Friday!!!- August 30, 2013

Today was a good day. I was feeling a ton happier, a lot less stressed for some reason, and in general, just much more happy-go-lucky. It was probably because I got enough sleep a few nights ago (which, unfortunately, is not going to happen tonight...) but I still have one complaint about today.

It's too freaking hot. Somebody send me to Antarctica. Gaaaahhhh

I got to sleep in this morning, then began my adventures before Jinny got up! Went to the Lyon Center (the gym) to check it out and work out there first. It was alright! Just... a bit too crowded for my taste. We'll see. I walked by Seeds on the way back to get some milk for my dorm room and save the frustration I had yesterday with that fiasco, and I also grabbed some watermelon, because... well... watermelon! Yay!!

Then I walked back with my arms full and kept an eye on a golf cart full of TV's for a few minutes. I must've been an interesting sight... haha... I like helping people out. It's fun! But again: it's too dang hot here!!! 

When I got back, Jinny was still asleep, and stayed so until I got back from taking a shower. When she was up and ready, we went to brunch at Cafe 84. I say Brunch because it was 11:45am. The crepes at Cafe 84 are good, I'm happy to report, and I ate far a bit too much before scurrying off to my 1pm class. 

I'm feeling showed up by the students here. Everyone's a complete genius! I had an hour long class, but in that hour, I feel like I learned so much about what I'd been missing from reading the play we're working on; I have to read it like literature, and not just to read it. I'll work on that as I read Act 2. 

Walking back in the heat, I had another thought. There's a beautiful statue in front of the Doheny Library, and it's got four women on it. Each is in a different pose, and has a different word above it to match the pose. The words are "School," "Church," "Community," and "Care." Seeing those, and walking by them, made me think of how appropriate those four words are. Isn't that what we're striving to balance out and learn how to manage while we're here in college? School of course: learning new things and studying what we want to know about our world. Church is both for those of a faith to grow strong in it and to stay faithful to it, but also for everyone to solidify and find out what they truly believe. Community: we're all forming new friendships through all our activities and interactions. Then finally, Care. We're learning how to take care of both ourselves and the people around us, and both how and why we should care about the world we live in.

Profound. Let that sit a moment.

To celebrate the end of our first week of school, Jinny and I walked over to an off-campus apartment where a friend of ours is staying and swam in his pool for an hour and a half! It was fun, and we had some great roommate bonding time, I'd say. Plus, the water felt super nice after a day out in the scorching heat. 

After we got back and cleaned up, I attempted laundry for the first time at college. Don't laugh at me: I've done laundry plenty of times before, but these washers were a tad hard to figure out... and... well... I almost forgot detergent the first time. Almost! I did throw it in at the last second! My clothes are clean, in their original colors, and just fine, thank you very much.

Then I had my one-on-one session with my RA: the lovely Hannah. We talked waayy longer than our actual time, but I like talking with her. I'm glad that she's both approachable, knowledgeable of campus ways, and generally fun to be around. So yay!!!

Sneha, Jinny, Kate, Shan, and I had dinner at EVK afterwards, which was just a fun time. They're really fun girls to be with!!!

I left the gathering earlier than others in order to get to Ground Zero on-time for an improv show, but as I was leaving, I spotted my friend Thomas and a friend of his coming into EVK. He'd gotten stung by a bee. 

Rachel to the rescue.

I successfully removed the stinger (the right way, with his ID card) and advised him to ice the sting area. (that's the right thing to do... right? That's what I've been taught and told, and it seemed to help him) Rachel saves the day. Huzzah. So I felt cool.

The improv show I went to was really long, but absolutely fantastic!!! There are some really funny and talented people on campus, and I'm completely convinced to try out for one of these groups when auditions come up! I had a great time and laughed a lot!!! Thanks guys, if you happen to read this.

Now I'm back in the dorm room. I had a great conversation with Kieryn and Alex, but poor Jinny had trouble with the laundry machines. They don't work under the hot water setting :( We'll get it figured out though, and now her clothes are nice and clean. Yay for success!!!

It's 1am. This is way later than I should ever be staying up. Goodnight friends, and as always, Fight on.

Does anyone here give hugs?- August 29, 2013

I finally got to sleep in today! Got up at 9:30 and was greeted with overwhelming heat.... Oh my goodness it was so hot outside today I could barely stand it...

I was feeling pretty crummy and tired and just... in a general funk this morning, so I decided what would make me feel better was to eat some of my cereal from home for breakfast. Problem: I had to find milk.

First I went to Starbucks, figuring they'd sell a little carton of milk and I could get a chai tea latte while I picked it up. Another problem: Starbucks doesn't sell just milk.

So I went to Ground Zero, thinking I could at least get a chai tea and then walk to the marketplace to get the milk. Except Ground Zero doesn't accept dining dollars, and I didn't want to pay normal money for it.

