I began the week feeling like I was at the top of a roller
coaster, right at the edge before gravity kicks in. That feeling lasted through
Wednesday. I was in one-day-at-a-time mode, just getting through the next thing
on the list. Finally on Thursday I managed to start thinking a little beyond
the next 24 hours. Friday was almost easy; I was done early, did my laundry,
and tackled some more unpacking (which I’d been doing piecemeal throughout the
week after my possessions arrived in town on Monday). On Saturday, I was ready
for a break. And ready to not have an apartment full of boxes. So I spent the
preponderance of the day reading (a novel, not my homework) and getting through
all my organizing except for two smallish piles and seven boxes of books.
Then I looked at my schedule for the next week. It turns out
I should have started my homework a little earlier (I did do a few hours’ worth
on Saturday night). I went from feeling like I was approaching the tail end of
a roller coaster to feeling like I was treading water. Not drowning, but
working to keep my chin above the water and staring at a huge, approaching
wave. And I’m not sure what kind of shape I’ll be in when the wave gets to me. Or
what the weather will be like on the other side.
That said, I’m looking forward to the year. The small taste
I’ve gotten in this first week has been intriguing and refreshing. And there
are some very good people around me. At school, apparently everyone is ready to
answer any questions that may occur to the 1Ls. At home, I’ve been blessed with
some timely and unexpected help (in the form of a kind neighbor who helped move
things into my apartment and his wife who brought over a fresh apple cobbler)
and encouragement (in the form of a handful of notes my sister hid throughout
the apartment before I dropped her off at the airport). I’ve been well taken
care of.
The other good news is that I managed to find my way to
school and back several times without taking a wrong turn and without using my GPS.
That’s encouraging for someone with almost no sense of direction. Next project:
learn my way to the grocery store…