Florida born and raised but I've got Jersey in my veins... My sophomore year taught me ten new things that I figured I would share with you so without further ado.
One:Invest in a Lanyard or be prepared to get locked out of your room.
The first two days of the academic year, I put my room key in two different places in my backpack and lost place of it but luckily the RA was sitting at the desk in the lobby of my dorm building. Otherwise, I would have been locked out till my roommate at the time got back from hanging out with her friends. So, the moral of this story: buy a lanyard or a key ring for your keys and always put them in the same pocket in your bag.
Two:Going home? Make a list.
Throughout the semester, I get homesick. I can't even imagine how my out-of-state friends deal. Anyway, I would go home every 3 or 4 weeks. In the process of packing my necessities to take home with me, I would always forget something vitally important. For example, the weekend I was going to that Etnies skate demo at the skatepark of Tampa I forgot my camera. My dad didn't want to hear me whine all the way home so he turned around when we were half-way home and let me get my camera. All the way home, though, I found new ways to place the forbidden f-bomb in phrases I never thought of before. It was oh so pleasant! Another time, I was going home and my parents had plans to take us to the beach, I forgot my beach bag while another time, I forgot my razor. :o No worries. Everything worked out and no, I didn't rock my Neanderthal leg status at the beach that weekend. LOL.
Three:Communicate with your roommate.
Freshman year of college, my roommate moved out at the end of Fall semester and I had the whole room to myself for the whole spring semester. This year, I was blessed with a roommate who fit my schedule. She was always studying and she rarely slept. Being that I sucked academically my freshman year, she helped me channel what I neglected from all those years in the IB programme and I finally learned how to focus and study to get decent grades. I will talk about this later in the post but I cannot thank her enough! Yet, she had a friend who practically lived in out room that I didn't care for the moment I met her. I will spare the gory details but needless to say, this person was a freeloader and used our room as her personal storage unit/nap station. I should have told my roommate from the beginning that I wanted this girl out but she continued to let her in because I didn't speak up. The moral of this story: Have clear communication with your roommate. If you do, you will save yourself pointless drama and arguments later on.
Four:Choose a healthier diet and lifestyle habits.
At the beginning of the year, I gained a lot of weight because I have been a skinny girl with a fast metabolism for most of my life and like most skinny girls, we all have really bad eating habits because we are blessed with good metabolisms. Yet, as soon as I realized I gained all that weight, I went back for the spring semester and made sure to watch what I ate. I cut out soda, fried foods (well I still fell for those gosh darn delicious mozzarella sticks), chips, and stopped overeating cookies and desserts as well as ice cream. Instead of soda, I would drink water or green tea with all my meals except breakfast and when I had a craving for soda, I would get juice with sprite mixed in to fool my taste buds into thinking I was drinking the fatty juice. Since I rearranged my eating habits and started using the gym two to three times a week every week, I lost a good ten pounds from Christmas break. Moral of this story: Choose healthy. Live longer.
Five:Switch from coffee to tea.
From birth, I've needed caffeine to survive. See, I was born premature and I might have died if they hadn't pumped caffeine into my blood stream. The reason for caffeine is because premature babies typically suffer from apnea because they have underdeveloped lungs so the caffeine helps them breath better. Anyway, I've always been a coffee junkie. Yet, this year during my fall semester I had a lot of trouble sleeping. I tried everything. I counted sheep, prayed until I started praying in tongues, turned my computer off thirty minutes before bed, and went to bed earlier. Nothing worked. I would still lie in bed feeling as though I could have stayed up all night.
Then, my dad told me that I should try eating pumpkin seeds before bed. I tried that and it worked. I would get drowsy and fall into a really deep sleep. The only hindrance is that I would still wake up and have to pee in the middle of the night. Once I would wake myself up, I couldn't get back to sleep.
Spring semester started and I still had insomnia. Then, I realized because I work at the library later in the afternoon, I had a tendency to drink coffee at 2 and 3 in the afternoon sometimes even as late as 5 p.m. Therefore, I started drinking tea and would stop by five p.m. This actually worked. Now, of course, I didn't cut out coffee for good. I would only drink it on Fridays and Saturdays because I typically stay up later those nights anyway. What I found to be so strangely funny is that when I stopped drinking coffee that first week, that Friday I drank my first latte I actually got an instant headache from the coffee. My body eventually got used to my switch and for the rest of the semester, no insomnia whatsoever.