But it was 91 degrees outside. 9.1. degrees. I could not stand the walk all the way to the Seeds Marketplace.

So I went to the cafeteria and paid the dining dollars for a whole meal just for a bowl, a spoon, milk, and a place to sit down and eat with A/C.

Humph. At least having my cereal from home was worth it.

I hung out in my dorm room for a bit, got cleaned up and ready for the day and all, then went to my first class of the day at 12:30. From now on, the day gets pretty busy.

In class, we talked about Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, of which we read the first act, as well as Aristotle's writings of what makes a good play. I found it fascinating! I haven't learned about this a lot before, plus I'm really enjoying Ibsen's work.

After class, I went to get some food from the Campus Center, and... well... kinda just hung out by myself in the shade for a while to eat it. I've been pretty alone all day today.

You know what I really miss? Hugs. I haven't gotten very many decent hugs while I've been here... I miss my friends from high school...and my family... I got hugs from them all the time....

Maybe I'll wear my "Free Hugs" shirt tomorrow, if it's not boiling outside again.

After lunch was nice! I went a little off-campus to Yogurtland to meet up with a few girls from Christian Students, a group on-campus. We got frozen yogurt and just talked, which was really nice! The yogurt was pretty good too :)

Spanish class went well, then I rushed over to the Massman theater for an acting workshop. I got to meet a bunch of theater kids while I was there, which makes me happy. Theater kids are the best.

Our workshop is being taught by Sharon Carnicke. I didn't realize what a big deal she was until after she started talking about the books she's written and the work she's done as far as Stanisklavsky goes, but wow! What a privledge to learn from her and to meet her!!! I had an absolutely great time, and learned a ton, especially about Stanislavsky's method. Turns out it's not a method at all; it's simply a guideline for all actors to help them reach the "creative mood" in the best way they can! There are huge sections of his original books that never got translated to the English version! And all other languages come from the English version! People in Russia are learning some acting ideas of his that we in America have never even touched on. Plus, a lot of his work was censored by Stalin! He's not just a realist actor; he worked in all sorts of genres and even in the opera working on his techniques and ideas.

Wow. How cool!!!

The workshop ended at 8:30, and I went over to the Scene Dock theater for my on-camera audition! It was really chill. My friend Taubert and I decided to pair up, so we chose a scene from "The Diner" to practice and practice and practice, and then perform in front of two cameras and a group of people. I played Beth. The audition itself went really well!!! I've never really performed in front of a camera before, but I think I did pretty well! We did the scene twice: once originally, then once with some corrections and clarifications that the main person in charge gave us. The second time had a very different feel than the first time, but turned out great!! :) I'm very very happy with it! Man, the adrenaline rush you get is just uncompared after doing a scene well!!!

Since Taubert and I finished at the same time, we then went to dinner together at Parkside. Yes... a very late dinner, but nice nonetheless! Then I walked back to my dorm on my own...  singing On My Own from Les Miserables because it was totally appropriate as I was walking back. Walking, alone, at night, on an empty street, under the lights? Yeah, total Eponine moment. But whatever.

I like the campus at night... It's empty and quiet... Or maybe that's just because everyone was watching the first away game somewhere. I did get updates as I walked around: a huge screen was set up in the Campus Center with lots of people watching! I felt pretty good about the game, which we were winning, and my nice walk, and the great audition, so I got a cookie and came back to the dorm.

Since, I've been in the Pardee lounge, on my computer and watching the game. There were some funny guys in here earlier too! I was the only girl in the lounge, actually.... I felt a little like a fly on the wall during a guys' sleepover, so that was... an interesting and new experience. I got to talk with them too, so that was fun to get to know them :)

Most of them left, so now it's just me and a guy named Forrest. We're both just chilling and watching TV. I feel like one of the guys.

So, overall, this evening was much better than this morning. But I'm still pretty tired and missing home quite a lot... maybe tomorrow I'll send out some things to my friends' mailboxes to make me feel better. What helps too is hearing how they all are! If you're reading this guys, please text me or Facebook me or something!! I want to hear from you!!!

And I really want more hugs... :(

Here's a virtual hug for you: *HUG!!* Fight on, friends.

I go to Hogwarts- August 28, 2013

Oh what a to do to die today at a minute or two to two.

A thing distinctly hard to say, but harder still to do.

For they'll beat a tattoo at twenty to two:

A rat-tat-tat tat-tat-tat tat-tat-tat-too!

And the dragon will come when he hears the drum

At a minute or two to two today, at a minute or two to two.

^ Ladies and gentlemen, my acting homework.

I seriously love that class. I could spend all day in that one class every day of the week and never get tired of it, even though there's a lot I'm learning in my other classes too. It's not just because the homework is memorizing silly little phrases that will help us with breath-control and diction either!!! It's just a different type and form of class that's so much more fun and engaging and exciting than any other class I'm taking right now.

