Mason orientation

Holly and I spent several days earlier in the week at her orientation for George Mason.  We drove up to Fairfax on Sunday afternoon, as the program began early Monday morning.

Parents and students each had separate tracks to follow, a few of them together with our kids.  Holly stayed on campus in the upperclassmen dorms (which are pretty new and very nice).  The parents' program ended Tuesday at noon, and I was on my own.

Boring!!

Meanwhile, Holly finally got a few hours of much needed down time.  In the evening, the students went to a Washington Nationals baseball game.  Holly snapped this at the game. You have to know where to look, but you can see the Washington Monument poking up behind the stadium.  Look along the overhang at the top of the photo; at the end, drop your eye down to see the Monument.  Such an awesome (although a bit hot), beautiful night, and so exciting to be right in our nation's capital!

On Wednesday morning, the students left the campus to do a service project. I can't imagine trying to coordinate 250 kids, but the group managed just fine.

Overall--good stuff.  Complete information overload for everyone.

Holly commented that these things are planned by extroverts, for extroverts.  A very spot on statement.  Several of the kids I spoke to were overwhelmed and burned out by the end of the first day. Holly had the option of skipping the baseball game and/or the volunteer work, but she chose to stay put.

Breakfast on the second day

At one of the parent sessions, we were given pipecleaners and told to use them to create something that showed how we were feeling.  I grabbed the blue one and left it alone. I explained that I was still going with the idea that nothing was changing, and that I functioned well in denial, that this was no different for me.  The pipecleaner would also be unchanged. My table laughed, not in a mean way, but I think they thought I was just choosing not to really participate.

When we left a short time later, some parents took their pipecleaners, some didn't.  I did, and one of my tablemates expressed surprise that I'd take it.  I told her, definitely, that I was taking it, that I wasn't kidding when I explained what it meant to me!  (I later brought it home and hung it on my bathroom mirror, where I expect it to remain permanently, as in, until the day I die.)  Anyway, it was not a pleasant exercise.  I can worry about this stuff in two months, no need to be thinking much about it now.

One of many gorgeous wooded paths, 

just a short walk from my parking lot to the center of campus.

While the programs were well run, the kids were not given nearly enough food, food choices, or drinks (including water).  I made a food and drink run for Holly early on, kids were buying lots of food at the baseball game, and I ran into several buying food at one of the dining halls instead of choosing the lunch that was laid out for them downstairs.  Fortunately, I know this is not the norm for the course of the regular school year.

Holly and her roommate-to-be spent quite a bit of time together, and they were in prearranged smaller group that included several of the students in their pod. I wish I'd thought to get a picture of the two girls together.

We are looking forward to all of the fun prep--as in shopping--that we'll get to do between now and the move in date of August 22!

Holly's name, near the middle of the photo, 

just above the right side of the serif.

Ha, I just noticed that the first picture I took of this sign did not yet have this group's signatures on it.  How funny (and how odd that I would notice). I guess it will be totally covered by the time all of the orientation groups go through.