Move In and First Day

The morning of move in I had work orientation to be a Supplemental Instruction Leader from 10:00 until 3:00. It was very overwhelming because I have never had to deal with online things for classes. My undergrad school was pretty small and they do not really offer online options since it is a very traditional 4 year university. Let's just say that I was way lost because I didn't even know the basics about D2L as a student let alone being a facilitator. I have made an appointment with one of the technology guys that works at PASS to help me so I know what I am doing.

After work orientation I went back to the hotel so my mom and I could head over to Kenilworth. It was quite the little adventure because my GPS kept telling me to take roads that were closed and after circling the building we finally figured out where the parking garage was. I would say I was slightly disappointed with move in. I hear all of these stories about these giant carts and being able to fit everything in just one or two trips... but false for Kenilworth. We had these wooden carts and tiny carts to use which made us take about 9 trips total because they really could not hold that much. One difference between here and my old apartment in MN is they have that gray thing called a FOB to flash in front to unlock the door. I'm very used to having that technology built into my ID card so it seems weird to really not need my card for anything.

I then went to check my mail and had numerous packages (textbooks) waiting for me. Luckily the book I had to read for the first day of classes had already arrived. I also ran into a girl I went to high school with who lives a few doors down which is really random since we're seven hours away from home! We basically didn't have time to unpack much since we were starving. Since the big suitcases needed to go home with my mom we just threw all of that on the floor and called it good.

I used my GPS to find a Chinese restaurant just a few blocks away called Chopsticks. It was super cheap and delicious. Plus I had plenty of extras so that is what I am living on until I am brave enough to go to the grocery store. I said goodbye to my mom and then I met both of my roommates after dinner and we just talked for a long time. My mom then started texting me with all sorts of reminders and I had to remind her that I am not a first year, I am a graduate student which meant I could do things on my own. My roommates were super helpful with my random questions like where buildings were, where I boarded the shuttle and the times, etc.

I then made my bed and packed my back pack for the next day and called it a night. I had no desire to unpack or put anything away.

The alarm went off at 7 am today and I got ready quickly since I didn't really know how long it would take for the bus to arrive, bring me up, find the building and still have time to talk with the professor before class started. At 8 I had to attend Span 103 lecture since it is a class that I do SI and tutor for. I am required to attend three 103 lectures a week with different professors. She was super kind and really excited that I was there which made me excited. Part of my job is to also participate in the classes so I had fun saying my name and other greetings in Spanish. I had to talk a little bit about what I actually do and handed out my snazzy book marks with all my SI times and info. After class I returned back to Kenilworth and took a nap because I am so exhausted from running around these past few days.

I went to my first grad class and the first assignment was to watch Little Miss Sunshine, so that was pretty exciting. It is related to class I swear! The class is Social Work 771 and it is about family structures and how one's family shapes who they are. I found the room easily but apparently the air conditioning is broken so we were all dying after 2 and a half hours. The professor kept giving us breaks so go cool down. I think I am going to really enjoy that class since it makes you reflect on your own family.

I took the shuttle back and then decided to start arranging my room. It was a struggle to move the big heavy desk but it is all coming together!

Looking at my apartment I'd say it's rather nice. My room is way bigger than I thought it would be, it is like three times the size in my old apartment. Although my room is huge, the kitchen and family room (or lack of) aren't so hot. There really isn't a sitting area in 3 person apartments even though it says there is. It's more or less part of the kitchen with no where to really put a couch or anything. The kitchen needs more places to put things, luckily I am the only one who seems to have items for the kitchen. The fridge is also rather short, like shorter than me and I'm not that tall of a person. The bathroom is large but has no drawer space to put things so that sucks. Biggest complaint though is CELL SERVICE! I set my room up so my bed is by the window so you can kinda get service. I got better service at home and my city is considered a black whole and one of the only places verizon doesn't cover. I guess I found another one! They should invest in one of the towers you can buy yourself to transmit service because crappy cell service without room phones is sort of hazardous.

I hope everyone's first day went well!