I got to start out my day not only with that class, but with having breakfast with my fantastic classmates Matt and Sandy at Cafe 84. I'm glad I ran into them there and on the way there! It would have been a much more lonely morning otherwise.

Even after that class, I got company walking to my Philosophy discussion. I share my philosophy and acting classes with two girls named April and Leia. They're both really neat!

Hmm.. what else what else what else.... What did I do after that?

Oh that's right! The involvement faire was today!!! Almost every single club that exists on this campus had a booth out on the main street. I walked through all of it, but (and this is a surprise to me), didn't sign up for anything new.... I know right? I'm getting somewhere finally!!! What I did do is get more clarification and information on what I'd already signed up for, as well as get the awareness that there may be a place for swing dancing on campus... fingers crossed...

Speaking of swing: What USC students reading this know how to swing dance? Talk to me. I know how and I miss it :(

Lunch was with my good friend Thomas! I always enjoy our conversations, so our time was quite pleasant indeed before I left him to run some errands at the Drama center (DRC).

And thanks to those errands, I now have an audition tomorrow. Woot woot. 

....and.... and audition next week.... yay?

Not for the musical though! Tomorrow I'm having a film audition to be kept on file for the film students who are making films for school sometime in the year. They need actors too, after all! I don't have to prepare anything, which is super nice, but it's likely to go until late at night...

Next week is for a show though, and I need to pull together two monologues. I've got a dramatic one picked out already that will be super easy to memorize: I've done it before in a show. Jam Jar Sonnets, actually! A comedic monologue is still in the running, however... 

The show is a collection of student's stories in monologue form, which is kinda cool! So yeah... we'll see how that goes!

After my adventure to the DRC was my adventure to the Philosophy Library. While I was there, I had the biggest realization I think I'll ever have in my time at USC.

I go to Hogwarts.

There is a Quidditch team, our colors are the same as the Gryffindor colors (coincidence? I think not), and that Philosophy Library is every single common room and library of Hogwarts combined into as small and grand of a room as physically humanly possible. With some of the Beast's library from Beauty and the Beast mixed in there.

It's the smallest little room, but Holy cow is it beautiful!!!

So I did some homework in there before going to my actual Philosophy class. We discussed the existence of God: arguments both for and against his existence. It was surprisingly unbiased on the side of my professor, which was a relief for me. Students had much more bias on the subject.

We talked about God in our acting class today too... it's funny how many people are raised in one religion and raised to believe one thing, but still turn and realize it's not what they actually believe. It's even more funny how when you believe something, how little you know about what other people believe. Which has got me thinking: are we as Christians so defensive of our faith because we're ignorant of the faiths of others? I can't be general, of course, and it's very very possible that's not true, as I know so many well-educated and open-minded Christian people.... but those without a religion seem to be much more at peace with the beliefs of others... maybe I'm making assumptions. Who knows? It's a deep topic.

I finished up my homework due tomorrow, then met up with Jinny for dinner. After dinner though, I felt completely exhausted and pretty crummy too, so I've been hanging in the dorm room ever since.

I think I hit a second wind of some sort, as I'm feeling more energetic now, but I really really need to sleep. On the bright side, I get to sleep in tomorrow!!! No 8am class!!!

By the way, thank you to all of you who left encouraging messages on or about my last post (whether on Facebook or here). They were really sweet and helpful! I'm feeling... semi-better about being overwhelmed, I think. By now, I think I've solidified exactly what I want to be involved in this semester. I'm leaving next semester to itself, which makes me feel better, and especially now that the involvement faire is over, I feel like I've got more of a grasp of what might be getting crammed in my schedule. I just need to organize it and decide which events I'm going to... and tomorrow is going to be a loooong day. Oy vey.

I'll fight on if you'll Fight on!!

College is Hard- August 27, 2013

The moment I rolled out of bed today, I knew today was going to be different, and not in a good way.

First of all, I woke up a bit later than I'd hoped. I still made it to class on-time, but was certainly more rushed in getting to class.
The first class of the day was Intro to Theatrical Production, and was... ok. A little overwhelming, honestly. It's my only class with more than one professor, and also the only class I'll be taking all year. There are two "tracks": Shop and Crew. Shop works in the set shop for a semester, Crew works on a show's crew for at least one show during the semester. I'm hoping to get the shop stuff done first. The professors all seem nice, but... there's just a lot of work involved.

After class, I was still feeling tired and weary and definitely starting to get stressed out, so I made myself a tradition without even realizing it beforehand. I went to a little coffee/tea shop on-campus called LiteraTea, got myself a steaming cup of tea, sat down in the courtyard outside, and did my devotional for the day. It's incredible how a little bit of Bible and a little bit of tea can completely change your mood. After spending just a half hour outside, I felt worlds better, so I went down to the dungeon gym nearby my dorm room and worked out for a bit before lunch.

Here are some views from where I was sitting.

