Two Years After

It has now been about 2 years since I moved back home. I have thought a lot about those two years, and of that rough journey from being a nursing student to being the patient.

Fall Semester Goals

Fall classes have started yet again, and before the hard work starts, it made sense to figure out some goals for the semester:

Academic Goals:

1. Stay on top of the material/readings/writing in all 5 classes and the weekly Chemistry lab.

2. Not let the Organic Chemistry lecture/lab turn into a scary class.

3. Figure out a rough plan for spring and summer 2010.

4. Apply for the Health, Science and Social Policy minor.

5. Decide whether I want to do a Biology major.

Other Goals:

1. Practice cooking things other than eggs, pasta and sandwiches.

2. Finish decorating my room and keep it clean.

3. Budget time for: socializing on/off campus, personal downtime (writing/watching trashy TV/reading), and, obviously, sleep.

Tuna Noodle Casseroles in France

Since my room is only equipped with a fridge, freezer, and microwave, I don't make the diverse dishes I learned to prepare in middle school Family and Consumer Science* (stir-fried vegetables, macaroni and cheese, smoothies) or instant ramen noodles. Around the time I began to reach my breaking point with eating cafeteria food for lunch and dinner every day, I started taking a closer look at the kosher options in the convenience store and discovered Amy's frozen meals, which are all vegetarian, fairly yummy (except for the pizza with rice flour dough…), and certified kosher. 

Still, I know I could do better. The summer after my senior year, my dad and I lived in an apartment in northern France whose kitchen only had a fridge, freezer, sink, small stovetop, and microwave. Did we rely on pasta and frozen meals? Rarely. Most of the time, Dad made noodle casseroles, assembling the ingredients in a single glass casserole dish and sticking it in the microwave for five minutes. Other nights, we had couscous with vegetables. From time to time Dad did heat a pizza in the microwave, but very infrequently. I have yet to understand how a French apartment kitchen is allowed to lack an oven, though, since French people still do more home cooking than Americans. Of course, both countries may make a large step back towards home cooking in the current economy… 

* = Family and Consumer Science is what my middle school called Home Economics; both boys and girls had to take it. Is FACS supposed to be more PC than HE or does it just sound fancier?

Housing Drama

At my school, students apply to receive a housing number early in spring semester. This year, everyone got their housing numbers just before the end of February break.

First-years and sophomores are guaranteed housing. The two freshman quads are conveniently situated on campus and, while not luxurious, are in rather good shape (some floors have been recently renovated). One quad is two minutes' walking distance away from one of the major academic quads and three minutes away from the old campus center, which has one of the two main cafeterias, the mailroom, the campus convenience store, financial services, and the career center. The main library is also close by. The other quad is close to the other main cafeteria, the chapels, the science buildings, and the new campus center. 

The majority of sophomores live in a "quad" that is actual made of two large residence halls designed to blend in with the trees nearby. These buildings are in less good shape than the freshman buildings, but since almost everyone is close by, it is very easy to keep in touch with friends. The mixed humanities academic quad and nearby cafeteria are still reasonably close, as are the next major sophomore building, "the Castle," which is — surprise — built to look like a castle, the health center, and the gym.

It used to be the case that juniors had the following options: get a suite with 5 close friends (the suites have 6 single rooms and 2 private bathrooms), get a single or double in the recently built junior/senior dorm, get an on-campus apartment (there are 5, 3, and 2-person apartments), or get an off-campus apartment.

This coming year, there will be a brand new residence hall for juniors, composed of 4- and 6-person suites. However, the other recently build junior/senior dorm is no longer an option. During the fall, it will be used by study abroad students. During the spring, all of the "midyear" first-years will be housed there. While I appreciate the effort to accommodate the study abroad students, housing the midyears there poses many problems:

1) It further isolates the midyear students by placing them physically distant from the two freshman quads.

2) It also places the midyear students closer to upperclassmen parties, some of which involve drinking. (Over-21 students can apply for a "wet" room and legally drink in the company of other over-21 students, but these rules are not always followed).

3) It reduces the number of housing options for upperclassmen whose housing is already not guaranteed.

You can guess which of the three is most troubling to rising juniors.

Before receiving my housing number, I had discussed getting a suite with some like-minded  friends. We wanted to get a large group of people in order to increase the chance of more than 1 person getting a good number (the person with the lowest number in a group selects a room or suite and "pulls in" everyone else). When we got our numbers and checked the residence life website though, we found that the junior buildings with suites generally fill up by #1200. Junior/senior housing numbers start at 1000 and go up to 3000. My number, which was the lowest, was almost 1500. For the moment, it looks bad.

I'm hoping we can find a kind, like-minded classmate with a really good number. While I would be willing to get one of the on-campus apartments, they have a two less-than-charming traits:

1) The apartments are on the farthest edge of campus. Thus, in cases of inclement weather and morning sleepiness, it is necessary to use the campus shuttle system to get anywhere. It also cuts into the breezy socializing with friends that happens easily in a regular dorm building.

2) At night, the minimal, flickering fluorescent lighting, both inside and outside the buildings, combined with the harsh concrete, reminds one of those dark, shadowy apartment buildings where people run after each other with guns in action movies. At last they remind me of those shady movie apartments.

On the other hand, the on-campus apartments have one thing going for them:

1) I wouldn't have to commute.

Here's hoping it turns out for the best…

Back "Home"

I just returned to school this afternoon, dragging a suitcase that is about the size of my mini-fridge, a soon-to-be overstuffed backpack, and a full cloth shopping bag. After my roommate and I unpacked, we started running errands. I picked up half my textbooks, still waiting for the other half to arrive in the mail.

This semester, thanks to an intro class, a literature class, and a biology class, I spent about twice what I did last year on books. But it's great to know that familiar faces will start arriving, hopefully without too many snow delays, and to see the montage of postcards and photos on my brick wall (a nice change from painted cinderblock). Tonight, when the lights are switched off, I'll also get to see the glow-in-the-dark stars left on the ceiling by a previous resident, wondering how much they were fined for the stars.

For now, though, I have to get dinner.