28 years ago, I was a freshman at the University of Iowa. I figured with years of adulthood, working as a teacher, managing a household, and raising children, living on the Viterbo campus and finding my way around wouldn't be too big of a challenge. Surprisingly, many things gave me flashbacks to the frustrations of freshman year.
Not having a car on campus brought a few challenges. The first night, my roommate Holly and I wandered several blocks off campus, hoping to catch a glimpse of a restaurant where we could stop to eat. Feeling disoriented in a new town is much simpler when you're in a car. At least at Iowa, we had the cambus to ride.
Packing a book bag to haul around campus for the day and anticipating what papers & books will be needed was a frustrating guessing game. The result? Lots of hurried trips back to the dorm to retrieve something I forgot.
Trying to locate buildings and classrooms by a 3 letter code caused frustrated wandering at times, even on a small campus. Finding the bathroom or the elevator without back-tracking or having to ask for directions felt like an accomplishment. It took most of the week to orient myself to the cafeteria, the campus layout, as well as other essential things like pop machines and campus printers.
This experience will give me empathy for my students attending school in a new bigger building this fall. I will be able to quickly recognize the looks of bewildered disorientation so I can help them open a locker or find the bathroom.
After all, I've recently been in their shoes.
1 comment:
If anyone can manage a week back on campus, it's you, Diana. You made managing a wedding reception the day before Viterbo look like a piece of cake.
Can't wait to hear how your presentation went!
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