Isn't it beautiful?

My next class was Text Studies for Production, which will most certainly be fascinating. We'll be reading a lot, which sounds like fun! The first play is Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, as we explore the works of Aristotle, Stanaslavski, and.... someone else. I don't remember. The professor is brand new, and reminds me a bit of Mr. Hardy, but is still nice.

I don't remember much of what I did before my next class. I think I got frozen yogurt and tried to get organized... ugh...

Spanish class was next. We had to read the syllabus before coming to class and it was.... extensive and intense. I like my professor quite a lot though. She reminds me a bit of Miss Doyle: very direct and straightforward, but also down to earth and easy to approach. This is the class with the most work, as far as I can tell for right now, but I think I'll be ok...

Right after Spanish class was the Drama School meeting/free dinner so that everyone who's in a drama-related club could put up a booth for interested students. I got to see and say hi to the fabulous Tyler Miclean, which was fun for me! Then, I went back to the dorm, feeling even more stressed and overwhelmed.

It's not the classes that are stressful, just the overall, total quantity of things to do on campus... in general. I've just felt so overbooked and it's only going to get worse: the involvement faire is tomorrow.

I know, I know: I can't do everything, and I don't plan to, but it's hard to solidify your schedule when you still don't know what your schedule will completely consist of. I don't know which Christian group I'll end up joining, therefore I don't know what meetings to plan for or not, I don't know what groups or other clubs I'll get into, so I can't plan for those, then there's a bunch of other random events going on that sound like fun and a great way to get to know students/faculty.... It's a huge bundle. It's just plain a lot.

But I have to take things one day at a time, learn how to organize myself, and figure out my priorities and how to enforce those priorities. It's all a complicated learning process, or, as my Spanish professor put it, walking the tightrope toward adulthood with the help of a safety net.

But what I know, and what they never tell you, is how hard it is to get out of that net after you've fallen off and you're dangling 500 feet in the air. ...We'll see.

The day ended with me hanging out in the lounge with friends a bit as I finished my homework that's due tomorrow (I still have homework, but it's not due tomorrow), and going to my first Christian group event with InterVarsity. There were only four of us, but we had a nice little Bible Study and I had a decent time.

I ought to be reading something right now.... but I've got time tomorrow, and I'd really rather sleep. Or do I have time tomorrow? Now I'm not sure...

I have decided a good way of keeping track of what I have to do is Post-It notes. I have orange ones for homework, and pink for other to-do items. If I run out of room for Post-Its... then that's a sign I'm doing too much. I'll tell you now, I'm not sure how I'll fit the next Post-It, and might end up cheating and putting the existing ones closer together.

Here's what it looks like... Oh! And what my desk currently looks like!

*Sigh...* Just got to keep going, I guess. At least it's only the first not-so-great day instead of the middle of a long chain of bad days, right? Tomorrow's another day...

"At the end of the day there's another day dawning,
And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise."
- Les Miserables

No matter how your day's going, Fight on, friends.

First Day of School!!!- August 26, 2013

Self-explanitory. I totally felt like this this morning.

So I did get up on time for my 8am class today, and also was able to sufficiently not completly disturb my sleeping roommate, grab a good breakfast, and get to class on-time.

Too bad I left my schedule in my room.

It turned out fine though: I knew the building, just not the room number, and there were other kids there that did know where we were supposed to be, so everything turned out well.

Also, I had a nice thought as I was walking out to breakfast this morning... USC is a lot like Disneyland, in some ways. What reminded me of it in particular was how clean and fresh the campus was in the morning, likely thanks to people working through the night to get things back to normal. The stage from the comedy show was gone, as well as all the tents that had surrounded it: just like that. The ground had been water-rinsed/washed with those power hoses, even the flowers seemed newer. They might've been planted new for all I know. There's a lot of work that goes into this campus, even for those who aren't students. You could also make the comparison of the students (aka: cast members) working their butts off as the staff and faculty (aka: the big bosses) work hard to keep the reputation and good name of the company school.

Anyways, I did find my way into Acting 101 and I already LOVE it! My professor is an incredible woman named Mary Joan Negro. She's done so much professional work and has had an incredible career. She's also super sweet and very, very intelligent. I'm going to learn a ton! I already have on just the first day!

More than just acting stuff: In college, it's ok to call professors by their first name. Also, professors swear in class... and it's ok... whaaat?!?

