Well, I finally moved in, and became accustomed to this whole college life. I have so much to say!
So my mom, my brother, and I finally headed down to Atlanta, Georgia on August 19, 2009, with an overwhelming number of baggage. My first impression of Atlanta was bland; I thought that it was strikingly similar to New York, with its diversity and huge buildings. But I knew that Oxford College was not here in this city; in fact, it was 1 hour away from Atlanta to Oxford. We grabbed a hotel in Covington, near Oxford, to stay in for one night, since orientation started the day after. A quiet and serene place, Covington is pretty much the closest town to Oxford in which Oxford students can hang out and eat out.
That's the boring part (haha). Now, the next day, we went to orientation in a pretty ghetto yellow taxi. As we entered the campus, the first thing we encounter was a group of girls, holding up a colorful sign that read in bold letters: "WELCOME, INCOMING FRESHMEN! WHOO!", and as we entered and came into their vision, they ecstatically jumped for joy and screamed. I initially ducked my head, embarrassed. Crazy people; that was my initial impression of them. Everyone in the taxi, including the taxi driver, laughed out loud as we slowly found ourselves in a campus filled with greenery.
Despite Oxford College's small size, we got lost as to where my dorm hall (East Hall) was. We eventually found it (in like 10 minutes or so), and immediately after the taxi driver parked the car, three sophomore guys (I already forgot who they were) approached us and helped us out with our baggage, and brought it inside East Hall. I mean, at first glance, it was beautiful; the entrance led to a spacious lobby room, where people can hang out in, with tons of comfy chairs and couches placed all around, and a TV (but I found out it was broken at the moment, and it still is). However, after checking out other halls, I found out that I got the worst hall of them all. Eh. It's fine with me.
I checked in with an RA (Residential Assistance(?) gotta check up on that), who is a sophomore at campus. Her name was Ashley. Sophomores at Oxford College are practically seniors here, because they move out of Oxford into the main Emory campus at junior year. She gave me some orientation stuff, along with my mailbox keys, and most importantly, my room key. I hurried to my room, which was conveniently on the first floor, so I didn't have to struggle carrying my luggage to the second floor.
So my mom, my brother, and I started to organize my stuff in this room. Quietly, but surely.
After a couple of orientation meetings, it was time for my family to leave me behind in Oxford. We didn't cry; in fact, we laughed (sort of). It was the appropriate action for the time being, and I totally appreciated it. A quick shout-out to my mom and Eric! It was the start of my new journey, independent from family, into college.
Ahh... too much to say. Hopefully pictures will do =]
