Knowledge

Well my friends, we have almost made it; the end of our first semester at Penn State is in sight. I'm sure we have all learned some incredibly valuable material in our classes; however, I would like to argue that some of the biggest things that we have learned had nothing to do with calculus, CAS, or whatever other classes you may be taking. Instead, the biggest revelations simply came from living life in a totally new setting. This semester marked a new chapter for all of us, and here a few things that it has taught me.

1. Girls are gross.
I know there is a stigma with boys and being gross, but let me tell you... nothing could have prepared me to share a bathroom with an entire dorm floor of girls. At home I shared a bathroom with my younger sister, and of course, this led to some sister rivalries about who left what out and whose responsibility it was to clean particular messes, but the dorm bathroom experience is an intensely escalated version of this. If you are on an all girls' floor, I urge you to be cautious.

2. Squirrels somehow manage to be adorable and terrifying.
I have always loved squirrels. At Penn State, I continue to foster my love for squirrels... at a safe distance. The squirrels here on campus are plentiful, and for a long time I loved seeing these little furry friends scurrying about campus and intermingling with the college students, until I heard one of them screech.


If you watched this video and were not struck with fear because of the hostility of these seemingly adorable and serene creatures, I applaud you.

3. If a random stranger starts talking, 99% of the time it's not to you.
Far too many times I have been walking to class and suddenly heard a random stranger say "hi, how are you?" or something along those lines. I excitedly turn around expecting to engage in a conversation with them because randomly striking up a conversation with a stranger is pretty normal in the South; however, they're actually on the phone using the microphone in their earbuds to talk. Unfortunately, it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why all of these people were  walking around campus awkwardly having conversations with themselves. Don't worry- mystery solved.

4. Regardless of how much you love college, when it's time for a break, you will be more than ready.
I have a confession... I've have a countdown to the second until Thanksgiving break since we first got here at the beginning of the semester. I have made some incredible memories so far at Penn State, yet I couldn't help but periodically check my countdown. No feeling comes close to cuddling your dog after months of separation and trust me, I am more than ready.

p.s. I promise my dog really does love me.