Buckle up, folks, because you will be reading what is essentially my diary from the first two weeks of me being back in New York. Enjoy!

Saturday, August 21

My journey back to New York was a tiresome one. I woke up at 3am so we could get to the airport with more than enough time to spare. The flight was quick, and I was at JFK by 9am. My wonderful twin picked me up from the airport and drove me back to her place so I could freshen up before going out for errands. After doing some grocery shopping, I treated us to brunch and once we got back home, I napped for a solid two hours.

Originally, I was supposed to move into my dorm the next day, Sunday. However, there was a tropical storm brewing, so Hofstra allowed me to move into my dorm Saturday afternoon. Alex wants you to know that it took us a total of two trips to move my things from my storage unit to my dorm—all in her little red Mazda. We moved some furniture around before heading back to her place, where she made dinner. My friend Jovani came over and we had a nice time before he left to get home before the skies broke open.

I could’ve spent the night in my dorm, but I really wanted to spend more time with Alex. Unfortunately, around 10:30pm, I realized that her basement was flooding a little bit due to the heavy downpour. Her landlord quickly came over to deal with it, but we didn’t get to bed until around 1am. We both slept in until 11am.

Sunday, August 22

I slept like a rock that night, and we had a nice, lazy morning. Alex made me some “Lex-approved” scrambled eggs and sweet biscuits. Finally, around 12:30pm, she drove me to my dorm and I began putting my room together. I think I did five or six loads of laundry. My bedding and clothes that had been in the storage unit smelled like, well, the storage unit, so I wanted to freshen everything up. I made lots of progress that night, and finally went to bed around 11pm so I could be prepared for my Welcome Week Leader training the next morning.

Monday, August 23

Today was the first day of Welcome Week Leader training. Presenters from various offices at Hofstra came to talk to us about the different services offered here on campus. It was really nice to be back with people my own age in a large group. I’ve missed connecting with strangers in-person. After training was finished for the day, I continued to unpack and did more laundry. (I swear, the laundry was never-ending!)

Also, I miss my mom’s cooking so much. Campus food is not… great.

Tuesday, August 24

The second day of training was as uneventful as the first. This time, however, my roommate Caitlin was there! Due to the tropical storm that just barely skirted Long Island, she was delayed by a couple of days and wasn’t able to move in on Saturday or Sunday. After training, I helped her move her stuff into the dorm. I think we’re going to get along well, and I’m looking forward to a great (hopefully semi-normal) school year.

Wednesday, August 25

Another day, another dollar. (Just kidding, I’m not getting paid.) Today was the last day of training! I found myself very bored and unable to focus. Instead of paying attention (oops), I was looking through habit tracker apps on my phone. I’ve been talking to my therapist about being a better student and overall better human this semester. I want to be more on top of my homework, be more involved with clubs, and have a healthier lifestyle via eating and exercising. Some of the things I logged into my app ranged from exercising three times a week to studying my Arabic vocab a little bit every day, just so I can keep on top of it.

I’m hoping that by keeping track of things for myself, I will want to be more proactive in making healthier decisions for myself. I’ll have to give a little update at the end of the semester to see how things progress.

Thursday, August 26

The Thursday calm before the Friday storm. Today I had off. I slept in, worked on a few things for tomorrow, washed a ton of dishes, and called my Mom. Not much to report here. As I’m writing this, I’m about to attempt to hang my fairy lights/Christmas lights in my dorm. I hope my Command hooks hold them okay!

Friday, August 27

Friday was humid and hot and even more humid. I was at my first post by 7:45am, and the skies were pure blue with not a cloud in the sky. Thirty minutes into standing in the shade, my shirt was stuck to my back via sweat. You best believe that I had my water bottle nearby the entire day. Around 10:30am, I was moved to a different part of campus since where I had been stationed was pretty dead. At this new post, I basically sat the entire two hours until my lunch break.

*Welcome Week Leader Lex, reporting for duty!*

Once I came back from my lunch break, clouds were in the sky. Long Island is a lot like the Midwest: the weather can change at any moment. We finally were given an hour and a half break around 2pm. Caitlin and I went back to our dorm to cool off and rest for a bit. Our next assignment was to meet with the group of students that we had been assigned to. We were supposed to walk them to various events and make sure they got to where they needed to be. I personally feel like I didn’t do a good job, but no one got hurt or died so I think I did good enough.

