Thursday, June 18, 2009

Orientation and Second Chances

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday I spent on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University where I will be attending in the fall.

Thursday was CLEP testing day, and a very interesting one at that. My dad and I had to leave at 6:15 am to get to the school in time for my 7:30 am test. The earliest test they offered. The ONLY one I was taking. But having all that time Thursday was good because it gave me a little more time to get used to the campus.

(I have been to the campus numerous times for all kinds of events, but I never really learned my way around. There was always someone with me who knew exactly where we were going, so I would blindly follow them :) )

The rest of orientation went pretty well... I met my room mate; they had everyone play late night games; I registered for my fall classes; I got into all the classes I wanted to; I know my way around campus a lot better now; my room mate and I got our second choice dorm; although my phone almost died searching for service, it didn't; and I am becoming more and more excited about going to school there.

Four of my friends are also going to Olivet, and two were there early on Thursday too, so we hung out. One of them was taking 4/5th of the CLEP tests, so the other girl and I spent a lot of time in the testing building waiting to find out how she did.

There was another kid in the hall where we were who was reading 'Catcher in the Rye'. I overheard him telling someone that his school had them read it a couple years ago, but he didn't really like the book then, and now he was giving the book another chance.

Well, of all the books to give a second chance! Personally, I would be fine if I never had to read it again.

But it reminded me of a 'book' I read this last semester in school. We read a few snippets from Gulliver's Travels, and I really felt bored by it. I mean, the snippets we read were all narrative, and I didn't understand a lot of the satire...

When we grazed over Swift's book like that, I had decided that this summer I would read the whole thing. But I kept putting it off. I knew that there was no dialogue, and that I wouldn't get most of the satire. I had tried a couple times, but I never got past the first three chapters.

Yet when I got home from orientation I picked up the book. I read. And read. And read. And I am glad I gave the book a second chance, because so far I am really enjoying it!

What books have you been putting off giving a second chance? Or even a first chance?

No comments: