DANA: Surviving OSU

My first week of classes, in a nutshell:

Monday: Wake up at 7 a.m. First class starts at 9:30 a.m., leave my dorm room at 9 a.m. Wonder around campus for 30+ minutes trying to find the journalism building. Finally ask someone if I am heading in the right direction. He points me toward the journalism building. Walk another 10 minutes and finally arrive, late, to my first class. Professor gives giant lecture about how much he hates lateness, glaring at me entire time.

Tuesday: Wake up at 7 a.m. for statistics class at 9 a.m. Leave dorm at 8 a.m. to avoid a repeat of yesterday morning and end up arriving to class 30 minutes early. Sit quietly waiting for class to start, trying not to fall asleep. Class begins and sleep wins the battle. Fade in and out of consciousness for the next hour and a half thinking all the while I gotta drop this class as soon as humanly possible. Next class at 10:30 a.m., Video Production Lab. Professor (the one who hates lateness) makes me be first student on camera. Confident, doing well, reading from the teleprompter... til whoever is operating the teleprompter has a seizure or something and I start making up my own lines and making wild hand gestures in an attempt to cover my confusion. Humiliation supreme. Go to Student Union to buy lunch, find every food place to be closed (WHY?). Get lost in Student Union and wonder around for 10 minutes before finally finding an exit. Trudge back to dorm room, sign onto my school account, and drop statistics.

Wednesday: Wake up at 7:30 a.m. and decide to take on-campus bus to journalism building to avoid lateness lecture. Wait patiently at bus stop. Bus pulls up and doors fling open, man with wild, greasy hair stares down from driver seat as "Dr. Feelgood" by Motley Crue blares over bus speakers. Tentatively climb onto bus to find it exploding with students and no where to stand. Shove my way toward back of the bus to grab onto a pole. Before finding a pole to grab, bus takes off with tires squeeling and I'm thrown into giant, smelly guy who stares down at me as if I'm a cockroach. Cling to pole for dear life as bus hurtles into traffic, trying to ignore defeaning rock music beating my eardrums. Classes end, decide to take bus back to dorm room, must be masochistic. Get on bus and ride for 10 minutes before realizing I have no idea where bus is going. Panic and pull stop cord, get off bus. Realize, as bus putters away, this was terrible idea. Walk half mile back to dorm room, collapse on bed and sleep.

Thursday: Wake up 8:30 a.m., bravely stand at bus stop once more. Bus pulls up, doors fly open, climb on and find a seat. It's a miracle. Class goes well. Take bus back to dorm room and manage to get off on right stop. Pack suitcase, throw it in truck, and begin drive back to Tulsa with the knowledge that I somehow survived my first week.