Where is My Roommate?

Thanks to my foresight of packing most of my things in my suitcases yesterday, I got to wake up later than Jahnvi and Lindsay did. I got more sleep, which is always nice. 

After we got ready, together we went down to the lobby to meet up with Ms. Sciacca, three minutes earlier than the set meeting time. With this, Jahnvi, Lindsay, and I proved that people can change - even in the span of as little time as less than 24 hours. Yesterday, we were the ones who went down to the lobby almost ten minutes late; today, we not only achieved our goal of being on time - we were even early! Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Raqueeb, who was over 10 minutes late coming down. It was fine, however, as our schedule was not that tight, and we all went to a bakery to grab breakfast. 

Our breakfast

I got a cranberry muffin, which was exactly as good as I'd thought it would taste, but my iced caffe latte was not. I had a hard time choosing something to drink, and I had thought I would try iced caffe latte for the first time - because this trip is all about trying new things. However, this did not work out as I had hoped, and I am never going to drink iced caffe latte again if I can help it. 

After breakfast, we returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage, and took a Lyft to UChicago. The ride there was smooth, and we checked in our luggage right away so we could walk around and explore without giant suitcases weighing us down. 

We passed by many impressive structures, and the campus is absolutely beautiful. The buildings have amazing and lovely architecture. I also loved that there are plenty of trees and greenery around (particularly because the trees to provide plenty of shade). 

We went into the bookstore, where we immediately got around to choosing what souvenir to buy. I was very torn, as I have extreme trouble making decisions picking between different hoodies and shirts. Luckily, with the help of everyone, I was able to choose both a hoodie and a shirt and still stay within the $65 limit. I was extremely happy with my choices, and after a long wait at the cashier, we went outside to take pictures.

Our souvenirs

lovely architecture

We made it back to the Campus North Residential Commons, and after a short while, we were led to the building for the introduction orientation. It was very brief, going over the basic general info, before we were dismissed to go on our tours with our respective residential advisors, or RAs. My RA is a fourth-year UChicago undergraduate student named Angela. Angela led us on the tour to various buildings around the campus. 

While we were walking, my group and I got to know each other. I met a fellow Californian, and her name is Andrea. Even though we both live in California, her image of California could not have been more different than me; she lives close to LA, while I live in the Bay Area, and apparently, that makes a big difference, which surprised me. 

The tour was over quicker than expected, and we went back to the building where we had the orientation. We were given additional information about health insurance and security on the campus; most of this information was familiar. After that was done, we were finally allowed to get our luggage and IDs to move into our dorms!

There were two lines - one to get our luggage and the other to get our IDs. Everyone crowded at the luggage line, so we went to get our IDs first. Meanwhile, Ms. Sciacca went to stand in the luggage line. We were utilizing our resources to get the whole process over with as fast as possible, and it paid off. Soon, we were going up the elevators to our respective floors. 

My dorm room is very spacious. I was supposed to have a roommate named Michelle, but I still haven't met her because she is not here yet. My RA says that sometimes people just don't show up at all, but I saw some latecomers checking in at night, so here's to hoping Michelle will show up later. Therefore, right now, I am living in a dorm room meant for doubles by myself. The room is perfectly symmetrical, with a bed, a bedside drawer, a dresser, and some shelves on each side. Because Jahnvi was hungry, I left my luggage in my room without unpacking, and we went to eat in the dining commons. 

Dining commons

At dinner, I met Jahnvi's friend Olivia. She is a very friendly and energetic person, and we ate dinner together. Another friend from my RA group, Karla, joined our table, and it was extremely nice getting to know everyone better. The dining room was big, and there were more than enough seats for everyone as we sat in a big group. We finished dinner early, so we went to explore our dorm building. We were able to find music rooms, study rooms, leisure rooms, and even a copy room. 

At 7 PM, the third, fourth, and fifth floors all gathered at the third floor lounge to have a meeting. Our RAs talked more about dorm rules, curfew hours, special activities available each day, and gave us their phone numbers, as well as the UChicago police's number and the Student Health Center number, in case of emergencies. I met Melissa, who I found out was taking the same course as I am, although I didn't get a chance to talk to her more. After the meeting, I went back to my dorm to unpack and refresh a little before I went out for a trip to Insomnia Cookies with Jahnvi, Lindsay, Raqueeb, Olivia, and Olivia's roommate Kara.

We went back to the dorms, and I headed back to my room to unpack more. I took a shower, and the bathroom was very clean and nice. Refreshed, I began blogging in the lounge area and was eventually found by Jahnvi, who informed me that she, Lindsay, and Raqueeb were blogging on the 11th floor. I joined them in the study room, which was actually extremely quiet and pleasant. 

I did not get to talk to as many people as I would have liked today, but I am looking forward to my second day at Chicago as I hope to make more and more new friends.