2 days in, and loving the routine

Good morning, readers! 

Guess what day it is? 

Wednesday has finally arrived. Not that I'm rushing the week or anything (though, I do have a 4-day weekend... hooray for class-free Fridays and MLK jr. day!)

I have had a great week so far. I don't know when the last time it was I said that in everyday life, for it is easy to exclaim that when on vacation (like in Montreat, for example. But, I digress). I know I have only been here for three nights now, but I'm just feeling at ease and it is a wonderful feeling. 

The door to my room. The hall has a Disney theme.
Apparently I missed the Harry Potter theme last semester. :(

I completely settled in to my dorm Sunday evening, and my brother got a chance to see what it looks like. He was amazed by what all is included, and the space I had in my own room. I said farewell to him and my mother after they helped me put away the last of my belongings and groceries. My goodness, grocery shopping for yourself-- especially when shopping organic or just overall healthy-- is quite expensive! All week I've done my best not to waste any food or over consume anything, keeping watch of portions and trying to make the not-as-perishable (?) food last a couple weeks. Oy. My poor wallet...

Okay, don't judge me when I say... I officially LOVE Mondays. I sound crazy, I know, BUT, my first and only class of the day doesn't start until noon! Hence, easy mornings, no waking up really early to dart across campus to class. Not only is it a later class, but it's my American Sign Language class. I already have a solid background of ASL in terms of basic communication, because last semester I took a class outside of college every Friday, but it was only the first three units of the textbook which I will be yet again using for my college class. However, with this class we will address all units: 1-6. For the first half of the semester, it will be simply a review for myself. 

After class on Monday, Hanna (one of my closest friends from high school), who just transferred to my college, hung out with me and brought our friend Shalom along. It was Hanna's birthday, so we more or less celebrated. We walked all over campus together, got a little lost, and got stuck in the rain for awhile until we could get back to my dorm. I cooked dinner for them-- chicken and rice-- and we got to catch up. They left after dinner and I relaxed for the rest of my evening. I aimed to get to bed early, because my Tuesday morning would start VERY early with a class at 8:00 a.m. I haven't had class at that hour since high school! Mind you, I cannot believe It's been almost a year since graduation. But again, I digress.

Hanna and I
Monday afternoon

Rainy downtown Atlanta - 6:00 p.m.

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, and was a bit groggy. Nevertheless, I proceeded to get ready and left my dorm around 7:30 a.m. A good portion of my walks to class are uphill (not steep, but progressive hills are killer at times...) and at least 10 minutes away on foot. I start Tuesdays and Thursdays with American Government at 8:00 a.m. The professor I have knows my brother and father, which is cool, and after the class I introduced myself to her. 

Approximately 6:30 a.m.
View from my window - Sunrise!

9:00 a.m. or thereabouts? 

I went to the bookstore after class to rent a copy of the required text, and whilst on my way to class I was surprised to see another friend from high school-- Andrew! While we were talking, we spotted another high school friend of ours and called out to her. Seeing them made my day, since we had some great fun in high school together.

After American Government, I have English Composition II. After my junior year of high school, I began to detest English classes (that is another story in itself), so I was not looking forward to it. To my surprise, my professor was as awesome as others made him out to be. He even wants us to call him by his first name, which will be weird to get used to. 

I have this wonderful, almost 4-hour break between English and my last class of the day-- History since the 1500s-- which I have with Hanna. It is not my cup of tea, but I have to take it. Film major struggles! I'll be glad when I get past all the history classes I'm required to take. At least I have a close friend in my class! 

Speaking of friends, I haven't really met any new ones-- not in my classes and not on my hall. But, it's a work in progress. I've only been here a few days, and I have all semester for making new bonds. 

Before I met with Hanna to walk our history class, I was waiting on the elevator on my floor when I had a friendly conversation with one of the janitorial women on the floor. She asked "how are you?" to which I habitually responded, "I'm good, you?" Her response was the same. She then asked, "Are you having a good day?" I paused for a moment, turned back to face her, and confidently said, "Actually, I'm having a great day." I can't remember the last time I uttered those words. She said "Wonderful" and asked if I was glad to be back. Yet another positive response flew from my mouth when I said, "I am, actually. I just moved in. I was commuting last semester." She warmly welcomed me and my elevator arrived. 

I love friendly people. 

Hanna and I barely made it to history class on time, and had to wave at some other high school friends who called to us from across the Student Center. History since the 1500s was the first class where I actually endured a lecture, since all my other classes passed on it until the second class of the semester. After an hour and fifteen minutes, Hanna and I left. We went back to the bookstore together in search for our history textbook, but later found a better deal online. We went to one of the dining areas and ordered from Einstein Bros. When we went to check out, Hanna was short two cents ($3.02), so we threw our order together and the total came to $10.02-- but all I had was a 10! The lady at the register kindly said she had the two pennies covered and for us to enjoy the rest of our day. We joked about how expensive my ham and swiss bagel was, when I commented that I would consume half now and save the rest for later. I said, "it's all about portion control!" and the lady at the register said "I know that's right!" When we sat down to eat, I spotted my neighbor and said hello to him. Afterward, we went back to my dorm and chilled for a couple hours before Hanna headed home for the night. 

In a couple hours I will be in ASL class, and then I plan to meet with Hanna and hang out in one of the suburbs nearby before I go watch the kids at my church. 

Happy hump day, everyone. Hope your day is as great as it can be. 

Yours truly,

Kelsey