Hello, hello. And happy Saturday my friends. Writing to you from the depths of The University of Georgia campus, my new home away from home. The past week has brought a sense of routine to my life here at UGA and I’m straight up lovin’ it. I had my first assignment due last week and saw success as I got a perfect score on my first physics problem set! I must not be too consumed with that though, because the work here doesn’t look like it is going to cease until after May. Ouch.

But as I was telling my Mom on the phone yesterday while driving with Sheida, I feel like I’m completely involved in all of my classes here. Besides physics, there isn’t really one class that I prefer over another. I come out of each class inspired and don’t want to leave. It’s a very nerdy thing to say, yes, but this is why I am here. This is why I am paying for school. I love it.

A quick recap of my classes so far… 1. Intro to Religious thought: the class is centered around how to properly study religion. Coming up is our first written assignment (out of three total) for the year. We have to interview someone about their religion and faith and write a report about our findings. 2. Macroeconomics: A possible minor or double major? (HA I’m a dreamer) This class is centered around a huge 300 student lecture. We are learning the fundamental concepts of economics and how to apply these concepts to specific situations in order to develop an understanding of what choices make someone the most “economically” advantageous. I love it. 3. Introduction to Weather and Climate: We just finished learning about basic coordinate systems and the science of the sun and the Earth’s orbit. Now we are studying basic atmospheric sciences. The atmosphere, different heat forms, clouds, etc. 4. Political Science/American Government: we are studying our first topic (out of three) of the semester, identity. What exactly is an American? We narrowed it down to five basic American values.. religion, constitutionalism, liberty, equality, and work ethic. 5. Advanced Intro Physics I (Mechanics): My only BCMP class (Biology, chemistry, math physics… these classes are the most significant to medical school admission committees). This is my smallest class as it is reserved, although not exclusively for, physics or astronomy majors, 25 (freakishly smart) students. We learned, or rather to the rest of the class, reviewed (although it was a lot of learning for me) vectors and characteristics of vectors. We then introduced position velocity and the first two Newtonian Laws.. which were presented and derived with much, much more theory than my class last semester. It’s so much more in depth, but makes so much more sense!

Phew, that was a lot. Anyways, as you can tell, I’m really loving school and feel like I’m getting in the zone more than ever. All my professors are brilliant. Although I’m only taking one BCMP or “premed” class, I really like the liberal arts classes that I have to take as part of my core that is required for graduation at UGA. Although this is a huge university, you still get that much needed liberal arts education, as well have all the resources you would ever need, in which a huge research university provides for you.

I have my first AED (Alpha Epsilon Delta, which is the premedical society) meeting on Tuesday. A discussion on the limited number of medical school spaces for adequately prepared premedical students is supposed to occur, I’m pretty pumped!

Well, I’ve got to get a workin’ on my new physics problem set. Im here at the MLC with Sheida next to Jittery Joe’s.. we be doing lots of school work this noon.

Catch ya later!

Some sights around Athens this afternoon

Well my beginnings in Athens seem like a blur as they are coming to an end. I’m getting used to my classes, used to the campus, and used to my daily routine. I know what time I need to wake up in order to leave by a certain time, which in turn makes me on time for breakfast and then for class. It’s been a great “first” week, as I count last Thursday the official start to my first week.

Most importantly though, I’m enjoying every second here in my new home. I love being at the huge UGA, with all it has to offer. I haven’t even digested what all the University of Georgia has in store for me, and I don’t think I will ever have enough time to see exactly what all there is to do. But I am definitely going to make sure I get involved in what interests me!

I’m sitting on a comfy chair in the student center. I had my advanced physics class this morning at 9, followed by my weather class at 10:10. I have a nice little break until 1:25, when I have my 300 person political science class (my two classes this morning were about 25 students and 50 students, respectively). On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have religion at 8 AM, which has about 50 students and microeconomics with 300 students. I don’t really have a particular preference on whether my class is packed with 300, or smaller like my advanced physics.. but I do really enjoy the crazy atmosphere of learning with 300 fellow UGA students.

The workload is going to be a few steps up than what I was accustomed to at Winthrop, I’m already finding myself a bit overwhelmed with the amount of reading in some of my classes. Also, the pace of the classes is a bit different, there is no slowing down to make sure everyone in the class is caught up with the professor. That’s fine though, the professor has a curriculum to cover and only a certain number of days to cover it. For example, in my econ class yesterday, I was following the lecture notes my professor provided the class with, and I was understanding all the concepts and following examples he was giving. But then there was no stopping him.. concept after concept, example after example, at UGA I feel that I will HAVE to review everything the next day on my own time to keep up with the classes. Lot’s of content thrown at you in a short class time.

