This is one of those posts that I really wanted to write when it was fresh and happening. Unfortunately the apparent necessity to push math to the forefront took precedence. So now, late, here it is. 
My first day wasn’t quite as weird as I thought it would be. I got dressed, I got my backpack, and I walked to school. Once I sat down and class started, you forget that you’re a 31 year old freshman going back to school; it’s just class.
I showed up to class about 15 minutes early to insure that I got a seat towards the front of class which I prefer. Over the next 15 minutes the class got filled and people kept coming. They were directed to an overflow room that enabled them to watch the class over a live video feed and be seen on a monitor only the professor could see (though the entire class could hear). It’s a 2-hour class with a 10 minute break halfway through. During break I took a quick inventory of the class. Without counting exact numbers I would say there was more than a half-dozen girls in the class. A very respectable number for an engineering class which is a male-dominated field (with electrical engineering providing an even rarer glimpse).
Also during break I had my first exchange of pleasantries with a classmate. Anjun is a freshman student who’s come to America from China to become an electrical engineer. We talked a bit and I shared a little insight and told him to ignore one of the other classmates who earlier claimed that the class was “extremely hard” and this was his 2nd time taking it because the last time he got a D.
Monday’s class is Digital Design and is a fantastic way for me to start school. I expect that I will know 95-98% of all of the subject matter of this class, so it’s a nice way to get “in the groove” of school without stressing out too much about subject matter.
Class is from 10:00 to noon and after class Monday I decided to hang out at campus and grab a bite to eat. Eating outside with all of my college mates I was greeted with a show that was quite the stereotypical college-campus event. Standing on a little outdoor stage was a young man claiming to be a messianic Jew for Jesus who informed us that we were all going to hell if we didn’t acknowledge the Torah and Jesus. He then proceeded to say mean things about a great many people. This is when things took on a Portland flavor. A bum had walked onto campus (which is tightly integrated into the city) and began a yelling match with our Mr. Sermon. It was honestly enjoyable to watch and the crowd did it’s part with the expected heckling.
Now, I’m officially in college.
Tuesday is my Physics day, and day one was interesting. The professor, Dr. Abramson, warned us multiple times during our first two hours together that Physics is challenging and we should not take it lightly. Again and again. Now here I am, sitting in the third row, listening with more than a little anxiety. This is the class I’ve been worried about, and he wasn’t helping.
That evening was the third of my three classes, Physics Lab. I met a 2nd student there, Eric, who is now my lab partner. I was hoping to land this one cute girl as a lab partner, but Eric sat down next to me and that was that. Eric’s an “older” student going back to school as well. Though he’s 23 and halfway towards a degree, so we’re not in quite the same boat. He is also a Portland transplant though and as new to the city as I am. We’ve exchanged phone numbers and will likely go grab a beer one night.
Wednesday: Digital Design. Show up to class, feel pretty smart, pat myself on the back. The only thing to really note is after class I spent almost an hour in the hallway talking with Anjun about engineering and trying to give him a better feel about the differences between several engineering fields. We exchanged email addresses and said goodbye.
Thursday. I went into physics class ready to learn. I was learning, learning, learning, and then I was falling, falling, falling. By the end of class my eyes were glazed over and I realized that if I’m going to get through physics I’m going to need to catch up on my math… badly. What followed has already been written about so let’s not rehash.
That was my week. I’m not so sure that I feel like a “college kid” yet, or if I ever fully will. But I definitely felt like a student by the end of week 1. I’ve got studying to do, and homework, and notes to take. I’m sincerely worried about my physics class, but also recognize that I’m taking the first steps of a long journey and there will be ample room to improve missteps taken early on.
This week things have been going better.
After my digital class on Monday Anjun was getting a bit lost. So I offered to head to the library with him and cover some of the material with him. A fellow classmate heard us, introduced himself as Chad, and asked to join in. So the three of us spent some time at the library and I got a chance to pretend to be a tutor.
Physics class this morning also went smoother. We’re moving forward and covering some more science-y stuff and less calculus, so I was able to follow along. I’ve caught up with just enough trigonometry in the past week to be OK when we discussed vectors today. It feels so good to understand what’s being taught and be able to follow along. I noticed and appreciated it today.
Physics lab, this evening was also better. Eric and I worked a lab with Katie and Mishael. It got boisterous and fun. The TA who leads the lab, Xiaohua, also joined in our fun a little bit. Xiaohua is a physics grad student who, judging by her accent, is fairly new to America. We got in a conversation about Google and it’s ability to solve math problems, with Xiaohua saying she used Google instead of a calculator now. I replied with, “Yeah, Google is impressive. The other day I couldn’t find my keys so I googled ‘Where the hell are my keys?’ and they replied with ‘Under your bed.’ Sure enough there were my keys!”
Xiaohua looked slightly puzzled and asked in the most earnest tone, “How did they know your keys were under the bed?” Laughing I explained that it was a joke and then she joined in the laughter, laughing as much at herself as anything else.
The lab is much more active and you work in groups and you get to meet people. It definitely plays to my social side as I got to work not only with my group of 4, but chat a little with neighboring students as well.
So that’s been my first week and half. Physics will continue to be a challenge and math will continue to be my “fourth and fifth” class as I struggle to catch up before I get left behind. However it goes, it’ll go and I’ll go right along with it.
I’m going to school. I’m doing homework. I’m meeting new people. Good, good times.
It’s going to be an interesting night. 
