I have to bite my cheeks to keep from smiling like a lunatic at everyone I pass.
PART I
I had a hard time trying to get to sleep last night.
I tossed and turned and opened the blinds and looked out into the night and then shut the blinds and tossed and turned and looked at the time and read and opened the blinds and closed the blinds and adjusted the air conditioner and tossed and turned and tried two pillows instead of three and then tried four and thought about every single thing which could go wrong on my first day.
Eventually I fell asleep. I am going to miss the nights when I could stay up until three talking to nerdfighters in Ireland and New Zealand but the page has turned and I am back to waking up at first 5:30 and hitting the alarm until 6:27 when I finally get up.
I got up and swallowed all of my fear as I put on my bathrobe and walked downstairs to fix myself a cup of breakfast tea to go with my bowl of cream of wheat (which I am still eating daily in order to end my anemia). I turned on NPR and listened to stories only half heartedly. I was terrified. Eventually I made my way back upstairs to get ready.
At 7:25 I checked to make sure I had everything (except my books, which I still don't have) and walked out into the morning.
The air outside was heavy with humidity and I was almost skipping down 18th avenue because I was so excited. It was the quietest I have ever seen or heard Gainesville. When I reached University I said hello to two fellow pedestrians, who looked to be nearly forty and quite foreign.
As I continued walking into the sunrise, I had to keep telling myself to slow down. I arrived an hour early which is ridiculous, even for me. I looked around and explored the Business Administration building (which, oddly, is where my Arabic class is). Eventually I went into my classroom and turned on the lights. I sat in my usual seat (the second seat in the right-most row. Don't act like you don't have strange quirks. I have always received A's when I sit there). I kept a textual conversation going with Christopher but somehow I stayed so still that the motion activated lights turned off. It made me laugh.
After thirty minutes I was joined by my first classmate, a tall and awkward looking young man with glasses and acne across his cinnamon colored face. Soon more people starting filing in: a blonde girl with long curly hair and a cough, a boy in a ROTC uniform, a girl in a colorful dress with lips too big for her face, a boy dressed in all earth tones, etc.
Then Professor Bouguettaya swept in asking if this was the Arabic class. Someone behind me answered, "We hope so..." and everyone laughed nervously. The ROTC boy immediately asked how to say her name to which she replied, "Issmi Soraya" and the lesson began.
I didn't know that when I chose my seat that I would be come the first involuntary volunteer for all questions. I wasn't too worried about it. I could guess most of what she was saying and soon we were making introductions to the class (I introduced myself as Jane and had a hard time remembering to answer to it). The boy behind me said his name was Aaron and even though I knew it was not Aaron Blake, I still got excited. He was my partner for the rest of the class.
I kept almost laughing out loud at Professor Bougettaya because when she does not know a word in English, her voice shakes and she goes, "Ahhh..." but since her voice is shaking it sounds like a sheep bleating. I think she was more nervous than we were.
Soon, class was over and I walked out with the most ridiculous smile on my face. I raced down the two flights of stairs and just as I was pushing the door open to leave the building I saw him. My soul mate. He was on the other side of the door I was opening. We looked up at the same time and our eyes locked for what felt to be forever. And then I took a step forward and the moment was over.
As if I wasn't already smiling like a crazy person, I started to walk home and here I am, drinking tea and typing this.
Today is going to be good.