Changes

You may have noticed some changes to my blog. The name, for example (Thanks for the suggestion, Jeff!). At Mom's request, I'll continue posting on here from time to time. I'll try to focus mostly on my re-integration, culture shock, and processing my study abroad experience. Of course, that will also involve a lot of talking about what's going on in my life now.

To start, I'm back in Kalamazoo. I am moved in to a house right next to campus (yay!) in a cozy room on the first floor. I'm living with three other girls, two of whom I didn't know before moving in. My room is the only one on the first floor, so I have the downstairs bathroom to myself. My room is already feeling very home-y, which has made me excited about living there this quarter.

One challenge I'm facing now: I'm always cold. The cold of Kalamazoo (should be freezing or below all week) is compounded by the fact that one of my housemates wants to keep our thermostat at 65 or below, plus the fact that I'm still accustomed to warm weather! My feet haven't been warm since I stepped off the plane in Detroit, I'm pretty sure. Just to make things more interesting, I'm missing two of my blankets. NO idea where they are.

Another thing that has been getting to me is how much stuff I have. Clothes and school supplies and bedding and all kinds of STUFF that I just don't need. As I was unpacking, my friend Caity got to hear me say over and over again, "Why do I have so much clothing?" "I don't even remember this shirt!" "What am I doing with all this stuff?" Needless to say, she was amused.

This quarter, all my classes are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Most of my housemates have 8:30 am classes MWF like me, so we can carpool the one block to campus (It's not far, but it is cold!). I'll have my Tuesdays and Thursdays free to study--my challenge will be utilizing that time well.

All in all, I'm really excited to start this quarter. It's my fourth to last quarter at K, and my classes shouldn't be too hard. It's so wonderful to see my classmates who have been missing from my life for almost a year. I'm looking forward to lots of story exchanges, a fabulous circus show in three weeks, maybe some swing dance festivals, and cool shows on campus.