After acting, my friend Matt and I rushed over to the Technical theater lab, where normally, we'll have a lab that goes with the production class we're both in. Turns out there was no lab this week, so instead I went back to Starbucks for a snack, since I knew I was going to have a late lunch.
Say whatever you want about the freshman fifteen, but I am SO glad I went! The line was super long to get to the front, but I was standing behind a man who looked... like faculty or a professor of some sort. He was well-built, wearing a red shirt that had something about ROTC on it. I struck up a conversation with him because a) I was curious about what his shirt meant and what he did for the army area of campus, and b) what else are you going to do while waiting in line? I already knew what I wanted!
Turns out he had been a Theater major in college too. He did television and production for the army, combining his two passions into one, and has also produced on and off-broadway, and worked at Universal Studios for a time. I told him about how I wanted to work at Disney, and he encouraged that, but also encouraged I try Universal Studios: it's much closer and has a lot of character work as well. Our conversation ended with me getting his business card and an invitation to send him my resume sometime; he's working on producing some new stuff and he'd like to see it.

Yeah. I know. My mind is being blown too. It was over 12 hours ago now and I still can't believe it. What kind of a place is this?! Everyone's a superstar of some kind!!!

I ate my snack very peacefully in front of the Doheny Library before going back to the dorm and running some errands to the bookstore and Drama Center. I was working on some to do list stuff and organization in my dorm room when Jinny came back from her class, so we went to lunch together around 2 at EVK. It was a late lunch, but still fun! I'm really enjoying getting to know her and spend time with her. And Jinny, if you're reading this, then... yes. I am really enjoying getting to know you. Sorry to be the weird roommate and tell you over blog...

My next class was a Philosophy class. I've never taken a philosophy class before, but I know the general stuff that's asked in philosophy, so I wasn't feeling too naive. As I climbed up the stairs to get to the third floor of the building (where the class was), I started to hear some really loud music being blasted from above me. I'm not sure what genre it was, but it sounded like a strange mid-category between death metal and hard rock and light rock. I have no clue. My first two thoughts were "Why is music playing?" and "Wouldn't that be funny if it was coming from my class?"

Guess where it was coming from?

Turns out it had no real reason to be there either. But it fit the personality of my professor. He's got a biting sense of humor and a quick mind and tongue. When I say quick mind and tongue I mean that he both thinks fast, can articulate his thoughts in a good way fast, and he also tends to talk fast when he's on a roll. Nevertheless, I like him.

The class is going to be pretty challenging, I can tell. There are weekly assignments about sections from our textbook (which, he didn't tell us about until today, so hopefully my Amazon order worked...), two papers, I'm not sure what kind of answers he's looking for in our responses and assignments (I'll ask during his next office hours, don't worry), and to top it all off, our first topic is the existence of God. Great.
While doing my homework for the class tonight, I made the following observation:

King's kids, Listen closely: TKA is a great school, but it is teaching you how to defend your faith, not how to argue for it. Pay attention in Bible class and do extra research. It will pay off when you're taking a philosophy class like this.

After class, I met up with Jinny again, got some more to do list stuff straightened out, and then we went to dinner at the only cafeteria we hadn't tried before: Cafe 84. Comparing it to the other cafeterias.... It's alright. It's the best for desserts, by far, and also for breakfast-for-dinner options, but at the same time, I'm not sure if the crepes it serves are good or not. There have been many mixed reviews... The actual dinner had it's highs and lows. I think Parkside is my favorite.

Then, Jinny wanted to find the CVS, so we went on quite a walk and off-campus to find it. It's not too far away, and I was able to get a few things I'd been missing that weren't worth my mom bringing all the way from home when I see her next, so that was nice!

We walked back, I worked on homework, some girls from the Intervarsity Christian group came by and chatted with us, and... that's about it. I finished my philosophy homework... even though it was difficult, but I'm still working on the assignment for the Acting class. I have until Wednesday, but it's... a bit of a personal thing, which is difficult. We're supposed to choose a passage from something that means something to us. We'll be reading them in class Wednesday. Mary Joan suggested not doing a monologue from a play, since the tendency would be to act it. She wants us to simply read it, and it has to mean something to us, whether it reflects what we believe, or something about us, etc. I'm currently going between 5 passages, but can't decide which I like the most. I have tomorrow to consider it.

Oooh!! That was the other thing!!! I got to explore the Doheny Library today!!! It is absolutely beautiful. I love it!!!

Well, that's all for today, folks. Hope all your days were wonderful!!! I want to hear about all the other first days of school that happened today!! And as always, Fight on.

The Days are just Packed... -August 25, 2013

I really don't want this blog to start getting boring, but honestly, I don't know what I'll title this when I'm done.

Today I did a lot, I suppose! There's a lot of getting ready for school tomorrow going on: I've got my backpack all prepared for the first day of classes and I know what I'm wearing and I know where my classes are.... I think... fingers crossed!

But today started out with going to breakfast at Parkside with Jinny. We ended up meeting a guy who lived off-campus in a not campus-owned apartment. He took us over there so we could see the area and he has a pool! Sweet! Friend with a pool!

Then we went to the SChristian... fair...event... thing. It was basically a fair for all the different college groups on campus to make themselves known to those who were looking for a Christian group, like me. I gave my number and name to quite a few groups that I thought were really neat. Now I just have to go to the events and see which one is right for me!!

