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My First Semester at OSU

How is it possible that I’m already looking back at my first semester at OSU? I feel like I just got here and have been here for years at the same time. So how was my first semester at OSU? In a word? Awesome! Where do I begin? First and foremost, I am so lucky to have found a group of friends as special as the one I did. It always surprises me to think of how close we became in such a short amount of time. A story that sticks out to me is when Sydney, Caitlin, and I were playing cards in the Baker rec room with a girl we invited to play with us (I think her name was Lauren?). We were trash-talking each other and just generally goofing around when Lauren asked, “so, were you guys friends in high school or something?” that was at most a month into the semester. Crazy. I’m also incredibly thankful for the Humanities Scholars program. It has made the adjustment to college so much easier than it could have been. It’s also incredibly fun and it has been a joy to get to know my fellow Scholars as well as Ben and Alex. This semester would have been so different without it. I mean, it forced me to live in Baker East with all the idiots who would become my friends, and I wouldn’t have been able to explore places like Leeds Farm and Cosi, not to mention CHICAGO. Holy cow was that trip fun. 3 days in a big city with my best friends with a ton of independence and tickets to Hamilton and Second City? More of that, please. I can’t forget to mention how great Mad Royal Film Society has been. I have always dreamed of becoming a filmmaker, but before Mad Royal, it was just a fantasy. Now I can legitimately see myself following that path. Over the course of this semester, I co-wrote an award-winning short film (check out “blood in the mirror” on YouTube btw), learned how to storyboard, set up and use sound equipment, edit, and even got to begin learning how to use a camera. All via “blood in the mirror” and the yet-to-be-released semester film, “A Real Murder (That Actually Happened).” Also, I learned that when you go to a big football school, you get really invested in football? Who knew. I want to end this reflection by listing some of my favorite memories that come to mind. Leaving a freezing cold football game to get in pajamas, curl up with some cocoa, and watch “National Treasure,” the night we made our hectic 9-person group chat, messing with a guy bothering Candace on Snapchat,  playing countless Jackbox games, all the great moments from Chicago and the memes that followed, the weekend my brother stayed over, when Troy set off the fire alarm, when I flipped the couch in the rec room, seeing Tiny Meat Gang with Emma and Brandon, our countless feasts after seminar (we called it sermon), and filming “A Real Murder.” There are so many more, but I think I could make an entire journal about everything that has happened. Until I inevitably publish an account of it all, I’ll close by stealing someone else’s sendoff with my own touch. Good night, good luck, and go Bucks.

Where I’m From

I am from Hudson. I am from Germany and The Netherlands. I come from a big family with big hearts and big appetites. I come from applesauce and bolognese, reubens and chicken curry soup. I come from laughter. I come from long stories and one-liners, goofy voices and bellyaches. I come from sailors and lawyers, accountants and chefs. I come from music. I was born in the USA and am not an American idiot. I am from sugar going down and the Great Wide Open. I am lost in stereo and in all the small things. I come from film. From war-torn beaches, wild wests, and galaxies far far away. I come from heartbreak. From disease and relationships. I come from a trumpet, and before that a piano. I come from graphic tees and sweatshirts, and a complete disregard for fashion. I come from newspapers. From editorials and easy listenings. I come from Swenson’s and the Winking Lizard. From Hudson’s and Tacos Mexicanos. I am an Explorer and a Buckeye. I come from ups and downs, highs and lows, and they have made me who I am.

My first week at OSU

So. My first week at THE Ohio State University is behind me, and what a week it was. Move-in day was full of so many emotions. Obviously, the most prominent was an immense excitement that I had been feeling pretty much ever since I got accepted, that grew exponentially throughout the next few months, and spiked during orientation. I also felt pretty nervous, a feeling that had been festering since I started packing the day before. That nervousness turned into stress and annoyance as we packed the car, which wasn’t really fair to my parents, but they understood.  My goodbyes with my parents were bittersweet, as most are. Almost immediately after my parents left, my roommate went out to lunch with his mom, leaving me alone in the room. It was then that I had a realization that hit me like a truck: “Oh my god. I live here now.” The next hour or so was pretty rough, as I became incredibly anxious. That went away pretty quickly, and a huge reason for that was the Humanities Scholars retreat the next day, as well as everything surrounding Convocation the day after. I was really surprised how easy it was to “find my tribe” at Ohio State. Of course, being in a smaller program made finding people with similar interests infinitely easier. By the time classes rolled around, I was just as excited about college as I was when I got my acceptance letter. Everything is just so interesting! One of my history classes is about history itself. How crazy is that? I think the thing about college that is still most exciting to me, besides the once-scary thought of starting my adult life, has to be Humanities Scholars. Everyone is so nice and the events are either really interesting or really fun. Let’s just say it looks like it’s going to be a great year.