It seems that every time I post something I’m going home or spent a weekend home. It is probably a good way to transition from home to college. The way I see it is that it’s experiencing new things while not forgetting where you came from. Overall I spend all my time here on campus, and I spend little time actually going home or thinking about it.

These past few weeks have been the same as the rest of year eat, sleep, class, study, etc. Nothing new, just the classes are getting more challenging. Last time I talked about taking my tests, the grades are not really what I wanted but they are what I expected. They were a bit low, but now I know that I need to study more and try new studying techniques, something I never did in high school.

My trip back home was basically the same thing as last time. Just visiting friends and family while taking a break from school. Coming back didn’t seem so weird this time it just didn’t really feel like anything. I spent most of the time with my cousin, who I mentioned before, because it is his birthday next week and I would not be able to be there for it. Other than that the only other exciting part of this trip was my dad’s new Audi R8, which is my dream car. Riding in it had been one of the things I had been looking forward to. But to my surprise he actually let me drive it around. This car had made leaving so much harder.

This work by Estefan Rodriguez is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

When it was time for me to come back I felt as if I wasn’t ready to come back. While I was in high school I couldn’t wait to leave but during this weekend I felt like it wasn’t enough time. I don’t know if it was just the fact that I had to go back to classes or the fact that I had to leave home but it just didn’t feel right leaving. I don’t think this was a step backwards in my transition, I feel as if everyone goes through this phase when they make the transition.

Sept. 14 2011- Sept. 27 2011

My first weekend back home went pretty well. I saw family, an old friend, and some people that I had not expected to see. I drove back to Houston with my dad September fifteenth after classes. I had not planned on doing anything that day when I got back to Houston which was a good thing because I ended up waiting at my dad’s office for about 3 hours before actually going home. When I finally got home I walked into my room and it felt different, nothing had changed in there I just felt strange to be in there after a month. Next few days went by smooth, I got to see my see my niece and sister-in-law before driving my Audi A5, which I had to leave in Houston because I could not take it to San Antonio, to go see my cousin who’s like my brother. I spent to whole day with him just catching up. The next day I spent the day with my actual brother and my cousin at the shooting range, this day wasn’t as eventful but it was still nice. Sunday had been the day I was looking forward to the most, not because I was leaving but because I was going to see an old friend I had not seen in over a year. This weekend could not have had better timing because it was her birthday they day before I saw her. This little trip back home was fantastic it could not have been any better. 

This work by Estefan Rodriguez is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

When I got back on campus I felt right back into the routine. I went to classes, I took notes, I studied, and I spent time with friends here. Everything has begun to feel mundane. Sometimes I feel like I’m just on autopilot. But this past week has been the most hectic so far. To begin with I started feeling sick over the weekend before I had three tests and a paper due. It was difficult to study this much information especially because each class had at least covered 6 chapters something I am not used to. Some how I had managed to study for each test and write my paper. Now all I have to do is wait for my grades.

I had my first real taste of how the college class works. The tests were difficult but now I know what to expect. It may seem that my transition to Trinity is coming to end, but I feel as if it is just beginning.

Aug. 10 2011- Sept. 13 2011

Before I moved to Trinity my father would tell me “You’re going to have the time of your life” “You’re never going to forget your time at Trinity” etc. For most kids that may seem like standard stuff to hear and there’s nothing unusual about it. For me it’s different so; my parents never went to college so they have no idea what’s it like making it difficult for me to understand how do they know that.

My overall first experience is different from many freshmen here for three reasons. One I’m a first generation student, two I was waitlisted, and three The Plunge. The Plunge was a pre-orientation faith based community service activity offered to freshmen. Because of this I was able to move in 4 days earlier, but I missed to whole move in day experience that freshmen have here. I’m glad I missed it though, I saw those line they did not look fun. Even though I missed move in day, I had something else no one else had, I made friends with about 30+ students. While other students were starting at square one I had a leg up.

2011 Plunge Shirt. Hard to miss.
The Plunge by Estefan Rodriguez is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

When I went to register for classes I got pretty lucky. My group had the first time slot available. So registration was a breeze. My first day of classes was not too eventful, I wasn’t nervous or worried about anything. I felt like I belonged and wasn’t out of place. The weeks have gone have by fast and the workload has been manageable.

People tend to think of home sickness has part of the college experience. I haven’t experienced this yet and I don’t think I will. I only live three hours away, which is close enough to go back if I want but far enough to feel independent. So far I have only seen my family once since they dropped me off which was Labor Day weekend. They came up to visit and I spent the weekend with them at my second home here in San Antonio. It was nice to see them but I could have gone longer without seeing them. But currently I am planning on going back this weekend since we do not have classes on Friday. I’m not going because I miss them but because I have some business that needs taking care.

Overall my transition here to Trinity has been smooth. I regret nothing about coming here. And I look forward to the years to come .