My first semester at OSU has been as eventful as I hoped it would be. In my first reflection, I remember a few of my fears centered around how much time it would take for me to adjust and when everything would eventually become routine. I’m glad to say that within a month, I started to have a fully formed routine- I established how long my morning commute would take, the little windows in the day when my friends and I are free to meet up, and where I go to study after class (The third floor on Thompson is by far my favorite, because I can make some noise unlike the higher floors, and there’s still a view). Another one of my fears in the beginning of the semester was staying organized, which is something I had trouble with in high school. And while I have not completely mastered that skill, part of the busyness of college has forced me to. So far, I have enjoyed my experience in the humanities scholars. I had a lot of fun doing some of the events, like the festivals downtown, the community meetings, and the small events after, like the succulent painting. I’m excited to see what is in store for the spring semester. Moving forward in the humanities scholars, I would like to attend some service projects, since I did not get to do any this semester. I would love to maybe even help with planning for some of the future events, or become a mentor next year. Overall, I have had a positive experience first semester and I hope to get even more involved in the spring.

The question of where I’m from triggers a collage in my head, scraps of important details from disparate things. I think of my family. I’m the child of Albanian immigrants, so the culture is present everyday in my life. My parents came to the US in the late 90s to escape their country, which was a lot like the wild west then, full of chaos and uncertainty. They came to Staten Island, New York before relocating to Ohio to be closer to family. Besides being the reason for my existence, they remind me where I’m from and never let me forget it. I think of Columbus, the place where I grew up the majority of my life, and all the people that I’ve met. I think of spending afternoons in German Village, perhaps after getting a bite to eat at the Old Mohawk with my friends and family, and visiting my sister’s apartment just down the brick street from Schiller Park. Or the first time I got a car and I drove it out with my friends to the country roads right off 665, which makes the farmland and rolling hills and old rusty towns around the area look surprisingly scenic, despite all the corn jokes people make about Ohio. One of my favorite parts of my morning routine everyday is getting on 315 and passing the skyline and the mural depicting a bird’s eye view of Columbus on my way to class, along with my coffee and local radio station. It’s a good reminder of the choice I made to spend another four years in this great city. With all this in mind, I’m excited to see how the future will reshape my perception of where I am from.

This first week on campus was busy. To adjust to the newness of everything, I’ve had to learn to do a lot of things, like navigate the bus system, calculate exactly how early I have to leave my house to skip rush hour as a commuter student, or break down the scholarly articles that I have to read weekly for one of my classes. I’m a pretty messy person, and this is the first time I’ve realized that maybe its helpful to have a planner.  I’ve been to about two of the humanities meetings/events and I was most surprised by how many people are involved in the scholars’ program and how communal it is. I was most nervous about how I was going to attain the 20 points, but the calendar has so many opportunities for events that I’m excited to dive in and get involved. I think this week I’m most excited about doing the family feud event and going to the Greek Festival, since I’m a Columbus native and I go every year. I’m expecting my perception of what the OSU experience should be to change a lot as the days go by on campus, but I’m excited nonetheless to see where it goes!

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