I saw four Canadian Geese flying south today. I happened to look up from my Anthropology book just as they flew above my window. I think I was more amazed at the fact that they were actually flying south than their diamond-shaped formation or even that I knew they were Canadian Geese. The geese knew where they were going. They knew which direction to take. They knew it was time.... So they went.

I want to be like Canadian Geese.

This is my mailing address for the year... please write me a letter so that the next time I decided to walk half a mile up hill to my mail box I won't be sad when I get there because its empty.

Stephanie

P.O. Box 8826

Reno, NV 89507

~.~

Intermediate Algebra (M, W, F) 9:00-9:50 am: An older woman with a sharp manner but kind eyes, when and if she chooses to smile. Claims to love joking around, but never once even attempted a joke. Her nature seems strict but her words were all uplifting and kind. Said she had a knack for working with people who didn't understand math (that made me happy) then she started teaching and I was lost.

Humans & the Environment: Nothing needs to be said because I dropped that class and replaced it with Archaeology.

Archaeology (M, W, F) 11:00-11:50 am: Will attend class Wednesday.

Concert Choir (M, W, F) 1:00-1:50 pm: Multiple teachers! Sue, Susan, a guy and the professor. Professor seems nice. Short little man with a shaved head and glasses that distort his facial features. Funny, very welcoming and a genuine smile. When he shakes hands with people he holds on for a long time and shakes rapidly. I'll enjoy his class.

Anthropology (T, Th) 8:00-9:15 am: A silvery grey haired man with glasses. Casual dress and a soft speaking voice. He tends to only speak to one side of the class, making it hard for the other side to hear him. Hard to tell about his personality because of the size of the lecture hall but he looks familiar... could I have seen him on the History Channel?

English Composition (T, Th) 9:30-10:45 am: A class of 20 students! Cute young teacher with a dazzling personality and a great smile! Wants us to call her by her first name. She's really funny and told the class she wants us to "write from our hearts." She doesn't want big fancy words, she wants us. And get this, she lives in Utah and flies herself to and from work in an airplane. "You should all get your pilot liscences! Its a trip up there!" She told us.

Intro to Theater (T, Th) 11:00 am-12:15 pm: An older woman with child-like features...She acts as though she has something she would much rather be doing than teaching us. Basically the entire class period was spent with her telling us we needed to help out the theater department by putting in 20 hours of behind the scenes work for the University productions. Obviously, we're just free slave labor. If we don't work we won't pass. Lots of reading and writing will be done in this class.

Social Dance (F) 7:00-9:00 pm: Will attend class Friday. So far, it's been getting in the way of mine and Andrea's road trip plans for the year.

This morning, I woke up late but good thing for me Andrea was there. We quickly got ready for church and headed out. As we walked through the lobby I noticed something that made me do a double take... Could it be...? I walked a bit farther, took a few stairs and leaned over the railing..."Dad?" And he turned... My Dad had come on a surprise visit!! He'd bee back packing for 10 days in the Sierras and came to visit me. Andrea, my Dad and I then went to church... and it was cool because Andrea wanted to ride her bike back to the dorms, so my Dad and I had the way home... we talked about the message a little bit and then went to Walmart so I could pick up my pictures, then back to the dorm so he could see my room... and finally to lunch at Sonic before he needed to head out. "Can I come home with you?" I asked... He laughed, "No you need to stay here, we paid lots of money for you to be here." "But if I keep hating it, then can I come home?" "You'll like it, you'll start to fit in." "No, I already don't fit in, I don't dress like a hooker. Are you sure I can't leave with you?" "No, you need to stay."

In two weeks, over Labor Day, I'm going back to Oakhurst. I miss Paul, Jonathan and David.

I think a common misconception about my previous posts is that I have a desire to fit in here and be accepted. I do not want to fit in here. I do not (and am already not) accepted here. I do not was to become immune to the sin around me here. I never want to be immune to sin, period. Nor do I want to tolerate it in any form. I do not want to laugh and coarse jokes or smile at things that should not be said. I do not want to be part of that in any way, because if I am that in a sense becomes me. 'You are what you eat' and 'I am a product of my environment' do not become me. The LORD knows it would be easy to conform to this. He knows it would make life easier for me if I could just blend in and not be noticed. But those are not the plans He has for me.... or for anyone. He also doesn't want us to be a light to light. We, as Christians, are called to be lights in and to the darkness. A lot of responses I'm getting are telling me to just hang in there, blend in, readjust to the secular world... But those are not what I want to do. I do not want to slide by or be comfortable. I want people to notice me because I'm different. Because I respond to life different, talk differently and live differently. Because I don't tolerate the secular world or what it has to offer and I won't tolerate sin thrown around so lightly. Yes, sin happens. No I am not perfect, but I do strive to be like Jesus and I do desire to follow him completely. At the moment I'm just clinging to what He's promised me, to what I know He is calling me to in the future. I know that what goes on here, that this college is just another step toward this God-given promise.... This is just a step, its not a change of life or a new way of living. This whole year will be a trial and God will carry me through it as He always does.

