Emma's Blog
Emma from Los Angeles, California - (June 10, 2008)
It’s all almost over, my freshmen year of college. I still remember the feeling of apprehension the morning I realized that I would no longer be sleeping in my bed, in my home, with my family, in my city, in my state; it was the day that I realized I’m really not a kid anymore but a growing college student and adult. Nine months later I’m sitting here on my dorm room bed with boxes filled with all my belonging. It’s been a long week of finals and packing but I am almost done with both. My friends are letting me store my stuff at the house they will be living in next year and I am one final away from officially being a sophomore. It feels like yesterday that I had just moved into Callahan with a lot of other first year student. In so many ways I know I am the same person but I have grown in ways in which I never thought I would. There is something special about the first year of college, especially at OSU; those who come from small towns as well as large know that there is something unique about OSU. Freshmen year everyone is trying to learn the balance of school, work and partying; many fail to establish that balance until finals of spring term. Everyone is in the same boat and everything is new. At OSU, everyone is really friendly and no one treats you like “freshmen meat”; everyone is willing to help with that big transition. No one realized how fast a year at college can go by, and although I’m two days from checking out of my dorm, I know I’m going to miss it. I realize coming back next year….and the next two but I hate to say I got attached to Callahan, everyone was chill in this dorm. Yes we have the dumb people who litter the halls or the occasional drunks who pee off the emergency stairwells but other than that the dorms are really not that bad. A lot of my friends are those I met in Callahan and the neighboring dorms.
I can’t wait to go home and enjoy the wonderful weather of Cali but I know I will be missing the fresh air of Oregon and all the beautiful trees (LA doesn’t really have that freshness factor..haha) Over the summer I will be working at Sanrio but I might look for an internship at the LA Zoo or Long Beach Aquarium. I talked to my mom yesterday and she is so excited to see me, she can’t wait and I can’t, either. So, it’s three months of family and fun and then I am back in Oregon where I get to do the whole experience over again but a little better, stronger and wiser. I have all my classes for fall term, I’m living in the co-ops, I’m still going to be working at Main Squeeze, I will be a Student Ambassador and I will still have my internship at Brad’s World Reptiles. SO much for taking it easy Lately, I have gotten to know some of the girls from one of the sororities, many of them really want me to join but I have never been interested in the Greek life, it’s never been for me. However, I talked to a girl yesterday and she told me how she was in that sorority and had never planned on joining one but it was the best thing she ever did (I can honestly say I couldn’t picture her in one.) I’m curious about the sorority so next year I might rush. Rushing is going through the Greek life process of learning about all the Greek houses and joining if you are interested and you get a bid from the house. A couple of my friends did it this year so who knows what will happen.
All I know is that I am almost done with my first year of school and it has been an amazing first year. I know now that if I can get through this year with support from my friends, family and the OSU community, then the next three years will be handled! This has been one of the greatest years of my life and I can’t wait to see what the next three will brings. I’m living it up, my way, with a smile on my face and nothing is gonna take that away from me. So bring on the next three years!