Another Story!

My mom reminded me on the phone the other day of one more funny story that I forgot to put in the blog post!

So we don't have a curfew here, but we do have "quiet hours". So on Tuesday night the quiet hours start at 11. I have a class at 8 so finally around 11:30 I am warm in my bed moments from drifting off to sleep. Now, my dorm is right next to the lobby and main entrance! Its awful. But at 11:30 ish I hear the girls above me stampede to the window. Guys right outside my window start to yell up to them and then start playing guitar!!! Um, EXCUSE ME! I have an 8AM class! Go to bed!  And he was only playing like the same 4 chords and mumbling. It went on and on and on and on. It never stopped! I was furious and I just so happened to be texting my mom when the music started. So thanks mom for laughing at me while I was trying to get to sleep.

I know we are in college but, please remember that we also have classes to attend in the morning! 

Stories from week 1

The craziest thing happened... It got hot! And I mean HOT! It's awful and definitely needs to stop.

Story #1

It was Monday and classes had just started. I went to my first 3 classes then I had about 3 hours till my next class so I decided to go buy all my books at the bookstore. I walked in, browsed the shelf and counted the money that was slowly leaving the bank account. I stepped in line (which hadn't moved in a while) and waited. And waited. And waited. 

A fact you should know is that there are two lines in the store but both weren't really moving at all. Finally I moved one step, and as my excitement level was high , my nerves were on the edge. All of a sudden, a girl in the other line finishes paying and is walking out when she falls on the ground,  knocking some books off a shelf and knocking over the humidifier thing they have on the floor, sending water everywhere! One of the guys standing there reaches down to help her. She has passed out and when he lifts her up, she had cut her nose on the fall down and is gushing blood! It was terrifying! I of course automatically start to panic!

Another person standing close by, booked it outside for the nurse. (hahaha booked! because we are in a bookstore) The bookstore is in the center of campus, really close to the nurses office. The first kid that helped her up was trying to get her next door to the cafe where there was water, but she passed out again. A few minutes later, the nurse showed up and started to help her. The nurse announced she needed stitches and she quickly called someone. 

Finally I get to the front of the line and buy my books. I tip toe around the water spilled on the floor and walk around the girl still lying on the ground. An ambulance was outside and they wheeled the girl out on a stretcher. I guess she said she had a form of epilepsy but hadn't passed out like that in a long time. It was pretty scary and I don't know what ever happen to her... Happy first day of school! 

Story #2

My dorm-mates (not a word. I know, I made it up. Because they aren't my roommates, but they live next door and right across the hall) and I had been making a list of stuff to go get at Walmart. So we took a break from homework yesterday and ventured in my car to Walmart. The GPS cut out half way there, then turned on again, and we finally made it! We decided it would be faster if we all split up for 30 minutes and then met back up. So I venture out into the scary unknown of Walmart and headed straight for the books. (That was not relevant, but I just LOVE BOOKS!) Don't worry Dad, I didn't buy one. 

The main thing I needed to buy were dryer sheets. So I headed to the aisle and this huge group of guys is on one end. So I go up the parallel aisle to the other side. As I emerge into the aisle one of the guys says, "Hey, can you help us?" To which another guy replied, "She doesn't work here!" And the first one said, "Ya but we are guys!" I simply said, "No I don't work here, but I can probably help you." They then asked me what soap they use to wash clothes.... Well the entire aisle is full of laundry soap!! I tell them any of these work but here is the kind I use. One of them grabs it to put it in the cart. Now there cart already has the laundry soap pods. Which I have and they are wonderful! I tell them that those are the same, and they just look at me like i'm crazy! An older man that works there then enters the aisle. They ask him what soap to use and he says any on the aisle can clean your clothes. They still seemed a bit confused. 

So that was interesting! I told my friends that at least they were trying to figure out what soap to use, which means they are at least planning on washing their clothes! It was pretty funny though!

Story #3

Maddie Larsen (or Maddie Maddie, as she has come to be known), emailed me earlier this week. She told me that the Provost of my school is practically her Uncle and that I should go introduce myself! So today at lunch, I tell my friend Elizabeth this and she says to go introduce myself because they just got food and sat down at a table close to us. 

(Side Note): That's one really cool thing about campus! The institute teachers, and our professors, and our amazing Provost, come and eat with students in the food hall. We all enjoy sitting and talking to them so its quite fun. 

So I decided that after I finished eating I would go over there. So I walk over and introduced my self, said I knew the Larsen's, and the rest is history! His wife is actually our stake Relief Society President and a professor on campus. They are both incredible people! I sat and talked to them for a little while and felt right at home. They are seriously amazing! 

There were some of my stories this week! I hope everyone is doing good! I am so happy that we get the long weekend :) I already am sick of homework!

First days of classes!

Here is how foggy it is EVERY morning!!! This isn't even the worst its been.

So classes have been super stressful already! But I thought I would give you a play by play of every class. There have been some changes. So I have a ton of classes on Monday/Wednesday and almost none on Tuesday/Thursday.

