How Are Ya
So if you’re still on my friends-list after all this time, or if you’ve stumbled in from Twitter or some other location, I suppose you’re wondering. The short answer? I’m going insane!
I’m here, at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in the graduate school for my MS in Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology. I’ve written this earlier and am probably posting it from the Health Sciences Library as I’m still waiting on my slow as molasses apartment complex to hook me up with the Internet.
Ever since I got here, I feel as if I’m running as fast as I can to try and catch a rapidly receeding bus. And that’s an apt metaphor, as you’ll see later.
Let’s start with getting the apartment. Classes, well orientation, started on Monday August 24th. Even though I’d managed to find a suitable place in the Estes Park Apartments about ten minutes from campus and right at the end of the bus line, getting it approved was a hair-raising experience. I first had to have my name cleared from a criminal record, which meant I wasn’t able to move in on Sunday night as I’d hoped. This is why I need to change my name from John Miller! Any suggestions? My cousin’s girlfriend graciously drove me up, as she’s attending also, and allowed me to cop a squat on an air mattress in her office at the townhome she shared with another student in her program.
Right after orientation ended on Monday the 24th, I caught that bus over to the leasing office hoping they would indeed let me in. Thankfully everything had been cleared, and after signing a million pieces of paper I was given my key and taken to the spot. It’s pretty decent too, will undoubtedly be better if I should ever manage to get some furniture in here. There is just one room, which is all I need.
Now to getting to that bus stop, and generally getting arund at the university: I think I’m actually not doing too badly at this. I got lost some the first few times I tried getting to the stop, but there were always people out who would help me. It’s the advantage of living in such a large neighborhood. I think I have it down now. And just yesterday, I solidified how to get from the classroom to the library, and from the library to its bus stop. Trying to catch the N is still a challenge though, as it comes only once every 40 minutes in the afternoon and there are many buses rolling by at a time. Some of them speak their destination, but the older ones don’t which can be hard. I can usually get a pair of eyes to help me look, though.
To classes: well the work has been as expected and then some. I’ve had to rapidly learn to use Blackboard, which I’ve found surprisingly accessible given the horror stories I’d heard. It’s cool too; there isn’t much reason for me to print assignments as I can just hand them in to the professor via the drop box. I’ve also had to learn how to search electronic articles in order to retrieve the readings we have for class.
Books have been spotty; since Division of Services for the Blind is only now authorizing their purchase, I had to check out a bunch of them from the library and take them to disability services. The problem with this is that DS needs to tear them up to scan quickly, so my chapters are trickling out very slowly. Oh boy, I really hope I can catch up there!
And let’s not even get into how I’m supposed to write papers in the APA style. It sounds very visual, and I’m not entirely sure I can understand what I’m to do. The only solution I can think of for this is to head over to the Writing Center and see if someone in there can explain it to me in a way I can understand. I’m not too sure on that, either.
I’ve become friends with a couple of folks in the class in particular. I think they said tonight we may go and have dinner on Franklin Street, the famous strip at this university. That’s cool, as I’ve not been there yet. Not sure if I should spend the money though, as my funds are rapidly depleting. I could use a real meal though, stuck up here eating cereal and PB&J sandwiches because my folks, who had told me they were going to bring cookware, still managed to forget it. Hopefully, they’ll bring it up this weekend. Eating like this costs far more than grocery shopping, and it would be especially helpful if I could get a microwave.
So, that’s a little of what’s going on with me. I don’t really know how much posting I’ll get to do these days, as I’m about to be buried in papers for the foreseeable future. But keep me in your thoughts, please. Let’s just hope I can make it through the first semester! And as always, thank you for being there and for caring. Tell me how you are, also.
I’m here, at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in the graduate school for my MS in Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology. I’ve written this earlier and am probably posting it from the Health Sciences Library as I’m still waiting on my slow as molasses apartment complex to hook me up with the Internet.
Ever since I got here, I feel as if I’m running as fast as I can to try and catch a rapidly receeding bus. And that’s an apt metaphor, as you’ll see later.
Let’s start with getting the apartment. Classes, well orientation, started on Monday August 24th. Even though I’d managed to find a suitable place in the Estes Park Apartments about ten minutes from campus and right at the end of the bus line, getting it approved was a hair-raising experience. I first had to have my name cleared from a criminal record, which meant I wasn’t able to move in on Sunday night as I’d hoped. This is why I need to change my name from John Miller! Any suggestions? My cousin’s girlfriend graciously drove me up, as she’s attending also, and allowed me to cop a squat on an air mattress in her office at the townhome she shared with another student in her program.
Right after orientation ended on Monday the 24th, I caught that bus over to the leasing office hoping they would indeed let me in. Thankfully everything had been cleared, and after signing a million pieces of paper I was given my key and taken to the spot. It’s pretty decent too, will undoubtedly be better if I should ever manage to get some furniture in here. There is just one room, which is all I need.
Now to getting to that bus stop, and generally getting arund at the university: I think I’m actually not doing too badly at this. I got lost some the first few times I tried getting to the stop, but there were always people out who would help me. It’s the advantage of living in such a large neighborhood. I think I have it down now. And just yesterday, I solidified how to get from the classroom to the library, and from the library to its bus stop. Trying to catch the N is still a challenge though, as it comes only once every 40 minutes in the afternoon and there are many buses rolling by at a time. Some of them speak their destination, but the older ones don’t which can be hard. I can usually get a pair of eyes to help me look, though.
To classes: well the work has been as expected and then some. I’ve had to rapidly learn to use Blackboard, which I’ve found surprisingly accessible given the horror stories I’d heard. It’s cool too; there isn’t much reason for me to print assignments as I can just hand them in to the professor via the drop box. I’ve also had to learn how to search electronic articles in order to retrieve the readings we have for class.
Books have been spotty; since Division of Services for the Blind is only now authorizing their purchase, I had to check out a bunch of them from the library and take them to disability services. The problem with this is that DS needs to tear them up to scan quickly, so my chapters are trickling out very slowly. Oh boy, I really hope I can catch up there!
And let’s not even get into how I’m supposed to write papers in the APA style. It sounds very visual, and I’m not entirely sure I can understand what I’m to do. The only solution I can think of for this is to head over to the Writing Center and see if someone in there can explain it to me in a way I can understand. I’m not too sure on that, either.
I’ve become friends with a couple of folks in the class in particular. I think they said tonight we may go and have dinner on Franklin Street, the famous strip at this university. That’s cool, as I’ve not been there yet. Not sure if I should spend the money though, as my funds are rapidly depleting. I could use a real meal though, stuck up here eating cereal and PB&J sandwiches because my folks, who had told me they were going to bring cookware, still managed to forget it. Hopefully, they’ll bring it up this weekend. Eating like this costs far more than grocery shopping, and it would be especially helpful if I could get a microwave.
So, that’s a little of what’s going on with me. I don’t really know how much posting I’ll get to do these days, as I’m about to be buried in papers for the foreseeable future. But keep me in your thoughts, please. Let’s just hope I can make it through the first semester! And as always, thank you for being there and for caring. Tell me how you are, also.