#week 1 update

Hey Strong Sevens!!! Wanted to give you all an update on where we are this week - 

23.3 / 30 Miles (Run, Walk, or Elliptical)

250 / 400 Push ups*

585 / 500 Squats*

610 / 500 Mountain Climbers

865 / 700 Jumping Jacks

350 / 400 Sit Ups

This is all the info I’ve received thus far - if you need to send me numbers from the last few days please do! :)

And I completed the solo challenge for us today (thaaaanks for making the captains do week 1 >.>) - I completed 14 rounds in 20 min. My knee was like freaking out half-way through, but hey, I did what I could guys :)

GO TEAM! :D Let’s make sure to focus on miles, push-ups, and sit-ups before Sunday! :D

Well folks. I done did it. I have managed to go back to school after more than a year and a half away, and boy, was it a little bit of a culture shock. I forgot how easily overwhelmed I get in situations with a lot of people, even more so with the pandemic.

I went to training in an auditorium with probably 70-100 people, which is the most I’d been around indoors in a non-socially distanced setting a long time. We were all vaccinated and masked, but still. By day 2 I was getting noticeably more overwhelmed, not helped by the fact that the moderator was BLASTING the fucking music right over my head at an ungodly volume. At a seminar about accessibility and inclusion no less. 

Still, though, training went great, and I got to welcome my new residents smiling and dancing on the front porch just like I dreamed. It was honestly such a joy. I’ve loved getting to know them and the other people in the house, and I’m hoping to bond with them a little more as the year goes on. 

I was talking to one of my international students and I told her I just wanted them all to be safe and happy and she said, “We are happy! Because of you!” and I almost teared up on the spot. Then, tonight, another of my first years knocked on my door with a few friends at 10:30 with homemade crepes with Nutella and banana and whipped cream to say thank you for doing a good job. I  actually did tear up. 

In terms of classes, I’ve only had one so far. A linguistics course targeted toward future teachers, of which I am not. But I love linguistics and I love the professor so I’ll take it for fun. I’m taking two intro courses that I didn’t take my first year because I was taking upper-level classes in other areas of study more targeted toward my major. And I just got off the waitlist for the course I really really wanted to take but didn’t get in to, so I’m THRILLED about that. It covers a very niche area of interest of mine that I’m outrageously excited to explore.

Plus, three of my closest friends are in the class, and I hope that’ll go well too.

Speaking of friends, it’s SO weird seeing them in person. People I only met on Zoom have real, physical forms. Who knew? Every time I see someone I recognize from two years ago during my first semester time seems to unfreeze a little more. Like clock gears gradually grinding away the rust. It’s surreal, honestly. Sometimes the relationship is just as I left it, and other times, I get awkward greetings and insincere smiles. (Namely from old housemates from when I moved early in spring 2020. No regrets at all.)

I’m auditioning for a musical this week that two of my best friends are directing, and I’m planning to set design a mainstage musical for the theatre department next spring which is a HUGE deal, especially considering I’m a sophomore and it’s a musical, which 1) our department simply does not do and 2) is notoriously challenging to design. Still, though, my other best friend is directing that, and I’m excited to work with her. 

Adapting to campus life isn’t quite as hard as I thought it was going to be. I think because there are fewer unknowns. At least major ones. There’s still the issue of not knowing what's open and closed due to COVID restrictions and whatnot. And getting tested twice a week isn't ideal, but quite literally better safe than sorry. The most annoying part is getting food just because the dining hall hours vary and half of them are closed, so the whole campus is squeezed into a few dining halls, creating long lines and some shortages. 

But things like class locations, laundry, and good outdoor study spots are still the same, and that’s nice. 

I got to go downtown today and explore a little, and it’s definitely weird thinking I haven’t been here in a year and a half and I still somehow have three years of college left to go. I’m excited to see where it takes me, but part of me is itching to get into the real world. The other part says savor this time while you can, and I plan on doing just that. 

Here’s a picture of the crepes my first year gave me because I’m still soft about it.