The day's next event was my job interview! I should've brought my favorite audition shirt with me to college... it would've helped a ton deciding what to wear... The interview was done in a speed-dating style: we had a short time at a table talking to someone about a specific position. A lot of the questions were the same type of thing: tell me about yourself, what have you learned from your experience in customer service, describe a time where you handled a difficult situation well, etc. I think I did ok! I was just interviewing to be an event usher or a barista at a local coffee shop at first, but ended up getting a techie thrown into the mix too. I had to set up a microphone to end the interview process... I did pretty good!

I'd like to hear back, but really, I probably won't. And I think I'm ok with that. I mean, I'll be bummed if I don't, of course, but there's already so much to do on-campus that I'll find plenty of other things to fill my schedule, especially once I get homework thrown into the mix.

I changed out of my interview clothes, relaxed again, then Kieryn, Jinny, Shan, Kate, and I went to Parkside again for dinner. Notice you didn't see me mention lunch. I didn't really eat lunch today... late breakfast and being busy during the afternoon washed that away, but I'm alright! We had a nice time, even though we had a scare getting back to McCarthy quad afterwards. Kate travels long distances on an electric scooter so she doesn't have to use her crutches. She had a hard time getting up a slope, and, well, by the end of the experience Shan or I accidentally pressed the scooter's alarm button, the cake I had grabbed for Kate got squashed, and Kate ended up with her foot under the scooter. It was scary, but she turned out to be just fine and there were a lot of people nearby who were super helpful getting her back up. I'm just glad she's ok!!!

We made it to the quad just in time for the Comedy Show! The line up included Dylan Garcia, Brent Morin, and the headliner was Jay Pharaoh!!! So I got to see Jay Pharaoh perform live!! He was really funny; I had a good time.

For those of you who don't know, Jay Pharaoh is an actor/comedian on Saturday Night Live. Basically, he's famous. Yay!

Now I'm back at the dorm: getting ready for school, painting my nails, and having some tea.

Tomorrow's going to be quite the day! I honestly don't know what to expect from my classes. I guess I'll just have to wait and see!

Until then, Fight on, friends.

Trojan Friends- August 24, 2013

I figured I should start writing the date on these blogs, so I can remember when they were.

In an effort to get a kickstart on some good habits, I worked out this morning for the first time on-campus! I'd have to say it was relatively successful, even though both the track and the Lyon center were closed :(. Oh well.

After a really nice (even though it was late) breakfast with Jinny, we got down to business. Went for a walk to the Health Center and bookstore, then came back to the room. I emailed some professors (hoping for voice lessons... fingers crossed!), put my theater resume together, and started my very first work resume... yikes... I'm so lucky to have girls on my floor with tons of experience knowing how to put together a resume so it looks great. They helped me out a lot, and I think I've got a pretty good start!! We'll see how the interview goes tomorrow... some people who interviewed today have already been hired!

Kate and I went for a very late lunch at the Campus Center, and then I hung out with some really fun girls on my dorm talking and playing a game before finishing up my resume. After that... the wait began...

Kate and I got there a little late, but still put our names down on the waiting list. We sat down with some other theater and cinematic arts kids, and had a great conversation for a half hour or so! Then... the Visions and Voices leader stood in the middle of the waiters... and made the announcement....

I didn't make it in to see Kristen Chenowith.

As upsetting as this was, I figured it was likely to happen in the first place. Still, I'm disappointed. Kristen Chenowith is absolutely incredible, and I was so grateful for any opportunity to go see her!!! Alas, it was not meant to be.

I went to the Welcome Back Carnival instead and met up with some friends and met some now friends as well! We all went to EVK for dinner, and I really got to know a girl named Bailey. She was so sweet and had a really cool story: she's moved multiple, multiple times, all around the world!

I met so many new friends after dinner!!! I learned the name of a guy I met last night, met Geoff and Alex, and several girls: Nina, Ariel, and Sanya to name a few. Turns out Sanya and I are the same person. No, seriously. We bonded RIGHT away over being obsessed with Disney Princesses!!! Turns out we have tons of other similarities as well. I'm so glad I met her!!! She is so fun and sweet!!!

There was a Welcome back Concert after the Carnival, so we stayed there for a while. We saw the opening act, which was pretty nice, then Rehab the DJ artist came to perform. I liked the special effects better than the actual music, but hey! I've seen Rehab now!

Geoff, Alex, Kieryn, Nina, and I went to Parkside to hang out after a song or so from Rehab. It was super fun!!!

And now, We're all hanging out in the Pardee lounge again. I'm so happy to be meeting so many great people here!! They are all absolutely wonderful, incredibly talented, and very brilliant. They make me wonder why I'm even at this school, but very glad that I am.