Hofstra has a new president this year! This is a big deal since our former president was in this position for twenty years. It’s nice to have someone new in power. I heard her give her President’s Welcome to the class of 2025, and then we herded everyone to a barbeque set up for the new students.

One of the best things about being a Welcome Week Leader is making new friends. A girl I had made friends with earlier that day just looked at me and said “come on, let’s get some food,” and I really had no good rebuttal—and I was hungry. A few other girls and I went through the line and then found a spot to sit under a tree. It was really nice to relax and chat with new people. After we ate, we still had another two hours before we had to meet up with our group, so once again Caitlin and I went back to our dorm to cool off and rest.

The rest of the night was great. We walked the students to their Students Welcome, and then we prepared for the Celebration Walk, which is a Hofstra tradition at Welcome Week. We cheered them out with shouting and clapping and other noise makers, just to hype up the new students. They were led to a late night breakfast in the Student Center, and the pep band was playing on the second floor on the balcony. It honestly felt like the pep band was playing for us leaders instead of the new students. While the students went to go get food, we had our own dance party. It was amazing.

Caitlin wanted to get some food and I followed her, even though I really didn’t want anything. I wound up getting a piece of French toast, and we sat down to eat. A few of our new friends we had made followed us, and we were in the Student Center past clean-up time, probably until 10:30pm. I think that’s one of my favorite things about college—the late night conversations.

Once Caitlin and I got back to our dorm, we showered and went to bed, both of us exhausted.

P.S. The Christmas lights haven’t fallen down yet and they look so pretty when it’s dark and they’re turned on. I consider it a success!

Saturday, August 28

After a really long and busy Friday, it was nice to have Saturday off to relax and recharge. Caitlin was leading a trip into the City, so I took the opportunity to do a few chores around the dorm. I also worked on a couple syllabi that my professors had emailed me. Hard to believe that classes start on Wednesday!

I also video called my parents. While we’ve been texting throughout the week, I haven’t called them except for a quick five minutes on the phone to my mom. It was nice to see them, and I even got to see my furbabies! Bean was not amused when I requested that Mom give her lots of kisses on her bean head. (Haha—get it? Bean head… Bean…)

Anyways, the entire day was a relaxing one and I’m glad I had it to prepare myself for my upcoming classes.

Sunday, August 29

My Sunday did not go as planned. I was working at the spot where students came to check-in for New York City trips. My job was to greet people and direct them where they needed to go. About an hour into my shift, the trip coordinator came up to me and asked if I could go on a trip in ten minutes. I hesitated, knowing she wouldn’t ask me unless the situation was dire. But whenever I go into the city, I like to mentally prepare myself for it and have certain items on me. Which I had neither on me. So, I regretfully declined.

Ten minutes later, the coordinator came back up to me and asked if I could go on a trip in thirty minutes. I said yes and asked if I could go back to my dorm to grab some things. She said I could, so I booked it to my dorm. The trip was to the Financial District, and there was a grand total of four people on the trip: two leaders and two students. I understand why—the Financial District isn’t known for its food or entertainment or exciting sites. However, the history was fascinating. Yes, we went on a historical walking tour of the District!

I am normally not a fan of tours when it comes to seeing New York, but historical walking tours are amazing. You learn so much in a small span of time, and it makes you appreciate the city more. It was also nice to just be back in the city, as I had no clue when I was going to be able to visit Manhattan.

The National Museum of the American Indian

Delmonico's

The New York Stock Exchange

Trinity Church

Back at campus, I chowed down on some pizza before heading to my last shift of the day. It went fairly quickly and then I was able to head back to my dorm and relax for the rest of the evening. I retrieved a package from the mailroom and it was a care package from my mom!!! I needed her to send me a few things, and she packed it with a container of strawberry crumble bars and lots of LOVE!

Monday, August 30

Monday was a bit busier than Saturday. The Welcome Week Leaders had a morning check-in, and it was nice to see everyone together again since Friday morning. I walked my student group to the Playhouse for a mandatory event before I walked my class route and found all my classrooms. While I know where most things are on the main part of South Campus, I like knowing where things are so I can get from Point A to Point B with little trouble.

Afterwards, I got tested for COVID, as is mandated by the University for all residential students. (Great news: I tested negative!) And then I went back to my dorm to cool off, watch some TV, and eat lunch. My next shift of the day was helping out at a workshop for students. I helped direct people to where they needed to go and answered questions. It was fairly easy and I enjoyed it. I also oversaw a shift at the Playhouse since there was a lecture going on. It went on past its end time, and I just wanted to go back to my dorm to eat something and relax. Thankfully, I was able to do just that when the lecture ended.

