 College, college, college. Ahhh….inhale the power of expanding minds, of cheering for the football team, of singing the fight song so many times you actually learn the words.
Good times. But while so many experiences are both new and exciting, some of the more trivial pursuits of daily life can become a hassle with so many students. For example, riding the bus is usually not too bad, unless it is the 2:00 am bus, aptly named the “vomit comet.” In that case expect to receive less personal space than a hot girl who happened to stumble into Joe’s Crab Shack. Seriously, sometimes I feel like I am in eastern Mumbai riding in a rickshaw through the crowded streets. The lucky few are able to attain the coveted seats but unfortunately many of those people leave the bus battered and bruised. This is because every time some biker cuts off the bus, and the driver subsequently slams the breaks, 259 kids come hurdling backwards toward the poor soul who is about to be publicly violated in unimaginable ways (little Joey was never heard from again). And even if you manage to survive the ride without serious injury you are left with the feeling that you will have to brave the gauntlet again, and again. Every day, looking fate square in the eye.
Another casualty of the massive public education system is air conditioning. Apparently it is either too expensive, too much of a hassle, or just downright too sane to provide 20,000 students with wonderfully air conditioned rooms. As a result, possibly an entire southern section of China is now employed in the business of making fans for college age kids like myself. We have at least three fans going in my room and at times I still feel like a tour guide in the Amazon, if the Amazon was transplanted into the Sahara Desert. Yeah, that hot. Perhaps I’ll adapt gradually to become stealth in my environment. But most likely I’ll just be really hot until October, and then I’ll be really cold. Overall though college has been a fun, slightly erratic adventure, kind of like running down a dirt hill in the woods with roots everywhere. You check for danger, keep your head up, and enjoy the ride.
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