Thankfully the whole thing blew over and nothing happened.

Okay, I HAD to make that joke. Anyways, time to elaborate:

Hello again. I have a report from my first week of college after my months long struggle to reclaim and readjust my life after cancelling going on a mission in February.

It's been a hell of a half year, and it's taken a lot for me to make it this far. Here I am still climbing up thanks to all of you.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to some of your advice, I managed to get myself into two classes that I actually need! My schedule is pretty convenient AND I get to ride the bus for free now. Because of my previous experience with work (that you all also encouraged me through), I can appreciate public transportation a lot more and use it without any fear. Well, without a significant amount anyways. I tend to fall asleep a lot.

I showed up on Monday (my classes are only Tues/Thurs) to get more appropriately acquainted with the campus, and I surprisingly didn't have any trouble finding my classrooms. I got free stuff out of my visit too, so that was a plus.

The following day was my first day of classes. While waiting for the professor to arrive, I was anxious. Mortified even. Then the thought struck me:
"Wait, I'm at school. I'm going to be starting class...I'm FINALLY back in school! This is where I belong!" As I eased myself into my seat, I felt all of my worries dissipate to a low-level of anxiousness. I was back in my realm.

The Chinese professor is kind, and my classmates didn't look like they wanted to eat my soul. For now at least.

Class was dismissed surprisingly casually which caught me off guard. My classmates dispersed in separate directions as I was left in the dust of confusion, "Is...Is that it then? I guess I'll... have lunch?"
Lunch was lonesome, since I don't have any friends yet, but I hope that will change soon.
I had my last class of the day where I surprisingly worked up the courage to participate in the sociology discussion and give my input.
I forgot how much I love discussions.

I became acquainted with a girl on the bus on the ride home, which was a nice experience. I'll likely never even see her again.

Thursday arrived quickly and it was time to start my second day of college.
The day proceeded essentially the same as Tuesday, except I acquainted myself with two of my classmates in my first class of the day. Hopefully I'll be able to become friends with them, but I won't get my hopes up.

I feel like my time with Mormonism has shot my already crippled social abilities in the foot, but I'll hobble along until I make it. My immediate thoughts with anyone I speak to are always along the lines of, "Maybe I annoyed them or scared them. They probably won't ever talk to me ever again because I suck."

Well, the day proceeded normally up until the end of my lunch break when I spotted something a little out of the ordinary: several police officers in body armor carrying assault rifles and shot guns.
While I was listening to music with my headphones in, a helicopter was flying overhead issuing a lockdown notice to the campus.
There was apparently a student with a backpack that looked like it was carrying an explosive.

I was rushed into a classroom and ended up sitting in the dark for an hour, missing my class. Nothing came of the bomb scare at all other than a missed class, the buses being forced to stop at a different location, and me having to walk 2 hours to get on a bus to visit my cousin for the weekend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overall, I would say that my first week of college has been an interesting experience. It feels great to finally be returning to an environment where my thoughts and mind can flourish. With time I'll be able to fully readjust to life as a normal person.

I can say with surety that without the prompting and encouragement of you all here at RfM I would not be where I am today.
Literally, too. I'd be in Chile selling TSCC-brand nonsense.
Also, I might not have gotten into any college classes, saved up money for a car, learned to take the bus, be free from the church, help Princess free from the church, or most importantly: mature.

Thank you so much for all of your kindness and support. I hope one day I'll be able to return the favor in some way. For now, I'll keep on sharing my progress, and doing the best that I can in my life. Thank you again.

-Knight in Waiting,
finally enjoying a Sunday



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2014 05:25PM by Knight in Waiting.

I am so glad your first week went relatively well, except for the bomb scare. I am proud of you for going outside of your comfort zone to meet new people and speak up in class discussions.

Change the thought in your brain saying that people will think you
annoyed/bored/inconvenienced them to, "I am a great person and have something interesting to share with them." Having a positive self-image is so important!

I wish you continued success.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2014 08:55PM by noone.

I shall work on changing my thoughts more then. Having a positive self-image is something that I have never been good with.

Thanks for checking in and letting us know how you are doing.

College can be crazy sometimes. It's easy to get sucked into all kinds of stuff that can potentially impact your studies.

It's also valuable to enjoy a little of the college experience. It's a great time to network, try new things, and discover who you are.

Although you might feel you are a bit socially handicapped from Mormonism, remember a lot of people at college are feeling lonely and uncomfortable. It's scary until you get a routine going.

The bomb thing was weird!

You will get out of college what you put into it. Enjoy and learn many new things. I hope it goes well for you.

It's comforting to know that I'm not alone in being...alone. I'm definitely going to make the most out of my entire college experience. Especially if I want to achieve my goals in the mental health field.

A bomb scare -- wow, I never had anything like that! Apart from that, it sounds like everything is going well. You might consider arriving at class early and striking up a conversation with whoever is there. Ask questions like, what is your major, what career are you studying for, where do you live, and so on. Get to know your classmates. As class is dismissing, see if anyone wants to grab a coffee or lunch.

Go see your professors during their office hours. Introduce yourself, get acquainted, ask how they developed an interest in their field, or about something that you don't quite understand. It is good to cultivate relationships with your professors because they may know of internships or other opportunities. They will also be a source of references for you for various programs. Plus they are often very interesting people.

Good luck, and don't get discouraged if you don't form friendships quickly. They will come in time, I promise!

Thank you, summer :) I've noticed that asking about majors is often a great way to strike up a conversation. I'm usually at school early, so I think rather than eating Poptarts alone, chatting with my classmates ought to be a lot more stimulating.

My professors seem amiable also. My Chinese professor reminds me of my great aunts, and my sociology professor seems proper yet fun. I better find out what their office hours are soon then!

Check out the clubs as well -- that's a great way to meet people.

Oh good idea, I'll check out their list right now. Hopefully they'll have something appealing :)

Been there ... Done that ...

October 8, 1981: ’Unabomber’ Device Found in Utah Classroom

  A maintenance worker at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City finds a bomb in a business classroom. The device is defused by the local bomb squad and no one is injured. [BBC, 11/12/1987; WASHINGTON POST, 1998] The bomb will later be shown to be the work of Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the so-called “Unabomber” (see April 3, 1996).Entity Tags: Theodore J. (“Ted”) Kaczynski, University of UtahTimeline Tags: US Domestic Terrorism


That bomb was found in the classroom next to the room I was supposed to have my class in a few hours later. That was a fun day.

Yikes! Now that's definitely scary. It's a good thing they found it. It's unfortunate we live in a world where people are compelled to do things like that.

You were able to free princess? That's amazing. I haven't been around or reading the board lately, but now I have to search and read your posts. I suppose you posted about it. Congratulations.

Great to hear from you. I love reading the updates. It's very reassuring that leaving, as hard as it sometimes may be, it's liberating.

Enjoy your time in college. All the best,

D

Yep, she definitely wants nothing to do with the church now. Thank you for your support :)

Well, one thing for sure, your writing skills are definitely college level. :)

Thank you :D I appreciate it when my writing is complimented, even when I'm not making any particular effort to stylize.

So happy to read "The College Report."

Rooting* for you,
Saree


*barracking for our Oz friends

Thank you, In a hurry :D Your kind words and support are always appreciated, of course. Make sure to have fun with your friends!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2014 08:09PM by Knight in Waiting.

Given your experience in Mormonism, did you expect to have a batch of automatic "friends;" these hyper-friendly, smiling people coming at you, and found yourself completely deflated that no one paid attention to you at all? That had to be really hard. I can't really say how I managed to make some friends back then. I think it started mostly with talking to my desk neighbors about study groups and sharing notes, and people know people, and the next thing you know, you have study groups and note-sharers, and getting together socially, and some of those people stick as long-term friends.

Eating alone is par for the course, just whip out a book and go over notes, write a letter home, or something. There are things you can do.

I'm glad you managed public transportation well. It's a mystery to me since it really isn't available in my area.

The couple people you have met, use them for note exchanges, if someone has to to miss class (including you), and for study groups. They may only be your friends for the semester, but they will be good friends for the duration of the class. Some may stick longer and you can meet other people through them. You're going to do fine. Enjoy!

You might be surprised about this, but my experience in Mormonism has largely been sitting alone in classes and at activities.

All of my 'friends' had other friends they'd rather be with.

Besides, who wants to be around the dark-skinned, asks-too-many-questions kid anyways?

I'll take your advice for my alone time. Drawing in the library ought to be more engaging than sitting lonesomely beneath the midday sun. As for my classmates, I'll hopefully make some excellent study buddies.

Congrats on getting through the first week of school but sorry to hear about the bomb scare.

I know that it is hard to adjust to a new environment but you can do it.

I would like suggest checking out to see if your college has a club or organization that you are interested in and can join. Many of these organizations and clubs know that there are new students looking to get involved and it is a great way to meet new people with similar interests. Check your college website or with the student organization office if there is one. Also speaking about student organizations or club, if you have an idea in what you want to major in, there might be an organization that you can join that is focus on that one particular major and it will help you get connected with others in the same major and help with getting some professional connects when it is time for you to graduate and find a job.

I hope this helps you out as you start navigating school. You are doing a great job and I wish you the best.

Good idea. I plan on transferring to a four-year university after I get my associate transfer degree in Psychology. Anything to help propel me forward in my goals will be a big help.

Thank you.

I heard Chaffey had a bomb scare. That's my school and I thought "what the H!"

Glad things are going good and you didn't have to end up taking basket weaving 101.

You're taking another step!

Best, Dennis