Blind for a Bit

I mentioned in my last blog that I was going to be helping Monica with an assignment for a class on Monday (yesterday). Do you remember what it was? NO?! Did you even read the last blog?! Goodness. Well, I pretended to be blind while Monica led me around campus. I decided to blog about it because it truly was a unique experience. Ill share the events of the experiment, then Ill tell you my findings.
Immediately following my last class, Monica met me with a "blindfold" and we embarked to the caf. Our first obstacle was walking down the stairs of James. The steep stairs. A guy had opened the door just as I got there and held it open for us as we made our way down the stairs. He was the nicest person we encountered the entire time. She told me I had 4 steps to walk down and he began helping me also, verbally. Telling me, "Youre just about there and then you have 4 straight after another." Luckily, I had been down James before. But man, those steps were steep.
We walked to the caf, slid our cards to get in, then began searching for a table. Well, I held on to Monica while she searched for a table. We saw some friends; ok, I did not see them, but I heard them and they were cracking up. I mustve been a sight, but I didnt care. It was for the good of the class. We found a table, put our stuff down, and went to find food. I waited in line with Monica while she got food, then she made me a milkshake. (Im fasting during a certain part of the day.) But she made me stir the milkshake and do a majority of the making.
In the meanwhile, she asked a friend to record the whole thing. I had no idea he was actually following us around while I was doing this, but I came to find out he was. Once we completed the milkshake, we sat down and had our little lunch and then continued on our way out the door.
Our next stop was to the ARC (Academic Resource Center) to see if they had acquired any Organic Chemistry tutors. I think the lady I was talking to thought I was insane, but she answered my questions and was [not] super helpful. (Apparently they still arent ready to be making appointments.... Ill be stopping in again, today.) I then ran into the door walking out of the ARC.
We walked down to the basement of James - to the Kinesiology offices for Monica to ask a question. Those steps are steep too. Basically, I feel all of James should be burnt down. Its a total hazard. We found her professor, who began talking to her (and definitely acknowledged me, dont worry) about a project she would soon be doing. A class let out and people began walking by, once I had successfully landed on a couch against the wall in the hall. (Good thing that hadnt gone anywhere.) Someone said hi to me... I asked who they were... (Which happened several times during the day.)
Walking back up the stairs, Monica ran into the wall, trying to be concerned with if I was walking ok. Apparently, those stairwells are not made for 2 people to walk them side-by-side. We went back to our apartment, dropped off our stuff, then walked across the street. This is the ultimate test for me. I hate walking by streets, across streets, etc. I get nervous with all the rushing cars. But she did very well with me. It was a good test of friendship, that crosswalk. Upon returning to the apartment, our experiment/assignment had been concluded.
Monica was a little frustrated by peoples reactions - apparently people had some strange looks on their faces and were making some weird comments... I, of course, could not see their faces and only heard some comments. I was unaffected though by that. I mean, its rude, but obviously Im doing this for a reason. I dont just walk around with a blindfold on for the heck of it. A lot of people had things to say though, asking what we were doing. Even people working in the caf were getting a kick out of it and asking, "Whats going on with the blind girl with you?" So people definitely made things more interesting.
As a blind individual for a short while, I have to say, it was very frustrating. And scary. Having to depend on another for safety and things is not a comforting thing for me. I like to be in control and do things myself. I think sight is one of the most precious things. I would much rather lose my hearing, in all honesty. I might not be able to hear things, but I can see a door I would run into. Though I had an all new appreciation for my senses. I would rely on my other senses - especially hearing. Listening for people around me, cars near me, etc. etc. It was mildly exhausting as I spent all my extra energy on that. I also realized I had absolutely no sense of time being blind. I wouldnt know if it was light or dark, so I had no idea what time it was. I also realized it takes a lot longer than I previously thought to get places. When all you have to think about is walking, and you dont have things to look at around you and you cant see what point youre at, it seems to take a lot longer to get to somewhere.
It was all very interesting. Im glad I did it. It was a whole new world or experience for me. And now. I will leave you with a picture Monica took as I sat across from her. She, unbeknowst to me took it. I would post the video, but I cant make it work. So I hope you get a bit of an understanding of what part of my day looked - er, was - like yesterday.

A Trip Here; A Slip There...

I would like to introduce myself. Hi, my name is Carly and I am a total klutz in many areas of life.

