Many Thanks

There are numerous things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. Here are just a few of them:

1.I am thankful for my awesome schedule! I have to say, I really love the courses I am taking this semester. I am taking courses in Classics, Chemistry, Economics, and a freshman seminar about gender/race/sexuality identity. Though registration was a little rough back in orientation, I ended up enrolling in courses that challenged and fascinated me in many different ways.

2.I am thankful that I got my first choice for my freshman seminar (FYSP 134--Crossing Borders: The Mysteries of Identity, taught by fellow-blogger and Oberlin alum David). That class is fantastic, and I am reminded of this when I go to class three days a week and listen to the thoughtful ideas every single student has to share about the enlightening works that we study. I will definitely write more about this course in a later post!

3.I am thankful that I live in Dascomb. Having to walk a mere thirty seconds to three of my classes is unbelievably convenient. (Read more about Dascomb in my last blog post.)

4.I am thankful that my roommate and I get along well. (See my first blog post.)

5.I am thankful for all the new friends I have met at Oberlin. What can I say? I love 'em!

Residents of Dascomb Third Floor East on Halloween.

Me and my hallmate David on Halloween.

My friends Max from Kahn, and Cria from Harkness.

My awesome neighbor Zoe, dressed as Ms. Scarlet on Halloween.

6. I am thankful that the classmates I knew before coming to Oberlin have blended seamlessly into my social life. I'm not gonna lie: I came here knowing a lot of my Oberlin classmates. From my summer camp alone, more people are attending Oberlin from our age group than any other college (which is sort of a freak accident; no one in recent years has come to Oberlin from my camp). What is more, the other Obies that came here from my camp are three of my very close friends; people I have known since kindergarten and have grown immensely close with over the years. Though I was excited, I was also, reasonably, a little apprehensive that having three close friends go to college with me would limit my ability to branch out and meet new people. Luckily, this is not the case at all; in fact, knowing people before I came here has allowed me to branch out and meet more people than I otherwise would have. It's really nice being a part of so many different social circles, and seeing how they all interact is very rewarding.

My camp friends. We're all donning Ramah shirts because November 25 was "National Wear Your Ramah Shirt to School Day." From left: Mel, Mimi, Me!, and Josh. They're great.

7. I am thankful that I was able to register for every single class that I wanted for second semester! To be honest, I got my dream schedule. Registering for classes this semester was infinitely easier than it was during orientation. At my first registration period, classes conflicted, were full, or had prerequisites that I had not yet fulfilled. This time around was a piece of cake in comparison.

8.I am thankful that I ended up at Oberlin; it's the perfect size, has a close-knit and accepting community, and the professors are fantastic. And lucky for me, I still have (a little) more than 7 semesters left.