Orientation Nation

I think my freshman orientation was the closest I have ever come to glimpsing eternity. Seriously! Between being nervous and packing and unpacking and shaking hands and receiving texts from my mom every ten minutes, those four days felt like a lifetime and a half!
With so much happening in such a short amount of time, it’s actually really funny what memories stick out the most. But I mean it’s pretty hard to forget getting your first key to your first room in your first residence hall. And seeing your room for the first time – all empty and ugly, just waiting to be decorated – what a trip! I didn’t even realize how much would happen in my first dorm room: talks that lasted all night, naps that lasted all day, dance parties and study sessions. I could never have guessed that first day that my plain little room would be home to so much!
But it obviously was not as significant as the people I met during Orientation. It turns out that those crazy games on the Pryz lawn really do work! I never expected that the goofy people I played Rock Paper Scissors with during Playfair would become my closest friends. But, sure enough, by Movies on the Mall (which in real time is only a day after Playfair but in Orientation time, five years after Playfair) we were already telling each other secrets and playing pranks on each other.
On the other hand, some of the friends I made during Orientation faded in to the background. When we see each other, we wave and smile and maybe remember a deep dark secret that we accidentally shared too quickly. Sometimes I see them in class and it’s great to have someone to sit next to and catch up with. You never know, the people you meet during Orientation could introduce you to your best friend, your next roommate or boyfriend or friendly rival. It’s impossible to see the future, but I guarantee things always work out in a wonderfully unpredictable way.
It’s also weird to think that my parents were also with me that weekend. I think they were a little nervous about my friend-making abilities because they were constantly introducing me to people … that they didn’t know. During Father O’Connell’s Welcome Speech, my beloved mother spotted a cute boy (how creepy is it when your mom thinks a guy is cute?!) that she thought I should probably meet, marry, and have beautiful babies with. She was very enthusiastic and insisted that we sit together during the presentation, which I’m pretty sure might have been uncomfortable, especially for my dad.
I ran into my “future husband” about three times my entire freshman year, but every time we saw each other, he made sure to remind me to say hi to my mom for him. I’m sure other parents have been far more embarrassing, but, honestly, I loved being able to call my mom, squealing, “GUESS WHO I SAW TODAY?!?!” It’s amazing how just hearing my mom laugh over the phone made me feel even more at home here.
Sometime during Orientation, I got hit by a water balloon. I must have also taken time to figure out the public bathroom system, because to be completely honest, I was pretty freaked out by the idea of sharing a bathroom with twenty other people. Luckily, my floormates were considerably sanitary. Even though I saw all of their faces at our first floor meeting during Orientation, it took almost the whole year to learn everyone’s names, but that’s okay. In fact, I met my future suitemates and neighbors on my floor during the last half of my second semester!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that things take time. Especially good things. Orientation does feel infinite, but it really is just four days. You can’t already know who will play an important role in your life. Remember to be yourself and take advantage of all the amazing events (cough Playfair cough) CUA has to offer during this, your eternal weekend.