Orientation Week:
We flew in early--I'm talking 7:40 a.m. We arrived around 11 a.m and drove to our hotel, put our luggages away, and cruised around town trying to get a feeling of the place. It felt weird without my little brothers there, so I was always face-timing them at least twice a day. My parents and I hit Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, and other stores as we scoured for items on the move-in checklist. Sometimes it still felt like Texas, until I saw palm trees or something that reminded me I was in California (did you know that you have to pay for your shopping bags? I'll have to be a bag hoarder now--at least it's good for the environment though, which I thought was fantastic).
On Sunday we continued our dorm shopping, skirted around campus, and then drove down to Laguna Beach. We saw the waves crash against brown, rigid rocks and engulf surfers as the sun set. The next day we woke up early, ate breakfast, and decided to take it easy since we'd be moving in on Tuesday. So, we went shopping for clothes and went to see what Malibu had to offer.
Quickly, moving day arrived. I had been talking to my two roommates since mid-July, but we never official met because they both live in California. I was really anxious at first but they are super friendly. We all agreed that we had no idea what we were doing, so that was comforting. Anyways, we scouted the area early in order to see where we would need to park and where to get the carts available to haul our supplies around, and then ate somewhere nearby. We still had 3 hours to kill so we went back to our hotel and rested since we already had the car packed.
Jeez, move-in day was, frankly, such a tiring day. I was literally late to everything. It's kind of funny looking back on it though. The only thing I was early to was the check-in for the dorm, but we were parked on the third floor of the parking garage, so we had to cart our stuff all the way down (the freshmen fifteen was looking more like a hoax). We still had luggages back at our hotel, so we raced back and forth and I ended up late to the opening speech (but luckily I met others on the walk to the Wilson Field because they were also late lol).
Thank god for parents though, amirite? If they hadn't been there helping me move-in for the entire week, I don't know what I would've done (Although they--dad--did lose my student ID card, but I still love them haha). If they are reading this, I love you very much and thank you for being there through everything. :)
Orientation week was a blur. Seriously, all the days meshed together--we were up from 8 a.m. to way past midnight. It was so exciting, and I looked forward to everyday. My orientation leaders, Isa and Natalie were so kind and helpful, which made transitioning easier. And my orientation group? The best. Everyone was so happy and I felt really blessed to be going to Chapman.
Why Chapman?
The most frequent questions I get asked on moving out-of-state is: Are you nervous? and Why Chapman?
To sum it up: Yes I was nervous, but all college freshman are. If you aren't stepping out of your comfort zone, then are you really, truly growing and experiencing new things? I think we all get nervous, but we should never let it hold us back!!
And finally, why? Why, out of all the schools, did I pick Chapman?
Chapman really does go beyond expectations and makes you feel welcomed. When I went to We Are Chapman, one of the speakers summed it up perfectly: We don't shelter you from pain or bad emotions--you're going to feel that in the real world--but we help you through it.
Chapman challenges me to be better and go beyond my expectations, and that no matter what, there is always someone who had my back--and that's why I chose Chapman. Chapman allows me to be the best me, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to go here!!! #2122
xx,
Gabriella Anderson