Tuesday, August 31

Tuesday: the last day of Welcome Week. It’s been a busy, hot, and humid week, but it’s been a good week. Caitlin and I both slept in, and I had a therapy appointment before heading to our one and only shift at 1pm at the Club Carnival. We ended up standing towards the entrance of the carnival and helped people find specific clubs and give directions. Everyone from freshmen to seniors came to the carnival. I ran into so many friends that I haven’t seen since last November—or even March of 2020! I saw my roommate Arianna from last year, and I shrieked before launching myself at her for a hug. She picked me up and spun me around and it was so, so good to see her.

I signed up for a few other clubs myself, and I look forward to getting back to connecting with people on campus. After the carnival was finished, Caitlin and I were done with our official Welcome Week duties. I immediately went back to my dorm and changed into a tank top before making a Dutch run and buying some food. I then watched a couple episodes of The Americans.

My RA hosted our beginning-of-the-year floor meeting and ran through the laundry list of everything that needed to be said. Girls are outnumbered by guys 2:1 on my floor, which will be interesting. Afterwards, I went back to my dorm and watched more TV, as well as had breakfast for dinner and got ready for my first day of classes!

I think it’s going to be a good semester—I just have that gut feeling.

Wednesday, September 1

It’s morning, everyone! Today’s the day! The sun is shining! (Not really.) The dorm room is clean! And it is the first day of classes—

*GASPS*

IT’S THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES!

Yes, it is the first day of junior year. I cannot believe that I am starting the second half of my college journey today. Time feels like it has blown by, and I’m going to attribute that to COVID and being home for half of my college career.

I got ready for the day before heading to my first class: Demonology. Now before you freak out, it’s a religion class. It focuses on demons and devils, both literal and metaphorical. My professor went over the syllabus and then had students introduce themselves. We’re a pretty diverse class, made up of people from various ethnicities, religions, languages, etc. This is a very participation-heavy class, and I’m looking forward to discussing hard topics with these people.

After class, I hung out in the library listening to a podcast and doing some work for school. I like to plug in all my homework assignments to an app on my phone, as that is how I stay organized. I then met a friend who I haven’t seen since last November for lunch, and it was really nice to catch up with Angela—as well as see my twin in passing!

I can tell that my International Politics class is going to be a lot of work but it will also be very rewarding in knowledge gained. Our grade is based on three assignments: a term paper, a midterm, and a final exam. I am: Nervous. But I know if I do the readings, participate, and study, I will do well.

After class, I went back to my dorm to relax. Due to Hurricane Ida, Long Island was getting battered with heavy rain and wind. My roommate and I made a very quick and wet run to Dutch for some food, and when we got back to our room, we promptly changed into PJs and watched a movie together. It was a good way to end the first day of school.

Thursday, September 2

I thankfully woke up to a very sunny day. Unfortunately, the five boroughs are flooded, and I know a few dorms leaked water. However, my dorm was dry and I was more than happy to open the window to let in some fresh air. Tuesdays are a long day for me, as I have three back-to-back-to-back classes. While I was doing my makeup, my big sis Emily called me for a few minutes. It’s always nice to hear a voice from home.

My first class of the day was my Book Design and Production class! I’m very excited for this class, as I’ve had people tell me that it’s an easy class and a fun class. I’m looking forward to learning how InDesign works, as well as improving my Photoshop and Illustrator skills. It’s also a small class, which is nice.

Next, I had my last first day of Arabic class! It’s nice to be together in person finally, but I remember very little from my first year on Zoom. I really should review my letters and writing, as well as past vocab words and various grammar concepts. (You can read more about my first class of the semester here!)

My last class of the day was Fairy Tales in Literature. I am super excited about this class since I love fairy tales. This class, like Demonology, is heavily participation-based. There’s a lot of reading and watching that takes place, and we students get to share our thoughts about what we read. My teacher is a bit… eccentric. But I like her.

After my classes were finished for the day, I made a beeline for the Student Center to get some food since I hadn’t eaten anything since 10:30am. While I was eating, my roommate texted me saying that the fire alarm in our dorm room had gone off, and she was “98% sure it’s a drill.” However, a text soon followed saying: “Fire trucks heading towards VP now. 2% chance of non-drill increasing rapidly.” So instead of heading back to my dorm like I had planned, I joined up with her at Stu to work on some homework.

