All right!!!  I just did my first day of classes!  Woot woot to me!!

I hate to say this, but this is going to be easier than I had expected.  I have four classes, and 2 of them basically the only assignment is to pass the exams.  I can do that no problem.  The other two classes have a few minimal writing assignments, like perhaps 5 total between the two classes for a total of perhaps 15 pages.  I can do that no problem.  The rest of it is tons of reading and listening and discussing in class.  I can do all that no problem.  I am totally motivated by my class subjects (American History, Islamic History and World Politics).

I did feel kind of weird because of other stuff going on in my life -- money, spirit, romance (or not), mental illness, kids, house building, yada yada yada . . . . so I was fresh out of good emotions, simply did not have the molecules for them, so I just was, whatever, through most of the day.  I WOULD have been excited if I COULD have.  But sitting in a college class -- it has taken everything I have within my sould to get here.  It's precious to me.

I did feel a little like . .  . well, you know, what outfit to wear . . . I ended up just, meh, whatever.  I was wearing clothes ya know?  And then they had changed the class rooms, so I did start out in a Spanish class that . . . well, I left, and went to find my real class.  But I was pretty philosophical about that; what's a first day of school without having no idea where you are geographically??

So little bit about me.  My secret hiding place?? My car . . . with the radio blasted . . . and I'm not talking Afterglow . . .  So three days a week I will be driving two hours in the a.m., two hours in the p.m. to and from the college . . . it will be just me and Blink 182, ha ha.  (For example . . . I have other albums . . . I think . . .)  This will be the best part of my life for the next three years, the driving.  Ha ha.

So since the academics is going to be . . . no problem . . . what is going to be tuff is apparently this semester is going to be my own personal fat camp.  There's no time to eat more than a banana (gasp!) in between classes.  And I will be walking close to two miles at least 2 times a week (on Friday's the class that is at the other end . . . the VERY other end . . . of campus, doesn't meet).  In any case, puff, puff, puff! Walking all about the mountainous campus.  There is a bus, but honestly, I'm going to take this opportunity.

Okay, I love watching people; college campus is the best for this.  And ya gotta love the west, nobody dresses up for anything.  Seriously, fine by me.  One dude was in bed hair, no shoes, bball shorts and a T.  This was for the 11 a.m. class.  One older (my age) gentleman was dressed up -- in a black kilt and dress shirt, that is.  Sweet.  Apparently the new fashion for men is earrings that make a wide hole in your ear, and a circlet gets set in there, don't know how else to describe it.  It's kind of based in African tradition.  Most of the guys who were wearing those kind of earrings had little (wide) holes, the size of the tip of my pinkie.  But I did see one gent with wide (wide) holes, size of a small tortellini, as in ouch.  Hollow through, the way the earring is, anyway.  Oh, I listened to two guys talk German in the Islam class. Neither of them was German.  Of course, lots of people from all over the world -- one girl from Russia I met directly (Amber!!). Our Islam professor was soooo happy, because apparently everybody in our class is sane in the sense that when he began by asking us what came to mind when we thought of Islam, no one mentioned "jihad" or said "them'z terrrrists" with a Jeff Foxworthy nasal.  Ha ha.  We all said things based closer to reality (in my opinion).  So the professor was like, "I am sooo happy!!!"

Each professor is different.  I love it.  One little old lady, one razor smart little old lady, is teaching one of the American history survey's I'm taking.  She speaks slowly, oldly, petite, white haired, and in a stern voice told us NOT to EVER email our assignments to her, thank you, she wants them on paper!!! Ha ha.  But she knows her Christopher Columbus.  Another professor has a British accent . . . .hmmm . . . . get to listen to that all semester, and all you American girls know what I mean :) :).  The other professor is going to have us have small discussion groups in class, so I love that idea.

When I got home in the early evening, my teenage daughter . . . . who knows me far too well . . . . asked me if I had seen any cute boys.  I told her, "Honey, between the four classes, I saw 300 cute boys." He he.  Trouble is . . . they all look 12 to me . . . ha ha . . . 's way it's supposed to be, I guess.

What else?

Oh, yea.

The hail storm.

I kid you not.

And that was during the (mile?) walk from north to south campus and I wasn't even sure where I was going.  The hail came down, and then it began to downpour water.  Some smarties did have umbrellas, but the rest of us were just jogging -- trying not to slip and land on our rears -- and all these girls in these teensy tank tops -- it was actually a great moment of community for everyone on campus.  You could just hear the story forming in our spirits . . ."The day it hailed in summer on the first day of class!" . . . everyone was running, laughing, cussing, helping, holding doors open, commisserating, going a bit wild.  It was perfect.  And when I found one little piece of roof to run underneath to just take a break from swimming, just for a bit, just a little narrow ledge of roof in a doorway . . . there was a young man holding his bike who had found the same spot.

We watched the rain, gathering rain courage again, and then we looked into each other's eyes and laughed.

Tags: Motherhood College Education Womanhood

Bookmark: