- Is it really one big slumber party with all these girls living together?
Actually, some days, yeah. Particularly at the beginning of the year, groups of us (anywhere between 3 and 8 girls) would lie on the floor in the hallway of the dorm with our legs up against the wall, just talking and giggling about anything and everything. This has considerably slowed down as the year progresses, but occasionally it will still happen, or girls will gather in the kitchen as they bake cookies. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it happens! So sometimes people are up till 2 AM just talking and talking. It's a great bonding experience and I think maybe it's easier to talk about deeper issues because you're staring at the ceiling, not at each other! The only downside is that other people may be trying to sleep nearby, but this hasn't been a problem for us. Sometimes my roommate is asleep already and I hear a group of girls giggling in the kitchen, so I'll go out and say, "Hey guys, just so you know, Meghan is asleep, so if you could just..." and smile and leave it at that. And they have no problem with it that I can tell. If you're really bugged by inconsiderate people and don't want to ask them to be quiet yourself, you can go to your RA and they will take care of it for you. Our dorms have quiet hours from maybe 11 PM to 8 AM, so you're not allowed to be REALLY noisy at night, and 24-hour "courtesy" hours, which means be respectful at all times. I've noticed that my dorm is a LOT quieter than those at other schools; for example, I visited Goshen several times and each time, I could hear music blasting through multiple doors into the hallway and could feel the bass in a different room. It was really annoying and unsettling to someone who enjoys quiet like I do. But I think that most of the dorms here at Bluffton are more low-key, with people playing their music more softly--or maybe it's just that the walls are thicker here!
All joking aside, I do think that Bluffton tends to be a more low-key campus with more conservative people and a quieter atmosphere. It's very peaceful. But if you're looking for a 24/7 party school with punk-rock cliques, we're not for you! :-)
2. How do I prepare so I'm not so nervous?
For me, what worked was focusing on the one thing I could control: the decorations of my room. For those of you who are more masculine, you might focus on the setup of your room, with where you'll store all your video games and stuff like that! I sent lots of e-mails back and forth with my roommate, whom I did not get to meet before school started, talking about what kind of stuff we were each buying. I sent her pictures of my comforter, our rugs, even my towels and little lamps! It made me feel better to know that my room was going to be a sanctuary and a fun place to retreat from whatever bad things I might experience. Make sure you communicate with your roommate as to who is bringing what--you don't need 2 TVs (usually), two DVD players, etc. Some people choose to bring 2 of things like fridges because they will use them so much, but a lot of people just have 1 that they share. Also, make sure you read the student handbook online before you buy stuff--there might be restrictions that you didn't think about. For example, at Bluffton, we can't have open flames, so no candles, and no curtains (although today I saw a window that totally had pink curtains! SO not allowed).
Okay, I think that's enough questions for the night! I hope I helped!
As for what's been going on in my life and on campus, there hasn't been a whole lot. I spend most of my free time with my boyfriend and our other guy friends, hanging out, watching movies, eating, going on Wal-Mart trips, things like that. Tonight I had dinner with some girls I know from the Honors program, First Year Seminar, and Big Brothers Big Sisters, which was a fun little change.
Oh! Some other news! Filming for Singin' in the Rain is scheduled to start on Saturday! Please wish me luck as I tackle this big project!
I'll let you know how it goes. For now, I'll leave you with a cute picture, though it's bad quality, of Chris and I, and a picture of Peter being goofy with Eli in the background!
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