguished my excitement flame.

I have absolutely no idea what to expect. Everyone keeps telling me that "I'll do fine". Like what the eff does that even mean? I know, academically, Davidson is going to be hard as shit. But that's the least of my worries..school was like the one thing I was ever good at (this is not a sob story of my life). But it's the social aspect. I don't have strict parents, and, within reason, I can do whatever I want...but college is a whole new level of freedom. It's profound to me. Like (sorry I say like a lot) in my 3 years of high school...I pretty much just went to school. I had my 2 or 3 close friends and whomever I was dating at the time. But I went to school then went home to my room. Alone. I have always been alone. It sounds depressing..which sure it was at times. But that it how I liked it. I like being alone. Now I am thrown into, what it seems to me, 4 years of never being alone. I don't know how to handle that. Thank the Lord I am bringing my car for some solitude.

Now don't go off thinking "This girl...what a loner. She must hate people" It is true..I am not a people person, but I AM very open to new things. Like my roommate, Sara, is really cool from what I can tell. Just SO MANY THINGS can go wrong.

Fingers crossed

So I might feel like I'm going to shit my pants when I think too hard about all this. Yet, I don't have a bad feeling (I am a big believer in "feelings" and intuition), so I really do think everything will work out for the best. So I am not going to glorify my "Class Baby" status and embellish it with whining.

The Dreaded First Post-- Cues Dramatic Music

Hey guys! Ben Williams here, Davidson '16 whoot-whoot! I guess I'll start out by telling a little bit about myself. I was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 3rd, 1994 and I lived there until I was 11 years old; I then moved to Phoenix, Arizona where we stayed for a year; and after that I moved to Atlanta, Georgia where I currently reside. For those of you who are wondering, no my parents aren't in the military, we just like to change it up a bit haha.

I live in a small country town ooutside of Atlanta, there is a farm with cattle, goats and horses across from my neighborhood--but I am FAR from country! Those early years in the city of Chicago are what grounds me.

As far as Davidson is concerned, like everybody else I'm teeming with excitement and anticipation. These 45 days are gonna kill me (the countdown began LONG ago). As I prepare for college, it's almost like I'm living in a dream. I can hardly belive that I'll be at Davidson in a few short weeks, wow time flies. It seems like just yesterday I was a freshman in high school thinking, "I've got four years in this place". But anyways, I digress.

I went dorm shopping today and got some of the basics: sheets, comforter, etc. I'm thinking that I'm gonna wait to get some of the decorative stuff till I actually see my dorm. As I was shopping today, one of the workers in Bed, Bath, and Beyond asked me what school I was going to and I told her Davidson College, I should be used to it by now, but I got that "I'm trying to hide my confusion because I've never heard of that school, but I'm smiling because you're doing something positive with your life" half smile/ half huuh face. I tell her that it's in North Carolina, just north of Charlotte and that it's one of the top ten liberal arts colleges in the nation, (as I've said a million times to unknowing people) then comes the "oh he's smart" face. Hehe-- that face I've come to know from the faces of half nosey, half well-wishing older strangers.

Webtree. Ugh the countless hours spent staring at the computer screen actually worked out well for me! Seeing as though I filled out Webtree completely wrong, (I don't know what I was thinking) I'm thankful I only have to drop/add one class at orientation. Whew! Thank God. I'm taking French 103 ( It's French 101 and 102 together, so it counts as two classes), Philosophy 110, and Art 100. I'm hoping there is a Writing 101 open so I can switch it with my art class (Art isn't my thing at all). Overall, I'm pretty happy with my schedule and I can't wait to be sitting in class at Davidson!

On another note, as one of only a few guys on a blog entitled Meow! (can't forget the exclamation point), it makes me feel just a tad bit strange, ehh oh well....

My overdue first post...

This is literally my first post in years on blogs of any sort. Also I don't write in English that much, so feel free to correct my grammar and laugh at my weird sentence structures. There will be plenty more to come in the following years.

My "official" name is Chang, but I make people call me Erik. It really doesn't matter which name you call me by but I just think Erik might be easier for people to say, maybe? 

I'm born and raised in China then I moved to Sydney, Australia by myself two years ago. My whole life I've never lived more than 30 minutes away from the beach. I love all the water sports, surfing, sailing, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, you name it. 

