What a fun couple days it has been. It feels like its been a week since I’ve posted!
So orientation on the first day included a big volunteer event they do every year mostly run by students. They split us up into groups and we went around Tulsa to various organizations and helped them out with whatever they needed. I met a lot of great people and laughed a ton! The school fed us breakfast and lunch and gave us a volunteer t-shirt! Woo! I love new t-shirts.
The second year’s put on a mock lecture to show us what NOT to do. They crumpled chip bags, asked “Will this be on the exam?” repeatedly to the professor, had their cell phones playing youtube videos during class, one guy even brought a freakin’ blender and turned it on in the lecture hall. It was pretty dang funny. It felt like a very OBU thing to do, so I was glad to see them having fun and being ridiculous about it.
Overall, the experience felt a little like camp, but I was glad for the relaxing environment to get to know people in and truly enjoyed getting to know my classmates. I picked up my white coat and scrubs they give us for free, and then went home where (some) of my nieces were waiting for me. My family and I went out to dinner and then shopping that evening so it was a great day in my books!
 

The white coat ceremony was a blast. And if I hadn’t been so crazy giddy about the whole experience actually occurring, I would have cried. I thought the ceremony was extremely well done. It felt official but still warm and friendly. They filed us in to the auditorium after the audience was seated and just walking in with my white coat draped over my arm, I got the warm fuzzies and just felt extremely accomplished. We were joking around in line saying how the whole ceremony feels so misguided since all we have done thus far is gone to ONE DAY of orientation. But still, it gets you excited about what is to come and builds your confidence and pride. My sister Stacie in Arizona was watching the live stream online which made me extremely happy, and Zach and Jenna both got to come to watch. I have the best family and friends!
It was pretty hilarious once I was “coat-ed” to watch the struggle that is having-someone-else-put-your-jacket-on-you. You’d think it would be easy, but it most certainly is not. You have to shake their hand, give them your jacket, slip into it while they’re holding it out, fix your hair after, take a picture, say thank you… its exhausting and requires a great deal of focus. So much so that I don’t remember walking across the stage because I was so focused on making my fine motor skills work properly at each little step of the process. Hopefully mine looked smooth. I do remember that I was ready to take the picture, but the professor was still fixing my collar. Oh well. Whatever trauma it caused me was gone when I took the Oath and filed out to more applause. I still feel warm and happy inside!
My posse and I went out to brunch afterwards, so I was fine by then.
Here are some pictures!