Greetings, from Athens!

Well, I've moved in, and classes have started. In fact, my first week is almost over.

So far, things haven't been that bad. My classes will definitely be challenging, but I feel that I can get some solid A's and B's with some effort.

The roommates have been pretty good so far. I haven't had problems yet, so hopefully that's a good sign for things to come this year. It's also been a while since I've met so many people in such a short span of time. We had a little housewarming party last weekend, and have another one coming up tomorrow. I'm always up for getting to meet people, so here's to the night.

It seems like every day I shed a little bit more of my Gainesville self. I guess this is my transformation into total independence, and I couldn't be more excited. I don't regret making the decision to come here at all; this place is a great balance between a good education and a great price, as well as a social commerce. A definite recommendation in my book.

There are some downs, though. I still feel like I'm inferior to the people around me. Most of them got into UGA as freshmen, making them outstanding high school students that were heavily involved and made top-tier grades. While I like to consider myself an excellent high school student, I didn't get in to UGA as a freshman, and it took me three years of college before I could come here. And for that, I feel stupid. And I probably won't shed that notion until I see my first grade this semester.

I also miss the diversity of the past. Most UGA students appear to be similar; they dress the same, they engage in the same activities, and so forth. Being one who likes to find the different in someone, I still feel like an outlier. I'm optimistic in the thought that there's a group of people I can feel comfortable with. It's just a matter of finding them. Until then, I'm just a free agent.

And I can already tell, with the way the girls appear to be here, I can look forward to a solid 2 years of being single. Let's hope for another outlier.

Outta here,
-Mitch