I've been living alone since 16. At Davidson it'd be the first time ever I live in a dorm with a classmate. So that's really exciting. 

And… that's about it. I don't know what more to write about myself.

My next post will be about my dog and the last summer we spent together(summers in Sydney are the best mate hands down). Due to financial reasons I couldn't stay in Australia and go to college there. Having to leave him in Sydney seriously broke me. 

Here's a video of Erslan (his name) going crazy over homemade blueberry muffs:

**If you notice the mess in the house(which you really shouldn't cuz why aren't you focusing on the dog?)** 1) We just moved in at the time so stuff wasn't set in orders yet. 2) We were two boys living together you gotta lower your expectations :P

More about him next time.

Cheers,

P.s. He's an Alaskan Malamute, not a Husky. 

Two in One

WARNING: Don't judge me!

Okay..so I am assuming that all of you guys (probably mainly the girls) are freaking out trying to figure out what and what not to bring to a TINY DORM with you, especially clothes-wise. Well I have that problem BIG TIME. So at home, I have two rooms (like 3 closets one for spring clothes, another for winter/unwanted clothes, and the 3rd for my fancy dresses...it's not full at all. I promise it's mainly storage). I also have a full dresser in my room.

So this is my closet in my room--Spring Shoes

So I am a full blown shoe addict. I have probably a good 130 pairs of shoes. Obviously I can't fit all of this into my dorm. Maybe..If I brought literally nothing else. So I have to narrow it down to 50 (don't laugh at me)

I know I am not the only person with the "I have too much stuff for a dorm problem". I know I'm not special. My real problem is this: I live with my mother in Madison, MS. She was only staying here after she and my dad got divorced so that I could stay close to my dad. This means that now that both my brother and I are off to college (we aren't twins...he is 21 and goes to school, but on campus) she is getting the hell out of Mississippi. I surely cannot blame her. This means that I have to pack ALL my stuff and decide what to bring with me to college. My house is on the market as we speak, and if I just leave everything for her to pack when the house sells (whenever that will be..our old house in Arizona took 4 years) then I will NEVER see any of my stuff again.

The thought of having to do this is so overwhelming to me that I am frightened. This means, that I have pushed it to the back of my mind--obviously not that far back since I am writing a blog about it--so I haven't even started. Gotta love procrastination. Mmhmm..college is gonna be fun.

"Home"

Like I mentioned from my last post, it's mostly music coming from me. So currently it's Michael Bublé's Home (anyone else going to sing this when they're homesick??)

And as I also mentioned in my last post, I am a Mexican American. Yes, a Spanish speaking, tortilla-loving, tan skinned individual is joining the accepting Davidson home. And yes, I am very family oriented. My bond with my family is stronger than I'd like to admit. Why "more than I'd like to admit"? because it pains me to leave them behind just like many other students who are making this amazing trek to further educate themselves.

And who exactly is in my family?
My momma: the well being.
My papi: the buttress.
My oldest brother: the protection.
My older twin brothers: the laughter and mayhem.

"And I know just why you could not Come along with me. 'Cause this was not your dream, But you always believed in me..."

As you can see, I am the youngest, and the only girl. Which is probably why they are making this much more difficult than it has to be! However, they accept this and are pretty preoccupied now with the newest addition to our family - one of the twins will have a baby soon! So to cope with my departure, they will be smothering my soon-to-be sister-in-law with so much love. And I really really REALLY hope that the baby will be born during our first winter break (the baby is due at the end of December). Cross your fingers with me fellow reader!

This may be my intermediate family, but there are others who I can't stand to leave behind either. I feel that they are more than friends to me. They are family, they are everything! But Skype, texts, emails, and letters will keep us together.

Stephanie Marie: The girl who has triumphed along side me through all difficulties and beauties since the sixth grade.
Edgar: The boy who believed in me even when I didn't, who loved me when I didn't, my best friend.
Marvin: The boy who made me realize how amazing I truly am, who has given me the best memories here at home.

Home is where the heart is, they say. And my home is with them: my Momma, Papi, Brothers, Steph, Edgar, and Marvin!

