My first weeks at college

This is a reminiscent account, rather than one where I try to remember every detail.

January has me reflecting on my very first days of college six years ago in 2010. I was living at Stratford Court 303, just south of campus.

Every day of the week, I had my 8:00 calculus class. Fortunately, I was fresh off the mish and trying to maintain a missionary schedule, so 8:00 wasn't too early for me. On MWF I had music 101 later in the morning, so I would stay on campus between math and music. However, once music was over, I would walk home for lunch. I find I'm always hungrier during the winter, so I'd be pretty hungry by the time I made it to my apartment. I would usually heat up a can of soup on the stove, or sometimes I'd have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with bland grape jelly. I would read my scriptures (I was reading the Old Testament that year) and I would spend some time on Facebook. I think I allotted myself 30 minutes to Facebook every day. (Strangely, I think I'm on Facebook more now, yet I waste less time on it.)

Then I would walk back up to campus for my Book of Mormon class and my late-afternoon "American History through Literature" class. Those first couple of weeks I only knew the buildings in relation to the Wilk, so I would walk up to the Wilk, then over to the JSB--even though there was a much more direct way to the JSB from my apartment.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I had my introductory English language class, which I had asked the professor if I could add because I hadn't initially enrolled in it. I was going to take an English class, but I narrowly averted becoming an English major. (Whew!) I think I would stay on campus until that class, since it was early afternoon, and then I would go home for the day.

(In later terms and semesters, I would stay on campus until all my classes were done for the day, and I would pack lunches.)

During the evenings, I had a dinner group I would attend. Of course, all I had to talk about was my mission. I was very awkward, and I cringe to look back and think of how I must have seemed to those who had been at college for a lot longer. There were two others who had just returned, but they might have had some college before their missions, I don't remember. I'm pretty sure I was the worst adjusted one there. But it was very good for me to go, because it helped me adjust into post-mission life and gave me social interaction.

I was an extremely dedicated student at that time, and I would plan exactly when I was going to do my homework in my leftover missionary planner and subsequent "RM Daily Planner," and I would stick to it. I didn't have time for social engagements outside of dinner group, church, and FHE. Which was probably good, because that might have been the most rigorous semester I had, due to having an Honors course and calculus. My first Friday, there was a ward dance, but I left just as people were getting there, because I had to go home to be in bed by 10:30. I was pretty uncomfortable at the dance anyway.

I kind of wish I'd been more social, looking back, but I was already more social than I'd ever been before.

Certainly sitting at home on a Friday night, in my late 20s, writing a boring blog post isn't much better!