Summer School: Day One

Today was the first official day of summer school, though we had to be here early Sunday evening to check into our dorm rooms. So, I've officially been here 24 hours.

I'm having a serious case of deja vu and suddenly remembering all the little things that have to be worked out between roommates. We have private rooms but share a bath. We also share a full-size refrigerator that is located in my room. I had forgotten how much etiquette is required when living in the dorms. You have to figure out things like whether or not you will leave the doors to your room open or closed. Closed feels rude, especially if you like your suitemate (I'm fortunate that I do!), but open all day means phone calls are not very private and you might be annoying your neighbor with your music. You have to figure out subtle ways of figuring out whether or not someone is in the bathroom and if flushing the toilet cause your suitemate to be awakened when they really wanted to be sleeping in. Are you required to do everything together or at least always invite one another along? Like I said, I'm very glad that I was paired with someone that I was at least familiar with before we arrived and we get along well, so none of these issues have been a problem. It's just strange to be back in the place where you have to figure all this stuff out!

I would be lying if I said I wasn't homesick. Class time is a great distractor, but when you are back in the quiet dorm rooms with a huge amount of free time (compared to being at home), it really makes you miss the activity of your on-the-go family. And their noise. And their hugs. It didn't help when my youngest called crying hysterically last night. It was seriously heart-wrenching to hear her saying, "I want you to hold me!" in between sobs. Turns out, she was just upset with her Daddy who made her clean up her messes, but it still didn't make me feel any better about it.

On the upside, I'm starting to know a few more names and have met some great ladies. I feel very confident in the course we are taking this week (it's basically a Media and Technology class) and we are doing some fun projects. I have so much free time (because we don't have homework; we do everything in class) that I am getting to read some books that I have been wanting to finish and I have time to exercise (I even started my day with a walk/run and hope to end it at the gym tonight).

But as for food...so far, no good. :( We have been limited to the food in the student center so far because regular summer school doesn't officially begin until tomorrow, which means the cafeteria is closed. We have been limited to hamburgers, fries and chicken strips. Yum--a big, greasy mess. We opted to go out for dinner tonight. Hopefully, we'll at least have some veggies at the cafeteria tomorrow!