Taste of the Future

So I just came back from a rather exciting three days of Orientation. Even if it was a little crazy, it was definitely memorable, and therefore, for record-keeping purposes (thus I don't really suggest you read this obscenely long post unless you're really bored), I'm going to reiterate it here.

If you're up for a quick read though, I did sum everything up in the end.

WEDNESDAY:

So I wake up at 5 AM to drive to Chinatown in order to catch the Fung Wah bus to Boston. I already understand though that this will be my primary mode of transportation to and from Boston for the next four years, so I try to pay attention. When we get to Boston four hours later, I follow my cousin's instructions on how to take the T to BU, and thanks to one little addition she made later, I avoided stepping on the wrong train (which I almost did anyway).

After switching lines, however, I did get off a bit too early (my dad swore that we had already passed the entire campus), and so we had to walk a good five minutes to the dorm which for some reason was located towards the very western end of campus. (Why they didn't put us in the dorm right across from where all the activities were taking place is beyond me.) When I get there there's a decently long line, and so by the time I got my room key, all I had time to do was just drop my bag off and "briskly walk" half a mile to another building located at the center of campus.

By the time I get there I'm tired and sweaty from the walk and from the heat. Then of course I run into a classmate from high school (the one person I could have run into), and when she goes to hug me I reluctantly hug back because I'm dripping with sweat and I knew that was pretty gross. We go inside to sit down, and I end up sitting beside a rather awkward boy. I eventually decide to break the ice and try to stir up some conversation, but his awkwardness stagnated it all and foiled my plans to be friendly.

The "Common Ground" program starts, and we're introduced to the Dean of Students who has quite the dynamic personality. When we're told to get up out of our seats and partner up, of course everyone around me turns to the person they've been talking to, and so because I hadn't hit it off with the kid next to me I didn't exactly have a partner. (Already I've established myself as a loner: EPIC FAIL.) When they tell anyone who doesn't have a partner to step up, I reluctantly do so and I'm partnered up with another lone person. After this, each pair partners up with another pair, each four partners up with another four, and each eight partners up with another eight so that there end up being sixteen students in each group. After this, we migrate to a Student Advisor who gives us bagged "lunches" (if you can call a bag of snacks and water a lunch), and she tells us to make eye contact with someone in the circle who will be the person you make sure is with the group. When I look around, I make eye contact with a nice Asian girl whom I got along with great and didn't mind at all except... (falling short of one of my objectives, my initial friend is someone from within my ethnic group: EPIC FAIL). As groups though, each is led to a different point in the city, where the students are given a list of clues and a GPS to navigate themselves to each waypoint. There we not only discover another part of the city but also take the opportunity to play numerous icebreaker games. While I admit it was a rather clever program that really did allow students to familiarize themselves with the city, the T, and other students, already my feet were blistering and I was already beginning to feel quite a bit of pain as I walked.

We got a "free" t-shirt for attending this pre-program though... so that was cool.

Afterwards, we were able to relax for a couple hours so I walked half a mile back to the dorm with the others. After that we walked half a mile back to the middle of campus where we were introduced to different parts of the city and allowed to choose a place to go. Earlier, my Student Advisor recommended a place called Faneuil Hall, so my friend from before and I went there. While waiting for the T, I tried to introduce myself to more people and I ended up befriending another two girls who we stuck with for the rest of the night. (Success!) We ate dinner together at a place called The Purple Shamrock, which served absolutely amazing food. (My choice: A Lobster Roll... delicious.) By the time we finished dinner though, most of the stores were closed, so we just walked around the markets (much to the chagrin of my feet).

When I got back to the dorm, I finally met my roommate who also happened to be from New York. She was really nice and we got along great, although we were both dying from the heat.

THURSDAY:

Actually, that night I couldn't sleep at all, and although I had showered at night, I ended up waking up (after many other times) at 5:15 and taking another shower because I was sticky and sweaty, and the cold water forcefully rushing towards my skin cooled me, cleaned me, and allowed me to breathe again.

My roommate woke up after I had taken a shower, and after we got ready we tried going to a CVS, even though it was 6 in the morning. Of course we failed, and so we walked back and stayed outside (which was significantly cooler than the concrete oven we were sleeping in), where we waited for breakfast to start at 7. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing though because we were one of the first in line, and I already had my custom-made omelette (yum) while others were stuck waiting on a tediously long line. Eventually, the people I had met the day before joined my roommate and me for breakfast too, and it was nice.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful though. We again walked half a mile to the center of campus where we sat through the welcoming address and met with our [real] Student Advisors. When we separated into our real school-specific groups, I got the chance to meet a few more people who I stuck with the rest of the time though, so that was fun. The rest of the day wasn't so much though. I attended a mandatory pre-med presentation, which was somewhat more informative than the ones I've attended in the past, and afterwards we attended school-specific presentations (which I slept through... whoops). Then we had to take a dreaded writing assessment, which I later found out I got a 3 out of 5 on... sigh. Then I got lost a little in the College of Fine Arts building where everyone was regrouping, but after I found my group, I was given a bagged lunch (with a sandwich in it this time!) and we proceeded to choose our potential classes for the next three hours.

