When people ask me where I’m from I don’t even say Wren, I just say Van Wert Country area because no one knows where Wren is, especially because it’s not even on some maps! I thought it was so weird that one of my friends couldn’t grasp the concept of having to drive fifteen minutes to get to my high school, and twenty minuets to get to the nearest grocery. I was talking to my friend Crystal at work the other day and she still can’t comprehend that the town I live in only has two main roads. I laugh every time we compare our home towns because she grew up in Dayton and has lived in a big city all of her life. I even still have a hard time imagining growing up in a city instead of on a farm out in the middle of no where.
I never really thought about people not understanding where I live because I live around other small towns and I’ve never had to explain it all before I got to college. It definitely is a different experience because I’m not use to just being able to drive down the road to the nearest Wal-Mart. I usually have to drive twenty minuets to get to one. It also is weird because back home we only went into town if we had a main purpose whereas here we’re already in town and can just jump into the car if we feel the need to go somewhere.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Do I go or should i stay?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately if going to Main campus is for me or not. The whole point of coming to Newark was to get to Main campus but after everything that has happened this week I’m not so sure. Newark has got that small town feeling that I obviously am use to and it just feels safe. It seems that lately all I hear is bad things that have happened on main campus and how there are crime alerts out at least twice a week for different things, and it just makes me think if I will actually feel comfortable there next year. Don’t get me wrong I love main campus its beautiful and I would love to be able to live on campus and be with my friends who are transferring there also. But I am having second thoughts now, I even went to see my adviser this morning and signed the papers to be transferred to main campus so all my paper work is done but I just don’t know how I feel about it all now.
I know I’ll probably end up going to main campus next year but I just hope that it’s all its cracked up to be. I don’t know why I’m so scared all of a sudden about going to main campus, but I am. I just keep thinking of any possible situation that could go wrong while I’m there, I just keep scaring myself. I think it all got worse after everything that happened with Virginia Tech on Monday. I came to realize that anything can happen no matter where you are and that is what scares me the most.
I know I’ll probably end up going to main campus next year but I just hope that it’s all its cracked up to be. I don’t know why I’m so scared all of a sudden about going to main campus, but I am. I just keep thinking of any possible situation that could go wrong while I’m there, I just keep scaring myself. I think it all got worse after everything that happened with Virginia Tech on Monday. I came to realize that anything can happen no matter where you are and that is what scares me the most.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Essay #1 'Move in Day'
I grew up in a small town named Wren, population roughly two-hundred. Living in Wren was fun growing up because everyone knew each other. I grew up on a farm on the edge of town beside my grandparents so I always had family around me. Wren was safe for me because I always had my own little bubble and never had to step out of my comfort zone, but coming to college defiantly made me pop that bubble. When I first arrived at OSU-Newark I was very afraid to leave my home town and my comfort zone; however these new experiences were an invaluable tool to prepare me for the transition to main campus.
My heart was pounding and I had no idea what to expect when we pulled into the parking lot. I was so thirsty yet I had just drank a bottle of Mountain Dew but my mouth was as dry as it’s ever been. As I got out of the car I looked around and saw people moving things into the dorms with parents and family members, I was shocked at how many people were walking around and getting there stuff out of there cars. I looked across the row of trees toward the dorms and saw some tents and decided that’s were I needed to start. As I walked up to the tents I was so scared I barley could talk to tell the girl my name so I could check in. I finally muttered “Hi, my name is Elizabeth.”
As I walked up the steps to my dorm with my first load of things from my car, I got a sudden feeling like I thought I was going to get sick. I couldn’t comprehend that I was actually moving into a dorm at college. I was so scared that I wouldn’t like my roommates and that we wouldn’t get along. I think I almost hyperventilated when I finally got the door to open. The first thing I saw when the door opened was a lot of people sitting on the couch diagonal from the door; they were the family members of one of my roommates. I looked around letting it all sink in; I saw how our couches were just wooden frames with ugly looking pattern cushions. I also noticed that our kitchen was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be and I thought it was going to be hard for six people to live here. As I made my way down the hallway I peeked in both bathrooms and noticed that one is significantly smaller than the other, which doesn’t really seem that big of a deal now as it did at that moment. I finally got to my room and I sat my stuff down and looked around. The beds were bunked on top of each other to the left of the door when you walk in. The closets are set back into the wall with a little wall dividing the sides, and two desks sit on the wall across from the beds. There are two dressers inside the closets. When it all finally sank in, I decided there was not going to be enough space for all of the stuff I had brought with me.
When I finally got all of my stuff out of the car and into my room, it looked as if I took everything I’ve ever owned with me. It was about that time when I met one of my roommates Marcy; she was defiantly just as nervous as I was because I could barely hear her when she told me her name. After meeting Marcy I just got more nervous because I was afraid that we all were going to be really shy and quiet around each other and not talk at all. I then met Erica who was just as quiet as Marcy and I defiantly started to get scared. I thought I was going to get stuck with girls who would stay in their rooms all the time and never want to do anything. That was until I met Molly. She defiantly was not scared of meeting new people because she came bounding down the hallway and gave us a huge “Hello!” and introduced herself. It was then that I knew that I would be okay. I was scared of making friends with my roommates and other people because I have never had to make friends before, or at least I don’t remember making them. I’ve always had the same group of friends from home so coming to a new place and having to make new friends was my biggest worry.
After I got some things unpacked and my parents decided to leave, mostly because I looked like I was going to pass out I was still so scared, we sat down with our roommates and got to know one another. I finally started feeling better after we talked and got the little things worked out like who would use what bathroom and who got what cupboard in the kitchen. I’m not sure why I was so nervous for my first day at the dorms, but I think it mostly had to do with moving away from my comfort zone. It still is weird for me to live in a place bigger than Wren, but I’m getting use to it and I will have to expect even bigger next year when I go to the Columbus campus.
