I got to experience a few new things this week that I never would have otherwise if I had not said one teeny three letter word, YES. In college, there is a plethora of new experiences crouching around every corner, waiting for you to cross their paths. This week, I discovered quite the variety of them.
It began on Friday, October 30th. I decided to attend the Costume Dance that Greek Life put on in honor of Halloween. I love Halloween. It is the one night you can be WHOEVER you want, no matter how mythical, humorous, or real you would like. I dressed up in my Gryffindor cape, tied on my maroon and gold tie, grabbed my wand, and then placed my still tender shoulder into its lovely, very fashionable blue sling. I went along with it, hoping people would think my injury was from a Hippogriff or spell gone wrong rather than dodgeball. I headed down to the dance with some of my friends and we had a blast for a couple of hours, meeting new people and marveling at the creativity that some students put into their costumes. It was nice to know that there were safe, alcohol-free options for fun on one of the biggest party weekends of the year.
One thing you will find out in college is that you can NEVER turn down free food. Pizza is offered at almost every club's interest meetings and events. Another lesson to learn is that Sunday is homework cram session day, when you realize that oh yea, tomorrow IS Monday, and NO, you can't stop it from coming. Since Sundays are usually stressful, my fellow RHA (Residence Hall Association) members and I decided to treat our dorm to Sunday Sundaes, a nice hour away from studying that was filled with socializing, laughs, and you guessed it, FREE ICE CREAM! It was a smash success (surprise surprise), and we decided that it is to become an event to happen every other week.
My next new experience of the week came as quite a surprise. My roommates and I headed down to the coffee shop Aromas for some delicious caramel macchiatos and quiet study time on Wednesday night. About a half hour into our homework, our eardrums were met with the cringing sound of microphone feedback that signaled the start of the Black Student Union's Apollo Night. This is basically an open mic night, full of dancing, singing, and guitar playing. There was even some funny rapping going on, and a sudden dance-off between some audience members. Despite the fact that I didn't get my work done, I actually enjoyed watching some of the acts. My eyes were opened to the fact that WOW, my fellow students sure have some talent!!!
Thursday night was much more serious. I participated in InterVarsity's Hunger Banquet. I sat at a table with four other people, and we were each handed a utensil and a challenge- we had to use that utensil and that utensil ALONE to get our dinner from the buffet. One girl was handed a single chop stick, while another was handed a ladle. I had a plastic spoon. We went up to the line and tried to scoop up our dinners of pasta, marinara sauce, salad and breadsticks. It was so difficult! After we ate, the hosts of the banquet informed us of the reasoning behind the madness. Those with the single chop stick represent the 20% of our world that lives on $1.25 a day OR LESS. That made my mouth drop. My eyes were certainly opened up to the serious issue of food shortage in parts of the world. I am blessed with so much: a fantastic education at a top-ranked university, a wonderful and loving family, and more food than I could ever need. It got me thinking about looking into one of the many missions trips that USD has to offer, or maybe going abroad into an underdeveloped country to help out.
This weekend was much more laid back. I explored beautiful La Jolla with my roomie Sarah, and we navigated our way there by using public transportation! The bus system was actually easy to figure out, and only $5 for a day pass. We got to watch the seals down at Child's Beach, and walked along the streets window shopping. It was a nice little getaway. Saturday night was spent with a couple of girls from my hall who I haven't really hung out with. They invited me to go with them and a few others to watch a preseason basketball game. I agreed, and enjoyed the squeak of the players' shoes, the thump of the ball against the court, and the cheers of the fans. It got me so excited for this coming Friday's opening game against Stanford! GO TOREROS!
So now here I am, in the library, working hard on all of the studying that I put off for movie marathons this weekend. I am getting really sleepy, and I am considering achieving the impossible tonight: going to sleep before midnight!!!
Count your blessings,
Avery