Even though I am extraordinarily sad to leave everyone behind, my awesome roommate is helping me cope! We are practically in the same situation, and the more and more we text and talk about our new prospective futures and dorm room, I can't help but smile and get giggly for what adventures await us! Talking about decorating our room and our new futuristic nightlife and potential friends gives me that extra jolt that I need. Not to mention, now that we have our classes after surviving that dreaded Webtree, we know our class schedules! (Or for others, what they need to get done during add/drop..) The point is: With pain there is always something worthwhile to balance it out! Don't let this painful departure beat you! Greatness awaits each and every one of us when we land in North Carolina.

Now!- as for my name, it is not really Luna even though I wish it was! But most of my friends here in Cali call me that. But for all of you who want to know the truth, it is Yasmin Cruz. So here's Luna (err Yasmin) signing off until something pops up in my head to write about (or some song to inspire me...) Hasta la proxima :)

The not-so-tasty fruits of my WebTree...

Happy 4th of July!

So, the other day I received the results of my WebTree course selection, that is, the 4 courses out of all my Web Tree preferences that I could actually get into. I must say I was rather disappointed, because my resulting schedule looks like a Herculean labor to me right now... Calculus III, Intro to Organic Chemistry, General Physics with Calculus and Ancient Greek Philosophy. They're all courses I'd love to take, which do seem interesting - HOWEVER, I'd prefer something easier at this moment, since this is my very first semester-ever.

My current weekly schedule

So, here is a description of the different stages I went through when learning the news:

First, there was confusion. How do we log in to BannerWeb again? I used every username/password combination I had ever used for Davidson, and yet nothing worked. Fortunately, a good-willed sophomore explained to us on Facebook that our password was supposed to be our date of birth... Weird.

Then, there was frustration. Yes, I do have the habbit of challenging myself a lot, but I really didn't have the intention to start my first semester with with those four courses at once... Why couldn't I get Spanish 101 or my Writing course instead? And the most frustrating thing of all: I completed my WebTree around the first week of June, much earlier than a lot of people. I should have known that the time at which you complete your WebTree has absolutely NOTHING to do with your priority in getting into classes... Actually, the "priority row" goes as follows: seniors first, juniors seconds, sophomores third, and freshmen last. Also, priority is given randomly among a single class. Fair, but still frustrating.

 I'd better make some changes during Drop/Add period at the start of the academic year or else I'm on my way to getting my butt kicked...

I Skipped My Intro...of course

Well let's see...hmmm my name is Jourdan Porter (please refer to the <<< if you don't believe me). I currently live in Madison, Mississippi, which sucks. I was born in Toledo, Ohio--then moved to New York, Philly, Cali, back to Ohio, then Arizona (my favorite), then here :/. My dad, who also attended Davidson, is a trauma surgeon, and his job is the reason for all of those moves. As of current, I am Davidson's Class of 2016 "Class Baby". My birthday is March 18, 1995. (Feel free to post if you are younger than me and revoke my unwanted title) I skipped the 11th grade, but no I am not super smart...just average. Hmm...I am bad with introductions..let's see. Here's a pic of me so you have an idea of a face behind these words:


 Hahaha jk. This is really me:

Oh and relating to this blog, I do have a cat. Her name is Levana and I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE HER :(

I don't really know what else to say about myself. But I am open to questions :)

The Vegan Roommate -- and other nightmares you might encounter in college

Congratulations to me, my resolution to not think about school throughout July got a little interrupted by the dreaded course schedules. But more on that after my vegan experiments.

So...my new roommate is a vegan. I love her to death already, but I have to admit that the first words that crossed my mind were FUCK MY LIFE. Yes. The all caps were necessary. Now that my initial freakout is over (she's vegan for health reasons not because she's weird) I've decided to start trying some vegan cooking. We do need to coexist food-wise for a little while. Tonight, I'm starting with an old recipe my grandma, and then my mom used to make -- not quite as good as her meatballs, but Sarah can eat it. So here it is, pasta fagioli...but without the meat! I'll even tell y'all how to make it! Scroll to the bottom if you want to skip the recipe and read the rest of my post...

Start out with a couple pieces of garlic and some olive oil, and roast them together until the garlic has browned a little bit. Careful though, olive oil burns.

Next you're going to pop open a few cans of cannellini beans and tomato sauce and literally just throw them in with the garlic and oil. I usually use one of those cute little 8 oz tomato sauce cans with four Progresso cans of cannellinis. I guess I'm going to figure out how to make less of it... Chick peas work too if you're after something a little less mushy and creamy.

