Annnnd... They're Off!

Today was my first day of university classes ever. Prior to coming to Texas A&M, the only college experience I had was the 5-week semester of French I I took two summers ago.

It was a little like the first day of seventh grade all over again; you know that feeling. Nervousness about getting lost. Will my teachers be nice? How will the other kids in the class be? Did I forget anything? If you think getting turned lose in the big world of high school, where you are no longer escorted to class by a teacher and you have to keep up with your own assignments is nerve-wracking, you can expect that finding your way to your very first classes ever as a university student in a huge campus with 50,000 people could be a mite more intimidating. Add keeping track of not only when and where all your classes are, when assignments and tests are due, but also balancing a daily planner of social and religious engagements, and you can bet it's a period of intense and quick growth in the maturity department.

Fortunately, my first class was not until 12:40 (I'm not lazy, it just worked out that way; I'm getting up for an 8:00 AM history class tomorrow), so I had plenty of time to prepare, and it's a good thing I did. Gig 'Em Week has been immensely helpful in finding my way around here, so it was hardly a matter of finding the right building, although the paranoid part of me was worried the schedule or map might be wrong.

After fiddling with my backpack, which turned out to be huge and kind of clunky, and making sure I had all my textbooks, then checking out my bike, which was just brought up yesterday, to make sure it was working properly and to get the hang of it again, I left very early to have some time to look inside the All Faiths Chapel on campus not far from my dorm. I had heard there is a piano inside, and I had the opportunity to sit and play for the first time here for a few minutes. It proved to be very therapeutic, and I was glad that the songs I can play from memory/by ear were a medley of hymns. It was nice to remember that as chaotic as my life has suddenly become, I can always find a center and refuge in God, who is always unchanging.

After I played "It Is Well With My Soul," "How Great Thou Art," and "In The Garden" (all of which are very appropriate for finding solace amidst loneliness and confusion), I arrived an hour early at the building where my French class was to be held. While waiting, I communicated with Austin's municipal liaison for NaNoWriMo about some planning processes for this November, and it was nice to be reconnected with a friend from home about an event I love.

I'm glad to say that my first class ever at Texas A&M University was my French III class; a couple of things made it a positive way to start off the year: First of all, my professor is a very nice woman who seems very dedicated to her job. She spoke in French to us the whole time, but I could understand most everything, which was extremely helpful in boosting my self-confidence. Secondly, my friend Lara whom I haven't seen for three years is also in the class, so having a friend helped make it a little less frightening. And lastly, I love the French language, and I'm so eager to continue studying it as part of my International Studies major, so it was a pleasant and engaging way to begin classes here.

I went to lunch with Meghan and one of her friends before heading to my Introduction to Linguistics class, which consisted mainly of receiving the syllabus. It is a larger lecture-type class, but the professor seems capable, and the syllabus has piqued my interest in regards to what we'll be studying.

Lastly, I went to a meeting led by my Anthropology professor to get his syllabus and learn more about the online course he has set up en lieu of a traditional, lecture-type class. I'm not sure what was wrong with the other students in there, but I thought he was hilarious. He seems like a very interesting, knowledgeable man (who has apparently been working here for almost 40 years). My favorite part of the whole thing was when he said that he thought it important that we study the future of human interactions, especially with regards to the Middle East, since my generation will be making the decisions, but he planned to "check out of the place before it all blows up." I hope he is just as witty, amusing, and engaging in his video lectures. The topic sounds absolutely intriguing.

And fortunately, the meeting was shorter than I had expected, so I was able to catch the end of the meeting at St. Mary's for people interested in the music ministry. The director is such a friendly, welcoming guy, and I am very excited to work with him. On top of that, I had the good fortune to meet two other very talented pianists (and they're Catholic! :D), so it looks like the start of a good friendship (albeit, a possibly competitive one!)

All in all, a good day and a good start to what will hopefully be a good school year. Now I've just got to get up at 8:00 tomorrow for a U.S. History class and then my Shakespeare Lit. class...