So, as I had previously stated in one of my blogs, Chuck Norris has come to Furman. Yes, Chuck Norris, Walker, texas Ranger came to little Greenville to speak to us about his book on patriotism. It was one of the best times ever since I moved in.

First of all, this shindig started at 7:30, but we got in line at 6:00 in order to get seats. So, my hall waited on the steps of MacAlister Auditorium for 30 minutes to come in. We basically sat there doing homework. It was an array of knowledge laid out on the side walk fom The Merchant of Venice to Latin to Calculus. It turned to hall bonding time. Waiting for Chuck once we were seated was the hardest part. It took us an hour to go. However, it was so worth it! I'm not saying that what he said was right, but his story of struggle was very inspirational. In all, who would not want to go see Chuck Norris!

In most people's mind, Furman is a conservative Republican school, but this stereotypr does not hold up. There is a large section of the students that support Obama. Each side respects the other, and so far, no conflict has occured. For example, I, the most liberal person ever, went to stand in line an hour and a half early to go see Chuck Norris and his Black Belt Patriotism. Even between roomates, both sides are represented. In all, no political persecution resides in Furman.

Even the two sides can coexist in one room. And yes, each room on our hall has decorated their dorm for the election.

~Sofi

P.S. Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table because he only acknwoledges the element of surprise. Just fyi...

If you have not heard by now, Furman has these things called CLP that stand for Cultural Life Programs. Basically, you have to have 8 per year to register into the next year, and you have to have 32 by graduation to graduate.

These CLP's are just ways to get to to see thing that you might not go see otherwise. There are more than 200 CLP's offered throughout the year, so you can whenever your schedule can accomidate. They range from movies to lectures. For example, This week I went to see The 11th Hour narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. It was an enviromentalist documentary about global warming and how to stop it. Let me tell you, that film made this matter very urgent, and it kind of scared me.

But not to fear! Furman has many ways  in which it helps the enviroment. Each hall is provided with a hall or individual recycling bins. The napkins in the DH(Dining Hall) are biodegradable, and we have an organic garden! I have heard that the veggies from the garden are quite scrumptious, but I have not had the chance to try them. No matter what, sustanability touches everyont of us here at Furman. We can save the planet one aluminum can at a time!

So... The final events of orientation have finally come. The first two weeks of classes rolled by with much to do while My Tie and the President's Picnic have passed much too quickly.

For those of you out there that have never heard of my tie, it is a dance where your roomate goes off and picks your date by stealing their tie. It is very exciting as you have no idea who your date will be until he comes to pick you up. Suitemates (Disa, Mary, Jessie, me)After much preparation, I finally got see who my date was, James. We took many pictures by the lake, and I felt like we were at prom with so many pictures and cameras going off. It was fun, though. Our hall, the sister hall and the brother hall all went downtown to eat before My Tie. My date and I went to an Indian restaurant. It was quite hilarious since the waitress would not let me eat Indian Hot food. You can choose an entree and choose the level of spiciness you want. I, being Mexican, wanted Indian hot, but the lady would not let me get it! It went something like this:

Me: Can I get my entree in Indian hot?

Waitress: Are you sure? I think you need a medium plus.

Me: I'm sure.

Waitress: Are you sure? It's really spicy!

Me: I'm sure! I'm from Mexico; I can take the heat.

Waitress: I'm going with the medium plus.

Needless to say, I ended up getting the medium plus. And the dance afterwards was great! I had such an awesome time! However, the Virginia Tech game the band was supposed to go play at was canceled because of Hurricane Hana. I have to admit that it did make me kind of happy since I  got to sleep in. Hall 

As Sunday came, so did the Presdient's Picnic. This is the event where you go to the President's house and get a tour of his it. White OaksThe O-staff (Orientation Staff) lead the tours. It is one of the most beautiful houses I have ever seen. They come up with the craziest stories about each room. I mean... what... they are true yu guys. Actually, some really important people have stayed in that house (like Richard Nixon). Aside from it all, I got to meet Dr. Shi who is the sweetest person ever! He is so interested in knowing who you are. He also knew about bbq in Memphis. I was pretty impressed. It was very nice to see him and talk to him. I have say that that was a very productive week yet sad that orientation is over.

P. S. Chuck Norris is coming to Furman!!!!! YAY!!!!

          Finally, I have made it to Furman University! YES!! Since I decided to join the marching band here at Furman, I got the privilege to move in 5 days before the rest of the freshman class moved in. Of course, that meant that my mom and I had to carry everything three stories up (freshmen move-in day provided strong men to carry everything for you). It was quite a workout. However, we got everything put together in about 2 hours. I decided to loft my bed in order to save space. However, when you first get your bed, you have to lower it. I didn't know this, and I had to climb all the way up to go to sleep. I couldn't even sit up without hitting my head which did happen on several occasions. This problem is now FIXED thaks to my RA and my FRADS! And yes, I know my room is not the cleanest...        Band camp week was intensely hot and humid! Since I switched from a clarinet to a baritone, my arms and upper back hurt like no other. I literally could not lift my arms above my head. However, I got to meet a lot of cool people. Marching band is not limited to just music majors. Just look at me. I'm a business and economics major. Of course, there are only a few of us, but we are not looked down upon in any way. However, I have to say (in a biased way) that  the low brass has the most fun. Low brass for all the non-band people would include trombones, baritones, and tubas. You might think that they are all guys, but the baritone section is composed of more girls than guys. Interesting... Nonetheless, the band makes you feel like you are at home. Also, by Friday, the freshman class had moved in. Of course, I had an advantage since I had been on campus for five days now. However, I was excited to finally see my roomate, Muqdisa (or Disa for short) and all of my hallmates. I consider myself lucky for having such a great hall with girls who are nice and considerate of others. Of course, we've only been living together for a week. Orientation weekend and its activities were so awkardly amazing! Me, being the queen of awkward, loved fieldfest. Fieldfest is when your, your brother hall, and your sister hall compete in activities against other halls to try to win orientation week. Each team of halls is assigned a theme. We were Medieval Times! Our halls were decorated as such.           Another highlight of our orientation week was the midnight serenade. It's when all the guys come to the balconies of the girls' dorms and sing to us. In return, they get candy thrown down at them. However, it was more painful than we though it was since starburst from the third story came down pretty hard I was told.  Ladies, if you have never had 50 guys sing Brown-eyed Girl to you, you need to get here. It is the most adorable thing ever!          To say the least, Orientation week keeps you so busy that you have no time to get homesick. The Furman family that consists of your peers, the faculty, and the staff does become your home away from home. Even with classes starting, I'm more excited than fearful. We'll see how long this attitude holds up!