Obligatory Introduction (by your girl Pepper)

It’s Week 3.

Without indulging in excessive preamble: I find introductions tedious. Nothing I tell you about my favourite band, hobbies, or various other cute tidbits are going to inform you on whether you’ll like me as a person, or enjoy my company. But an introductory post is by definition introductory, and I am perfectly capable of compromise. I am also very capable of erratically jumping from one topic to another, which will either speedrun the getting-to-know-me process, or act as a warning to the scatterbrained “organised mess” situation I have upstairs. Consider yourself warned.

I’m an ISFP, but people mistake me for an extrovert – which is a mistake – I just like making friends! but maybe not for the right reasons. There is a level of absurdity you can display to absolute strangers, that you can’t spontaneously present to your friends who already presume they know who you are. But labels are just boxes we restrict ourselves to, and defying the mould is what got us all into Melbourne Uni in the first place.

I ramble and I say things I don’t mean; I say things that I mean in the instant which I then recant. I leave blog posts and emails in the drafts folder to marinate, because it never feels right to jump the gun. Who knows what won’t align with my values in a week or more? (My introduction already sounds too aggressive.)

Uni life has been intriguing. It’s week 3, which seems like early days but is instead 1/4 of the way through Semester (mind-blowing), so I’ll share the tips I’ve got, as an inexperienced Jaffy learning the ropes:

1. Find the nearest microwave to your classes (yes – packing lunch is the way to go); please, lift the fog from your eyes and stop trekking halfway across campus for the student pavilion microwaves (I plead guilty).
2. Staying one step ahead is falling behind: nothing that my friends said could have prepared me for how you need to have mastered the last lecture’s content for the next day’s workshops/tutorials to make any sense. Going through test prep questions when you don’t know what the formula abbreviations stand for is funny for the first 10 minutes, but… . .. ….Well.
3. Just talk to people! Everything’s easier when you realise people care too much about their own lives to pick apart whatever imperfections are causing today’s insecurity. Chatting to strangers as you go about your day might earn you a new friend – and it might not! There’s nothing to be gained from an avenue explored compared to an opportunity lost except sociability and a slightly happier day.
   

I digress. I’ve got my first two assessments coming up, and I’ve already started the uphill battle of retaining my sanity. It’s only Week 3.

Wish me luck!
Pepper