(This was submitted as a essay for my Writing 105 class.  The assignment 
was to make a textual mapping of something.  It was a pretty open ended 
assignement.  It's also kind of long (assignment called for 3-5 pages 
typed dbl-spaced).  Comments are welcome)

      Like the pine trees lining the winding road, I've got a name.  The 
only problem is that nobody knows what it is.  My first few weeks at 
Syracuse were spent getting people to know my name (I had to remind 
certain instructors for 3 consecutive class periods *grin*), getting to 
know other people's names, and, of course, getting to know my way 
around.  My first days were spent, with the campus map never leaving my 
hand.  I had the same scared look as a deer caught in the headlights.  
Maybe not exactly, but it must have been close.  As I look back on the 
past several weeks, I think to myself "Wow, I've come a long way."
        In my first 2 or 3 days, I was extremely worried that I would 
lose my campus map.  I started to be able to identify buildings, and 
know my way around without the map.  Near the end of my first week, 
someone asked me which building was the Carnegie Library, and I was able 
to tell them which it was.  It was a good feeling, knowing that I knew 
my way around better than somebody else.  After about 4 days, I was able 
to ditch the map, and walk around the campus, knowing where I was.
        I arrived on campus knowing nobody.  That didn't last for long.  
As I was unpacking, a few people from down the hall stopped by and 
introduced themselves.  My RA stopped by, introduced himself, and gave 
me some information, like where to take all the empty boxes and trash 
from moving in.  It's probably the only time ever that my whole life 
will fit into 8 boxes.  There were a few events at Schine that I went 
to, like a hypnotist and a few comedians, with some other people from my 
floor, and that helped me get to know more people.
        The first weekend went by pretty quickly.  Monday morning came 
quickly, and with it, the first day of classes.  I went to my first 
class, and noticed a lot of yellow notices about classroom changes 
posted by the door.  I was late, and thank (insert your favorite deity 
here), none of the changes were for my class.  The instructor walked 
into the room, and handed out the course syllabus.  After reading the 
syllabus, the instructor asked if we had any questions, then we started 
to do math work (what did you expect?  It's a math class.  Did you think 
we'd be studying Plato? (oops, that's another class)).
        5 hours later, I had been to all my classes for the first day.  
I had acquired 3 (what's the plural of syllabus?  Syllabuses? Syllabi?) 
.  Whatever the plural is, I now not only had the various course 
outlines, I had a list of books that I needed to buy.  Two bookstores 
and $200 later, I had all the books I needed for half of my classes.  
Textbooks are a ripoff.  We're paying enough money to go here, books 
should be included in tuition.
        On Tuesday, I met my ECS 101 and ECS 102 professors.  For ECS 
101, the professor is a little weird.  He's 40 some years old, and still 
plays dungeons and dragons.  He spent 10 minutes talking about being a 
guest Dragon-Master at some big D&D convention.  He also told us that 
one of the books for the class would not be available from the 
bookstore, instead we'd have to buy it straight off of him, for $30, in 
cash if possible.   I got the book, if you can call it that.  It was a 
flimsy xeroxed thing, written by the professor, probably could have been 
made for $5 at Kinko's.  No wonder he wanted cash.
        Living on campus, most of the food I eat comes from the dining 
halls.  For the first week, it was mostly new food, and new menu items.  
After the first week, I started to realize how they recycled the food.  
Last night's burgers would become tonight's mystery meat.  If there was 
still some leftover, it would reinvent itself as meatloaf the next 
night.  The menu became predictable, repeating itself every 4 days or 
so.  Even so, the food was still edible.  I may not gain 15 lbs, but I'm 
probably not going to lose any weight either.  If I want to lose weight, 
I'm going to have to put some serious time into working out at the gym, 
running and all that sort of stuff.  Weight machines, Nordic track and 
other equipment.
        As time went on, I knew where my classes were, I had been to all 
of them, and I was starting to make friends in class.  I was talking to 
a few people in each class.  We weren't talking about much, but it was 
still conversation.  At the same time, I was starting to hang out with 
people on my floor more, spending time in the lounge, or going to HBC to 
watch a movie at midnight, or eating together.
        As classes went on, I started to hate my ECS 102 class 
(beginning programming).  If it weren't for the professor, it'd probably 
be a good class.  But, the professor speaks with an accent so heavy, 
it's hard to understand.  She writes in an illegible cursive, can't seem 
to figure out how to focus the overhead projector, and will usually 
answer questions about the subject with "Hmm, I don't know."  What's 
more, the TA for my lab session in that class doesn't know how to 
program.  The head TA, who nobody has ever seen, is named Vladimir, and 
can't figure out how to send an e-mail.  Every week, I get 8-10 e-mails 
from Vladimir, and it's all the same. 
        Fast forward to mid September.  I have a position on the Hall 
Council for Shaw Hall.  I had started an Intramural sports team on my 
floor, and my RA recommended that I try for Hall Council.  I filled out 
the application form.  I found out that I was un-opposed, so *poof*, I 
became the "Recreation Coordinator" for Shaw Hall.  Along the same 
lines, I got a job.  Total coincidence.   I was at Home Depot buying 
cinder blocks, and the person ahead of me in line asked "Are you a 
freshman? (yes)  What dorm? (Shaw)  What's your major? (Computer 
science) Want a job? (doing what?) Computer Networking (sure) Ok, e-mail 
me."  Easiest job offer I've ever gotten.
        Adapting to Syracuse life has been mostly easy.  The hardest 
thing to adapt to is football.  I'm not used to watching football 
inside.  It just doesn't seem right.  I think that weather, espicially 
later on in the season, is a big part of football.  If the team plays 
inside, you don't get that experience.  Another problem is the size of 
the crowd.  It's too small.  The Carrier Dome seats 55,000 people.  It's 
the largest college-owned dome in the USA.  But, it's still too small.  
I'm used to watching games in the largest college-owned stadium, dome or 
not.  55 thousand people is about half of what I'm used to.  It's just 
not the same.
        It's been an interesting journey.  After seeing what just one 
month can do, I'm now anxious to see what my life is like at the end of 
a year.  Maybe I'll be a completely different person.  Maybe not.  Only 
time will tell.  Until it actually happens, nobody can predict what life 
is going to dish out. 

8 responses total.

note: the copy that was turned in had a footnote citing where I borrowed 
the first line from.  When pasting from word, it got lost.  The first 
line is borrowed from the song "I've got a name" by Jim Croce.

Also note: After the introduction parenthetical remark, all other 
parentheticals actually appeared in the document as it was turned in.

(I'm sending a copy of this to my daughter, who is going through the
same thing at a different college.)

Rane, what school is your daughter at?  You mentioned it's in Ohio, but 
that doesn't really narrow it down.

Wittenberg.

When you are forty, you will find it funny to reread this.

Well, yes - it sounds like a freshman essay. But, it is! You want
Gore Visal?

I meant the part about the forty-year-old professor still interested in
childish pursuits.  

Hey, I'm a 58-year-old professor who's still interested in what
many would call "childish pursuits" (e.g. computer games).

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