I am happy to say I am done with my first year of college. I completed my last final on Friday and am currently enjoying my summer break. My first year was very interesting. It was nothing like I thought it would be but it was a lot like how I hoped it could be. Basically, I was very impressed and it went much better than I expected. A lot of its goodness came from the amazing Cienega House community. Our wonderful RA, Carlos Perez, was seriously the best RA on campus. Everyone in Cienega was really cool and the relaxed atmosphere made for a very comfortable year.
When I started writing this entry, I wrote about the classes I took. It seemed the logical way to sum up my first year in college. But then I realized that’s not what this year was about for me. Sure, Professor Raccuhaus was really cool and I watched some interesting movies in Film 46. In fact, I probably actually learned something this year. And while that’s certainly important, I feel like this year was more about the experience. By experience, I don’t mean the normal stereotypical “college experience”. By experience, I mean adjusting to living away from my family, making new friends, and interacting with a community of 20,000 in class and around campus.
So I started this journal entry over and began making some sort of timeline. I planned to break down the year into events and talk about going home on Halloween, setting up a tree on Christmas, turning nineteen, getting written up by some staff for tossing a chair off a balcony, going to the end of the year dinner, building a sand castle and so forth. But even these stories didn’t really cover what happened this year.
The best way I can explain how I spent my year is quite simple. I spent my time pulling pranks on Carlos, playing Frisbee with Sarah, joking with Andrew, talking politics with Chrissy, getting food with Nico, getting coffee with Elina, listening to Ian, laughing at Katie, fighting Santosh, teasing Maura, hanging out with Randy, smiling at Lauren, chilling with Sasha, flirting with Giuliana, practicing le parkour with Brady, and flying kites with Eva. In short, it was a great way to spend a year.
Further notes: I already miss my friends and have begun to reminisce about the time we spent together. I can’t really put how I feel into words so the above will have to do. When I wrote that this year was not about the stereotypical college experience, what I meant was even though I was at the #4 party school in the nation, I didn’t consume a single drink or experiment with any drug (something I am proud of). I don’t necessarily feel those things are “bad” and I don’t think that those who use them are “bad”, I just don’t use them myself. My college experience is not any lesser for it. With regards to “probably actually learning something”, apart from not learning proper grammar, I have learned a ton. I would like to again thank the Santa Barbara Foundation, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, the Ian McPherson Memorial Aquatics Scholarship Fund, the Brooks and Kate Firestone Honorary Scholarship Fund, United Student Aid Funds, United Volunteer Services, the Santa Ynez Valley Bar Association, the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club, the Solvang Rotary Foundation, the University of California Santa Barbara Chancellor’s Scholarship Fund, and everyone else whose generous support allowed me to learn so much. I am very grateful.
4 Comments
First of all, thank you for the compliment. While I was most likely the only RA you’ve had so far, and surely more will come, it’s unfair to label me as the “best” RA only because others have contributed in other ways. For me, building a community became of utmost importance and by what you wrote I’ve seem to have accomplished that goal. Nevertheless, I’m an honored that you praise my job in high regards. I’m glad that you had a wonderful year and that you “experienced” college rather than “becoming” college. In other words, UCSB became what you wanted it to be, rather than you becoming what UCSB is best known for, parties. I hope that made sense. I understand your comment regarding alcohol and drugs. I left my first year subtance free, this year I immersed in the party scene a little more; however while I too do not consider alchohol “bad,” drinking to get drunk in not an activity I actively engage in. Honestly, I had more fun at non-alcoholic events than those sponsoring alcohol. You need no remindering, but I shall say it regardless, be yourself. Liam, I hope you continue to enjoy your summer and have a blast at the elk farm. Please, continue to keep in touch and I’ll see you around in the future.
Glad to hear you enjoyed your first year at UCSB. I think you summed up the year perfectly. Hopefully next year will be just as fun.
Take it easy and have a great summer.
Dammit Liam, I thought I had finally gotten over my homesickness for Santa Barbara and you had to ruin it by writing this cool entry.
Liam, after reading this post, I have concluded that you are now a man. Your manliness gets santosh’s seal of approval, the most prestigious manliness seal of approval that i know of.