Week 1 Reflection
8/27 – 9/3
It was super busy with a lot of orientation events going on. I didn’t end up going to some of the more fun events, only because I was tired from the presentations that were required during orientation. I did go to movie night with my roommates which was fun, but mostly we just hung out in our dorm and tried to mentally prepare for our classes starting soon. It was still a really good week because I met some really great people, and on Thursday and Friday I had my first days of classes which helped me get an idea of what college classes would be like. I am enjoying everything about college so far, other than being away from my family and the friends I left at home. Overall, I think that college is going to be a great new experience for me, and I am looking forward to finding out more about myself and what I want to do in the future.
Week 2 Reflection
9/4 – 9/10
On September 4th, one of my roommates and I went to Funtown Splashtown as part of an event planned by UNE, so we had free entry. We had a lot of fun going on the rides that interested us, and I even ended up winning a ton of tickets from an arcade game. Throughout the week, my classes were mostly still doing introductory things, so there weren’t many hard assignments yet so it was more of a relaxing week. My roommate and I went to the football game on Saturday, but we only stayed for half of it. It was really cool to see that UNE’s football team is actually good because my high school’s team hadn’t won a game since my freshman year. Overall, it was a relatively easygoing week to kind of ease into college.
Week 3 Reflection
9/11 – 9/17
During this week, the tennis club team had our first practice, and I had made my roommates sign up for the club with me, so we all went together. It was really fun and my roommates learned they actually enjoy playing tennis so it was a great thing for all of us to do together. During this week, homework began to get a little more intense, but still not anything I wasn’t used to, so it was still a relatively low stakes week. I went back home on Friday night to spend the weekend with my family and on Saturday the 17th, we went apple picking and my friend who still lives in my hometown came with me so it was nice to see her. She is doing online school, and it was interesting to compare our experiences with college and how it differs between online and in-person.
Week 4 Reflection
9/18 – 9/24
I ended up getting a cold while visiting home, so I extended my weekend stay until Wednesday the 21st. While it was nice to see my family for a little longer, being sick was not fun at all and I missed one of each of my classes which made the homework pile up quite a bit. I was able to catch up on my work and didn’t fall too far behind, which was a relief. Over the weekend, one of my roommates had gotten permission to have her car on campus, so now my roommates and I could go off campus more often. We did some grocery shopping and just drove around and talked which was a nice bonding experience.
Week 5 Reflection
9/25 – 10/1
During this week, homework picked up quite a bit more, and I was getting a little bit overwhelmed. I had to prioritize what work I needed to do first, and make sure to give myself breaks in between my homework and studying because otherwise I wouldn’t get anything done. On the 27th, someone set the fire alarm off super late at night while I was doing homework and messed up my motivation after standing outside for half an hour. On the 30th, my mom came down to see me and we had dinner together and went to the “Free Money Game Show” event that was put on by the school. We didn’t win but we still had fun. On the 1st, my grandparents came down and we went to a craft fair at UNE. We went out to lunch at Run of the Mill after that, and then went to get some groceries for my dorm. It was nice to see them because I hadn’t for a couple weeks.
Week 6 Reflection
10/2 – 10/8
This week I had a few papers due, so my Sunday was mostly spent writing those papers because I always procrastinate. I also had my first exam on the 4th, so I had to study a lot on the days leading up to it. I have never been great at tests or exams (I am much better at writing essays and papers), so I don’t think I did great on my exam. Luckily I have a 100 in the class otherwise, so the grade shouldn’t bring me down to a failing grade. Since it was a long weekend, I decided to go home on Thursday night, which was also my brother’s 15th birthday. We went out to dinner with the family as well as some of his friends. On Friday, we went to visit my stepfather’s parents, and they live quite a ways away from us so it was a really long drive. On Saturday, my youngest brother had a soccer tournament, so I went to watch his first game, but not the other two. Overall, the weekend was a nice way to unwind after my exam this week.
Week 7: Oct. 9-15
Not much happened this week, on Sunday the 9th I was at home for the weekend and mostly just watched tv with my younger brother. During the week I went to Tropical Smoothie Cafe with my roommates and went to tennis practice, but other than that I just went to my classes. Friday after classes I went home for the weekend and I hung out with my friend from home and watched horror movies. On Saturday my family and I went to North Conway in New Hampshire and hiked a little at Glen Ellis Falls and went shopping.
Week 8: Oct. 16-22
On Sunday the 16th I was still at home for that weekend, and it was my mothers birthday so we went out to dinner at Fairgrounds Pizza And Pub in Cornish and got really interesting pizzas like mac and cheese pizza and crab rangoon pizza which were really good. Also that morning (or really midnight) the cat that we are fostering at home gave birth to her kittens so it was really neat to see that. Other than Sunday, the rest of the week was really boring, I just went to classes and watched tv during my free time. Both of my roommates left for the weekend so there wasn’t much for me to do on my own.
Week 9: Oct. 23-29
Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of this week were pretty uneventful, but on Wednesday my roommates and I went to the Maine Mall in Portland since we didn’t have classes. We were looking for Halloween costumes and we didn’t end up finding anything, but we did get Boba and Japanese food from the food court. On Thursday we drove down to Boston for a Halloween party, and while the road trip was fun, the party wasn’t. We ended up going to a 24 hour iHOP which was actually the highlight of the night. The rest of the week/weekend didn’t have much going on.
Week 10: Oct. 30-Nov. 5
From Sunday through Thursday really nothing happened, I think my roommates and I went to Walmart for groceries but other than that it was uneventful. On Friday I went home for the weekend after my classes because my friend’s birthday was on the 7th of November but I wanted to be able to see her before then. On Saturday I went with my mom to buy her a gift, and then I went with my friend and her other friends to Longhorn for lunch and then we went to paint pottery afterwards. It was actually really fun even though I’m not the most creative person, and I was glad to get to see my friends from home and also make something.
Week 11: Nov. 6-12
On Sunday I was home for the weekend and I went to my mom’s softball tournament which lasted pretty much the whole day because they kept winning. Again, the week didn’t really have much going on. On Thursday night I went home because I didn’t have class on Friday due to Veterans Day. I hadn’t planned on going home that weekend because I went home the past two weekends, but both of my roommates had gone home so I decided to as well. I got to see our foster cat and her kittens which was amazing because I love cats. I also had brunch with my grandparents on Saturday which was nice.
Week 12: Nov. 13-19
This week not a ton happened. My roommates and I went shopping for Christmas decorations for our dorm room which was really fun and we decorated our room so it is very festive. The three of us also went out to dinner at Applebees and the food was really great. Other than that, really nothing happened during the week other than working on final projects and work that I’ve missed. One of my roommates went home for the weekend, and my other roommate was going to stay but decided to go home early for Thanksgiving break, so she left on Saturday after we had brunch.
Week 13: Nov. 20-26
This week has been super packed. On Monday after classes I decided to go home for break early, so my grandparents came to pick me up and we got dinner together. Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty uneventful, but Thursday was Thanksgiving so my parents, brothers, and I went to my grandparents for Thanksgiving dinner. The food was really good and it was nice to have everyone together. On Saturday it was my 19th birthday. I didn’t have a party or anything, but we went to pick out a Christmas tree. I got chinese food for my birthday dinner. Even though the 27th isn’t technically part of this week, I went out to lunch and went shopping with my friend because we couldn’t hang out on my actual birthday, so it was nice to see her after a few weeks.