But all and all, it’s been a great first week. I feel that I am provided with more than enough time to study for my classes, but classes aren’t even amped up to half of what they will be in a couple of weeks when the flow of the semester hits with exams, papers, and etc.

In my spare time I have been enjoying top notch UGA athletics and been working out and hanging with Sheida and my friends. We saw the four time defending national champion Gym Dogs host number 7 ranked Stanford in the gymnastics meet on Saturday, which sold out the coliseum with 10,000 plus people. It was pretty surreal. We had also made plans to go see the number 7 ranked Lady Dogs basketball team play Sunday night, but decided to just chill instead. I’ve also worked out at the Ramsey Center twice with Sheida so far, and feel that we’re going to be making a routine of this. Even though I haven’t been physically active for around a month, my body still feels pretty sore.. hence the non-stop soccer from before age ten. Oops!

UGA has so much to offer, and I can’t wait to see what is out there. Some things I have been thinking about are the Men’s Club Soccer team (UGA doesn’t have an NCAA men’s soccer team) which are pretty competitive, as they just won the regional championship, beating teams like Florida and Tennessee on the way. Or possibly, trying to walk on as a kicker.. but I’ll post more on that later HA. I also want to be a student researcher in the Physics department and get into some things there. I just want to investigate EVERYthing here and really find some cool little academic niches.

Tonight the men’s basketball team hosts the no. 23 ranked Ole Miss Rebels in a great SEC basketball match up. I think I’m going to go walk over and get tickets at the bookstore when Sheida joins me here after her class.

Talk to you soon!

Gym Dogs meet. No. 1 UGA vs No. 7 Stanford

Well it’s officially over.. my first day as a University of Georgia student that is. And what a perfect experience it was. I say perfect, meaning that it was even better than what I imagined it to be. Rather a shocking experience really. Coming from a school with around six-thousand students to UGA, with over thirty-thousand students.. a slight chance of culture shock maybe? Well, personally, I didn’t experience a culture shock, but a culture embracement. I loved it. Let me take you through my first official morning.

At 6 AM my iPhone alarm went off, playing Jimmy Eat World’s, Let It Happen. I brushed my finger over the snooze button on the touch screen and closed my eyes for an extra ten minutes, and was once again brought back into consciousness by JEW. I attempted to take a nice and hot shower, but was a little unable to do so, by the lacking capabilities of our the old shower head. Even so, the shower was still hot! I mingled around my room after drying off and brushing my teeth, and picked out what shirt to wear with my jeans. I decided on many, many layers, to protect from the sub freezing temperature outside.

I headed out the door around 7 o’clock and took a right out of my apartment complex. I walked in the dim, morning light down Church Street, which is surrounded by many small, and cooly decorated houses, I loved the peacefulness and beauty. After five minutes I hit Baxter Street, and crossed it then turned left. I was now officially on campus. Down the hill of Baxter Street, I followed the sidewalk and passed a couple of high-rise dorms. I caught a glimpse, and recognized the first of countless packs of Georgia students I would see as the sun rose and the day continued on.

I then proceeded to take a right on Finley Street, heading more into campus, and eventually arrived at Ogelthorpe Dining Hall, or O-House, as it referred to by students. As I walked up the steps, I was greeted with the Foo Fighters playing over the loudspeaker. I walked inside and to the smiling cashier lady. I scanned my student ID card and placed by hand on the handprint scanner. I then walked through the spin-wheel gate and was met with an aroma of eggs, bacon, and every other breakfast food you could imagine. I decided on scrambled eggs, a glazed cinnamon roll, and a glass of orange juice, for my first plate. I then got seconds, and added in some bacon and some eggs over medium. Although I didn’t act on my craving, I was eyeing the coffee bar the whole time. Yes, I said it. Coffee bar. Just like a Starbucks, or whatever coffee shop you’re accustomed to, O-House has its own coffee bar, with two people behind the counter ready to make your personal cappuccino, latte, or just espresso! I will definitely be a regular here. I sat and ate my final bites of egg, when the radio DJ over the loudspeaker mentioned the band, Lady Antebellum. From both my Mom and my Dad, my Mom being a fan of country music, and my Dad just knowing every band to ever come out of Georgia, I knew that Lady Antebellum is a band from Athens, and are up for multiple Grammy awards. Anyways, I recall this because I really got a great feeling as this Athens based band’s hit song played. I sat and listened, and it hit me. I’m in Athens, at The University of Georgia. After everything I’ve been through since starting college, I knew right then that this was where I was supposed to be.