I finally threw away all the empty boxes that I moved in here with today. Guess I'm sticking around fro a while, eh? Orientation is finally over (Praise God from whom all blessings flow!) At lunch today we had a free bar-b-que for the new students, so I got myself a plate of food and considered going up to my room to eat but then a voice inside me said, "Steph Garver, you need to start being you own independant person now. Go eat with someone and make a friend." I've met lots of people but connected with no one except the two guys acros the hall. But I made my way over to a guy with curly hair sitting by himself at a far table. I introduced myself (his name was Adam) and shortly after the common meeting of where one is from, what their major is, ect... another guy took a seat at our table (his name was Matt) and we all connected and were laughing shortly after! When it was time to part I was thinking that I'd probably never see them again but we all said that we'd see eachother at the food fair later that night. The rest of my day then consisted of me waiting in an hour and a half long line to get my student ID, buying a PO Box address and buying a parking permit. It rained on me which is no good as I'm starting to come down with a cold.... then Andrea and I went to dinner... I had orange juice... and Mongolian grill. Yum! Then we met up with the guys across the hall (Brad and Bryan) and went down to the food fair, where I happened to meet up with Adam and Matt again. We hung out, did a relay race and ate food! We decided that since there's not too much to do tomorrow that we are going to meet up at noon at Matt's dorm room and find our classes on campus so we're not completely lost on Monday. It should be good. Overall, I'm finding myself a bit more connected, but still not fitting in. Which is fine by me. I never fit in in High School, so why would college be any different? Besides, Jesus made me for far better things. I'm looking forward to the start of our Bible study going on in our room in a week or so. That should be really good! Yay! I'm missing my fellowship in Oakhurst though but they have been really support

Trying to be positive about this. Trying not to think of all the things I have to do still. Trying to blend in, but be a light. Trying not to think about anything but just being. There's too much going on rigth now to think about anything. But the sunset is amazing. Looking to the silver lining. Trying to smile and look involved. Trying to be into the "college thing." Trying not to hate everything about this. The food is good... there's an automatic dishcart! I had a vanilla latte from a dispenser tonight. Trying not to think about the girl auction going on downstairs that they cheerfully call a "singled out" dating game show. Sick. "I like beer!" some guy shouted out durring orientation which caused more people to shout and cheer, including the leadership. Our school mascot was touching girls in naughty ways. Oh wait, I'm trying not to think about how I don't like it here. Andrea and I discussed being hermitts for the rest of the year... we also discussed getting out of hee at semester and trying out a community college somewhere else.. it'd be cheaper for sure. We'll see. Too bad the sunset doesn't last longer.

We're all moved in. This really is quite the culture shock, in many ways. Tomorrow (Thursday) Orientation starts. So, I'll be doing who knows what between the hours of 8 and 3... but I love our room! Its so big! As you know, I tend to be a little bit shy and unless other people are outgoing I seem to miss them... or they miss me. And Andrea is even more shy than I am, so we're having some difficulty with that. But prayers are deffinately appriciated! It was really a long hard day. And to be quite honest, reality of it all still hasn't really hit. I keep feeling like I'm more just on a vacation mindset rather than this is my new home. Andrea and I both have a lot of camp pictures and foresty things hanging on the walls... and its pretty obvious when you compare us to the other girls on our floor that we're kind of out of place. So our room is nice, homey and big, and I know I should give it more time before officially deciding that I hate it.... but its not quiet little Oakhurst. Not by any means. However, God has blessed me with Andrea and the food here is AMAZING! (the best thing about the dining commons is that there are a ton of options and chocolate milk comes out of dispensers, like soda from a fast food restraunt! I know, simple things...) But something wonderful is that every day we will get to watch the sunset from our window. I know its not quite a desert here, and though desert sunsets are the most beautiful on average, but I'm told the clouds roll in every afternoon/evening and the clouds make pretty sunsets! So... that's where I am in life right now. Haven't had a whole lot of quiet time yet as today was really busy, crowded and loud. But I did get some while mmoving in. So, hopefully tomorrow afternoon there will be more time for that. Anyway, its late and I need to be up for Orientation tomorrow. Later!

I'm in Reno now, for those of you who were curious. Yes, I made it here safely! Yay! And only really got horribly lost once in Sacramento. It's those crazy one-way streets. Why would anyone ever do such a thing? Anyway, here I am safe and sound and Andrea's house. Tomorrow we'll move into the dorms... I'll have to get a PO box, parking permit, books... unpack... and probably a lot more. This is so different than this past year... very different. Almost frightening, it feels like this is onl a vacation and I'll be going back in a week or so... reality still hasn't hit yet. But I'm realizing how kind people can be and how truely God has been blessing me! Especially in this time of change, God has sent people in my life to comfort me and help move me along. Paul's family (extended family included) as well as Jonathan, David and Andrea's family have all taken me in, accepted me and provided for me with kindness, encouragement and cheerful servant hearts. Lord, bless them.

I know, summer's not quite over yet, but for the first time this summer, I've made time to sit down at the staff computer (and imagine that, it's not busy!) to type out a little somethin'-somethin'. This summer has been amazing, it started out really hard for me, simply because I've was tired from Common Fire. But Accommo has been really good, my team is fun, fo sho! I've learned to be a gangster.... or not.... and God has really taught me some amazing things! In future entries I hope to share some of it with you reader, but until then just pray for me, and pray that God will continue to guide me and teach me more amazing things! Relationships have been good this summer, old friendships were healed and grown and many new friendships formed! So, If nothing else, I have made a wonderful discovery! God's timing and will are perfect and there are some really amazing, strong Christians in Oakhurst. (where have I been all my life?!) Someday, I will live here again. But God's already heard that prayer. :) Peace to you reader and soon you will hear from me more frequently. With deepest love and fondest wishes.