I, of course, am always the weird problem child though and like to make things difficult for myself and everyone around me. Seriously considering a quote they'd been feeding us nonstop (because I'm lame enough to actually take these things to heart), I decided to follow its advice. Howard Thurman once said, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

So I decided to try to be a Pre-Med Physics major (which, by the way, totally turns the pre-med curriculum upside down). Don't know if that's more likely to "make me come alive" than it is more likely to totally screw me over and kill me, but I figured that now is the time to take chances and give everything a shot.

Because I was a problem child though, I didn't exactly get done what I needed to get done, so that sort of made things a little more complicated than they should have been the next day. I also hadn't received word of my AP Exams, which made the process of choosing classes so much more annoying.

After that process, we proceeded to a horribly long two-hour presentation that really could have been summed up in two words - "Don't Drink." We had a barbecue after though, which served as a nice reward for our patience. After that we trekked back to the dorm, where we stayed for a couple hours before trekking back for yet another presentation about student life and "BU: The Musical" starring our Student Advisors. The presentation was very well made, however, and the musical was actually both informative and hilarious, so that wasn't bad. Plus they left even more freebies for us on each seat.

Then after that, we had a real taste of some of the things you can do on campus. Down at BU Central, they had things like karaoke, dancing, and even a mechanical bull. Personally, I chose to watch the comedian who I admit was actually pretty funny. (Oh, and everyone got a free shirt again.)

Then after making our way back to the dorm, we again endured another cookout in our rooms, though it wasn't as bad as the night before, whether that be due to truly cooler (as in less hot) weather or to the possibility that we just got used to it.

FRIDAY:

So this morning after again waking up at 5:30, as my roommate and I attempted to walk outside where it was cooler, we were greeted by the call of a security guard who stopped us and told us to come back inside. Apparently, the curfew lasted until 7 AM, and so I sat in the lobby with a couple others who had tried to escape and with the few who had found their rooms too unbearable and slept on the lobby couches. When the security guard "decided to be nice" and let us go around 6:50, we moved outside and waited for breakfast where I ate another custom-made omelette and sat with an ever-changing group of people which ended up being an excellent chance to meet a few more people.

After breakfast, we began the long process of actually registering for the classes we selected. First we had to wait to see faculty advisors, then choose classes by hand, and then actually register online. It was actually a lot more complicated than that though since A) my group was the last group to go, B) I decided to be a Pre-Med Physics major (oh, and I also have to take a special class to fulfill the requirements of this separate program), C) and therefore my first advisor didn't really know what she was talking about. Then, D) I also had to see a pre-med advisor who then sent me to E) another faculty advisor (a Physics professor) who helped me straighten everything out and F) sent me back to the pre-med advisor, who approved my schedule. In the next stage, it took me a while to figure out to sign up for the different components involved in each class, which didn't make sense to me anyway because so many of the classes were filled up anyway that blocking it out by hand was pointless. After they approved what I had scheduled, they then sent us to the computer lab where I was finally able to complete the 3-hour long process and print out my schedule. So that's set.

After that I got my ID card done and proceeded with the other members of my group to the closing ceremonies where they gave another short presentation and conducted a few giveaways. When it was finally over, everyone said goodbye and proceeded back to the dorms where it was near impossible to get into the elevators. When I finally managed to grab my luggage and escape from the building, I handed in my key and left to take the T back to South Station where I boarded the Fung Wah bus again and headed home. There was this slightly sketchy moment when two guys went up to the bus driver and asked (and then bribed) him to stop at a specific pit stop on the way. It was very strange, and I admit I was very suspicious at the time.

But I got home safely [obviously] and ate dinner in Chinatown. Then I drove home with my dad, and that was the end of that adventure.

SUMMARY:

So...
Total Travel Time: 13 hours
Total Hours on Campus: 49.5 hours
Total Trip Time: 62.5 hours
Total Distance Walked: 6 miles (and more probably).
Average Distance Walked Per Day: 2 miles
Total Number of Hours Registering for Classes: 6
Total Number of Hours of Sleep: 10... disrupted of course.
Degree of Foot Pain: INTENSE

So basically, I had a good time. BU's Orientation I'm sure is unlike any other, and aside from the concrete ovens we slept in, it was pretty amazing. While I was there:

- I met a number of people so in the worst case scenario I won't be too alone this September (hah).
- I also set my schedule, which consists of consecutive classes with ten minutes between each for me to literally run across campus to catch the next. (No joke, I'll map it out one day.) Aside from two classes though, the duration of my days range from 11 AM to 3 PM so it's okay.
- Furthermore, I've made the decision to be a Pre-Med Physics major. I can feel myself being screwed over already, but it's okay because if it really doesn't kill me, then I think it really will be something that "makes me come alive."

I'm really looking forward to September though. I can feel the excitement and the buzz, and I've yet to make a circle of friends and find my "College Best Friend"... hah. But I know, I know. Don't worry... I'm in no rush at all.