Shout-out to Kieryn and Jinny!!! Kieryn's written three books: go read them! Kieryn Nicolas. I don't know the book titles. And Jinny is a wonderful, absolutely gorgeous roommate. They asked for shout outs :)

Seriously though, what amazing people. I can't wait to get to know more people and get to know these people better.

And to those friends I have already made, Fight on, wherever you are. Thinking of and praying for you all.

Pictures from the Coliseum

Here's some pictures from yesterday before I write about today!!!

Traveler and Tommy!!! Such a beautiful horse!!

Walking into the tunnel to lead to the field

Me in the tunnel!! Yay!!!

The Coliseum!!!

Yup! Me on the field!

Only the best marching band in the history of the universe.

My roommate Jinny and I on the field!

When football season comes, Ya'll better fight on

Getting Sorted Out

Ok, I realize yesterday's post was more of a "look at everything I did today" post, and I apologize. It's honestly because there is so much happening on campus at once! Life has been overwhelming and hectic. Talking to new people today confirmed that it's easy to feel guilty for doing nothing for a little bit; there is... almost an unspoken pressure to go out and be active and meet new people!

As we get used to living in on-campus, it's getting easier to cope with everything happening. By the end of this weekend, I hope to have sorted out which activities I *actually* want to do this year/semester, as well as get a few new habits going that I've wanted to start.

For example, this morning I spent mostly by myself, but I still had a nice time! I'm hoping to spend more time observing the libraries on campus later, but Leavey Library filled some time today with all it's books and information on how to best utilize the libraries. I also checked out my first book! Plays by Arthur Miller :)

Another highlight of the day was the Rape prevention presentation all students were required to go to. We complained at first, but the presentation was given in a very clever, informative, and personal style. I really appreciated the approach, especially since it was a play (yay theater!), but also because it brought to heart just how real these issues can be. I hope and pray that neither the people I'm meeting nor my friends from home nor I ever will be assaulted, but it can happen to anyone. How horrible is that thought?

Speaking of rape, I watched a TED talk before I left for college that really touches on how to train future generations against the rape culture, especially our boys. Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueOqYebVhtc

After the presentation, I got to meet some really sweet girls on my floor, and we all went to dinner at EVK together before the "Light up the Coliseum" event. The entire class of 2017 walked to the Coliseum and got to walk through the same walkway as the athletes and onto the field. WOW. It felt so cool!!! We heard the greatest marching band in the entire world, learned some cheers and card stunts, and then played a HUGE mixer "getting to know you" game that I thoroughly enjoyed!!! We met a lot of people, then took a class picture.

Now here's a fun story: there was a mad rush afterwards to get free t-shirts. I was sandwiched between people for a long while before I made my way to the front to get a shirt. Each shirt had a different "trait of a Trojan" on it: Skillful, Faithful, Scholarly, Courageous, or Ambitious. I was hoping to get Courageous or Ambitious on my shirt, but ended up with Scholarly. I was disapointed... but figured I could always trade with someone else later. Turns out that opportunity came up sooner than I expected. As we walked back from the Coliseum, I was talking to a new friend about my hope to trade a shirt out, and a boy in front of me overheard me. We had a very short conversation that went something like this:

-I got Scholarly, but I'm hoping to trade
-I got Ambitious
-Lucky!
-What size are you? Want to trade?
-Yeah!!

So that's how I met my new friend Michael. He ended up showing me and some other friends where the Parkside cafe was! It's got some great food, and I'll definitely be going back sometime. We hung out in the Pardee lounge a bit too, and here I am again now.

I'm really glad about my shirt. Ambitious is a good word for me, as I'm starting to decide what I really want to pursue while I'm here. I'm hoping to participate in one of the sports I mentioned yesterday, a drama organization, a Christian group, class (of course), friendship relationships, an on-campus job, and possibly a volunteer opportunity. I also want to read more, work out as often as I can (hopefully starting tomorrow), and get voice lessons from the Music school.

Very obviously, I will not be able to do all of these at the same time if I expect to get any sleep at night!! But narrowing down my ambitions is a good start, I think. The next step will be to piece together my schedule, bit by bit. Sacrifice is inevitable, but I'm so looking forward to whatever I end up pursuing.

Fight on, friends.

Oh, and pictures of me at the Coliseum to come. I just need to get them from my iPhone... and it's 12:15am, so I don't really feel like doing it now :/

Good Advice

I graduated again today.

Not really, but there was a big convocation ceremony that felt exactly like a graduation. In it, each school within USC was represented, we were given advice upon advice in the speeches presented, and I decided that the Dramatic Arts school is the best part of USC by far. We cheered for our Dean, ourselves, and even for the fact that our President loves theater. Drama kids represent!!!

The advice we received is endless, but here are some pieces that stuck out to me quite a lot:

1. Call your folks

2. Get sleep!!!

3. Get involved: try something new, go out of your comfort zone. College is a time to try new things!!!

4. Really get to know your faculty. They are amazing people who are here to help us.

5. Get to know your classmates! They are handpicked, special people from all walks of life and all corners of the world, and each has a story to tell.

