My First Few Weeks
Well, where do I begin? I got all my stuff together and I didn't know what to expect. Three of my sibblings had already been to college, and Cassie was there for only a week by the time I made it to St. Leo on Friday. I have to admit I was nervous, but I already knew my roommate Jen through summer orientation. I arrived and my sister Carly and my father helped me to put my room together in Snyder. Many of the freshmen were getting their things together and hallways were filled with families and such to help all of us with the transition. After moving me in, we went to Walmart for the small essentials I may have forgotten. We bought my books and things from the bookstore, and finally it was time to leave behind my family. Saying goodbye is always a very surreal experience for me because it doesn't really dawn on me until I don't see them anymore.
That night my roommate and I laid down some rules with each other - nothing hostile, just a quick introduction to our own lifestyles. It would not be the first time I had to share a room (as a twin, you share everything for most of your life), but we were more or less strangers joined together because of college. The talk of respect and such has actually made it easier to handle certain things, and I believe it helped our relationship. The next day there were academic things to take care of and certain other activities to get to know our class. It was actually quite helpful to get to know others and just how alike we all surprisingly were, yet also our differences. Later on, we all went to the movies and I saw Nanny Diaries. By the next day, I had gotten to know more people on my hall, and a few of us hung out at Magic Kingdom together. I have been to Magic Kingdom many times and Disney Land in California, but to be with a new group of people that I had only met moments ago was a new experience for me. We had so much fun even through the rainy weather and jumped in puddles. Since Disney, we are still close friends and have found more people to add onto as friends.
The group at Disney
I started classes that Tuesday and I found out just how different classes are from high school to college. I had two hours in between classes - something I could never even dream of in high school. I also came from a school with uniforms and all-girls, so the atmosphere was a bit different than what I'm use to. Classes also seemed to move faster than what I remembered in high school, but thats part of fitting it all in a semester. What I do like about Leo is how close we are to our teachers. We can contact them usually very easily and they are generally as concerned as we are with how we are doing in their classes. As part of the Honors program, I find that the classes are a great way to expand thoughts while learning about all the different viewpoints of the classics.
Classes are not the only things that we do, of course. I was able to get a job as a lab assistant in Lewis Hall, which is a nice perk to help in my biology major. I am also part of Tri-Beta, a national honor society for biology. I am only a prospective member, but I can still get involved and help with fundraising and biology awareness on campus. I am also part of the Chemistry Club which is not only trying to build awareness of chemistry on campus but to also try and create a chemistry major at St. Leo. Sporting events are also good to attend, and my personal favorite sport being soccer, I have seen the men's soccer team play at home. The games are really exciting and I enjoy cheering on the teams. There are also parties supported by Greek life and a few are pretty interesting. I went to the no-clothes party, and before you worry, all it means is to wear something that is not quite every day clothingwear. I made a trash bag into a halter dress, and me friend made a dress out of a table cloth. both dresses looked pretty good, and we got compliments on them (especially when we were out of place at McDonald's). And there is always Tampa. I know because I used to live there. I went to ZooBoo this past weekend and had so much fun. It is slightly directed for younger children, but Lowry Park Zoo is a very good zoo to see animals up close such as giraffes and african penguins.
Me in my trashy dress
St. Leo has a lot to offer, and I can't wait to go through the rest of my semester.