:-D

There is nothing quite as satisfying as knowing that you have finished a week’s work and can take even the smallest amount of rest. So, here I am, enjoying the fact that there is a beautiful water front 100 yards from my dorm. I am done with my second week of classes, I am worn out, and I am ready for even the time I get between now and tomorrow to rest and enjoy some of the people I have come to call my friends. I love it here. I mean, obviously it’s going to get colder, and it’s going to snow, and all the grass and plants are going to get covered up... but I think, even when the landscape isn’t picturesque I am going to love it here. There’s just.... there’s something in the air, I guess, it’s almost a magical quality.
Have you ever done something that was so perfect that when you look back on it you wonder why it wasn’t in your life before the moment you found it? That’s pretty much how I feel all the time. Sure, I’m worn out, sure, I’m exhausted beyond belief right now, and up until I took a nap earlier I was having a horrible but day, but even in the midst of being completely worn to the bone this place is still right, and I can feel it. I don’t mean “feel” like “oh, I think I feel something” I mean feel like when you touch a rock, you know it’s there, you know it’s true, not because you have proven the rock is there by touching it, but because – there’s no other way to say it – you just know.
The friends I have found here are great, I am only just beginning to really get farther than just normal stuff, but I think some of these people will stick it out with me until the end of college – or at least I’d like to think that. I’ve already had people ask me to buy them alcohol – my room mate include – I have flat out told them no, which, for the most part, they have all been cool with, if they want it bad enough they’ll get fake IDs which is what they were gonna do before I they knew I was 21 anyway. I haven’t had a sip of alcohol since I got here, not because I haven’t wanted a beer, but just because I don’t want to encourage underage drinking and until earlier this week I hadn’t found anybody who was over 21. Thankfully I met some guys at the on campus Non-Denominational ministry that are over 21 which was a HUGE relief to meet some people my age. They invited me to hang out, watch football, and drink beer, I’ll take them up on it eventually, but I can’t this Sunday because I’m helping Allison move into her apartment (god freaking damn I am sooooo excited).

My young friend Caitlin (who I have a funny story about, which I will tell in a second) has quickly fallen into starting HUGE amounts of drama, mostly regarding every single boy liking her (except Carl, he’s the only one that doesn’t). Caitlin is one of those people who I just connect with really easily, it’s funny cause the first time we met was at orientation, and there was just something special about it, I don’t mean like romantically, I just mean that there was a significance to it that I can’t quite put my finger on. Oh, right, so Caitlin, and how we met. She and I went to the same orientation, and if I remember correctly, I had seen her once or twice before I actually introduced myself to her. Anyhoo, so the second day that we’re there for orientation they had this thing called the org fair, which stands for “Organization Fair” which is where all the organizations come together and try to convince you to join their organization – the whole concept makes me really uncomfortable. So we both had to go get our IDs like right on top of when the Org Fair was, so we didn’t really get to check out any of the organizations and were both headed back over to the org fair when got stopped at the street that runs right down the middle of campus. So it was just the two of us sitting there waiting for the walk sign to come up, and – after talking to her recently about it – we both had thought that it would probably be a good idea to introduce ourselves to the other, but didn’t actually do it, so the walk sign came up, and we crossed and walked what felt like an awkward eternity to Halas (our sports and recreation center) – it was actually more like a block. It got even better when we they told us that the Org Fair had closed down and we realized that we would have to make that same walk in that awkward silence that only an introduction can break. So I introduced myself which was – as she puts it – “probably one of the best decisions ever.” I like to believe that it’s a good sign that our friendship was originally created in awkwardness, because my only other friendship that was forged in that much awkwardness is with my best friend, Matthew, so I’m hoping this friendship takes that particular turn as far as depth.
Class is hard for me to adjust to, but I definitely love it, but it’s a lot to take in, and there’s so much that I have to change to make it work. I have lived so long outside of an academic setting it’s painful to change one’s life so drastically.

Oh yeah, here’s something that excites me: Roger’s Park (the part of town where Loyola is located) is the most diverse sector in the entire United States. Yup, that’s right. It’s awesome.

I hope you are all doing well, I love and miss you, I should be coming home on the 6th of October for fall break.... so I’ll see you soon hopefully.
peace.