6. Don't take any of this for granted. Four years will fly by!

7. Have fun.

8. (this was our President's speech) Strive to be literate in imagination, the arts, social media, great literature, and ethics.

9. Involve yourself. Strive, be ambitious, get out of your comfort zone, and you will not regret it.

I came up with that last one on my own based off of what I was told throughout the day.

As far as what I'm learning from the experience....

LA Lesson Number 1: There is ALWAYS something going on!

I can't believe how many events are happening around campus all of the time! It seems like every moment is filled with something exciting!! I was able, in just today, to start working on this advice I was given, all while attempting to take advantage of everything happening. The day started out with meeting new friends over a pancake breakfast, followed by the convocation.

Right after that there was a luncheon for the School of Dramatic Arts. Wow, these kids are great. I knew I loved theater people, but a bunch of them all in one place with equal passion and excitement for life and for their craft was amazing! I got the opportunity to meet many of them, as well as faculty. My acting teacher, Mary-Joan is incredibly sweet, and I met a wonderful professor who gave me great advice on how to fulfill my passion for Musical theater while still being able to study and do other things I'm really hoping to do while at SC. What great people!

After that was a personalized campus tour. It was my fourth official tour of the campus, but the best by far. We had a very small group, a really great and helpful tour guide (a student who worked as an Orientation advisor), and I got to find all of the buildings I'll have a class in except one. Hooray!!!

After hanging out in my room for a bit, I met up with my roommate and we went on quite an adventure! I bought a notebook for keeping track of people I'm meeting here, and signed up for information on two sports. Yes, that's right: Two. Maybe I'll reveal which ones later :) 

Visions and Voices had a really long line, but it was very worth every bit of waiting. 

Note to self before I forget, I need to print out my schedule again.

Anyways, Visions and Voices is a school-run arts organization to bring performers, authors, and other artists to campus to share their craft, advice, and stories. Sometimes it's interactive, but it is always thought-provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed watching performers like the Axis Dance Company and The Bengsons perform. They brought up social issues of today, pure expressions of life, and observations about day to day living that... I can't really describe. They're provocative and fascinating.

I got to meet some great people after Visions and Voices before meeting up with a friend for dinner! He helped me find the Drama Center on campus, then we parted ways and I went to my very first college dance.

Woah. What? Weird.

It was pretty fun! They called it a Highlighter dance because there was a black light, and everyone wore white shirts. No one actually drew on the white shirts, but it was still nice to dance and have fun!

I left early, due to being tired, but my day was not over yet... I know, right? Remember what I said about things always happening?

Kate and Sneha are two girls living in Pardee Tower with me, so we left the dance to check out the dorm room and ended up talking for a while in the dorm lounge. We were joined by other kids from Pardee tower several times and I got to know both of them a lot better. I'm really liking my dorm floor. Pardee floor two represent!

Ok, that's the end of *my* day, but other events that happened today were welcome lunches for all of the different schools, micro seminars, bike registration (Oh... I did that today too.... wait, that so doesn't feel like it was today), and many other informal events.

Wow. It's been a really, really long day. I'm getting excited for Welcome Week to be over: I'd like to have a normal, even schedule to figure out for day-to-day life. It'll be a lot easier.

Until then, however, Fight on, friends.

Move-in

Wow, is this real life?

You always wonder what it's going to be like going to college...and then suddenly, there you are. Heck, I'm still wondering what it's going to be like. It's only been the first day, after all.

Life at USC is going to be busy, I can tell that straight off. From the moment I walked on campus today up until now, there has been something going on. That's one of the reasons I decided to start blogging this year: I want to keep track of what I'm up to as I move throughout this year. Hopefully, this blog won't turn into a complete diary, but even if it does, I promise it will be a diary others can read without fear of intruding upon all my feelings about what is happening. My goal will be to make it informative, entertaining, and perhaps insightful. We'll see how I'm feeling on the particular day.

I cannot promise daily updates, but I will try my best. I do promise to post at least 3 times a week.

Wow... I can't believe I'm here. I'm already dreading the first time I'll feel homesick. I had to say goodbye to my mom today... It's a scary thought you never think about until you get here.

Mom, I've always loved and appreciated you. I want to make that clear. Some kids don't realize how great their parents are until they get to college, but you have been fantastic from the start.

As for my predictions for this year? I am fairly certain that I will not come out of this year the same way I went into it. I'm going to change a lot, and hopefully for the better. I expect I won't stick with all the goals I set for myself, but I'm still going to try hard to achieve them. I'm going to learn a lot too. I've been told by many that this is likely to be a hard year to get through...

I'm going to survive. It's going to be really tough, but by the end of this year, I hope to look back and say it was the best year I could've asked for for my freshman year of college.

Bring it on, SC, and Fight on, friends.