I'm currently back at work in the Admissions Office. I am rested, (relatively) healthy, and no longer wearing head-to-toe purple. That, my dear friends, can only mean one thing...
...Summer Orientation is over :(
Let me now try and recap the last week and a half that was in the next few posts:
We began last Thursday (17th) meeting in the Sem for a welcome back lunch and to exchange the binders we made for our Secret Peer Mentor (think Secret Santa with little gifts throughout the semester). The binder you make for them, they use throughout Orientation to carry all of the many schedules, rosters, and papers we need. After that we over we did some training for the rest of the day. We ate dinner with our partner and had to reach under the chair for the word that our group name was to include. This year my partner was Nicole, a rising sophomore.
Everyone on the Peer Mentor team get paired with another PM, usually finding out who they are in a dramatic fashion right before we leave for the summer. Together, these two partners make up an orientation group and lead about 25-30 new students throughout orientation. As for the names, they are based upon our overall orientation theme. This year's was "Forever Young". Therefore, each word had something to do with youth or childhood. We had the luck (some would say) to have chosen the word "Barbie". Sure enough, by the end of the dinner Nicole and I put our heads together and Barbie and Ken's Sassy Stonehill Superstars was born!
Our night ended it in the common room watching the Lakers take on the Celtics in Game 7. As the only Lakers fan in the place, I was jeered throughout the game. But, as usual, came out victorious! Later on, we played a giant game of hide and go seek in and around the Sem.The next day was an early morning for us as we received presentations and updates from offices around campus such as Community Expectations, Health and Wellness, and Academic Services. Later that night, the fun began as we were each given $20 to spend on our groups. So the carpools to iParty and Wal-Mart began...
We rode with Diana and Bri, who bought a inflatable pony that each member of their group ended up signing. But the most inventive in the car had to be Lauren and Kate who needed props to make them look like a scientist. Naturally, they stopped at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton and went to the nurses station! Nicole and I bought some plates to use as door tags and some cowbells and whistles that we could use for our big entrance...
Coming back to campus, we made some signs and enjoyed some late night take-out. The next day we were up early again. This time we were quizzed on everything Stonehill from what to do if you have a bad roommate to what options there are to stay healthy on campus. Before we knew it, training was over! Very soon, orientation would be all too real...
We had a day off on Sunday, Father's Day, so I woke up early to surprise my pops back in CT. My mother told him that they would go out for a nice lunch at one of our favorite restaurants: Rein's Deli. I met my dad at the table as he came to take his seat. He was pretty shocked, but he was really happy. We had some great reubens and sweet potato fries. Before we knew it however, I had to turnaround and make the trek back up to Stonehill for a 6pm meeting.
At the meeting, we went over the 20 page schedule for orientation called the Grid. After that was done, we made the final preparations for tomorrow and took our team picture.
You work up quite an appetite planning so a bunch of us went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries for sustenance. If you followed my blog at all when I was in D.C., you know the most dangerous place in the world is between me and a Five Guys burger. I was in heaven.
All that eating can make a person pretty tired, so I tried (emphasis on tried) to fall asleep early. As I lay on my lumpy mattress, it became all too real: my last orientation was about to begin.
To Be Continued...
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