first days of school...

Every year without fail,I would wake up early to get ready for the first day of school. I would put on my favorite outfit (usually it was something new that I had never worn before-that my mom and I had just bought). I would have my hair down and looking decent for the annual event. I did my makeup or put on jewelry and walked down the steps of my house, to the smell of pancakes in the kitchen. My mom always liked to make the first day of school special for my brother and I. She would have done it every other day too, if we would have woken up on time and she didn't have to go to work. (No one can beat my mom's pancakes.)


So we would eat our breakfast, trying our best not to spill syrup on out clothes, and then we would walk out the door and stop on the end of the stairs to take the typical picture. My childhood neighbor, Tyler and his mom Nan, would usually join us for the photo shoot. Every year we had an individual picture, twin picture, and group picture. These are rather hilarious when you put them in a row. Of course you get the effect with school pictures, but it isn't quite the same. You see, with school pictures you just get the face and shoulders, you can compare but the things that you can't see make the first day of school pictures that much better. 


First day of school pictures open up a whole new world of awkwardness for the student in the picture. You not only get to see their smiles go from crooked, to braces, to straight; you get the entire body shot. You can see the change in the shoes. In my pictures they went from sandals and socks to my favorite chunky black boots, and then to my favorite pair of brown clogs with flowers imprinted in the sides. Oh yes, I was rather stylish. With the shoes come the randomly designed shorts and matching tank tops. What a sight to see. The matching outfit and the awkward not-coordinated stance just make the comparisons between the years a sight to see. 


This year my first day was not just my first day of school but my first day of school-overseas. Something I had never experienced before. It was incredible. My teacher had an accent and he was talking about psychology, which is one of my favorites. Now, I usually go to college in Pella at Central College. My class sizes are usually no bigger than 40 students. I walked into my classroom with a few other Americans, and there were no desks, but chairs with movable writing tables. If I were to guess, I would say that there were about 400 chairs in the room that resembled a big music hall. 

high ceilings in the room...

The ceilings were high and rounded with great detail on the sides. Random paintings of emblems were painted at the highest parts of the ceiling. The professor did not take attendance, and was about 10 minutes late for class. People were eating, and had computers. This is all very different from what I am used to, but it was incredible. We will see how this class continues, but it will be an experience. 

A few of my friends from Central and I took our first day of school picture in front of the building our class was in. I thought that I had moved on from the "awkward stage" once I got through puberty, but apparently you can feel awkward, not the funny awkward, but the awkward awkward even when you get older, yay. The picture was fine, but the hundred University students filtering through the doors staring and laughing at the Americans wasn't so good. 

Rachel, Elizabeth and Myself in front of the building...

I am convinced that their laughter was out of jealousy and nostalgia because they remembered their first day of school pictures, and they wanted to take some too...

first day of school picture :)