Week One
Anddddd just like that, I survived week one! To be frank, I carried a considerable amount of anxiety, more than I usually do, leading up to starting Fall semester. I had no idea what to expect. I felt as if I had completely forgotten how to college, rushing to Target just to grab leftover overpriced highlighters and flimsy folders amongst the debris of the school supplies aisles that felt like a town I hadn't visited in some time. Nor did I realize how fast the first day was dawning upon me until night before as I quadruple checked if I had everything, naturally forgetting the necessities, until I was sitting in that cold desk chair listening for my name during roll call in American Literature.
This was the semester of ~somewhat~ returning to normalcy, as I hadn't taken an in-person class since the pandemic started. And starting back up on-campus came a handful of new changes and challenges for me since I was a first-year. I'm now involved in 3 organizations, expected and relied on to attend meetings. I have 4 jobs that I need to physically show up to rather than logging on with a few clicks. I take classes on the Clifton campus and commute via the shuttle. I made more friends, who want to grab a coffee and see me outside of the university. I learned very quickly within this first week just how much adjustment I need to do from this transition. I won't lie: I was scrambling and got very disoriented.
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At the same time, don't get me wrong, while this first week has been stressful I find it all equally and if not, more exciting. When I came in, I noticed all of the nervous, presumably first-years who were confused, nervous, and awkward navigating the campus, which reminded me of how I used to be. As I passed furrowed brows, I asked students if they needed help with anything, redirecting them from Muntz to Progress hall, give them directions of where the Bookstore or the Math Lab was located. Being able to hopefully relieve some the the nerves that they may be bearing during their day helped relieved my own. I became more grounded throughout the week in knowing that everyone is experience newness right now.
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Working at the welcome desk was rewarding in seeing the faces come in, all the professors with the coffee in their hands looking forward to walking in their classrooms and no longer teaching to black screens. I saw students walking beside each other, talking amongst themselves instead of as new messages in the chat. I was able to see some professors I hadn't seen since the Spring that ended too soon. They recognized me, a reward on its own, asked how I was doing, encouraging to email and talk more sometime. I passed all of my "hallway chat" buddies and made up for all the lost time. To possess the role of greeting everyone back from this period of isolation and quietness harbored a certain gravity.
Having been working on campus since the summer of 2020, it was simply nice to see people roaming the hallways again. Like a celebration to just be able to see humans in real life! The campus gave off an eery feel when it was empty--the school isn't the same without its people. I am happy to be back, while being worried that because of the grave Delta variant, that we might return back to completely virtual learning. That's why I am trying to appreciate everything around me immensely, because it feels like it's all going to go away again. Despite this semester still not being normal normal, I am nonetheless making the most out of the strange. I can't wait for next week!
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