My heart was pounding and I had no idea what to expect when we pulled into the parking lot. I was so thirsty yet I had just drank a bottle of Mountain Dew but my mouth was as dry as it’s ever been. As I got out of the car I looked around and saw people moving things into the dorms with parents and family members, I was shocked at how many people were walking around and getting there stuff out of there cars. I looked across the row of trees toward the dorms and saw some tents and decided that’s were I needed to start. As I walked up to the tents I was so scared I barley could talk to tell the girl my name so I could check in. I finally muttered “Hi, my name is Elizabeth.”
As I walked up the steps to my dorm with my first load of things from my car, I got a sudden feeling like I thought I was going to get sick. I couldn’t comprehend that I was actually moving into a dorm at college. I was so scared that I wouldn’t like my roommates and that we wouldn’t get along. I think I almost hyperventilated when I finally got the door to open. The first thing I saw when the door opened was a lot of people sitting on the couch diagonal from the door; they were the family members of one of my roommates. I looked around letting it all sink in; I saw how our couches were just wooden frames with ugly looking pattern cushions. I also noticed that our kitchen was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be and I thought it was going to be hard for six people to live here. As I made my way down the hallway I peeked in both bathrooms and noticed that one is significantly smaller than the other, which doesn’t really seem that big of a deal now as it did at that moment. I finally got to my room and I sat my stuff down and looked around. The beds were bunked on top of each other to the left of the door when you walk in. The closets are set back into the wall with a little wall dividing the sides, and two desks sit on the wall across from the beds. There are two dressers inside the closets. When it all finally sank in, I decided there was not going to be enough space for all of the stuff I had brought with me.
When I finally got all of my stuff out of the car and into my room, it looked as if I took everything I’ve ever owned with me. It was about that time when I met one of my roommates Marcy; she was defiantly just as nervous as I was because I could barely hear her when she told me her name. After meeting Marcy I just got more nervous because I was afraid that we all were going to be really shy and quiet around each other and not talk at all. I then met Erica who was just as quiet as Marcy and I defiantly started to get scared. I thought I was going to get stuck with girls who would stay in their rooms all the time and never want to do anything. That was until I met Molly. She defiantly was not scared of meeting new people because she came bounding down the hallway and gave us a huge “Hello!” and introduced herself. It was then that I knew that I would be okay. I was scared of making friends with my roommates and other people because I have never had to make friends before, or at least I don’t remember making them. I’ve always had the same group of friends from home so coming to a new place and having to make new friends was my biggest worry.
After I got some things unpacked and my parents decided to leave, mostly because I looked like I was going to pass out I was still so scared, we sat down with our roommates and got to know one another. I finally started feeling better after we talked and got the little things worked out like who would use what bathroom and who got what cupboard in the kitchen. I’m not sure why I was so nervous for my first day at the dorms, but I think it mostly had to do with moving away from my comfort zone. It still is weird for me to live in a place bigger than Wren, but I’m getting use to it and I will have to expect even bigger next year when I go to the Columbus campus.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Creepy at Night
I was in Columbus last night visiting my sister and I was hit with the realization that it’s creepy at night on campus. I mean I always have known it’s creepy and never to walk around alone at night but driving around it came very apparent to me that it is not what I am expecting next year. I’ve never really had to worry about my surrounding at night until I came to college because back home it was never an issue. Coming from a small town does have its highlights. For example; I never locked my car at night and I even left the keys in the car during the day because I can trust the people in my town and it’s just something we don’t worry about.
I now can’t even leave my keys in my car when I go home because I’m so use to locking my door and always having my keys with me because of being here at college. Not being able to trust the people around me was something I had to get use to coming to college because I was so use to being able to trust my neighbors around me at home. Going to main campus next year is going to be me a wake up call for me because right now I think I know how it will be and that I will be able to handle any problem that may come my way. But I know that if someone would break into my car or anything like that I would not know what to do because I’m not use to having to keep my guard up around people and neighbors. I know that once I’m there and get use to my surroundings I will be fine it will just take some getting use too.
I now can’t even leave my keys in my car when I go home because I’m so use to locking my door and always having my keys with me because of being here at college. Not being able to trust the people around me was something I had to get use to coming to college because I was so use to being able to trust my neighbors around me at home. Going to main campus next year is going to be me a wake up call for me because right now I think I know how it will be and that I will be able to handle any problem that may come my way. But I know that if someone would break into my car or anything like that I would not know what to do because I’m not use to having to keep my guard up around people and neighbors. I know that once I’m there and get use to my surroundings I will be fine it will just take some getting use too.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Making new friends
The one thing that I was most afraid of coming to Ohio State was that I had to make new friends. For some reason I was afraid that I would not be able to make any friends while I was here at school. My friends from back home never changed throughout the years in high school like people said they would and we still keep in touch today. I never really had to put an effort into talking to people or trying to make friends since my high school was small everyone already knew each other and knew who there friends were. I don’t even remember meeting some of my friends because we’ve been friends that long. My friend Shea and I grew up together watching our older sisters, who were the same age also play volleyball in jr.high and high school. I don’t even remember when we actually met we just seemed to have been friends for what seems like ever. I was afraid that coming from such a small high school to OSU would be a huge transition in trying to make friends, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I’ve made a lot of new friends since I have been here and it wasn’t that hard either. The thing that I’m now afraid of is that I’m going to main campus next year I’ll have to start all over again making friends it seems like because my friends here are all getting apartments off campus and I’m trying to get into the dorms. I’m just afraid that I’ll loose the friendships that I’ve made even though I know I probably wont I just don’t want to take that chance I guess.
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