To start my Homecoming weekend off right I went to the showing of “Monster’s University” in the campus center on Thursday October 3, 2013. Although I narrowly missed winning the Wawa gift card I wanted, I had a great time watching the movie and sitting with some of the girls from my floor. Little did I know it was the start to hectic and crazy weekend.
Friday began as just another normal day for me. I woke up. Got breakfast. Went to class. Got lunch. Went back to my dorm. But, at 4:30, my floor mates and I walked over to see the Homecoming parade. The weather felt like summer and we sat in the grass right by the judges’ table. As the different clubs and organizations went by we got lots of handouts that included candy (which I particularly enjoyed) and invitations to their meetings. All of the golf carts were beautifully decorated and all showed off the groups’ personalities. A club I had just joined, the American Sign Language Club, had (in my humble opinion) one of the best floats, connecting sign language to the theme of the weekend, Stocktonopoly. Afterwards we all rushed over to the pep rally.
I must be honest- I did not expect such a pepped up pep rally. All of the students and faculty were so excited for Homecoming weekend and had so much school spirit. All of the sports teams were introduced, along with their collective many championships won. Many fraternities and sororities made appearances at the pep rally as did many clubs. The dance team and the cheerleading squad both performed. The ASL club did an amazing performance of “Roar” by Katy Perry in sign language that absolutely stunned the crowd. After the crowd was all excited, we all went in to get our free Stocktonopoly t-shirts and the bonfire began. The bonfire was huge, and it lit up the entire freshman quad. My friends and I were disappointed that we could not roast marshmallows or make smores on the fire. We couldn’t get close enough to the fire to do that even if we had really wanted to.
The big events all happened Saturday- the carnival and then the dance. My parents and younger brother came down for the day, and I loved spending time with them. My brother made me do all the blow-up obstacle courses with him and mocked me because I was slower than him. It’s worth mentioning that he is ten and it was way easier for him to manage the obstacle courses than it was for me. My parents took us out to my favorite restaurant Applebee’s for dinner, and it was amazing to have a real, off-campus meal for the first time in almost a month. After dinner we said our goodbyes so I could get ready for the dance.
My entire floor was in a frenzy getting ready for the dance, making sure our hair and makeup were perfect. We took floor pictures with our wood cutout of Gloria from “Madagascar” in the common room, which resulted in us being late to the dance. By the time we got there everything was already underway, and the party was pumping. I personally took off my heels as soon as we walked through the door and headed straight for the dance floor. Shortly thereafter my group of friends and I had formed a rather large circle on the dance floor and were having a blast (our song “The Fox” even came on). I danced the night away with my girls and I couldn’t have asked for a better freshman Homecoming dance. What a way to kick off my college experience.
Overall my first Homecoming weekend here at Stockton was full of fun, laughter, family, friendship and good food. I can absolutely not wait until next year!