Now that I've been here long enough to get a feel for things, I'm a definite advocate for Rexburg and for Church schools. Its pretty cool to see the temple on your way up to math class in the morning, or to watch the entire campus shut down at 2pm every Tuesday for devotional. Its incredible to think that all the people you are around have the same spiritual goals and aspirations as you do. Its still strange to say things like "Ward, stake, Moroni, quorum, and D&C" and have everyone around speak your language.
So this is how the first week of school went: Friday the 5th and Saturday the 6th was " Get Connected" a.k.a. Freshmen Orientation. Felt more like EFY than EFY actually does. I for sure did not feel like a college student. Sunday the 7th was spent going to the usual Church meetings, though we had Priesthood first, sunday school second, and Sacrament Meeting last. Then myself and Chris Dean, a guy two doors down, volunteered to serve on a temporary activity committee. On this committee we were paired up with one of the young women in the ward to help organize and facilitate the ward's FHE social, which was to take place on Tuesday the 9th. The rest of Sunday was spent watching the CES fireside on the big screen in the dorm lobby, and we finished off the night with a walk around the temple grounds with two particular young ladies. Monday marked the first day of classes, and I'm lucky enough to only have one on M-W-F for the first block. Tuesday was the same as Monday, but with three times the class-load. It was on Tuesday afternoon, after my science class that I realized just what I had gotten myself into! But I've also realized since that I have a lot more time than I think, and the key is managing it. (Yes Mom and Dad, I'm managing my time.) At 2pm on Tuesday the campus had the privilege of listening to President Kim B. Clark speak about Student Honor, and planting seeds. That evening, the BYUI 6th Ward of the BYUI 1st Stake met at the Gardens for a get-to-know-eachother activity. We played games like the human knot, a variation of "Do You Love Your Neighbor", and Missionary tag, among others. We finished the evening with a game of Sardines played throughout the entire memorial gardens.
Basically Wednesday and Thursday were the same, sans the devotional and ward activity. Most of our free time is spent in either the library or the girl's apartments studying. Somewhere in there I'm also finding time to workout and relax with friends. The theme seems to be late nights, lots of homework and self-taught classes, with as much playtime as we can cram in. Welcome to college!
On to the social side of things, which is what prompted the title for this post. I expected to find a "high school free" atmosphere here at BYU-I, due solely to the fact that we're college students; Poor young adults shelling out copious amounts of cash to be in a unique and isolated environment cultivated specifically to allow us to grow and learn. SO not true. There are just as many "freshmen" of the stereotypical type in college as there are in high school. There are just as many drama-causing girls and idiotic boys as there were at Skyview High School. The only difference is that its clean, PG-rated, CES approved drama. The phenomenal girl-to-guy ratio here at the "I" is the root of several common problems. Its been described, with varying degrees of sarcasm and frustration, that seeing a boy on campus is like spotting a wild elephant. Some girls seem to pursue the rarely seen male population with the same ferocity and cunning as an elephant hunter as well. Sneak up on them, hit them with crazy strong tranquilizers, and drag their catch away before someone else does. I won't go into detail, but I sometimes feel like an elephant here on campus, and my pursuer is making this hunt a VERY personal and drawn-out one. The positives of the male/female ratio here are obvious for the guys. You could meet 100 new girls every day, and never see another one of them again. This means there are plenty to choose from, and spreading yourself out is not hard. Actually, its hard to keep from spreading yourself too thin. The ability for guys to be so selective has lead to this school being dubbed "BYU-I Do". I like it, though I haven't met anyone who's gotten engaged since semester started. Yet.
I'm also learning that there are social rules here. Specifically ones relating to dating. If you hold a girls hand, you have to buy everyone in the apartment Skittles. If you kiss, you bring ice cream. Its not yet clear to me if this is required EVERY time, but all the guys here in Biddulph Hall agree that it should be a first-time only thing. Like I said, we are poor college students.
Ok, this post has gone on long enough. Just know that I'm having the time of my life, and the I'm convinced Rexburg is the greatest place on earth. Better than Disneyland.
