Richmond Fruit Punch

I didn't want to go and couldn't wait to do it at the same time. The University of Richmond was supposed to be waiting for me, but was it really? I didn't want to leave my family, boyfriend and friends. On the other hand, this was what I had always wanted - traveling, meeting new people, getting in a challenging environment. I was standing over my empty suitcase and didn't know what to take with me. I was leaving the next day. Six hours to go. How do you pack to live four months of your life? My feelings were mixed up like a big bowl of fruit punch: apples for sadness, pineapple for excitement and peaches for confusion.     

I wake up at 9:30.  To be precise, I am woken up by the alarm clock. It has been two months since I last woke up in my bed in Prague, Czech Republic. My eyelashes are stuck together and don't seem to want to come apart. It’s time to go to class. I am not very aware of what clothes I put on and how my hair looks, since I went to sleep at 3 a.m. And I don't even care. There is always some work to be done at the University of Richmond.  Everybody is busy and tired. The loads of work during the semester are mind-bending compared to what I have been used to from my home university.

The Boatwright Library (Photo by Pavel Hrbek)

    What strikes you first while entering class at University of Richmond is the number of class enrollment.  There are never more than 20 people in class, usually from 10 to 15.  And the attitude is different, both students’ and professors’.  The students are very competitive and hard-working, each of them wants to be the best and they participate a lot in the class. Professors encourage this behavior by initiating discussion and making students react to what they have learnt. The approach could be called “keep students busy.” . But on the other hand they are always there to help you and no question is considered stupid.
    Regular class assignments include readings, writing of papers and articles and doing projects and presentations. Even though I complain a lot about the amount of work we get, I appreciate the feeling that I actually am learning something.

The D-Hall

  While walking from class to Dining Hall, which everybody calls simply D-Hall, I don't admire the brick gothic buildings all around or the beautiful lake in the middle of the campus. It has become too familiar, an everyday routine. I remember seeing this fairy-tale, calm environment for the first time.  I was riding around in a cab that brought me from the airport with a driver who spoke worse English than I did, which made me very comfortable.  I felt like Harry Potter entering Hogwarts for the first time.
    Some people say that the food in D-Hall is not good, but in fact it is like a five-star hotel. There are amazing choices starting with hamburgers, a huge salad bar and about 10 different kinds of desserts. It is a huge meeting place. The International students occupy one long table. If you come there almost any time of the day, there is someone there who you can eat with. This coin has two sides -- you never have to eat alone, but you never have privacy either.

The International Table

The international students hang out with each other most of the time. We know some Americans from classes, but they rarely become our friends. Maybe it is because they already have their own friends, maybe because they know we are going to leave soon anyway, maybe they are not interested in people with different accents and cultural backgrounds.  I was a little upset about it at the beginning, because I really had not had to come to the U.S .to meet 20 Spanish, 12 Italian and 5 Danish people.  But as time went by I made so many friends from so many countries in the world, that I do not mind the fact that I don't know many Americans anymore.
     
    My suitcase was half full. Or half empty? Three hours to go. I couldn't even remember why I had wanted to go there. Do I really need so many shirts? What is the weather like there? Everybody in the house was sleeping.  It was very quiet.  Scary quiet.  Uncertain quiet that smells like peaches.

  

The Boatwright Library at night (Photo by Pavel Hrbek)

We spend our afternoons, evenings and nights in the library. Actually, we spend our lives there. The fact is that when you are looking for someone you are most likely to find him in the library. The library is open 24 hours a day. One day I was in the library, talking on Skype to my friend from the Czech Republic, which is six hours of time difference from Richmond. She went to bed and when she got up and signed up to Skype again, I was still in the library. We spend so much time there, because of the amount of work we have to do, but also because of the fact that the Boatwright Library is amazingly equipped.  It also offers places and opportunities to relax besides the study environment.
   The most stunning thing about the library for me and the other internationals is that you can drink and eat in there. That is unthinkable at home. It even has its own cafeteria on the ground floor. When it gets late, you see people with cups of coffee everywhere. And when it gets really late, usually about 2 a.m., and people are overworked and tired, that is when the best library stories happen. The most times when I was roaring with laughter at the UR were in the library, revealing the stress and tiredness.
 

Paper cups everywhere (Photo by Pavel Hrbek)

  It seems that nothing is impossible at the University of Richmond. And nothing is ever a problem. You get free newspapers, printing or laundry. If something breaks, like your bike or computer, they repair it for you for free. You can get help with your papers in the writing center or with your psychological struggles in the psychological center.  The gym is the best gym I have ever visited in my life.   The service and care here is perfect. Apart from keeping the students busy, they also try to keep them happy.
    University life in the US is different to the one in Europe. The campus of the UR is a big complex of class buildings, dorms, apartments, common buildings, gym, library, dining hall and many others. It is more like a little town than a school. It also has its own post office, health center and police station. Living on campus creates a nice and warm atmosphere of home as well as school spirit. On the other hand, some people call it a golden cage. We live in our own little universe separated from the outside world.
 

The Richmond Capitol

It is also hard to get in the city, even though it is not very far, just about 15 minutes drive.  If you don't have a car in the U.S., you are in trouble.  Everything is relatively far and the conditions are not much conformed to pedestrians. Even though the university runs regular shuttles to shopping areas and downtown as another part of great service for students, sometimes it is uncomfortable. You have to go certain times and days. If you really need to buy something on Sunday, you have to wait till Tuesday, because the shuttle does not go until then.
   
    An hour to go.  At the airport. I said the last goodbyes and set off for the trip. I finish the apples and get ready for pineapple. Richmond, here I come.

    The University of Richmond is a demanding but amazing place to stay. People are very warm and nice. The environment is homey as well as challenging. Most of the international students are staying for one semester. It is soon going to be over and it has not been enough. I hate the quantity of work we have to do, the lack of free time and the fact that you always have some assignment or test ahead. But when the time comes, it is going to be heartbreaking to say goodbye.