More on College

My first four days of actual class time at NECI ends tomorrow. Then we get a weekend off, which I will be spending here in Montpelier. I'm hoping to find the gym and eat at one of the NECI owned restaurants. Also I should probably tidy up the dorm room, since it's still a mess.

This week we haven't had any 'real' classes. It's success week, which means they're just trying to teach us a few basic things. How to get here, how to use the NECI online things, where the library is and what's in it, and the most interesting thing- knife skills. It's easily the most interesting, but it is also my most dreaded success week class. I was just worried about accidentally cutting myself. Instead, within the first 20 minutes I faint. I was dehydrated. That was probably the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, and I won't be letting it happen again. That was on Tuesday. Yesterday (Wednesday) I was nervous to go back. I was behind everyone else since I had no clue how to chop an onion, at least not the 'NECI way'. I still feel behind, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. We also learned how to cut celery, carrots, and garlic yesterday. By Friday apparently we're going to learn how to julienne.

It's cool to be learning new things. I'm looking forward to the time when I actually get to start learning the management side (in 3 months I think?). Until then I'll probably feel a little lost. I'm not very interested in how to cook 'the NECI way', it all seems a little fancy and pointless to me. I mean- crushing garlic is a lot faster than mincing it by hand, and squaring off a carrot just makes a lot of waste and doesn't make any difference in the flavor. I feel that cooking should be practical.

I'm just going to keep thinking about my plans for the future, which will make all this worth while. I know I should be living in the present, but I'm not a fan of college life so far. I'm hoping it gets better, maybe I'll learn to be more social! I still haven't broken out of my shell.

What I Miss Most

This place is not a 'home away from home' yet. I don't know if it ever will be, mostly because of the things listed below. They are what I miss most about home.

Living in a house, not a room.
Being able to open the fridge or cupboard and decide what I want to eat.
Not getting lost when I drive somewhere.
My family.
My pets.
A real bathroom.
Visiting Aunt Jen on weekends and spending hours there.
Cooking for my family.
Having a sense of privacy.
Not paying for stuff.
My favorite radio station.
Watching TV or a movie with Tia.
Winchester jokes.
Hearing crickets at night.
The crazies in Brattleboro.
Comfort food.
Laying in bed talking to Tia for hours after we should be asleep.
"Night, love you, see you in the morning."