I have now been living on my own at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for just over a week, so I've gathered some highlights from the past 10 days that I definitely did not see coming. From (almost) losing my bike for good, walking home in what was possibly the worst rainstorm I've ever seen, to attending a festival completely dedicated to the "Shrek" films. The past week or so has been filled with events ranging from sightly unexpected to strange and bizarre. And classes haven't even started yet. But each of these wild events has given me something valuable. They have brought me new friends and expanded my circle. And because of that, I wouldn't take any of it back.

1. Locking up my bike...and forgetting the combination.

A new school means a new bike. And a new lock. Take it from me, buying a bike lock because it's on sale does not mean you're actually going to get a good deal. My bike ended up stuck outside of a dorm that I was not living in and a 30-minute walk away from my residence hall.

2. Getting caught in a rainstorm at 1 a.m.

Already living the broke college student lifestyle, we decided that Uber was out of the question. 40 minutes and one completely soaked set of clothes and shoes later, we made it back to our dorm and took my favorite self-timer photo of all time.

3. Finding a cockroach during movie night

It began as a relaxing Sunday movie night. It ended in a wild bug chase around the common room, and the eventual release of the cockroach we semi-fondly named "Phillip."

3.  I went to Shrekfest

Yes, you read that correctly. My friends and I attended a festival dedicated to all things Shrek. This event was full of an almost cult-like fan base of the movie series and had several themed events including a roaring contest and an onion eating competition.

5. There's haunted elevator!

Of course, I can't confirm that our dorm's elevator is haunted. But between getting stuck in the basement, shutting down twice a day and the strange noises it emits, my dorm mates and I are pretty sure that this machine has a mind of its own.