I graduated from Thomas Jefferson Charter School in May 2011. I am now attending BYU-Idaho as a freshman. I was completely bored waiting for my first semester to roll around and couldn't wait...until I got there. Then it hit me: I'm going to be gone from home for months at a time without seeing my family and friends. I'm going to have to walk everywhere. I'm going to have to depend on myself for homework, meals, and classes. I'm going to be ON MY OWN. That was such a scary idea to me. I tried my best not to think about it as my parents and I made the 5-hour trip to Rexburg.
We got a flat tire on the way, which was funny because the same thing happened to my dad and uncle when Grandma took them to college for their first semester. Other than that, we made it safely. The next day was move-in day. Talk about hard work! I met one of my roommates, Monica McLaughlin, from Arizona. She wasn't in the same room as me, though. I met my roommate who would share the bedroom with me, Karla Barreno, from New York. Monica's roommate, Gao Xudong from Beijing, arrived 2 weeks after classes started.
I also attended "Get Connected," a lot like EFY, but for freshmen to get to know the campus and the system.
2 days later, classes started. The day before, I was so nervous about getting lost or not being on time that I timed how long it would take for me to get to and from each class from my dorm. I was so relieved I did that; now I never use a map! My teachers are all so wonderful and really funny. What's strange for me is that I'm used to having mostly female teachers; Here, it's reversed. I only have one female teacher (English 101).
The people I have met are very friendly and great! My roommates and I have such a blast together. One Saturday night, we stayed up till about 3 a.m. learning Chinese from Gillian (Gao Xudong's American name). We've also been watching a Korean soap opera with English subtitles that is brilliantly performed every night before going to sleep.
As far as jobs go, I am really lucky. I walked into the testing center to see if they were hiring, and they conducted an interview for me right then and there! I had to do a couple of folder tests, and I passed the first one on my first try and the second on my third try. A few days later, I got an email from the lady in charge, Sis. McPherson, saying that she was interested in hiring me! I was ecstatic; I couldn't believe how lucky I was! A couple of days later, I noticed a new sign that said, "We are no longer accepting applications at this time." I had gone in just in time! Behind the scenes, the testing center is more laid-back than it can seem; the co-workers are hilarious and all get along, the actual job is entertaining, and the hours are great.
All in all, college life is freezing cold, but great! (In fact, I hardly notice the cold.) I'm no longer as worried as I was while getting ready to come here.
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