Third Week On

This is my third week at Princeton. Somehow though, it seems like I have been here for much much longer. And I mean that in the positive sense - I feel more or less settled in, familiar with the campus and surrounding area, and already have a bunch of people that I can hang out with in my free time. I had definitely expected it to be harder somehow and also hadn't expected to take a liking to Princeton so quickly. Well, either I have just become easily adaptable to all sorts of places or Princeton has that way of drawing you in pretty fast and making you feel at home. I honestly feel as if I have been living here for forever.

I also realized that being in a small town is not that bad. NYC is just an hour away by train and you can easily access the more hectic city life when you choose to. But while at Princeton and on campus, you are free to just focus on learning (both in the literal and more metaphorical sense). It is a bubble of sorts, but I realized that I don't mind being in a bubble for two years. It feels very refreshing. And having most (if not all) people around you be in the same boat (i.e., studying, not working) makes it a lot easier. You are all on a similar schedule, have similar concerns, etc. so you can relate to people a lot better. I think being the only student amongst working friends would be tougher.

Things I want to do this semester (and hopefully continue) outside of school work:

1) Start to climb again - The university is building a new climbing wall (supposed to open sometime in the fall) and it would just be stupid of me not to take advantage of it while I'm here, especially since I love climbing so much. I was reminded of how much I enjoy it this past weekend during our 2-day outdoors trip to nearby Blairstown, where I got the chance to climb an outdoor climbing wall.

2) Return to salsa - I have missed dancing. I didn't do any in Bulgaria. There is supposedly a salsa club on campus, social dances every few weeks and probably a few places in and around Princeton to salsa dance. Definitely want to explore those.

3) Continue with yoga - I am determined to stay dedicated to yoga and try to get a little bit of it in every morning before class. The fact that it energizes me should be a good enough incentive, but laziness can prevail too, so let's see how I do.