Then add about a can-full (more if you want to cook it longer like I do) of water, a few bay leaves and some red pepper and just let it cook cook cook! It smells absolutely amazing while it's going. You'll know when it's ready, just taste it, and it'll look all delicious and creamy.

For the pasta, I usually use elbows, but the little tiny shells and linguine both taste pretty damn good with it too. If you don't know how to cook pasta then I can't help you. Google it.

So that looks awesome right? It tastes pretty damn good too. If you're not trying to be adjusty (soooo not a word) like me, it's delicious if you chop up some duck or lamb and put it in. Actually you can add a lot of things, I'm just lazy. Either way, it's like the ultimate Italian comfort food.

Anyways, I promised a few other nightmares. So here's my other one...course schedules. Mine is just not working for me. Imagine my terror when instead of getting chem, econ 101, a studio art class, and a writing seminar, I got chem, arabic 101, and a writing seminar. Admittedly the whole thing is probably my fault. As the darling and already brutally honest Sarah put it..."Why the fuck did you sign up for Arabic?" Cue some frantic schedule checking and me figuring out that, yes, I can fit the studio art class in my schedule, and that yes, I can switch arabic out for econ 101...but only if I'm willing to SPRINT from chemistry to econ. I am. Bring it on Shirley...I'm ready for you!

Lazy Summer Days/What I Love About July

I'm a hard core country music fan. Ok. I admitted it! Blame it on the honky tonk bars my dad used to take me to when I was like...I don't remember how small. My favorite is on Frenchman street in New Orleans. It's like being in someone's kitchen: there's a bar, a band, a table, and about 6 inches of standing room -- and a big box of crawfish -- you can't forget the crawfish.

Anyways, Little Big Town just came out with a new single called Pontoon -- it's right here:

Now that Webtree (oh Webtree how I love thee and hate thee at the same time) time is over, it's time to really enjoy summer. I am choosing not to think about school at all (no matter how excited I am) and enjoy a few lazy summer days and "party in slow motion, making waves and catching rays up on the roof" as Little Big Town so aptly put it. Except I have work -- no worries though, that is essentially all we do all day anyway. So no thoughts of school, or packing, or dorms -- except maybe about my roommate, she's that cool -- for the month of July. I'll even give you a few reasons why you should do the same, because July is CLEARLY the best month of the year.

1) The Fourth of July -- Best. Holiday. Ever. Fireworks, cardboard boat races, ice cold beer and hot dogs that, if you're doing it right, should be charred and on fire, live bands, and if you're doing it Florida style like me (I'm working at the beach all summer -- more about that later), waterskiing, tubing, and obviously, a boat. What more could you want? Oh, that's right, American Flag bikinis -- you know you're dying to wear one, and guess what guys, it's the one day of the year it might even be considered classy. Lucky us!

2) The Weather -- Heat promotes laziness. So get out there, sweat, and soak up those rays babe. You'll love it I promise.

3) It's halfway through the year -- We all need a little halfway break and July is perfect. It's halfway through the year, halfway through the summer, and therefore the perfect time to just kick back. So go find a floatie and stick an umbrella in whatever you're drinking. Even if you're in your pool at home, it'll feel great to just chill.

4) Gatorade -- It's the drink of the gods. Enough said.

5) Hurricane Season -- Surfers in Florida pray for hurricanes. We do rain dances and any voodoo ceremonies necessary to get those massive waves. Thank god it's July -- and our prayers are almost invariably answered in July.

So enjoy the best month of the year -- and try not to think about the fall. I know it's hard, but just channel your inner school hating fourth grader. And if you MUST think about school, do something fun. Online dorm room shopping anyone? It's online, so it's suitably lazy. Sayonara folks for the next month though. I'll check in, but for the most part, I'll be the one who smells like gunpowder and pyrotechnics with the surfboard and the lifetime supply of gatorade in their car.

"Oceanside"

Many of you will come to realize that with me, music will spill from my mouth, my heart, my earphones or dorm room (if my cool new roommate allows it!). I have no musical talent except for a deep desire to sing, even though I am not quite fantastic at it. "Oceanside" is the song that lingers in the air as I write (errr type) this out at what is 10:37pm PST. [This song is by The Decemberists if any of you are interested.]

