Orientation

I don’t even know where to start with orientation. When I think about it, so many different words come to mind: amazing, exhausting, exciting, awkward, terrifying, surprising, incredible, and many more. I couldn’t think of a better way to start off my Stonehill experience. It was extremely fun, but also extremely informative. My small group was amazing. I had two wonderful leaders to my group of dreamboats, Jenna and Ashley. They made us feel really comfortable with each other, so we all got to know one another fairly quickly, both through normal conversation and various games involving hula-hoops and soccer balls.

The initial awkwardness faded away instantly. Throughout the two days we were informed on our “Community Standards,” residence life, and other information we will need to know when we start school in the fall. We also went to an information session on Campus Ministry, which was awesome because that is what I am really interested in being involved in at school. I signed up for pretty much everything there, including the choir. They told me it was not a big deal that my voice is not, well, not the best. My friends from home will definitely be shocked (and terrified) that I am joining a choir, but that just shows how Stonehill gets you to take that step out of your comfort zone. The day was also filled with various games where you got to meet people from other groups like “The Wind Blows,” “Zip, Zap, Boing,” and “Giants, Trolls, and Wizards.” But it was definitely that night where you got to meet the most people. “Playfair” was the big secret of orientation. I don’t want to give anything away to future students, but lets just say its something to look forward to. We were all terrified, but it ended up being my favorite part of orientation. You got to meet pretty much everyone in very interesting ways.

Then the night closed with a dance, which was amazing! We all danced the night away to music that varied from Lady Gaga to Billy Joel. Watching the peer mentors breakout in random choreographed dance was probably the best part. That was the perfect way to end an already amazing day. The next day we had more time to bond with our group, and chat with other kids we had met the night before. We got all signed up for classes, learned how to make the most of our college experience, and began to feel more like real college freshman. Summer orientation has made me so excited for fall orientation where I will be reunited with my fellow dreamboats, where I am sure there will be more renditions of our favorite songs (“heeeeey baby, I wanna knowwww, if you’d be my girl”) and many more laughs. After orientation, I am absolutely positive that I made the right choice coming to Stonehill and I can’t wait for the next four years!!


Group 3!


Orientation roomies!

From Fever Pitch to Fanatic

I always knew that moving from California to Massachusetts was going to be a big change. I would have to purchase my first Northface. I would have to turn in my flip flops and tank tops for winter boots and thermals. And of course, I knew moving so close to Boston meant I would have to know a little bit about the Red Sox. But I had seen Fever Pitch, so I thought I was set. However, it wasn't until visiting last summer that I realized watching Drew Barrymore run across Fenway Park to kiss Jimmy Fallon over and over again was not going to be enough. I didn’t even have to get past security check at Logan Airport to realize that. Almost every passenger on that plane had a Red Sox cap on. Each store we passed on the way to baggage claim was filled with Red Sox memorabilia. Our drive from Logan to Stonehill was filled with billboards and homemade signs expressing love for the Sox. Even the CVS pharmacy down the street from Stonehill had entire magazines solely dedicated to their coveted baseball team. I had entered Red Sox Nation, and if I was planning on moving here, I was going to have to jump on the bandwagon.

Ever since that trip, I have been immersing myself into all things Red Sox. I started Tivoing random Red Sox specials on ESPN. I went to a Red Sox game at Angel Stadium. I, of course, downloaded “Sweet Caroline” on iTunes and got a couple of my own Red Sox caps. I did some research and found out that the “Curse of the Bambino” ended in 2004 and that Johnny Damon got traded to the Yankees and apparently doesn’t look anything like Jesus anymore. Though I know that learning the words to a Neil Diamond classic and wearing a Red Sox tee to the gym won’t automatically turn me into a devoted Sox fan, I know it will eventually become second nature. When I board that plane home at the end of freshman year, I will be joining the other passengers with my Sox hat on and naturally scowl at any Yankee fan who dares to wear a New York hat on our flight. And I know I will look back on my year thinking that the good times never seemed so good.