January 11 & 12, 2016: Back In The Game
Hi!
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| Campus is so pretty <3 |
I'm currently sitting in my apartment at USC watching E! with Ben on Twitter next to me. I just finished cutting name cards out for my JumpStart session next week, but, before that, I was watching the mid-season premiere of Pretty Little Liars (it was soo000ooo good I'm sooo00oo excited).
Ben and I returned back to school yesterday. I didn't get the chance to blog just because I was so busy getting back into the swing of things. I totally forgot what it felt like to have obligations, places to be, and not a lot of time to do it.
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| Ben in his natural habitat.. |
My class didn't start until 1 PM yesterday, so I had the whole morning to get settled in - I unpacked some clothes, cleaned my room, and organized my desk before doing my makeup and watching Gossip Girl (simultaneously). Ben and I then went to have lunch at the closest dining hall to our apartment, Cafe 84.
I struggled to find GEOL 107: Oceanography afterward. My good friend, Cheryl, and my apartment-mate, Christine, are both in my class, so it was nice to see some familiar faces. After all, the classroom was literally packed. Like, 240 kids elbow-to-elbow. I had never been in a class so full before. Our teacher was British and told us all about the mystery of the ocean and how interesting the semester would be. Compared to some of the GE's I've taken (East Asian Societies, Environmental Challenges), this one doesn't seem all that bad. Plus, I found an old version of the textbook online, so I just saved $90.
Afterwards, I had 10 minutes to get to my next class so I rushed to PSYC 355: Social Psychology on my bike. The classroom design is interesting and not like any other lecture I'd ever been in. I had to find a seat towards the back since I arrived a little late. The professor was funny, and the class seems so interesting (and there is no required textbook, which makes me happier than it should ^-^). We're basically learning about why people act the way that they do. I'm so happy to finally be taking courses that truly spark my interest.
Although we were supposed to end at 3:50, he let us out early. I met Ben at the bookstore and ended up buying a white USC hat that had caught my interest during our visit earlier that day at the sidewalk sale.
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| Doheny is never this empty - I had to take a pic |
What's so funny is that my next class PSYC 201: The Science of Happiness, a general education course, is taught by the exact same teacher in the exact same room. He was still funny, but his introductory jokes were less funny the second time around. This class is highly-coveted, so I'm excited to finally have a good GE. I also feel like there will be some overlap between this and PSYC 355. I can't even convey how happy I am to finally have courses relevant to everyday life and to my major.
Afterwards, I went to the gym. It was my first time using the lockers because I finally purchased a (shitty) lock from the bookstore. I'm trying to go the gym every day when I have the time - as of now, I hate it. I want to die when I'm on the elliptical, but, somehow, I make it to the end (probably because I watch Gossip Girl). The gym is Ben's second home, and our breaks in between classes overlap, so I see him there. I don't know how I feel about Ben seeing me at the gym - I don't think I care, haha.
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| Walking back to my apartment |
We ate at the dining hall for dinner again, just because we hadn't been grocery shopping yet. I went to a JumpStart team meeting afterwards. That evening, we relaxed at my apartment before going to sleep early.
This morning, I unwillingly woke up at 8 AM to make it to my JumpStart preschool by 9:00. It was nice being there and hanging out with the little kids again - I'm so happy most of them remember my name and were there to run up and hug me when I walked in. My favorites are Estrella and Caitlyn and Tiffany - especially Estrella. She used to speak only Spanish but now she knows a lot of English, but seeing her communicate is so funny and adorable. She doesn't struggle We played with puzzles, clay, popsicle sticks, and read books. I stayed through lunch, where the kids ate fish sticks and saltines (I had like 12 crackers, lol.)
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| On the way home from Ralph's |
Afterward, I met Ben at home and we decided to take a trip on our bikes to Ralph's. We had never done so before, but we didn't want to waste money on an Uber when Ralph's is literally a half mile away. I'm wary about walking places, just because homeless people scare me. We got what we needed to get and biked back.
Ben made lunch (he's so much better of a chef than I am) - macaroni and cheese with bacon bits and bread crumbs. It doesn't look particularly good or sound good by its description, but it was fucking amazing.
I went to the Tutor Campus Center Family Room to get some reading done for my classes before heading to the gym. I wanted to quit so badly and go home and eat coconut dark chocolate granola bits (my favorite lately). But I did 60 minutes on the elliptical. I met Chef Ben at home as he was finishing cooking up our dinner of breaded chicken and rice pilaf. I decided to sauté some spinach for a healthier alternative to the rice pilaf. Needless to say, dinner was also fucking amazing. We haven't cooked at home in a really, really long time, so I forgot how annoying dishes and cleaning up is.
Afterward, Ben had a night class, so I stayed at home, did laundry, watched Pretty Little Liars and E! News, and finished up JumpStart prep.
I'm so happy to get to relax here with Ben at the apartment and do our own thing, but I do miss my home. I got a letter from Camille today that she was assigned to write for her class, and it was really sweet to hear her say "thanks" for things since she's not a very heartfelt person.
So far, I have a good feeling about second semester. My classes don't seem too work-intensive, and I think I have my priorities set straighter. Hopefully, this positivity will carry out through the whole semester. I think I'm going to use this blog more as a reflection of the days + a photo diary rather than an entertainment source. I do enjoy it and I think it will help me keep my memory of my days clear I'm also still figuring out the style and layout of this too - I'm not entirely satisfied with it at the moment. Hopefully, for my own benefit, I can keep it up.
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