A lot has happened in the past week and my perceptions of American life have changed so many times. I suppose I should have known... American college life in some respects is not that different from University life in the UK. Not matter what country it is, freshmen will be excited, loud, immature in some respects and naive. I am the first to admit that this was me only two short years ago but a hell of a lot happens at university and by the time you are out of your freshman year you have grown into an adult and your personal values change.
The freshmen arrived on Thursday and they were fresh-faced, energetic and young....so young! After attempting to make small talk with one of my neighbours the conversation quickly changed to how many hot guys there were in the dorm and if they should go to rush week (i.e. compete to be in a sorority). I instantly felt isolated. I had left these types of conversation back with my 18 year old self (for the most part!) and I couldn't join in with the girly banter. So I turned to the British way of dealing with this type of rejection.....I panicked. For the whole of the first night I was convinced that I wouldn't make any friends and my entire free time would be taken up with facebook or other such procrastination fallbacks.
However, there was hope. Call it fate or whatever you will but last year I met an exchange student from the UO when he was at my university. Thankfully, after several times of bumping into each other I got his mobile number before the chance slipped away forever. To put it in over-dramatic terms this number could have possibly enhanced my time here in more ways than I can say. On the Friday, the day after the freshmen moved in I was invited to a senior house party.
The party was held in a classic American house with most rooms on the ground floor and a couple on the first. There was food, drink, music, beer pong, games, and people flittered around to whichever activity took their fancy. The people...well this is what made my night....the people were so down to earth, happy, chatty, and excited but not in the freshmen way. They were experienced students like me and at last I felt that I was in a group that I could relate to. I may have become slightly drunk myself after sipping on cider local to the state which carried 10 point something percent as well as the shots I also took during the night (that alcohol program I had to complete online completely failed me that night!). I couldn't contain my happiness. After being in a place where I thought I would just have to grin and bear it, this turn around smacked me right in the face and I don't know how many times I said thank you last night to the random party-goers for giving me such a refreshing experience. They must think I am bizarre because I get paranoid so easily to the extent of when they say that I am 'welcome here anytime' I assume that to mean 'I am only saying this politely and you are, in fact, annoying.' Well I have given the inhabitance of the house numerous chances to voice their true opinion of me but they insist they enjoy my company so I will just have to accept it and hope that I maybe become an adopted housemate.
So the party was amazing and in terms of cultural differences there were many positives going for the Americans. For a start the house party thing is not big in England where it is more likely that a house will just be used for pre-drinks (pre-gaming) before descending into town. Although my memories are a bit hazy, I don't remember anyone getting too drunk, the people seemed to know their limits and stopped before any embarrassing antics took place. Don't get me wrong, these people knew how to have fun but they managed to reach the stage of happiness and stay there. I didn't see one unhappy face or any arguments. The best thing was they had even planned a designated driver to take people home who needed a ride. I couldn't believe the organisation and how people were there to just have a good time rather than cause any drama. Not the sort of thing I have experienced on nights out in Norwich!
So after getting home in the early hours, I set my alarm and closed my eyes. When I opened them again to the sound of my alarm it felt like second had passed but I knew I had to get up for my booked trip that day: white water rafting.
I know this experience will stay with me for a very long time. The weather was perfect, and the scenery was stunningly beautiful. In the distance, the trees looked like they had been painted on a giant canvas and my eyes refused to believe that this was reality which I was looking at. Our boat quickly developed a close bond which I think was unique compared to the other boats and this just enhanced the whole day even further. The rapids were so fun and it was great to be in the big outdoors and appreciate the nature that Oregon had to offer. I am so glad I signed up and I hope to pursue other outdoor activities in the near future.
To finish the day on Saturday I attended the Oregon vs Arizona football game. Wow, this was such an experience! Having never seen an American football game live or even on TV I am glad that I didn't look up any footage pre-game and just experienced everything first hand. The atmosphere and entertainment was amazing in the 59,000 seat stadium and the committed fans stood throughout the 3 hour long game. I have never clapped so much in my life. After every pass the crowd would clap regardless of whether or not the pass was a success, and the marching band would play a small passage of uplifting music to keep everyone's spirits high through what is essentially a long-winded, frustrating game. The players would assemble in their positions, and suddenly a referee would run on to the pitch indicating that play would have to be paused for a commercial break. Sport that is dictated my commercial advertising....only in America! The Oregon Ducks completely crushed Arizona in the end with a score of 49-0 and I am sure this made the game more enjoyable but the crowd were what gave the game its energy. Again, this was an experience I will truly treasure for a long long time.
So now I am preparing for classes. To prepare mentally I watched the first season finale of Dr. Who at my adopted house which was essential of course! Seriously though, I am ready to embrace my first week of class and experience the American system of higher education. Let's hope I like all of my classes!
Have a great day
Sarah x
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