Day One: A Day of Joy and a Day of Hardcore Walking

Meet Jason and Angel. 

Angel is five years old and one hundred and forty-five pounds. She is a Colombian red-tail albino boa constrictor.  

Say cheese Angel!

Jason knows Angel is albino because she has red eyes, which only allow her to see well at night. According to Jason, there is a big difference between venom and poison. Venom "eats away at your skin and muscle, and travels through the entire body." A death by venom is slow and painful, and you'll "go through hell." Poison can paralyze you. It is painful, but not nearly as painful as venom. Jason should know: he has been bitten numerous times by snakes. His first snake bite was at age thirteen, by one of his family's many snakes. Beyond knowledge, Jason has an emotional connection to animals. A connection that is stronger than between Jason and other humans, in fact. He prefers animals because they don't kill other living beings for "stupid reasons." He finds them loyal. He assured us that "80% of animal planet is a load of bullshit."

Is this what Don Gosney had in mind when he said meet new people?

I am still not sure what to make of Jason and Angel. That was by far the most interesting thing that took place in my very busy, long day. I am happy to say however, I found the entire day delightful and exciting. 

Some highlights:

Eating at the Ratty three times today was not painful. I was pleasantly surprised because it was named the Ratty by Brown students because they weren't satisfied by the food. There were many, many healthy options and everything I ate was at least satisfactory. 

I am very excited to say I will be coming home with a Brown sweater. Browsing the clothing section in the Brown bookstore, I at first felt uninspired. I laid my eyes on a soft light maroon, collegiate-style sweater and that changed. I like that it represents traditional Brown, and I think I will wear it a lot.    

Thank you very much, ILC, for our Brown apparel!!

At the student orientation, the first floor of Perkins Hall played get-to-know-you games. I was awestruck at how diverse the large group was. Almost no one was from the same state and beyond that, at least a quarter of the students were international. I met a soon-to-be senior who is from Spain, but attends boarding school in Switzerland. I met a boy from China who jokes a lot, and a girl from Ecuador who also likes to perform. I met people from Bermuda, Greece, and Canada. I am still trying to learn everyone's names. 

I have a roommate, Elizabeth, who is from a town outside of Lexington, Kentucky. She feels her town has nothing to do, so she is happy to be here. She likes to referee soccer games, and lives on a farm, but does not grow plants or raise animals. Her ancestors used to run a train station just down the block from where she lives, and she is named after them. 

Esme, Diana, Mahi and I ended up walking what felt like many, many miles by accident trying to find a CVS that was close by. We laughed and sweated the whole way. It was humid and muggy, although I didn't mind it terribly.

One disappointment was this: I had wanted to go to a college talk led by theater majors, but it is scheduled for when I will be in class. Trying to make up for that a little, I talked with a just-graduated Brown theater and history double major. She enthusiastically chatted about the decisions she made, her interests, and her plans.

I am now going to do my first homework assignment!