Biola University First Year Student Journals

A Swinging Balance

September 1, 2005 | 8 comments

While I moved several times before moving to Biola, I always lived by a park, and therefore had a swing set nearby at all times. Now living in the wonder that is the "Biola Bubble", I have come to know little else of the city of La Mirada (mainly because I don't have a car) and therefore have yet to discover the local parks. Maybe all of this growing up that I have been doing lately is bringing out my childish tendencies, or maybe I just want to go do something that I am already skilled at; something that requires hardly any effort at all. Whatever my motive may be, I am making it my mission to find a swing set and swing sometime this weekend.

For the past four weeks I have been living on-campus; filling out paperwork, going to class, and meeting people while desperately trying to remember their names. But now that the initial shock of college life has subsided and I semi-know about 50 people, I can consider myself officially "settled in". I am finding a balance of work and play, focus and fun. Between softball and school there is plenty of time set aside to be serious, but those nights of playing volleyball until 3 in the morning or driving on the freeway for hours in attempts to find a Golden Spoon are what have created the awesome balance that is college life.

I am finding that I miss several other pastimes that I took advantage of at home whether they be the short drive to the beach or playing catch on a regular basis. Luckily, Biola has a tight community life that is available to everyone here, so it's easy to get that homey feel after just a weekend on campus. The beginning of softball practices have provided me with plenty of opportunities to play catch and I am sure that I will eventually adjust to the extra 20 minutes it takes to get to the beach.

At this point I can't imagine myself anywhere else. I have some close friends who are going to other local schools and visiting them really just makes me appreciate Biola and its community even more. From day one, student orientation sets everyone up with an SOS Leader, someone designated to help them make the transition and answer their every question. And there are several other people on campus whose job is to be friendly and make sure that the next few years of our lives at Biola go as smoothly as possible. While there may not be a swing set on campus, all the other ingredients that make a homey environment can be found here; it just takes a little getting used to at first.

Journal Entries

• A Swinging Balance
• Red Shirting
• UCLA Game
• India Missions Trip
• Longest Week
• Winter in California
• Initiation
• March Madness
• Countdown

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