from orientation week to taking classes to meeting fellow students to exploring the city, quarter one was a thrilling introduction to uchicago.
the house system is a good way to meet others. i was especially nervous because i did not know a single person here and was worried i wouldn't be able to make any friends but quickly realized there was a niche for everyone. there were introverts and extroverts, gamers and history buffs, and classic music and edm lovers alike, and everyone in between. luckily woodward house in max p made it easy to feel at home, and i met two of my best friends from this community, denisse and nina. as i was surrounded by such brilliant people, i felt the imposter syndrome creeping in often but brushed it away as i do with all my emotions ;)
professors are quirky and kind and sometimes savage. dining hall food ranges from muy terible to pretty darn great depending on which of the three you decide to go to. there is also this lifesaver thing called "fourth" meal, a great way to push back delta epsilon proofs and eat food during pre-midnight hours instead. the gothic architecture and staircases everywhere make me feel like a first year at hogwarts. everything sounds so shiny and new to the point that i can't imagine the magic of this place ever going away for me. this is a place i could only dream of all my life and deep inside of me pervades a rare form of happiness i've been waiting to feel for a very long time.
jumping into lake michigan on the first day of classes
erin and i were having the end of summer 17 existential crisis so we drove 30 minutes for some cheese curds
a warm welcome
crashed a philosophy grad student party but they had la croix, so
kiyannnnn playing pool!!!! <3
botany pond with denisse
venturing downtown
museum of science and industry
doing laundry for the first time in my life! #housewife
2 AM drying my hair with a t shirt on my head in public AKA committing social suicide on my second week
LAX bro practice
sorority recruitment
happens every time but i always come back
the queue for study break
should've seen the look on my roommate's face
Halloween orchestra performance - talented denisse & neena
Nadiah and the Med
native foods with denisse! i personally believe that imitation meat should NOT be a thing
could not stop crying after my talented friend's phenomenal performance
what else would we be doing?
acclimating to a new place- one with no familiar faces, a place i had little knowledge of- was uncomfortable, but i'm so glad i came to uchicago.
i came away from my first quarter with friends that made me enthusiastic to come back to hyde park, that took care of me when life was harsh and inspire me to live with kindness and to be a better person.
i can't wait to return for winter quarter. here's to the weird af conversations, spying on the xc boys at the reg, sneaking into north's fifteenth floor to gaze out at the skyline at midnight, stuffing my face with insomnia cookies every night, and skipping social events to chill with face masks with my roommate instead.
