The last week has been quite exciting. I went from being a teenage slacker to a college student, a transition which included moving away from the only state I ever remember living in as well as a lot of money spent on books and fees.
The week preceding my move to Georgia I had been spending some time at my dad’s home in Virginia. I hadn’t been to Virginia, but I found it to be a very enjoyable place to spend a week. I’d have liked to spend more time out there, but that just wasn’t much of an option with school starting.
So, after getting my things together and packed into the car, I got the wonderful chance to ride in a car all the way to Georgia from Virginia, a good, eight hour voyage. Driving eight hours gets very old very fast, but I found it almost preferable to the strip search required to get on a plane these days. At least we (we being my father and I) got the chance to stop in some places and stretch our legs.
We spent that night in the hotel and then spent the next day exploring the campus and checking out my dorm room. The Georgia Tech campus seems really nice, but I don’t make a habit of exploring campuses around the country, so I don’t have too much to compare it with. I can say that it’s better than any others I have seen. It’s very green, the buildings are nice, everything is well kept, etc, etc.
The next day my father and I attended the “FASET” (freshman orientation). We also go the chance to explore the campus a little more and try out Rocky Mountain Pizza and the Varsity, both excellent places to eat. The Varsity is actually the world’s biggest drive-in, if I understand properly. They have to have a two level parking deck to accommodate all the customers, and the food is definitely worth the attention. Lucky to find that my dorm is right next to it.
I spent my first night in the dorms and got a chance to start arranging my stuff. I’m going to be living here for the next year, so I think it’s probably good that I at some point make my self comfortable.
The next morning I finished orientation and registered for my classes. 14 hours, a fairly standard load for a full-time student at Tech. Then I got the chance to say goodbye to my dad and was on my own for the first time in my life. It feels kind of nice, the freedom of being on your own. Of course, being on your own doesn’t mean you have to go it alone, and I got the chance to meet my roommate. His name is Tom. He’s a pretty good guy. We went to have dinner at his grandparent’s house the next night (friday). His family was quite nice, and I’ll hopefully be seeing a little more of them soon.
Saturday was a bit of a road trip up into northern Georgia, and then Sunday involved last minute preparations for classes and just general relaxation and such. Then came Monday, first day of classes. I was quite excited. It was awesome to go to a class and for the first time be taught instead of tended. High school was always about keeping the kids in line. It’ll be a nice refreshment to actually learn something in class.