UNIVERSITY

I now understand how bloggers disappear from their blogs for months at a time. I have been hella busy- busy packing, busy saying goodbye to friends, busy finalizing things for university, busy driving up to university, busy buying the rest of the stuff for my apartment/residence/thing (I will call it my apartment in the future but it's kind of like a starter apartment- it's a fantastic setup and I love it here), busy setting that up, and then today I was busy with Orientation. It went from 9-5 and holy butts that was so long. Tomorrow it goes from 9-8:30 b/c of the president's address and whatnot... and then classes start. I only have three classes on Wednesday that start at 9 AM with an hour break between each- plenty of time to read up on the syllabus and buy books and stuff, I hope.

We had to go to a seminar today called "University 101" which explained how university was different from high school. To me university just sounds like IB but with more study time, and more free time as well. I'm not taking 7 classes from 8-3 every single day like in high school- I have lab classes, my seminars are all apparently nonexistent and I am not required to show up for them (my bio seminars are cancelled altogether), and the only sucky day is Tuesday because I have an 8 AM lab and then a night class that goes until 9:30. I've sort of accepted that Tuesday is not a day for major studying/homeworking. The rest of the days, however, I'm done at 2. I live about ten or fifteen minutes from campus, which is great (this is by walking, I mean) and I really, really love the campus. It's so beautiful and easier to get around and navigate than I thought, plus there's a hockey rink in the PE building. I'm hoping that rink has public skating hours or just free skating hours or something- I brought my skates and I would love to be able to just go and skate around once a week.

I did bring my car but parking is a big giant mess and I won't actually know where I'm supposed to park until Wednesday. I think I have a spot no matter what, but I might not end up using the car much at all so I might just take it home at thanksgiving. It makes me sad to think of not having my jeep with me, but as a university student I have free access to all public transportation here- the buses, the light rail transit trains, and whatever else. I love that- I can get pretty much anywhere for free with a little bit of walking. Plus I live not even a block from safeway and a 24-hour London Drugs or Shoppers Drug Mart or whatever, and there's a bank near me too. Not to mention the street I live on is infamous for being a good shopping street- it's close to the university, too, so there's lots of restaurants as well as boutiques and it just looks like such a fun street to be on.

AND HOLY WOW THE UNIVERSITY HAS SO MANY RESOURCES LIKE SHIIIIIIIT. All this mental health stuff and student help and academic help and even an insurance plan for things like dental and vision... like geez. I have no doubt that I'll be able to get help if I need it.

So... in a nutshell, university is amazing. I am still very homesick for my hometown, because it was quiet and small (or at least smaller than this) and I knew all the main roads and I could pretty much get anywhere- it was so small in geographical SIZE compared to here, not to mention the population's probably more than ten times as great. It's not really a big city here, but it's big to me. Actually it looks like a big city in the middle of a forest- there's trees EVERYWHERE. I love it so much. Unfortunately in the winter most of those trees will lose their leaves, and apparently the winters here are real winters unlike my hometown, so that'll take some getting used to.

It's weird though because I think a lot of kids that go there are from there and I am so jealous of them. They're able to bus in or drive in or take the LRT and then go home at the end of the day. What I wouldn't give to be able to go back home at the end of every day. Unfortunately, home is a 6 hour drive away.

The only other unfortunate thing is that for the first week, the university is all "woo welcome to university here are some events to go to, some of which are free provided you have your university ID and your regular ID because you have to be 18+" AND I AM STILL 17 FOR ANOTHER FUCKING MONTH LIKE UGH I CAN'T GO TO ANYTHING. Plus going to those events enters you into draws to win fun prizes and shit, unless you're a minor like me and can't join in the university fun because you're not old enough yet. Late birthdays kind of suck sometimes. I can't even go out to bars with people for a whole 'nother month and I am very upset about that. Unfortunately I can't do anything about it so I just have to suck it up and stay home and watch netflix and study, I guess.

I'm kind of scared of my classes, though. I can only hope IB has prepared me... and I guess the one science building here is really nice to study in (it's all air conditioned and modern with lots of comfy chairs... and I love the libraries here). I think I've got a study method worked out in my head that I'll try, and I have mucho experience with heavy workloads.

UGH I AM A NERVOUS WRECK THOUGH. There's no time to do anything anymore. I have to do laundry and tidy up a little still and talk with people and go to orientation and then go to class and buy books and read things and make notes and review notes and etc etc etc. I don't like being busy all the time, I like having a nice semi-leisurely schedule so that I can at least have some free time to, I don't know, watch old episodes of Glee or read a book or take a nap or something. But now it's 10:03 PM and I have to go to bed to be up for breakfast at 7 AM.

They say the first semester goes by really fast, though. I hope it kind of does- I'm looking forward to Christmas break and being able to relax a little at home.

Anyway, I'm going to watch a video on the science behind naps now so I can try and take full advantage of them. I should have learned this last year and I learned my lesson the hard way. I need to be able to nap effectively.

SORRY FOR TALKING ABOUT UNIVERSITY SO MUCH BUT IT IS LITERALLY MY LIFE AT THE MOMENT AS A FLEDGLING UNDERGRAD IN FIRST YEAR SO BEAR WITH ME.

yer pal,
swegan :)