The first day of school

Well. Today was the first day of our orientation for grad school. I woke up with butterflies in my stomach and headed off to the subway station very reluctantly. I'm always nervous meeting new people and going to new places. When I got there, people were just starting to arrive, and everyone seemed really friendly. We chatted over the coffee and pastries the school had set out and waited for the introduction to begin. We got lots of practical information -- it's a good thing it was also included in a folder for us because I don't think I could remember it all.
In the afternoon, we had a session with the grad school's therapist, which was really interesting. Before I got my master's degree, I would have thought the idea of having a grad school therapist was pretty ridiculous, but now I'd never question it. It's a very competitive, highly stressful time, and I remember reading once that the suicide rate among graduate students is insanely high. I believe it. I had a terrible time my first semester last time, and while I feel much better prepared to deal with the stresses this time, it's nice to know that the school has somebody there for us if we need it.
We finished off the day with a review session for our foreign language exams, which are tomorrow. I did okay, but am pretty nervous about it. Everybody think positive thoughts for me tomorrow -- I want to pass this the first time around.
I'd love to relax with a little knitting, and the mystery stole is totally calling my name right now, but I think I should study instead. Sometimes being responsible is no fun at all.
Internet access is still sporadic, but will hopefully be fixed by Wednesday night. I can't wait -- it's so hard to be disconnected from everything.