Later that night, Caitlin was going to go to work. I was suddenly bitten by the exercise bug, since her work was close to the fitness center, and we could walk together. So, I did a quick forty minute workout at the gym. I did mostly cardio and a little bit of weight training, but not much. I really need to figure out a workout regiment. Afterwards, I showered and then did my nails before watching some tv.

Friday, September 3

I did some chores on Friday. I have my laundry schedule set for Thursday, but I wanted to slip into my routine slowly, so I held off for a day this week. I started on homework. I did some reading and organized some things and printed other things out. It was honestly a chill day, but I should’ve done more homework.

That night, I watched Coraline for my fairy tales class. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be, but I made sure to watch it with the lights on!

Saturday, September 4

Saturday did not go as I planned. I slept in, had a lazy morning. Caitlin and I wanted to go to Target together, so I was waiting for her to get back from work. We planned on catching the 2pm shuttle, but when the bus opened up and people climbed aboard, it was full before we could get on it. I thought that Hofstra would send another shuttle since there were so many people waiting, but no, they did not. So we just stood around and waited for the 3pm shuttle. I talked with another Publishing Studies major, which was really nice. I really need to talk to more people in my majors. At Target, I filled my basket over the brim. I had stuff falling out of it by the time I told Caitlin that I needed to go check out.

I also got a call from my big sis! We talked for over an hour, and it was good to hear her voice and catch up. There’s nothing quit hearing a voice from home.

I spent the rest of the evening as a pile of lazy bones. I made dinner in the microwave and watched more of The Americans. I had been texting my friend Cole all day, and we ended up on the topic of houses, apartments, and condos in the New England area. I started down the rabbit hole of looking at condos on Zillow, and I’ve fallen in love with several places. Lord help me once I graduate college and I have to find a place to live!

Sunday, September 5

I spent my day eating, watching tv, and working on a website for an author. While I generally enjoy working on graphic design and website development, I have come to discover that I. Hate. Wordpress. With. A. Passion. It makes no sense to me why they have things set up the way they do. Squarespace (what PomSeeds is hosted on) works flawlessly and it makes sense. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s worth it in my opinion. Wix is a lot more detail-oriented and can be a little slow, but I’d much rather work on Wix than Wordpress. There were several times where I felt like throwing my laptop out of the window of my fifth floor dorm room. Oh well, at least I have the experience of working with Wordpress and I can put that on my resume.

Monday, September 6

This Labor Day was one of the most fun days I’ve had since I flew back to Ohio to be home for nine months. Alex’s boyfriend Matt lives in Connecticut now and he invited a few of us over for the day. My friend Jovani drove me and our friend Eric, and it was a fairly quick ride, considering New England traffic. Alex had already been there since Friday, and she was cooking by the time we arrived.

The boys played video games while Alex cooked and I sat on the couch and read. It was fun watching them play. Afterwards, we ate and chatted and it felt like being back on the floor 11 lounge in Vander Poel. Once finished, we played a board game called Kill Hitler, and it is a paranoia-inducing game. We played way too many rounds of the game before deciding to play something else called Muffin Time—now that is a chaotic game. Alex was washing some dishes so it was just me versus the five boys. The goal of the game is to end up holding ten cards, no more, no less. By the time we had to leave, I was declared the winner because I was the closest.

The drive home was good, and I had a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline all lit up.

Back at my dorm, I tried to do some homework before finally going to bed exhausted.

Tuesday, September 7

Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to be very long days for me. Having three classes in a row will do that to you. After eating a very late lunch / early dinner, I headed back to my dorm and accidentally took a 2-ish hour nap. I really didn’t mean to, it just kinda happened. And now I’m sitting here finishing up this blog post!

By the time this blog post is uploaded, I still will not have had one full normal week of school. However, I’m sure my personal finance class won’t be too out of the ordinary.

I can’t begin to describe how thankful I am to be back where I need to be. I have a great roommate, amazing friends, and good classes. Here’s to a fairly normal semester with normal stresses and nothing chaotic. Please be good to me, Junior Year. We’re halfway through college.

P.S. Here, have a Bean and Cici photo gallery, because I miss them dearly. All photos courtesy of my wonderful Mama.