Hey, Fannibals! As of right now, Reel Hannibal is currently standing at 26 creators signed up after one week! We’ve got a pretty amazing mix of films, TV series, and video game AUs to look forward right now, but there’s still plenty of time and options left if you’re still thinking of joining us.

Remember, sign ups are open until Friday, May 4. (Specifically, 11:59 PM EST on May 4th).

For sign ups, click HERE to fill out the form.

To see the creators already signed up and their choices, click HERE for the list.

For more information:

Basic Info & FAQ

Rules & Guidelines

Schedule

Week 1 update for the Furukawa Airi International Fans' Graduation Project: People who have contributed! There's <6 weeks left so don't forget to send in your submissions to [email protected]! 

Many thanks and please continue to support us and spread the message!

Dear Friends,

 About 2 hours later, my group arrived at the EcoQuest headquarters and was introduced to our wonderful staff members. There isn't a huge staff at EcoQuest; we have our director, 3 teachers, 3 field leaders, and 2 kitchen staff members, as well as a handyman and a gardener. We were all assigned our cabins (2 to each one), given a tour of the campus, and talked at for a few hours so that we could learn a little bit about the rules & schedules we'll be following this semester. The campus consists of 3 main buildings, the bathrooms, laundry room, our cabins & a beautiful beach. The main building, called the Wharekai (Maori for food house), is made up of a kitchen & another large room that serves as both a classroom & a place where we can all just hang out inside together. The Hub is where the library, the staff offices, and the student phone & information are kept. Grannie's is a place just for us students. It has a room full of couches and bean bag chairs where we can all watch tv & movies, and then several other small study rooms for us to use. Our group of 22 students fills up 11 cabins scattered around the campus. Our beach is located on the Firth of Thames, and is right across from the beautiful & mountainous Coramandel peninsula. The water is super clear, super blue & super warm which is a win/win/win situation for me!

 Our first two days on campus were mostly just the staff going over rules and boundaries, showing us around the nearest town, and helping us to overcome our jet lag. They're feeding us super well, and all of you should be impressed because I've already eaten like 4 new things (vegan chili, eggplant parm, stuffed zucchini, etc) and enjoyed every single one of them! If this continues I'm gonna come home a lot fatter than I intended to, haha.

 Yesterday was our first day of real work. Jon, one of our field leaders, gave us a huge lesson on using compasses and maps (which is actually more difficult than you would think because there's a bit of math involved). We then got briefed on the next 2 days activities and headed out to Waharau Park for our first field exercise! We were put into group and had to complete a "treasure hunt" using our compasses to find the way. After that, we headed to the Hunua Ranges for my first ever real camping trip! Between us students, we had 11 tents that we set up in the cute little tent community at the base of this huge sheep-covered dam. The stars were absolutely magnificent & the temperature was perfect (it's summer here now, but the temperature ranges from chilly to blazing hot throughout the day and the nights get pretty cold). When we were cleaning up the next morning, I of course couldn't find my sleeping bag cover, and so, assumed that a cold opossum had stolen it in the night and was now bundled up in it all nice and warm in a tree somewhere. It turns out it was in my pack the whole time though, which was a relief. We got another quick compass/map lesson and then headed to a different part of Hunua to embark on a 5-hour long hike, where we spent the majority of the hike learning about my favorite thing: trees. We are now back at headquarters & I'm spending my night relaxing with some friends & drinking my first legal purchase of alcohol! Hooray for an 18 year old drinking age!

 It's been an overall good week so far. I feel like I've known a lot of these people for a few weeks instead of just a few days. Almost everyone has sunburn on some part of their body and I'm one of the only ones who thought to bring aloe. Tomorrow is our first day off & a group of us are planning on going back to Waharau Park since it's only a few kilometers up the road, and then spending the rest of the day on our little beach. This upcoming week will be spent here at EcoQuest headquarters, but the week after that will be spent in a different part of the country. I'll let you all know how it goes!!

 I hope that you're all doing well!