First semester Septembers are for discovering what college is all about. How will you accustom to life on campus? What’s out there? How will you change along with this transition?
I know that I have changed some this month. As the weather gets cooler, my day gets busier. I have had found new ways to prioritise my time & luckily, I like these changes!
I remember my Dad telling me that when I am in college, I will have more time to myself-but I guess that doesn’t apply to music majors. I only have a few 2-3 hour gaps in my schedule. It takes 18 minutes to walk from my dorm to the music building. I sometimes have to stay past 9 PM practising in a lonely, cramped practise room. And I know this isn’t a rant post, but I have 8 AM classes everyday-honestly, who came up with that idea?
In a nutshell, I have very little time to myself-especially with my daily 8 AM classes. Having 8 AMs every day was stressing me out & I felt like they were taking away the joy from my college experience. I even considered switching my major just so I could get at least seven hours of sleep every night.
But then, I realised that I will only have one first semester freshman year in my life. I heard from others that it’s supposed to be one of the most memorable moments in your entire college career.
With that in mind, I decided that from now on, I am going to wake up with a new mindset. The type of mindset that isn’t something along the lines of “It’s 6:30 & I have to walk to class in an hour. Why can’t I be one of those pupils complaining about having one 8 AM class instead of five?”. Instead, I changed my mindset to something along the lines of “Yes, it’s close to some ungodly hour in the morning, but I’m in college, I get to learn some amasing things! How can I make the most of today?”
I have been working on finding ways to make my mornings more exciting. Luckily, I found these wonderful videos on Youtube called “Morning Routines”. These are videos from Youtubers that like to show their viewers how they get ready in the morning in the peppiest, most aesthetic way possible. My handpicked morning routine videos are from a channel made by a person I am inspired by & a few others morning routines are from Youtubers that live in some pretty cool places, such as The Netherlands & Vancouver!
You should take the time to watch at least one of these videos that have inspired me to make my mornings worth waking up for. I hope they inspire you as well. In fact, I am thinking about writing my own entry on my own morning routine, which will probably be coming soon.
Speaking of breakfast, I have found out that my new favourite breakfast food is...oatmeal! I love oatmeal when it is chilled overnight (here is my favourite overnight oats recipe!), I love it when it is hot, I love it with peanut butter, with dried fruit, & the list goes on! According to Medical Daily, oatmeal tastes as good as it is good for you. Oatmeal boosts your energy, protects your skin, supports weight loss, & promotes heart health. I can’t think of a better breakfast food for the average college student!
I have also found an excellent food market on King’s Street called Earth Fare. I have found some tasty granola, dried fruits (such as dried tart cherries & raisins), & coconut soy milk.
You may have noticed this trend called “The pumpkin spice trend”. It’s real, but pumpkin spice only tastes good in a few delicacies, including the famous latte. Pumpkin spice also tastes great when it is made into a granola. I found a great pumpkin spice granola at Earth Fare & the entire packet was gone in three mornings!
As the weather gets cooler & as more fire-coloured leaves fall to the ground, the fall outfits get trendier. I have enjoyed outfit watching as I am walking across campus as well as picking out my own fall outfits. I have noticed that some of the top trends for this fall are black & white flannels, jean skirts, & suede articles of clothing, including these new black Franco Sarto almond lace up flats!
Randomly selecting my outfits gets more fun as the weather gets chillier. I finally will get to wear my favourite coats! Not knowing what will come up next thrills me!
The music programme here is very different from the music programme at uncsa. While all the students at uncsa were entirely focused on music performance, there are more kids at the music school here who are more focused on music therapy or music education. The variety of music students here is very interesting.
Some great performing opportunities have been coming my way. Speaking of performance opportunities, the string quartet I am the violist of got to make their debut today with the first movement of the Haydn String Quartet no. 66 in G major. I was so happy when the concert master sent us all a personal message of congratulations & I got a recruitment to another chamber group for Spring semester. I can’t wait to see how much the Spasimo String Quartet will progress with the rest of the Haydn & Beethoven’s first String Quartet in F major!
I have also met so many great performers. For example, I have befriended Kathryn, a home-schooled Freshman in high school who is currently under Dr. Bargerstock’s instruction and is fourth chair first violin in our symphony orchestra. Believe it or not, Kathryn used to commute to UNCSA to take lessons with professor Bieler, so we have crossed paths before, we just didn’t know it.
My inspiration of the month is our symphony orchestra conductor, Dr. Melissé Brunet. I feel so fortunate to be under the instruction of such an excellent conductor. She has gone out of her way to make sure the symphony creates new colours that the symphony has probably never heard. She can be quite strict, but I feel like it’s to my own benefit. I find that I improve the quickest under people who require a lot from me. I also couldn’t believe it when I found out from Dr. Brunet that she was studying at The University of Michigan at the same time Dr. Christopher Lees was. I can’t believe the music world is so connected! In a nutshell, I am so thankful to be under Dr. Brunet’s instruction and I hope that I can prove to her that I can be an excellent associate principal.
Finally, I have been having a blast hanging out with my friends on campus.
I got to go to my first college football game. It didn’t end well, but it was the experience that counted. Body painting was a blast!
Not only have I been keeping up with my friends that are near, I have also been keeping up with my friends who live far away, in places such as Atlanta, Pennsylvania, & Sweden. It makes my week whenever I get a letter from my friends & family.
As September comes to a close, I start opening my mind to new opportunities. I can’t wait to share my experiences with everyone. Until next time.
