Humans are adaptable. I mean that in a grand sense, but also on the smaller scale: how I’ve adapted to living in a new time zone, how I no longer have to be in my car by 7:45 or ready to eat lunch when the bell rings at 11:12 (which seems sort of early for lunch right?). Already in my first weeks as a so-called college student, I have adapted to sleeping in and eating during dining hall meal times. I need three square meals a day (sometimes four!) to fuel all the things I want to explore here at Oberlin.

There are so many things to do and see and experience. It’s a month in and I’ve already created an Oberlin Bucket List so that I don’t try to cram all my hopes and dreams into my very first semester. That might be a tad overwhelming, but more importantly it’s exciting to have new adventures to look forward to, even if I can’t fit them into my current balance of schoolwork and class time and activities. To be honest I haven’t actually figured out that balance yet. But hey, I’m only a month in!

Any attempts at balance begin with actually sleeping, to be up in time for my morning classes. I’m not going to say having a 9 am class is optimal, but there’s something nice about being up and about when most students are just emerging from the dorms.

The first time I felt any sense of settled and in control came during one of these mornings. It started out with a bit of chaos, as every morning thus far had. I overslept, and didn’t eat breakfast before going to class. I do not recommend this. I know plenty of people who do it, who skipped breakfast even in high school, but food is so important! Skipping meals makes me sorta go Eeyore, and that’s not good when you’re adjusting to a new place. Besides, there are so many yummy options!!! (Pro tip: I recently discovered that grabbing breakfast from the Science Cart is a good alternative for those of us who have trouble waking up in time! Or just getting out of bed in time, as the case may be.)

Anyway! I had about an hour before my next class, but that class had been cancelled for the day, so instead of wandering across campus in the general direction of my favorite building—

It’s my favorite because of all the plants, the pond outside, and the waterfall inside. It is so relaxing!

--the AJLC, I wandered into Downtown Oberlin!

My first stop was The Oberlin Market. To my absolute delight, they had avocados! I don’t really know what had convinced me that I would never be able to make guacamole in Ohio, but the Southern Californian in me could already taste it. I found the public library, which I would later return to with my friend Kara. As much as I love Mudd, there was something homey and comforting about visiting the town library. They told me that I could check out two books, and if I return them on time, I will forevermore be allowed to check out up to 50 books at a time, or 7 movies. Let me say that again for the people in the back: 50 BOOKS!!! I don’t know how I would transport those, or read them in time for return, but oh my goodness what a time to be alive. I better remember to turn my two books in before the end of this week. My library card even has an Arthur the Aardvark sticker on it!

This adventure also resulted in the discovery of a really cool mural and one of my most liked pics on Instagram!

On my way back onto campus, I decided to stop by the bookstore before the midday rush. My walk took me past Gibson’s, and oh my goodness, that store is my new favorite place. They have everything I could possibly need or want! On this particular morning they had fresh-toasted bagels. I purchased one, and took it out into Tappan, where it was still early enough to find an empty tree swing without any trouble.

^^^I’m not entirely sure why I call these tree swings. They’re just swings. But here’s what they look like!

I sat on the swing and ate my bagel and took out my laptop to work on an Intro to Writing Fiction assignment. (Pro tip #2: there is wifi in Tappan! Also in Wilder Bowl. So you can totally do your homework out in the fresh air, or catch some Pokemon if that’s what you’re feeling.)

^^^The Tappan gazebo.

It was super relaxing and I felt so accomplished. I had gone out into the world to buy my own food! I had eaten breakfast for the first time since arriving at Oberlin! And, even though a bug landed on me and the dude biking past witnessed my squealing and jumping and general panic, sitting on a swing was the most comfortable thing in the world. It reminded me of flying through the air on the swings at the park across from my house, every day after middle school. And most of the days this summer, when I was feeling particularly nostalgic, or had left the house thinking I was going to run, and instead sat down to swing. I swear it’s exercise! (Pro tip #3: there’s a classic plastic swing by the Heritage House! It makes me really happy. And the Heritage House tours are super cool, definitely check them out! I love living in a town with such a rich history.)

Every moment in Oberlin is a new and exciting adventure. And as much as I am not a morning person, I remember this morning fondly. It began to show some of what Oberlin had to offer in a time when I was still wondering what I thought I was doing, moving out to Ohio. It showed me how much better life is when I feed myself three meals a day (or four!). Best of all, it showed me that I am capable of functioning on my own, and that taking steps toward adulthood does not mean I can’t still enjoy swings.