Health and Wellness: There are 23 people in this class. This call is awful. I have taken two health classes in High School and I really don't want to take another one... but its required, so ya! 

Finite Mathematics: There are 18 people in this class. Basically not taking a math senior year was amazing, but also bad because I don't remember anything! She started to talk and do all these equations... it went right over my head! But I love how she explains things. I actually understand it after many practice problems! 

Classics of Western Literature: 21 people in the class. The teacher is really hard, but I am so excited for the books we get to read. We are starting with the Iliad, and it is HUGE and hard to read, but it will be good. 

Approaches to Literature: This is a class I switched into on Wednesday. Its one for my major and there are only 9 people in the class!! Its amazing!!! The teacher is so funny and relatable. His sense of humor reminds me of Reid and my Dad :) Its very fun!

Astronomy: 27 kids in class. 25 is usually the number they like to keep it at, so really this is considered big! Its smaller than any class I have had... Ever. I love learning about space, so this class is fascinating. There is a lot of homework and reading, but I think it will be good. And my Bishop is my teacher! Oh Southern Virginia. 

Now all those classes are on Monday and Wednesday. For Friday I just have the Math, Literature, and Astronomy. The other two days I have

Bella Voce: This is the choir that I auditioned for and got in :) well put in. You audition and she puts you in the mixed choir or the all girl, Bella Voce choir. So that's what I'm in! There are still only about 20 of us.. maybe. Im excited, but since I sang in Lyrica at Alta and smaller choirs last year, I really wanted to be in the bigger choir! But the professor is brilliant and 4 student interns help as well who are equally as awesome. It should be good! Our first performance is Homecoming, so we are hurrying to learn our songs.

Institute: My class is obviously huge for this one! We don't all fit in the room! The institute building is also my church. My teachers are Brother and Sister Mumford from Sandy, Utah! They are serving a mission here teaching Institute. They are so sweet and I am looking forward to diving into the first half of the Book of Mormon with them. 

That is a very brief wrap up of my classes. I am already swamped with homework especially for math, lit, and astronomy. So Leigh and Dylan if you get a call from me... please help! 

Orientation

Orientation started on Thursday and went to Saturday night. It was crazy! Who thought it would be a good idea to have the new, scared, freshly graduated Freshman all get together to hear every detail of the school (that we will forget my friday), for 3 days straight! We had meetings, and getting to know you games, tours, setting up schedules, trying to move in to the dorms, etc.. It was to much in such a short of a time. By Saturday you could tell all of us had about had it. There were some fun activities. They set up a giant blow up movie screen. (Our family definitely needs to invest in that!) and we watched Captain America on Saturday night. It was suppose to be outside, but the rain moved us into our activity center connected to the gym.  

The weather has been very cloudy and we have had some giant rain storms. I can handle this! The humidity has been strong, but definitely not as bad as some places at this time. I hear Utah has had more humidity then I have :) 

Here is the view from my Dorms one morning. 

Church on Sunday was very good! We have 6 student wards so each one is pretty small. Sacrament meeting was about Testimonies and the speakers were pretty amazing! I have 1 o'clock church, so anyone that has it at 11 in Utah, we go to church the same time. We had a fireside that night where the Stake Presidency spoke and it was incredible. They have such a strong love for all of us and this school and the gospel. After the fireside I took a picture of my dorm building. its the giant one on the hill! I just have to walk a giant staircase to get to class and back, and a giant hill for church! If my legs aren't supper supper strong by December... I think I will cry. 

I'm very glad that orientation is over and that classes are starting. Im not very excited for my 8am classes or homework, but having a schedule will keep me very busy! 

Also I auditioned for choir and made the Women's Choir! I walked into the audition and all the crazy choir presidency was in there and I realized how much I miss people like that!  

Arrival!

So after many driving days, and a 500 mile detour to North Dakota. My dad and I arrived in Virginia! Although the drive was exciting at times, (I really liked Chicago, Mall of America, and St. Paul Minnesota, where one of my favorite authors, Fitzgerald, lived) I was sooooo sick of the car! We arrived Tuesday night at the Garfield's for a delicious homemade meal. The next morning we awoke early and drove 2 1/2 more hours to Southern Virginia University. I did learn that they prefer to call the school Southern Virginia University instead of SVU for branding reasons. If you search SVU online a bunch of Law and Order things appear. So saying the full name helps to get us some attention. 

Here are some sunflowers in North Dakota.

 Mall of America 

 The House where Fitzgerald was born. 

 The Cathedral in St. Paul 

 And Chicago! Where we took the Architecture boat tour, because it was too foggy to go up the building! Thank you Leigh and Will for the suggestion. 

And finally arriving at Southern Virginia University.

Its been kind of difficult since being here. I am so out of my element, and everything is SO new! Its absolutely terrifying! Once classes start I think everything will hopefully run a little smother, and I won't break out in too many more anxiety attacks!