After finishing a great breakfast, I walked back out into the cold and headed across Lumpkin Street onto Cedar Street, which is where most of the Science buildings are. Although I wasn’t headed to a science class, my 8 AM religion class is held in the Biology building. After a five minute walk down Cedar, I spotted a paper bin holding The Red and Black, UGA’s daily, student run paper. I picked up today’s issue and then headed into the Biology building, I was here! I texted Sheida letting her know, and then she immediately called me from her warm bed, excitedly asking me how my morning experience was. She wished me good luck in my first class and we made plans to hang at the SLC (Student Learning Center) after my class and before her’s.

I walked into room 404A and looked down the long, steep seating arrangement of the auditorium-like lecture hall. I picked a seat about half way up, all the way on the right side, adjacent to the isle. I opened up today’s Red and Black, and read some interesting articles on Georgia Football, the Spring semester, and cold weather in Athens. While I was reading, the lecture hall filled up with students. My professor walked in around 7:55. He said good morning to us, and quickly whipped out his laptop. He started playing this Christian rock song over the sound system and then turned on the huge overhead projector, which displayed the start of his powerpoint, which ran slide by slide, concurrently with his lecture.

After a very interesting class with Dr. Lemons, I headed over to the SLC. The second floor of the SLC has a Jittery Joe’s coffee house. Because I was here before Shade, I decided to get a small cafe au lait, and Sheida an Earl Grey Tea. After a little meandering time on my macbook, Shade greeted me for the first time on campus! It was so awesome. We hung for the next couple of hours and figured out class stuff together and attempted the Red and Black’s crossword, which we nearly finished! Around 11 we packed up our stuff, and Sheida headed to her two classes for the day, while I ventured off the find the Bolton Dining Hall, for some lunch.

Man what a morning. If I had the time, I would vividly decsribe the rest of my day from my UGA-newbie perspective. But I know I’m boring you and I’ve got to get to bed! Tomorrow I have a busier morning, with my political science breakout at 8, my advanced physics class at 9:05, and my weather and climate class at 10:10. Man I’m so pumped!

And for the record, I have been documenting a lot of this UGA newness via my Sony camera I got for Christmas. Although Sheida says she gets annoyed with me taking pictures and (HD) videos of her and Athens all the time, I know that she really is just saying that so I will just continue to do so, because she loves it :) So beware, lots of more media than just my writing will be on stellarandstoked!

Have a great Friday everyone, and I will catch up with you this weekend!

All I need for tomorrow at 8 AM. And my brain, of course.

Then it’s sianara calculus-II, and hello Calculus-III, woopeee!

Man oh man I hope my brain cooperates with my exam tomorrow.

Howdy! Your blogger here at the biannual final exam study-fest.. and what a party it is. I had a pretty busy week.. turned in a Gerontology paper on Monday, took a chemistry test on Tuesday, and took a Calculus test on Friday. In my original schedule I have a final Physics test on Monday, but learned in class yesterday that my professor is only taking our best three test grades and dropping the lowest one. Luckily for me, I’m more than pleased with the three tests I have already taken, so I don’t have to take the final test! With this news, it’s all downhill from here as all I have left is four final exams.

Wednesday..

General Chemistry II @ 8:00 AM and Intro to Gerontology @ 11:30 AM

Next Monday..

Calculus II @ 8:00 AM

Next Tuesday..

Physics with Calculus I @ 11:30 AM

For anyone who is curious about my schedule.. no one probably!

Anyways, school has flown by this semester and with a little hard work this weekend and next week, I think I can pull of an acceptable GPA. Not really the highest numbers I was hoping for this semester (for a premed’s sake), but not bad at all.

Yesterday, my roommate, Matt, invited me to go with his honors Zoology class on their end of the semester field trip to the Columbia Zoo. Since there are only four people in his class, his professor insisted that they each bring a friend along. I’m so happy Matt asked me! We had a blast and experienced one of the coolest things: the professor knows a lot of the zoo keepers and got us in behind the scenes with the PENGUINS. We got to meet a lot of the penguins. They were friendlier (and smarter) than I imagined.

This is a pretty big day if you’re an American.. and I’m kind of upset that after years of seeing my self vote on this day, I didn’t get to. Although I’m 18 and of legal age, I started my voter registration a little late than expected.. causing my whole process to be postponed. In the end, my absentee ballot didn’t show up in the mail in time, but that’s ok, it’s the thought that counts right? No. O well. Four years from now I will definitely be voting.

I’m on the road to recovery, and its going to be a long two or so months. I still have to sleep in this huge boot, and the pain medicine doesn’t really have a nice effect. It’s supposed to take the pain away and make you really drowsy… but it just makes me really loopy and dizzy. I’ll stick to three advils every four hours. Sleeping has been tough the past two nights in the hotel but I’m back in my dorm room tonight. I’m praying for a good night’s sleep because I have a pretty busy day lined up tomorrow.