Actually, now that I think about it, the title fits considering I am from California, more specifically a tiny suburb called Maywood which is about 15 minutes from Los Angeles. In actuality, we are still considered the same area. Oceanside, West Coast. How funny that I even spent yesterday at the beach, and today at an aquarium. Music, marine life ----> huge part of my life. Along with dance, which again I may not be perfect but I love it. My heart and soul since childhood!

"At rising tide, you're looking fresher than a July bride..."

I know what some of you may be thinking, city girl going to North Carolina? How will she manage without all the hustle and bustle? Quite frankly, I haven't a clue. All I have known is this place until last year when I took a massive road trip starting at NC (yes visiting Davidson!) and ending in New York. And to tell many of you East Coasters: Yes, we live in completely different areas of the US. You guys took me by surprise! The trees, the air...damn California with their palm trees....which I know I will greatly miss.

I suppose that my real answer, (and the answer than some of you might be calling your own as well) I am in need of change, in need of independence, in need of self illumination. Perhaps this entire new experience will further build who I am or destroy me and build a completely different person. Either way I could not be more excited!! Davidson is waiting on the other side of the continent (literally) and it is calling my name. Soon I will answer and go flying towards it.

"But oh, if I could only get you Oceanside, to lay your muscles wide, it'd be heavenly..."

I am terrified of leaving everyone behind, my family and friends. The love I have here will never be replaced. Pero aunque duela, lo haré. [But even though it hurts, I'll do it.] Oh, also something that will be continuously spilling from my mouth is the language of my home and family, Spanish. Davidson, you are gaining a Mexican American student.

More on this later. Night Night for now world..

I'm Bad with Titles

So...my first blog for Davidson :) (:/) As everyone, hopefully, knows, yesterday was the deadline for Davidson's infamous Webtree. As everyone else also knows, WEBTREE SUCKS. I'm not really much of a procrastinator...so the day we got our lovely packets in the mail with our registration info enclosed, I started digging around my mind of what I would like to sign up for. Then I stumbled upon the legal sized "WebTree Worksheet". I had officially been mindf*cked (sorry for those reading this, I cuss like a sailor) I was too much of a wimp to declare myself "undecided". I feel like people who are "undecided" when it their majors are just way cooler and more spontaneous than me. So I just say I'm "in between Biology and Gender Studies" Haha...I don't even really know what Gender Studies is. My point being (I am super ADHD) I had nothing to really go off of when browsing Davidson's Fall of 2012 Class Schedule. So I have a hodge podge list of requests such as Psych 101; Classical Hinduism; and Monkey, Apes, and Humans. That list makes me seem way more secular than I really am. Trust me. Once I finally dwindled my list down to an adequate amount, I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how to put it in those damn trees. I had to actually call Davidson for help. And just a little fun fact--I have way too much testosterone when it comes to asking for help. I was completely befuddled. And as I do when I am befuddled, I put stupid WebTree into the recesses of my mind. Then last night, I was just watching tv with my momma and all the sudden I remembered I never finalized my stupid trees. It was like 9:30 (10:30 EST). I was looking over my trees thinking "it looks as right as it will ever be.." then I noticed something. I looked at my mom and said "Why the eff would I take Mathematics and Politics??" (no offense to anyone :)) So then I had to find a new class--Childhood Sociology--and then all my times were all messed up :/ So glad I don't have to worry about this for at least another good 5 months.

Moral: F**k WebTree

Introductory Rambles

So hey y'all! (That's how we say it down South!) I'm Liv -- not Olivia, my mother calls me Olivia -- and I'm from New Orleans, or the Crescent City as we like to call it down here. I'm gonna be coming up to Davidson this fall and braving the cold (ok...cold by my standards) with y'all sooooo "Meow!" Expect posts about fending off my mother's 19 phone calls per day, pre-med blues, begging someone, anyone, for some boudin (Don't worry, you will understand -- or you can just look it up) and trying to get back in shape so that I can maybe swim varsity sophomore year (I guess that'll be the big finale this year -- does she or doesn't she pull it together?!) In between there will probably be a few desperate calls for gatorade from whoever is reading this -- because it's college, and we like to party!

Home Sweet Home:

A Face to the Name: