Orientation was tomorrow and I could not sleep. I started to think about all the new faces I was going to see and the school, wow the school, I heard so much about it. Like how big and clean it was, Boca in general, and how the beach was not too far away, but now I was going to see for myself!
It was now three in the morning and because of the dragging drive we were scheduled to wake up at five in the morning so we could get there on time for the first segment of orientation.
I don't remember how or when I fell asleep but I knew I did because I remember my mom coming into the room and waking us up.
It hit me. I was actually doing this, taking the first step into independence. That really shook me up and for some reason a part of me didn't want to go. Not that I wasn't ready for college, I'm just not too big on change. All my life I've been stuck here in this small city never branching out and that is what I ever grew up to know.
The bigger problem came when it was time for me to get ready. I didn't know what to wear. Something you probably don't know about me is that I hate my body!
I hate how broad my shoulders are and how skinny my legs are and my boobs, ugh everyone thinks my boobs are perfect but I personally think my boobs are way too big. At least for my skinny body! I was throwing shirts and tossing pants trying to find the right outfit causing my level of nerves to sky rocket! My hair was pulled back Indian style and a bang was dropped across my forehead covering up my right eye.
Make up I didn't even bother!
I grabbed my duffel bag and headed down the stairs. Mother Nature couldn't pick a better day for it to start raining. That is one of the many things that I hate about Florida. The rain was always random and ruining your greatest plans. I bee-lined for the car door and quickly! I placed my big blanket across my legs and laid my head on top of it. It was a little uncomfortable but I knew with the little sleep I got I was bound to fall asleep as soon as the car started up.
First stop: The gas station.
When we got there my mom's boyfriend insists that we all go in and get something to eat but I'm not hungry. Maybe I was just too nervous. I was not ready to let my mom know that and besides it's a two hour drive from here to Boca and I knew I would get hungry later.
So I went in anyways. I grabbed a glazed donut and bottled water. I don't normally drink water but because of the fear of being called out during orientation about being unprepared I was forced to buy it. See I didn't do anything on the orientation check list. I didn't bring paper, an umbrella (regretted that one real quick), or a water bottle and I brought my own blanket and pillow when it specifically said not to. Everyone was back in the car and I started forcing myself to eat the donut. I couldn't!
Next stop: Boca Raton, Florida!
Who doesn't know how to read a GPS right, especially when it talks to you? I was rudely awakened from my car nap just because my mother didn't know whether the GPS system was telling her to turn left or right. We were here! Well not at Florida Atlantic University but here, at Boca!
It was beautiful. People back home were right it was clean ... and rich! I felt out of my element. Not that I don't appreciate the finer things in life but I'm just a closed in person and this, this was for the fearless. It kind of reminds me of my hometown, well downtown at least. You know how they say every nice city has a bad part where everyone is rude, is in a gang of some sort that goes out on all type of killing spree for no apparent reason and everyone was referred to as being "ghetto"? Yeah, well that's were I was from. Golden gate in Naples wasn't all that bad. People weren't out every night shooting up the neighborhood and a most of the people were really nice but most of the people were also black! So I guess that's where the fear from "the outsiders" comes in.
