By: Amy Meng, Lillian Waddill, Fariha B, Konark, and Alec Friedman

Man, it has been such a blast at GSA it’s hard to comprehend how quickly it is going. Everything has changed so much from the first day we got here. Everyone was nervous and scared to talk to other people at first, but as the dust settled and the atmosphere changed everyone started talking and having a great time.

We thought that the GSL’s would be for the most part separate from the students, but they have become a part of everyday life here. Each and every one of them is friendly and easy to talk to. They are even awesome enough to take us out on trips to Blacksburg for dinner, giving us a break from the same old D2 food. They hang out with the students and will even play cards and watch movies with us. If any one of us ever has any sort of concern or just wants to go somewhere off campus the GSL’s are always ready to help.

Off campus field trips and other events are definitely a great part of GSA. The trip to the beautiful, freezing water of the Cascades was out of this world. The trip Kentland Farm, beef, swine, horse, and sheep teaching units was a great opportunity not only to learn a lot, but also to relax and get hands-on experience, not to mention seeing some really cute animals and a recently shaved, sassy looking cat named Slim. The plant side of the trips to the farms was also extremely fun. Gordon Jones gave us a ton of useful information on the subjects were are researching. He was even able to make watching grass grow very interesting.

Not only are the field trips fun but the van rides to and from the field trips are also very fun, and they reveal a lot about the GSL’s. For instance, in Lauren’s van the student riding shotgun gets to be the DJ. We also found out that she loves Justin Timberlake, and when we say loves, we mean absolutely goes crazy if he comes on. In Adam’s van, he is the polar opposite of Lauren; instead of freely letting the person riding shotgun pick the music, he gets “very touchy” with the radio. He likes to pick the station and doesn’t want anyone fidgeting with the stereo.

Even better than going on educational field trips is letting lose and having fun at midnight bowling. Everyone seemed to have a great time bowling. There was some competition going on, but in the end everyone was just happy to be out partying and having a good time. Special S/O to Lillian Waddill for getting three strikes! Congratulations to everyone else who had good bowls. To those of us (including Alec Friedman) who did not do so great, we all still had a great time. So many people went all-out dressing up in neon and having glow sticks all over.

Outings like midnight bowling and the soon to be movie are great opportunities for everyone to bond and have a great time. We hope to see you all at the movie and be sure to bring tissues, a snorkel, and goggles because streams of tears are guaranteed.