Trinity just posted all of the info regarding which ridiculously overpriced textbooks everybody has to buy for our various courses. Buying all of my textbooks new, from the TU bookstore: $333.44. Renting most of my textbooks online, and buying only two (that can’t be had anywhere else) directly from TU: $227.53 Woo!

I’ve had a decent number of people ask me what it’s like to go back and forth between my parents’ houses, and whether I like that arrangement or not. But it’s one of those things that are hard to form an opinion on, because I’ve never done anything but that. I’ve had two houses since before I had a clear concept of what a house was. I’ve lived partly out of backpacks since I acquired stuff to put in them, I’ve had a split schedule to contend with for every sport, class, party, job and hang-out invitation. What’s it like to go back and forth? It’s like breathing, you just do it, you don’t think about it, you don’t remember when it became a part of you.

It strikes me, as I pack for college, that the experience of moving out of the house and going to live far away is probably pure upheaval for a lot of people. It’s partly that for me (I have, at least, lived in the same state for my whole life, with my same parents, so that’ll be a difference), but partly not; this will be the first time that I will actually live in one place for more than a week. It also occurs to me that all that transient-ness has probably left me better prepared than a lot of people with more typically-static lives—I’ve very good at packing up my stuff and going someplace else. But I’m also definitely looking forward to having a slightly less transitory existence, at least for a while. Maybe then I’ll actually be able to form an opinion on the back-and-forth thing.

My course info for my first semester came in the mail this week (yay!). My class schedule (to commence on August 27, after a week of orientation-y things):

Monday/Wednesday
9:00 – 10:15 INAF 252 – Geography Of Africa And Asia
10:30 – 11:45 COM 110 – Communication For Academic Success
1:30 – 2:45 CRS 101 – Critical Reading Seminar

Tuesday/Thursday
10:30 – 11:45 ENGL 105 – Intro To College Writing
12:00 – 1:15 MATH 109 – Foundations Of Math

I’m pretty happy with the schedule. I could do without a 9 AM class, especially being as I’ll probably be getting home late from karate on Tuesday nights. But that is the class that I’m most excited about taking, so at least I’ll be getting myself up for something really interesting. On the upside, my last class of the week ending at 1:15 on Thursday is awesomely convenient, for the sake of visits home and such.

Thoughts on the relative awesomeness of courses:

Geography Of Africa And Asia – Very cool, very interesting stuff. Also get to see what the International Affairs department is like.

Communication For Academic Success – I’m not actually sure what we’re doing in this class, the description is very vague (to wit, “Students will learn to participate in varied communication contexts that involve both formal and more interactive formats”). Will probably involve a lot of talking, which I’m pretty fond of, so no problems there.

Critical Reading Seminar – The one subject I have perfect test scores in, is the one thing every TU freshman has to take. Woo.

Intro To College Writing – Useful, happy to take it.

Foundations Of Math – I have gotten extremely good at not studying math over the last 3 or 4 years, so this should be … interesting.

After 6 solid months of paperwork, worrying about the processing of said paperwork, and “oh here have some more paperwork”, I am actually done. My registration forms, housing forms, health forms, final transcripts, and and first tuition payment are all sent, processed, and done with. I think the last time I felt this depressurized was about a year and a half ago, before SAT test prep and college application stress kicked in. The whole process has most definitely been worthwhile, and I’ve learned a lot from it, but I’m happy to be out of that phase.

I said the first set of many goodbyes tonight, as my junior classes let out for the summer. I said goodbye to my much beloved students, and then to my peers in the teens class. The adults class will run for another 6 weeks, so thankfully saying goodbye to my senseis will be put off until then.

Karate classes have been such a big part of how I define myself for the past 4 1/2 years, and particularly for the last 2, I’m not quite sure what I’ll have to say, the next time somebody asks what I’ve been up to lately. Who I am is the girl who’s at karate, Monday nights, Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights. I’m training my students, who are amazing, I’m in the teens class, training with people who I love to death. I’m working with and training under my sensei, which is an experience I wouldn’t give up for anything. And now, some hugs, some high fives, and a group picture later, that’s come to a close. My sensei said, “And let us bid a warm farewell to Olivia, and David, as they are leaving this year”, and that was that.

I am excited to have a largely blank slate, to be able to go into college and the next few years with the chance to re-forge my definition of myself, to allow new things and new people to make their way onto my list of things important to me. But I will still dearly miss the people and things that previously held top spots on that list. It’s been an awesome 4 years.

I just finished my last promotions at my karate dojo. I tested (some of) my students, shook their hands as they were promoted, helped with the demonstrations, and was once again reminded of what an amazing group of people I will be leaving behind when I leave for college this fall. Karate has afforded me a million fantastic experiences over the years; looking out over rows of happy, proud students (with their proud parents behind them), with new stripes and new belts, knowing what it took for them to get there, and being so proud of them for it, is another memory that I am so lucky to be able to take with me when I go out into the world.