Friendship

After living in Utah for almost 5 months now I really understand the meaning of friendship and trust. The biggest struggle for me is to find friends that will not judge me based on what I look like and who else I hangout with. The friends I have made at UVU and during my college life so far, I don't see as being my true friends or trustworthy. I have always been told to be careful of who I trust because you never know when that trust can be taken advantage of.
I can not even trust my roommates. Moving into a new place and with different people makes it hard to have the choices of who I room with. I didn't know anyone in Orem, or in Utah in that matter, so I was forced to live with five randoms guys. I have know idea what they are doing here, what their motives are, or if I can trust them. I have learned to trust two of my roommates but the other three, I could care less about what happens to them in the future. I try to get along with everyone I am around but for some reason people have to be ass holes. When I think about what these people have done to not earn my trust, one kid in particular pops into mindone of my roommates. I am not of the LDS faith and he is very judgemental about me because of this. Everything I say he has a negative response.
There is so much drama in our apartment and I hate having to deal with it. This person goes around in each person's personal food cabinet and starts eating every one's food. It makes no sense why he does this and his only response to when we confront him about it is, "If it is not labelled, then it is free game." I have no idea how this kid thinks or if he is mentally stable. I know that it is not right but i retaliate and started eating his food. He never found out but that does not make it right. If he was really my friend, I would not have to be worried if something as small as food is safe when I am gone. I will find new friends to live with next semester and hope that they are not the same as the ones I had this year.

First Semester in My College Career

As my first semester is drawing to a close, I now know why everyone said it was going to be so hard. When I first arrived on the UVU campus I had no idea the situations I was putting myself into. I picture college being very similiar to high school. Yes, I am a hard worker and make sure that I get all or most of my assignments in on time, but in high school if I put something off i could usually get it done in the class before. Even in the AP college level course I did not seem to be challanged enough. After the first week of school I felt confident in my ability to keep up with all assignments and scheduled projects. But as soon as golf started, my eyes opened to the real world. Golf at the Collegiate level is a total different ball game than playing in high school. Before college I missed one day a week for a golf tournament but as soon as I played in my first college golf tournament I missed 3 days just for one tournament. I finally understand that everything does not come easy and I have to work to keep up my grades. I do feel that I accomlished what I needed to this semester to have a good start to my college career. The one thing that my Mom told me about my grades is to do my best to get the highest GPA possible because each year after the first just gets harder because when you go into you major specific classes there is more and more work to prepare me for the real world. I am now trying to get all the studying for my finals done so I can get good grades on the tests so I can enjoy my Christmas vacation not worrying about school.

Home

Being able to call Colorado Springs is one of the traits that makes up my personality. I enjoy going to school in Utah but it is not my home. Yes, the physical characteristics and look of Colorado Springs and Orem are very close a little, but the people and the culture are almost on opposite ends of the spectrum. The one thing that I noticed right away upon moving out to Orem the emphasis on religion. I am not of the LDS faith and do not feel comfortable living in Utah where I feel threatened by the culture. Right at this very moment I would really like to pack up my things and leave but I am not able to do that. I have made a commitment to myself and the golf coach at UVU. I enjoy the educational side of things here at UVU but the culture is different from other places I have been in the past. My dad is in the Army so I have been all over the world and have seen many different things, but Utah is not the same. I just hope I can get past the cultural differences I have with people and can find the right friends to help me along. And I will never call anywhere home where I dont feel wanted or an outsider.

The Wonders of the Golf Club House

Being able to continue my golfing career at the Collegiate level is wonderful. Just being out on the golf course is a mind blowing experience. Of course not everyone is going to have the same opinion as me on this subject, but the beauty of nature is exacerbated on the acres upon acres of well manicured lawn. When you can view the beauty from afar it is so hard to keep the tears back. The club house: an elegant structure that raises three stores off the soil of the Earth, many different rooms full of secrets from the past, present and future. The front of the mansion is covered with windows, allowing any visitor to see the excitement and festivities happening within taunting them to enter. The pro shop's walls are lined with numerous photographs of the past "Club Champions". The chromed and pristine golf equipment draws your attention right away making your eyes tear up from seeing how unified and aristocratic the room looks. Then we move into the dining room. Tables and tables, from left to right, from front to back, it seems as if thousands could fill this room for the exotic meals created by the club's "Five Star Chef." The tables covered with white silk table cloths, every 14k golf and sterling silver utensil, crystal glass, Chinese crafted plate, and Norwegian bowl placed properly so the French King of Versailles could eat in this room. The ostentatious luxuriousness of this club house is mind boggling and the sight of it should never be forgotten.

Thanksgiving Vacation

Being able to finally get back to the routes of my origin, Colorado Springs, was a well awaited endeavor. I had it all planned out; get picked up from the airport by my mom on Weds. around 9 o'clock, and spend the rest of the time hanging out with my family and play a few rounds of golf. No one except my mom knew I was coming home. By the time We got back the the house, after driving and endless hour, my youngest sister had started to worry about my mother absence. As we passed Monument, a small town just north of Colorado Springs on I-25, my mom's phone started to ring uncontrollably. I answered the phone only saying "hello" one time trying not to give away my presence. My sister was startled and confused about what just happened, with many wild and crazy thoughts going throuhg her head. "Ooh NO!!! Is that dad on the other line, that was a very strang voice, did I call the right number, where is mom, is she kidnapped, dead, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!!!!" Then my mom took the phone from me and started talking to my dazed sister calmly and rationally. My mom told my sister that she had finished her daily workout and had to finish a few things before she would be home. My sister asked who answere the phone and my mom played my presence off very well making my sister feel dumbfounded. We finally did get home around 10-10:15 and I stayed in the car while my mother went through her normal routine when she returns home; go in, say hello to the kids, look through the mail, and fix a bowl of cereal. I finally went into the house around 11 making sure everything in the house was back to norm and there was no longer a suspision of who answeredt he phone earlier. I walked in like I owed the place making sure not to give anything away, and my sister just said "hey nick," like she would when I lived in that house before going to school.... Then she realized who I was and where I came from and she strated to cry.

And Thanksgiving this Year turned out to be a lot better than just staying in the college dorm sleeping day in and day out!!!