Six: Watch your spending and save.
You would have thought I learned the value of a dollar my freshman year. Apparently over the summer, I lost all sense of the concept. Fall semester, I bought a lot of wants instead of needs. DVDs, music, shoes, clothes, books, etc. Spring semester, I smartened up. I started watching how I spent my money and only bought something nice if I honestly had the extra cash to. It worked. I finally have realized my mother was right all these years and money really doesn't grow on trees. Yet, I know now that Jesus is my source and he provides all my needs according to his riches in glory! My father is the King of Kings. He has a bank full with more money than this world hasn't even seen. That means I have access to all the riches I could ever need. Praise Jesus! Moral of the story: no binge shopping online. Watch your wallet.
Seven: Speaking of wallet, keep an eye on it.
This year, I lost my wallet. Then accused one of my closest guy friends of stealing it. It was so traumatic. God-willing, I found my wallet at the library lost and found. It was all still there except I lost 12 dollars but as one of my other friends said to me: "You gave somebody a meal that they might not have had if you didn't lose your wallet." I was able to bless someone even in my misfortune. Everything really does happen for a greater purpose, people. Just remember, always know where your wallet is.
Eight: Toto, we aren't in high school anymore.
Sadly, with a lot of the drama I was involved in this year, I was really surprised that people think the school is called Saint Leo High School. FYI, it's not. Yet, some people are so desperate for attention in this world that they think the world is a stage for the drama they create. They spread rumors saying they got raped by the school player or they racially profile people and expect people to apologize to them. Wtf? Check yoself before you wreck yoself, people! This isn't high school anymore. You are eighteen, nineteen, twenty, maybe even twenty-one years old. Please act your freaking age and grow a little maturity, please, for everyone's sake.
Nine: Studying really does pay
This year I lost one of my main scholarships because I didn't keep a decent GPA because my freshman year, I thought college was a social playground instead of a school. I really suffered. I even had to pay for most of my tuition. :/ It was hell in a handbag. Anyway, I finally learned how to study and focus in class. I even got up for an eight AM class for most of my spring semester for the first time in my college career. It all paid off. I raised my GPA and got straight B's this semester. Heck yes! Not Dean's list material yet but just a lot closer to achieving that goal. The main thing I realized from studying this semester is even thought college textbooks are dry and boring, if you read them and take notes while reading, you actually do twenty times better in the class than when you don't read the books and just attend lectures. READING is kewl, people.
Ten: Stop worrying about love
Remember last year's ten things post where I said love in college doesn't exist because the male population still act like immature boys who only seek one thing? Well, I can vouch that once the summer's over and those freshman boys come back for their sophomore year, they get even more manly looking and they actually GROW UP. It's like God sprinkles them with Miracle Grow over the summer and they come back looking and for the most part, acting like men. Personally, my fall semester was rough. I spent most of it chasing after a boy who wasn't ready to be in a relationship. Let me just reiterate ladies: It is never a good idea to chase a boy. Sure, you can make the first move and give him a hint that you have an interest in him but after that, leave the rest to him. Coming back for spring semester, I adapted this philosophy into my love life:
As soon as I gave God the reigns of this area of my life completely, he did not disappoint one bit. I finally had my first real glimpse of love. I cannot thank God enough for blessing my heart with such joy and happiness through the love of a particular boy. Moral of this story: If you stop over-analyzing love and just give love away, you will be blessed beyond measure.♥
Speaking of God writing my love story, I have started reading When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy. Cannot put it down. You must get a copy of this book and devour it. It will feed you so much especially if you have questions about relationships involving God. Buy it here: ----> http://www.amazon.com/When-Writes-Your-Story-Expanded/dp/1601421656/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304274262&sr=1-1
Until next time, don't be a wallflower in the dance of life♥
Go have the most EPIC summer of your life, readers. :)
Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming~
Salad. Check.
Entree. Check.
Sparkling Wine. Check.
And in case you were wondering, I've discovered I like Merlot. :)
