It's hard to believe that two months ago I stepped onto Redeemer soil as a first-year university student. All I could think about was: How would I meet people? Who would be my friends? What would my profs be like? Will I get along with my dorm mates? As I opened the door to my dorm for the first time, I was greeted by a cheery smile and a warm, “Hello” from my RA, and all my worries disappeared.
That first week of university was all about adjusting; adjusting to my new-found freedom, friends, and home. To make our adjustment a little easier, Student Life planned LAUNCH which was a competition for the Cooper Cup (and of course bragging rights). Three dorms, including mine, made up the brown team. Throughout the week various activities were planned such as a Find- your-LAUNCH-leader scavenger hunt, a canned food drive, decade and swing dances, and orientation meetings. For each event, your team got a certain amount of points for every teammate who attended.
At the end of the week, we had the Olympics. It was one of the most exciting days of my university life. Everyone on my team dressed up in brown and covered themselves with warpaint. Other teams carried ginormous mascots like a stuffed gorilla. Then all the teams marched to where the Olympics would be held, all the while screaming and cheering for their team. The Olympic events consisted of the classic ankle balloon pop game; flour toss – where your team sits in a line and passes flour over your heads from the front to the back; the frozen t-shirt game; and a new and improved version of capture the flag. What followed next was what I'd been looking forward too all summer – the mud pit.
Let me explain the mud pit - pure awesomeness. Our team felt a special connection with the mud pit because we were brown and so is mud. When it came to be our turn to play tug-of-war in the pit, we decided to have compassion on the other team and let them drag us through the mud. Afterwards, there was a huge mud fight. As I looked around all I could see were walking piles of mud. Before we were allowed back into the dorm, we had to hose off. Despite our best efforts to eliminate all traces of mud, our clothes and shoes were worthless. I wonder if the garbage men noticed the sudden increase in garbage that week...
In conclusion, I'd like to say this to all present and future first-years: no matter how nervous you are about university remember that you're not the only one. Take a deep breath. Be yourself. And don't forget a pair of old sneakers for the mud pit!
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