The past few days have been interesting, just in the aspect of my travels to class, around the caf, to my apartment, where ever Im headed. Some would say this because they reconnect with people they see as they walk. Some may say this because this day is beautiful and walking in it is simply a glorious thing. The reasons may be endless, but I highly doubt many people say it for the reason I am about to give.

I have tripped, slipped, stumbled, etc. etc. so many times the past few days.... making it very interesting to say the least....

I mean, I was walking up to a door and didnt realize there was an incline... and totally fell forward. I had never been so thankful for a door in my life. Had it not been there, I wouldve fallen and probably hurt myself pretty bad. It has happened so many times. I thought I had the whole walking thing down. Ive already accepted I am not, nor will I ever be, a biker rider. But now, I have to relearn how to walk in order to be successful in getting around. Actually, connected with discoordination (kindof), my roommate, Monica, has to do an activity for a class where someone acts blind or is in a wheelchair and she has to guide them around campus. I immediately offered to be blind. I just realized, all I have to do is take out my contacts and-boom-Im blind. Guess this is going to be easier than I thought. Depending on how that goes, I may blog about it... Anyways, I dont know if its strange, but I dont usually become embarrassed when I trip... I just think its funny. But I guess to many people, that would be a very embarrassing moment.
Friday (yesterday) Monica and I went to the grocery store and ran a few other errands. I have to say the grocery store is one of my all-time favorite places. I get in such a good mood. I get all laughy-like and excited. I think its being around all that food. Ill have to dedicate a blog to the grocery store sometime... It might not be interesting, but it might help me understand my infatuation with the grocery store. After that, we went to Blockbuster. Did you know Beauty and the Beast is currently locked in the Disney vault?? Ive never been so frustrated with Disney.... Wait.... No, Im sticking with that comment. Ive never been so frustrated with Disney. To brighten our spirits, we listened to music. And sang along. And danced. Monica and Carly style. Its uncopiable. Thats right I said it. People just cant do what we do. We sang into our microphones (a hair brush and the iPod) and let the Beauty and the Beast disappointment melt away. (I still am irritated with that though.) Usually girls sing in their hairbrushes in their room... We do it in the car with tons of people around to see. Why do it in privacy? You need someone to do it with you and you need an audience!
Today we went to the beach to get our tan on and relax a little. In the short 2-2 1/2 hours we were there, I became a burnt lobster. You may be saying "Lobsters are red...." Yes, I understand that. And imagine that lobster being burned. Is it redder in your vision? It definitely should be. Im pretty red. And I sting. But Im focusing on what Ill look like when it turns into a tan. I think Ill look pretty good! At least, the back of me will.... The front of me wont be as tan because I spent more time tanning my back than my stomach, so now I have a nice "front" and "back" line along my sides. Its quite fabulous. But when it becomes tan, Im hoping it blends a little.

Not much else to report. The roomie and I are going to the Charger game tomorrow with my amazing parents. Were pretty stoked. (AND IT WAS AWESOME!!!!) Needless to say, this blog was random. Sorry about that. I felt I hadnt blogged in quite a while and figured your disappointment might fade when you check this blog and see a new post this time around. I probably shouldve called it "....and other random happenings...." But all well. Really... all is well. I shall do something before embarking on a home adventure. Farewell fellow bloggers and dear readers, who read my blog... even when its like this one....

**This blog was started on Friday and finished on Saturday.**And pictures where added on Monday.**

Back to the Basics... or TOUGHics

Well today is my first day of school. Actually, its my 16th first day of school (including kindergarten). I had four classes, beginning at 9 and ending at 1. Microbiology, Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries, Organic Chemistry, and finally Intro to Creative Writing. Luckily, I started the morning in a fairly good mood. I fixed my dreadful self up a little bit and had some coffee in hand as I embarked on my day.

- Microbiology -

I know that class is going to be killer. I have a strong feeling it is going to be a lot of microscope work - which is my very least favorite thing to do. My professor is this Asian man who seems to be kinda funny. A big plus is that I can actually understand him, for the most part, so at least that will be helpful. Then, class was over. We only went over the syllabus, but hey, Im good with that. So I stood up and began getting prepared to leave as the girl in front of me swung her backpack around, knocking my coffee over. The one time I dont immediately close the lid after sipping, and the coffee spills, onto my backpack, into my backpack, onto some of my notebooks. Tragedy had struck. But I tried not to let it bother me, figuring it couldve been worse, and headed to my next class.

- Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries -

This professor has had me concerned. I know a lot of people who say she is very difficult to understand, making her tests even more stressful and difficult. She seems very nice in a classroom setting, but I definitely understand how shes considered confusing. She shared most about the Athletic Training program, which she heads up. I recently changed my plan and am no longer planning to apply for the program, in case you arent a die-hard fan of my blogs and read them every time theyre posted. Then she began informing us of the recent changes that have been made to campus - some that we are aware of, some that we are not. The post has moved to an off-campus location (technically its on campus property, but its not within CBU gates). Where the old post was will now be Athletic Training (class?)rooms. Theres also more Athletic Training rooms in Diana Hall. She also was saying how shes trying to get approval to move our class to Diana Hall. Were all looking at each other puzzled, wondering where in the world Diana Hall is. Turns out its not too far from where the new post is. O good! A change of scenery from campus. No. That would mean I would have to walk from class, out of campus, around to my class, then walk back around the gate, onto campus, then to my next class. I know Im not the only one. So were all praying that her request is denied because we do not want to do that. Besides the fact that I would definitely be late to my classes. We only have 10 minutes to walk it. The last remainder of the class, which ended very early, had me concerned about that request shes waiting to hear about.

- Organic Chemistry -

The class requiring the most expensive books. Not one, not two, but three books. I was already not happy with this class and was already nervous because Chemistry became difficult for me... I can only imagine what Organic Chemistry will be like. My professor seems ok. I didnt get a huge impression of him. He did start lecturing.... in a way I definitely do not like, so I hope that was just because he wanted to go over a few terms or something, meaning next time will be much more structured.

- Creative Writing -

My final class for the day is Creative Writing. The class I am actually really excited for. I need another English credit and I wanted to take something that was much more free-lance, allowing me to have fun and not be so structured. I found I really like my professor, who was this bubbling middle-aged man who is very passionate about his writing. Obviously, creative writing is his favorite class to teach. Our big assignment is to write in a journal for 30-60 minutes daily. I think that will be difficult for me, but I guess it might be more of a release. Allowing me to take a break from my studying and such for my harder classes. But well see.
Each class will definitely be a little difficult in its own way. For sure, they will be time-consuming, and especially if I want to do well in my classes (which is an obvious yes) then I need to study daily to keep up with everything. After all of that, I went to Office Depot to get a few Composition books and another spiral bound notebook (to replace one that had coffee on it now). Then I went to buy books. Which.... I shouldnt even go into. My books are very expensive. I know I am definitely not the only student who encounters this problem, but it is extremely overwhelming for me. Standing in the bookstore, knowing I had to buy a few, I was frustrated and discouraged and trying my very best not to cry. A nice lady tried to help me, telling me about a renting website. I decided to check it out. I bought several books, but decided it would be in my best interest to rent a few others. I rented 3 books. I saved over $375 in doing so. I was very thankful for that lady.
Moving on. I mentioned that there are many changes going on. They are building another cafeteria/cafe thing closer to where I live. That was supposed to be done... its still in progress. Mind you, we have between 1200 and 1400 new students this year. They ran out of housing. They need to do something because the one cafeteria we have now is not going to accommodate everyone. It is crazy at lunch and dinner times - not even able to find a table. They also had a large snowy mountain mural painted in the caf. It... was not the best way to spend money, in every CBU students opinion. There is a large structure around the James building (which houses offices and classrooms). I thought it was to either hold it steady or for painting. Apparently they are finally repairing the roof and that is what is needed to do it. Either way, it still makes me nervous to walk into the building. I feel like its about to collapse. They painted parking spots using white spray paint on grassy areas (including spray-painted arrows directing traffic). We took a picture of it. I think they forgot to pave it over first... of they used the money for that on the mural in the caf. Were all a little confused about that. I think the next step is to create a parking lot on our large front lawn. Needless to say, our school is not looking like the old CBU we all know. It does not look good. Its very strange, to say the least. Well. There isnt any homework to do tonight. So Im enjoying my time before that begins. Our apartment is still in the works of being set up. Ill try to post some pictures of the finished product. For now... thats all to share. Arent you proud of me?! This has been the 3rd or 4th time Ive blogged in a short time! Hope youre enjoying!