Since this
blog is for all of you, I suppose I should start by explaining what I’m going
to talk about – and what I’m not going to talk about. If you want to know how
to get into Harvard, this blog isn’t for you. I have another blog at
admissionswithanattitude.blogspot.com that offers tips and advice for getting
into college.
This blog is about what life is
like once you’re here – life as a university student, life as a Harvard
student, and life as me. It’s written for entertainment and personal purposes, so
the people I know can keep up with me and anyone who wants to know what it’s
like here can get a taste of things.
The plan right now is that I update
this once a week, starting now. I may be a couple days off on that, since I
have no idea right now what my schedule will be like, but I will do my best to
be consistent. And please feel free to comment, especially if you have any
suggestions – I will keep them in mind!
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I moved
into Harvard yesterday; I’ve been here less than twenty-four hours. First
impressions? Well, it’s big – not big as a campus as much as big in the sense
that it’s very unfamiliar. I don’t know anyone outside the people I met
yesterday, and I don’t remember half their names; I’m pretty sure I know how to
get to the two buildings I went to yesterday, but that’s about all; and I’ve
got a million things to do and no idea how to do them. It’s not overwhelming –
as long as I don’t think about it too much.
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That’s the
bad part. The good part is that the people I have met are from North Dakota,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, Alaska, Puerto Rico, England and Israel.
I can’t really say that I know them yet, but I’m sure we’ll all become friends
over time. Everybody is friendly and interesting, and we’re all excited to be
here.
Something I
should explain: we don’t officially start classes for another two weeks. This
week is freshman orientation – basically a bunch of meetings that have to be
gotten out of the way – and next week is ‘shopping period’, where we try out
different classes to see which we think are the best fit for us. So right now I
don’t even know what classes I’m taking.
And of
course I’m homesick. I still remember the time I first started going to Sunday
School by myself, and after a few weeks my mother and I discovered it was
easier for me if I left her than it was the other way around. I think that
still holds. I can handle walking away in the airport for two months, but
watching them walk away for three months hurt a lot more. I’m sure having
nothing particularly important to do for hours at a time probably isn’t helping
my brooding mood – there are good and bad parts of starting classes late.
I think
most everyone here is having that trouble. We worked hard to get here, and we
are thankful that we made it, but the day you have to say goodbye you start
wishing you didn’t have to go, wondering what would have happened if you’d
stayed closer to home. Academic opportunities and world-class facilities
suddenly seem insignificant compared with sheer proximity to home. But we did,
in fact, choose to come here, and so here we are, and here we will be – some of
us until Thanksgiving.
And so, to
all of my friends and family out there, I miss you! And to everyone reading
this for advice or insight or entertainment or whatever it may be, don’t
underestimate home-sickness. Even if you’re independent and ready, you’ll find
it waiting to jump on you. But don’t overestimate it, either. Separation is
part of life in a world separated from itself. It’s also necessary for growth
and independence.
Well, I’d
better stop talking for now. Next week I’ll have fewer (hopefully) philosophic
ramblings and more actual information, since I’ll have more than a few hours to
pull from. I hope everyone has a great week, and please keep reading!
PS – The pictures
are of my dorm room – I have a single. :)
