This way to the stars

my first days in college

I never thought college would be this much fun.

In fact, I never thought that it would be fun - at all.

During the days before the orsem I was totally apprehensive. Wait, make that nervous, clammy, butterflies-in-the-stomach anxious..because of my Fear of Socializing. I just saw our block list in the Hauoli Yahoo groups, and - wonder of wonders - I was the single damn Paulinian in the block. Damn. I didn't know anyone to begin with. In other words, I had to..MAKE. NEW. FRIENDS. I had to be a newbie l'il freshman all over again, just after I've experienced the joys (and the perks!) of being a senior in high school.

But I guess being a Freshie isn't all that bad (despite our being virtually treated like slave workers with the TNTs' incessant cries of "Mobe! Mobe!"). For one thing, our TNT Tantan was totally cool; his super friendly nature provided the much needed icebreakers during those vital first days (I never thought homosexuals could be this much fun!). And my blockmates were sociable, laid-back, and accommodating - in other words, they were not the snooty vain elitist people I expected to find in Ateneo. Sure, some of my blockmates were rich, but they sure were humble.

It's a good thing I like my blockmates this much, because I'll be spending the next four long years with them.

The only thing I'm having trouble with now is navigating the large campus of Ateneo (and the buildings all look the same too!), and the virtual abscence of AIRCONDITIONERS. Thank God Bio 11 was assigned to one of the few airconditioned lecture halls!

I don't regret now that I went to Ateneo instead of UP. I don't expect that I'll find the same bonds and camaraderie between the fiercely proud, independent, and rather radical people in UP.

But still, this isn't gonna be easy. Chances are....I just MIGHT get a low grade in Botany if I don't pull my act tightly together, because our teacher's a PhD. I think I might have to study harder than ever before, and I'm facing some stiff competition from my apparently smart classmates. I'll have some catching up to do; I'm already expecting the worst; I hope I don't get a C+ on my first sem! (Unimaginable!).

I can do this. I can DO this. College is supposed to be FUN, remember?

I only wish that I knew how to commute on my own so that I wouldn't have to be trapped in a tight schedule with the inflexible driver. In fact, I wish I knew how to DRIVE already. Anyway, college is all about INDEPENDENCE, right?

posted by steph @ 7:36 PM