Thursday, Orientation Day 1

We took one car and found our way pretty easily to campus. We parked and walked Ian up to the Lee Hall dorm building where he was to check-in. For some reason, I fully expected to walk in with him and “help” or “observe” him. To my surprise (though thinking back on it, I shouldn’t have been so surprised, I mean he IS going off to college, on his own in two weeks!) the students were told to deposit their bags in a little courtyard area and head inside for check-in. “Parents need to proceed to Bragaw, just down there!” Doug and I felt like it was a little abrupt. We didn’t even know when we’d see our son again. I don’t think we were the only parents thinking the same thing.

At Bragaw, we were given a tote bag filled with papers and a schedule of seminars. Then we were off to the Talley Student Center for the first event of Parent’s Orientation. We ended up spending a lot of time in Talley through the entire event. During the very first event, my cell phone rang; Ian was looking for his immunization record, “but I need it before I can start. I got my picture taken for my ID!” In another of the seminars, one that dealt with the actual off-campus residence where Ian is staying, my cell phone rang and I opted to call him back. In typical Ian conversation, he asks me, “Where are you?” He’d just gotten out of lunch and we were headed to lunch. I told him that the Residence Hall has offered free dinner to all attending students and their parents. So I asked Ian if he wanted to do that or go to the dinner that was included in Orientation. He opted for the Residence Hall dinner, so that’s what we planned.

While waiting to pay for lunch at the dining hall, I was glancing at other parents’ nametags. Just ahead of us in line was a couple from our same hometown! I spoke up, “I see you’re from D*****. We are too.” We decided to sit and eat with this couple and had a great chat. They have a son, already at the school who is a junior this year and also a Resident Advisor. Their daughter is going into the engineering program this fall. They know one of the kids that Ian went to High School with. So we had a few things in common. We saw them a few more times throughout the Orientation.

Doug and I opted to skip a few of the seminars later in the afternoon. We stopped back at the hotel where he packed up and we decompressed some. Ian called around 4:15 and we agreed to meet at the Residence Hall at 5:00. Doug and I took separate cars so he could leave straight from dinner to drive five hours to Greenville. Ran into some traffic on I-440 and of course Ian calls, “Where are you?” We were on our way so he decided to just head in and have his picture taken for his Residence Hall ID. He met us outside the Hall. In, and up to the top floor to the dining hall; we dined on chicken and vegetables, watermelon and cake. I’ve heard good things about the food here, but I was unimpressed. Ian actually talked to us about his experience(s). He’d seen an old Middle School friend and another acquaintance from Middle School.

After dinner, Doug left for Greenville and Ian wanted me to drive him to his next event. Then I headed for the mall! I was looking for some college bedding that Ian wants… I didn’t find it. One merchant directed me how to get to Wal-mart because she thought she’d seen some bedding there. Along the way, I stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond and a few other places I thought would be fruitful. No such luck.

Back to the room before 8:30; I tried the internet without success and watched some TV before heading to bed.